| ““Do
Not Fear Those Who Kill the Body”””A. Luke 12:1-9 contains words spoken nearly
2,000 years ago by Jesus of Nazareth. ?””1. Extraordinary things had been said about
him prior to and after his birth (Luke 1-3).””2. He had claimed to be the fulfillment of a
700-year-old prophecy (Luke 4). And then he had…””a. Luke 4 – healed a man with an unclean
demon, a woman with a high fever, and many who were sick with various
diseases””b. Luke 5 – healed
a leper and a paralytic””c.
Luke 6 – healed a man with a withered hand and many with diseases and
unclean spirits””d. Luke 7 –
healed the servant of a centurion and raised a widow’s son from the
dead””e. Luke 8 – commanded
a storm to cease, healed a demon-possessed man and a woman sick for more than
a decade, and revived a 12-year-old girl who had just died””f. Luke 9 – fed more than 5,000, healed a boy
with an unclean spirit, and been transfigured””3. And now he has been talking about dying…
soon (Luke 9:21-22, 44).””4.
In Luke 10-11 he has been doing more teaching, his miracles beyond
dispute (Luke 11:53-54).””B.
Here’s the vitally important question: Is he telling us the ?””1. Luke 12 contains straightforward words
about an unpleasant topic; is he telling us the truth?””2. My answer needs to be squarely grounded in
the lordship of Jesus. Is he
? (Matt 27:65)””a.
“…they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus” (Luke
24:1-9)””b. “The Lord has
risen indeed…” (Luke 24:33-34)””c.
“These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you…”
(Luke 24:44-48)””3. If Jesus
has been raised from the dead, then he is Lord and he knows what he’s talking
about. My decision at that point is, “Will I what he is
teaching?”””Þ You have a “”• Your
body was given to you by
(Psa 139:14)””• Your body is neither invincible nor eternal
(Eccl 12:7a)””• But you are more than a body; you have a (Eccl
12:7b)””Þ We each how we will
conduct ourselves during our time on this earth””• We can choose
hypocrisy or authentic servanthood (Josh 24:15)””• Either way, we
cannot anything from
God (Psa 139:7)””• One day, everything will be revealed and we will
be held accountable (Eccl 12:14)””Þ Therefore, it is absolutely
imperative that our fear not be shortsighted, but fully “”• Those
who can kill the body have nothing more that they can do (Psa
56:11)””• Our Creator can kill the body and has authority to cast
into (Eccl 12:13; Matt
5:22;””Mark 9:43-48; Matt 25:41, 46; 13:49-50)””• Jesus
is willing to welcome and acknowledge you as his own (Matt 16:18; John
17:24)” |
