Pastor Scott Andrews | November 9, 2025
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Luke 12:8-12
Right after we first moved to Boone, we were approached by a guy who wanted to sell us a vacuum cleaner. Someone on the church staff had just bought this vacuum, and if she could get three other people to hear the vacuum cleaner presentation, she would get all the attachments for free. So, wanting to be a nice guy, we agreed to the presentation.
The cologne-bathed salesman showed up to demonstrate all the benefits of his vacuum cleaner at 9:00 am on a Saturday and didn’t leave until 1:00 in the afternoon. It didn’t take me that long to decide which house I was going to buy. He was a good salesman, though – he spent the first hour telling us everyone he knew at the church – and being a local boy, he knew a lot of you. He then told us everyone at the church who had bought a vacuum from him – he’d been fairly successful at Alliance. He said he sold 3 vacuums for every 4 presentations – again, we at Alliance had helped his batting average considerably. Well, after telling us how smart all of you were to buy the vacuum, he began his sales pitch, showing all the dirt his vacuum picked up that our $100 vacuum missed. His vacuum worked on carpets, wood floors, furniture, drapes. As I recall, it didn’t have a bag – it trapped the dirt in water – mud, by the time he was finished. Why, this bagless, water wonder was so efficient, it even worked as an air purifier – which we needed after the fragrant salesman left. Now, I’m not saying it wasn’t a good vacuum. In fact, we were rather tempted to buy it.
However, somewhere around 12:30, by which time we had become good enough friends to talk about the good old days, he got to the price. The bottom line – this is what it would cost us to be the proud owner of this revolutionary vacuum. Oh, and by the way, if we bought that day, and that day only, the price was reduced by hundreds of dollars. Well, the price, plus the fact that I could borrow the vacuum from many of you, kept us from buying it. It’s a good vacuum, we just couldn’t afford it – we thought new carpet every few months would be cheaper.
The point is, before I could buy the vacuum, I needed to know what it was going to cost. Whether to sacrifice something less important to be able to afford it, say, food. We had a decision to make about the cost. In the same way, when you make a commitment to Jesus, you have to consider the cost. Now, I don’t need any emails about how I compared Christ to a vacuum cleaner – and I don’t want any emails about how wonderful your vacuum cleaner is. It’s just a story to illustrate this point: before making a commitment – you must consider the cost. Jesus Himself expects us to do so.
In our study of Luke, we are in a very important section of the book – chapters 9-19 – the so-called travel narratives. If you’ve been with us, you know Jesus has begun the six-month journey from Galilee to Jerusalem, which will be His last. In other words, He knew the cost. The shadow of the cross was rising. He had begun telling His disciples up in Caesarea Philippi in Luke 9, after they confessed Him to be the Christ, that soon, the Son of Man must suffer many things, be rejected by the elders, chief priests and scribes, be killed, but be raised on the third day. He followed that with these words, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” In other words, if you would be My follower, you must count the cost – self-denial and daily cross.
Well, we’ve seen large crowds did follow – thousands of people. Many would turn on Him in a few short weeks. And so, as He’s closing in on the cross, Jesus turns His attention to the disciples. And we find, it’s not a rosy picture, regardless of what the prosperity gospel wants you to believe – say yes to Jesus and you’ll have health and wealth. Oh no, quite the contrary. It’ll cost you. Which brings us to our text.
Over the last few weeks, as chapter 11 ended and the hostility of the Pharisees rose precipitously – under these circumstances, thousands gathered, so much so they were stepping on one another. And Jesus began saying to His disciples, preparing them for His departure, yes, but preparing them for the inevitable opposition that would come their way. Meaning, the context of chapter 12 and this trip to Jerusalem, is not only the cross rising for Him, but opposition promised to His followers as well. And so, last week, we entered this Trinitarian passage in verses 4-12, which warns followers of the cost, and the resulting temptations they will face. Let’s read all those verses again, Luke 12:4-12.
Yes, grace is free, but know this – if you become a fully devoted follower of Jesus, it’s going to cost you. And as a result, you’ll be tempted – tempted to fear those who oppose, but they can only kill the body. Don’t fear them – fear the One who can kill the body and cast into hell. The warning came with encouragement – if He sees every sparrow, know that He sees you, too.
Not only that, when facing opposition, you’ll be tempted to deny Christ. But the encouragement is, confess Me before people, and I will confess you before God and His angels. Further, you’ll be tempted to blaspheme the Spirit – don’t do it. And the encouragement is, when dragged before religious or governmental authorities, the Holy Spirit will teach you in that hour what to say. Do you see – these are words of warning against fear of opposition and what that fear will tempt you to do, but also words of encouragement when the opposition comes. Last week, we looked at:
- Do Not Fear the Oppressors – Fear the Father (4-7) [because remember, He cares for you]
- [This week] Do Not Fear the Oppressors – Confess the Son (8-9)
- Do Not Fear the Oppressors – Trust the Spirit (10-12)
Again, note the trinitarian nature of the text. Notice also, the warnings are coupled with encouragement. We looked at the Father last week, let’s begin by looking at the Son in verses 8-9. And I say to you, in light of coming opposition, everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man, that is, I will also confess him also before the angels of God. Incidentally, that’s not suggesting the angels are the judges – no, God is, but they are there to witness the judgment.
Now, the word confess is a strong one. It speaks of affirming or agreeing with, identifying with someone or some cause. It’s an open declaration of allegiance. It is much more than simply recognizing a truth – it is acknowledging the truth to be real to you. You see, even the demons acknowledge the reality of Jesus – James 2 says they believe in one God, and shudder at the thought. But there’s a difference between acknowledging something to be true and confessing it to be true for you. Identifying with it, claiming it for yourself, committing your life to it.
Romans 10:9-10 says it this way, “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.” In other words, there’s no such thing as incognito Christianity – secret confession. When people say, my faith is a private thing – no, it isn’t.
Jesus says, if you confess Me before men – in the context – if you confess me before a hostile environment – before religious people, governing authorities who oppose you, then the Son of Man – Jesus’ favorite self-designation right out of Daniel 7 – a declaration of deity, then I will also confess, I will identify with you before My Father who is in heaven. In other words, He will say, Father, that one’s mine. I confess him/her – he/she belongs to Me.
Let that settle in. This is the idea – in the face of all opposition, of the attacks, Jesus knows. He sees it; He hears it. He experienced opposition Himself. And when we’re facing opposition, He will say to the Father – that’s one’s mine. He belongs to Me. While, as sheep, we are surrounded by drooling, ravenous wolves who seek to consume us, while our enemy prowls around like a roaring lion seeking to devour, Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father saying, “That one belongs to Me. I will confess you before My Father.” He doesn’t promise to deliver us – He just promises to remind the Father, that one’s ours.
But, notice the future tense of the verb, “The Son of Man will confess him before the angels of God.” Meaning later, when we are standing before the judgment – while every evil thought we’ve ever had, every evil word we’ve ever spoken, every evil action we’ve ever done, could be paraded before Him with whom we have to do, Jesus will stand and say, “This one’s Mine. He belongs to Me. The penalty is paid in full. The debt is cancelled.” Further, he confessed in the face of great opposition.
We have an incredible picture of that truth in Acts 7. The church was new, but believers were already experiencing the opposition Jesus promised. The religious people of the day – the Pharisees – were coming against the message of the gospel. The church had already been commanded not to preach or teach in the name of Jesus. But that fledgling church committed themselves to the Lord. They prayed, Lord, help us not only to speak, but help us speak boldly. I don’t know about you, but when I pray in those circumstances, I’m praying for protection. They prayed for boldness.
And bold, they were. One early believer who spoke was Stephen. In Acts 6, having been named a deacon, he performed wonders and signs among the people. Those opposing him rose up and argued with him, but they unable to cope with the wisdom and Spirit by which he spoke. So, he was dragged before the Sanhedrin to give an account of confessing Jesus. And he took the opportunity to confront their sin and speak of Christ before this hostile crowd. And as a result, we read they were furious, rushed on Stephen, gnashing him with their teeth, dragged him out of the city, and stoned him. And as he lay bleeding, dying, he looked toward heaven and said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” This is the only time in all Scripture where Jesus is described as standing at the right hand of God. It is as if He is standing to welcome one of His own, home. You can see Him turning to the Father confessing Stephen, “This one belongs to Me.” And He does it today every time someone speaks against you, reviles you, opposes you. Both now, and in the judgment to come.
Understand, the suffering we endure now is not worthy to be compared to the glory that will be revealed to us. It was like that for many in the early church. They would speak boldly of Jesus, and no number of threats could keep them silent. Pliny, the Roman governor of the province of Bithynia, was charged by the Emperor Trajan to silence the sect called Christians. Get them to recant, get them to pledge their allegiance to the Emperor cult. So Pliny tried arrests, fines, imprisonment, beatings, torture, and various forms of execution to get them to renounce Christ and burn incense to Caesar as an act of worship. But he failed. He wrote a letter trying to explain his failure, saying, “[By] None of these acts, those who are really Christians can be compelled to do.” That is, they won’t deny. They confess Christ – and Christ confessed them.
Consider the Twelve too whom Jesus spoke. If church historical tradition is correct, eleven of the twelve suffered martyrdom, as did many of the early heroes of the faith. Matthew suffered martyrdom by the sword. So did Mark when he died in Alexandria after being dragged through the streets of the city. Luke experienced the same when he was hanged on a large olive tree in Greece. John, while not killed, was scarred in a cauldron of boiling oil and lived his last days banished on an island. Peter was crucified upside down in Rome, James was beheaded in Jerusalem, James the Less was thrown from a high pinnacle and beaten to death with a club. Philip was hanged, Bartholomew was scourged and beaten till he died, Andrew was bound to a cross and preached at the top of his voice to his persecutors until he perished. Thomas was run through with a lance, Jude was killed by executioners’ arrows, Matthias was stoned and then beheaded, Barnabas suffered the same fate at Salonica, and Paul was beheaded in Rome. They claimed Christ. And the promise of this passage is Christ claimed them. Confess Jesus before men, even those who oppose you – the eternal return on the investment is worth it.
But, what of those who deny Christ, verse 9? We hear these words, and we think, I need to be careful how I walk and talk. Which is true. I don’t ever want to deny Christ, because then, He’ll deny me before the Father. Then I’ll be in big trouble. But, is it possible for me to confess Christ, and then at some point, deny Him? I’m going to suggest, not if it’s a true confession. That’s what verses 11 and 12 say – we’ll get to that.
I have commentaries which suggest how we might deny Christ. One said we might deny Him by our actions, our words, or even our silence. We don’t speak up about Christ when we should, and by our silence, the author suggests we deny Him. Which should cause all of us to tremble. Have I always spoken when I should? And we come away from this passage terrified. It almost sounds like we have to work to keep our salvation; that we can lose our salvation.
You know, if that’s true, then it was over for Peter. He sat around the fire the night Jesus was betrayed, and when questioned about whether he was a follower of this Jesus, He denied it, not once, but three times. Once, he even cursed, took an oath, and said, I don’t know the man. If what most people believe about this passage is true, then Peter is burning in hell right now. But as most of my commentaries suggest, we should not think of Peter’s momentary lapse, but of Judas’ settled betrayal. You see, that’s the difference between verses 9 and 10.
The overall character of Peter’s life was a flaming passion for Jesus. He ultimately followed Him – all the way to death. Jesus said he would. In John 21, after restoring Peter post denial, Jesus said, you’ll stretch out your hands, and give your life for Me. Peter did. He made it. Did he do it perfectly? No. Will you? No. Jesus is speaking of a settled disposition of denial – not a momentary lapse – or a time of silence when you should have spoken. It’s why in the next point, we read, a word spoken against the Son of Man will be forgiven.
Now remember, this all comes in the face of promised opposition. Meaning, this is not the most compelling call to the ministry we’ve ever heard. Count the cost: we get the promise of opposition, hatred, persecution, scourging and perhaps even death. Remember back in chapter 10 when Jesus sent out the Seventy? Verse 3, “Go, I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves.” Sheep among wolves.
Now, when you think of that, what typically comes to mind is a wolf coming into a flock of sheep and carrying one off. That’s not the picture. Notice, lambs, baby sheep, being sent into a pack of wolves. It is natural for a wolf to creep into a flock of sheep. It’s not natural for lambs to go into a pack of wolves. And it is not normal for a shepherd to send his lambs into a pack of wolves. It would be a feeding frenzy.
Sheep are perhaps the most dependent, helpless and dumb of all domesticated animals. The shepherd must watch them to make sure they don’t eat poisonous weeds – they’ve been known, when flies buzz around their heads – to get so scared they beat their heads against a tree and kill themselves. And when the real danger comes, wolves or lions, sheep are completely helpless. About the only thing they can do is run, and they’re not built for speed. They don’t fight, they don’t bite, and even if they did, no one would care. The only hope they have is a good shepherd.
Almost everything we’ve domesticated can be found in the wild. Many of us have pet dogs or cats and have heard of wild packs of dogs or stray cats that can be a problem. Wild horses are dangerous, difficult to break. But let me ask you a question – have you ever heard of a wild sheep? “Wild sheep on the run.” Even if you did, who’d care? Sheep can’t survive in the wild. The only way they survive is if they have a shepherd to lead them, care for them, feed them, protect them. And these poor, defenseless, weak, spineless, helpless sheep, Jesus is sending into a pack of wolves.
Why does He do that? Doesn’t He care? Just the opposite. You see, poor, helpless, defenseless sheep have to be dependent. They have to stay close to the Shepherd. That is the picture Jesus wants branded in our hearts. He is sending us out, and He is our only source of strength, help, protection, nourishment – He is our only source of life. Without the Shepherd, you’re dead meat. If you’re ever going to do anything for Christ, you’re going to have to do it with the Shepherd. You have no strength to do it on your own. But with the Shepherd, you can face those ravenous wolves, who seek to devour you. What better place to be, in the midst of a pack of wolves, than with the Shepherd? Therefore, confess Him, even among the oppressive wolves of this life.
Paul said it this way, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, ‘FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED.’ But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” You cannot separate us from the love of the Shepherd. You just cling on for dear life. It increases our dependence, our trust. And that’s a good place to be.
Now, who are these that are going to seek to devour us, to oppose us? Our last point, Don’t Fear the Oppressors, Trust the Spirit in verses 10-12. Let me first address blaspheming the Holy Spirit in verse 10 quickly. We see in Matthew 12, Mark 3, and referenced in Luke 11 that blasphemy of the Spirit is attributing to Satan the Spirit-empowered works of Jesus. And it’s possible that’s what Jesus is referencing here.
But most don’t think so. I’ve already noted – a word spoken against the Son can be forgiven – but here, Jesus says he who blasphemes the Spirit will not be forgiven. What’s the difference? Most suggest a word spoken against the Son may be a result of fear – of nerves – like Peter. While Jesus says, don’t fear those who can only kill the body – the fact is, sometimes we do – but that can be forgiven. And while He speaks of confessing Him and not denying Him, there are momentary denials of nerves rather than a condition of the heart. That is, a settled denial of who Jesus is by the working of the Spirit. Paul said in I Corinthians 12 – no one can confess Jesus as Lord apart from the Spirit – and no one can speak by the Spirit and curse Jesus either.
So, in this context, to blaspheme the Holy Spirit is to deny His intent to magnify Jesus – to expose Jesus – to draw people to Jesus. To deny that work of the Spirit to make much of Jesus is to blaspheme Him and His work. It is a settled disposition of the heart – and Jesus says, there is no other way of salvation. There is only one way to come to the Father, and that is through the Son, prompted by the Spirit. Deny that, and there is no hope.
Very quickly, then, we close with encouragement. Verses 11-12, when they bring you before the synagogue – that is, the Jewish rulers of the synagogues, when they bring you before the Gentile rulers and authorities – notice, you’ll be opposed by religious people of the day as well as governing authorities. Don’t be surprised – and don’t fear. It’s part of the cost. Don’t even worry about what you will say in your defense – the Spirit will give you the words to speak in that very hour. You won’t deny the Son – the Spirit will empower you to speak boldly.
But, opposition is part of the cost. We saw that happening in the first 300 years of the church’s history. It started with Jesus as He stood before Pilate. It continued as Peter and John stood before the Sanhedrin and were commanded not to teach or preach in the name of the Lord Jesus. It continued when Stephen was stoned for preaching the truth. It continued as Saul went throughout the empire, dragging Christians into court, having them arrested, imprisoned and executed for their faith. It continued with Paul as he was stoned and left for dead; as he was made to stand before Felix and Agrippa, and eventually the Emperor in Rome. It continued through the ten general persecutions of the church, through rulers like Nero, Marcus Aurelius, Severus, Decius, Valerian, Dicoletian. Believers were dragged before the courts and sentenced to be hung on crosses, burned alive, torn apart by wild beasts, or brutally killed by gladiators in the coliseums across the Roman Empire.
And it has continued to the present day. More Christians were killed in the last century than in the previous 19 centuries combined. We in America have been spared most of that bloodshed, but I believe there is coming a day in our society where tolerance is the highest virtue, when Christians will no longer be tolerated for their supposed intolerance, because we believe the biblical truth that Jesus is the only way to God. My brothers and sisters, confess Jesus before men – what’s the worst they can do?
- Don’t fear those who can kill the body and do nothing more; fear God whose authority extends beyond the grave. God knows, and you are more valuable than may sparrows.
- Don’t fear and thereby deny Christ, confess Him before those who would ridicule, oppress, and persecute you. And He will confess you before the Father.
- Don’t deny the work of Spirit who makes much of Jesus and His gospel and thereby blaspheme; trust the Spirit to give you all you need to confess Christ and remain faithful, even when it costs you.
The body they may kill, His truth abideth still, His kingdom is forever.