Turn with me, if you will, to
Luke chapter 12. Our text will be verses 32 through 40. How well our master knows our
hearts. How quick he is to condescend
to our lowest state and meet our needs, ministering to our
infirmities and our weaknesses. In these verses we have before
us this evening, he gives us words of consolation, encouragement,
and hope. I want to call your attention
to three things in this passage. First, our Lord gives us a soul-cheering
assurance. And then he gives us a heart-searching
fact. And then he confronts us with
the readiness to practice. Alright, look with me first in
verse 32. Here is a soul-cheering assurance. Fear not, little flock,
for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Our Lord Jesus knowing the hearts
of all because he is God omniscient, knew that these disciples were
filled with many fears. As he comes to the end of his
time on this earth, during the time of his humiliation, our
Lord frequently said to his disciples, fear not. Stop being afraid. In this chapter before us, he's
urged us continually not to be anxious, fretful, and fearing.
because he knew that these disciples were filled with many fears,
fears by which they were often tossed about, fears which often
confused them, and fears with which we are often tossed about,
fears that often put us in a state of confusion, frustration. They
were but few in number, just a few. After our Lord had finished
three years of preaching, the whole number of his disciples
was but 120, just a few in number. They could all meet in a room
about the size of this one, maybe a little smaller, and had plenty
of elbow room. They weren't many. They were
few in number in opposition to multitudes. Their adversaries
were many. Powerful. Their adversaries,
those who opposed them and who opposed the gospel of the grace
of God and the God they worshiped, were powerful, influential multitudes. Everybody who was anybody believed
something altogether different from what they did. They had
great difficulties to face, but they were weak, sinful, mortals. People who had a great work to
do, the Lord Jesus had trusted to them the keys of the kingdom. He had trusted to them the gospel
of his grace, just as he has to us. He has trusted to our
hands in this generation the gospel of his free grace. He's
trusted to our hands in this generation. the message of redemption
and salvation to proclaim to the generation in which we live.
Us? Anybody but us, but to us. Trusted it to us to proclaim
it to the world in the face of constant opposition, in the face
of multitudes around us, of influence, power, position, multitudes around
us who are very quick to denounce everything we believe and preach.
And they do so in the name of God. And these disciples knew
themselves, as I hope we know ourselves, altogether unworthy
of the least of his favors and totally insufficient for the
work he had trusted them to do. God give me grace to be like
John the Baptist. He said, I'm not worthy to stoop
down and untie your shoes, much less to preach the gospel of
your grace. Paul said, who is sufficient for these things? Being aware of all these things,
these fears, these troubles, these difficulties. Our ever
gracious Redeemer speaks directly to our hearts this word of grace. Fear not, little flock. It is
your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. In that
one golden sentence, what sweet assurance he gives, he says,
you are a little flock, a little flock. but a flock. Not a herd
scattered here and there, but a flock gathered by God's hand. The word that is translated flock
itself means little, diminutive, small. So actually, the word
might better be translated more accurately this way. Fear not,
very little flock. Very little flock. The fact is,
God's people in this world are always, at any time, but a little
flock. Now, we need to get this fixed
in our minds. I don't mean that we should have
a defeatist attitude. I don't mean that we should never
look for God to do things. We ought to always look for our
God to work mightily. But never anticipate a day when
the Church of God shall be the majority. Never anticipate a
day when the kingdom of God shall be that which is predominant.
In this world, the church of God is always a little flock. That has always been the case,
that is the case now, and that will be the case tomorrow. I
know that sometimes fellows like to look on History, you know,
we read it with rose-colored glasses and like to think, oh,
for those days yesterday when everybody believed the gospel,
there never was such a day. Never was such a day. I have
no question at all that we are living in days when men, there
are more men and women who believe and preach the gospel of God's
free grace on this earth than there have ever been. But this
is a little flock. Always has been. Multitudes profess
the name of Christ. Multitudes are religious. Multitudes
go to church every Sunday, give their money, serve in various
religious causes. But still, believers are always
a little flock in this world. And we ought never be surprised
by this fact. Turn back to Matthew chapter
7. Hold your hands here in Luke 12 and turn back to Matthew 7. This is what our Master says,
Matthew 7, verse 14. Straight is the gate, and narrow
is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find
it. There is a wide gate and a broad
way. And multitudes, about everybody,
goes in that wide gate and walks in that broad way. And that's
not the wide gate of liberalism and loose morality and all that
stuff. That's included. It is the wide
gate, big enough, wide enough, broad enough for you to come
strutting in, carrying all your righteousness and goodness. It
is the broad way, big enough, wide enough, broad enough for
you to gather up lots of good works by which to commend yourself
to God. It is that way that makes salvation
altogether dependent upon you. But Christ is a straight gate,
constricted, tight, low. And the only way you can get
in this gate is to bow down. and be stripped off plum naked.
He is a narrow way, a way so narrow that he alone is the way. He alone is the way, and there
just ain't many folks who walk in that way. Few there be that
find it. You see, God's people are a remnant. Yes, the Lord God shall always
have a remnant in this world according to the election of
grace. He always has had, always will have, but his elect are
always just a remnant. A remnant is what's left over
out of the mess. A remnant is what most folks
throw away. A remnant is that which is really
insignificant in the eyes of most people. But God's people
are a remnant. A remnant according to the election
of grace, whom He has chosen, whom He preserves, whom He's
redeemed, whom He will call. Having said that, God's people
are but a very little flock. But blessed be God, we're His
flock. We're His flock. His flock. Christ is our shepherd. He bought
us. He chose us. He sought us out. He gathers His flock together.
He has a people, a sheep, whom He must bring into the fold. And He gathers them one by one. He brings them generally just
that way, one by one. I am not in the least impressed,
and you oughtn't to be, by the mass evangelism and hysteria
of religion that goes on all around us. I don't participate
in it because it's just idolatry. I don't engage in it, don't promote
it, because it is contrary to the gospel of God's grace. And
I'm not the least bit jealous of what's going on. gathers his sheep here and there,
seeks them out one by one, calls them by his grace, and he lays
them on his back, and he carries them all the way home. We are
constantly his flock under his care, carried in his arms, fed
by his hand. This text also assures us that
we have a great and gracious Heavenly Father. Our Lord Jesus
says, fear not, little flock, for it is your father's good
pleasure to give you the kingdom. I've been trying my best to think
how I can express this like I want to express it. You and I are
tenderly loved of God, the God of glory who has made himself
our father. What a privilege. Our Father,
which art in heaven, our heavenly Father, behold what manner of
love the Father hath bestowed on us that we should be called
the sons of God. I love the story. A couple of
years ago, back in the days when you go to an orphanage to consider
adopting a child, and made an appointment to go see about adopting
the child. And as they got out of their car, there's a little
old red-headed, snaggletooth, freckle-faced boy who looked
at him and stuck his fingers in his ears and made an ugly
face. And as they walked by, he picked up a rock and threw
it right at that man's wife and hit her right in the back. They
walked in, sat down, and the adoption agent had picked out
a beautiful little girl blonde hair, all curled, and she was
spit-shining, polished, and she was all primped and ready. And
they brought her out and introduced her, and the lady told her what
a fine girl she was and how sweet and well-mannered and well-behaved.
The man and his wife had been talking ever since they'd been
sitting down there waiting. And he looked at his wife and she
looked at him. He said, when we came in, there was a little
red-headed snaggletooth boy out there, curly red hair. We got out of the car and he
made an ugly face at us. We walked by, picked up a rock, threw it,
and hit my wife. And the lady said, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. He said, sir, we've got 59 children
in this orphanage, all up for adoption. Johnny's number 60.
And the fellow looked at his wife and looked at her and said,
you know, we think we'd like to have him. That's God's adoption. He always
takes number 60. that which nobody else wants,
that which nobody else will have, and for the glory of His grace,
makes us His darling sons. He adopted us, not only that,
but He rejoices over us as the objects of His love, and He sees
no spot in us. He delights in us as He delights
in His Son. He receives us graciously. He's
well pleased with us in Christ, even as He's well pleased with
Christ. And even now, He looks upon us in His Son. washed in
the blood of Christ, robed in Christ's righteousness, and smiles
upon us with the same approval with which He will smile upon
us and approve of us when at last we stand faultless before
the presence of His glory without spot, without blemish, without
wrinkle, or any such thing. Now watch this. Our Lord says,
it is your Father's good pleasure to give you His kingdom. There is a glorious, eternal
kingdom awaiting us. Our brother Perkins read this
morning, I hath not seen, nor heard, neither hath it entered
into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them
that love him. Oh, what that kingdom shall be! We haven't even begun to get
started understanding anything about it. An eternal, glorious
kingdom. A kingdom of righteousness and
peace and joy. a kingdom of glory, a kingdom
of perfection, a kingdom of absolute, absolute holiness, as God himself
shall set us before him in the perfection of his Son. Here,
we are troubled and tried and tempted. Here, we are often mocked,
derided and disguised. Here, we are counted the off-scouring
of the earth. But it ain't gonna be that way
long. Turn to Revelation 19, and listen while I make a couple
of statements from the Scriptures. When Christ, who is our life,
shall appear, then shall you also appear with
Him in glory. Imagine that. Imagine that. God chose us and predestinated
us, David, to be conformed to the image of His Son. And just
as soon as Christ appears, we shall be changed in a moment,
in the twinkling of an eye, and we're going to appear just like
Him in the very same glory in which He appears. Paul said,
considering these things I reckon, This is my calculation. This
is how I've added things up. I reckon that the sufferings
of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the
glory which shall be revealed in us. And look in Revelation
19, we get a little picture of it. After these things, after
Babylon has fallen, after judgment has come, after the beast and
false prophet are cast into hell, after these things, I heard a
great voice of much people in heaven saying, Hallelujah. Salvation and glory and honor
and power unto the Lord our God. For true and righteous are his
judgments. For he hath judged the great
whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and
hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand. And again,
they said, hallelujah. Jehovah be praised. And her smoke
rose up forever and ever. And the four and twenty elders
and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on
the throne, saying, Amen, Hallelujah. And a voice came out of the throne
saying, Praise our God, all ye servants of his, and ye that
fear him, both small and great. And I heard, as it were, a voice
of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and
as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Hallelujah, for the Lord
God omnipotent reigneth. But let us be glad, and rejoice,
and give honor to him. For the marriage of the Lamb
is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was
granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white. For the fine linen is the righteousness
of the saints. And he said unto me, write, blessed
are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb.
And he saith unto me, now listen. This is not fiction, Bobby. These
are the true sayings of God. These are the true sayings of
God. It is our Father's good pleasure to give us His kingdom. And our God and Father is in
the heavens. He hath done whatsoever He hath
pleased. That means, Rex, we're sure enough going to get it.
It's His good pleasure to give us the kingdom. He prepared it
for us. Christ purchased it for us. He possesses it as our representative,
and it is reserved, preserved in heaven for us. Are you part
of God's little flock? Yes, I am. That means you have nothing to
fear. God's for us. And if God be for
us, who can be against us? All right, here's the second
thing. Verses 33 and 34. I see a heart-searching fact. Sell that you have, our Savior
says. Give alms, He says. Provide yourselves bags which
wax not old. a treasure in the heavens that
faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth." And then he makes this statement.
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. We are to sell what we have.
What on earth does that mean? Some years ago, I knew a good many people who
had been convinced that the world was coming to an end in 1994,
and they sold their property, sold their possessions, gave
it to a preacher and an organization, and the Lord's coming. We've got no use for these things.
Sell it. Give it to these folks. Even were the prophecy true,
that is not what's to be done. That is not what's to be done.
This is not a command. This is not a command for a man
to impoverish himself or his family. It is not a command that
we should be irresponsible with regard to material and earthly
things. In fact, the Apostle Paul makes this plain statement. He said, if a man will not work,
He's worse than an infidel. He's denied the faith. And he
said, if any provide not for his own, especially for those
of his own house, he has denied the faith and is worse than an
infidel. Over the years, I've read into
a few men who were just lazy, wouldn't work, and they used
religion for an excuse. You know, I want to study the
Bible. I want to be devoted. I want to be spiritual. Spirituality
is not that. It's not that. Spirituality is
living in this world for the glory of God. Men and women knocking
heads with other men and women who oppose everything they are
and everything they do, but living for God's glory. Well, what does
it mean then? Sell what you have. The meaning
is just this. We are to sell. We are to give
up. We are to cast aside anything
and everything It stands between us and Christ. That's what it
means, no more and no less. Whatever it is, whatever it is,
whatever that fancy toy is you want that keeps you from Christ,
get rid of it. Whatever that passion is that
you indulge that keeps you from Christ, get rid of it. It's a
call to self-denial. You see, faith in Christ, I don't
know how to say this, Like it's got to be said and
understood. Faith in Christ involves the willing surrender of our
lives to his dominion and to his disposal. It means bowing down, kissing
the sun, saying, you're Lord. You're the boss. Your will be
done. Here I am, Lord. Lock, stock,
and barrel, I'm yours. And then he says, give, give
alms. And this speaks of charity, charity and kindness to those
who are in need. Don't ever shut up your bowels
of compassion toward the poor. Don't do it. Don't do it. We
are to be more ready to use what God has trusted to our hands
for the benefit of others, particularly for the benefit of his people
in this world, his kingdom and his gospel, more ready to use
it for those things than to hoard it up for ourselves and to gratify
our carnal lust of earthly things. The New Testament teaches nothing
at all about tithing, but it teaches us much about giving.
In fact, all of 1 Corinthians 9, 2 Corinthians 8, and 2 Corinthians
9, all of those three chapters are taken up with the subject
of giving, particularly of ministering to the poor, ministering to those
who are in need. There are no commands to God's
people anywhere in the New Testament about how much they're to give,
where they're to give, when they're to give. The tithing and everything
like it is legal bondage and there's nothing in the New Testament
taught about it. Giving, like all other aspects
of worship, must be free and voluntary. But there is some
instruction. Let's look at a few of them.
Turn with me to 2 Corinthians 8. In all of your giving, in
all of your giving, We're talking about that which you give here
week by week for the support of the ministry in this place,
and as the gospel goes out from this place around the world.
Our giving to missionaries, our giving to a poor family in need,
in all of our giving, giving must be motivated by love and
gratitude to Christ. Folks often say, well, tell me
what ought to do. Ain't about to. Ain't about to. No, sir. I'm not about to tell
David Peterson what to give, when to give, where to give to
any of these kids or his wife. I've got to. Love doesn't need
a law. It is a law unto itself. Need
comes up. You know, you have a child that's
in desperate need. Desperate need. What's it going to take to meet
the need? What's it going to take? Not
how much do I have, not what can I do, what's it going to
take? Whatever it takes. That's what's given. Whatever
it takes. Look here in 2 Corinthians chapter
8 verse 9. The most powerful, generous of
all motives is love. Paul says, I speak not by commandment,
but by occasion of the forwardness of others, and to prove the sincerity
of your love. For you know the grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes
he became poor, that you through his poverty might be made rich.
That's how he loved you. You say you love him? Let's see.
Let's see. Look in chapter 8, verse 12.
Gifts must arise from a willing heart. If that which we give
arises from a willing heart, given freely and cheerfully,
it's accepted of God. You see, God is not impressed. He's not impressed with anything
that impresses us. He's just not impressed. He's just not
impressed with us, period. But He's sure not impressed with
how large or how small your gift is. Not at all. He looks on the
heart. Our Lord stood back and watched
those who came into the temple and they cast out of their bounty
into the treasure. Put this in, put that in. Cast
it into the treasure. And that one poor widow. Too much. And she came and put
her two mites, just slipped up there with nobody looking, dropped
it in the box. And our Lord said she gave more
than anybody. She gave everything. She gave her all. Sometimes I
hear a rich fellow say, well, it's just my two mites. I wish
I had the forethought to answer this way. A fellow, a rather
wealthy fellow in the congregation, some years ago, Brother James
Watson was telling me about him. He liked to show his stuff, and
he came up to the preacher and said, he said, here, preacher,
I want you to have this. And the preacher said, well,
thank you. He said, well, he said, just my two bites. And
the preacher had all of it he wanted. He said, oh, no, I don't
want that. I can't take that. He said, what
do you mean you can't take that? He said, well, I don't want your
cattle. I don't want your house. I don't want your car or truck.
He said, I wasn't giving you that. He said that widow's two
mites was everything she had. Everything she had. And she gave
it willingly. Look at verse 12. If there be
first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath,
not according to that he hath not. Look at chapter 16 of 1
Corinthians. we should give to the work of
the gospel in proportion to our blessings from the Lord. I hear folks talk, well, I've
done my part. Have you now? I've done my part. Somebody who's got plenty, who
got plenty, and gives his tithe or pays his
tithe, thinks he's done his part when somebody else has got nothing,
scratches together and gives a percentage of their income
because they want to? No, no, no, no. Our Lord said
there ought to be an equality in this thing, so that those
who have plenty give according to the proportion of their income.
Those who have little give in accordance with their income
as well. Look what it says in chapter 16, verse 2. Upon the
first day of the week, let every one of you lay by him in store,
as God hath prospered him. The giving ought to be also purposeful. So that Paul said, now, fellas,
you prepare this. You make plans. Give willingly. Give generously. Give from a
willing heart. Give according to your ability
to give and give according to your purpose to give. And it
tells us that all of God's people ought to give. Every one of you. Every man giving. And we should be both liberal
and sacrificial in it. Back in 2 Corinthians chapter
9. Therefore, I thought it necessary
to exhort the brethren that they would go before unto you and
make up beforehand your bounty, whereof you had noticed before
that the same might be ready as a matter of bounty, not of
covetousness. But this I say, he which soweth
sparingly shall reap sparingly. He which soweth bountifully shall
reap bountifully. And that's not talking about
Now here, sow some of your seed faith money in my pocket, and
you'll get a whole lot more back in return. He's talking about
ministering to spiritual needs for the kingdom of God. You take
what God has given you, and you sow it bountifully, and you see
God do great things with it. You sow it sparingly, and you
get what you sow. That's exactly what he's talking
about. But it must be voluntary. Look in verse 7. Every man, according
as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give, not grudgingly,
not grudgingly. I'm sure all of you have been
in churches where folks, preachers and teachers, others have you go. pledge what you're
going to give, or they threaten you about your tithing. I recall
when I was a boy sitting in Sunday school listening to grown men
debating whether or not they ought to tithe on the gross or
on the net, talking to teenage boys in the Sunday school classes,
if we give the flip. But they're arguing about which
one you ought to give, tithe on the gross or the net. And
one of them said, well, I know this. If you don't tithe on it
all, God will get it. He'll take it out of your hands.
God doesn't get it that way. Give cheerfully, not grudgingly. Not grudgingly. I called on you
the other day to help our friends in Mexico, and you cheerfully,
freely give generously. And whenever we engage in that
aspect of worship called giving when we pass the offering plates
and you give your gifts. Let me tell you again, young
and old, if you don't want to give, keep it. That's just fine. That's just fine. God doesn't
need it. His church doesn't need it. The
gospel doesn't need it. If you want to give, he will
condescend to accept it. Just give cheerfully, bountifully,
voluntarily. Folks, I had a preacher ask me
one time years ago, he said, if you don't teach tithing, how
are you going to get folks to turn loose with their money?
I don't. I don't. Grace does. All the
difference in the world. My wife serves me up the most sumptuous
meals. I mean, she takes time and cooks.
She got cookbooks, and she goes through them and tries things.
And I'm perfectly happy with potatoes and a little sausage
and eggs. Whatever else you want to throw, that's fine. But she
goes and fixes fabulous meals every week, every week, several
times a week, just fabulous meals. But if she ever came and threw
it on the table and said, there it is, you insist on that, I'd
go to McDonald's and get me a biscuit. I wouldn't have it. I wouldn't
have it. How come? Because you didn't
want to do it. And God Almighty won't have what
you don't want to give. He won't have it. Give as unto
the Lord. Our Lord said, when you give
your alms, don't blow the trumpet and show me what you're doing.
I've seen preachers Offering passed, went and stepped outside
and get their wallet out. Flash that thing, you'll see
what they're giving, put it in there. You've got your reward. You've got it. But it, give as
unto the Lord. As little fanfare as possible. Between you and God. Don't talk
to anybody about it, just do it. Now, our Lord, back here
in Luke chapter 12, tells us thirdly, he says, sell what you
have, give alms, and then he says, provide yourselves treasure
in the heavens. Well, how do you do that? Well, if we provide ourselves
treasure in heaven, We've got to set our hearts on one thing, Christ. That's all. Make your calling and election
sure. It's not talking about this silly,
covetous, religious nonsense of our day you see on television,
preachers trying to con you out of your money so they can get
rich. Somebody ought to put a bounty
on their heads and shoot them. It's not what it's talking about.
It's talking about setting your heart on Christ in eternity. And you find treasure in heaven.
You provide for yourselves bags of riches in eternity that never
fail. That no thief can break through
and steal. And the moth of time will not
corrupt. This is true wisdom. This is
true prudence. J.C. Ryle put it this way. I
tried my best to put this in my own words, but I just couldn't
improve on this at all. He said, the man who does well
for himself is the man who gives up everything for Christ. He makes the best of bargains. He carries the cross for a few
years in this world and in the world to come has everlasting
life. He obtains the best of possessions.
He carries his riches with him beyond the grave. He is rich
in grace here and rich in glory hereafter. And best of all, What
he obtains by faith in Christ, he never loses. It is that good
part which shall never be taken away. Now our Lord gives us this
heart-searching fact. Where your treasure is, there
will your heart be also. I've been mulling this over all
week. I want to be honest before God. Where's your treasure? Where's your treasure? Say, that's a hard question to
answer. No, it's not. No, it's not. It's an easy question to answer.
Where's your heart? There's your treasure. Is your
heart here? Is your affection here? Is this
what you love? No. My treasure is yonder in
glory at the right hand of the Father. That's the one I love. Where my heart is, is what I
think of. That's the one in whom, around
whom, and for whom I live. Where your treasure is, there
will your heart be also. Now let me quickly give you this
last thing. Our Lord sets before us a readiness
to practice. Verse 35. Let your loins be girded
about and your lights burning. And yourselves, like unto men
that wait for their Lord, when he will return from the wedding,
that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately. Blessed are those servants whom
the Lord, when he cometh, shall find watching. Verily I say unto
you, he shall gird himself and make them to sit down to meet,
and will come forth and serve them. And if he shall come in
the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them
so blessed are those servants. And this know, that if the good
man of the house had known at what hour the thief would come,
he would have watched and would not have suffered his house to
be broken through. Be ye therefore ready also. For the Son of Man
cometh at an hour when you think not. Now, let me hurriedly get
to what I want to say in conclusion. Our Lord tells us we must gird
up our loins. That is, we must always be ready
to do His bidding. At the same time, having the
lights burning so that you You are waiting for the Master to
return, that you have your responsibilities, you have your work to do, so
gird up your loins and go about your day-by-day responsibilities,
doing what is committed to your hands, but always with the lights
on, looking for Him to come at any time. Looking for His arrival
all the time. And then in verse 37, here's
one of the most remarkable passages to be found in all the volume
of Holy Scripture. One of these days, I hope the
Lord will give me some grace to work on it for you. But for
now, listen to this. When our Lord comes again, when
he appears in glory, he will gird himself and make us to sit
down at his table and will serve us. He shall gird himself and make
them set down to meet, and will come forth and serve them." What on earth does that mean? It's indescribably beyond the
scope of my comprehension, but this much I know. Lindsay Campbell,
there is no degree of honor, glory, happiness and bliss that
the Lord Jesus Christ will withhold from his people. Nothing. Paul said, I have a crown of
righteousness, not me only, but all them also that love the Lord
as his appearing. Our Lord Jesus said, let not
your heart be troubled. You believe God, believe also
in me. in my father's house and many
mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to
prepare a place just for you. And if I go and prepare a place
for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself that
where I am, there you may be also. And I'll sit you down at
my table. And I'll gird myself. And I'll
serve you a feast of fat things forever. So fear not, little
flock, for it is your father's good pleasure to give you the
kingdom. Amen. All right, listen.