April 6, 2025

Luke 12:1-21

Full Barns and Empty Hearts

Sunday Sermons

Fear is a powerful force. It can drive us to action or paralyze us in uncertainty. But the question Jesus asks us in Luke 12:1-21 is not whether we fear, but whom we fear. The solution Jesus gives us to our fears may come as a surprise. Rather than fearing man, He calls us to fear the One who holds eternal authority—God Himself. But what does it mean to truly fear the Lord? When feared rightly, what does a life of faithfulness look like? Join us as we continue our study in the gospel of Luke and uncover why the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom—and the key to fearless, faithful living!

Speaker

Ryan Motta

Series

The Gospel According to Luke

Go to Series

Scripture

Luke 12:1-21

Topics
Community Life Growth & Discipleship Suffering

Sermon Notes

Luke 12:1-21

Full Barns and Empty Hearts

Pastor Ryan Motta

 

“Every time you make a choice you are turning the central part of you, the part of you that chooses, into something a little different than it was before. And taking your life as a whole, with all your innumerable choices, all your life long you are slowly turning this central thing into a heavenly creature or a hellish creature: either into a creature that is in harmony with God, and with other creatures, and with itself, or else into one that is in a state of war and hatred with God, and with its fellow creatures, and with itself”
CS Lewis, Mere Christianity

“You cannot hide your heart from God; He knows it altogether. Come to Him as you are, for He already sees you as you are.”
Charles Spurgeon

“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver; “don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”
CS Lewis, The Chronicles of Narnia

1. The Fear of the Lord frees us from hiding (v.1-3)

“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”
1 John 1:7-10

“There is more mercy in Christ than sin in us. A heart that rightly fears God dares not hide sin but runs to Him as a child runs to his father.”
Richard Sibbes, The Bruised Reed

2. The Fear of the Lord frees us from the fear of man (v.4-12)

“The true follower of Christ will not ask, ‘If I embrace this truth, what will it cost me?’ Rather he will say, ‘This is truth. God help me to walk in it, let come what may!’”
AW Tozer

“Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”
1 John 4:4

3. The Fear of the Lord frees us from foolish living (v.13-21)

“The fear of God is the antidote to the poison of folly. It makes a man consider his ways, walk circumspectly, and choose the path of wisdom rather than the mirage of worldly pleasure.”
Thomas Watson, The Great Gain of Godliness

“One life on this earth is all we get, whether it is enough or not enough, and the obvious conclusion would seem to be that at the very least we are fools if we do not live it as fully and bravely and beautifully as we can.”
Fredrick Buechner

Discussion Questions

  •  “Hypocrisy is pointless because all you have hidden will be found out.” Have you ever known someone who was a hypocrite (said one thing and behaved differently), or have you ever felt convicted of being a hypocrite? Today, we learned that hiding our sins is a waste of time, energy, and resources because, like Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, God already sees and knows us. How does that statement make you feel? Relieved or fearful?
  • Have you ever been bothered by the warning in Luke 12:10? What is meant when Jesus states, “…but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him.”?
  • In 12:4, Jesus warns not to fear those who kill the body but to fear God. What does the term “Fear of the Lord” mean to you? Why do we tend to mistake the danger of our physical bodies with that of our eternal spiritual souls?
  • “Heavenly perspective gives strength to endure Earthly trials.” How can fearing God paradoxically bring comfort against all of life’s difficulties?
  • Ryan said the Fear of the Lord can free us from:
    – Hiding our sin
    – Fear of man
    – Foolish living
    How does each of these affect your current life?
  • Implicit in the parable of the “rich fool” is our tendency to place our value or trust in material things rather than God. What would it look like to be “rich toward God” in our daily lives?
  • How does Jesus say the Holy Spirit will comfort us in this passage?

Songs, Readings & Prayer

Songs

“All My Boast Is in Jesus“ by Bryan Fowler, Matt Papa, Matthew Boswell, Keith Getty
“I Stand Amazed (How Marvelous)“ by Charles Hutchinson Gabriel
“Speak O Lord“ by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend
“My Worth Is Not In What I Own“ by Graham Kendrick, Keith Getty, and Kristyn Getty
“O Praise The Name (Anástasis)“ by Benjamin Hastings, Dean Ussher, and Marty Sampson
 “Doxology” by Thomas Ken and Louis Bourgeois

All songs are used by Permission. CCLI License #2003690

Call To Worship: At The Cross

Most merciful God, thank You for sending to us Your Son, Jesus. We remember this day His redeeming death, that we might stand forgiven at the cross. Thank You for sending to us Your Son, Jesus, to whom we belong, in life and in death. He bore our infirmities and carried our sorrows. Most holy God, thank You for sending to us Your Son, Jesus, who became sin for us and suffered the punishment due to us, that we might stand forgiven at the cross. In the name of our Lord Jesus, amen.

Confession:

Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against You this day, in thought, word, and deed; by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved You with our whole hearts; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of Your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us, that we may delight in Your will, and walk in Your ways, to the glory of Your Name. Grant to Your people pardon and peace, that in Your great mercy, we may be forgiven all our sins, and serve You with a quiet and contrite heart. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, amen.

Classic Prayer: John Baillie, 1829–1891

O Thou Creator of all things that are, I lift up my heart in gratitude to Thee for this day’s happiness; for the mere joy of living; for all the sights and sounds around me: for the sweet peace of the country and the pleasant bustle of the town; for all things bright and beautiful and gay; for friendship and good company; for work to perform and the skill and strength to perform it; for a time to play when the day’s work was done, and for health and a glad heart to enjoy it. And above all I thank Thee for the sure hope and promise of an endless life which Thou hast given me in the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.

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