August 26, 2010
YOU CAN RUN, BUT YOU CAN’T HIDE
Luke 12:1-12
Ty Tamlyn
Central Truth
We cannot hide from God, which can be scary or comforting depending on where you stand with Him.
Key Verse | Luke 12:2–3
“But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be made known. Accordingly, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in the inner rooms will be proclaimed upon the housetops.” (Luke 12:2-3)
Luke 12:1-12
Beware of the Leaven of the Pharisees
1 In the meantime, when so many thousands of the people had gathered together that they were trampling one another, he began to say to his disciples first, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2 Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 3 Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops.
Have No Fear
4 I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. 5 But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. 1 12:5 Greek Gehenna Yes, I tell you, fear him! 6 Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? 2 12:6 Greek two assaria; an assarion was a Roman copper coin worth about 1/16 of a denarius (which was a day's wage for a laborer) And not one of them is forgotten before God. 7 Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.
Acknowledge Christ Before Men
8 And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God, 9 but the one who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God. 10 And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. 11 And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say, 12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”
Dive Deeper | Luke 12:1-12
It’s a cheesy line in countless movies, but the truth in the phrase “you can run, but you can’t hide” is not fully realized until viewed in the context of running and attempting to hide from God.
It’s very easy to run from God; we do it all the time. We run from Him by disobeying authority figures, disobeying Him, lying, cheating, stealing, worshiping “idols,” etc. But no matter how much we run from God, we can never hide from Him. He knows what we have done, what we are doing, and what we will do in the future. Psalm 139 reiterates the ideas of God’s omniscience and omnipresence. And David concludes that he was secure whether it was dark or light because of his trust in God: “If I say, 'Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, and the light around me will be night,' even the darkness is not dark to You, and the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to You.” (Psalm 139:11-12)
Youth leaders often define integrity as “doing the right thing when no one is looking,” but really the definition should be “doing the right thing when only God can see” because God can always see what you are doing.
Not being able to hide from God can be intimidating, especially when one is acting wrongly. But the idea can also provide comfort to anyone who is far away from God, but trying to get closer to Him. It's reassuring to know that God will never leave them, that He cares about them, and that He is always willing to take them back.
If you are right with God, the fact that you cannot get away from Him is comforting. But if you are running from Him, it is scary to know that you can never get away from Him.
Discussion Questions
1. What are the things that make you run from God in the first place?
2. Are you scared or comforted by God’s omnipresence?
3. Do you lead others to run from God or to grow closer to Him?
FAMILY DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Go outside with your child and watch for sparrows (or any small birds). See how many you can count together.
2. How does God take care of the sparrows? Jesus said in verse 7 that we are worth more to God than many sparrows.
3. How does He take care of us?