Thank you, Brother Tom. I was thinking years ago when the Spirit of God was pleased
to reveal Christ to me, how we were just kids back then, young
kids. Now we're just old kids learning,
aren't we? How little we know. I heard Brother
Henry say one time, he said, the older I get, the more I realize
how much I don't know. What a joy it is for me to be
with you. I love you, Pastor. I love you.
Been here many times. Always thankful. Always nervous. Brother Tom told me that's good. Turn with me to the book of Luke.
Tom told me that you guys are going through the book of Luke.
I'd like to just look at the first four verses of the first
chapter, Luke chapter one. While you're turning there, I
was sitting here thinking about the Lord's word to Isaiah, chapter
40. And this is what he said, Comfort ye my people. After the Lord was risen from
the dead, Peter, some of the other apostles, Peter said, I'm
going back. I'm going back to fishing. The
other said, we'll go with you. And but for the grace of God,
he would have. But almighty God said concerning his elect, I
will never leave you. I'll never forsake you. Then on the seashore there, the
Lord asked Peter. He said, Peter, lovest thou me
more than these? Three times he asked him that,
and this is what he told him. He said, you feed my sheep. This
evening, this is my desire, that we might truly feast on Him. We must eat. I was telling Brother
Anthony a few moments ago, we've got to eat today. Yesterday's faith, like yesterday's
air, it's gone. Faith cometh by hearing. Hearing by the word of God. I
want to hear. I want you to hear. I want us
to worship tonight. I pray God have mercy upon us. Give us a time of worship. We don't realize what a blessing
this is to be able to be here. We do somewhat. But oh, the blessing
that we want to be here. Now, we're here and wanna be
here. In a few minutes, I'm going to read these first four verses,
but what I'd like to do is I'd like to just make a few comments.
I don't normally do this, but I wanna do this tonight. I'm
gonna make a few comments about what is being said here, and
then we're gonna read it. There was a man named Luke. Luke
was not one of the apostles. He was a believer, and Luke had
a friend, and his friend's name was Theophilus. Theophilus means
either one who loves God or one who is loved of God, which is,
that's what a believer is. And Theophilus had heard the
gospel, and the Lord was pleased, to save him. And Luke, who loved
his friend Theophilus, he wanted to write down an account of the
things that had been revealed and taught and he had learned
that he wanted to have a written account for Theophilus, that
he might know the certainty, the scripture says, of those
things wherein he had been instructed, that he might have a written
confirmation concerning what the Lord had taught him. You
know, the older we get, we began to forget. There's a lot of things
we remember, but we begin to forget things. And it's just
good to have some things written down. And so, Luke, he stated
that he knew that there had been some accounts written concerning
the Lord, but he himself desired also to write an account of these
things that the Spirit of God had been pleased to teach and
to reveal concerning the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. And
so now, we're going to just read these first four verses. And
we're going to see the heart of this man, Luke, expressed. Love that he had for his friend.
He loved his friend. He loved Theophilus. And he wanted
Theophilus to have something. He said, I'm gonna search these
things out. going to write them down and
I'm going to go to the sources and check this out." And he said,
I'm doing this for you. I thought, what love that this
man had for his brother. And so here, let's read what
it says. He says, for as much as many
have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those
things which are most surely believed among us. Now, this is what I can say with
some certainty. I believe that there's some believers
here. I believe that. And I believe
that we believe those things that had been taught, we believe
most surely some things that Luke is going to set forth in
this book. Now if we want to, I know you're
going through the book. And if we want to find out those
things in totality that the Spirit of God was pleased to teach,
Luke, that he most surely believed, we'd have to just go through
the whole book. So tonight I'm gonna just take a few, just for
the sake of time. And we want to touch some things
that the Spirit of God had been pleased to teach Luke, Theophilus,
and I believe us. He says, even as they delivered
them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses and
ministers of the Word, it seemed good to me also, having had perfect
understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto
thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, that thou mightest
know the certainty of those things wherein thou hast been instructed."
Now Luke is saying, there's been some accounts that's been written,
but he said, I want to write an account. Now, I realize that
in Luke's heart, he had a desire to write. But why? Why did Luke have a desire to
write? Well, you know the answer to
this. Spirit of God moved on this man's heart to write these
things down. These are the inspired, infallible
words of God. These words contain no error. And we know that. Now that's
amazing to me, amazing to me. Luke said, I know there's some
other accounts that has been written concerning the Lord and
said, but obviously those things that had been written were not
according to God's will that they be wholly ripped. Luke, he spoke, said, having
taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those
things which are most surely believed of us. Luke's desire,
I know for a fact, was not of himself. God Almighty moved on
him to write these things. And I don't doubt for a second,
when he said there's been some accounts written, I thought about
this. There's probably a lot of things
that were written in those accounts that were probably true. I don't
doubt it a bit. the Lord purposed that Luke would
write these accounts. And there's some things found.
Brother Tom and I was talking about this this afternoon. There's
many things. I'm gonna bring out a few of
them that's in the book of Luke that is number one, not mentioned
in any other gospel, Matthew, Mark, or John. And then there's
some things that's mentioned in those others, but Luke sets
forth in more detail and more, we're gonna look at one of those
too. And it's just, there was a reason that the Spirit of God
moved on this man to write these. And I know this, I know that
probably some of those other things were true. but Luke was
God's man. So he says in that first verse,
for as much as many have taken in hand to set forth in order
a declaration of those things which are most surely believed
among us. Now I want us to just look, that's
where I really wanna focus. These things that are most surely
believed. Now remember, In Luke's mind
and heart, he's gonna write these things down for the benefit of
his friend. I'm gonna write these things
down, I'm doing this for you. But really, the Spirit of God
was doing this for us. Teach us something. All right,
let's look at a few of these things that are most surely believed
among us. Here's the first thing that I
find In the book of Luke, right after this introduction right
here, here's my first point. Here's something that we most
surely believe. We believe that God's word is
faithful. Don't we believe that? God Almighty
is faithful. His word is truth. His Word. This is the first thing
we find. Now, I mean right out of the
bat, right out of the chute, this is what He's going to write
concerning, you know, God decreed through the prophet Malachi that
He was going to send the Messiah, His beloved Son in this world.
And He was going to send a forerunner before The Lord Jesus Christ,
there was going to be a forerunner. It was going to be John the Baptist. The message of John who's going
to be blessed by the Spirit of God to the calling out of God's
elect. Now hold your place in Luke.
Turn over to Malachi 4. Malachi 4. Now, I want to remind
us of something. This book, Malachi 4, I'm going
to read the last two verses of the fourth chapter, last two
verses. These last two verses right here
is the last two verses from Almighty God to his people for 400 years. These are the last words of the
prophet Malachi, last words. Listen to this. I will send you, Elijah the prophet,
before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he shall turn the heart of
the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children
to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse."
Now, here's what the Spirit of God declared to his people, to
God's people, through this prophet, I'm going to send the Messiah. And I'm going to send a forerunner
concerning my son, the declaration of my son. Now, here's the first
thing that Luke set forth in this book right here. That was
the last word from the Lord. That's the last thing that he
said. I'm going to, I will sin. I will, I will, I will sin. And here's Luke. Now, again,
out of love for his friend, Theophilus. But how the Spirit of God moved
on Luke to speak to God's people, all of God's people, concerning
he who was coming. What happened? Luke started. moved upon by the Spirit of God
and set forth. Look at verse 5, verse 5 through
verse 17. Here's what Luke said. It was
the last word from the Lord and 400 years of silence. The last
thing the Lord said. And what does the Spirit of God
move upon Luke to do? I'm going to pick up right there.
I'm going to start right where I told you, right where I ended,
that's where I'm picking up. And this is what the Spirit of
God moved on Luke to write. There was in the days of Herod
the king of Judea a certain priest named Zacharias of the course
of Abiah, and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her
name was Elizabeth, and they were both righteous before God,
walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. They had no child because that
Elizabeth was barren. They both were now well stricken
in years. It came to pass that while he
executed the priest's office before God in the order of his
course, according to the custom of the priest's office, his lot
was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.
And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at
the time of incense. And there appeared unto him an
angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of
incense. And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled and fear
fell upon him. But the angel said unto him,
Fear not, Zacharias, for thy prayer is heard, and thy wife
Elizabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name
John. Thou shalt have joy and gladness,
and many shall rejoice at his birth." I thought about that,
of all the depth of what that last verse I just read meant.
Many shall rejoice at his birth. I mean, I think how we rejoice
today was John that made this announcement. Behold the Lamb
of God. There he is right there. Many
shall rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great in the
sight of the Lord, shall drink neither wine nor strong drink.
He shall be filled with the Holy Ghost even from his mother's
womb. And many of the children of Israel shall be turned to
the Lord their God." Now listen, I love this last verse because
what he does, the Spirit of God moved on Luke. to write an explanation
of what Malachi had said. Here's what he said, and he shall
go before him in the spirit and power of Elias to turn the hearts
of the fathers to the children and the disobedient to the wisdom
of the just to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. You know
what I know from that verse? Almighty God's got a people.
That he's chosen before the foundation of the world. That he everlastingly
loved in Christ. Now let me ask you this, do we
not most surely believe these things? We believe that. I believe
that Almighty God, not by anything He saw in us. Some say, well,
He looked down through. Yeah, He looked down. He sure
did. He looked down. And you know what He saw? There
was none good. How many? None. Not one. Not one. Not by works of righteousness
that we've done, but according to His mercy. Mercy, mercy. Here now, Luke's gonna encourage
his friend. He sure has encouraged me. God's
word, faithful. He's faithful, faithful. I quoted this a minute ago. I
think of this verse so many times. I will never leave you. I deserve to be left. The way
I see myself, I deserve it. But according to His Word, according
to His Word. Here's the second thing I know.
And again, this was according to the Lord's purpose through
Luke, to be an encouragement to God's people. Second thing
I know that we most surely believe concerning the Lord's promise
is this. God Almighty was made flesh. Made flesh. Now, John, the apostle
John, was the one that the Spirit of God moved upon to write this.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was made flesh. The Word was God, was with God,
the Word was God, made flesh. Now here's how the Spirit of
God moved upon Luke to write what John said. Look at Luke chapter two in verse
one to 11. Here's what John said, in the
beginning was the Word, the Word was with God, the Word was God. Verse 14 of John 1, and the word
was made flesh. And this is exactly what Luke
said. Verse 1, chapter 2, it came to
pass in those days that there went out a decree from Caesar
Augustus that all the world should be taxed. And we're gonna have
a census. And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was
governor in Syria. And all went to be taxed, everyone
into his own city. And Joseph also went up from
Galilee out of the city of Nazareth into Judea, into the city of
David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house.
and lineage of David to be taxed with Mary, his espoused wife,
being great with child. And so it was that while they
were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
And she brought forth her firstborn son, wrapped him in swaddling
clothes, laid him in a manger because there was no room for
them. In the end, there were in the same country shepherds
abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them. And the glory
of the Lord shone round about them, and they were sore afraid.
And the angel said unto him, Fear not, for behold, I bring
you good tidings of great joy that shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior,
which is Christ the Messiah, the Lord. You know what Luke
just said? The Word was made flesh. The
greatest, no greater setting for explanation, declaration,
revelation of the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ than right
here in Luke's account. He said, I felt in my heart,
I wanted to write these things down, Theophilus. Write them
down for you. that you might be assured of
these things that you've been taught. Concerning him who everlastingly
loved his people, it was written, wherefore, in all things, it
behooved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might
be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to
God to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. We must have a priest. And the priest must be taken
from among men. That's what Hebrews 5, one says. Taken from among men. Thanks
be unto God, he was made flesh. We must have one. God must be made flesh for us
because only sacrifice that Almighty God is going to accept is going
to be the sacrifice of His blood for the remission of sins. Without
the shedding of blood, there's no forgiveness, no remission.
And concerning His blood, only His blood, when I see His blood,
when I see the blood, whose blood? His blood. Sprinkle. You think about the
sprinkling of the blood. I don't see it on you. But God does. I think, I'm so
glad you wrote that down. I needed to hear that. Here he
was. Faithful God made flesh. What was He doing? He was earning
the righteousness that would be imputed to everyone
that believeth. Now let me tell you that righteousness
that He earned. He's a man. He's a man. God, man. He's made flesh. Brother Scott used to say, as
much God is never man, as much man is never God. I can quote
that, but I still can't enter into it. I just, I know it's
so. But he's God, man, mediator. As a man, he earned obediently earned a
righteousness that God accepted and there is right now a man
sitting on the throne of God because this man is God and that righteousness which
is the righteousness of God is imputed to everyone that believeth
You want some comfort? Luke's gonna write this down.
There's born unto you this day in the city of David, a savior. Jesus Christ the Lord, Christ
the Lord. 12 years old. Mary and Joseph brought
him into Jerusalem for the Passover. They're leaving three days later,
they realize that He's not around. They go back and they find Him,
they find Him, they ask Him, Why are You not with us? Listen
to His words, Wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business? What was He doing? I do only
always those things that please Him. This is the work. This is the Father's will. That
of all that He's given me. Again, God's got an elect. I
should lose nothing. I should lose nothing. All power
is given unto the Son that He should give eternal life to as
many as the Father has given me. I'm so glad He wrote that
down. Here's the third thing I know. I know this, that Almighty
God must save me. If anyone has any hope in this
building tonight, here's the only hope you've got, that Almighty
God has been pleased to save you apart from you. Here's the summation of God's
grace to man. Salvation is of the Lord. Luke wrote an account only found
in the book of Luke, and it was about a Pharisee and a publican. I know this. I must have the
Lord do something for me that I can't do for myself. Why? Because let me tell you what
we are. We talk about total depravity. Here's what I know. And I'm thankful
that the Spirit of God would move upon Luke to pin a parable
that the Lord spoke about this. Turn with me there, Luke 18.
Luke 18, it's about where you are, brother. Tom, I think somewhere
in this area. Luke 18, 18 chapter nine. Chapter 18, verse 9. He spake
this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they
were righteous and despised others. Now let me tell you just very,
very quickly. This is the history of me. I was in, like many, I'm sure
here, I was in false religion. trusting myself that I was righteous
because I had done what everybody was telling me I was supposed
to do. And not only was I just trusting in myself that I was
righteous, I despised others. Yeah. With this attitude, this,
this is me. I know, I know I'm not, I can't
look at this fellow right here and say, boy, I tell you what,
I'd never find it. This is me. The Pharisee stood and prayed
thus with himself, God, I thank Thee that I'm not as other men
are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, even as this publican, this low-life
tax collector. I fast twice in the week. I give
tithes of all that I possess. But here is the indescribable
mercy of God. And the publican, standing afar
off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but
smote upon his breast, saying, God, be merciful to me, a sinner. I tell you, this man went down
to his house justified, rather than the other, for every one
that exalteth himself." I'm just honest with you. That
was me. Every man that exalts himself
shall be abased. He that humbleth himself shall
be exalted." I'm so thankful. What comfort that Almighty God
would move upon this man to write to a friend to express a parable
that the Lord preached for our edification tonight. There's
not a believer in this room tonight that will not say, that attitude
right there of that Pharisee, that was me. That's me. Paul said, these things, you just read it.
I love that passage too. All these things that I trusted
him, I kind of lost. Dumb. for the excellency of the
knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord. A believer will gladly
admit, I know what I am by nature. Being born in Adam, I know what
I am. Paul said, oh, wretched man,
that I am right now. I realized, but for the grace
of God, I'd have no hope that God Almighty would show me what
I am. Here's fourthly, here's the thing
I know, that Almighty God is long-suffering to His people. 2 Peter 3, 9, the Lord is not slack
concerning His promise, as some men count slackness, but is long-suffering
to us. These are some things that Luke
wrote over here, and you're going to write to Theophilus. And he
said, even as they delivered them unto us, those things which
are most surely believed among us. There's some us's here tonight
that believe some things, and believe the same things concerning
salvation. Here's the blessed thought concerning
God's longsuffering. I think back, my mind goes back,
I mean I can go back sometimes, years and years and years ago,
never had heard the gospel. And I think to myself, had I
died in that state, but almighty God who was long suffering. There was a parable that John
Luke recorded concerning the prodigal son. And it was in Luke
15. This boy got all it was coming
to him. Give me everything that's coming
to me. Wasted it all in riotous living. And Scripture says, there was
a day in which he came to himself. This is what I know. All that the Father giveth me,
shall come to me, John 6, 37. And him that cometh to me, I
will in no wise cast out. This young man took his, that
inheritance coming to him, he wasted it. He was living and
just, you know, feeding hogs and everything. But you know
who that boy was? That was his daddy's boy. That
was still his daddy's boy. Yeah, but he's over there. He
doesn't left. He deserves to be kicked out. He deserves to
be. Okay. I'll go along with you. Maybe
he did deserve it. I know what that feels like.
There was a day my dad told me, you're done. I was out. I was out. I was out.
Yeah. And you know what? I deserved
it. I deserved it. I was going to show him though,
my dad, but you know what? It wasn't many, many weeks later
that I came to myself, you know, humanly speaking. This boy came
to himself. What happens when Almighty God
is pleased to cross the path of one of His own? He does like
Whenever he came up to the table there where Matthew was sitting,
what did he say? Follow me. Matthew got up. What happened? With that word
came power. He told Thomas, whenever Thomas
had said, unless I see, put my finger in the prince, my hand
in his side, I won't believe. Eight days later. He met with
him again, Thomas was there. And the Lord said to Thomas,
put your hand right here, feel this, put your hand in my side
and listen to this word and be not faithless. That wasn't a
suggestion, that was a command and with it came power. Be not
faithless, believe, and he believed. This boy, this prodigal son,
came to himself like every one of God's elect do. They will, they shall. They shall
come to me. Is there a possibility that there's
one of God's elect that's not going to come? Not a possibility.
All that the Father gives me shall come to me. The Lord moved on Luke to write
that parable down about that prodigal. He wrote it just like
this. He came to himself. Came to himself. I'm going to
go back to my daddy. I've sinned against heaven. I've done it in your sight. I'm
not worthy to be called your son. You put some shoes on this
boy. You put a ring on this boy. You
put a robe on this boy. It's my son, my son. And I think,
I'm so glad you wrote that. I'm so glad you, the Spirit of
God moved on him to write that parable down. That's such a,
I mean, I love that parable, you know. I know a little bit
about that. I just, you know. Here's the
fifth thing I know. That we most surely believe,
as long as there's breath within a sinner, The Lord is able, according
to His good will and purpose, the Lord is able to save to the
uttermost all that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth
to make intercession for them. Matthew and Mark both recorded
that there were there were two thieves crucified beside the
Lord. They both made mention that they
were, turn with me to Luke 23, Luke 23, there was mention that
there was two thieves there. But the Spirit of God moved upon
Luke to pin the very heart of that repentant thief's plea for
mercy and confession. This one right here was like
Zacchaeus. This is a son of Abraham. Zacchaeus,
come down. I'm coming to your house. Who
was he? Zacchaeus was one everlasting.
He was a spiritual son of Abraham. This thief right here was too.
And he had spent his life like that boy, that prodigal son in
riotous living. And now he's coming to the end
of his life. He doesn't have long to live.
He's gone. He's out of here. He's getting
ready to enter eternity. And this one account says that
at one time they were both railing on the Lord. Both of them. Both
thieves. But in a moment, according to
God's will and God's purpose, this thief right here, by the
grace of God and the indescribable power and mercy, the Holy Spirit
caused him to come to himself. Gave him a new heart. Gave him
a new mind. birthed him from above. Everybody
standing around looking at him didn't see one ounce of difference. Just nothing there but a stinking
thief hanging on a cross, getting just exactly what he deserved. And something happened inside. And the moment it happened, this
is what was recorded by Luke. Verse 39, Luke 23, 39. One of
the malefactors which were hanged, railed on
him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the
other, answering, rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God? Seeing thou art in the same condemnation,
we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds.
But this man hath done nothing amiss, Here was the holy, harmless
Lamb of God made sin for this thief. And he said unto Jesus, Lord,
remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom. And Jesus said
unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in
paradise. You know what I know that we
all believe right here. God's gonna have his people.
But let me tell you what you also believe, you that know him.
The moment you take your last breath, you know where we're
gonna be? In paradise with him. What's it going to be like? I
don't know, but I know this. He's going to be there. I know
that. Oh, what a blessed account that
we've received through Luke. The Spirit of God moved upon
that man to write down some things that he was just going to write
to be an encouragement to a friend. A friend that had heard the gospel,
a friend like us that needed to hear it again and again and
again. Luke, I'll read that first four
verses and we'll close with this. For as much as many have taken
in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things
which are most surely believed among us, Even as they delivered
them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses and
ministers of the Word, it seemed good to me also, having had perfect
understanding of all things, from the very first to write
unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, that thou mightest
know the certainty, the certainty, the certainty, of those things
wherein thou hast been instructed. You know what a believer, after
he hears the gospel, Brother Henry said this, this is not
original with me. Many times, someone may ask you
at work or someplace, they may ask you, so what do you believe?
And here's what you will normally do. You'll try to think of all
the messages that you've heard, and you'll think, well, okay,
I know, well, we believe in sovereignty, we believe in the grace of God,
and you're gonna stammer and stutter, and you're gonna try,
but when someone that his, sin of God, sets down and methodically
in order, sets forth some things that God Almighty has said, you'll
say, that's what I believe right there. I believe that, that's
what I believe. These things that we most certainly
believe. I pray that the Lord bless these
words to our heart, that we might feast upon him who is the bread
of heaven, the fountain of life, the water of life, and that the
Spirit of God might truly teach us afresh. I was thinking about
what Tom was talking about when I first began to try to express
these things that the Lord had taught me, how I just think back
on them like a little old baby, I know, stammering around. But
that's what I'm still doing, still stammering. May God bless
our hearts this night for Christ's sake. Amen.