I'm speaking this morning from
the Gospel of Luke, chapter 1. And we'll be dealing with the
first four verses of Luke, chapter 1. Now, these four verses are
a preface or an introduction to Luke's Gospel. Luke, the physician,
is the writer here, and he addresses this in verse 3 to a man named
Theophilus. Theophilus. The man's name means
a lover of God. And that's fitting because God's
Word is addressed to those who love and believe God. All things,
Paul wrote in Romans 8.28, all things work together according
to God's purpose for good, all things work for good, to them
that love God, who are called according to His purpose." Well,
this is written to a man named Theophilus, who is the lover
of God, and so is all of the Word of God, written to those
who believe and love God, who first loved them. Verse 4 tells
us the purpose for his writing. Verse 4, he says, "...that thou
mightest know the certainty of those things wherein thou hast
been instructed." This man, Theophilus, heard the gospel, and he believed
the gospel. And Luke says, I am writing that
you might know these things are certain. Beginning with verse
1, he says this, Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set
forth in order a declaration of those which are most surely
believed among us. He says many have taken in hand
to set forth these things. Matthew, Mark, John. So he says they've taken in hand
to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most
surely believed among us. Many have declared certain things. Now, this is what God's Word
is. It's a declaration. A declaration of certain things. It's not a theory. It's not up
for debate nor discussion. God's Word is a certainty, and
it's a declaration of certain things. And that's what true
preaching is. True preaching is a declaration
of the certainty of things, a plain, forthright, dogmatic declaration,
or that is announcement, of who God is, what God has said, and
who Christ is and what He's done. A declaration of the way things
are, the certainty of things. He says, things which are most
surely believed among us. This is written to believers.
Believers, things most surely believed among us. Now, first
of all, let me ask you, why does anyone believe? Why do men, women,
and young people believe the truth, the gospel? Why? Well,
Paul said in 1 Corinthians, a natural man receiveth not the things
of God, their foolishness to him. Well, then why does anyone
believe what they don't see? the gospel. Well, Paul tells
us in Ephesians 2.8, you're saved by grace. By grace are you saved
through faith, through believing. But that is not of yourself. It is the gift of God. So anyone
who believes the gospel, believes because God gave them the gift
of faith. He says the same thing in Ephesians
1.19, those who believe do so according to the working of his
mighty power. So it's God's sovereign gift
to whom he will, this thing of faith. All right? And he says,
things most surely believed among us. What things? What do believers
believe? Seems like a mute point, really,
doesn't it? Is there anything in God's Word that a believer
does not believe? Well, if there's anything he
does not believe, then he's not a believer, is he? Well, he said,
things most surely believed among us. All believers believe the
same things. They're not different faiths,
as some would say, many people of different faiths. No, Ephesians
4 says there's one faith, one Lord. He said, Our Lord told
us that they shall all be taught of God, all God's children. All right, what things? Well, Paul said in another place,
Paul said, after the way they call heresy, so worship I the
God of my father, believing all things which are written in the
law and the prophet. Well, what thing? Well, in order,
let me tell you. Like Luke said, I'm going to
set in order a declaration of those things most surely believed
among us, things most surely believed among all believers.
What's that? All believers, all who believe
God, believe God is God. We believe the things of God,
His person, His works. This is most surely believed
by believers. Does anyone believe God that
doesn't believe God is God? I mean, holy, just, sovereign. That's what His name means. Sovereign,
reigning, ruling, controlling in creation and salvation. Purposing,
performing all things according to His purpose. Willing and working
all things according to His will. It seems absurd to think someone
is a believer who doesn't believe God is God, that God just wants
to be God, that men must let him be God. Well, that's absurd.
That's ridiculous. Oh, no. The thing most surely
believed among all believers of God is that God is God. He that cometh to God, Hebrews
11, 6 says, he that cometh to God must believe that he is. All believers believe the things
of Christ, His person and work. The holy, just, sovereign, reigning,
ruling, controlling Christ, yes, equal with the Father. Not less
than, but equal with the Father. The express image of the Father
and equal in sovereign power. Not a pathetic, pitiful, powerless
man standing at everyone's door wanting them to do something
for Him and let Him do something? No. He is God. He is God. And all believers
believe that. They believe Christ is equal
to the Father, that Christ is all in salvation. All who believe
Christ believe He is the Christ, that He is the Lord their righteousness,
that He is their only Mediator, their only Advocate, their only
High Priest, their only Lord, their only Savior, the only man
approved of God. Oh, these are things most surely
believed among all believers, that Christ is made unto them
all things, all wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption,
that Christ is all and in all, that Christ is all their salvation. Not their works, not their faith,
but Christ is their salvation. Surely, yes, most surely, believers
believe this. and things of the Holy Spirit.
All believers believe the same things concerning God's Holy
Spirit, that He is just that, holy, just, sovereign, reigning,
ruling, controlling, yes, equal with the Father and with the
Son, the sovereign, all-powerful Holy Spirit. He is the dispenser
of repentance, faith and works and fruit. Yes, He is the Holy
Spirit. These are things most surely
believed among us. And in verse 2, Luke continues
to say, Even as they, or that is Matthew, Mark, and John, delivered
these things unto us, those who were from the beginning, eyewitnesses
and ministers of the word. Now, what were they eyewitnesses
of? Peter tells us over in 2 Peter
1, verse 16, he said, We haven't followed cunningly devised fables
when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord
Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty." Oh, John said,
we heard Him. Peter said, we heard Him. We
saw Him, God, manifest in the flesh. And you can't help but
speak the things you've seen and heard. What did you see,
Peter? Peter says, we saw Him. What did you hear? We heard Him. John said, that which we have
seen and heard, the Word of life. The angels said, that holy thing,
the Son of God, His majesty, His glory, His power, His wisdom. You see, all true believers are
taken up with Christ, with Christ, from the day they hear and see
Him by faith in God's Word. Well, verse 2, He says, we were
eyewitnesses and ministers of the Word. Paul told young Timothy,
a preacher, he said, you preach the Word, Timothy, in season
or out of season. And people, I'm here to tell
you that God's Word is out of season these days. It's out of
season. I believe we're living in the
day which was prophesied by Amos that there'll be a famine in
the land, a famine of preaching God's Word and a famine of Those
who want to hear it. I saw a sign on a so-called church
bulletin board one time that sums up what I'm trying to say.
That sign said this. Come and see what's going on. Come and see what's going on.
Now, sad to say, people, that's what is going on today. Come and see. Come and see things. Come and see the preacher, come
and see the choir, come and see our building, come and see our
plays and pageants and our works and this and that and the other.
But never, that is never said by God's preacher and God's people,
come see. No, God's word is his power and
those who have experienced his power grow more and more convinced
of his power and more and more determined to use it and nothing
else. It's the hearing of the Word.
Faith cometh by hearing, not seeing, hearing the Word of God. All right? The Word itself. He
said we were ministers of the Word, serving up a steady meal
of God's Word. It's the Word of God. And Christ
is the Word in the Word. All right? Verse 3, Luke continues. He says, Those were eyewitnesses
and ministers of the Word. So, verse 3, he says, it seemed
good to me also, having had perfect, or that is, mature or true understanding
or knowledge and wisdom in these things. He said, it seemed good
to me also, having had perfect or mature understanding of all
things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most
excellent Theophilus. It seemed good to me to write
the same thing." Paul said in Philippians 3, he said, to write
the same things to you, to me, is not grievous, but for you
it's safe. Because at the mouth of two or
three witnesses, a thing is established. So Luke says, I want to say the
same thing. And it's true of all believers,
all who are taught of God's Spirit. They know and believe the same
thing. And they need to hear the same
things over and over. Like I said, that Christ is all. And so Luke says, it seemed good
to me, too, to write the same thing. In verse 4, that thou
mightest know, now here's the purpose, that thou mightest know
the certainty of those things wherein thou hast been instructed.
Things most surely believed among us. The certainty of those things. Now, people, the salvation of
Christ, the salvation that's in God's hand. The salvation
which God performs on a human being is a salvation most certain,
most certain. Religion today, preachers today
preach an uncertain salvation, a mere possibility of salvation,
grace that is offered. But I'm here to tell you that
grace is not something offered to a man, it's something done
to a man. Oh no, we believe and rejoice
in a God who is most certainly God, who foreknew certain persons,
gave them to a certain Savior, who came to this earth with a
certain purpose of saving those certain persons. He went looking
for them in certain places, yes, a certain man, a certain woman,
in a certain city, up a certain tree, sitting on a certain well.
He found them right where he brought them by his sovereign
power. And he, did he save them? He most certainly did. These
are things most certainly believed among us. How about you? Well,
if you're a believer, you do. I hope so. Well, until next Sunday,
may the Lord open your understanding.