Luke chapter one. I have one more thing that I would like for us to look at from these opening verses. We've had two messages from these first four verses and there's one more thing that I'd like for us to look at here. Let's begin by reading these four verses.

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 of those things wherein thou hast been instructed. Verse two says this declaration was delivered to us from those who were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word. Now what is the word?

The Word is Christ. The Word is the Lord Jesus Christ. Look with me at John chapter 1. John chapter 1 verse 1 it says, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Verse 14 says, And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory. The glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. Jesus Christ, the Word. Revelation 19 verse 13 says, His name is called the Word of God.

This is really important. This is something I do pray the Lord will make very clear. Turn with me if you would to 1 John chapter one, just before Revelation. First, John chapter 1. Verse 1, John said, that which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon.

You know, there's a difference in seeing with your eye and looking upon. Looking upon has something to do with the heart. He said, that which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and our hands have handled of the word of life. The word of life for the life was manifested and we have seen and bear witness and show unto you that eternal life. which was with the Father and was manifested unto us, that which we have seen and heard, declare we unto you, that you also may have fellowship with us, and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. John said we physically heard him, we saw him, our hearts looked upon him, our hands handled him, and we sat in fellowship with him. We were eyewitnesses. Eyewitnesses. Now that's what John said. Look at what Peter said. Turn back about one page to 2 Peter chapter one. Verse 13, 2 Peter 1 verse 13.

He said, yea, I think it meet as long as I'm in this tabernacle to stir you up by putting you in remembrance, knowing that shortly I must put off this, my tabernacle, meaning he's going to leave this world. His body will lay down in death. even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath showed me. Moreover, I will endeavor that you may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance.

For we have not followed cunningly devised fables when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. for he received from God the Father honor and glory when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, this is my beloved son in whom I'm well pleased. And this voice which came from heaven we heard when we were with him in the Holy Mount. We have also a more sure word of prophecy where unto you do well that you take heed as unto a light that shineth in a dark place until the day dawn and the day star arise in your hearts, knowing this first that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man, But holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. Peter said we were eyewitnesses of the one we're writing about. And he said that carries a lot of weight. That carries a lot of weight. But he said what carries even more weight than that is what we have penned is not our words.

These are God's words. No prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. People like to read the scriptures and say, well, this is what Paul meant here. And then Paul changed his mind over here. That's not so. God said this here. God said that there. And God does not change.

Everything written was written by the Holy Spirit of God Almighty. Now here's what we get from all that. The direct followers of Christ said, Christ is the writer of this word. Romans 8 calls the Spirit, the Spirit of Christ. The Holy Spirit of Christ is the writer of this word. Christ is the object of this word. Christ is the word. This word is Christ. This word is speaking of Christ. This word is declaring and revealing Christ.

All right, now go with me back to Luke chapter one. I believe this could be one of the most helpful, if the Lord would let us get a hold of this, this could be one of the most helpful things any person could possibly say. Luke 1 verse 1, 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 from the beginning, which 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 means lover of God, that thou mightest know the certainty of those things wherein thou hast been instructed. Based on what we just looked at, this is what I want us to get a hold of.

I've titled this Bible study, Perfect Understanding of All Things. Perfect understanding of all things. Here is the summary of what we're about to look at. In Christ, we have perfect understanding of all things. If we are looking to Christ, we have perfect understanding of all things. If Christ is our object of understanding, we have perfect understanding of all things. Now let me explain that and then let me prove that.

I know this is one that is turning a lot, but I think we'll really see something here. Go with me to 1 Corinthians 13. 1 Corinthians 13, the word in this chapter, charity, it translates love and God is love and Jesus Christ is God. So when we see this word charity, we can place the word Christ there and have the true understanding of what this is saying. 1 Corinthians 13 verse 1, it says, though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, if I had the tongues of angels, and have not Christ, charity, if I don't have Christ, I am become a sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal.

And though I have the gift of prophecy, prophecy is foretelling the future, future events, and understand all mysteries. I could go through this word and no matter what it says, I could tell you what it says. What was Daniel talking about? What is 666?

Though I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, And though I have all faith so that I could remove mountains, if I don't have Christ, I'm nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, if I don't have Christ, all of that stuff profits me nothing. It profits me nothing. Look at verse nine. We know in part, I'm telling you that is the truth. That is the truth. We know in part and we preach in part, we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, who is that? What is that which is perfect? It's a person. His name is Jesus Christ. Perfect. Perfect. When that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.

When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child, but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass darkly. That's so true. That's so true, but then it's gonna be face to face. Now I know in part. But then shall I know even as also I'm known.

Now abides faith, hope, Christ. Faith in Christ, hope in Christ. These three, the greatest of these, Christ. Now what he's saying is in this flesh, we're seeing all of these things through a glass darkly. Our knowledge is impart. But our understanding is perfect. That's right.

I really do hope the Lord will make this clear. If you know what I'm talking about, I hope the Lord will make it clear. If you don't know where am I, where in the world are you going with this? Boy, you really are messed up today, aren't you? I pray God will make this clear.

Our knowledge is impart. But our understanding is perfect, it is perfect. We understand through the gift of God, well I won't get ahead of myself, we understand that all roads lead to Jesus Christ. That's what we know. If we're gonna say we have a knowledge, we know something, that's what has been revealed to us. All roads lead to Jesus Christ.

This will be one of the most helpful things any person could ever know. If any person ever has a moment where they say, you know what? I'm gonna open my Bible, and I'm gonna read it, and I'm gonna try to figure out what is the deal with this? What is this saying? What is the heart of the matter? All roads lead to Jesus Christ. Christ wrote this. Christ is the object of this. Christ is this. His name is the Word of God. What's Christ like? That's what he's like. He is the Word of God.

Turn with me to Ephesians 3. Well, no, I don't have time for that. Don't go there. Let me just tell you that what Ephesians 3, you can read it for yourself. Ephesians 3, 14 to 19, it says, the love of Christ passes knowledge. It passes earthly understanding.

If you have Christ, you know the height, the depth, the length, the breadth of the fullness of God. If you know Christ, you know it all. If we know and understand Christ, we know and understand everything we need to know and understand. To know Christ is to know the mind and will and purpose of God.

To know Christ is to know complete and total redemption. It's to understand salvation to its fullest. It's to have a full, complete knowledge and understanding of how sinners are saved, how sinners are justified before God. You can answer that in one word, Christ. To know Christ is to know the glory of God. All the glory of God is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. To know Christ is to know it all. To have a true understanding of Christ is to have a perfect understanding of all things.

All right, now let me prove that to you. I've said it, let me prove it. Turn with me to Luke 24. Luke 24 verse 25, it says, then our Lord Jesus Christ said unto these two on the road to Emmaus, then he said unto them, oh fools and slow of heart to believe a couple of the things that the prophets have spoken. In the Old Testament. All of it. How much of the Old Testament? All of it. Oh fools and slow of heart to believe All that the prophets have spoken, every single word that was written in the Old Testament, all of it. Verse 26, ought not Christ to have suffered these things? What things? The things written in the Old Testament.

And to enter into his glory," now watch this, "...and beginning at Moses," that's Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, "...beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself." Verse 44. And he said unto them, these are the words which I spake unto you while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the law of Moses and in the prophets and in the Psalms concerning me. Watch this.

Then opened he their understanding that they might understand the scriptures. When God reveals Christ, that's what happens. The name, have they not all heard? Is there anybody who doesn't know the name Jesus Christ? Everybody knows Christ. Everybody thinks that he is God's son. He's not. He's the son of God. Everybody knows about Christ. Everybody knows He was with the Father, He came, He lived, He died, He arose, He went back.

That's not having Christ revealed to you. When Christ is revealed to you, Christ becomes all. You don't just know about Christ, you know Christ. And that's all you know. When Christ is revealed to a person, a lot of things become unrevealed to a person. Things just, all these things that we thought we had tied up, they just become loose ends and they just kind of drift away and ravel away.

And Christ becomes all, he becomes everything. All of a sudden, I don't care where you turn in the Bible, you see Christ. You may not understand what it's saying, but you see Christ. You know, it's pointing to Christ. You know, it's leading you to Christ. You may need a man to tell you, could you show me Christ in this? But the answer is Christ. Verse 45, then opened he their understanding that they might understand the scriptures and said unto them, thus it is written and thus it behooved Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day. So that's what it's all about.

And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name, not your name. You're not in charge of your repentance. It's the goodness of God that leads a man or woman to repentance. You're not in charge of the remission of your sins. Jesus Christ, His name is in charge of that. That repentance and remission of sin should be preached in his name, not yours, his.

He said, start that at, you start preaching that at Jerusalem. He said, you're witnesses of these things. All of it is speaking of me. He said, you're my witnesses of this. Look with me at John five, John chapter five. I'm extremely disappointed because I have less than five minutes and I'm only halfway through my notes. So let me just do what I can with this. Our Lord is scolding some Pharisees, some religious Pharisees right here. Verse 39, John 5, verse 39.

He said, search the scriptures for in them you think you have eternal life. You're going through the pages of the Bible and you're saying, well, God said you have to do this and you have to be this and you can't do that. And if we'll follow all that, we'll be saved. He said, you just keep searching the scriptures. He said, in them you think you have eternal life. What he's saying right here is, but you missed it.

They are they which testify of me. He went on down through there to say that, you know, you're trying to find the answer in the law. You're trying to find the answer in doctrine. The answer is me. And he said, you don't believe God's word and you don't understand God's word. Verse 46, he said, for had you believed Moses, you would have believed me where he wrote of me.

He's talking about me in the beginning. God, who's that? Who's that talking about? Jesus Christ. God made a burning bush explode with fire. Who was in that burning bush? God was what's his name? Jesus Christ. Is all Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ.

He wrote of me. Look at John six, verse 45. It is written in the prophets and they shall be all taught of God. Every man, therefore, that has heard and learned of the father. Comes to me, not the law. Not morality, not a decision, not a doctrine. Me.

Me, John 14, don't turn there, John 14. Yeah, turn there, go to John 14. Verse 5, John 14, verse 5, Thomas said unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest and how can we know the way? Jesus said unto him, I'm the way, the truth and the life. No man cometh unto the father but by me. Now watch verse 7.

If you had known me, you should have known my father. He said, if you knew me, you would have perfect understanding of the father. Verse seven, if you had known me, you should have known my father also. And hence from henceforth, you know him and have seen him. Philip said unto him, Lord, show us the father and it sufficeth. Jesus said unto him, have I been so long time with you and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? He that hath seen me hath seen the father. Why do you keep saying, show me the father?

I'm right here. Christ. is the knowledge of the Father. Christ is the image of the Father. To see Christ is to see the Father. You want to see the Father? See Christ. You say, I don't fully understand that. We don't need to fully understand that to have perfect understanding of it. All we need is faith to believe the word of Jesus Christ. That's all we need. Don't turn. John 15, he said, when the Spirit comes, he'll testify of me. When the Spirit comes to you, he'll tell you about me. He'll take things of mine and show it to you. I had down here, you know, people say, well, what about, you know, the law? What about the law? What about righteousness in the law? Romans 10, verse 4 says, Christ is the end of the law for righteousness.

He said, men and women are going about trying to establish their own Righteousness. They have a zeal of God, but it's not according to knowledge. First Corinthians 30 says, Of God are you in Christ Jesus, who of him is made unto us wisdom. You need wisdom. Christ is our wisdom.

What about holiness? Aren't we supposed to be holy and be sanctified? Of who is made unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. Christ is our holiness. Christ is our redemption. Christ is our righteousness. We don't need to redeem ourselves. And God's people have perfect understanding of that.

You know, you ask them, when you have the opportunity to witness to somebody and they say, well, where do you go to church? Well, what do they believe? What do y'all preach? And you're just like, I don't know what to say. I'm having a hard time putting it into words.

I'm in the same boat. People catch me off guard and it's like, I have 14 days of things to say to you in the next two sentences. And sometimes I don't know how to put it into words, but I have perfect understanding. I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I've committed unto him, which is all of it. Wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. Against that day.

I may not know much. I can't tell you how often I tell people, I don't know. People say, what does that mean? I don't know. What's that say? I don't know. But it has something to do with Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I'll tell you that much. First Corinthians 2 verse 2, Paul said, I am determined. I've made the decision. I've made the decision. After all of my religious studies, he went to religious college and all that kind of stuff, he said, I counted all dung that I might know Christ. He said, I've determined to know nothing among you save Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

In Ephesians 1, Paul said that God has revealed the mystery of His will to us concerning all things being in Christ. Everything is in Christ. Philippians 3 is where he said, I counted all dung that I might know Him. Colossians 2, he said, in Christ are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Colossians 3 says, Christ is all and in all.

Go to 1 John 5, this is two spots and we're done. 1 John 5. 1 John 5, verse 20. And we know that the Son of God has come and hath given us an understanding." And what is that understanding? Here it is. He goes on to say, that we may know him, that is true. And we are in him, that is true.

Even in his son, Jesus Christ, This is the true God in eternal life. Start to finish, the perfect understanding of this book is Jesus Christ. The first book in the Bible is concerning Jesus Christ. The last book in the Bible is concerning Jesus Christ. Turn two pages and we're done. This last book in the Bible is not the revelation of end times. This last book in the Bible is not the revelation of Armageddon. It is not the revelation of the rapture.

Revelation 1 verse 1 says, the revelation of Jesus Christ. He's the answer. He's the object. To have a knowledge and an understanding of him is to have a perfect understanding of all things that God has given to us in his word. What's this whole thing about? Christ. That's a perfect understanding. That's a perfect understanding. May he cause us to grow. in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen. All right, quick turnaround.