Luke chapter 10, verse 13, and
we'll read down to verse 20. The Lord Jesus Christ is speaking,
and he says, Woe unto thee, Cherizen! Woe unto thee, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works had been
done in Tyre and Sidon, which have been done in you, they had
a great while ago repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. but it
shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than
for you. And thou, Capernaum, which art
exalted to heaven, shalt be thrust down to hell. He that heareth
you heareth me, and he that despiseth you despiseth me, and he that
despiseth me despiseth him that sent me. And the Seventy returned
again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto
us through thy name. And he said unto them, I beheld
Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Behold, I give unto you
power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power
of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Notwithstanding,
in this rejoice not that the spirits are subject unto you,
but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven. Amen. May the Lord bless to us
this reading from his word. The Lord Jesus Christ graciously,
throughout his ministry, graciously and mercifully preached to men
and women, healing sicknesses, curing diseases, delivering them
from demon possession, blessing them and their children even
to the point of raising them to life from the dead. He demonstrated
miraculous power beyond anything imaginable to individuals, and
he transformed communities in the towns and in the cities of
Judea and Galilee. We're reading about some of these
towns today, Cherizen, Bethsaida, Capernaum. These were communities
where the Lord exercised his ministry. And we're just going
to mention Capernaum at the moment. Cherizen we don't know too much
about. Capernaum certainly, Bethsaida
was one of those blessed villages. It was in Capernaum that Christ
healed the centurion's servant. He healed Peter's mother-in-law. He healed a man who was sick
of the palsy, and many more. We read in Mark chapter one,
that at even time, or at even, when the sun did set, they brought
unto him all that were diseased, and them that were possessed
with devils, and all the city was gathered together at the
door." This is Capernaum. And he healed many of them that
were sick of divers' diseases and cast out many devils. And yet, here, no doubt connected
to the ministry of the Seventy as well as to his own, Jesus
brings a woe onto these towns, a judgment on these places as
examples of the condemnation to fall on those who reject the
gospel and who reject and despise preachers of the gospel. And
what we read of then in that day of the Lord's own ministry
and the ministry of the 70, the ministry of the 12, the ministry
of the 70, the apostolic ministry of the Acts of the Apostles and
the Epistles of the Apostle Paul, what we read of there is true
in every generation. It is true that there is a rejection
of the gospel by the general population. There is a reception
by a few. And that is our experience still
today. And so we can take an immediate personal interest
in these things that the Lord is speaking about. This isn't
just historical narrative. This isn't just a story from
back then. This is the Lord telling us how
we are to perceive the work of the gospel in our own generation. And the Lord's statement about
Tyre and Sidon, repenting, is not suggesting, is not saying
that there's any lack of necessity of new birth. It seems as if
the Lord in speaking as he does is saying, well, If these things
had been spoken in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long
ago. But that is not to deny the necessity of a spiritual
new birth for faith. The Lord was not saying that
it was simply Tyre and Sidon's own expression of repentance
or expression of belief that would have saved them. We do
find indeed that there were some from Capernaum who were effectually
called and saved. Peter and Andrew, this was their
city. This was where they were from.
And they were called to be disciples, they were called to be apostles.
But the point is this, that spiritual life requires Holy Spirit regeneration. The Lord said to Nicodemus, you
must be born again. And this spiritual new life is
not in any way being overshadowed by the Lord's words here in making
this comparison between Capernaum and Tyre and Sidon. The point
the Lord is making is that the men and women of these communities
were guilty of great ingratitude for being so hard-hearted, for
being so dismissive towards those whose only desire was to do them
good by their preaching. Tyre and Sidon were cities of
the coast, the Mediterranean coast. They had no gospel witness
bestowed in them. They were Gentile towns, Gentile
cities. They had no gospel witness bestowed
in them, certainly by the Lord. They saw no miracles by the Lord. They heard no preaching in their
streets. Although it is true that the
Lord did preach in the regions around about and in their borders. Remember the story of the Syrophoenician
woman and her daughter. like a dog. All she wanted was
the scraps from the master's table. These people, the Syrophoenicians,
the Tyrians, they understood that Christ had come to the Jews
and yet here was this woman begging that she might as it were, like
a dog, just get the scraps that fall from the children's table.
And the Lord was saying, as it were, to the children, you haven't
been interested at all in the table that has been set before
you in the wilderness, the good things that have been brought
to you. These Jews, they heard and they saw the Lord himself
and his ministers, the 12 and the 70 that were sent out, and
yet they were proud and they were hard and they were dismissive. And I think that one application
we can draw from this is to note the absolute necessity of regeneration
for spiritual conversion. Some people talk about reformation. Reformation of life is not regeneration
unto new life. And people can try and live good
lives, they can try and reform their lives, they can try and
live well, but there is an absolute necessity for regeneration and
a new creation if a man or a woman or a boy or a girl is going to
be converted and saved. If the best preacher in the world
came to our town, if he amazingly performed miracles and worked
signs and wonders to thrill us, thrill his audience, all his
efforts would not grow the church by a single member. Jesus Christ
himself preached in these places and the response of the natural
men and women was to throw him down and cast him out. Now I'm not denying the value
of or the need for good preaching. I wish there were more preachers.
I wish there were better preachers. As we said last week, may the
Lord send labourers into his harvest. The fields are white.
Nevertheless, If Christ himself didn't get a hearing in Capernaum
of all places, he called it his own city. If Christ himself didn't
get a hearing in Capernaum where he had worked so many miracles,
it simply proves how hard-hearted men are towards the gospel of
salvation by grace. It takes a spiritual work to
create a spiritual man. and except for the attendance,
for the anointing and the empowering of the Holy Spirit, all preaching
will be in vain. Now here's another thing that
we learn. These verses appear to indicate
that there will be different levels or degrees of punishment
in the judgment. since we're told it will be more
tolerable for Tyre and Sidon, more tolerable for wicked men
who did not know the Gospel than for those who heard and yet despised
and rejected God's truth. The greater the light and privilege
against which people sin, the sorer will be the condemnation
against them and the severer shall be the punishment. These
lands of ours have been enriched for generations with clear gospel
testimonies and divine privileges. We speak often, do we not, when
we're having our Gadsby hymns about the beautiful theology
that has been written about and sung about and preached about
for hundreds and hundreds of years. This is a land of great
privilege as far as the gospel is concerned. The Lord has been
good to us. Nevertheless, we might well imagine
that in time or in eternity, a price will be
paid for rejecting God's truth and the overtures of grace. Paul tells the Galatians, be
not deceived. God is not mocked. For whatsoever
a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his
flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption. But he that soweth
to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. The heaviest
judgments will fall on those whose advantages have been the
greatest. A nation where the gospel is
faithfully preached is a highly exalted nation. And that same
nation in despising the gospel and rejecting its advocates,
its preachers, can expect to be severely cast down and shall
have no excuse when it is rejected. Another application that we might
take from these verses is to just point out that we are, of
course, speaking here of the true gospel, not a weak, man-centred,
nonsensical gospel that today so frequently masquerades as
the truth and undoubtedly gathers converts to its deceptions. The Lord Jesus said to the 70
preachers whom he had sent out, He that heareth you, heareth
me. And he that despiseth you, despiseth
me. And he that despiseth me, despiseth
him that sent me. Let me encourage you just once
again, and I'm not pointing any fingers at anyone in particular
by any means, but don't be tempted to give up on the doctrine of
free sovereign grace simply because it's not widely preached and
not widely received. We are few in number and that's
just the way in this day and age at least that the Lord has
ordained it to be. The Lord's elect are a little
flock, they're a remnant people. Peter speaks about a chosen generation,
a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people. Yes, they
are in themselves and in glory, a multitude that no man can number. But until then, we are largely
hidden throughout the earth. And we've not to be disheartened
at that, and we've not to be hindered by that. That is the
way the Lord has made it. And we may be sure that the Lord's
people will hear and believe the truth. On the other hand,
those who are none of his will, in despising the gospel, evidence
their despising of Christ and despising of God whose gospel
this is. If any man have not the Spirit
of Christ, he is none of his. In verses 15 to 20, we read of
the return of the Seventy after their mission, after their ministry,
the return of the Seventy, and that they were full of joy. that
indeed there had been those who responded positively to their
ministry and to their message. And their comment was, Lord,
even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. Where Christ
is honoured in preaching, and where his power is manifested,
there will be fruit for that labour. in the Gospel and there
will be a harvest gathered thereby. And we can preach with boldness
and we can carry our message with confidence. Snakes and scorpions,
they're not to put us off from taking this message to the world.
And I know that, you know, so many seem to be frightened about
the things that are going on in the world at the moment and
decisions that are being made and legislation that is being...
Listen, listen, this is an evil fallen world. We ought not to
be surprised that these things are happening and we ought to
retain a degree of boldness and confidence because the Lord is
protecting us despite our fewness, despite our paucity. The Lord
will protect his people and we carry our message with confidence
because we go in his strength. We're in his business and therefore
we are under his protection. The Lord says, I beheld Satan
as lightning fall from heaven. And we're not told when the Lord
saw this happen. I want you to think about this
for a moment because I think this is lovely. We might immediately
think that this is a reference to these men coming back and
saying that even the evil spirits were subject to them. The Lord
says, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. and we're not
told when he saw that. It may well be that he is speaking
of that which he had seen before the foundation of the world when
Satan was cast out of heaven. It may well be that he is speaking
about the time when he took upon himself the obligations of the
covenant of grace and the victory there was ascertained, established,
that it was promised and it was decreed in the fullness of the
accomplishment of that covenant. And if that is indeed so, then
it's a powerful testimony of Christ's divinity. and of his
eternal presence and of his sovereign majesty. And if it is a reference
to the going forth of these 70 and the preaching of the gospel
and the power of the ministry conferred on the disciples and
the preachers of grace, well, In that sense, there is certainly
as well an overthrowing and a casting down of Satan each time a sinner
is converted and another believer is brought into the Kingdom of
God and under the protection of Christ's Lordship. There's
much in this gospel age for us to rejoice in when we share fellowship
one with another. Like in these occasions, on occasions
like these when we come together, there's a joy in the heart of
the Lord's people when we can share fellowship together like
this. or when we discover, when we uncover those answers to prayer
where the Lord's blessing is evident in the lives of His people
and His care and His wisdom is manifested. There's joy in that
for us. There's joy in the preserving
care of the Lord over His people. And there's much to rejoice in
when we see the evidence of Christ's blood in the lives of our brothers
and sisters and we witness the continuation of the gospel being
preached despite all the evil forces that are ranged against
it. But the Lord tells these disciples
there's something even more worthy of our praise and of our pleasure. even than the subjection of evil
spirits to the power of the gospel. And that is that our own names
are written in heaven. Each of these 70 preachers were
to rejoice, not in the fact that the devils were subject to them,
but that they had been loved from eternity. They were to rejoice
not in the fact that men and women gave ear to their message,
but that they had been chosen to salvation, that their names
had been written in the Lamb's Book of Life, and that they had
been called in time to discover forgiveness of sin and peace
with God. The names of all Christ's redeemed
people are written in heaven. And not one for whom he died
shall ever be lost. That, that is our cause for rejoicing. This is occasion for rejoicing
amongst the Lord's people, that no matter what happens in this
world, not one of his people will be lost, for their names
are written in heaven. Sovereign grace, therefore, is
our reason to rejoice. All the blessings of everlasting
love, of eternal election, of divine justification and sanctification
and reconciliation and conversion. These are our causes to rejoice. It's all bound up. in salvation
and in the recording of our names in heaven. How can it be man's
free will that saves if our names are written down in glory from
before the foundation of the world? And nothing can more decidedly
prove that the choice of God to eternal life is special and
personal and particular than the fact of names written in
heaven. That means it's personal. That
means it's everlastingly secure. The names of these men, these
70, the names of the 12, our names are written in heaven. and that is validation of the
Father's electing choice. It is evidence of the Saviour's
efficacious blood and the Holy Spirit's convicting, converting
and transforming call in the Gospel. And it gives us assurance
of everlasting life, of eternal glory, and endless joy in heaven. That's our joy. It is our sure
and certain salvation. And it is all of God's grace. May the Lord bless these thoughts
to us. Amen.