That's Luke chapter 1 and I'm
just going to read the first few verses. Luke chapter 1 verses
1 to 4. 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. Amen. May the Lord bless to us
this reading from his word. The opening verses of Luke's
gospel provide us with an explanation of Luke's purpose in writing,
and they supply us with the identity of the man to whom he wrote. This person is called Theophilus
and he is further identified as the most excellent Theophilus. Now he's the same person to whom
Luke addressed his subsequent book, his account of the Acts
of the Apostles. So Luke is the author both of
the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles. And if you have
any knowledge of these things you will know that they are a
continuation the one of the other. So it's like a two-volumed work
giving us the early history of Christ and his church. And Theophilus
is the man to whom both these letters, these epistles, were
addressed. Now, Theophilus appears to have
been a Christian believer. And with such a name, he may
well have been a Roman and a Gentile. But nothing beyond this is known
of him. However, we may deduce from the
fact that Luke applies the title Most Excellent, which is a title
that the Apostle Paul uses to address both Felix and Festus
in Acts chapter 23, 24 and 26, we may deduce and it has been
speculated that Theophilus may have been a person of rank, he
may have been a Roman officer, And he certainly seems to have
come under the influence of Luke, or perhaps Paul, with whom Luke
was closely connected as a travelling companion and a gospel preacher,
and with whom he was, well, not both of them in prison, but while
Paul was in prison in Rome, Luke was with him also. So it may
be that Theophilus had contacted them in Rome or in one of the
other cities into which Paul's missionary journey had taken
them. But we don't know that. All we know is that he was the
addressee of this letter and the Acts of the Apostles. And
I think it's interesting as we just look at these opening verses
to note that Luke tells Theophilus that many have taken in hand
to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most
surely believed amongst us. So he emphasises that he was
not the first, that others had done this and indeed many had
taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration. And who
these many are is not known. Now it could be that, again,
Luke is making a reference here to Mark and Matthew, but It's
not certain that those books were written at this time, and
it's perhaps rather suggestive of other believers who were,
at that time that Luke wrote, writing reports which, though
not false, because Luke doesn't criticise them in any way, were
not complete, they were incomplete. And therefore Luke, being moved
by the Holy Spirit, set about the writing of this work under
the guidance and inspiration of the Holy Ghost. And I personally
have long admired Luke's little phrase, a declaration of those
things which are most surely believed among us. I just think
that's a lovely little phrase to show that what he was writing
was purposefully declared to reveal and show to Theophilus
that these are the things that we most surely believe. And today what I want to do just
briefly is to draw attention to Luke's statement, a declaration
of those things which are most surely believed among us, to
draw attention to that statement and to make a few comments about
what it means and what it tells us. So let's do that. Let's think about what a declaration
of those things which are most surely believed among us tells
us even today. And the first thing I want to
point out is what those things are. A declaration of those things. What are those things? Well, it's a very, what Luke
writes in this gospel is a very exact written account of the
birth and life and actions and statements and doctrines and
miracles and sufferings and death and resurrection and ascension
of the Lord Jesus Christ. The things about which Luke and
other believers around him, other Christians at that time, had
the fullest conviction and strongest evidence. Either because they
were eyewitnesses of them, or they had personally received
these things from eyewitnesses. They were things that they were
assured of, things that they firmly believed, things that
they shared together with a certainty as a community and fellowship
of the Lord's people, and things that they wished to convey and
communicate to others, such as Theophilus. as being a faithful
declaration and true record of these facts. Now we very properly
call those things those things concerning the birth and life
and actions and statements and doctrines and miracles and sufferings
and death and resurrection and ascension of Christ, we properly
call those things the gospel of Jesus Christ. Because they
reveal to us God's plan of grace and salvation for sinners and
they introduce us to the Lord Jesus Christ, God's son. He, Christ, is the one by whom
salvation is accomplished and secured. And so Luke sets this
before Theophilus, and by this, the Holy Spirit has set it before
us all, even right up to this day. as a declaration of those
things which were most surely believed among the early apostles
and followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. So that's the first thing
that I want to say, what those things are. And the next thing
I want to just leave with you is the little thought about why. Why Luke wrote these things? And that might seem a very basic
and obvious question. But why did he write these things? Why did he make this declaration? Well he tells us in verse four,
he is writing to Theophilus and he says, that thou mightest know
the certainty of those things wherein thou hast been instructed. That you might know the certainty
of those things wherein you've been instructed. So this shows
us that Theophilus was already a man who had been instructed. He had heard the gospel preached. He'd received the truth at the
lips of a preacher, whoever that preacher was. Maybe it was Luke
himself, maybe it was Paul, or maybe another. And by grace,
he received what he'd heard, and he believed what he had been
told. And now, subsequent to that,
Luke wishes to increase the knowledge of Theophilus and to strengthen
his faith. And by this personal letter, by this account, the whole world
has this wonderful Gospel of Jesus Christ by Luke. provided for us even to this
day. And I think that this why question
reveals a very admirable motivation on Luke's part. It is true that
there is a power in preaching. Paul speaks about the power of
the preached word. It is the power of God unto salvation,
the preaching of the Gospel. And there is power in preaching.
The human voice is put to work to announce and declare and to
testify and convince all who have ears to hear about the glorious
Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. And it would appear from the
New Testament that preaching is the principal means by which
faith is stirred up and drawn forth for the conviction of a
sinner and the conversion of a believer. Paul indeed says,
how shall they believe in whom they have not heard and how shall
they hear without a preacher. So let us, let you and me, let
us always value and support and enable and attend the preaching
of the gospel that the Lord Jesus Christ has graciously provided
for us. Nevertheless, preaching is It's
a temporary kind of communication. And I know that we record sermons
these days and I believe that there is a value to that. Nevertheless, the power of the
spoken word is best experienced in the moment. And Luke understands
how a written record provides a continuing testimony that endures. The written testimony is a witness
to be referred to time and time again. It's a direct link with
an eyewitness that carries weight that hearsay never can. And this is why we often hear
of books being written and books being opened in the Bible. In fact, wasn't it just last
week that we mentioned that Job said in chapter 19 and verse
23 of his book, oh that my words were now written, oh that they
were printed in a book, that they were graven with an iron
pen, in lead in a rock forever. Job wanted those words to be
written down that they may be preserved. And such a written
testimony, such written things are an enduring recorded witness. And John tells us that in the
last days, in the judgment, that books will be opened. In Revelation
chapter 20 and verse 12 he says, and I saw the dead, small and
great, stand before God and the books were opened. And another
book was opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were
judged out of those things which were written in the books according
to their works. So by these references, we learn
that there is a usefulness for proof and for confirmation in
a written account. And Luke would have Theophilus
know thoroughly and systematically and comprehensively and enduringly
the certainty of those things in which he had been instructed,
to give him such a sure proof of those things as might preserve
him safe in the belief of them from all doubting and from all
hesitation. So that as well as valuing and
hearing preaching, we too should read the scriptures personally
and privately for ourselves. As well as hearing the word and
reading the word, so that we can test what we hear against
what is written in the Holy Scriptures to protect us, as with Theophilus,
from doubt and error and wavering. So we've asked, then, what it
was that Luke wrote, and we've asked why he wrote it. Let me ask one more question.
Let me ask wherefore. or by which I mean, to what end? To what end were these things
written? And I think the answer to that
is they were written for everlasting life. They were written to the
praise of the Lord Jesus Christ. They were written that men and
women might have peace with God. John in his Gospel, there are
four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. We're thinking
about Luke's Gospel, but John in his Gospel, he speaks for
all the Gospel writers when he says, these things are written
that ye might believe. These things about the birth
and the life and the actions and the statements and the doctrines
and the miracles and the sufferings and the death and the resurrection
and ascension of Jesus Christ are written to be believed. You should believe them because
they're true and I should believe them because God has caused them
to be recorded for that purpose. and it behoves us to receive
and believe the truth of God, the statements and the words
of God and the whole testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ. And yet sinners don't believe
and they won't believe because it's too costly for them to believe
God's word and it's too humbling And we may agree that someone
called Jesus was born, but can we believe that he's the son
of God? We can believe that there's some
truth in Christ's existence, but can we believe his miracles
and his actions and his doctrine? We can even believe that someone
called Jesus died on a Roman cross, but do we understand why
he died? What he accomplished. Do we believe
that he rose from the dead? Do we believe that he has ascended
into heaven and now sits at God's right hand, interceding for his
church and representing his elect and those people for whom he
died? Luke wrote what he wrote in order
to be believed. And I feel sure that Theophilus
did believe the declaration of those things which are most surely
believed among us. But what about me? Have I got
that faith? Do I have that knowledge and
understanding of these divine truths, the holy things of God's
Word? Do I know the certainty of the
things in which I've been instructed? The gospel of God's grace in
Christ, the plan of salvation and the nature of Jesus Christ's
dying and giving of his life's blood is set before men and women
to be believed. The Lord Jesus Christ said in
John chapter 5 verse 24, May the Lord give us all faith
to trust in Jesus Christ, to believe the gospel so that we
too may confess with Theophilus this declaration of those things
which are most surely believed amongst us, with the apostles
and all the Lord's people of every age. Amen. May the Lord bless these thoughts
to us.