Luke chapter 1. While you're turning there, let
me make a few announcements. This evening, we will be observing
the Lord's Table together. Now, if any of the ladies could
meet tomorrow at 9 o'clock to help clean the construction area,
It would be very helpful and there's an information sheet
on the table in the back if you can help tomorrow. And also regarding
the nursery, I want to thank everybody who helps in the nursery.
It's a service that's truly appreciated by many parents. We couldn't
have these services without the nursery. Please show up 10 minutes
before the service begins when it's your turn, so that the mothers
can get settled in upstairs. It is a distraction and a scramble
to find last-minute replacements if someone doesn't show up or
is late. And also remember, come December,
we're expecting four newborns, so any extra help would be appreciated. Luke chapter 1. I want to read
the first 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. Before we begin, this fan is
going to blow all my notes off, and it won't keep the – the air
conditioners are broke, so if you get hot, I'm sorry. Next
week it will be better. But I can tell I can't hold anything
down with this. Can you turn off one of them,
or are you going to – well, sorry. Maybe some of you women are glad,
but – I've entitled this message, Those
Things Which Are Most Surely Believed Among Us. I've been thinking about this
message for several weeks, and if someone would ask me, just
what is it that you believe? Just what is it that you stand
for? What if you could cut into your
heart, what is it that you really believe? This is what I tell
them. Those things which are most surely
believed among us. Now, believing God is the greatest
thing that we can be enabled to do. Do you believe that? Let me repeat that. Believing
God is the greatest thing that you or I can ever be enabled
to do. Now what are those things that
are most surely believed among us? Now the first thing we have
to understand before that question can be answered is who does Luke
mean by us? those things which are most surely
believed among us." Who is the us? What demographic is he speaking
of? Those of our circle? You know,
we have a circle of pastors and churches and friends, and that
doesn't mean the only churches and pastors and believers are
in our circle. What does he mean when he speaks of us? Is he speaking
of Protestants or Catholics? Is he speaking of some particular
denomination like Baptist, Presbyterian, or Methodist, those of our persuasion? Does he mean by us those who
are of the Calvinist persuasion or those who are of the Arminian
persuasion? What is Luke speaking of when
he speaks of us? Who is he talking about when
he speaks of those things which are most surely believed among
us? Well, look in verses 2 and 3.
He says, even as they delivered them unto us, these things that
are most surely believed among us, even as they delivered them
among us, the apostles, 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." Now, you
know what Theophilus' name means? It means lover of God. I believe this was a literal
man, but this man is a representative man. Luke is writing to every
lover of God. Not everybody loves God. Only
those who believe. And I believe Theophilus represents
every believer. That's the us Luke is speaking
of. Every believer. Not just a particular
brand of believer, but every believer without exception. Now,
let me show you this in Scripture. Turn with me to Romans chapter
8. I want us to see how Paul uses this word us. Eight times
in this chapter, he uses the word us. First, in verse 4 of Romans chapter
8, that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in
us. Us! Who walk not after the flesh,
but after the Spirit. The us is everybody who walks
not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Verse 18, For I reckon
that the sufferings of the present time are not worthy to be compared
with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Verse 26, Likewise
the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities, for we know not what we should
pray for as we ought, but the Spirit itself maketh intercession
for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Verse 31, What shall
we then say to these things, if God be for us? Who can be
against us? He that spared not His own Son,
but delivered Him up for us all. Hastily not with Him also freely
give us all things. Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? It's God that justifies. Who
is He that condemneth? It's Christ that died. Yea, rather
that's risen again. Who's even at the right hand
of God? Who also maketh intercession for us? Who shall separate us
from the love of Christ? Look at verse 37. Nay, in all
these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved
us. For I am persuaded that neither
death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers,
nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth,
nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the
love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Who is the us? all of God's elect, everybody
for whom Christ died, everybody who has the Holy Spirit, every
believer to ever live. That's the us he's speaking of
when he speaks of those things that are most surely believed
among us. Now what was his reason for setting
these things forth? Look back at Luke chapter 1. For as much then as many have
taken in hand to set forth in order, in an orderly fashion,
a declaration of those things which are most surely believed
among us, even as they delivered unto us, which from the beginning
were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word. This is a reference
to the apostles. He says, 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 lover of God,
that thou mightest know the certainty of those things wherein thou
hast been instructed. Now, if you and I are believers,
We want to know the certainty of those things wherein we have
been instructed. And that word certainty is also
sometimes translated safety. The safety. I want to know. I want to understand. I want
to love. I want to come to a true knowledge
of the certainty and the safety. Those things wherein I've been
instructed. I like what Paul said in Philippians
chapter 3 verse 1 He said to write the same things to you
to me indeed is not grievous the same things that every believer
believes But for you it is what? safe Safe now Here are those
things that are most surely believed among us I can give you a orderly
outline of A declaration of those things which are most surely
believed among us. First, we most surely believe
that the Bible is the Word of God. That's where we got to begin. The Bible, the Holy Scriptures,
is the Word of God. We most surely believe, secondly,
that God is as the Bible declares Him to be. We most surely believe that God
is as the Bible declares Him to be. If a God is preached who
is not like the God declared in this Bible, He's a false God.
He's an idol. God is as the Bible declares
Him to be. Thirdly, we most surely believe
that man is as the Bible declares him to be. Whatever the Bible
says regarding man, whatever the Bible says regarding me,
that's what I believe about myself. That's what I believe about you.
Fourthly, we most surely believe that salvation is of the Lord. And last, we most surely believe
that when God saves somebody, they are saved. Now that summarizes what every
believer believes. I'm sure there are other details
I could get to, and you could get to, and you might think of
some things that I can't think of, but this is what I've just
stated is what every believer believes. Now let's consider
them one at a time. The Bible. Genesis to Revelation
is the Word of God. It is a holy, supernatural book. Every word, God breathed. Paul said in 2 Timothy 3, verse
16, all scripture is given by inspiration of God. Every word of this book is divinely
inspired. There is no error. The Bible
is our only rule of faith and practice. You know, people make
all kinds of documents that they think help support the Bible.
We have these confessions. We've got the Philadelphia Confession,
the London Confession, and these tell what we believe. You know,
really, I think that that's derogatory to the Scriptures. I don't want
to read any of that. I believe what the Bible says.
I really do. I don't need a confession. I
don't need some kind of guideline to show me what I need to believe.
I believe every word of this book. What do you got to believe
to be saved? Everything God says. Everything. If there's something God says
and you say, I don't believe it, you know what you are? You're
an unbeliever. God's people believe. They believe the Bible. They
believe the Word of God. You know, one of the... I find
this so annoying. I don't want to get annoyed,
but I find this so annoying. When I read where a church or
a preacher says he is able to make the Bible relevant for today,
What? What do you mean make the Bible
relevant for today? This is the Word of God. And
you're going to make it relevant? You become completely irrelevant
when you try something like that. Now you really do. The Bible
is the Word of God. And we believe all that God says. It's His revelation of Himself. We don't go to the Bible to prove
what we believe. We go to the Bible to find out
what to believe. And we bow to all God says. Now, you've got to begin here. Let me show you how you begin
here. Turn with me to 2 Peter chapter 1. Peter is telling us about a mountaintop
experience in verse 16. He says, For we have not 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. For he received from God the
Father honor and glory when there came such a voice to him from
that excellent glory. This is my beloved Son in whom
I am well pleased. And this voice which came from
heaven we heard when we were with him in the holy mouth."
Now Peter is talking about something he experienced. You want to talk
about a mountaintop experience? The Mount of Transfiguration.
when they saw the deity of the Lord burst through his humanity. They saw his face shine like
the sun and glowing came through his clothes. And old Peter, Peter
said, Lord, it's good for us to be here. Let us make three
tabernacles, one for thee, one for Moses, one for Elijah. And
this he said, not knowing whereof he spake. And then that voice
came from heaven. This is my beloved son. They
heard the voice of the Father. This is my beloved son in whom
I'm well pleased. Now what? Man, I'd like to have
been there, wouldn't you? Wouldn't you like to have been
there with him on the Mount of Transfiguration? I would have.
But look what he says next. Verse 19. We also have a more
sure word of prophecy. More sure than that experience.
Where unto you do well, that you take heed as unto a light
that shineth in a dark place unto the day dawn, and the day
star arise in your hearts, knowing this first. This was what comes
first. This is what is of primary importance.
That no prophecy of the Scriptures of any private interpretation.
Well, that's your interpretation. Ain't no interpretation. There's
no scripture of, well, here's your interpretation. It says
what it says. It's a declaration of what God
says. It's not up for my interpretation or your interpretation. We bow
to what God says. The scripture is not 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. Now, believers do what? They
believe. All that God says. Here's my
favorite statement I've ever heard anybody say about the Bible.
Old Donnie Bell, you've heard me say it. He said, if the Bible
said that Jonah swallowed the whale, I'd believe it. Would you really? Yes, I would. But how in the world can Jonah
swallow a whale? Well, the Bible doesn't say that,
so we don't even need to go that way. But the point I'm making
is, I believe what God says in His Word. That's where we've
got to begin. The Bible is the Word of God,
and we prove we believe when we bow to all it says. Second, we most surely believe that God
is as the Bible declares Him to be. The Bible is a declaration
of the isness of God. He that cometh to God must believe. Did you hear that? He that cometh
to God must. It is absolutely necessary. There's
no coming to God apart from this. He that cometh to God must believe
that He is. Not merely that he exists, not
that there is a supreme being, but that God is as the Bible
presents him to be. This book is a revelation from
God to make known who God is. How could we know God's attributes
without this book? We could speculate. We could
guess, we could say, is he he? Is he a she? Is he an it? What
is he? We can make our thoughts. Here's what I think about God.
Some may say, well, here's what I think about God. You know,
we don't care about that, really, too. I don't care what you think.
I don't care what I think. The Bible is a declaration of
the is-ness of God. Without the Bible, we can know
nothing certainly, but the Bible tells us who God is. God's creator. God spake this universe into
existence. God is holy according to the scriptures. He's other. When I say God's holy, that means
He's not like me and you. He's utterly holy. Separate. Other. He hates sin. God is just. He cannot be unjust. God is just. God is sovereign. The Lord reigneth, the scripture
says. That means He's in control. That means He has a will. That
means he has the power to make sure his will comes to pass all
the time. And that means he does, in fact,
make his will come to pass all the time. His will's never thwarted.
God is sovereign. God is in control. That's what
the Bible teaches of him. The Lord reigneth. God is all-powerful. The Lord God omnipotent, the
Scripture says. That means he has the power to
do whatever he wills to do. There's no want or lack of power
in Him. God is omniscient. He knows everything. He's never learned anything. There's no new information for
Him. All things are naked and open with the eyes of Him with
whom we have to do. God is omnipresent. He's everywhere. You can't go somewhere where
He's not. Oh, what a glorious being He is. God is immutable. He never mutates. He never changes.
God is faithful. God is merciful. God is angry
with the wicked every day. God is as the Bible says He is. God is God the Father, God the
Son, and God the Holy Spirit. One God revealed in three distinct
persons. Anybody understand that? No. You believe it? If you're a believer,
you do. You believe from the very core
of your being that God is God the Father, God the Son, and
God the Holy Spirit. And that's how you know Him.
You know Him as God the Father. You know Him as God your Redeemer. You know Him as the Christ in
you, God the Spirit. You know the reason you believe?
Because He's in you. You know that. That's how we know Him.
God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. We believe. We most surely believe. that
God is as the Bible reveals him to be. Do you believe that? Do
you believe that God is as the Bible reveals him to be? If you
do, you're a believer. If you say, my God's not like
that, I know he's not. I know he's not, but your God's
not the God of the Bible, the living God. The living God is
as he reveals himself to be in this book. Thirdly, we most surely
believe that man is as the Bible says he is. I can't help but thinking of
Psalm 39 that John read a few moments ago. Man at his best
state is altogether vanity. You believe that? Believe that
about yourself? Surely every man walketh in a
vain show. I thought, boy, that's right.
That's right. I'm walking in a vain show right
now. You are too. Man is a creature. He's God's
creature. He didn't just up and some kind
of chemicals got mixed up together right somewhere back in the universe
back billions of years ago and all the right temperatures came
together and out popped life. No, no. Man is a creature. God's
creature created in the image of God and man is a fallen creature,
a rebel. This refers to what took place
in the Garden of Eden In the day you eat thereof, you shall
surely die, and Adam died. His spirit died. He has a soul,
he has a body, but his spirit died, and we all died in him. The Scripture says in 1 Corinthians
15, verse 22, in Adam all died. The reason I'm born into this
world a sinner, the reason I'm born into this world spiritually
dead, is I'm a descendant of Adam. In Adam, all. Now, what is meant by this thing
of being dead in trespasses and sins? Ephesians 2-1 states it
just like that. And you hath he quickened who
were dead in trespasses and sins. What does that mean? It means
that we're born into this world with no ability to do anything
but trespass and sin. Totally depraved, every faculty,
the mind, the affections, the will under the dominion of sin. You know one of the big, maybe
the biggest lie ever told is that man has a free will. There's
no truth in it. And if you believe that you have
a free will, all you prove by that, if I believe that I have
a free will, all I prove by that is I'm completely ignorant regarding
who I am. If you are ever taught by God
that you're a sinner, you'll know that your will is bound
by sin. You've got an evil nature. An
evil nature. A nature that cannot do right. Dead. Dead in trespasses and
sins. I can't give myself life. I cannot
believe. I cannot repent. I cannot love. When that rich young ruler was
sent away by the Lord Jesus Christ, that man who was such a good
man, such a fine man, who could say, all these have I kept from
my youth up, he thought so highly of himself. And the Lord said,
one thing you lack, go sell all that you have, give it to the
poor and you'll have treasures in heaven and come and follow
me. And that fellow went away very sorrowful for he was very
rich. You see, he was a covetous man. He was dominated by covetousness. But the disciples saw this fellow.
This could have been a key help to them. I mean, he was rich.
He was somebody. He could help us in our desire
to spread the gospel. And he walks away. And the disciples
said, who then can be saved? If this fella can't be saved,
the best humanity has to offer, if this fella can't be saved,
who then can be saved? And the Lord answered with men,
it is what? Impossible. Not with God, for
with God all things are possible. We most surely believe that we
are as the Bible describes us. Sinners unable to save ourselves. I most surely believe that. Fourth, we most surely believe that salvation
is of the Lord. Now if you believe the Bible
is the Word of God, and if you believe that God is, as he's
declared to be in the Word of God. And if you believe that
man is as he is declared to be in the Word of God, you must
believe that salvation is of the Lord. It can't be of you
because all you are is sin. You believe that. Salvation is
of the Lord. Now, what's meant by that phrase,
salvation is of the Lord? You know, Jonah said that. Remember
when he was in the whale's belly? And he's brought to the end of
himself. One thing he knew is he couldn't
get himself out of that whale's belly. and he said salvation
is of the Lord and no one else spit him out. David said the
salvation of the righteous is of the Lord. Now what's that
mean? Salvation is of the Lord. That means if I'm saved, it's
him who saves me. It means I can't save myself.
It's his work and his work alone. Salvation is of the Lord in these
three senses. Remember we talked about God
the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. Each person
of the Godhead has his part in salvation. Salvation is of the
Father. Salvation is of the Son. Salvation
is of the Spirit. Salvation is of the Father in
eternal election. Now the Bible teaches way back
before time began God selected, elected, chose Who would be saved? He didn't elect everybody. Not
everybody is saved. He elected a fixed number of
people to be saved. Ephesians 1 verse 4 says, "...according
as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world."
Now, to believe the salvation of the Lord, you have to believe
election. If I don't believe election, you know what I don't
believe? I don't believe salvation of the Lord. I don't really believe
in salvation by grace. You can't believe salvation's
by grace and not believe in election. He chose who would be saved before
time began. I love God's electing mercy because
it tells me there's hope for me. If there's no election, there's
no salvation, everybody's going to be damned. Everybody will
go to hell, but thank God He chose a people in Christ before
time began. Don't look at election and say,
well, how could that be fair for God not to save everybody? Would it be
fair for God to send you to hell? And you answer that question
honestly, would it be fair for God to send you to hell? Then that
question's not even an issue, is it? Somebody came up to a very wise
old preacher once, it was a woman, and she said, I'm having problems
with election. I see it in the Bible, but can
you give me some help as to what it means? And he said, do you believe you're saved? And
she said, I think I am. And he said, did you save yourself
or did God save you? She said, oh God saved me. He
said, did you do it on purpose or was it an accident? She said,
I understand. God chose. Who would be saved? Salvation is of the Father in
eternal election. Secondly, salvation is of the
Son in eternal redemption. God the Father elected a people
and He gave them to His Son. And when our Lord walked on this
earth, He did so as a representative man. Thou shalt call his name
Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins. And that's
what he did when he walked upon this earth. He came as a representative. When he kept the law, every believer
kept the law. When he died, Every believer
died. When he was raised from the dead,
every believer was raised from the dead. When he ascended, every
believer ascended with him. As he sits now at the right hand
of the Father, I'm right there with him. Salvation is of Jehovah
the Son. Now you think about the Lord. He lived a perfect life. He never
sinned. That's an awesome thought. He
didn't even have the potential to sin. He couldn't sin. He lived a perfect life, yet
he was nailed to a cross. Why? because the sins of God's
elect became His. They were imputed to Him and
He bore their guilt. The reason God killed Him on
the cross is because that's what He had coming. That's what He
deserved. My sin became His and He died. That proves my sin actually became
His because He died. God wouldn't have killed Him
if He wasn't guilty, would He? God wouldn't do that. God's just.
God's holy. He only kills where somebody
deserves his wrath. Jesus Christ deserved the wrath
of God because the sins of God's elect became his. He was guilty,
but he satisfied all the demands of God's law. He was raised up
and everybody he died for must be saved. We most surely believe
that. You know this notion, that Jesus
Christ shed His blood for everybody and died for everybody and made
salvation possible for everybody, but there's something you need
to do in order to make what He did work for you? That's foolishness. That's error. That's a false
gospel. Jesus Christ... Here's the gospel. Jesus Christ said, It is finished! And my salvation was finished. Is that gospel to you? Well,
it sure is to me. That's what's most surely believed
among us, that salvation is of the Lord, the Son. And we believe
that salvation is of the Lord, the Spirit, the new birth. Now, all these things are equally
essential for salvation. I can't be saved if God the Father
doesn't elect me. And I can't be saved if God the Son doesn't
die for me and put away my sins and be raised from the dead for
me. And I can't be saved unless God
the Holy Spirit gives me a new heart, a new nature, a heart
that believes the gospel. It's not my old heart being improved. It's Him putting something there
that was not there before. We believe that salvation is
of God the Holy Spirit. The wind blows where it wills.
You hear the sound thereof, and you can't not tell from whence
it comes or whether it goes. Even so is everyone who is born
of the Spirit. The new birth is nothing less
than the sovereign, invincible work of the Spirit of God. The
grace of the Holy Spirit is irresistible. You know, I can give my fumbled
attempt at preaching the gospel, and God the Holy Spirit takes
it and does His work. And he can't be resisted. His
grace is invincible. Everybody that he... You see,
he doesn't knock on the door and try to get in. He breaks
the door down. And he puts a new nature. And
he causes people to believe the gospel. God's grace is invincible
and irresistible. The grace of the Holy Spirit. We most surely believe that salvation
is of the Lord, the Holy Spirit. And finally, we most surely believe
that when God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit
saves a man, that man is really saved. He's really saved. Now, what
do I mean, really saved? What's the Bible mean? You know,
Thou shalt call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people
from their sins. What do you mean, really saved? Well, I mean
several things. That individual that God the
Father elected, that God the Son redeemed, and that God the
Holy Spirit gives life to, they will persevere all the way to
the end. They won't fall away. They'll
continue following after Christ And here's a blessed thought.
You can't run them off. You can't run them off. They
must hear the gospel. They're addicted to the gospel.
They're addicted to free grace. You can't run them off. They
will continue. They will persevere all the way
to the end. They will deny themselves. They
will take up their cross daily. They will follow the Lord Jesus
Christ. They really are saved. They've
truly been saved from the penalty of sin. I'm never, thank God,
I'm never going to have to give an account for my sin. I don't
have any sin. It's been put away. I'm going
to stand before God and He's going to say, well done, thou
good and faithful servant. I'm not guilty. The blood of
Jesus Christ made it to where I don't have any sin, so I'm
never going to have to pay for my sin in the sense of the penalty
of it. I'm saved from the power of sin. I do believe. I do love
the Lord Jesus Christ. Carol sang that song, How Beautiful
is the Lord Jesus Christ, and my heart resonated. He is altogether
lovely. I really... All believers believe that He's
altogether lovely, don't they? He's altogether beautiful. And
I really believe Every believer really is. We've been saved from
the very presence of sin in this sense. Christ is my salvation. Does he have any sin? Does he
even have the presence of sin on him? No. He's at the right
hand of the Father and I'm right there with him. And I have been
saved. I'm not waiting to be saved.
I have been saved from the very presence of sin. And I'll experience
it when I'm in heaven and I get rid of this flesh. But I have
been saved. Now we believe. We most surely
believe. Every believer. Somebody says,
I don't agree with that. Well, that's all right. That's
all right. But if you're a believer, you
do. And I'm not trying to get people to believe like me. God
is my witness. I'm not trying to turn somebody
into believing the way I do. That won't do you any good. It
really won't. If I can just talk you into believing like me, well,
we'll both go to hell together if that's all this is about. Every believer most surely believes
that the Bible is the Word of God. Every believer most surely
believes that God is as the Bible declares Him to be. Every believer
most surely believes that man is as the Bible declares Him
to be. Every believer most surely believes
that salvation is of the Lord. And every believer most surely
believes that when God saves somebody, they really are saved. That is what is most surely believed
among us. And I'm one of those us's that
surely believes. Let's pray together.