Turn to Luke, first chapter. And I'm entitling the message,
and this is going to be an introduction to the book of Luke, but I've
entitled the message from what is said there in 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 believers among us. What are those things that are
most surely believed among us? Among those who believe the gospel
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, as I said earlier, and I'm
going to repeat myself, so those who listen on the internet can
enjoy what is said here. Today we begin a study through
this gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ that is given to us by
Luke. Luke. In the 22 years that I've
been here, we have studied through Matthew, Mark, and John twice
through the book of John. Verse by verse, word by word,
chapter by chapter, sentence by sentence, Here a line, there
a line, here a precept, there a precept. You see, the Lord
has promised to bless His Word. We are safe to take the Word
of God and to read it and to declare it. He said, My Word
will not return unto Me void. It will prosper in the things
whereunto He sends forth His Word. And as I repeated, As I said
earlier, and I repeat it again, over the years that I've been
here, 22 years now, going on 23, we have brought from this
pulpit over 3,500 sermons, not counting the 20 years we've been
on the radio and the radio message, not counting the thousands and
thousands and thousands of sermons that have gone out of this ministry. Our sermon audio website now
is well over one million sermons downloaded all over this world. Out of this place right here,
Zebulon. Where is Zebulon? When people
ask me, where is Pikeville, Kentucky, you know what I tell them? When
I go away and travel other places, not that I travel much, but sometimes
they'll ask me, where is Pikeville, Kentucky? You know what I say?
It's the center of the universe. And it is. The center of our
universe, isn't it? That's where we live, that's
where we move, that's where we have our being. Right here in
the little community of Zebulun. Zebulun. Now I believe the best
way to preach the gospel is repeating what God has already said. Today
we begin a study through the gospel written by Luke. 24 chapters. 24 chapters of God-given,
God-inspired, Truth, nothing but the truth. What you hold
in your hand when you read the Word of God? The Bible is the
very inerrant, inspired, infallible Word of God. Do you ever want to know what
God thinks about anything? Read the book. He tells us everything
that we need to know. God-given, God-inspired truth
and nothing but the truth. You see, the Lord Jesus Christ,
He is the truth. This book is all about the truth.
The Lord Jesus. Now, it's going to take us three,
four, five years. I may be 70 years old by the
time we finish the book of Luke. If I'm the Lord giving me, the
Lord gives me that Many days we are told in Scripture to teach
our... to number our days that we might apply our hearts unto
wisdom. Now, I thought about this. We
have Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, right? Matthew, Mark, Luke,
and John. Why was the Lord pleased to give
us four gospel records? A gospel record of four men The
gospel record of the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ, and
he gives it to us four times by four different men. Why didn't
he say, Matthew, you just write everything? No, he used Matthew,
Mark, Luke, and John. Why? Well, my Pat answered that
when anybody asks me why, you might foul this away somewhere. Why? Because it pleased Him to
do so. That's enough for me, isn't it?
Isn't it for you? Whatsoever the Lord pleased,
Psalm 135. Whatsoever the Lord pleased,
that's what He did in heaven, earth, seas, and all deep places.
And when we have this completed record of Scripture, according
to the will of God, according to the purpose of God, because
it pleased Him to preserve it, and keep it, and give it unto
us, we have the very Word of God, the will and testimony of
God, the gospel of God concerning the Lord Jesus Christ, because
He was pleased to give it to us by these four men. The second reason is this, according
to the Lord's own will and according to the Lord's own rule. What do you mean His rule? God
is a God of order. His rule is this, Deuteronomy
19.15, at the mouth of two witnesses or at the mouth of three witnesses
shall every word be established. So these witnesses are more than
one, or more than two, or more than three, four, and many more. Now two of these, and I'm going
to call them for lack of a better word, Two of these gospel writers,
Matthew and John, were especially chosen apostles gifted with special
gifts to preach the gospel with power and authority. Matthew
and John. You look just across the page
there in Mark 16, 19 and 20. Mark 16, 19 and 20. So then after the Lord had spoken
unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right
hand of God, and they went forth, that is, Peter, James, and John,
and the others, the apostles, they went forth and preached
everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the
word with signs following." I mean, when Paul went to different places
to preach, and John and Peter and others, they didn't have
the completed Word of God. They couldn't turn to Romans
1.16. They had the Old Testament, or
at least portions of the Old Testament, and many times you
read their sermons, they always refer back to the Scriptures,
the Scriptures that were given in that day. But these men, these
twelve that we read about over in the book of Acts, Peter, Andrew,
John, Matthew, James. They were especially chosen,
elected, gifted, sent. That's what the word apostle
means, the sent one. With special gifts. Special gifts. They had gifts of healing, preaching
the gospel in languages that they had never learned. While
these other two men, Mark, And Luke, they were not apostles. They were not apostles. Mark,
we also know Paul referred to him as John Mark. John Mark. He was a nephew, I believe, of
Barnabas, wasn't he? And he was a traveling preacher
and a minister of the gospel. Mark and Luke were not apostles,
yet the Lord chose these men as well called them out of darkness
into God's marvelous light, saved them by His marvelous grace,
gave them a love for the gospel, for the glory of Christ, and
they wrote about the Lord Jesus, the gospel of God. Now each of
these gospel writers, being divinely inspired, all give the same message. They all give the same message.
All the prophets of the past, all the apostles of the past,
and all of God's preachers today, they all preach the same message.
Christ and Him crucified. To Him give all the prophets
witness. They all speak of the Lord Jesus
Christ. Now this book we call the Bible,
God's book, His Holy Word, has but one message. This book, all
66 books, has one message. And this book we call the Bible
presents not only one message, and that message is the Lord
Jesus Christ, who He is and what He has done. This book we call
the Bible presents one truth, declares one Lord, one gospel,
proclaims but one salvation in Christ. The gospel of God concerning
Christ. It's the power of God unto salvation. Salvation is of the Lord from
election to glorification. He is the Alpha, the Omega of
all of salvation. And we often say this book teaches,
and it does, that salvation is of the Lord. It's of the Lord. He's the author of it, the planner
of it, the executor of it, the applier of it, the sustainer
of it. He's the glory of it. Each of these gospel writers
and preachers present the same truth, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and
John, looking at the Lord Jesus Christ from different perspectives
or different viewpoints, but all pointing everyone to the
same Christ, the same message, Christ and Him crucified. It's the gospel message. This
is the faithful saying and word of all acceptation that the Lord
Jesus Christ came to save sinners. Now, let me give you this. In
the book of Matthew, the gospel written down by Matthew, the
Lord Jesus Christ is presented there in that book, and the theme
of Matthew's gospel is Christ is the King. He's the King of
priests. He's the King of kings. And He
is Lord of lords. Matthew the angel said, In Matthew
chapter 1, call His name Jesus. He shall save His people from
their sin. He is the King that's Son of
God. Psalm 2 said, I've set my King
upon my holy hill Zion. Matthew tells us much about the
King that's coming to accomplish salvation for us. In the book
of Mark, the Lord Jesus Christ is presented as the righteous
servant of God. He's the servant of God, come
to do the Father's will in redemption. We read, for example, in Mark
chapter 10 verse 45, Even the Son of Man, who is the Son of
God, The Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to
minister. He came as the lowly servant
of God. As a matter of fact, it says
in Isaiah 42.1, God said, Behold My servant, My elect, in whom
My soul delighteth. The Lord Jesus Christ came not
to be ministered unto, but to minister, to serve God, and to
give His life for ransom for many. Now, in the book of Luke,
The Lord Jesus Christ is presented as the Son of God. The Son of
God. The Son of Man. Full of compassion
and tender mercy. Hold your place there in Luke
1 and find Luke 9. Luke 9 verse 11. This is one
of my favorite verses in the book of Luke. Luke 9 verse 11. And here we see the Lord full
of compassion. full of tender mercy, healing
those that had need of healing. Luke 9 verse 11, And the people,
when they knew it, they followed him, and he received them, and
spake unto them of the kingdom of God, and healed them that
had need of healing. He healed them that had need
of healing. I've never read one time in the
book of God where the Lord Jesus Christ has turned away a mercy
beggar. Not one time. When blind Bartimaeus cried out
for mercy, Our son of David, have mercy on me, the Lord Jesus
Christ restored his sight. When the leopard came and fell
down before his feet and worshipped him and said, Lord, have mercy,
I'm a man full of leprosy." And the Lord said, I will have mercy
upon you. You see, the Lord Jesus Christ
came to seek and to save the lost. He came to give his life
a ransom for many. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, not
too long ago we studied our Finished our study in the book of John,
the Lord Jesus Christ there is presented in his holy character
as the eternally begotten Son of God. John makes much of the
deity of the Lord Jesus Christ is brought forth and presented
in clear light. in the book of John, the Gospel
of John, where we read, I and Father, the Lord Jesus Christ
said, I know my sheep, I give them eternal life, and they shall
follow me, and no man can pluck them out of my Father's hand,
because I and Father, leaving out that word my, because it's
italicized, I and Father are one. You've seen me, the Lord
said, you've seen the Father. I and the Father are one. Now, a word or two about this
man, Luke. Luke. Luke. He's called here
Saint Luke, but every believer is a saint, sanctified in Christ. Luke here was a faithful traveling
companion of the Apostle Paul on two of his missionary journeys,
and Luke here was referred to, Paul calls him in Colossians
1, verse 14, he calls him the beloved physician. Luke was a
doctor. He was a medical doctor. The Apostle Paul certainly needed
an attending physician, an attending doctor, didn't he? Why? Because he was beaten so many
times. And stoned and drug out of the city as a dead man. And
Luke was right there all the time. The Lord provided this
man Luke to help the apostle Paul in preaching the gospel.
Now this is interesting. I want you to turn and read this
with me. Find 2 Timothy chapter 4. Now this is, in 2 Timothy chapter
4, when the Apostle Paul writes this, these are his last words. Remember, he is sitting on death
row. He's waiting to be executed. He's waiting to die. He said,
I'm ready to be offered, the time of my departure is at hand.
But when he writes back to Timothy, look at verse 9, 2 Timothy 4
verse 9, Do thy diligence to come shortly unto me, for Demas
hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed
unto Thessalonica, Crescens to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia, only
Luke is with me. Now think about that. When the
Apostle Paul was shipwrecked, remember? And they scattered. That ship was broke apart in
that storm. And they all swam to shore. And they were all saved
alive. And they started gathering up
sticks to start a fire. Luke was there with him then. And as Paul sits in prison, Luke
is also there. Only Luke is with me. Now look
at this. Take Mark. and bring him with thee, for
he is profitable to me for the ministry." And there's Mark,
and there's Luke. When the Apostle Paul was beaten and cast in prison
so many times, no doubt Luke went through these trials with
him. Luke was also used of God. To
write the book of Acts as we read earlier, Acts is called
the Acts of the Apostles, but I like to rather refer to it
as the Acts of the Holy Spirit. Now we've also studied twice
all the way through the book of Acts. The book of Acts declares
unto us all things that God has done. Take your Bible and find
Acts chapter 14. Luke tells us this, remember
now Luke is the one that God used to write the book of Acts
as well. In Acts chapter 14, verse 27. And when they were
come and had gathered the church together, this is the apostle
coming back from his first missionary journey, they rehearsed all that
God had done with them, how he opened the door of faith unto
the Gentiles, And there they abode a long time with the disciples. They rehearsed all that God had
done and how he opened the door of faith to the Gentiles. So Luke here is one who traveled
with the Apostle Paul. Now, as I pointed out earlier,
Luke was not an apostle. Mark was not an apostle. You know, Luke Luke was not even
a natural born Jew. Luke was a Gentile. Did you know
that? He was not a natural born Jew. He was a Gentile, but he was
a spiritually born Jew. You see, I am a Jew. Did you
know that? Did you know I was Jewish? You are too if you're
a believer. Turn to Romans chapter 2. Luke
was a spiritual Son of Abraham. With that circumcision that's
upon the heart. Romans chapter 2 verse 28. For
he is not a Jew which is one outwardly, Neither is that circumcision
which is outward in the flesh, but he is a Jew, a spiritual
son of Abraham, a spiritual son of God, which is one inwardly,
and that circumcision is of the heart. That is, God has operated
on the heart. He has given us a new heart,
made us new creatures in the heart and in the spirit, not
in the letter, not in the law, whose praise is not of men, but
of God. Luke was a spiritual son of Abraham
just like every other believer. He was chosen by God in that
eternal covenant of grace. We call that the beloved doctrine
of election. He was elected unto salvation
from all eternity. He was redeemed by the blood
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Luke had no hope of salvation
or of pardon except from the cleansing blood of the Lord Jesus
Christ. That was all of his hope. Christ
was all of his hope. And Luke was called out of darkness,
being by nature a Gentile idolater. He was called out of darkness
into God's marvelous light. He was turned by God. He was
turned to God from his idols. Luke was used of God to minister
the gospel. He was used of God to declare
the gospel unto us. He was a believer, a faithful
minister of the Word, who was given understanding of God. It says down here in verse 3, It seemed good to me also, having
had perfect understanding of all things. Now this wasn't acquired
learning. This wasn't something that he
learned in a book. He had this understanding, a
complete understanding of all things concerning how God saves
sinners by a special revelation of God the Holy Spirit. As a
light was commanded to shine out of darkness, it shined in
his heart to give him the light of the knowledge of the glory
of God that shines in the face of Jesus Christ. Now look at
the last part of verse 3, Luke 1 verse 3. Luke 1, verse 3. He writes to the same man that
he addresses that Acts of the Apostles to, Acts of the Holy
Spirit, to write unto thee in order, Most Excellent Theophilus. Now, I've looked at different
references to find out something about this man, and the Scripture
is silent about him. other than he was a man of character,
a man maybe even of nobility. He was one, no doubt, who believed
the gospel and loved the gospel. Luke mentions him here, as he
does in the book of Acts. We have no information about
him, about this man, other than he was a man of character, reputation,
and he was a dear acquaintance and friend of Dr. Luke. And I'm just speculating here,
if you'll forgive me. Maybe I'm thinking that he too
was a colleague of Luke. Maybe Theophilus was a physician
as well. I don't know. Could be. But it's
interesting, this is what's interesting, and here's what I want to get
at. You know what his name means? Two things I found out about
this name. What his name means, number one, he's called, his
name means the friend of God. Boy. I'd like to be known as
the friend of God, wouldn't you? A lover of God. And the second
thing his name means is this, lover of God. He's a friend of
God and a lover of God or loved of God. This man here that he
writes to represents all who believe the gospel of Christ.
He's writing to you, if you're a believer. You are like Theophilus,
made a friend of God, no longer an enemy. We're reconciled unto
God in Christ. And we are, by His grace, believers. And we are, by His grace, we
are lovers of the Lord Jesus Christ. We love Him because He
first loved us. Oh, we don't love Him like we should, do we? We don't love Him like we ought
to. We don't love Him like we're going to one day when we see
Him face to face without sin. But by His grace, we do love
Him, don't we? We love Him because He first loved us. He's given
us faith to believe the Gospel as many as were ordained to eternal
life believed. As we study through the book
of James in chapter 2, it says of Abraham, he's held forth as
an example of faith. Abraham believed God and it was
counted to him for righteousness, right? You know what Abraham
was called? Abraham was called a friend of
God. Think about that. In James 2, 23, Abraham was called
a friend of God. In John 15, verse 14, our Lord
said this, you are my friends if, if you do whatsoever I command
you to do, you're my friends. Theophilus, his name also means
called the lover of God. And this only happens by God's
sovereign love to us. This man, Theophilus, was chosen
by God's electing love. He loved this man with an everlasting
love, therefore with loving kindness has he drawn us unto himself.
If you're a believer, you can say that as well. He's loved
me with an everlasting love. He's called me by His grace,
and nothing can separate us from the love of God, which is in
the Lord Jesus Christ. Nothing. This love, this love
so great, could we with ink the oceans fill? And were the skies
of parchment made, were every stock on earth a quill, and every
man a scribe by trade? To write the love of God would
drain the ocean dry, nor could the scroll contain the whole
of those threats from sky to sky. This love of God. Hearing His love, not that we
loved God, but that He loved us. And He sent His Son to be
the sacrifice for our sin. Now look at verse 2. Luke chapter 1 verse 2, Even
as they delivered these things, which most surely believed, they
delivered them unto us. The apostles were faithful to
deliver the message, not to compromise the message, not to change the
message, but to declare the message. He said, go into all the world
and preach the gospel to every creature. This message, this
gospel is the ancient gospel, it's from the beginning. God
said, The gospel of God is the ancient
gospel. It's the eternal gospel. But
these men who were called apostles were eyewitnesses to the Lord's
ministry upon the earth in the beginning. When He started His
public ministry as the great high priest being 30 years old,
the Lord called these men out. And these men, these 12 apostles,
they walked with the Lord Jesus Christ night and day. As John says over here in John
chapter 1, we had it this morning, 1 John rather, don't turn, let
me just read it to you. He said, "...that which was from
the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with
our eyes, which we have looked upon, our hands have handled
of the word of life, that which we have seen and heard, we declare
that unto you." A witness is someone who knows what he's seen
and heard and has the ability to tell it. He tells what he
knows. Pretty hard to tell what you
don't know. It's impossible, isn't it? These men were eyewitnesses. You see that? Eyewitnesses. We heard him. We saw him. We handled him. They were eyewitnesses
of the truth. They were ministers of the gospel
sent forth to preach the Lord Jesus Christ. Luke had, it says
in verse 3, this perfect understanding of all things. And this was not
acquired knowledge. This was not acquired knowledge.
When he was learning to be a doctor, he read books and acquired knowledge
to attain the level of a physician. But Luke says here that he had
perfect understanding of all things from the very first. And
the only way he could say that is that he had this understanding
that's given of God. by the revelation of God. This
perfect understanding by which he writes is only given by God
the Holy Spirit, it's only given by revelation. Luke writes only
as God, now think about this, God writes through him. And that's true of all the Word
of God. Remember we studied in 2 Peter 1, the prophecy came
not in old time by the will of man, But holy men of God spake
as they were moved by God the Holy Spirit." And that word there,
moved, means compelled, driven, and inspired. All Scripture is
God-given, God-breathed. What you hold in your hand is
a very testimony and Word of God. J.C. Ryle, a preacher that
lived back in the 1800s, J.C. Ryle said, the Holy Spirit,
speaking of Luke, supplied him with thoughts, arrangements,
sentences, words. And the result is what Luke wrote
is not to be read as the Word of men, but as it is in truth
the Word of God that effectually works in us. And that's what
the Word of God does. Find 1 Thessalonians chapter
2, verse 13, the Word of God that's God-given, God-inspired. You see, the Word of God is not
like the Word of men. Where's the books of men that
you've read 100 or 200 or 300 times? I mean, you don't read
history. and novels, hundreds and hundreds
and hundreds of times, that we read the Word of God, and believers
have been reading the Word of God for thousands of years, thousands
of times, and we're never weary of it. And here's the reason
why. 1 Thessalonians 2, verse 13,
it is the Word of God that comes to us in power. Verse 13, For
this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because when
you receive the Word of God which you heard of us, You received
it not as a word of men, but as it is in truth the word of
God that effectively works in you that believe. I turn back
one page, 1 Thessalonians chapter 1, look at verse 4. 1 Thessalonians chapter 1 verse
4. Knowing, brother, beloved, your
election of God. For our gospel came not unto
you in word only, it didn't come in word only, you see, it came
in power. but also in power, and in the
Holy Spirit, and in much assurance, as ye know what manner of men
we were among you for your sake, and ye became followers of us,
and of the Lord, having received the word, in much affliction, with joy
of the Holy Spirit." You see, the word of God is quick and
powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword. The Word of God feeds
us. God speaks to us through His
Word, by His Spirit. As we read upon the Word, read
the Word, meditate upon the Word, it's a blessing unto God's people. Verse 4, "...that thou mightest
know the certainty of those things wherein thou hast been instructed." All the Word is given by God.
that we might know the true and living God, that thou mightest
know the certainty. What we read in this book is
not speculation. We have the sure promises of
God that can be believed, that thou mightest know the certainty
of those things wherein thou hast been instructed. Been instructed
by who? Been instructed by God. from
the Word of God. You see, all these things are
written to this end by John chapter 20. Faith comes by hearing, and
hearing by the Word of truth. You see, the foundation of faith
is what? The foundation of faith is not
tradition. The foundation of faith is not
feelings. Martin Luther also said this,
the old reformer that we sang about him, sang his song a few
minutes ago, A mighty fortress is our God. But he also penned
these words. Feelings come and feelings go,
and feelings are deceiving. My warrant is the Word of God,
nothing else is worth believing. Though all my heart should feel
condemned for want of some sweet token, I know one greater than
my heart whose word cannot be broken. So I'll take God's unchanging
Word. Though soul and body sever, the
words of men they pass away. God's Word, it abides forever,
doesn't it? You see, these things are written,
John 20, verse 30. And many other signs, truly,
did Jesus in the presence of His disciples, which are not
written in this book, But these are written, you see that? These
are written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the
Son of God, and that believing you might have life through His
name. Faith is a gift of God. Turn
to one more verse. Find John chapter 5, verse 24.
Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word, by the Word of Truth,
the Word of God. Look at John 5, 24. That's why
we make much of the Scripture here. We read the Scripture in
the beginning. We have a song. We read the Scripture
again. And then when it comes time to
preaching, What do we preach? We preach the Gospel from the
Word, don't we? That's what we're to do. Look
at John 5, John 5 verse 24, "...verily, verily, I say unto you, He that
heareth My Word," His Word, "...and believeth on Him that sent Me
hath..." Got it. What does that mean? Hath eternal
life. Got it. You hear the Word, believe
it, you do so because you're born of God. half everlasting
life shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto
life." Now the things which we most surely believe among us, and I'm going to have to give
you the rest of this message next week. The things which are most
surely believed among us, the Scripture alone, Christ alone,
grace alone, faith alone, to the glory of God alone. Now when
you come back next week, that'll be the outline. The Word alone,
Christ alone, grace alone, faith alone to the glory of God. Those
are the things that we most surely believe by His grace.