Sovereign Grace Baptist Church

P.O. Box 1447, Claypool, Az. 85532

520-425-8345 or 520-402-9134

Web Page: www.oocities.org/heartland/plains/3364

Email: pastorjohn@gila.net

Date: 10-31-99

Sermon Number: 157

Text: Luke 24:50-53

TOPICS ADDRESSED IN THIS LESSON

God’s love for each of His own, the importance of knowing the scriptures, things to rejoice about.

My God has many names, but I call Him, Father. He called me by name to faith in His beloved Son some twenty years ago making me a son as well. He knows me better than I know myself and He has taken me on as a project of reconstruction. He began by turning my heart of stone into one of flesh, by changing my will from one of rebellion to one of eager willingness. He promises to continue the work in me according to His will and good pleasure until, in every thought and deed, I am like Jesus my Lord.

I marvel, that the Creator is interested in me. That He is personally interested in all that I am now, and will be in the future. I find it amazing that in spite of all my ignorance and stumbling God is MY personal God. He is MY father, He cares about, indeed, He loves, ME.

These pleasant thoughts and meditations were prompted by the opening words of Luke's Gospel as found in the first four verses. Recall them with me if you would.

Almost six years after beginning the study of Luke’s gospel I am still amazed and blessed by what I see in these first four verses. I ask you to notice with me once again that the Gospel of Luke came from the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob through one man, Luke, and here is the thing that warms my heart, the letter was written to ONE INDIVIDUAL named Theophilus.

You and I ought to be blessed by this discovery for by it we may conclude that our God is the God of one person at a time. The focus of His attentions at this particular moment in History was a man about which we know almost nothing at all, Theophilus. The only thing we know for certain is that Theophilus had been taught some general truths concerning the Christian faith, but he needed more. He needed to know the exact, correct, complete truth, concerning the things that Jesus began to do and teach. He must know exactly what to believe, how to live, think, and speak. How to treat his neighbor. He needed the exact truth so that he might be set free from the many encumbrances that are the companions of ignorance.

Having been saved, as we assume he was, Theophilus must be sanctified. He must grow in grace, he must be set apart from the sinful, idolatrous, society in which he lived. He must be conformed to the image of our Lord and Savior.

But how will this be accomplished? We know that God the Holy Spirit is the one who enables us to grow in grace and knowledge. He is the one who opens our minds and hearts giving us the gifts of faith and repentance. He is the one who convicts of sin, righteousness, and the judgment to come. But how does He do this? What instrument does He use to both save and sanctify? The answer is found in John 17:13-19 NASB.

The instrument of our salvation and sanctification is the Word of Truth, the Bible. We believe the gospel, i.e., the Word of God and we are saved. But that same Word is used by the Holy Spirit to complete that which was begun in our salvation. We've been declared Holy by faith in Jesus. Now, by various ways and means, but always in reference to God's Holy Word, we are being made holy in thought, word, and deed.

God the Holy Spirit takes the, "exact word of God," applies it to our hearts and changes our lives. One day at a time, one person at a time, we shall all be sanctified by the Word of Truth. It shall be so, for God is faithful. He has and will continue to give us all things necessary to life and godliness.

God's divine power has granted to us EVERYTHING necessary to daily living, and Godliness which is sanctification. This translates into all the provision necessary to live and grow as Christians. Notice, how many times the word knowledge is used or a reference to it is made, (six times). The Christian life, in its entirety, is dependent on knowledge, biblical truth, doctrine.

The first of our biblical knowledge is the Gospel, which leads us to peace with God in salvation, (verse two). Further, knowledge contributes to our sanctification. Notice in verse four that it is in connection with the "precious and magnificent promises," that we "escape the corruption of the world and are enabled to overpower our own lust." Verse five tells us that as knowledge does its work we will be supplied with moral excellence. Verses six and seven say that knowledge of God and His truth, applied by the Spirit, will bear the fruit of self control, perseverance, Godliness, brotherly kindness, and love.

Verse eight explains that if you are making proper use of the knowledge you've been given you will be growing in grace and these fruits of the Spirit will be increasing in your life. If this is not true of you then verse nine is.

Blind equals unsaved. Short sighted and forgetful describes an extremely immature, careless, or ignorant Christian.

The essence of verse ten is this. As long as you are increasing in knowledge and it is continuing to transform your life, you will never doubt your salvation or, "stumble," as the text puts it.

A paraphrase of verse eleven could read like this. "This is the way God takes you from salvation to your final entrance into the eternal kingdom. This is the abundant provision for life, godliness, and eternity, given to every one of His children."

What God has begun He will finish! Those He has determined to save in eternity past, He will save! Those He saves, He will sanctify. Those that are sanctified, He will also take to heaven having glorified them according to His great and precious promises. All this is accomplished as the EXACT TRUTH of the Bible is applied to us by God the Holy Spirit. It is the will and work of God from beginning to end, of this the Apostle Paul was certain.

The work begun is salvation, the work perfected is sanctification. The day of the Lord is the day the work is completed and we meet Jesus face to face.

God, dear Christian, is presently perfecting all who are His. Fact is, He is working all things together for this purpose just as He did for a man named Theophilus.

Behind the first four verses of Luke's Gospel is the God of Luke and Theophilus. The God who determined their existence, salvation, occupation, place of residence, and associations. The God who put Paul and Luke together for mutual edification and sanctification by the truth. The same God who moved Luke to investigate everything from the beginning concerning the things that Jesus began to do and teach. Behind it all is the God who was the personal God of a man named Theophilus, for whom Luke labored, to whom the exact truth was sent in the form of this letter. Behold the love of God for His own! This letter contained the knowledge that was God's supply to Theophilus for EVERYTHING pertaining to life and godliness. The work God had begun, He continued. Since God is faithful we know that Theophilus has been perfected.

The question must be asked, "Do you understand that God is presently doing the same things for you?" You have a Bible, a Church, a Preacher, a Teacher, you have Christian friends, good hymns to sing and learn from. Each week you have opportunity to gain knowledge of God which will be used by Him to transform your thoughts, beliefs, and deeds.

Everything that happens in your life must be attributed to God working all things together for good because you love God and have been called according to His purpose. It is God, completing the work He began to do in saving you and that by carefully ordered providence. This is His way with each and every one of His sheep. Theophilus was not the exception. God loves and tends to His own one person at a time. Thus each of us can say that the exact truths contained in the Gospel of Luke are for ME.

The doctrines it contains are for me. In the study of this book we have learned the truth about God and man. Without such gracious revelation you and I would be left to speculation. We would have to depend on our own imaginations as to what God is like. We would be left to ask who was the Christ of history, and how can a man be saved from his sin. But He has not left us, me, to speculation but has, instead, revealed Himself and His will for me. By the Spirit of God Luke has set before us that which we are to believe and do. This gospel is the Good News. When the truth, the doctrine, contained in this Gospel is received by faith, the sinner will be saved from the wrath to come. This glorious doctrine of salvation by faith is revealed in Luke 18:9-14 NASB. "And He also told this parable to certain ones who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: {10} "Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee, and the other a tax-gatherer. {11} "The Pharisee stood and was praying thus to himself, 'God, I thank Thee that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax-gatherer. {12} 'I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.' {13} "But the tax-gatherer, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, the sinner!' {14} "I tell you, THIS MAN WENT DOWN TO HIS HOUSE JUSTIFIED RATHER THAN THE OTHER; for everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled, but he who humbles himself shall be exalted." The Gospel of Luke is filled with the life saving Doctrine of justification by faith alone.

This book also tells us how to live after we have been saved. The summation of Luke’s ethical teaching is found in Luke 10:27. There the rich young ruler recites the law of love, (Luke 10:27 NASB) And he answered and said, "YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND; AND YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF." God had Luke write this for me so that I would not be left guessing as to what kind of behavior pleases God.

This Gospel has taught me that I have many things to rejoice about. The birth, life, suffering, and resurrection, of Jesus are certainly things to rejoice about even in the midst of the worst day of my life. Add to that the knowledge of my own salvation and you have cause for rejoicing now, and for eternity. Jesus calls us to such happiness. (Luke 10:20-24 NASB) (Jesus is speaking to His disciples who are delighted at their ability to cast out demons.) "Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but REJOICE THAT YOUR NAMES ARE RECORDED IN HEAVEN." (!!!!!!!!!!!) {21} At that very time He rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit, and said, "I praise Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that Thou didst hide these things from the wise and intelligent and didst reveal them to babes. Yes, Father, for thus it was well-pleasing in Thy sight. {22} "All things have been handed over to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him." {23} And turning to the disciples, He said privately, "Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see, {24} for I say to you, that many prophets and kings wished to see the things which you see, and did not see them, and to hear the things which you hear, and did not hear them." Do you realize that Christians today know more about God and His Christ than did the prophets. This is true because we live on this side of the Cross and have in our hands the finished word of God. The prophets longed to understand the things they spoke and wrote about. "Blessed are our eyes for by the Holy Spirit we see things once hidden from men." We have every reason to be a rejoicing people especially because our names are written in heaven in the book of the redeemed.

Fourth, by the study of this gospel which God has written for me I discover many fulfilled prophecies. For instance, Luke reveals that all of Isaiah 53 was fulfilled by Jesus coming, dying, and rising from the dead. He was and is the promised Messiah. In this book I have learned to take prophecy seriously and to believe it. (Luke 24:44-46 NASB) Now He said to them, "These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled." {45} Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, {46} and He said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and rise again from the dead the third day;" All of this and more was predicted by the prophets of old and now it has come to pass.

Theophilus, just like you and me, had been taught Christian truth. But had he been taught correctly, had he been taught enough? Theophilus needed to know the whole truth, the EXACT TRUTH, as concerned the Christian faith. Luke knew that a Christian in ignorance is a Christian in trouble. An uninformed, biblically illiterate, believer is a person given error in belief, thought, speech, feelings, and action. A person who does not know the exact truth as set forth in the scriptures is often enslaved to anxiety, fear, and misguided zeal. Such a person will be governed by his own imaginations, speculations, and by every wind of doctrine. Consider the ageless statement Jesus made in John 8:31-32 NASB. "Jesus therefore was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, "If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; {32} and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." It is truth and truth alone that sets Christians free to think and live as they ought. Not a reasonable facsimile of truth but pure, unadulterated, truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. There is no freedom in lies or half truths. Only the exact truth will set you free from the trembling, anxiety, and general madness associated with biblical illiteracy. We must remember the words of Hosea 4:6 where God said, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge."

God, my dear brothers and sisters, loved Theophilus and us so much that He moved Dr. Luke, by the Holy Spirit, to give a large portion of his life to recording the exact truth of what Jesus began to do and teach. The exact truth about man, his condition in sin, and his only hope of salvation. The exact truth about how we as Christians are to live, work, and worship. When, by the Grace of God, we come to know this truth we will be set free from sin, self, and the Devil. Free from all the restrictions and bondage of ignorance. Free to be servants of the Son of the Living God. I speak of our Savior who suffered and died in our place. Who shed His own blood paying the price for our sins so that we might stand before God clothed in His righteousness.

Are these the same men who, a while ago, intended to just give up. They were filled with grief, confusion, and fear. What changed all of this? How is it that we now find them filled with great joy, in church at every opportunity, and always praising God? The difference has to do with understanding truth. Just a few minutes ago Jesus opened their minds so they could understand the scriptures. That is what made the difference. No longer were they left to guessing, speculation, or opinion. Now they knew beyond doubt the exact truth about Jesus. He was the Messiah! He was their teacher! He was their Lord and Savior! He came to save His people from their sins and now His work is done, "It is finished!" He is not dead but risen and they have witnessed His return to the Father. There is nothing to weep about and everything to rejoice about. May we also be filled with such devotion of worship and joy as we meditate upon the crucified and risen One.