harvestoc.net blog, Monday, February 8, 2010
Luke 4:14-44 'Fulfilled in Our Hearing' (7-Feb-2010 Morning Reading)
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[click here to read Luk 4:14-44 online]
· “in your hearing,” v21
· We, the listening congregation—not just people out there but us!—are the poor, the captives, the blind, the oppressed. Just like in the sermon on the mount—“blessed are the poor in spirit”—Jesus is speaking to our spiritual condition. This Scripture was fulfilled in their hearing
· And to us, in such a spiritual condition, Jesus announces good news and liberty and sight and liberty again—all in Himself. The Scripture that had been fulfilled in their hearing said that the Spirit of the Lord is upon Jesus, that Jesus was anointed and sent for this.
· This we can all gather from the sermon introduction, which Luke gives us, but we can guess at what the sermon as a whole was like by looking at that other similar sermon, the sermon on the mount
o Jesus exposes our desperate Spiritual need, Matthew 5:1-48
o Jesus turns us to God Himself as our hope, Matthew 6:1-18
o Jesus displays to us the great treasures of God that the Father is absolutely certain to lavish upon His children, Matthew 6:19-7:11
o Jesus warns us about coming to God in any other way than by building our spiritual house upon the rock of Christ’s teaching and entering through the narrow gate, for nothing else gives salvation and nothing else produces holiness, and without a holiness-producing salvation through Jesus alone, we will end up in Hell, Matthew 7:12-29
· What a wonderful sermon, what words of grace! And this is exactly what Jesus’ hearers said in v23, but they didn’t answer the call and they didn’t hear the warning.
o Like Herod, they heard good preaching gladly. Perhaps like Felix, they would have desired often to hear more.
o But like these men, Jesus’ hearers on this day enjoyed a good sermon and talked about how good it was, but they didn’t personally respond to it in faith
o And Jesus, instead of soaking up their praise about how good a sermon it was, pressed further on this issue of their need to believe in Him, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, Physician, heal yourself” and “no prophet is acceptable in his hometown”—you hear what He’s saying: you haven’t seen your need for healing, you haven’t come to me for healing, and so you’ve rejected me as prophet.
o I wonder, dear congregation: have you ever seen yourself as spiritually poor, enslaved, blind and helpless? Have you ever come to Jesus as the only One who can heal you? If not, you haven’t accepted Him as your prophet
· How can I say such a thing? On the authority of Jesus. On the authority of Jesus who, in the rest of this passage, we see casting out demons, and healing, in such a way that people are amazed at His words. Jesus’ words are words of grace for the wretched—not just because He is merciful and compassionate, but because He has authority and power to free us from every Spiritual and physical ill.
· No wonder that even in a desolate place in v42 the people sought Him and came to Him and clung to Him. For His ability to cure physical ill? No. Rather, to hear and to respond to the preaching of the good news of the kingdom of God. Let us also seek Him and come to Him and cling to Him to hear and respond to this good news.
[click here to read Luk 4:14-44 online]
Labels: Luke, Messages, Serial Readings
¶ 11:35 AM 0 Comments Links to this postharvestoc.net blog, Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Luke 3:21-4:13 'The Active Obedience of Jesus' (31-Jan-2010 Morning Reading)
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- In His baptism, Jesus identifies with us in our sin, and without becoming a sinner Himself
- Jesus has perfectly pleased God in His entire life leading up to His ministry
- Jesus is fully qualified to represent before God every single one of Adam's children
- As our champion, Jesus succeeds where Adam failed; He crushes Satan's head not just at the cross, but in every temptation throughout His entire life
Labels: Luke, Messages, Serial Readings
¶ 11:59 AM 0 Comments Links to this postharvestoc.net blog, Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Luke 3:1-20 'The Real Gospel of the Real Jesus' (24-Jan-2010 Morning Reading)
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[click here to read Luke 3:1-20 online]
Oh that I could point people to Jesus! By God’s grace, I hope that we all thought and felt that a few weeks ago at the end of chapter one, with Zechariah prophesying over his baby john. In today’s reading, we see what it looks like to point people to Jesus. It looks like the preaching of two fires.
The first thing John preached is repentance. Without repentance, no one enters the kingdom. Without repentance, no one escapes wrath. Repentance is, literally, a change of mind. It is turning your thoughts, and your feelings, and your decisions, against and away from sin.
If you have never turned your thoughts against and away from your sin, and turned your feelings against and away from your sin, and turned your decisions against and away from sin, you are on the way to destruction.
Of what sins should you repent? The simple answer is “all of them.” The answer that helps you focus better is: “those sins that you commit the most and find the easiest to do.” How many of us readily repent of everyone else’s besetting sins! After all, I can see their sins more clearly than my own, and it is much more comfortable to focus on the areas in which others have specs in their eyes, rather than the ones in which I have logs in mine.
But to point people to Jesus, John preaches that each individual must repent of those sins to which he is most prone. All of us think too much of tunics and food; our hearts are wrapped up in the things of this world. So he gives that one generally. But to tax collectors, he proclaims repentance from the sins that they are doing. And to soldiers, he proclaims repentance from the sins that they are doing.
It’s no wonder that they begin to question in their hearts whether John is the Christ. They are having the intentions of their hearts exposed! And it’s at this point that John preaches the first fire—the fire of Jesus to cleanse.
John could tell them that they must repent, and that true repentance has fruit. But John couldn’t do anything to make them able to repent. And it was this ability, after all, that Messiah would pour out in the New Covenant—not just knowing the law in our heads, and speaking the law on our lips, but loving and keeping the law from our hearts.
So John proclaims the infinite difference between himself and Jesus. John baptizes with water, an outward cleansing that couldn’t do more than tell us that we must repent. But Jesus would come and cleanse with the Holy Spirit and with fire. Is John the Christ? He answers that he’s not even worthy to touch the Christ’s sandals!
Now, you must not hear me saying that you get salvation as a reward for repentance. Repentance and faith are two sides of the same action.
Repentance is our turning away from sin, and faith is our turning toward Jesus. But you do not get salvation as a reward for turning away from sin. And you do not get salvation as a reward for turning to Jesus either.
It’s Jesus Himself who is our salvation, who earns our salvation, who gives our salvation. And that’s why it’s not repentance but faith (the turning toward Jesus) through which we are saved. Not because faith deserves salvation, but because faith trusts in Jesus.
But what you DO need to hear me saying is that there is no such thing as faith without repentance. And repentance too comes from Jesus. He produces fruit in us. He washes us with the Spirit. He purifies us with fire.
But there’s a later fire of Jesus that John mentioned, and that we must mention. Not now the cleansing fire of v16, but the consuming fire of v9, the unquenchable fire of v17. You can either have Jesus as the One who enables you to repent, or you will have Him as the Judge who commands you cast into the eternal flames.
The cleansing flames of repentance, and the consuming flames of Hell. If you would point people to Jesus, you need to tell them about both. If you do not point them to the Jesus who makes us bear fruit of holiness, and the Jesus who saves us from the burning flames of Hell, then instead of the Jesus of the Bible and the Gospel, the living and true Savior who sits now at the right hand of Majesty, you will point them merely to an imaginary Jesus in your own mind.
It is no wonder that preaching holiness and Hell is so despised, even in many churches. Such preaching is often met with very sincere but equally misguided protest that, “we would really rather hear the good news.” Satan, you see, would have us hear little of holiness or Hell, because he would have us hear little about the true Jesus. The enemy of our souls is glad to have us think that we can speak meaningfully about being saved without saying too much about the holiness to which Jesus saves us, or the Hell from which Jesus saves us.
But this was the message of John, and it must be your message too if you will truly point people to Jesus. Jesus is God Himself in the flesh, the glorious Savior, who saves us TO holiness and saves us FROM Hell. Point. People. To THIS Jesus!
[click here to read Luke 3:1-20 online]
Labels: Luke, Messages, Serial Readings
¶ 5:39 PM 0 Comments Links to this postharvestoc.net blog, Monday, January 18, 2010
Luke 2:21-52 'Jesus Our Righteousness' (17-Jan-2010 Morning Reading)
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[click here to read Luke 2:21-52 online]
What Simeon and Anna knew by the ministry of the Spirit alone we can see in the details of this text: Jesus, in accordance with the name given Him by the angels, is the Savior of the world.
We who know that circumcision is a sign of the need for blood to cleanse sin, to have the dead veil over our hearts cut away, should marvel that Jesus was circumcised. Galatians 4 tells us that He was born under the law to redeem those under the law. That’s us.
He was born under the same law that would accuse us all the way to Hell, the law that thunders against the thoughts and intentions of our hearts, the law through which comes our knowledge of sin, the law to which our sin responds by becoming ever more sinful.
But when this law speaks of the baby in the manger, it thunders, “righteous!” When the law testifies about the eight day old baby, receiving circumcision as prescribed, and being named in obedience to the instruction delivered by the angel, it declares, “righteous!” When the law examines whether Jesus as the firstborn was properly redeemed, it finds perfect precision.
When the law would see if as a child Jesus attended the feasts as commanded, it bears witness that He did. Though a poor boy from a two-turtledove paying poor house, he was there three times a year every year. Though Joseph could ill afford a couple weeks off, God had commanded the assembling, and assemble they would.
What would His parents find Him doing after His being out of their sight for three days? Running around the market? Playing games with the other children? But the law of His Father had said to get wisdom, and above all to get understanding. And so they would find Him at His Father’s business.
But what about when He could clearly fend for Himself, and when His wisdom had progressed to the point that even His godly father and mother could not understand Him. What would Jesus do then? Answer: He would do what the law of God requires of each of us, “Honor your father and mother.” He would go home and be submissive to them.
You and I think little of our baptisms, fail to keep the one Holy Day that remains until we enter our Sabbath rest, come sometimes empty handed to worship, fail often to assemble with the congregation in heart if not in body, prize wisdom little and pursue it with yet less diligence, and look down on our parents as our independence and intelligence increase. How we need the righteousness of this Jesus! How we need Him to be our Savior!
If all He is to us is an example, a great teacher, a miracle-worker, the God-man, the anointed prophet-priest-king, where does that leave us? Unrighteous! Not only under the law’s requirements, but under its curse! In addition to all those things, Jesus must be to you what His name means. He must be your Savior.
It is impossible for you to have a righteousness that resembles His. But God offers you the genuine article itself—the very righteousness of Jesus—through faith in Him. Look upon Jesus with Simeon, and face death without fear. Look upon Jesus with Anna and give thanks to God and speak of Him to everyone who is waiting for redemption. Look upon Jesus with Mary and treasure up in your heart all that you learn about Him.
When you believe in Jesus, His righteousness is counted for you, and of you God says, “He has performed everything according to the Law of the Lord.”[click here to read Luke 2:21-52 online]
Labels: Luke, Messages, Serial Readings
¶ 4:20 PM 0 Comments Links to this postharvestoc.net blog, Thursday, January 14, 2010
Luke 2:1-20 'A Savior Who Is the Anointed Yahweh-man' (10-Jan-10 Morning Reading)
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Click [here] to read Luke 2:1-20 online.
To Caesar, who thought himself Lord, Bethlehem was just a corner of the inhabited world. To the angels who knew the Lord of glory, Bethlehem was the most important city in the world, the city in which the Lord of glory became not just a man but a baby, and a poor one at that, whose first bed was a feeding trough for animals. If Jesus had taken up residence in the most exalted palace on earth, the angels would have marveled at how low their King had stooped. And so they announce for our benefit just who this baby is.
They announce to us that He is Messiah. Not just an anointed one, as was done to priests or kings or prophets, but THE anointed One—the great and final Prophet, Priest, and King of the people of God. And so they call Him Christ, the Greek word for Messiah.
But they also announce that He is the Lord, kurios. Greek Old Testament readers would recognize who this is. In their superstition, the translators of the Greek Old Testament had written “Lord” instead of “Yahweh,” or perhaps you may have seen that name as “Jehovah.” This anointed one wasn’t just a special man. He is Yahweh.
And that’s why there’s an angel multitude here. It’s not just a couple dozen like you may have seen on t.v. And angels are not cute, little child-looking creatures with pointless ornamental wings. They are mighty and fearful warriors, and the multitude that accompanies the Lord, Revelation tells us, is ten thousands times ten thousand and thousands of thousands. What the shepherds saw in that sky and what you should see in this chapter is that Caesar Augustus is but a tiny, pathetic, little pretender—not even a fly—compared to the baby in the manger.
Jesus is the Lord of Glory, Yahweh Himself. And He has come as a Savior to do something to God and another thing to man. To God He brings glory like you and I have never conceived. God’s glory in creation can strike us silent in amazement, but it is nothing compared to His glory in redemption, when He puts His glorious Son on display. To those upon whom the special grace of God rests, Jesus brings peace. They are the enemies of God, but for this reason the Lord of Glory has become a man—to make peace for these enemies of God!
And what shall you and I do? Perhaps you are busy with great responsibilities. Did you notice in the text what happened to the shepherds’ flocks? We don’t even know, because you do not say “tomorrow” about news like this. How many will enter Hell with the word “tomorrow” upon their lips because they were so concerned even with their legitimate responsibilities in this world! Will you say “tomorrow I will think about getting right with God” or “tomorrow I will deal with Jesus” or “tomorrow I will take time to consider what I have heard”? No, no, no! Drop everything now, and give your full attention to the good news about Jesus!
Perhaps you have gone through a great trial—maybe like a teenage girl who just had her first baby in an animal stall, and far too soon after her marriage so that everyone will know that the baby is not your husband’s? You can hardly imagine Mary’s physical pain, current distress, uncertain future, social humiliation. And are YOU going to say, “my troubles are too great for me to treasure in my heart what I have heard about Jesus”? No, no, no! Take your eyes off of yourself and your troubles, however big they seem to you, and look upon the Lord of Glory come to be your Prophet, your Priest, your King, making peace for you with God!
And what shall we do who have come and met Jesus, and bowed before Him, and found that He is just as God has said, and have treasured Him and all we know about Him? Shall we not do as the shepherds did, glorifying and praising God and telling all that we have heard and seen?!Click [here] to read Luke 2:1-20 online.
Labels: Luke, Messages, Serial Readings
¶ 4:48 PM 0 Comments Links to this postharvestoc.net blog, Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Luke 1:57-80 'A Life That Points to Jesus' (3-Jan-10 Morning Reading)
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Click [here] to read Luke 1:57-80
This is a familiar scene to us—a father prophesying over his son. We’ve seen it the last several weeks in Genesis as well.
Here, just as with Isaac, the father is being restored from his unbelief. Just as Isaac trembled a great trembling exceedingly, realizing both that he had been fighting God and that God had been merciful to him, and proceeded to say, “indeed he shall be blessed!” … so now Zechariah is bowing the knee as he writes on the tablet, “John is his name”—not “we will call him John” but that John is already his name, given him by another. It’s an act of submission to the will of God.
And we’ve seen before that when God bows our hearts in submission to His will, He opens our mouths with praise for the goodness of that very will!
So it is with Zechariah’s song. It’s a song that praises God not for doing things that are pleasing to the will of Zechariah, but rather for doing all of the good and glorious things that God has done. There is the sense in the song that little John is about to participate in the climax of all of God’s works to this point in the history of His people and indeed in the history of the world.
There’s hints at the Exodus in v68, and a greater Exodus is coming. In v69, there’s a hint at 2 Samuel 7 and the promise to great king David, and now great David’s greater Son is coming. v73 hearkens back to father Abraham, and now the seed in whom all the nations of the earth will be blessed is coming.
But Zechariah’s prophecy goes further back than that, indeed to the first gospel prophecy in the Bible. In Genesis 3:15 there was the promise of enmity—that there would be those whom instead of giving them over to their sin, God would put enmity between them and the serpent. And God had promised that there would come a seed who would crush head of the enemy.
And now in v71 and v74 Zechariah prophesies over his baby boy that we are right on the cusp of the great rescue from the enemy. Daddy doesn’t make the mistake that so many Jews were making these days. They thought Rome was the enemy. But v77 prophesies a salvation from a greater enemy still.
And here’s a daddy, prophesying by the Holy Spirit, “my son will point to Him!” My son will point to the One greater than Moses. My son will point to great David’s greater Son. My son will point to Abraham’s promised Offspring. My son will point to the Champion who will crush Satan’s head and save His people from their sins.
Isn’t that what every Christian father wants? For Christian fathers whose hearts have submitted to the will of God, it really matters little to us doesn’t it, whether our child becomes a doctor or a dump truck driver, a college professor or a crop farmer, so long as our son lives a life that points to Jesus.
We, who have known the mercies of God in Jesus Christ, want more than anything else that the mercies of God in Jesus Christ would be known!Click [here] to read Luke 1:57-80
Labels: Luke, Messages, Serial Readings
¶ 6:58 PM 0 Comments Links to this post
Luke 1:39-56 'Humility Produces Joy Produces Worship' (27-Dec-09 Morning Reading)
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Click [here] to read Luke 1:39-56 online
Sometimes it seems that no one stresses out quite like a pregnant woman. But in our reading this morning, we have two pregnant women and no stressing out.
In fact, one of the themes of our text is JOY. You can see it in your English Bible already—even John is leaping for joy in his mommy’s tummy, and Mary’s song is a song of rejoicing.
But there are actually a couple different words being used for “blessed” in this text, and in vv45 and 48 the word is actually the word for happy. And the word in vv44 and 47 is one meaning great joy, or gladness, or exultation. So, you probably saw before that JOY is a theme in these 18 verses, but now you see that this is a text full-to-bursting with joy.
Now, what’s stranger is that these aren’t just pregnant women. These are pregnant women who must succeed. A lot is riding on these two babies! And these women are both in their first pregnancies. Do you remember the pressure and the uncertainty of your first pregnancy ladies? Do you remember being keenly aware of how much was riding on every decision you made? How is it that there’s so much joy in these 18 verses?
Well, the answer to that question brings us to a second important theme in our text: HUMILITY. Here are two ladies who are quite certain that it doesn’t depend upon them but upon God. Elizabeth’s speech is full of it. Mary’s song is full of it. Humility that recognizes that when you do the math in the situation, their part adds up to pretty much nothing, and God’s part adds up to everything. They are delighted at their privilege to be a part of it, but that delight isn’t getting drowned by stress, because they are trusting in God and receiving the results of their situations as from God.
Now, note that humility is not the same as irresponsibility. I’m sure that they’re trying to eat right and exercise right. And they’re preparing for the babies’ arrivals. And Elizabeth is trying to take it easy, which is probably why cousin Mary has shown up and is going to stay until after baby John is born. And of course cousin Mary is gaining important knowledge and experience, since Elizabeth is both 6 months ahead of her and an older and godly woman.
So they’re not being irresponsible. It’s HUMILITY that enables them to be both responsible and joyful at the same time. And that brings us to a third theme: WORSHIP.
WORSHIP is the natural, continuous overflow from a heart that is responsible and humble and joyful all at the same time. Perhaps some of you are familiar with household opera. I don’t mean the kind for which you go to a hall, and pay a lot of money, and act proud and pretentiously. I mean the kind that, if we haven’t been too crabby with them in the past, we are blessed to hear our 6 and 7 and 8 year olds singing around the house.
Have yourself enough children, and you’ll have one eventually who sings about everything from “mommy’s putting breakfast on the table now” to “now I must go and make my bed.” It’s the kind of thing that runs through all of their minds. And if by grace God has lifted their hearts to look to Him for everything, to rest upon Him in every effort, to receive from Him every circumstance, to rejoice in Him at every blessing, then this household opera is distinctively Christian opera. It will take every duty and turn it into worship, every comfort and turn it into worship, every trial and turn it into worship, every hope and turn it into worship. It will sound indeed a lot like the Psalms.
And isn’t that what you thought about Mary’s song? This sounds very much like a Psalm! Mary had probably sung the Psalms all her life, and they certainly seem to be shaping her thoughts and feelings here. Do you read, and think through, and pray, and sing the Psalms often enough that they shape the opera of your heart into a continuous stream of worship?
This only happens as the result of the work of a final Person we should see in the text this morning: the Holy Spirit. From where does this delicious character come in which responsibility and humility combine to produce joy that overflows into worship? It comes from the Holy Spirit, who produces in us the fruit of love, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, and the rest.
And He can start quite young. In John, the Holy Spirit started His blessed work before many abortion doctors even do their murderous work. And He continues until you are quite old. Old, godly Elizabeth could be filled afresh with the Spirit of God. May God grant us His Spirit this week that we would be responsible but not stressed, our humility producing joy that overflows into continuous worship.
Click [here] to read Luke 1:39-56 online
Labels: Luke, Messages, Serial Readings
¶ 3:02 PM 0 Comments Links to this post
Luke 1:5-38 'Kingdom Light in Earthly Darkness' (20-Dec-09 Morning Reading)
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Click [here] to read Luke 1:5-38 online.
We often hear about the general world peace, easy travel, and common language that existed when God sent His Son into the world. God Himself, however, stresses something different at the beginning of our passage. It was in the days of Herod. Herod the Roman pawn who himself couldn’t really be considered a Jew. Herod, who built a temple and kept tight reign over it.
These were dark days for the kingdom—the line of David completely out of power. These were dark days for the priesthood—some of Aaron’s line serving in Herod’s temple under the eye of the heretic Sadducees.
Now, John and Jesus weren’t going to break onto the public scene for another three decades plus. Indeed, that’s where the gospel according to Mark and the gospel according to John both begin. But Luke wants us to see something in the darkness thirty years earlier: light.
While all seems dark for the kingdom, there is a priest and his wife, both from Aaron’s line, who are righteous before God. Not just holy-looking for other people to see, but before God. And there is a young woman who considers herself the bond-slave of God, and her husband from the line of David. Just as we saw with Elijah and the 7000 in Romans 11, as dark as it looks in 6b.c., even then God is reserving some for Himself.
But more than that, God is reigning. Herod may be on his little throne on earth and have his little temple. But, as we heard from Habakkuk during similar darkness, the Lord is in His holy temple. In fact, that’s Gabriel’s home base. When Zechariah doubts what Gabriel has said, Gabriel decides to introduce himself. He is Gabriel who stands in the presence of God.
The thrones of Herod and even of Caesar do not call the shots of world history. God doesn’t need earthly governments to acknowledge His ruling; He just rules. God doesn’t need us to understand how He can do what He does. He just does it. Zacharias and Mary learned that in this passage.
And God intentionally rules in ways to show that He is God whether we acknowledge Him or not, and intentionally does those things that we consider impossible. Though things seem ever so dark for the kingdom of Jesus, He rules whether we see it or not. He rules in heaven over hundreds of millions of angels. He rules and overrules every earthly kingdom. He rules in the hearts of those He makes righteous before Himself.
True a generation before the cross. True for Theophilus of the apostolic church. True today, regardless of the apparent darkness in both the church and the state.Click [here] to read Luke 1:5-38 online.
Labels: Luke, Messages, Serial Readings
¶ 10:59 AM 0 Comments Links to this postharvestoc.net blog, Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Luke 1:1-4 'That You Might Be Certain' (13-Dec-09 Morning Reading)
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In Luke 1:1-4 we read of God’s desire not only that we would believe and be saved; but, that we would also be certain of what we have been taught. Luke gives us an informed account. He has spoken to eye-witnesses. Luke gives us a careful account. He has followed all things closely. Luke gives us an orderly account. And, most importantly, Luke gives us God’s own account. As Luke wrote the words onto the pages, the Holy Spirit carried him along. This means that every word of this gospel is God’s own perfect choice—having the perfection of God and authority of God. And the fact that the Holy Spirit carried Luke along means that this gospel is part of God’s sufficient Bible for us, His gift to us of every word that we need for faith and practice. And isn’t it sweet to read about Luke’s concern for Theophilus’ certainty? Because the Holy Spirit’s carrying Luke along means that this is not just Luke’s concern for Theophilus, but the Holy Spirit’s concern for every true “lover of God,” which is what the name “Theophilus” means. God wants you to be certain. So, God gives you His Word. Shouldn’t we, then, pay careful attention to this Gospel—encouraged that God has designed it for our understanding and our certainty? And as we read in it of love our dear Savior, Jesus, let us not quickly forget the love of His Father who gave Him for us and the love of His Spirit, who desires and works that we would be certain.
Click [here] to read Luke 1:1-4 online
In Luke 1:1-4 we read of God’s desire not only that we would believe and be saved; but, that we would also be certain of what we have been taught. Luke gives us an informed account. He has spoken to eye-witnesses. Luke gives us a careful account. He has followed all things closely. Luke gives us an orderly account. And, most importantly, Luke gives us God’s own account. As Luke wrote the words onto the pages, the Holy Spirit carried him along. This means that every word of this gospel is God’s own perfect choice—having the perfection of God and authority of God. And the fact that the Holy Spirit carried Luke along means that this gospel is part of God’s sufficient Bible for us, His gift to us of every word that we need for faith and practice. And isn’t it sweet to read about Luke’s concern for Theophilus’ certainty? Because the Holy Spirit’s carrying Luke along means that this is not just Luke’s concern for Theophilus, but the Holy Spirit’s concern for every true “lover of God,” which is what the name “Theophilus” means. God wants you to be certain. So, God gives you His Word. Shouldn’t we, then, pay careful attention to this Gospel—encouraged that God has designed it for our understanding and our certainty? And as we read in it of love our dear Savior, Jesus, let us not quickly forget the love of His Father who gave Him for us and the love of His Spirit, who desires and works that we would be certain.
Click [here] to read Luke 1:1-4 online
Labels: Luke, Messages, Serial Readings
¶ 6:02 PM 0 Comments Links to this post
