Luke The Orderly Account of Truth - The Reason to Rejoice - Luke 10:17-24

How's it going go to see you guys.

Welcome to the roots where it's all about Jesus. We

love God, we love people, We reach the lost, and

we make disciples.

Today's family service right, very fun? Are the kids in here? Kids?

You in here? I got a thumbs up from June.

June's a team player.

Love, family service, Love the opportunity for to have all

of us come together, worship together, hear God's word together.

I think it's been really valuable.

I don't know if it's what's fueling all of our

children's theological questions at home, but one can hope and

pray that maybe that is what is doing it. I

don't know if you guys know, but kids ask questions.

Do you guys know that I have a five year old?

My oldest is five, so she's really gotten into asking questions. Patricia,

my wife, she I don't think is the right word,

so just bear with me. She's see it right, so

it's fair. She notes that all of the theological questions

that my oldest daughter, Aubrey asks is always when dad

leaves the house. So I leave the house and then

she gets a theological question. So now when that happens

I get a text, and honestly, I don't know if

you've ever been stumped by a five year old or

a six year old. Part of it is not just

that like they stump you. It's just like, how am

I going to explain this to you? How am I

going to explain this so that you understand this? The

other day I was putting her to bed, because that's

when you're supposed to have like all the theological like thoughts, right,

that's like, hey, I can keep dad for another ten

minutes if I ask him a theological question. And she's like,

where's Heaven like geographically like where is them? I'm like,

that is a great question. So I'm like trying to

figure out how to explain it to her. We're talking

about like like kind of a spiritual realm and like

the angels are spirits and all this stuff, and you know,

to the best of my ability, trying to explain it

so that she could understand.

It as a five year old.

And she's like, but Jesus has a body and he's there.

I'm like, you're right, he does. He has a body

in this spirit realm. I don't know what we're talking about.

And so like it was it's just fun. It's it's

really fun. And this early earlier in this week, on Monday,

as I was preparing my message, my wife texted me

to let me know that I had another conversation waiting

for me when I got home for dinner. My oldest Aubrey,

had asked her a question which just said she answered

it to the best of her ability, and she just

wanted to check with Dad when she got home. And

that question was, why do some people believe in Jesus

and others don't?

What would your answer to that question be?

Think about that, Why do some people believe in Jesus

and others don't. It's a good question, it's a hard question.

It's a difficult question. What would your answer be to

that question? Or maybe make it more personal, ask yourself,

why do I believe in Christ and others don't?

Don't get mad at me. My five year old asked

this question.

Okay, Well, the amazing thing about God's timing is that

this is the subject of our text today. So I

was reading through my text and I get a text

from my wife saying, this is your question.

I'm like, well, this should be helpful.

Lord willing in helping me prepare my message to figure

out how I would explain this to a five year old.

I think that that might also help us. Today.

We're going to see Jesus rejoicing and praising God, and

in that he is going to declare the answer to

that question to us, the answer being that everyone who

knows Christ, who knows the Father, has had the revelation

of who God is revealed to them, not by wits,

not by intelligence, not by luck, but by God himself.

So we're gonna read our texts for today, pray and

break it down together. If you don't have a Bible,

we have bibles in the back. We'd love for you

to go grab one, please, so you can follow along.

We're going to be looking at Luke chapter ten, so

if you'd turn there with me Luke chapter ten, verses

seventeen through twenty four, it will be here on the screen.

This is God's word.

The seventy two returned with joy and said, Lord, even

the demons submit.

To us in your name.

He replied, I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.

I have given you authority to trample on snakes and

scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy.

Nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the

spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are

written in heaven. At that time, Jesus, full of joy

through the Holy Spirit, said, I praise you, Father, Lord

of heaven and Earth, because you have hidden these things

from the wise and learned and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father,

for this is what you were pleased to do. All

things have been committed to me by my father. No

one knows who the son is except the father, and

no one knows who the father is except the son,

and those to whom the son chooses to reveal him.

Then he turned to his.

Disciples and said, privately, blessed are the eyes to see

what you see. For I tell you that many prophets

and kings wanted to see what you see but did

not see it, and to hear what you hear, but

did not hear it. Do you pray with me, Father, God,

we give you this time. We praise you for such

a great salvation that we've already got to sing about.

We just asked that the words that we've sung about

your great power, How great you are that you paid

it all that you were worthy of all praise. I

asked that all of that, Lord God, has been used

by you to prepare our hearts to hear your word.

Lord God.

I asked that the things revealed today would draw us

closer to you, that would cause us, they would cause

us to rejoice in our great God. So Lord, we

submit this time to you.

We give it to you. We love you in Jesus name.

Everyone said amen, all right, So we if this is

your first time, maybe you're just coming back for uh

and have been gone for a little while. We're still

going through and have been going through the Gospel of Luke.

We've titled this series Luke the Account of Truth because

at the beginning of his gospel account, our gospel writer

Luke the Doctor tells us that he has carefully investigated

the life and ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ, and

he's written this orderly account so that the reader of

this gospel would have certainty concerning the things taught about Jesus. Now,

the last few weeks we've been watching Jesus teach his

disciples what it means to follow him been a challenging

couple of weeks. Last week we saw him prep them

give them instructions and send them out on missions, send

them out on their missionary journey. Now, today we see

the disciples return to Jesus with joy because of God's

power on display in their ministry. But we're gonna see

Jesus tell them what they should, what should truly cause

them to rejoice. After this, we will see Jesus himself

rejoice and praise God the Father. And in that praise,

we're going to see him say and proclaim what causes

Jesus to overflow with joy and praise.

And so today we have a lot to learn.

The answers to the questions we've already raised are going

to be simple.

They will be straightforward.

But I also believe that those simple yet straightforward answers

are going to be a challenge to each one of

us in where we find our true joy and what

we believe about.

God's hand in our salvation.

So, if you're taking notes, today's message is titled the

Reason to Rejoice, The Reason to Rejoice, We're gonna be

looking at that. This isn't gonna be something that we

make up on the spot.

There's gonna be something that we let Jesus. We're gonna

let scripture.

God's word tell us the reason to rejoice. So I'm

really excited to get into this message. I am very

excited to get this message. I could have written this

message a thousand different ways, and it's honestly been a

struggle the last twenty four hours to not go like

I'm just going to completely rewrite this message. I believe

that after praying about this message, and praying through this message,

and working through this message, that this is the message

that God wants us to hear today.

As a church.

I have loads and loads of scriptures that I did

not use.

We will be going through quite.

A bit of scripture today because we're gonna let God's

word speak for itself. But if there's questions after today,

if there's frustrations or you're not understanding things, like I said,

I have many many more Bible verses that we can

go over together. I'm really excited to get into today's

text to today's message the reason to rejoice.

And there are many reasons in this.

Life that cause us to rejoice, right, many reasons for

rejoicing in our life.

What causes you to rejoice? Think about that for a minute.

What causes you to rejoice? Maybe you just had a baby.

Maybe you've got to raise at work.

Maybe you have plans after years of planning that are

finally coming together. Maybe your church is flourishing. Maybe you're

seeing God move in big ways in the lives of

the people around you. Now, while all of those are

great reasons to rejoice, we don't want to discount those,

they are not the greatest reason to rejoice. Those things

will pass, those things will change. But Jesus is about

to teach us the true reason for rejoicing, the true

and lasting, lasting reason for hope in the life of

a believer. So this is very important stuff. If you're

not understanding what I'm saying right now, so.

Let's get into it.

If you're taking notes, our first point is rejoice that

your names are written in heaven. Rejoice that your names

are written in heaven.

And so look at our first verse. Luke ten seventeen

says this.

The seventy two returned with joy and said, Lord, even

the demons submit to us in your name.

So they come back ecstatic. Jesus equip them, sent them

on mission.

They've come back from the mission, and they're like, Jesus,

you're not gonna believe this, even the demons submit to

us in your name, which is incredible.

This would be huge. They themselves have most.

Likely witnessed Jesus drive out demons before, they may have

witnessed the apostles drive out demons before.

And now here they are coming back and go like,

we could do it too. Look it's happening. We're like,

we're a part of what's going on here. This is amazing.

Now they have God's power working through them as well.

So they come back with joy.

They that even the demons obey them will submit to

them in Jesus' name.

And this is what.

Jesus replies with Luke ten eighteen. He replied, I saw

Satan fall like lightning from heaven.

It's a baller line. That's dope. That is so cool.

So Jesus starts with in his response, and it's actually

kind of an interesting response.

We could take it at face value, and I think

we should do that.

But it's an interesting thing to say in response to

what his disciples just said. And many commentators that I

was reading this week kind of have different opinions on

what Jesus was trying to get across in saying that

he saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. And I

want to share a couple of them with you because

I think they're just helpful. I believe that they ultimately

all communicate the same truth. So I probably could have

saved myself time in this message. But here we are

learning together. It's awesome. So believe that this is Jesus

referring to having been witnessed to say and being thrown

out of heaven. That's the first one, right, just like

it says. Some believe it was Jesus talking about when

he triumphed over Satan's temptations in the desert. And one

more I heard that I thought was interesting, especially given

the context of this passage, is that Jesus has sent

out the seventy two to go heal and proclaim the

good news of God's kingdom having come is on the scene.

Is that move and not only that, but the delivering

of those who were demon possessed were a part of

the healing. So some believe when Jesus says I saw

Satan fall like lightning from heaven, it was referring to

the triumph of their missions trip that he was saying,

you went out and were doing these amazing things, and

I was actively watching Satan.

Fall him and his kingdom fall. It's pretty cool.

Any of those are plausible, and I be inclined to

lean towards either the first idea or the last one.

But what's most important here is what we see Jesus saying,

and that is who is in charge. We see Jesus

saying who is in charge. Jesus is in charge. Jesus

was witnessed to the downfall of Satan, and now he

was here with his disciples to clean house. And we

kind of get a picture of this a little bit

in Luke ten nineteen when he.

Talks about what he's equipped them with.

I have given you authority to trample on snakes and

scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy.

Nothing will harm you, jesusays, I've given you authority to

trample and to overcome all the power of the enemy.

Nothing will harm you. Jesus is telling the disciples that

he's equipped them to overcome the power of the enemy.

And this is amazing, right, this would be so cool.

You just told me I can.

Go stomp on snakes and stomp on scorpions, and I'm

not going to be harmed. That's a reason to rejoice,

right well, Jesus says, Otherwise, immediately you'd think, like, imagine

what they're processing, imagine what they're going through. Is Jesus

is saying, yeah, Yeah, I've given you like I saw

Satan fall, I've given you all of you this power.

It's almost as if he anticipates how they might respond

to this. Jesus, continuing in verse twenty, says, however, do

not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice

that your names are written in heaven. Rejoice rather that

your names are written in heaven. Jesus says, you're rejoicing

that you're seeing God move in these big ways.

It's pretty cool.

But let me tell you of something even bigger, something

even more important than the demons submitting to you, and

that is that your names are written in heaven. He says,

rejoice that your names are written in heaven, because that

is the real reason to rejoice. And how often do

we forget how amazing our salvation is? How quickly do

we forget how amazing our salvation is. I think it's

troubling that so often we take the good news and

we fling it to the side like it's old news,

and we try and move on like an adults generation,

not wanting to be wowed by signs and wonders or

just cool stuff. We who have not only been witnesses

to but the direct recipients of the greatest news, the

greatest wonder in the greatest miracle of all time, that

is our salvation. Do we treat the Gospel like it's

old news. I think that's something that's good for us

to reflect on. I wrote in my notes that you're

only allowed to treat the Gospel like old news if

you do it biblically. You're only allowed to treat the

Gospel like old news if you do it biblically. What

do I mean, Well, there is a sense in which

the gospel's old news, but not the way.

That we normally mean it.

It's old news because from the beginning of creation it

was God's plan. God had a plan to save rebellious

sinners from their ways and the judgment do their sin.

And this was through Jesus, the Lamb slain from the creation.

Of the world, and was for those whom he'd save,

those who've had their names written in heaven from the

creation of the world. We see in Revelation where the

names are written. Yes, it says in heaven, but there's

actually somewhere that it's kind of cool that is in

God's Book of Life. The importance of God's Book of

Life cannot be understated because in Revelation we see the

contrast and the consequence of either being found in it

or not being found in it. We're going to share

a couple of those places just so that we can

kind of get an idea. Here.

In Revelation, we're.

Going to see that there are two types of people,

those whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of

Life and those who are not that simple.

Let's look at it. Starting Revelation thirteen eight.

All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast that's

a bad guy. By the way, all whose names have

not been written in the Lamb's Book of Life, the

Lamb who is slain from the creation of the world.

You go into our next text, Revelation seventeen eight. The

beast which you saw once was now is and yet

will come up out of the abyss and go to

its destruction.

The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not.

Been written in the Book of Life from the creation

of the world, will be astonished when they see the beasts,

because it once was, now is not, and yet will

come moving forward. Anyone whose name was not found written

in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake

of fire. One. This is talking about those who will

enter God's kingdom. Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor

will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful. But

only those whose names are written in the Lamb's Book

of Life. Are we seeing why this Lamb's Book of

Life is important. Only those whose names are written in

Lamb's Book of Life will enter the Kingdom of God.

The ones that have their name written in heaven are

the ones that follow God. Those who do not have

the names written in heaven follow this world. Jesus tells

his disciples, rejoice not that you do cool stuff, but

rejoice that your names are written in heaven.

Rejoice that God has saved you.

Rejoice that you will enter the kingdom. Is at this time,

after he tells his disciples to rejoice that their names

are written in heaven, that he himself breaks out into

praise and breaks out with joy to God the Father,

and that's what we're going to be looking at our

next section of texts, and if you're taking notes right down,

God reveals himself to whom he pleases. God reveals himself

to whom he pleases, starting in verse twenty one, chapter ten,

and Luke at that time Jesus, full of joy through

the Holy Spirit, said, I praise you, Father, Lord of

heaven and Earth, because you have hidden these things from

the wise and learned and revealed them to little children.

Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.

For this is what you were pleased to do.

So Jesus praises God the Father, because he has hidden

these things from wise and learned the wise, and learned

and revealed them to children. And that these things are

referring to the knowing that Jesus is the Messiah and

all that entails the coming of the kingdom and the power.

That there were those who, even those right in front

of their face, they were missing it, and that there

was others who were getting it. They were like, it's

how can we miss this? This has obviously got to

be the Messiah, and he's seen that all throughout the

Gospel of Luke. And now you may immediately be wondering,

why has God done this? Why has he hidden from

some and revealed it to others. Well, Jesus gives us

a simple answer to that question. It's at the end

of the text. Jesus says, yes, Father, for this is

what you were pleased to do. It's because it's what

God was pleased to do, which I think is something

helpful for us. There are things that God wants to do,

and there are things that he does, and what he

does he's pleased to do. God makes decisions as he pleases.

There's less pace this throughout scripture. Who say, who has

known the mind of the Lord, or who has ever

been his counselor as if he needed it?

It's rhetorical, no one. He's God.

He's above all of it. God makes decisions as he pleases.

Psalm one point fifteen, Verse three puts it great, and

it puts it just like this. Our God is in heaven.

He does whatever pleases him. So our first reason for

understanding why He has done all this is to be

understood by the simple fact that it pleased him to

do this. We're gonna get back to our text back

in twenty one. At that time, Jesus full of joy,

full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, I praise you, Father,

Lord of Heaven and Earth, because you have hidden these

things from the wise and learned and revealed them to

little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were

pleased to do. Now there's a couple things to notice

in this text. Do you notice the contrast between the

two groups. Jesus literally says, you've hidden these things from

the wise and learned and revealed them to little children,

to infants, to babes. That is to say, God has

revealed himself not to the proud, not to the smartest

people in the world, not the educated, not the most

wise in the world, but to ones like babies, like infants.

And what do babies and infants know compared to educated people, well, nothing,

He says, You've hidden yourself from the ones who think

that they know it all, and revealed yourself to those

looked down on as if they know nothing. If you

remember what Jesus says in Matthew eighteen three, and he said, truly,

I tell you, unless you change and become like little children,

you will never enter the Kingdom of heaven. God has

revealed himself to those like little children and hidden himself

from the wise. And Paul has an incredible section of

teaching in First Corinthians that we're gonna look at these

Paul echoes this message that Jesus is proclaiming here, and

we're gonna see Paul do the same and say the same.

He's gonna, I think, give us a fuller or more

more long winded expanse or explanation of what Jesus is

talking about here as it regards God's intention of hiding

it from the wise and revealing it to the simple.

Let's look at it.

We're gonna go to First Corinthians, Chapter one, verses eighteen

through thirty one.

For the message of the.

Cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to

us who are being saved, it is the power of God.

For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of

the wise, the intelligence of the intelligence. I will frustrate.

Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of

the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has

not God made foolish the wisdom the world? For since

in the wisdom of God, the world, through its wisdom,

did not know him. God was pleased through the foolishness

of what we or what was preached to save those

who believe. Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom,

but we preach Christ crucified a stumbling block to Jews

and foolishness to gentiles. But to those whom God has

called both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God

and the wisdom of God for war or the foolishness

of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness

of God is stranger than human or stronger than human strength.

Brothers and sisters, Think of what you were when you

were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards.

Not many were influential, not many were of noble birth.

But God chose the foolish things of the world to

shame the wise. God chose the weak things of this

world to shame the strong God. He chose the lowly

things of this world, and the despised things, and the

things that are not to nullify the things that are,

so that no one may boast before him. It is

because of Him that you are in Christ, Jesus, who

has become for us wisdom from God. That is our righteousness, holiness,

and redemption. Therefore, as it is written, let the one

who boasts boast in the Lord. In this incredible text,

Paul tells us several things. He says, the message of

the cross is foolish. It's foolishness to those who are perishing,

but to those who are being saved the power and

wisdom of God. That God is frustrating the wisdom of

this world. That the world didn't use the knowledge and

wisdom given to them to know Him, but.

They use it to further reject Him. And He now

rejects them and to shame the wise.

He's given the simple message, proclamation of the Gospel of

Christ and him crucified. For anyone who would believe, he says,

think about what you were when Jesus found you. Not

many of us were at the top of the world.

But on the contrary, and this wasn't an accident. God

chose the lowly things of this world to put to

shame the prideful and display his mercy. God chose us

the lowly, the broken, the blind, the hurting, the sinful,

the undeserving, the rebellious people to show his mercy and

grace too.

And every time we reflect on this fact.

Every time we remember this, it should cause us to

swell with praise, to weep, to give thanks because we

didn't deserve such a great mercy. We didn't deserve that.

I can go over that list of what we were again.

And yet God has revealed it to the least of

up to us. He's revealed it to the least of these,

that is us. And if you're tired of being talked

to or talked about like you're the worst of the worst,

or the weakest or the most helpless, well I'm sorry

if I'm the one breaking the news to you. But

apart from Christ, you are, We are, I am. We

don't need Jesus because we have it all figured out

already and now He's just gonna make our already great

life better.

Because the opposite is true. Who were you when Jesus

first found you?

Think about that, Who were you when Jesus first found you?

I was a mess.

I still am a mess, and it's only by God's

grace that I am.

What I am today.

Paul says there are no grounds for boasting because the

reason we are in Christ is because of God. There's

nothing in any of us that God has chosen to

save any of us. But because God so loved us

and was, according to his good pleasure to show mercy

to undeserving, rebellious sinners like you and me.

Praise God. And what's incredible about the gospel at its core?

Something that Jesus is pointing out here and Paul's pointing

out here, is that.

The gospel at its core is so simple that a child,

an actual child, can understand it, believe it, and be saved.

Yet it's so simple that the proud hear it and

they go, that's too simple.

I don't buy into that.

There's no way that an all knowing God would have

it be as simple as that, as straightforward as that.

That's ridiculous. A man rising from the dead, that's ridiculous.

Just believing in him, that's ridiculous. It will wipe away

all your sin, that's ridiculed. But to anyone who hears

that and that gospel hope. And you go, wait, you're

saying that, I just believe. There's nothing I have to do.

There's nothing I can do, there's nothing I can achieve,

But I have to throw myself fully on Christ and

what he's accomplished and that alone will save me. Praise

God that Jesus died on the cross so that all

who believe in him will receive eternal life. It's that simple,

that all who call on the name of the Lord

will be saved. That if you believe in your heart

and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, you

will be saved. That Jesus, God in flesh, came and

lived a perfect life, then died the most horrific death

to pay the price for the sin of all.

Who would call on him, and then was raised.

Three days later, showing that he had defeated sin and death, so.

That anyone who puts their faith in him will be saved.

You could slice this so many different ways, but the

gospel is the same, and this is good news, and

like to we talked about last week, this is the

only news that can save someone's soul. This is the

only news that can change our heart. This is the

good news that saved us. This is the good news

that will save everyone whose name is written in heaven.

That will save all whom God the Father has revealed

himself to that will save everyone who believes all of

those groups are synonymous. We go back to our text

Luke ten twenty two. All things have been committed to

me by my father. No one knows who the son

is except the father, and no one knows who the

father is except the son and those to whom the

son chooses to reveal him. Now Jesus basically here doubles down.

He didn't believe it to begin with that God out

of planet's hiding himself from someone and revealing himself to others.

Now Jesus is making it crystal clear what he's talking about.

That the father knows the son, and the son knows

the father, and that everyone who knows the father it

means that it's been revealed to them by the son,

as he has seen fit.

Everything has been committed to him by his father. He says.

No one knows who the son is except the father.

No one who knows who the father is except the son,

and those to whom the son chooses to reveal him.

And what does this mean, Well, it goes back to

our point. It means God reveals himself to whom he pleases.

No one can know God and no one can know

the Son apart from God choosing to reveal himself to them.

We see beautifully in this picture the unity of the

Triune God, Jesus God, the Son, through God the Holy Spirit,

praising God the Father for the plan of salvation that

they share in perfect unity. This plan of salvation, this gospel,

this choosing, which can be referred to God's election and

predestination unto salvation, is clearly stated in the first chapter

of Ephesians one. And actually I noticed it when I

was going over my notes again that this starts off

as a declaration of praise. We're gonna go to Ephesians. Ie,

it's a declaration of praise. Let's look at it. Praise

be to the God and Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ,

who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every

spiritual blessing in Christ, for he chose us in him

before the creation of the world.

To be holy and blameless in his sight.

In love, He predestined us for adoption to sonship through

Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will, to

the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely

given us.

In the one he loves.

In him, we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness

of sons and accordance with the riches of God's grace

that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding,

he made known to us the mystery of His will

according to his good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ

to be put forth or to be put into effect

when the times reached their fulfillment, to bring unity to

all things in heaven and on earth under Christ. In Him,

we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the

plan of Him who works out everything in conformity with

the purpose of His will, in order that we who

were the first to put our hope in Christ, might

be for the praise of His glory. And you also

were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth,

the Gospel of your salvation, when you believe, you were

marked in Him with a seal the promised Holy Spirit,

who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption

of those who are God's possession, to the praise of

His glory.

This is filled with praise and praise because of what

God has done.

Every time he says something awesome that God has done

for our salvation, he praises God and it says that

the purpose was it of it was for his praise,

to the praise of his glorious grace.

We're seeing this.

Text that the Father chose us, that the Son redeems us,

and the Spirit seals us, and all of this according

to his good pleasure and to the praise of his

glorious grace. And this news, this message is a cause

for joy, for rejoicing, for praising. When you think about

your salvation, when you think about how God revealed himself

to you, that should be the cause for the greatest

rejoicing in your life. As believers, we must never let

anything take a higher place in our mind as our

source of joy and rejoicing, because anything else that you

put up there will fail you. Everything else that you

put in its place will disappoint you. But what God

has given you in the salvation provided for by Jesus Christ,

is something done from the foundation of the world.

Nothing can change that.

In our texts today, Jesus is saying that salvation is

from the Lord through and through. If it's been revealed

to you, it's not because you're smarter. If it's been

revealed to you, it's not because you're better or wiser

but because of God. And if God has revealed himself

to you, that is something to rejoice over. When Peter

confesses that Jesus is the Christ, Jesus asking his disciples,

who do people say I am? And they're like, well,

they think you're a bunch of different people. He says,

who do you think I am? And Peter speaks up.

See it in Matthew sixteen. Peter speaks up and he

says that that Jesus is the Christ. Jesus is God's Messiah.

And this is what Jesus responds with, creat job, Peter,

you figuring it out. I always knew you were the smartest.

I always knew you were the wisest of the fishermen. No,

Jesus replied, blessed are you Simon's son of Jonah. For

this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood,

but by my Father in heaven. It is a blessed

thing to have been plucked from the path that was

headed for destruction.

And there is.

Reason to rejoice, because we who deserved nothing but wrath

and justice do our sin, have received mercy from God.

From our God, those whom God is saving to himself,

he has shown mercy all those who continue in the

rebellion against God. God is going to show justice, and

God shows his mercy. And God shows his justice as

he sees fit, as pleases him. We kept a glimpse

of this in Romans nine, verses tenth through eighteen. So

not only that, but Rebecca's children were conceived at the

same time by our father Isaac. Yet before the twins

were born or had done anything good or bad. In

order that God's purpose and election might stand not by works,

but by him who calls, she was told the older

will serve the younger, just as it is written Jacob

I loved, but Esau I hated. What then, shall we say,

is God unjust?

Not at all?

For he says to Moses, I will have mercy on

whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on

whom I have compassion. It does not therefore depend on

human desire or effort, but on God's mercy. For Scripture

says to Pharaoh, I raise you up for this very purpose,

that I might display my power in you, and that

my name might be proclaimed in all the earth. Therefore,

God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy

and he hardens whom he wants to harden. God shows

mercy and he shows judgment, both as pleases him to

some rebels. So we needed this to be clear. We're

all rebels. None of us are good. There is not one.

No one is good, No one does what is right,

no one seeks after God.

So we're all rebels.

But what we see here is that to some rebels

he reveals himself and redeems them.

They don't deserve that.

And to other rebels, he leaves them to their own devices,

and there will be judgment for them and for anyone

who pays the penalty for their sin.

It's just.

It's due that God would give us the wrath for

our rebellion and treason against him. But we rejoice because

our great God has revealed himself to us. If God

has revealed himself to you, that is a reason to rejoice,

because He has saved you. That though we were darkened

in our minds at one point, Christ has made us.

See let's look at the two Corinthians four four through six.

The God of this age that's referring to Satan has

blinded the minds of unbelievers so that they cannot see

the light of the Gospel that displays the glory of Christ,

who is the image of God. For what we preach

is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves

as your servants, for Jesus's sake. For God, who said

let light shine out of darkness, made his light shine

in our hearts to give us the light of the

knowledge of God's.

Glory displayed in the face of Christ.

Here we see that those who don't believe, those who

are perishing, Satan has blinded them. But to those of

us who do believe, God on a rescue mission has

given us sigh and made us to see and live.

The miracle.

The cause of rejoicing in my salvation is this that

I was blind, but now I see.

I was lost, but now I'm found. I was dead,

but now I'm alive.

And all of this is not from myself, but because

of Jesus Christ, who saved me. The reason to rejoice

is because God has saved you. Towards the end of Philippians,

Paul is wrapping up his letter, and I love how

close these things were together. He gets into talking about

how he's been on mission with some people and how

their names are written in heaven. And immediately he tells

the Philippians what they should do Philippians four three through four. Yes,

I ask you, my true companion, help these women, since

they have contended at my side in the cause of

the Gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my

coworkers whose names are written in the book of life.

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again, Rejoice.

And he's gonna go on to give him a bunch

of other instructions. But it's amazing, and I love how

as soon as he gets somebody like, we're working hard,

greet my brothers, Greet your coworkers. We're gonna get this done.

This is amazing. And all of these coworkers whose names

are written in heaven. And immediately after that he tells

him to rejoice in the Lord. Rejoice always. We have

a reason to rejoice. Our cause of rejoicing is that

the Lord has saved you and revealed himself to you.

And now we get to our final bit of our

Luke text, and I need the band to come up, please.

Ten Verses twenty three through twenty four.

Then he turned to his disciples and said, privately, blessed

are the eyes that see what you see. For I

tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see

what you see but did not see it, and to

hear what you hear, but did not hear it.

Jesus.

After praising God the Father, he then turns to his

disciples and tells them that they're blessed.

And why are they blessed?

Because what they are witnessing is God's plan of redemption unfolding.

They had a front row seat to the Gospel Plan

in its accomplishment happening in real time. Since the beginning

of time, there have been those waiting to see and

hear God's promises come to pass, And here these disciples

were first hand witnesses to their fulfillment. And what they

witnessed is the message that we preach today that the

Christ lived, died, and rose again. What they witnessed fulfilled

in real time, a real historical event, the most important

event of all time, Christ and him crucified.

In all of that entails, they were blessed to witness it.

So to bring us back around to answer my daughter's question,

why do some believe in Jesus and others don't? To

answer biblically, because God has chosen to reveal himself to

some that they would know him and be saved, or

put simply because God has chosen to save them, I

believe in Jesus. Well, to answer biblically, it's because God

saved me. I think a fair question would be, how

do we apply this text to our life?

How do we apply this text to our lives?

Well, first, if you don't know Christ, there is only

one thing you can do, and that is obey the Gospel.

Repent and believe, repent of your sins and believe in Christ.

If you believe in your heart and confess with your

mouth that Christ is Lord, you will be saved. That

is what scripture says. That's what scripture promises. That's what

the gospel message is. That simple message. Believe on the

one who suffered for your sin, and you will be saved.

And my prayer is that if God is revealing himself

to you right now, that he you to himself, that

you would call, that you would respond.

To him and be saved.

For those of us who have been saved by our

great God, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, then you

need to look at your life. We need to look

at our life. What is the root of your rejoicing?

Have you settled for something mediocre? Have you gotten cotton

up and seeking signs and wonders and miracles because you

have become disenchanted with your salvation. It is the greatest

miracle if you have then repent and remember the God

who gave himself for you. If the root of your

rejoicing is your salvation, then great, that's awesome. Rejoice and

rejoice again and share this good news. We spoke about

it last week. This news is too great not to share.

This is the message that saves people and change his lives.

God has people out there waiting to hear this news

and have their life changed forever. And God uses slowly

broken people like us to share that amazing news.

I know that we covered a lot today.

I know that we worked through a lot today, and

I know that today's message could be heavy, especially because

of those that we love, those that we care about,

those that we know that have rejected Christ or don't

want anything to do with Christ, people that don't believe that.

I want to assure you, I want to remind you

that we are not the ones in control of who

believes or doesn't believe.

So we've looked at today. That's God's business.

We don't know who will be saved or who are

his elect but what we do know, this is what

we do know, is that if they still have breath

in their lungs, there is still time. Because we don't

know the plans that the Lord has, We don't know

what his plans are for the people's lives around us.

So the one thing that we can do is we

can pray. We can pray like crazy. We can pray

to our Father in Heaven who answers prayers. Because God

can change anyone's heart. No heart is off liament. God

can change anyone's heart. Just remember where He found you

and pray that He would capture the hearts of those

we love like he did ours.

Amen, did you guys, please stand to your feet.