Luke 10:21-24
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
(list 5 attributes of God - doesn’t matter how you say it - only you will see it)
Did anyone write...
omniscient - knows everything
omnipotent - all powerful
omnipresent - he’s everywhere
loving
wise
holy
==
Those are all good and true.
Did anyone write...
joyful?
(no problem - there are lots of them)
The point is that joyful is probably not high on any of our lists of the attributes of God.
Nevertheless, God is supremely joyful.
How could He be with...
Satan
demons
evil men and women who reject him
people like me - redeemed - given Scripture - and still constantly failing?
==
Hopefully today we will see some of the reasons for Jesus’ joy.
We sing Man of Sorrows - and rightly so.
Sorrow over faithlessness -
41 Jesus answered, “O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.”
((upset with the disciples because He gave them authority, but they didn’t believe))
Jesus was rejected and almost murdered in His hometown...
28 When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath.
29 And they rose up and drove him out of the town and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff.
30 But passing through their midst, he went away.
In chapter 13, we will see that Jesus mourned over Jerusalem.
34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!
In chapter 19, he wept over Jerusalem’s blindness and rejection of Him.
41 And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it,
42 saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.
43 For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side
44 and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”
For the sake of time I will stop there.
We know about Jesus’ sorrow, but do we know about Jesus’ joy?
That is a subject I look forward to studying with you today.
==
PRAY
Let’s read our passage together.
21 In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.
22 All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”
23 Then turning to the disciples he said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see!
24 For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”
Before we see what Jesus was rejoicing about, let’s not miss this clear reference to the Trinity in v. 21.
Jesus rejoices in the Father’s will.
Jesus rejoices in the Father’s will.
21 In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.
God has hidden the truth of the gospel from the wise and understanding and revealed it to little children.
Let’s take a few minutes to chew on that.
What is the opposite of wise and understanding?
foolish and ignorant
Jesus is not saying that it should be our goal to be foolish and ignorant.
He is saying that worldly wisdom and education, apart from God’s word, will not lead people to salvation.
==
Why can’t worldly wise people find God on their own?
(on their own is key - the apostle Paul (Luke’s companion and apostolic source), Jonathan Edwards, etc.)
The first reason is that...
Their minds have been blinded to the gospel.
Their minds have been blinded to the gospel.
1 Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart.
2 But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God.
3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.
4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
I claim to be able to see.
Why?
Only one right answer - lots of wrong answers
wrong answers
my intellect
my righteousness
my upbringing
right answer
God’s grace.
Crazy guy going to jump off a building...
You only decided to follow Jesus because the Spirit gave you...
a heart transplant - heart of stone with heart of flesh
and...
cured the blindness of your mind that we just read about.
==
The second reason that worldly wise people cannot find God on their own is that...
If people could find God by human achievement, it would produce pride.
If people could find God by human achievement, it would produce pride.
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
If we could get to the knowledge of the truth of the gospel through human achievement, we would boast about it.
Also, it would leave some people out (more and more all the time).
Christians should boast, but only about what God has done for them.
Believers have a story to tell and we ought to be telling it, but we are not the hero of the story.
==
The third reason that worldly wise people cannot find God on their own is that...
People who are proud of their superior intellect cannot have a child-like faith.
People who are proud of their superior intellect cannot have a child-like faith.
(“revealed them to little children” part)
21 In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.
When we get to Luke 18 we will see that Jesus says...
16 But Jesus called them to him, saying, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.
17 Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”
We can’t come to God prideful, cynical, and jaded.
Now, we should approach our faith with our minds fully engaged - working hard to understand God’s revelation...
but...
I will never understand God completely.
He does not have to answer to me.
We have a reasonable faith, and we can apply our reason to it...
but...
our reason alone is insufficient to bring us to God.
We should not have a childish faith - where we remain immature...
but...
we should have a child-like faith that says...
God says this is how it is, so this is how it is.
(Carolyn McNeil video about witnessing)
It is not my place to cross-examine God.
I don’t have the right and I certainly don’t have the intellect.
The Father’s will is to bring people into the kingdom with a child-like faith - not a childish faith...
but...
a child-like faith that simply and completely takes God at His word.
Jesus rejoices in His Father’s will...
and...
so should we.
==
Let me insert something the Lord taught me this week from last week’s passage.
((freely summarize))
17 The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!”
18 And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.
19 Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.
20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
When we minister to people, sometimes we will have ministry successes...
other times we will have ministry failures...
That cannot be the source of our joy...
because...
then our joy will ebb and flow instead of remain constant.
If we are to have a constant source of joy, it must be grounded in our adoption by God...
not in our ministry successes.
One is permanent and dependable - the other is not.
==
back on track
Not only does Jesus rejoice in the Father’s will
Jesus rejoices in the Son’s authority.
Jesus rejoices in the Son’s authority.
I could have said “his” authority, but I want to point out the trinitarian nature of this passage.
22 All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”
Jesus authority is supreme.
What does Jesus say has been handed over to him by his Father?
All things.
How about ___________ ?
Yes.
All things.
Why did the Father hand over everything to the Son?
Because He alone is worthy.
1 Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals.
2 And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?”
3 And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it,
4 and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it.
5 And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”
6 And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.
7 And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne.
8 And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.
9 And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation,
10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”
That is why the Father has handed all things over to the Son.
==
Look back with me at
22 All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”
((sovereign election in the last part of the verse))
but...
((also see the following from Mt. 11))
27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
==
Jesus rejoices in the Father’s will.
He rejoices in his own authority.
and...
Jesus rejoices in the blessing of the saints.
Jesus rejoices in the blessing of the saints.
23 Then turning to the disciples he said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see!
24 For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”
Jesus has chosen to reveal himself to you and He takes joy in that.
When you find your joy in your relationship to God, it gives Him joy and it glorifies Him.
So, what does it do when you are a believer who is grumpy, complaining, and joyless?
It dishonors God.
((not saying you need to look giddy all the time - but have deep indwelling joy))
==
((Joy and current events))