Sermon # 69 Luke
Sermons
Title: Our
Savior’s Only Joy
Text: Luke
10:21-24
Subject: The
One Thing That Gives Christ Joy
Date: Sunday
Evening –
Tape # W-79b
Introduction:
(Luke 10:21-24) “In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and
said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid
these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even
so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight. (22) All things are
delivered to me of my Father: and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the
Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will
reveal him. (23) And he turned him unto his disciples, and said
privately, Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see:
(24) For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those
things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things
which ye hear, and have not heard them.”
There are five tremendous lessons revealed in these verses which
deserve our careful attention. May God the Holy Spirit inscribe them upon our hearts. We will look at each of these five things briefly.
I. First, we learn from these verses that
which is the joy of God our
Savior. -- The
only thing revealed in the Book of God that gives joy to the Lord Jesus Christ
is the salvation of his people.
This is the only place on record in the four Gospels of our Savior
rejoicing. We read, that in that hour "Jesus rejoiced in spirit."
Three times we are told that our Lord Jesus Christ wept (Luke
And what was the cause of our Savior’s joy? It was the conversion
of lost souls, the salvation of poor, needy sinners. It was the reception of
the Gospel by the weak and lowly, the poor and despised, the downtrodden and
outcasts, when the "wise and prudent" on every side rejected it.
Our blessed Lord no doubt saw much in this world to grieve Him. He
saw the obstinate blindness and unbelief of the multitudes and wept. But when
He saw a few poor men and women receiving the glad tidings of
salvation, His holy heart was refreshed. He saw it and was glad.
The only thing I find in the Book of God that causes him joy is
the salvation of his people. Yet, of this one thing we are assured repeatedly.
(Micah
7:18-20) "Who is a God like
unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the
transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he
retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.
(19) He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue
our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.
(20) Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham,
which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old."
(Zep
3:14-17) "Sing, O daughter of
(Heb
12:1-2) "Wherefore seeing we also
are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every
weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with
patience the race that is set before us, (2) Looking unto Jesus the
author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before
him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand
of the throne of God."
A. This fact ought to encourage you
who are yet under the wrath of God to seek his mercy and grace in Christ.
If he delights in mercy, if he rejoices in the salvation of
sinners, if the conversion of lost souls makes the Son of God rejoice, why
should any sinner doubt that he will be gracious to him?
B. Our Savior’s example in this
ought to inspire us to seek such a heart of compassion and mercy toward needy
souls.
Spirit of God, stamp my Master’s image on my heart! Give me the
grace to follow his example!
·
Did
the Son of God weep over the lost? – Shall we care nothing?
·
Did
he have compassion upon the rich young ruler who walked away from him? – Shall
we harden our hearts against such?
·
Did
he rejoice in the salvation of sinners? – Shall we not rejoice in the same?
I fear we find joy in the very things that ought to grieve us most
and grieve over things that are really of no consequence. -- The multitudes
around us are walking in the broad way that leads to destruction, careless,
hardened, and unbelieving. – Few, precious few, believe to the saving of their
souls! How we ought to rejoice in the conversion of sinners! How we ought to
labor for it!
(James
5:19-20) "Brethren, if any of you
do err from the truth, and one convert him; (20) Let
him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall
save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins."
·
We do
not realize the sinfulness of man sufficiently.
·
We
fail, I fear, to look upon the conversion of lost sinners as a miracle of
grace, -- a miracle as great as the raising of Lazarus from the dead.
·
Perhaps
we find so little relish and joy in our souls over the salvation of sinners
simply because we have begun to look upon the grace of God, the blood of
Christ, and covenant mercy as common, ordinary things!
II. Second, we see hear a lesson about Divine sovereignty. -- Let us
always recognize and bow to this fact. – The Lord God Almighty is absolutely
sovereign in the exercise of his saving mercy.
(Luke
10:21) "In that hour Jesus rejoiced
in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that
thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them
unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight."
Yes, our Savior rejoiced in the exercise of sovereignty by the
Holy Lord God; but he rejoiced in the exercise of sovereignty to the salvation
of perishing souls. – It is not merely the concept of sovereignty that
gives us hope, joy and peace, but the gracious exercise of it!
The meaning of these words has been twisted by many perverted
minds. Be sure you understand what the Master’s words here mean. They do
not express joy at the fact that multitudes perish, but at the fact that some
are saved. – When the Master said, "I
thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise
and prudent, and revealed them unto babes," he was simply saying , “Father, I
thank you that you have, in your infinite goodness revealed these things to these
chosen babes, though you have in just judgment hidden them from those who,
being wise and prudent in their own eyes, will not repent.” Similar expressions
are found in Isaiah 12:1 and Romans 6:17.
(Isa 12:1) "And in that day thou shalt say, O LORD, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me."
(Rom
Having said that, be sure you understand
this. – The God of the Bible, the only true and living God is absolutely
sovereign and always exercises his sovereign rights over men, especially in the
exercise of his saving mercy, love and grace in Christ. This fact is as
plainly revealed in Holy Scripture as the fact that God is! It is not a deep,
complicated, indiscernible mystery, but a plainly revealed truth of the Bible.
It is so plainly revealed that it cannot be denied or misunderstood except by
those who refuse to bow to Divine Revelation. Yes, it is as high as heaven and
as deep as hell. Yet, it is as plain as the
Why are some converted and others remain dead in sins? – Why does
God send the gospel to one land and leave another groping about in the darkness
and superstition of idolatry? – Why do some believe while others believe not? –
No answer can or should be given to these question by any mortal other than this: -- “Even
so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight.”
(John
10:25-27) "Jesus answered them, I
told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they
bear witness of me. (26) But ye believe not, because ye are not of my
sheep, as I said unto you. (27) My sheep hear my voice, and I know them,
and they follow me:"
(Rom
9:13-16) "As it is written, Jacob
have I loved, but Esau have I hated. (14) What shall we say then? Is
there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. (15) For he saith to
Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion
on whom I will have compassion. (16) So then it is not of him
that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy."
Yet, the fact of God’s sovereignty does not, in any way, destroy
or even contradict the fact that every man is responsible for his own soul. The fact is, if we are saved, it is all
God’s fault, God’s work, God’s gift, and God’s operation. But
if we are lost, if we perish, if we go to hell, it will be our own fault alone,
our own work alone, our own blame alone.
This I know. -- Wherever the gospel is hidden, wherever eyes are blinded,
there is a just and right cause. – Wherever grace is given, wherever Christ is
revealed, wherever salvation comes, there is no cause except in God himself!
(Rom
God's sovereignty does not nullify our responsibility. That same God who does all things according to the counsel of his
own will; always addresses sinners as responsible and accountable creatures, --
whose blood shall be on their own heads if they are lost.
(Prov
1:23-33) "Turn you at my reproof:
behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto
you. (24) Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my
hand, and no man regarded; (25) But ye have set at nought all my
counsel, and would none of my reproof: (26) I also will laugh at your
calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; (27) When your fear cometh
as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and
anguish cometh upon you. (28) Then shall they call upon me, but I will
not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: (29) For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear
of the LORD: (30) They would none of my counsel: they despised all my
reproof. (31) Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way,
and be filled with their own devices. (32) For the turning away of the
simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them. (33)
But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from
fear of evil."
(Prov
29:1) "He, that being often
reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that
without remedy."
(Mat
23:37-38) "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou
that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how
often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her
chickens under her wings, and ye would not! (38) Behold, your
house is left unto you desolate."
III. Third, we learn something here about the objects of grace. – God
commonly hides the gospel from the wise and prudent and reveals it unto babes.
I can see you scratching your heads and saying, “Well, what does
that mean?” I’m glad you asked.
Our Savior said, "Thou hast hid these things from the wise
and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes."
Those words do not imply that some are naturally more deserving of
God's grace and salvation than others! We are all alike
sinners, and merit nothing but wrath and condemnation. – Rather, our Lord is
here simply stating a fact.
This is the fact he states. -- The wisdom of this world often
makes people proud, and increases their natural enmity to Christ and the
gospel. The man who has no pride of knowledge, or fancied morality, to fall
back on, has often fewest difficulties to get over in coming to the knowledge
of the truth. The publicans and sinners are often the first to enter the
·
Beware
of self-righteousness!
Nothing so blinds the eyes of our souls to the beauty of the
Gospel as the vain, delusive idea, that we are not so ignorant and wicked as
some, and that we have a character that will bear God’s inspection.
Blessed is that person who has learned that he is "wretched,
and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked." (Rev. 3:17). To see
that we are bad, is the first step towards being made
good. To know that we are ignorant is the first beginning of all saving
knowledge.
·
God’s
grace commonly comes to the most unlikely, most unexpected, and most despised. – Jacob! -- David! – Rahab! -- Ruth!
(1
Cor
(1
Cor
IV. Fourth, this passage shows us the pre-eminence of Christ. --
The Lord Jesus Christ, the sinner’s only Savior and Friend has all power put
into his hands!
(Luke
10:22) "All things are delivered to
me of my Father: and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the
Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him."
These words are intended to set before us a sense of the majesty
and dignity of our Lord Jesus Christ, as that One to
whom the Father has given all pre-eminence and glory! No man but the God-man
ever used words like these!
·
They
reveal to our wondering eyes a glimpse of the great mystery of our Lord's
nature and person.
·
They
reveal him, as the Head over all things, and King of kings: ‘All things are
delivered to me of my Father.’
·
They
declare that he is distinct from the Father, and yet entirely one with Him, and
knowing Him in an unspeakable manner. ‘No man knoweth who the Son is but the
Father: and who the Father is but the Son.’
·
They
declare that Christ is the great Revealer of the God to the sons of men, as the
God who pardons iniquity, and loves sinners for His Son's sake: ‘No man
knoweth who the Father is but he to whom the Son mill reveal him.’”
This great, glorious, exalted, sovereign God-man, this great
Savior is exactly the Savior we need. Let us confidently rest our souls, yea
our lives, yea all things upon him! He is one who is "mighty to save."
·
Many
and weighty as our sins are, Christ can bear them all.
·
Difficult
as is the work of our salvation, Christ is able to perform it.
·
If
Christ was not God as well as man we might indeed despair. But with such a
Savior as this we may begin boldly, and press on hopefully, and await death and
judgment without fear.
·
Our
help is laid on one that is mighty. (Ps. 89:19).
·
Christ
over all, God blessed forever, will not fail any who trust Him.
V. Last, but certainly not least, I want to remind you of the great blessedness that is ours. --
There is no greater privilege afforded sinners on this earth than the blessed
privilege of hearing and knowing the gospel of God’s free, sovereign, saving
grace in Christ.
(Luke 10:23-24) "And he turned him unto his disciples,
and said privately, Blessed are the eyes which
see the things that ye see: (24) For I tell you, that many prophets and
kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them;
and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them."
I am sure none of us will ever comprehend on this earth the full
significance of those words. I am sure we have no idea how blessed we are to
live in this gospel age. The difference between the knowledge of believers in
the Old Testament and those of this age, we simply cannot conceive.
Without question, those saints in the Old Testament trusted
Christ, looked for and to the coming Savior by faith. They believed the Gospel.
They believed in the resurrection and a life to come. But the coming of Christ
and the accomplishment of redemption by his death, his resurrection and
exaltation unlocked hundreds of Scriptures which before were closed, and
cleared up scores of doubtful points which before had never been solved. As
Paul puts it, "the way into the holiest was not made manifest, while
the first tabernacle was standing." (Heb. 9:8).
But there is more to be learned from these words than merely the
advantages of this age over former ages. Our Lord would have us constantly aware that the privilege of
hearing the gospel, the privilege of having a place of worship, a regularly
established ministry, and the blessed fellowship of his people is the greatest
privilege God can give to any sinner in this world. – The greatest curse would
be for him to take from us this great privilege!
Application:
1.
How
we ought to care for eternity bound sinners!
2.
What
a deep sense of our own debt to God we ought to have!
3.
What
a great sense we ought to have of our great responsibility!
4.
Let
us strive to make a good use of our many privileges.
5.
Having
the great privilege and benefit of the gospel, let us take care that we do not
neglect it. -- "To whomsoever much is given, of them will much be
required" (Luke 12. 48.)