Sermon: The Magnificent Work of God
Practical Lesson for Passover
#1755B
Mark Schindler
Given 06-Apr-24; 40 minutes
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transcript:
As we begin you can open your Bibles to the first chapter of Luke, where we will be spending most of this sermon. But please just listen once more to the first four verses, as they are paraphrased in The Message Bible in Contemporary English.
As mentioned back in March this brings simplicity, clarity, and power to what we are about to examine in the beginning of Luke’s magnificently crafted account of Jesus Christ’s life as the perfect man. It also gives us by way of Luke’s very personal historical perspective, a clear look at what we physically-minded men, even with God’s Holy Spirit guiding us, need to take with us into the Passover in just over two weeks—God’s determined and executed plan to bring all men into the Family of God through the perfect work of the Father and the Word who became Jesus Christ.
The Message Bible paraphrases Luke 1:1-4 this way:
Luke 1:1-4 (MBCE) So many others have tried their hand at putting together a story of the wonderful harvest of scripture and history that took place among us, using reports handed down by the original eyewitnesses who served this Word with their very lives. Since I have investigated all the reports in close detail, starting from the story's beginning, I decided to write it all out for you, most honorable Theophilus, so you can know beyond the shadow of a doubt the reliability of what you were taught.
That word “reliability” in the Message Bible is the word “certainty” in the New King James Version that most of you have in front of you. It is Strong’s #803. It is the Greek word asphaleia, certainty; safety; undoubted truth.
Now I would like you to hear how The Amplified Bible, expands verses 1 and 4 because there is something there that The Amplified brings out more clearly.
Luke 1:1 (AMP) Since [as is well known] many have undertaken to put in order and draw up a [thorough] narrative of the surely established deeds which have been accomplished and fulfilled in and among us.
Luke 1:4 [My purpose is] that you may know the full truth and understand with certainty and security against error the accounts (histories) and doctrines of the faith of which you have been informed and in which you have been orally instructed.
Please keep that “histories of faith” in mind.
After considering how The Amplified Bible put it, let us go back and read Luke 1:1-4 as it is written in the New King James Version. There is something made a bit clearer in the Amplified, which may be missed in the New King James Version.
Luke 1:1-4 Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed.
In both verses 1 and 4 the words “those things” appear. In the Greek they are two different words that may give us a bit of a hint to what magnificently underpins the first three chapters of Luke and the instructions to us that we need to consider today.
In verse 1 “those things” is Strong’s #4229, pragma. In its simplest terms it means a deed, by implication an affair.
Thayer’s Lexicon adds the following: 1) that which has been done; a deed; an accomplished fact; and 2) what is done or being accomplished.
We are all very familiar with this word because it is from this Greek word that we have our English word “pragmatic.” It may help to consider the English definition, which could begin to give us a glimpse of what God is giving us here in the opening chapters of Luke.
Pragmatic means (Webster’s Dictionary): Relating to matters of fact or practical affairs, often to the exclusion of intellectual or artistic matters; practical as opposed to idealistic.
Another definition from an online dictionary, adds this helpful point: “Relating to or being the study of cause and effect in historical or political events, with the emphasis on practical lessons to be learned from them.”
Please hold onto that idea of practical lessons to be learned from them while considering again the Amplified Bible’s, “thoroughly established deeds that have been accomplished,” and the Message Bible’s phrase, “the wonderful harvest of scripture and history.”
In my sermon on March 2, we spent the whole-time considering God’s careful preparation of Luke to use God’s irrevocable gifts to beautifully write this investigative report of Jesus Christ and His interactions with His creation, as the perfect Man.
This is one of the reasons I said it was my opinion that Luke very possibly wrote the book of Hebrews under God’s inspiration, while Paul was actually the one God used to give Luke the eyewitness graduate-level account of Jesus Christ’s perfection. The magnificent beauty of the craftsmanship seems to be more in line with Luke’s gifted style of writing.
In the book of Luke, we are given eyewitness accounts of Jesus Christ and His interactions, as the perfect man. In the book of Acts, Luke details Christ’s continuing interactions through the work that He had given His disciples the power to do. And then in Hebrews we are given the beautifully written details of His priceless perfection and fulfillment of what had merely been the shadow. He is and always has been the fullness of the life of God in men!
As noted in that last sermon, scholars who have been gifted by God to understand such things see the magnificent beauty of the craftsmanship of Luke’s writing without even really knowing the Great God who inspired themselves.
But for those who have been baptized into the Body of Christ there seems to be another testament to the magnificent perfection and beauty of Jesus Christ and God’s perfect plan of salvation. This is why we spent the last sermon considering God’s irrevocable gifts given so we can have a part in God’s creative process that begins the relationship He is building with each and every one of us.
Brethren, there seems to be an even more magnificently inspired piece that God has built into these first few chapters of Luke than the mere beauty of literary style. God is pointing us to how much we need to treasure what we have been given! Underpinning the beginning of this book is the perfect work of Jesus Christ and various lessons that we learn while in a relationship with Him. It is my opinion that God inspired Luke to encapsulate another wonderful proof of the perfection of His work to bring all men into His Family in spite of ourselves.
Now with this in mind, we are going to find in this brief overview some important practical lessons God has set out for those baptized members of the Body of Christ to consider over the next two weeks in preparation for the Passover.
This may help us consider even more fully beyond a shadow of a doubt the reliability of what we have been taught; help each of us more fully appreciate the perfect work of Jesus Christ.
Please hold your fingers there in Luke 1 and turn with me first to a vital reminder that must always be on our minds.
Ephesians 2:1-5 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved).
Ephesians 2:8-10 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
Ephesians 2:13-14 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation.
Ephesians 4:1-3 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
We read these scriptures first before going forward in Luke because it is only by the grace and purpose of God that we have been separated from a world that cannot do what God has given us to do at this time: learn to wholeheartedly believe and faithfully submit to His Word, sacrificially following Jesus Christ into true unity in the bond of peace even though we may stumble along the way. This will take a maximum effort to put aside our own opinions and differences to truly honor the sacrifice of Jesus Christ that we have been given the privilege to share.
Now with this, let us turn back to Luke and what we can quickly pick up for our consideration as we prepare to participate in the Passover with deeper appreciation for the incredible work that the Father and Son have purposed to do from the beginning.
In preparation for this sermon, I listed and did studies on all the different people as they were mentioned or named in the first three chapters of Luke. This study was not anywhere close to being as thorough as it could have been, but it was enough to see that God gave a valuable summary of relationships within this world, so that we can more fully appreciate what we have now been given through Jesus Christ.
In Luke 1 through 3 God concisely sets the stage, so to speak, for Jesus Christ’s perfect work as a man, beginning with mentioning the wonderful harvest of Scripture, and history of God’s plan from the beginning, and then ends with the certainty of the physical line of Christ from Adam in Luke 3:38.
I hope that what I am about to say next will not seem to demean the reality of Jesus Christ’s sharing in our humanity. But it is the only way I seem to be able to express it. This is not a mere stage play, but the reality of God’s work to bring all men to salvation just as He intended from the beginning.
In Luke 1 through 3 God gives us a cast of characters in His plan who help us more fully appreciate our very precious calling, and the difficulties we face as men to walk worthy of our calling, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, as we just read in Ephesians 4.
There are many lessons to be learned from all the cast of characters, but for lack of time I will just briefly highlight Theophilus, Herod, Zacharias and Elizabeth, and then Mary and Joseph.
As we saw in the last sermon regarding Theophilus, most commentators agree the evidence seems to support the idea that this was some Gentile person of rank and a Christian, as the meaning of his name (Friend of God, or Lover of God) implies. Although he certainly seems to be a singular personality, I think it might be good to consider him as representative of all Gentile Christians who are being called through Jesus Christ. With this in mind, turn to Acts 17. I am sure you are all familiar with this passage because we send out a titled version of this every day.
Acts 17:10-12 Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. Therefore many of them believed, and also not a few of the Greeks—prominent women as well as men.
Here we see a group that was a mix of Jews and Gentiles who were eager to hear God’s ministers preach the truth and then prove it according to the Scriptures.
Isaiah 56:1-2 [Heading: Salvation for Gentiles] Thus says the LORD: "Keep justice, and do righteousness, for My salvation is about to come, and My righteousness to be revealed. Blessed is the man who does this, and the son of man who lays hold on it; who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, and keeps his hand from doing any evil."
Isaiah 56:6-8 "Also the sons of the foreigner who join themselves to the LORD, to serve Him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be His servants—everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, and holds fast My covenant—even them I will bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on My altar; for My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations." The Lord GOD, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, says, "Yet I will gather to him others besides those who are gathered to him."
First Lesson
With this in mind the first lesson that God is giving His elect, whether Israelite or Gentile we must eagerly listen to those whom God set apart to teach, but then be just as eager to prove what was said according to His Word.
This does not mean trying to prove them wrong, but being positive; digging into God’s Word to be sure of the truth to understand with certainty and confidence.
Have we been diligently doing this throughout this past year as well as we should and could? We need to consider this very important duty of God’s elect as we prepare for Passover.
A point to consider we will find right here in Isaiah 56 before going back to Luke, because the last four verses are tied to our next person of interest and lesson: Herod.
Isaiah 56:9-12 [Heading: Israel’s Irresponsible Leaders] All you beasts of the field, come to devour, all you beasts in the forest. His watchmen are blind, they are all ignorant; they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. Yes, they are greedy dogs which never have enough. And they are shepherds who cannot understand; they all look to their own way, every one for his own gain, from his own territory. "Come," one says, "I will bring wine, and we will fill ourselves with intoxicating drink; tomorrow will be as today, and much more abundant."
Herod the Great fit very well into this description of irresponsible leadership: Greedy dogs, who never have enough, always looking to their own way, their own gain, and their own territory. The lusts of the flesh were always first and foremost in his life.
Herbert Lockyer in his All the Men of the Bible quotes the following from The Life and Times of Herod the Great: “Herod’s life was as eventful as his buildings were magnificent. His charm made him a close personal friend, first of Mark Anthony, later of Augustus and Agrippa. Herod’s greatest achievement was the building of the Temple in Jerusalem.” Lockyer also writes that he was both masterful and merciless. He is remembered for his massacre of the innocents, and the murder of several of his sons.
While not intending to dwell on Herod, but I think we need to turn to Matthew 2 just to remind ourselves of the conditions into which both John, son of Zacharias, and Jesus were born. We are familiar with this so we will only pick up a few verses. Beginning in Matthew 2:
Matthew 2:1-3 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him." When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
Herod, then, lies to the wise men telling them that he really wants to be able to go worship the Christ. He tells them to come back and tell him where He is when they find Him.
Matthew 2:11-12 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.
Matthew 2:16-18 Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying: "A voice was heard in Ramah: lamentation, weeping, and great mourning; Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted, because they are no more."
At this point you may be saying to yourself, “This circumstance into which Christ was born was horrible, as driven by this violent mad man.” But what kind of lesson can each of us learn personally from this absolutely depraved and contemptuous personality? Well, “But for the grace of God,” as the Bible says, “go we.” However, I think there is a different lesson we might be able to glean from God inspiring Luke to mention Herod towards the top of the list.
Herod was half Edomite, as the son of Antipater, and half Jew. He was also devoted to introducing Greek culture and philosophy into Judea, and clearly involved in the politics of the day.
However, I think more importantly (and this is just my opinion), as a descendant of both Jacob (on his Jewish side) and Esau (on his Edomite side) God is giving us a clear reminder of two things: one is much worse than the other.
Esau was willing to give up something so precious to satisfy the flesh in the short term as Isaac’s firstborn, and he never truly repented. He threw away God’s precious gift!
Jacob was a deceiver, but he repented, and the promise came through him, even though he still paid a whopping penalty throughout his life for his sin.
Second Lesson
So I think the second lesson from Luke we can take with us into the Passover from Herod, is in two parts.
First and most important, how much have we done to maintain this precious gift God has given us now when faced with sacrificial choices? How much do we treasure our precious calling and cherish our relationship with Christ?
And two, are we really remaining faithful to God within the place He has set each of us and not presumptuously forcing His hand for what we think should be ours?
Third Lesson
Turn back to Luke 1:5. For lack of time I am going tie Zacharias and Elizabeth together with Mary and Joseph for this third lesson God is giving us through them for Passover.
Luke 1:5-9 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years. So it was, that while he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division, according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.
Luke 1:11-13 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.
Luke 1:18-20 And Zacharias said to the angel, "How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years." And the angel answered and said to him, "I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings. But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time."
Luke 1:24-25 Now after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived; and she hid herself five months, saying, "Thus the Lord has dealt with me, in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among people."
Brethren, here we see that both Zacharias and Elizabeth were descended from the priestly line of Aaron. Very importantly, they both apparently had spent a great many years “walking righteously in all the commandments and ordinances of God.” So much so that God has them declared blameless before Him, as recorded in Luke 1:6.
What wonderful parents God had prepared to raise and nurture John. However, as with all of us, being human, they had a serious problem. They did not trust God’s perfect timing!
Both Zacharias and Elizabeth were well advanced in years and even though they had apparently been raising prayers to God in their younger days for a child, God did not immediately answer their prayer and they sold God short, so to speak. If you compare Luke 1:7, 13, 18-20, and 24-25 you will see this. Try to do what Nancy and I did when we were talking about trying to put ourselves at 73 in their shoes: “What are you kidding?!”
But the point is that even as righteous people throughout their adult lives, their own human nature got the best of them, and at the very least they questioned God’s timing against their own, having given up hope.
Then we come to Mary and Joseph and their reactions, which may be more typical of how much more easily it is to stay in line with God’s plan before old age and the day of trouble comes. Let us pick up a few more verses in Luke 1:
Luke 1:26-27 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary.
Luke 1:30-38 Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end." Then Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I do not know a man?" And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible." Then Mary said, "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.
Now please turn with me back to Matthew 1:
Matthew 1:18-21 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins."
Matthew 1:24-25 Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name JESUS.
In Matthew 2, possibly before Joseph even was aware of the horror that Herod was about to commit, we read,
Matthew 2:13-15 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, "Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him." When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, "Out of Egypt I called My Son."
There is a great deal more that could be said about the ultimate faithfulness of both of these couples, but for lack of time, I would like to offer a few more lessons we can take from them into our preparations for the Passover.
The third series of considerations drawn from these passages and lessons are:
How many times have we given up on God in prayers for ourselves or others this past year because it was not in line with our own timing rather than God’s? For all intents and purposes, it is possibly just a tiny dent in the armor, or is it perhaps a slight turn to a heart of unbelief that says, “My Lord delays His coming,” so what is the use? Something we should very seriously consider.
Also, here through Mary and Joseph, we should consider how many times we did not do what they did, finding all the reasons why we could not apply God’s Word to the situations in our lives to follow Jesus Christ, rather than all the reasons why we should take our walk in faith and trust in God as they did. As so many other scriptures show, they really did not totally understand the One who had been entrusted to their care, but they did what they had been given the privilege to do and walked in faith.
Brethren, I hope you get the point. God is always giving us more ways that we can use to examine ourselves as we continue on the path He has set us on for His honor and glory. We have another opportunity to consider how much we appreciate Jesus Christ and consider how well we are following Him in faith, because we firmly believe He has put everyone where we are for the glory of God.
Building on the foundation of the first three chapters Luke’s focus through the rest of the book is on the perfect Man, Jesus Christ, and the desperately needy people that came in contact with Him. We most certainly are among them. But we have the precious gift of the absolute reality of knowing that without Him we can do nothing, yet with and through Him we must be just like Him. God has given us the privilege to constantly examine how we can improve our relationship with Him through the lens of His words of truth to better strive to live as He lives.
We are going to end this message on the high note on the precious life that we must always consider with deep appreciation.
Please turn with me to Luke 1:67 and Zacharias’ prophecy of the hope for all but is now the precious reality of the lives of the elect that should be the focus of our lives.
Luke 1:67-79 Now his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying: "Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited and redeemed His people, and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David, as He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets, who have been since the world began, that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us, to perform the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember His holy covenant, the oath which He swore to our father Abraham: To grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life. And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest; for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways, to give knowledge of salvation to His people by the remission of their sins, through the tender mercy of our God, with which the Dayspring from on high has visited us; to give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace."
This is the guaranteed end result for those who deeply consider and appreciate the magnificent work of God through Jesus Christ, as we have been given the privilege to learn and live by His Word; for all those who are called according to His purpose!
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