Hear What Luke Heard: Certainty of Christ

``He believed that you can know enough through hearing enough to believe enough to be saved. He believed that you literally could hear enough to know enough to not only be saved, but to live saved. That the transformative power of the events that were in this document is just as equally powerful, having not been there, as it is for those who actually were there. And the Bible actually sets itself apart as an extraordinarily unique document, because it doesn't just record what happened. It actually uses the record of what happened to produce confidence and certainty about what's going to happen. [00:39:28] (47 seconds)  #HearToBelieve

And today's big idea as we launch into a Christmas series is, if we hear what he heard, we can live as they lived. I mean, it's pretty simple. And you get to do it with certainty. And this will be the primary emphasis of this entire book. And if you want a little secret, don't tell anybody I told you. But we're actually going to study Luke's gospel from today until Easter Sunday. And so we're going to be in this great epic work for the next several months. [00:42:02] (27 seconds)  #LiveWhatYouHear

But the most important, powerful reality of Luke's gospel for us today is he wasn't an eyewitness and neither were we. So the only experience he had is what he heard. But he heard enough to believe enough to be saved. And because he had that experience, he believed that experience was possible for a guy by the name of Theophilus. And to think his intent to write this entire gospel, as you'll see in a second, to one dude, Theophilus, and that name means friend of God. [00:46:24] (34 seconds)  #SavedByHearing

Because what he sees after all of his observations, after all of his eyewitness interviews and testimony, is the most important thing we need to know is not what happened, but what was fulfilled. And this is the power of Advent. What Luke learned was this wasn't just a one-off that happened in human history. That this was actually prophetically predicted by God for thousands of years. That what we see in Luke's gospel, and it's not just like an Old Testament prophecy. The whole thing is fulfilled in Christ. [00:49:01] (35 seconds)  #FulfilledInChrist

So the people he spoke to, the people who saw it that he spoke to, paid a really high price for what they saw. And paid a real high price for the truth that they were willing to tell people what they saw. And you can imagine Luke saying, if you heard what I heard, you'd believe what I believe. Because these people, they didn't have it convenient. They weren't living high on the hog. They were the lower rowers, baby. They were the low rung on society then. Bottom of the boat. Never got out. Just rowing all along. [00:57:43] (29 seconds)  #CourageousWitness

He did the hard work of investigating and talking to the people that were the first eyewitnesses of these events. And I carefully investigated everything from the beginning of his life. And I, too, decided then, therefore, I'm going to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus. And so, what he put together for you and me to celebrate this Christmas and on into Easter. This word orderly means logical. He put a logical account together. Not necessarily chronological, although his is pretty chronological. It's a theological account. [01:01:00] (39 seconds)  #OrderlyGospel

There are two young women who just proved that to you. That they were impacted by what they will now tell you is undeniable. That he lived perfectly, died painfully, rose triumphantly, and he's coming again to judge the living and the dead. And that's why they got in that water. Because they weren't there. They didn't see it. They didn't interview any eyewitnesses. But they have heard enough to believe enough to know enough to be saved. And that's the power of Luke's gospel. It has present impact. [01:03:47] (34 seconds)  #HeardAndTransformed

And I write to you, Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you've been taught. Not the certainty of the things that have happened. The things that you've been taught. And what he's been taught isn't just about the first coming. It's also about the second coming. And this incredible four verses, believe it or not, is one sentence made up of 76 words. I mean, it's all, it's just all. And the last word, the last word is certainty. And that's a powerful word. Because this is what his gospel can produce in people. [01:04:25] (41 seconds)  #GospelCertainty

Because if you hear what he heard, you can experience what they experienced. But the question would be, did you hear what he heard? Because it's available to you. And it's an irrefutable document. Written by Luke. Not just recording the events that happened. But the predictive reality of how they fulfilled promises. To give you and I the confidence to wait until God fulfills the promises that are recorded in here. He writes much of the second coming. Much about the second coming. He writes much about the Holy Spirit. [01:05:09] (37 seconds)  #LukePromises

Because if we hear what he heard, we rest in certainty of the things promised and the future fulfillment coming. And this is the power of his gospel. Have you heard what he heard? Have you heard about this homeless, itinerant, uneducated, penniless Jewish carpenter? Who died such a shameful death that he would be no one's hero. Except for the fact that he raised himself from the dead. That Luke will give extensive post-resurrection experiences to prove and to reveal to you that it wasn't a myth. [01:05:58] (38 seconds)  #ResurrectionProof