The Redeemer Rejoices, Part 3

If you have your Bible turn with me to Luke chapter 10. Luke chapter 10, we find ourselves in verses 21 down through verse number 24. We want to finish this section with you this morning and let me read it for you so we can set it in our hearts and minds.

It says in verse 21, at that very time he rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit and said, I praise thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou didst hide these things from the wise and intelligent and didst reveal them to babes. Yes, Father, for thus it was well pleasing in thy sight. All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son, who the Son is, except the Father, and who the Father is, except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal him. And turning to the disciples, he said privately, Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see.

For I say to you that many prophets and kings wish to see the things which you see and did not see them, and to hear the things which you hear and did not hear them. In this section we are introduced to a very popular subject, subject is joy. It began with the joy of the redeemed and then it moved to the joy of the Redeemer. And by looking at this passage we begin to see that joy is an attribute of God himself. And we told you before that this is the only time in the scriptures where we are told that Jesus literally rejoiced.

And so the question comes, what made Jesus joyful? Because if we know what makes him joyful and we want to please the Father and please the Son, then we will know what makes us joyful as well. When we began this passage a number of weeks ago, particularly in verse number 17 when it says that the 70 returned with joy, we talked to you about joy itself. And the Bible commands us to rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice, Paul would say that in Philippians chapter 4. He would also say in 1 Thessalonians 5, rejoice always.

And yet for some reason we don't find ourselves in those categories. We don't rejoice in the Lord always, we don't rejoice always, we have a hard time sometimes even having feelings of joy. Why is that? And we told you a number of weeks ago that the Apostle Paul said these words in Acts chapter 20. He says, I know, or excuse me, yeah verse 21 chapter 20, the Spirit solemnly testified, or I know, behold, I am going bound in the Spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit solemnly testifies to me and in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions await me.

But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, in order that I may finish my course with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God. Here the Apostle Paul gives us a secret to understanding his contentment in Philippians chapter 4. He tells us that here he is in Ephesus having a wonderful ministry there at that church with those Ephesian elders, realizing that the Spirit of God is moving him to go to Jerusalem.

And the only thing he knows is that when he gets there, bonds and afflictions await him. But he's going to go anyway. And the reason he's going to go anyway is twofold. One is that he never considered his life dear to him. That my friend is one of the reasons you don't experience the joy of the Lord. You consider your life dear to you. Paul did not. He had already crucified the flesh. He had already taken up his cross and followed the Lord Jesus Christ. He said that I am crucified with Christ. He didn't look at his life as any importance at all.

His life was the Lord's. So he didn't count his life dear to him. But what he wanted to do was to finish his ministry with joy. How was he going to finish his ministry with joy? By solemnly testifying to the gospel of grace. By speaking forth the truth of the gospel. Telling us that joy comes when we share Christ with other people. And Paul was that one who said you need to rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice. He said that from prison. A cold damp prison all by himself. Knowing that there was supreme joy in serving the Messiah of Israel.

He understood that. But he never counted his life as dear to himself. And he had a mission. And that was to fulfill the mission that God had given to him. Granted we live in a world that's defiled. We live in a world of dissatisfaction and discontentment. That's the kind of world we live in. And yet the Bible says rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice.

So a number of weeks ago we told you that when the angels came they pronounced joy. Remember that? Luke 2 verses 10, 11, 12. We bring you good news of great joy. So when the angels came to Bethlehem to the shepherds outside of Bethlehem they made a pronouncement and it was a pronouncement of joy. It was good news that brings great joy. And so we told you that the angels pronounced joy. And it would be the Messiah who would provide joy. It would be the Messiah who would provide joy. We told you last week that Christ would say I want them to have my joy made complete in them.

John 15, 11. John 17, 13. He speaks of his joy being made full, being made complete in those who follow him. Well the only one who can provide that joy is Christ himself because it's an attribute of him. We are partakers of his divine nature. Therefore it's only Christ who can provide that joy. So the angels came. They pronounced joy. Christ came and he provided joy. We also shared with you that it was the kingdom of God that promises joy. The kingdom of God promises joy. Romans 14, 17. The kingdom of God is not eating and drinking but it's righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.

And we told you before the order's significant. It's righteousness first. You must be made right before God. Only God can do that. With that righteousness comes peace because now you're made right with God you are at peace with God and because now you're at peace of God comes the joy of God. But the kingdom of God promises joy. The Messiah of God provides joy. The angels of God pronounced joy. Having said that we let you know that the Spirit of God is that which produces joy. Right? The Spirit of God produces joy.

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace. We are partakers of the divine nature. God has made his abode in us. The Son has made his abode in us. The Spirit of God has made his abode in us. And it's that Spirit that produces joy. You with me so far? Do you remember when I shared this with you a number of weeks ago? No. You do? Do you, my man? Good for you. Somebody remembers. We also told you that it was the truth of God that promotes joy. The truth of God is that which promotes joy. John said in 1 John 1 verse number 4, I write these things that your joy may be made full.

It's the truth of God that promotes joy. Listen to Psalm 43 verse number 3. Oh send out thy light and thy truth. Let them lead me, let them bring me to thy holy hill and to thy dwelling place. Then I will go to the author of God, to God my exceeding joy. And upon the lyre I shall praise you God, my God. Oh send forth thy light. Send forth thy truth because it will lead me to the altar of God and will cause me to rejoice in the God of my salvation. Truth always promotes joy. Always does. Remember in Luke chapter 24, after the ascension of Christ, I'm sorry, after first of all the resurrection of Christ, and he met the disciples on the road to Emmaus.

And when they finally realized that it was the Messiah, their hearts would burn within them. And they would go and tell the other disciples. And upon the ascension then of Christ at the end of Luke 24, it says they returned to Jerusalem with great joy. Why? Because the God of truth had presented to them the truth of the kingdom. Truth always promotes joy. It always does. Because that's what truth is designed to do. And then we explain to you that it was the service of God, the service of God that propels joy.

And that's in Luke 21 verse number 17. The service of God propels joy. It moves you to joy. Why? Because you're doing what God has called you to do. And the 70 when they returned, they returned with joy. Because they had been involved in the service of the king. They had served their God. And whenever you serve the Lord and you have his glory as your aspiration, it then propels the joy in your life. And then we told you that it is heaven that perfects your joy. Heaven, the place of God, perfects joy.

At thy right hand are pleasures forevermore, the Bible says. And when you read about how God will say to you, enter now into the joy of the Lord, thou faithful and good steward, you are entering the joy of his presence. Heaven is that which perfects our joy. And then we told you that it was salvation that prompts our joy. It's the salvation of God that prompts our joy. Back in 1 Samuel 2 verse number 1, Hannah rejoiced in the Lord because of his great salvation. Over in Psalm 13 verse number 5, it says these words, Psalm 13 verse number 5, but I have trusted in thy lovingkindness, my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation.

Psalm 20 verse number 5 says this, we will sing for joy over your salvation and in the name of our God we will set up our banners. May the Lord fulfill your petition. Psalm 21 one, O Lord in thy strength the King will be glad and in thy salvation how greatly he will rejoice. So salvation is that which prompts my joy. Why do we tell you all those things? Because the Bible says rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice.

If you're not saved you're not going to have any joy. So many times our happiness depends on the happenings around us, our circumstances around us. We can have a semblance of joy and happiness because yesterday my husband took me out and bought me a new dress and today I get to wear it to church. So there's a semblance of happiness because I received a new dress or my husband took me out and bought me a new car yesterday and I could drive my new car to church today. That brings me a semblance of happiness or I've been without a job for six months and this past week I finally got a job.

Brings joy and yet, yet there's more to life than receiving a new dress, driving a new car and getting a new job. The inner contentment of joy that's supposed to be paramount in the life of a believer on a regular basis. That's why Jesus said to his men, listen I'm glad that you had a semblance of joy when you went out and you did the service in my name. But I don't want you to rejoice only in that. I want you to rejoice steadfastly in this fact that your names are recorded in heaven. You can't just rejoice in your earthly ministry.

You must rejoice primarily in your eternal destiny. You must understand that because your ministry will go up and come down, up and come down. Like your marriage, it's up and it's down. Like your job, it's up and it's down. It's never on the mountaintop. It always fluctuates. But what you have in heaven never fluctuates. It's there forever. Your names are written down in heaven. So joy has been given, joy has been granted, but very few ever get it. How come? Because there are certain things that prevent joy.

Things that keep us from experiencing joy on a regular basis. One is our own sin, right? Sin does that. That's why when David prayed in Psalm 51, he said, restore unto me the joy of my salvation. Because while he was living in sin, listen, as pleasurable as it was for him to have an adulterous affair with Bathsheba, he wouldn't have had the affair if it wasn't pleasurable, right? So he looked on a woman, he lusted after her, he wanted her, so he took her, she came into his chamber, and there was the passing pleasures of sin for a season.

It didn't bring him joy. It brought him a lot of happiness for the moment, because he liked Bathsheba. But when he realized the severity of his sin, and that God's hand was heavy on him for about nine months, Psalm 32 tells us, he realizes that, Lord, I need you to restore to me the joy of my salvation. It wasn't restoring me my salvation, because he was already saved, but the joy was lost because of the sin. So what prevents us from joy? If the angels pronounced it, and the Messiah provides it, and the Spirit produces us, and the truth promotes it, and salvation prompts it, and the kingdom promises it, I can't remember them all, heaven's going to perfect it, what prevents it?

My sin. Sin will always keep you from experiencing the fullness of your joy. It does. So if you're here today, and you are not experiencing the fullness of the joy that God has for you, ask yourself, do I have unconfessed sin in my life? Because sin always prevents joy. And part of that is a grumbling, complaining, discontented life. Paul would say that he rejoiced in the Lord always, but he had learned to be content in every situation that he was in. That's why in Philippians 2 he said, do all things without grumbling and disputing.

Don't be a complainer. Don't be a grumbler. Don't be a griper. Don't do that. Why? Because all that does is disprove that you have been saved to hold forth the truth of God's holy word. He says in Philippians 2 that you got to do all things without grumblings and disputing, because you got to prove yourselves children of light in a crooked and perverse generation. It's a crooked and perverse generation that crumbles, grumbles, and complains, and moans, and groans, and bellyaches, but you, well you have the joy of the Lord.

You have the Lord God that reigns within you. You have the spirit that produces joy. You have the truth that promotes joy. You have that. So whatever you do, don't go through life grumbling, complaining, bickering, and bellyaching, because all that does is disprove that you are a child of the light. That's all it does. And of course that is sin, so that's part of the sin that we commit that prevents joy in our lives. But there's another thing that leads us to what I want to talk about today, and that is there is a confusion about God's sovereignty that prevents the joy in my heart.

Habakkuk was that way. If you read Habakkuk chapter 1, he began to complain, a bellyache, right, groan to God that he would use a wicked, sinful nation to defeat the people of God. God said, I'm going to send the wicked Chaldeans in. They're going to destroy my people. They're going to take them captive, and Habakkuk had a problem with that. God, do you really know what you're doing, that you would use wicked, sinful, pagan people to come in and destroy the chosen people of God? And so in chapter 1 of Habakkuk, he would begin to complain about the sovereign rule of God over the universe.

But when you come to chapter 3 of Habakkuk, he had come to realize that God himself was in complete control, and he learned to find joy in God's saving purposes. But like you and like me, we have a hard time with the sovereign purposes of God, but that's exactly what caused joy in the life of Jesus Christ our Lord. In Luke chapter 10, verses 21 and following, he would rejoice in all that was taking place. Now, think about this. Jesus had a ministry for three years that symbolized, basically, rejection.

He came into his own, his own received him not. And so for the most part, the ministry was a negative ministry, especially among the religious elite, because they turned against him. And we showed you a little bit last week how they had had that grumbling statement that went throughout the crowd that he does what he does by the power of Satan. So they attributed the miracles of God to Satan, and they rejected the Messiah. And for the most part, people did not follow him. And Jesus could have very easily said, you know what, I left my throne in glory.

I came to earth to give my life away, and this is all I got? This is all I'm going to receive? And we told you that by the end of his ministry, we know that in Galilee, he had some 500 nondescript disciples, and there were 120 in the upper room in Acts chapter 2. So about 620 people was the totality of his ministry's effect over three years, day and night, of miraculous healings, miraculous power, and the saving message that he preached. That was it. Not very many people. But yet, a ministry characterized by rejection, hostility, and turmoil, Jesus rejoiced greatly.

He rejoiced greatly. And we told you the reason he rejoiced greatly was because of the sovereign plan of redemption. That was last week. The sovereign plan of redemption. That the Father was pleased with who was being saved. The Father was pleased to devise a plan of salvation that wasn't for the wise and the intelligent, but for the babes, the weak, the lowly, the brokenhearted, the contrite, the poor in spirit, the blind, the imprisoned. And that's who God chose to save. And we told you last week that God has a sovereign plan, that sovereign plan of redemption.

And he always has that throughout Scripture. And I'm going to show you that this morning. But it's important to realize that in that sovereign plan of redemption, we understand the doctrine of election, the doctrine of predestination. And one author said this, and I quote, he began a sermon by saying, I am going to speak tonight on one of the most hated doctrines of the Bible, namely that of God's sovereign election. While the truth of eternal punishment is the one most objectionable to non-professors, that of God's sovereign election is the truth most loathed and reviled by the majority of those claiming to be believers.

Let it be plainly announced that salvation originated not in the will of man, but in the will of God, John 1 13. That were it not so, none would or could be saved. For as a result of the fall, man has lost all desire and will unto that which is good. And that even the elect themselves have to be made willing. And loud will be the cries of indignation against such teaching. And then he says this, merit mongers will not allow the supremacy of the divine will and the impotence, impotency, excuse me, of the human will.

Consequently, they who are the most bitter in denouncing election by the sovereign pleasure of God are the warmest in crying up the free will of fallen man, because he is fallen man wants to assume some responsibility, even if it is a very little for having believed. He desperately wants some credit for having made the right choice. And so as we talk about what brought the father joy and what brings the son joy, it will tell us what's to bring us joy, the sovereign plan of redemption. So important.

The Bible says this way back in the book of Isaiah, Isaiah 43 verse number 10, you are my witnesses, declares the Lord and my servant whom I have chosen in order that you may know and believe me.

God determines who believes and who knows him and understand that I am he before me. There is no God formed and there will be none after me. I, even I am the Lord and there is no savior besides me. It is I who have declared and saved and proclaimed, and there is no strange God among you. So you are my witnesses declares the Lord. And I am God, even from eternity, I am he, and there is none who can deliver out of my hand. I act who can reverse it. Thus says the Lord, your redeemer. The doctrine of election is taught clearly in the Old Testament.

Over in Isaiah 46 verse number 8, remember this and be assured, recall it to mind you transgressors. Remember the former things long past, for I am God and there is no other. I am God and there is no one like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things which have not been done, saying my purpose will be established and I will accomplish all my good pleasure. Calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of my purpose from a far country, truly I have spoken, truly I will bring it to pass.

I have planned it, surely I will do it. The sovereign plan of God and his redemption runs according to his schedule. He's in charge. So much so that Nebuchadnezzar would say these words in Daniel 4 verse number 35, and all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing but he does according to his will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of earth and no one can ward off his hand or say to him what hast thou done. Nebuchadnezzar realized that nobody can say to God what are you doing.

He realized that after he thought that he had built his kingdom and that he had established a kingdom that was a supreme kingdom and God humbled him for seven years, making him crawl like a beast of the earth until he came to his senses and realized that nobody can ever question God. But you know isn't it interesting that we question God all the time? We question him because we think that his sovereign purposes somehow are not right or that somehow God is unjust or that he doesn't do it the way we like it to be done.

And so that very old familiar passage of scripture in the book of Romans it says this, what shall we say then there is no injustice with God is there may it never be. Paul says there is no injustice with God and then he defines his justness by saying this, for he says to Moses I will have mercy on whom I have mercy and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs but on God who has mercy. In other words Paul says very simply God is not unjust.

His justness is defined this way. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. In other words God's justice is defined by this very fact that he does whatever he wants whenever he wants to whoever he wants. That's God's justness. Now we cry from our hearts well that's just not fair but if God was fair we'd all go to hell. God is not fair praise be to Lord but he is just. He is just and he says these words for the scripture says to Pharaoh for this very purpose I raised you up to demonstrate my power in you that my name might be proclaimed throughout the whole earth so that he has mercy on whom he desires and he hardens whom he desires.

God has mercy on the one he desires and he hardens the one he desires. Now we know he hardened Pharaoh's heart right? But we also know that Pharaoh hardened his heart first.

God always hardens the heart of those, listen carefully, who harden their heart first. Always does. All throughout scripture. Those whose hearts are hardened toward God he confirms in their hardness. Oh by the way when you were born you were born dead in your sin stiff-necked rebellious and hard-hearted. That's how you're born and when man decides to harden his heart against God that's what Israel did. Israel did that. The religious elite did that to Jesus Christ and he confirmed them in their hardness to the point where he shut off the light.

That's why he said work while the light is among you for the day is coming where there will be darkness and you'll never see the light. Jesus said while the light is here you need to respond to the light because once the light leaves darkness will engulf your soul and you'll be confirmed in your hardness. And then Paul says this in Romans 9 he says you will say to me then why does he still find fault for he resists his will. In other words you can't blame me at heaven's door for not becoming a Christian because God didn't choose me.

You can't do that really. Paul answers that. On the contrary who are you oh man who answers back to God? Who are you oh man to answer back to God? See we think we have a right to answer back to God. We think that somehow we deserve this right to be able to converse with God debate God over his sovereign purposes. And Paul says who are you oh man and then he gives an illustration that is so clear so concise so to the point that it shows you how minuscule you are. He says this he says the thing molded will not say to the molder why did you make me like this will it or does not the potter have a right over the clay to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use.

In other words when when when when the potter makes what he's going to make a pot a cup that cup does not say why did you make me this way. It is completely ridiculous for this red cup to say to me why do you make me red why did you make me round and not square that would be stupid that would be ridiculous because cups are inanimate objects right number one they can't speak and the gulf between this cup and its maker is infinite it's infinite the gulf between the cup and the maker is infinite it would be ridiculous for the cup to say hey why did you make me this way the gulf between you and God is greater than the gulf between the cup and its maker it's greater because he is a sovereign perfect redeemer of the world the creator of the universe and you are not you're one of the created you're a vessel and the gulf between you and God is greater than between the potter and his cup and the cup's just an inanimate object and then he goes on to say this what if God although willing to demonstrate his wrath and to make his power known endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction and he did so in order that he might make known the riches of his glory upon vessels of mercy which he prepared beforehand for glory someone reads that and say well well God prepared a vessel for destruction and he prepared others for for mercy so that means that God prepared some to go to hell and some to go to heaven because they receive mercy no that's not what it says see well that's what my bible says it says he prepared some vessels as wrath for destruction and some for vessels of mercy for his glory yeah but the first word prepared kartatidza is a word that means to put together but it's used in the passive voice relieving God of all responsibility but the word the second word prepared is proetomadzo which is in the active voice meaning that God is actively involved in making a vessel of mercy so God is actively involved in making vessels of mercy but God didn't hand off in making vessels of destruction because they fit themselves for destruction they fit themselves for destruction why because they love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil 2nd Thessalonians chapter 2 says they do not love the truth they do not want to practice the truth they fit themselves for destruction see bible is very clear that God has a sovereign purpose and why how listen how divine sovereignty and human responsibility fit together I'll never know and neither will you you'll never know that and control freaks that we are we want to figure it out and you can't you can't because the bible teaches both it teaches divine sovereignty and teaches human responsibility listen carefully within the same verse or verses or same paragraph or same chapters for instance if you go to Romans 10 it says if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead you'll be saved if you confess it that's human responsibility whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord Romans 10 13 shall be saved whosoever will that's human responsibility coupled with divine sovereignty in Romans chapter 9 oh in the same verse in John chapter 7 it says verse 37 I'm sorry John 6 verse 37 says all that the father gives me shall come to me that's divine sovereignty and the one who comes to me I will certainly not cast out that's human responsibility and then it says in verse number 44 no one can come to me unless the father who sent me draws him and I will raise him up on the last day that is divine sovereignty then it says in verse 47 truly truly I say to you he who believes has eternal life that's human responsibility over in John chapter 1 it says this in verse 12 but as many as received him to them he gave the right to become children of God even to those who believe in his name that's human responsibility verse 13 who were born not of the blood nor the will of the flesh nor the will of man but of God that's divine sovereignty you see you have human responsibility and divine sovereignty we took that last week in Matthew 11 the same verse in Luke chapter 10 verses 21 to 24 except it doesn't record the joy of the Lord plus it gives an invitation at the end the same thing about God's sovereign plan of redemption and the supernatural power of revelation is given in Matthew 11 but it concludes with coming to me all you that labor and are heavy laden I will give you rest so you have divine sovereignty coupled with human responsibility within the same paragraph within the same teaching of Jesus because man is held responsible for his decision before God that's so clear in scripture and yet no one is saved unless by the will of God so important to understand that and what caused the son to rejoice the father was pleased that there was a remnant that was saved not everybody was being saved it doesn't say the father was pleased because everybody in Israel was saved because the majority of them were not saved but the father took pleasure in those who were saved because he had a divine timetable the predetermined plan of God the names written down in the book of life the land's book of life before the foundation of the world those people were being saved right on schedule as was planned and that brought joy to the son because it brought pleasure to the father that should bring joy to us because everybody God determined is saved will to be saved will be saved unquestionable he's in charge so there was that that that sovereign plan of redemption how come God didn't will everybody to be saved I don't know that I don't know I'm not God I'm just a pot that's all I'm just a vessel and I praise the Lord that I'm a vessel of mercy because God actively involved himself in my life to save me from my sin I praise the Lord for that because I'm so unworthy to be saved I'm such a sinner to be to be saved by grace nothing I ever did to merit that salvation that's what caused the son to rejoice he didn't come to call the righteous but the sinners to repentance and we told you before it wasn't the religious leaders were getting saved it was the prostitutes and the drunkards and the liars and and the tax gatherers and and the and and and those kinds of people who were poverty-stricken spiritually speaking because they recognized they had a need they had no righteousness in themselves and they cried out to God for mercy and God saved them see because he came to preach the gospel to the blind to the brokenhearted to the bound those in prison he came to preach the gospel to those kinds of people so what brought joy to the father was the sovereign plan of redemption and number two remember it was the it was the supernatural power of revelation and we saw that in verse number 22 all things have been handed over to me by my father and no one knows the son except the father and and who the father is is except the son and anyone to whom the son wills to reveal him that's that's a supernatural power revelation that that the son has the power in a supernatural way to reveal the father to those who are poor blind meek broken over the sin you see God gets all the glory and salvation that's why he chose not the wise nor the intelligent but the babes first Corinthians one says that he didn't save many wise or many noble or many rich because he doesn't want them to boast in the fact that they did something to earn their salvation with God God saved the weak God saved the poor God saved the broken so that he would receive all the glory simple as that the son would rejoice over that and the son had the unique unique power because all authority been given to him to reveal the father to us so he told uh he Philip if you've seen the father you've seen if you've seen me you've seen the father and he was the only way to the father there's one mediator between God and man the man Christ Jesus and then it says over in the book of Revelation I think is a unique verse it says in Revelation 3 verse number seven remember there are seven churches in Asia Minor who received seven letters from the spirit of God this one to the the church of Sardis it says in verse number seven and to the angel of the church in Philadelphia right I'm sorry church of Philadelphia he was holy who is true who has the key of David who opens and no one will shut and who shuts and no one will open the Lord says I have the key of David the keys to the kingdom keys give you authority right Revelation 1 he says he has the keys to death and Hades he has all the authority to open and shut you know if he opens it no one can shut it if he shuts it no one can open it that's the Lord God he has that authority to do so he says to Philadelphia I know your deeds behold I have put before you an open door which no one can shut because you have a little power in other words you have meager influence in other words you're part of the poor the blind the broken and nothing nothing at all and you have kept my word and not defied my name or denied my name by the way you have divine sovereignty and human responsibility in those verses you have divine sovereignty because he opens and no one shuts and shuts and no one opens and he opened the door to Philadelphia for them to walk through why because they did not deny his name they kept his word that's human responsibility you see he holds the key to that he reveals the father to the blind the broken the meek the lowly those who are so desperate they need a savior that's a cause of son to rejoice and then he concludes with a benediction this is what we left off last week he concludes with a blessing the chapter began with a commission remember that of these 70 individuals that commission led to their motivation that motivation led to their proclamation that proclamation led to their admonition that admonition led to their jubilation and their jubilation led to christ exaltation and now that exaltation leads to a benediction a blessing pronounced on his people his disciples he says this in Luke chapter 10 verse number 23 and turning to the disciples he said privately blessed are the eyes which see the things you see for i say to you that many prophets and kings wish to see the things which you see and did not see them and to hear the things which you hear and did not hear them there's a there's a blessing pronounced on his men christ blessing his disciples this is a blessing given to all those who see because he says blessed are the eyes not your eyes but the eyes and then he goes on to talk about their particular eyes but blessed are the eyes to see what you see that is everybody who comes after you and sees what you see they receive the same blessing that you receive i rejoice over you i i joy in your joy and i want to bless you because you have seen what others have not seen he wanted to bless them because of their vision and because of the vehicle in which they receive that vision which of course would be through the spirit of god right they saw what kings of old never saw they saw what prophets of old never saw they saw the messiah firsthand they saw the credentials of the messiah firsthand they saw the kingdom presented to the people of israel firsthand they saw all they would eventually see the death of their messiah they then would see the resurrection of their messiah they then would see the ascension of their messiah they would begin to see the church age the kingdom age in its fullest sense as christ would preach them about the kingdom things that the kings of old and the prophets of old never saw they wondered about they're mysteries of the old testament concealed in the old revealed in the new we have seen those things you are so blessed because you have seen my saving power you have seen in a supernatural way the grace of god at work you have seen how your names are written down in in glory you have seen things that those of old wish oh they wish they could have seen they never saw when he was 11 all those people in the hall of faith they never obtained the promise oh they believed in the promise they just never obtained it they never got there because it had not been given yet but they believed in what they had not seen they believed in the word of god but you your vision is clear you've seen the truth you've seen the messiah you've seen his salvation you have seen the grace of god at work the sacred secrets of the old testament had not been revealed in the old but had been revealed to you oh blessed are your eyes for you have seen the salvation of the lord blessed because everybody wished they could see what you saw they should get that blessing remember what what jesus said about john the baptist there there is not a man born of a woman greater than john the baptist greater than king david greater than moses greater than elijah elijah isaiah jeremiah he is greater than them all there's not a man born of a woman greater than john the baptist he's the man and yet and yet those who are least in the kingdom are greater than john wow well that's you and me that's pretty great how could it be greater than john because we have seen what john never saw have we seen it with the physical eye no sort of bios is blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see god he has seen with the spiritual eye a vision that that the scales have been removed so we can truly see the glorious gospel of christ and we can believe in what he has said and those of us who are least in the kingdom are greater because we saw what john never saw we understand not only that christ can remember john was even confused are you the coming one he had to send some disciples back well i'm not sure because i'm in prison i don't understand why am i in prison if you're the one coming with fire because he didn't understand the kingdom age the church age we do he didn't understand the difference between the two comings of the messiah we do he came once to redeem he comes the second time to set up his kingdom we understand we get that we understand we know everything to the end revelation 22 we know it all because we've seen it and our eyes are blessed because others just never saw that but they believed they believed but you and me oh how blessed we are now get this remember back in luke chapter 2 on the eighth day of the birth of christ when they came to present him at the temple there was a man there by the name of simeon listen carefully who had been given a promise remember the promise you shall not die until you see the lord's christ the spirit of god gave him a promise you will not die until you see the lord's messiah and that day in the temple there are thousands upon thousands of people how would simeon know mary and joseph whom he never met before that they carried in their arms baby jesus not because he had a little glow over his head how would he know unless the spirit of god revealed it to him unless he could see what god allowed him to see he saw it took the baby in his arms and what did he say let me read to you what he said luke chapter 2 he said these words now lord thou dost let thy bondservant depart in peace according to thy word for my eyes have seen thy salvation lord i can die because i have seen what you have promised to me i've seen it the salvation of the lord the light of revelation of the gentiles i've seen it symbolically he pictures to us those who are the elect of god because god promises that the elect will never die until they see the lord's christ and once they see him what's their response i can die there's nothing else to see i've seen the salvation of the lord i can depart now what you have promised me you gave and when you get saved you realize that your name was written in the book of life the land's book of life from the foundation of the world and the rejoicing you have in your heart because god decided to save you should go off the charts because we are so unworthy but it did for that we are joyful let's pray father thank you for today the opportunity we have to study your blessed word our prayer is that our lives would be true to your word we'd follow you and serve you honor you glorify you and pray father that because we have seen what others have not seen we are so truly blessed as your children help us to live in the light of that blessing by rejoicing over all that you've done in our lives particularly the saving work of the gospel you pray in jesus name amen