Sermon # 67 Luke Sermons

Title: Be Sure of This

Text: Luke 10:8-16

Subject: The Sending Out of The Seventy

Date: Sunday Evening – December 2, 2001

Tape # W-72b

Readings: Ron Wood – Merle Hart

Introduction:

Luke alone was inspired of the Holy Spirit to record the event describe in the first part of Luke 10. He tells us of the Lord Jesus sending out seventy unnamed men into the cities into which he was about to come. These men were sent with the message of his grace, sent to preach the gospel, because he was about to come to these places himself.

(Luke 10:1) "After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come."

You can mark this down: -- Whenever and wherever, to whomsoever the Lord Jesus Christ is about to come in saving power, mercy and grace, he will send a man to that place and to that person preaching the gospel! – This is God’s chosen, ordained method of grace; and he does not depart from it.

(Luke 10:2-7) "Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: -- pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest. {3} Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves. {4} -- Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes: and salute no man by the way. {5} And into whatsoever house ye enter, first say, Peace be to this house. {6} And if the son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon it: if not, it shall turn to you again. {7} And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the labourer is worthy of his hire. -- Go not from house to house."

Now, let’s pick up in verse 8.

(Luke 10:8-16) "And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you: {9} And heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. {10} But into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you not, go your ways out into the streets of the same, and say, {11} Even the very dust of your city, which cleaveth on us, we do wipe off against you: notwithstanding be ye sure of this, that the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. {12} But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable in that day for Sodom, than for that city. {13} Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon, which have been done in you, they had a great while ago repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. {14} But it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment, than for you. {15} And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted to heaven, shalt be thrust down to hell. {16} He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me."

Proposition: These nine verses contain lessons we need to lay to heart and remember, as we seek to serve Christ and the souls of men in this world.

I. The first thing to be learned from these verses is a lesson commonly ignored, despised and neglected in the religious world. We have before us in verses 8-11 a very clear display of the simplicity of the gospel.

How I wish I could get men to understand this! – The gospel of God’s free, sovereign, saving grace in Christ is the most profound thing in the universe. It is a mystery of such depth and wisdom that the angels of God desire to look into it. It is such a wonder that we shall spend eternity learning its wonders.

· Darius’ Dilemma

· Just and Justifier

· Substitution

(1 Corinthians 15:1-3) "Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; {2} By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. {3} For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures."

The gospel is an mystery of infinite proportions. But the preaching of the gospel and the faith of the gospel, believing Christ is a matter of utter simplicity (2 Cor. 11:2-4).

(2 Corinthians 11:2-4) "For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. {3} But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity (SINGLENESS – Galatians 1:6-9) that is in Christ. {4} For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.”

When our Master sent out these 70 men back here in Luke 10, he gave them a very plain, simple, singular task.

A. They were sent out to serve the souls of men, not to be served by men.

(Luke 10:8-9) "And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you. And heal the sick that are therein."

· Live modestly.

· Be easily satisfied.

· Heal the sick.

Now, look at the last line of verse 9. – “And say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you."

B. These men were sent out to proclaim a very plain, singular, vital message to eternity bound sinners. –“The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.”

· Simple, plain preaching.

· Bold, earnest preaching.

· Urgent, pressing preaching.

· Confrontational, decisive preaching.

Would to God preachers would quit trying to reason men and women into faith. Sinners cannot be reasoned into faith. They can be reasoned into religion, but not into Christ. The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but spiritual.

C. We must not be discouraged, or turned aside from our great work because some refuse to believe.

(Luke 10:10-11) "But into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you not, go your ways out into the streets of the same, and say," (11) "Even the very dust of your city, which cleaveth on us, we do wipe off against you: notwithstanding be ye sure of this, that the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you."

(Romans 3:3-4) "For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? {4} God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged."

The first lesson is this: The preaching of the gospel is a matter of singularity (the message), simplicity (the method), and sincerity (the manner).

II. Second, in verses 12-15, our Lord Jesus gives us a tremendous display of divine sovereignty.

(Luke 10:12-15) "But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable in that day for Sodom, than for that city. {13} Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon, which have been done in you, they had a great while ago repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. {14} But it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment, than for you. {15} And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted to heaven, shalt be thrust down to hell."

Here our Savior shows us that the Lord God almighty, in his sovereignty and wisdom hides the gospel from some and reveals it to others, as he will. In other words, he has mercy on whom he will, and whom he will he hardens. I know this is the meaning of our Lord’s words here because he tell us so in a similar passage back in Matthew 11.

(Matthew 11:20-24) "Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not: {21} Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. {22} But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you. {23} And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. {24} But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee."

(Matthew 11:25-27) "At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. {26} Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight. {27} All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him."

Does this mean that man has no responsibility for his own soul? Certainly not! Look at verses 28-30.

(Matthew 11:28-30) "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. {29} Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. {30} For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

Let’s turn back to Luke 10.

III. The third lessons taught in theses verses is this: -- If you go to hell, it will be altogether your own fault, your own doing.

The wages of sin is death. There is not a soul in hell who raises his proud head and declares to the Almighty, “I am damned because I wanted to trust you, I wanted to believe on Christ, but you would not give me grace, you would not give me faith, you would not save me.” – Read verse 12-15 again.

A. The most abominable evil in this world is unbelief.

(1 John 5:10) "He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son."

B. If you go to hell, you will have no one to blame but yourself!

You are responsible for, and you shall be held accountable for every gospel sermon you ever heard or could have heard, for every ray of light you have despised, and for every witness of truth you have spurned.

Illustration: The Hounds of Hell

IV.Here is one more lesson. It is found in verse 16. – Faithful Gospel preachers are God’s ambassadors to your soul.

(Luke 10:16) "He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me."

(2 Corinthians 5:20-21) "Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. {21} For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."

(2 Corinthians 6:1) "We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain."