Thank You Lord, for Saving My Soul: 2016 Gospel of Luke #39
This exposition of Luke 10:17-24 by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday morning, November 27, 2016.
Intro:
When I was a kid I remember coming to church and there would be a guest preacher. This preacher was different. He wore funny clothes, talked about far away places and gave a slide presentation. For those of you who are younger, a slide presentation is an ancient form of PowerPoint that came out just after cave drawings. This visiting preacher was a missionary. He was here to give a report of what God was doing through our convention and with the gifts given through the Cooperative Program. Such reports have a long tradition. We find the apostle Paul giving reports in the New Testament to those church who supported his mission work. We find it also in the life and ministry of the Lord Jesus in passages like our text telling of the return of the 72 who had been sent out. Our text this morning is found in Luke 10 beginning with Luke 10:17.
Text: Luke 10:17-24
These 72 missionaries returned overflowing with joy and excitement about what God had done through them. It is clear that their report that they are beside themselves. Part of that joy no doubt had to do with what they had expected. Remember as they were sent out our Lord said, “I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves.” Not the kind of language that indicates rousing success! Further they were told what to do when they were rejected. In Luke 10:10 our Lord said, “Whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you…” It wasn’t, “If some town does not receive you” but “When a town does not receive you.” They went out expecting rejection, expecting hostility and an uphill battle. Yet, there is not a note of failure in their report! Of course that doesn’t mean that everyone accepted them and their message but it does tell us that whatever rejection they experienced was small compared to the success they experienced. They are overjoyed with what happened. Let’s look together at their report. Luke 10 beginning at Luke 10:17.
This is an appropriate text for today given this is thanksgiving weekend.
As we work our way through the passage I want you to note that…
Thesis: As a child of God you have much to be thankful for not the least of which is His grace given to you in salvation.
There are two things I want us to note from this text.
- You must not glory in the fact God gives you power and authority to serve Him but that He has given you eternal life. (10:17-20)
- You must recognize, rejoice and give thanks for the sovereignty of God in salvation and His grace extended to you. (10:21-24)
Conclusion:
If you are a child of God it is all because of grace. You didn’t earn it, you don’t deserve it, you didn’t figure it out – God has graciously opened your eyes to the truth and in simple faith you have believed. How wonderful is this? Luke 10:23 and 24 answer that – Then turning to the disciples he said privately, Blessed are the eyes that see what you see!24 For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.
As a child of God you have much to be thankful for not the least of which is His grace given to you in salvation.