Intro:
1. Kurt Kaiser wrote, the hymn Pass it on.
“It only takes a spark to get a fire going
And soon all those around can warm up in its glowing.
That’s how it is with Gods love, once you’ve experienced it
You spread His love to everyone; you want to pass it on.”
2. There were some believers who has been set on fire by Christ Himself, they passed that onto Luke, who in turns passed it on to Theophilus, who obviously passed it on to the
Church at large [Luke/Acts], and in the next few months, I will pass it onto you, in hopes that you will pass it on too.
3. Pass it on.
Luke 1:1-4 (NKJV)
1 Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us,
2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us,
3 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,
4 that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed.
I. First, he was Indebted to Eyewitnesses. 1:1-2
A. The Investigation. [Luke was a good historian]
1. Many Eyewitnesses – we get our English word autopsy from this Greek word.
Lit. “Seeing with one’s own eye.” These were people who saw Jesus with own eyes.
1 John 1:1-3 (NKJV)
1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life--
2 the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us--
3 that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.
2. Many Ministers of the word – there is one article in Greek, making there one and the same.
Bible Handbook, “As the number of Jesus followers grew, and Christian groups sprang up in many places after Jesus death, it soon became apparent that the stories and teaching of Jesus which were circulating by word of mouth must be written down.”
B. The Inspiration. 2 Tim. 3:16-17
to write to you – v. 3
Crawford, “Why would the Holy Spirit allow an inspired writer to research sources and gather material when every word of Scriptures is from God? The difficulty is in the mind of the questioner, for he is confusing the instrument with the product. God used many different methods to disclose His truth (Heb.1:1), but the doctrine of inspiration applies to the writings of Scripture (2 Pet. 1:21).”
Trans: Point, believers who has personal contact with Jesus passed on that information to Luke and others. At the beginning of the Reformation, Martin of Basle, from Switzerland came to see the truth of Justification by faith in Christ alone. He was saved, but because of the formal church he was afraid to share that truth.
He wrote down these words: “O merciful Christ, I know that I can be saved only by the merit of Thy blood. Holy Jesus I love you.” And then removed a stone from the wall and hit it there! It was not discovered for more then 100 years.
Martin Luther discovered the same truth but instead of hiding it, he passed it on.
II. Furthermore, it was Intended for a most Excellent. 3
A. His Importance.
Most excellent Theophilus – theo = God; phileo = love, thus it has the idea of one who loves God or is a God lover.
Most excellent is used of high Roman officials – Ac. 24:3; 26:25
B. His need for Reassurance. 4
that you may know the certainty of – from this we can assume that Theophilus was already a believer, and this was sort of a follow-up information.
Swindoll, “It’s one thing to help deliver a newborn Christian into God’s family, but it’s another thing entirely to safety bring up that baby believer in the Lord. In Luke’s day, false teachers roamed the cities like bandits, stealing away defenseless minds. “Feel-good” religious clichés wouldn’t be strong enough to safeguard Theophilus; so Luke set out to surround him with rock solid truth, providing him a sheltered place in which to grow.”
So we have Luke Passing it on to Theophilus…
2 Timothy 2:2 (NKJV)
2 And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.
The runner for the Special Olympic, 400 meter dash were being helped to get their marks. A man in the stands was yelling “Lenny! Lenny!” The gun sounded and all except for Lenny took off. He looked determined but it took a while for him to get going. The man persisted, “See there! That’s my son, Lenny. Isn’t he doing great!”
Lenny still giving it all he had was in dead last place. After all the other runners had finished, Lenny was still throwing his fits in the air, stumbling toward the finished line. He finally finished, the man in the stands, now at the finished line. He hugged Lenny saying, “Great job, Lenny! Way to go, son. Keep it up!” Lenny smiled, exhausted, drooling, and a winner.
Whether God gives you the dignity of Theophilus or a drooling Lenny, find someone to pass it onto.
III. Finally, Instructed with Exactness. 3
A. Accurately – perfect means accurately. 2 Tim. 3:16
You cannot count on what the politicians say, or even the history books, or what you hear on the radio or TV. The only, totally perfect, reliable source is God’s Word.
If your Bible had a voice, “I would like a job as tutor, teacher, and advisor to your family. I will never take a vacation; I will be up in the morning as early as anyone in the household, and I will stay up as late as you wish, I will help solve any problems your children might have.
I will answer any of your own questions on the subject that range from “How did we get here? And “where are we headed?” I will help settle disputes and differences of opinion. I will give you information that will help you with your job, your family, and all of your other interests. In short, I will give you the knowledge that will ensure the continued well-being of your family. I am your Bible. Do I get the job?”
B. Systematically. “orderly account”
Luke will systematically give us a logically laid-out picture of Jesus Christ. It is sort of an everything you wanted to know about Jesus Christ but was afraid to ask.
Theophilus passed this wonderful word about Jesus Christ. What if he had received the gospel of Luke and Acts, and then decided to keep it for himself?
In the Movie Dead Poets Society English teacher John Keating introduces his students to the classic poets.
One by Walt Whitmas:
“Oh me! Oh life!...of the questions of these recurring;
Of the endless trains of the faithless – of cities filled with the foolish;
What good amid these, Oh me, Oh life?
Answer: That you are here – that life exists and identity;
That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse…
The he asks “And what will your verse be?”
We are here to contribute a verse…a Bible verse! What a wonderful example of a man who shared with us so many verses.
Con:
1. Indebted to Eyewitnesses; Intended for a Most Excellent; and Instructed with Exactness.
2. Pass it on! Those witnesses did! Luke did! Theophiluls did! Do we? As we study it, will we pass it on and make a real difference in someone’s life?
3. The movie About Schmidt, about warren Schmidt, a man who leads a life of quiet desperation. He retires and looks back to a meaningless life, and forward, to a meaningless retirement.
One day while watching TV he sees a commercial about helping underprivileged children in Tanzania. He sponsors a child named Ndugu, and faithfully sends money, writing letters to him.
Warren comes home one day to an empty house and realizes how empty his life is – his arm is full of impersonal junk mail. He begins to write a letter to the child.
“I know were all pretty small in the scheme of things, and I guess the best you can hope for is to make some kind of difference. What difference have I made? What in the world is better because of me? I am weak, and I am a failure. There’s just no getting around it.
Real soon I will die. Maybe 20 years – maybe tomorrow – it doesn’t matter. Once I am dead, and everyone who knew me dies, it is as though I never existed. What difference has my life made to anyone? None that I can think of. Hope things are fine with you.
Yours truly, Warren”
About that time he notices a letter from Tanzania amidst the junk mail. It is a letter from a nun who works in the orphanage where 6 year Ndugu lives. She tells Warren that the boy thinks of him every day, and hopes he is happy.
Included is a picture drawn by the boy – two stick people smiling and holding hands. Warren is overcome as he realizes that he has finally made a difference.
Passing it on, is not only good for those we pass it onto, but it is good for those who pass it on also.
Johnny Palmer Jr.
www.strugglingthruscriptures.ning.com
www.blogtalkradio.com/strugglingthruscriptures
