Jesus on a Mission #2

Listen, you should praise God for what I'm about to say God did not leave your redemption up to whether you would initiate the first step or not God had his eye on you from the beginning of time and it was certain that you would be brought into his family for the Lord Jesus. There never was a man he came to die for us, hopeless sinners and he did not and could not fail. That's the point.

Pastor Don green will again drive home today on the truthfulness.

I feel right today. Don completes the portrait of our Savior, as detailed by the gospel writer Luke, a Gentile physician would look at the beginning of the story and we began to look at the middle.

So let's complete the picture as we arrive. Ultimately, at the crucifixion there is done with part two of Jesus on a mission from the truthful, the Lord Jesus Christ transcends all of us, then this magnet for some transcendence.

He carries out this plan with the intention that his life would be a sacrifice for you and me that his blood would cover the sins of those who would come to him with the intention brothers and sisters in Christ, with the intention to take all of this inexpressible magnitude and to convey it to the blessing of his people because I was part of the divine plan. I don't know about you, I don't know how anyone can respond with indifference to that you be indifferent to that is not just captivate your soul and say this is the one I must know and why did it have to be Jerusalem. Look at Luke 13 Luke 13 verse 33 Jesus said, I must see the word again right you'll see that I must for letters you see it right. It's okay, you cannot. You can let me know your tracking with okay you say it right.

I must journey on today and tomorrow in the next day for it cannot be that a prophet would perish outside of Jerusalem wisely going to Jerusalem because that's where he was supposed to go.

It was, according to divine compulsion, the divine plan, the divine mission that he goes knowing what lies ahead. So you see beloved Jesus did not spend his life reacting to unforeseen circumstances.

He wasn't continually dialing up Plan B and plan C. He was on plan A, from beginning to end.

This was all according to the divine plan that God had determined for his son Jesus and saying I must do this is expressing the fact that he was willingly acting upon divine obligation thing about this is kind of occurred to me, Jesus Christ. It was utterly unthinkable to Jesus Christ to stray an iota from the divine will that convict you like it does me in terms of how how we view the word of God. How we view the law of God, how how how casually we can set it aside when it's to our convenience when it's contrary to our desires, the Lord Jesus Christ. It was unthinkable to stray from the will of God. He's here that's unthinkable where here, casual matter to us. Sometimes is that the way it should. P.

Shouldn't our approach in our thinking of submission to the word of God somehow start to be elevated and conform to the attitude that Christ had to the will of God.

I must do this. It should be on our heart that when we see Scripture clearly I must have what I excuse myself from an obligation, the Christ himself would not excuse from himself even more surgically why would I want to. What does that say about those motions of sin in your heart that this would even be an option to what is it say about my heart. See at so many levels. We see the exalted nature of Christ as he carries out the divine mission. Look at Luke chapter 17 verse 24, Jesus reemphasizes what we saw in Luke 13, looking toward his second coming. He says in Luke 17 verse 24, just like the lightning when it flashes out one part of the sky shines to the other part of the sky, so will the Son of Man be in his day.

Okay, that's cool as can be glorious. That'll be spectacular.

That'll be fireworks like no one's ever seen before. Verse 25 but first before we get to that glory. Jesus says, speaking of himself in the third person, he says, but first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation must has to be this way. Now and so Jesus sees this great macro plan from the beginning to the end all points in between and as he marches through in his earthly life is teaching his disciples. This is what's going to happen and it's going to happen because it must happen. It must happen because this is what God determined to be so there's this great macro plan. This great overarching sense of divine compulsion that you can step back and see from the space shuttle view and you see the whole thing laid out and you see the majesty of it all and you see the grand design from beginning to end. Watch this watch what comes next.

This isn't simply a macro plan. It's a micro plan as well. Look at Luke chapter 19 Luke chapter 19 in the story of Zacchaeus, who most of you know was a wee little man, Luke 19 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through and there was a man called by the name of Zacchaeus.

He was a chief tax collector, and he was rich.

Zacchaeus was trying to see who Jesus was and was unable because of the crowd, for he was small in stature, so he is trying to seize trying to peek over and he can't and so there's a sense of urgency on Zacchaeus's heart. So in verse four he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree in order to see Christ for Christ was about to pass through that way you get the pictures pretty vivid story with verse five when Jesus came to the place he looked up and said to him, Zacchaeus, hurry and come down for today I must stay at your house. There was a divine appointment with a single man by name in this great earthly life that is it fulfilling the eternal plan of God that eternal plan of God included one man by name.

On that day in that tree universal view of this plan, universal in the sense of wide-ranging scope down to the detail of a particular man who would have been despised by everyone around him because of his station in life. Jews hated tax collectors and yet there is a divine appointment. Jesus says Zacchaeus I got to be with you. I must be with you tonight and so it's not just that Jesus was on a plan of general redemption. Jesus was on a plan of particular redemption. It wasn't just mankind in general. He was after people by name all part of the divine plan and the urgency that was in Zacchaeus's heart to see Jesus was part of it.

You see the whole force of divine history was moving not only on Jesus but in Zacchaeus so that he would be there at just that moment.

That's how great the divine plan of redemption is when you and I came to Christ.

It wasn't any different.

There was a divine appointment certain to be taken place.

Listen, you should praise God for what I'm about to say God did not leave your redemption up to whether you would initiate the first step or not God had his eye on you from the beginning of time and it was certain that you would be brought into his family must must Jesus's time with Zacchaeus was a divine necessity. Jesus had to bring salvation to him because it was the will of God was the will of the father and Jesus was always obeying the will of his father. See my labor over this point, not necessarily in this room is so many resist this most glorious truth. Zacchaeus was no surprise to Christ. This was no accident. This wasn't Zacchaeus taking the first step. It was a divine appointment. The Jesus was certain to fulfill any did verse six Zacchaeus hurried and came down and received and gladly that joy being a mark of the work of God in his heart when they saw verse seven.

They all began to grumble saying he's gone to be the guest of a man who was a sinner.

Talk about people who are missing the point. They're concerned about ceremonial defilement while they are observing the outworking of the eternal plan of God.

And it's no different today as people watch the proclamation of the gospel in market as people disregard the Scriptures while people are getting saved around them. They are completely blind to the fact that a divine plan is working out and they're worried about who's going to be the next hero on American Idol. It's so trivial when you see it from this perspective, we have a change in the ensuing 2000 years as a race. Verse eight Zacchaeus stop said to the Lord. Behold, Lord half of my possessions, I will give to the poor. Five defrauded anyone of anything.

I'll give four times as much back divine work of repentance in his heart. Greedy tax collectors didn't do that sort of thing some miracle, verse nine, Jesus said today salvation has come to this house because he too is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. What is this divine plan. Jesus Christ is here on earth coming to seek and to save that which was lost up to bring us prosperity, not to give indiscriminate signs to people who would never believe anyway. A divine plan divine rescue mission lost sinners headed for judgment suddenly have a champion on the scene. There is no surprise. The train was pulling into the station right on schedule and so in light of what we've seen when Christ was crucified. We already know. By the time we get to that account. In the gospel. Nothing was going wrong. It was a plan being fulfilled to perfection. Look at Luke chapter 23 verse 46. Our verb is not in this voice the verb.

The Greek verb that we've been focusing on here, but you get a window into the divine plan.

When Jesus hanging on the cross.

In Luke 23 verse 46 he cried out with a loud voice and said father into your hands I commit my spirit. The words of the Old Testament prophet on his lips fulfilling even in his dying breath. The divine plan of God fulfilling even in his final moment yes beloved. From the moment of his conception in Matthew chapter 1 to his dying breath. Here in Luke 23 Jesus under the authority of the plan of God under the authority of the word of God. Jesus fulfilling divine prophecy to the letter to perfection. Not one jot not one tittle will be left undone.

Matthew 517 through 20. Don't think that I came to abolish the law I came to fulfill it. And so is crucified for sinners slain three days later he comes out of the grave and in the announcement of the resurrection the same theme of the divine plan is expressed once more.

Verse six. He is not here, but he has risen.

Remember how he spoke to you while he was still in Galilee saying that here it is again the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful man and be crucified, and on the third day rise again in verse eight. They remembered his words. After his death in the resurrection. Remember this is the divine plan, it must happen that had to occur this way to look for them here. Divine plan is moved into its next stage, so the beginning, the middle now we come to the end.

The end of the gospel, really, of course, not the end of the life of Christ because he's a son of God eternally now living ascended at the right hand of heaven interceding for us, even as we speak here today for he ever lives to make intercession for his saints. The majesty of the glory of Christ, the majesty of of our Savior, the majesty of our salvation. We have a brother in heaven who has fulfilled the divine plan, and now he pleads for us. He intercedes for us. He represents us before the holy throne of God having fulfilled this divine plan with our salvation now accomplished, merely waiting for him to return and bring it to its ultimate consummation in our final glorification. That's the divine plan, but now point number three. The end that sounded like the end. That wasn't the end that I have in mind here because there's more.

Even in the gospel of Luke forced to see point number three.

The end. That's where you're with me on the your notes right Jesus interpreted his earthly life after his resurrection for the men on the road to Emmaus. Look at Luke chapter 24 you remember the story won't go over it all, these two men were with Jesus, but they didn't recognize him, they didn't know who they were talking to verse 16, Luke 24 verse 16. Their eyes were prevented from recognizing him. And Jesus said to them, what are these words that you're exchanging with one another's or walking on the way and they stood still, looking sad until they tell him their sad tale. Verse 20 the chief priests and our rulers crucified him. We were hoping he was going to redeem Israel but it's the third day since these things happen. Verse 22. Some women amazed us.

They were at the tomb. They didn't find her body, they saw the vision verse 24. Some of them went to the tomb. They found it. Just like the women in Sabbath him they did not see.

It's also confusing to us on what we don't know what to make of it. Verse 25 Jesus with certain element of rebuke in his voice, said to them all foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken. Verse 26. Here's our verb again. Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and enter into his glory was necessary, don't you cat. It verse 27 then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, he explained to them the things concerning himself and all scriptures. I'm fulfilling what Moses and the prophets said would happen, the word of God cannot fail. Nothing will be left behind when it's all gathered up at the end you'll find that I fulfilled every single thing that my father sent me to do. Why was this necessary it's necessary. Beloved, because the word of God cannot fail the word of God must be fulfilled. Look at Luke 24 verse 44, Luke 24 verse 44 now, he said to them, these are my words which I spoke to you while I was still with you that all things which are written about me in the law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled. The threefold division of the Hebrew Bible. Everything that's in there. It had to be fulfilled. It must be fulfilled. God, our God, the God of the universe sees the end from the beginning he does what no one else can do and sets it forth in motion a plan throughout the ages, that is certain in its fulfillment. What he speaks, must come to pass because he is a God of truth and his word, cannot fail God said these things will occur. Christ came, they had to occur, it must be fulfilled. God planned redemption before time began, brothers and sisters in Christ, your Christian today because God planned it that way, you are on the receiving end of unspeakable grace, unspeakable power, unspeakable mercy, unspeakable love, you are on the receiving end of the mercy of a reconciling God to which you had no claim, and having given it to you in the divine plan.

He's not gonna take it away is not a reverse course. It's yours forever and you can see how Luke ends his gospel to bring us to exactly that point, you should worship with joy.

Luke 24 verse 50. Jesus led them out as far as Bethany and he lifted up his hands and he blessed them while he was blessing them. He parted from them, and was carried up into heaven and they after worshiping him return to Jerusalem with great joy and were continually in the temple, praising God.

There you go.

There's your heart. Response this is the framing disposition of your Christian life. From this moment forward, out with the doubt out with the anxieties out with the bitterness and anger of past disappointments out with it all. Our response yours and mine, to this great accomplishment of Christ revealed in the gospel of Luke is one of worship. One of great joy. One of great praise. This is how we think about life. Now that we see the divine plan carried out in Christ and applied arts say it one more time. What a great salvation and with that pastor Don Greene has concluded a study in Luke called Jesus on a mission on the truth Paul next time we move into the book of John as we focus on the deity of Jesus and round out our look at four portraits of Christ will done is you've emphasized throughout the past few broadcasts. The plans of God cannot be foiled.

The crucifixion was not a plan gone awry. Rather, it was God's sovereign will. From before the foundations of the earth. So what is his sovereignty imply for each individual believer.

My brother or sister in Christ, God's sovereignty means that you can be confident in his purposes for your life. He didn't save you now simply to abandon you later. Scripture says that he who began a good work and you will complete it until the day of Christ Jesus.

He causes all things to work together for good to those who have turned to Christ.

And so even if your life is difficult now I friend you can rest in Christ.

He has the power and the love to accomplish everything that concerns you. Thanks.and friend. We hope you'll visit us@thetruthofthe.com you can learn how to get a free CD copy of today's lesson. Again, that's at the truth, called a.com ideal right inviting you back next time. When Don Greene presents more from the truth