John the b

MAL Behold, I send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me.
JN There was a man #sent from God, whose name was #John. This man came for a #witness, to bear witness of the Light, #that all through him might believe. #He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
MK As #it is written #in the Prophets:

“Behold, I send #My messenger before Your face,
Who will prepare Your way before You.
The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the LORD;
Make His paths straight.’”

LK There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named #Zacharias, of #the division of Abijah. His wife was of the #daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was #barren, and they were both well advanced in years.
So it was, that while he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division, according to the custom of the priesthood, #his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. And the whole multitude of the people was praying outside at the hour of incense. Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and #fear fell upon him.

This is a proof of the truth that God is soverin and He alone controls all there is.  Even the superstorm in the Philippines wow 10,000 dead.  SO I want to taalk a bit on that.  Is death a bad thing?  I do not think it is for the people that know the Lord and if you do very good day.  But if you do not know Jesus you death is very hard as you do not go into heaven and go to hell.  10000 people died in a storm.  How bout you and you death.  God is going to take you one day.  Have you lied?  Have you stole anything?  Jesus said that is you hate anyone you kill?  Do you hate anyone? 

So If you did any of the thing you broke the laws of God and when you die you go to court and how is you plea?  If God is just and right and good your going to plead guilty and have to pay for your lies and hate in hell forever?  If that conserns you then maybe you need to look to Jesus who died for you and will pay your fine.



But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for #your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name #John. And you will have #joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink #neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, #even from his mother’s womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. He will also go before Him #in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to #turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

Do not be afraid?  I think I would be if a angel showed up and began to chat with me.  How could you not be.  And John is going to be called one of the greatest man to live be Jesus who is God.  Wow.  He is going to prepare the way for the Lord of all to be on earth.  He is not to take strong drink.  If you want to be controlled by the Lord and not wine that is a good thing.  I do not think it is a wrong thing for a christian to drink but if you get drunk you cross the line.  Drunks are on the list that do not go to heaven andif this is a habit friend I ask you to make sure you are saved.  But for me I am not going to drink because I do not want to ever be drunk and I want my life to be done for the Lord.

And Zacharias said to the angel, “#How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.” And the angel answered and said to him, “I am #Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings. But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time.”

I want to look at the forerunner of Jesus John but the book I am doing this gives a lot of stuff that I do not think I am going to hit on.  I may.  I want you to think of times you pray and the times you ask and you get a surprize and God gives you what you ask for.  In this part Johns dad asks for a kid and when the angel said that God is going to do it He is not expecting it.  Do we pray thinking the Lord is going to do as we ask.  And sometimes He gives what we thought we wanted when we really do not need it.  When the Lord gives do we thank him?  Or do we doubt.

And the people waited for Zacharias, and #marveled that he lingered so long in the temple. But when he came out, he could not speak to them; and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple, for he beckoned to them and remained speechless.
 So it was, as soon as the #days of his service were completed, that he departed to his own house. Now after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived; and she #hid herself five months, saying, “Thus the Lord has dealt with me, in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.”





MAL Behold, I send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me.
JN There was a man #sent from God, whose name was #John. This man came for a #witness, to bear witness of the Light, #that all through him might believe. #He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
MK As #it is written #in the Prophets:

false teachers series Joyce Meyers

Here are some things on false teachers

HOW TO SPOT A WOLF
We all need discernment, biblical discernment.  The only way to have this is to read and know God’s Word.  There is no substitute.  Here are 7 tips to help you spot a wolf.

1. They misuse the Bible.  
2. God speaks to them frequently.
3. They take and spend a lot of money for themselves.
4. If you give to their ministry God will return even greater blessing to you in the future.
5. They talk about themselves–a lot.
6. They have no real accountability.
7. They frequently reference the size of the crowd to validate God’s anointing on them and their ministry.
   

Meyers

JOYCE MEYER

When I first heard her tell her story I was deeply moved and impressed.  She is an amazing example of overcoming hurts and abuse.  She will forever have my admiration and respect in that regard.  Furthermore, she gives spectacular advice.  If my wife or if one of my daughters went to her in a moment of crisis, I believe they would return with magnificently helpful advice.  If they went to her for teaching, they would return with deadly heresy.
False Doctrine
1.  She teaches that Jesus literally stopped being the Son of God on the Cross:  http://craigbrownsreformedtheology.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/clip-6-joyce-meyer.mp3

“He could have helped himself up until the point where he said I commend my spirit into your hands, at that point he couldn’t do nothing for himself anymore. He had become sin, he was no longer the Son of God. He was sin.”   Joyce Meyer

2.  She teaches that Jesus went to Hell and became the first-born again man:  http://craigbrownsreformedtheology.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/clip-7-joyce-meyer.mp3

“Do you know something? The minute that blood sacrifice was accepted Jesus was the first human being that was ever born again. Now that was real it happened when he was in hell.”

3.  She teaches that Jesus paid for our sins in Hell:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwNfOaxIcOM

“There is no hope of anyone going to heaven unless they believe this truth I am presenting. You cannot go to heaven unless you believe with all your heart that Jesus took your place in hell”  Joyce Meyer (The Most Important Decision You Will Ever Make) 

4.  She teaches that words have power and you can release the power of Heaven through your words:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DInxKmfgts0
5.  She teaches that you need special revelation from God to understand what she teaches because it is NOT contained in the Bible: http://craigbrownsreformedtheology.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/clip-2-joyce-meyer.mp3

“The Bible can’t even find any way to explain this. Not really. That’s why you’ve got to get it by revelation. There are no words to explain what I’m telling you. I’ve got to just trust God that He’s putting it into your spirit like He put it into mine.”  Joyce Meyer (What Happened from the Cross to The Throne? audio)  

http://craigbrownsreformedtheology.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/clip-4-joyce-meyer.mp3

“Now spirits don’t have bodies, so we can’t see them. Okay? There probably is, I believe there is, and I certainly hope there is several angels up here this morning that are preaching with me. I believe that right before I speak some anointed statement to you, that one of them bends over and says in my ear what I’m supposed to say to you.”  Joyce Meyer (Witchcraft & Related Spirits (Part 1) – 2 A-27 Audiotape)

6.  She teaches that she is no longer a sinner:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dmHJdM63hk
Unfortunately I could continue with examples of her utter misuse of scripture, false teaching and blatant heresy.  In America, Christians have an embarrassment of riches.  We can buy more books, download more podcasts and tune into more helpful teachers than anyone else on the planet.  The lies that she teaches are easily lost in the hum of all the great teachers we hear.  But this is not the case in the third world.
In many other countries their resources are far fewer.  Uneducated pastors, who are doing their very best and uninformed Christians have this garbage pumped into their countries through radio waves and TV broadcasts.   Because Joyce Meyer is endorsed here, she is trusted there.  And, she can afford to spread her message with the money she makes from American Christians who buy her books, CDs and who attend her conferences.  Her influence is severely disrupting the church in the third world.  Her teachings are the unfortunate starting point for Christians in the third world and it is birthing even greater heresies.

The devastating reality that we have to come to grips with is that when we support her here, we support the churches she is undoing there.

Financial Concerns
There is nothing wrong with being wealthy.  I love it when Christians are rich.  That should mean more money to fund the mission.  But there is a line to how much money we as leaders should spend on ourselves.  I don’t know where the line is, but it is somewhere before the ministry purchasing million dollar homes for us and our kids.  That line is somewhere before purchasing us a $10 million private jet.  The line is somewhere before the ministry spending $261, 498 for 68 pieces of furniture.  That equates to $3,845.56 per item.  That line is somewhere before spending so egregiously that the U.S. Senate investigates us.  Joyce Meyer lands on the other side of that line.
The following link includes audio from Joyce Meyer.  Around 5:30 she is asked if people will get more money back to them if they give financially to her ministry:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlWQsoA7D24
Not only does she teach giving as a way to leverage more money from God, she is reckless with desperate people.  She is not at all concerned if people give to her instead of paying bills.  This is intolerable!
Questionable Example and Lack of Accountability
I challenge you to watch a typical message by Joyce Meyer.  Here are a few of things you will notice:

• She pauses about every 5 minutes for applause.  And if people don’t applaud she is likely to say something like, “I’m preaching better than you’re acting.”
• She talks about herself constantly.  She is the main character in every story she tells.  Even when she talks about herself in a self-deprecating way, some how it comes across in a way that causes people to admire her more.
• God talks to her and reveals new information to her…a lot!
  

Her ministry lacks real accountability.  Her family and her close friends are the governing board.  This is an organization that receives almost $100 million dollars annually, and with no substantive accountability.
Conclusion for Joyce Meyer
What I wrote and linked in the first section should have been enough to completely remove her from our sphere of trust.  Her doctrine is horrific.  Her hermeneutics are horrible.  She is a woman who seems to have an unrestrained love for money and applause.  Her finances are questionable at best.  Her example is questionable at best.  Her impact on desperate people here, as well as churches and pastors around the globe is wildly destructive.
I lament with you a sense of loss if she was a teacher you trusted.  I lament that someone who is so wrong has so much influence with so many.  I do not regret, however, pointing to her as a false teacher and as one who should be rejected.

What does Joyce Meyer teach?

For the most part Joyce Meyer preaches a positive, biblical message that is of great value to many people.  We applaud her desire to be biblical, to point women to godly submission and humility, to trusting God, being loving, to have value based in what Christ has done for us, etc.  These are all good.  However, there are some very significant errors that need to be addressed.  Some of them are so bad that she is outside of biblical orthodoxy and must be considered a false teacher.  Let's take a look at what Joyce Meyer has said.
Following is a list of quotes from Joyce Meyer, along with responses.

1. Jesus stopped being the Son of God:  "He could have helped himself up until the point where he said I commend my spirit into your hands, at that point he couldn’t do nothing for himself anymore. He had become sin, he was no longer the Son of God. He was sin."(http://storage.carm.org/joycemeyer/joyce-meyer-Jesus-became-sin-stopped-being-son-of-God.mp3)
   1. Response:  This is heresy.  Jesus did not ever stop becoming the son of God.  Essentially what she is saying is that Jesus stopped being divine, the eternal son, second person of the Trinity. This is an attack on the very nature of Christ and it is a dangerous false teaching.  Joyce Meyer needs to repent and retract this statement.  There is no place in Scripture that says Jesus stopped being the son of God.  She's adding to the word of God and placing in the hearts and minds of listeners false doctrine.
2. Jesus was born again:  "The minute that blood sacrifice was accepted Jesus was the first human being that was ever born again," (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neKsa_74w7k&feature=related)
   1. Response:  This is just plain wrong.  Being born again means to be saved from the wrath of God for a person's sins (Eph. 2:1-3), to have a new birth (John 3:3), and to be regenerated (2 Cor. 5:17).  Mrs. Meyer is simply wrong biblically.  Why does she teach this?  It can only be because she has bought into many of the errors of the Positive Confession movement where it is sometimes said that Jesus lost his divine nature, went to hell, finished the atonement in hell, and was born again!  This is a serious error since it implies that Jesus needed to be changed...
3. Jesus paid for our sins in hell:  "He became our sacrifice and died on the cross. He did not stay dead. He was in the grave three days. During that time he entered hell, where you and I deserve to go (legally) because of our sin. He paid the price there.” (The most important decision you'll ever make, by Joyce Meyer, second printing, may 1993, page 35)
   1. Response:  This is blatantly wrong.  Jesus did not pay the price of our redemption in hell.  He paid the price on the cross.  It was finished on the cross when he said, "It is finished" (John 19:30).  Also, consider the following verses:
   2. Col. 1:20, "and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven."
   3. Col. 2:14, "having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us and which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross."
   4. 1 Pet. 2:24, "and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed."
4. Jesus went to hell in our place and was tormented:  "Jesus paid on the cross and went to hell in my place. Then as God had promised, on the third day Jesus rose from the dead. The scene in the spirit realm went something like this: God rose up from his throne and said to demon powers tormenting the sinless son of God, 'let him go.' Then the resurrection power of Almighty God went through hell and filled Jesus. On earth his grave where they had buried him was filled with light as the power of God filled his body. He was resurrected from the dead -- the first born again man." (The most important decision you'll ever make, by Joyce Meyer, second printing, may 1993, page 36)
   1. Response:  Where does she get this completely fictitious dialogue between God and the demon powers?  It is made up, not founded in scripture, and mistakenly assumes that Jesus went to hell, the place of torment and suffering after he died on the cross.  The Bible does not teach any such thing.  However, it does say that Jesus descended into the lower parts of the earth (Eph. 4:9).  This can mean that Jesus was physically buried, or that Jesus went to Hades to inform those who had already died about who he was and what he did on the cross, or it can be referring to his incarnation as is contrasted with his ascending into heaven (Eph. 4:10).  But there is simply no reason to believe that Jesus suffered in hell and finished the atonement there.  See response to Quote 1.
5. If you don't believe Jesus went to hell, you cannot be saved:   "His spirit went to hell because that is where we deserve to go… There is no hope of anyone going to heaven unless they believe this truth." (The most important decision you'll ever make, by Joyce Meyer, second printing, may 1993, page 37)
   1. Response:  This is an amazingly bad statement on her part.  She is saying that you cannot be saved from your sins unless you believe that Jesus went to the hell where we deserve to go.  This is a modification of the gospel message that saves, as is found in 1 Cor. 15:1-4 that states it is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.  Nowhere in scripture are we told to believe that Jesus suffered for us in hell or that he went there, where we deserve to go.  This is very wrong and is heretical.
6. We are called little gods:  "I was listening to a set of tapes by one man and he explained it like this..this kind of gets the point across...he said why do people have such a fit about God calling his creation, his creation, his man not his whole creation, but his man, little gods? If he's God what's he going to call them but the God kind? I mean if you as a human being have a baby you call it a human kind. If if [sic] cattle has another cattle they call it cattle kind. I mean what is God supposed to call 'em? Doesn't the Bible say we are created in his image? Now you understand I am not saying you are god with a capital G. That is not the issue here so don't go trying to stone me or yell blasphemy at me." "The Bible says right here John 10:34...'and Jesus answered is it not written in your law I say we are gods.' So men are called God's by the law..."(Joyce Meyer). (www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrP3OLCH9GI&feature=related)
   1. Response:  In this clip she goes on to quote John 10:34 where Jesus says to the Pharisees "you are gods," which is a quote from Psalm 82:6, which is an imprecatory Psalm of condemnation for the unrighteous judges.  Psalm 82:7 says, nevertheless you will die like men.  She then turned to Psalm 82 and went through it.  The video stopped so I do not know what she would have said about the next, all important verse.
7. Joyce Meyer said she is not a sinner:  "I am not poor. I am not miserable and I am not a sinner. That is a lie from the pit of hell. That is what I were and if I still was then Jesus died in vain. I'm going to tell you something folks. I didn't stop sinning until I finally got it through my thick head I wasn't a sinner anymore. And the religious world thinks that's heresy and they want to hang you for it. But the Bible says that I am righteous and I can't be righteous and be a sinner at the same time." (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dmHJdM63hk)
   1. Response:  Mrs. Meyer needs a lesson in basic Bible.  1 John 1:8 says, "If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us."  Notice that John the apostle says "we."  He is including himself with sinners.  Also, Paul said in Rom. 7:19-20,24, "For the good that I wish, I do not do; but I practice the very evil that I do not wish. 20 But if I am doing the very thing I do not wish, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me...24 Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?"  Is Joyce Meyer better in Christian character than John and Paul?  I think not.  Mrs. Meyer fails to recognize her own sinfulness, and so mistakenly denies her own sinfulness.  I can only conclude that this false teaching comes from pride because it certainly isn't biblical.
8. The host of hell were literally on Jesus and were laughing:  "They were having the biggest party that had ever been had. They had my Jesus in the floor and they were standing on his back jumping up and down laughing. And he had become sin. Don't you think that God was pacing, wanting to put a stop to what was going on? All the host of hell were upon him. Upon him. Up on him. The angels were in agony.  All the creation is groaning. All the host of hell was upon him. Up on him. They got on him. They got him down in the floor and got on him and they were laughing and mocking. Ha ha ha ha. You trusted God and look where you ended up. You thought he'd save you and get you off that cross. He didn't, ha ha ha." (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwNfOaxIcOMhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwNfOaxIcOM)
   1. Response:  Where did she get this - in the sacred Book of Joycemeyeronomy?  It is certainly not in the Bible, and yet she has no problem teaching it as an authoritative truth.  Does she not know that the Bible says not to exceed what is written (1 Cor. 4:6)?  Yet, she has done exactly this.  She is in grave error and has violated God's word that says that Jesus bore our sins in his body on the cross (1 Pet. 2:24) and finished the atonement on the cross (John 19:30) - not in hell at the hands of demons!  There is no way demons were literally standing 'on' Jesus.  Meyer is in gross error!
9. Joyce Meyer gets revelation knowledge:  “The Bible can’t even find any way to explain this. Not really that is why you have got to get it by revelation. There are no words to explain what I am telling you. I have got to just trust God that he is putting it into your spirit like he put it into mine.” (http://storage.carm.org/joycemeyer/joyce-meyer-revelation-knowledge.mp3)
   1. Response:  Revelation knowledge?  Is she on par with the apostles who received revelation knowledge from God himself?  Or how about the Old Testament prophets?  Does she, like them, also receive revelation knowledge from God?  If so, how would we know if it were true or not? The answer is simple:  we test what she says against Scripture, and it is obvious that she is getting a lot of things from somewhere else that contradict the word of God.
      

Jesus life recorded

I want to go into a little thing on the truth of the bible for this reason, we are  going to go over the life of Jesus and the bible is the tool that is going to show us everything we need on this topic.  So we need to see this book is a God book and that we need to trust it.  If we see it this way we see Jesus as the king of the Jews and the Lord of life. 

8. Introducing the History of Jesus Christ

Isa. 9:2; Mark 1:1; Luke 1:1–4; John 1:5, 9–13; 2 Tim. 1:10b

^MK The [1]beginning of the gospel of [2]Jesus Christ, the [3]Son of God, ^{2 TIM} who has [4]abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. ^JN And the [5]light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not [6]comprehend it.

^ISA The people who walked in darkness

                        Have seen a great light;

                        Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death,

                        Upon them a light has shined.

JESUS came into the world to take out the death and stuff that we caused.  No longer for the saved do we have to take death forever but because Jesus came to take it away.  I think this is the main reason Jesus came to earth.  Matters of truth the way you see Jesus is the fate of your life forever,  Take Jesus as Lord you are saved and if you do nothing or do not take Jesus as Lord you go to hell forever.  Jesus is the light that comes to take on the dark.   If you go to the light you’re in good place and if you take on the dark you again are not good.   Satan has this darkness and if you stay in dark you stay in the evil yucky ways of hell.

^JN That was the [7]true Light [8]which gives light to every man coming into [9]the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to [10]His own, and His own did not receive Him. But [11]as many as received Him, to them He [12]gave [13]the right to become children of God, to those who believe in [14]His

name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but [15]of God.

The world does know Jesus.  But anyone who will come to Jesus and take his life God is going to make him his.  No NOT ALL PEOPLE ARE GOD’S YOU HAVE TO COME TO JESUS OR YOUS NOT GOING TO BE GODS.  And also you cannot come to Jesus is God does not call you.  Yet we are to call Jesus Lord confess your sins and get saved. 

^LK  [16]Inasmuch as [17]many have taken in hand [18]to set in order a narrative of [19]those things which have been fulfilled [20]among us, just as those who from the beginning were [21]eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, [22]having had perfect understanding of all things [23]from the very first, to write to you [24]an orderly account, [25]most excellent Theophilus, that you may know the [26]certainty of those things in which you were [27]instructed.

Luke wrote the book of luke.  In this intro He gives us a account of Jesus to a person. 

---

[1] The beginning … the Son of God. This is best viewed as Mark’s title for his gospel. The historical record of the gospel message began with John the Baptist (cf. Matt. 11:12; Luke 16:16; Acts 1:22;  10:37; 13:24). gospel. The good news about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, of which the four gospels are written records.

[2] Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Joshua (“the Lord is salvation”); Christ (“anointed one”) is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word Messiah. Jesus is the Lord’s human name (cf. Matt. 1:21; Luke 1:31); Christ signifies His office as ruler of God’s coming kingdom (Dan. 9:25, 26).

[3] Son of God. An affirmation of Jesus’ deity, stressing His unique relationship to the Father (cf. Mark 3:11; 5:7; 9:7; 13:32; 15:39; see note on John 1:34).

[4] abolished death …  immortality to light. Abolished means “rendered inoperative.” Physical death still exists, but it is no longer a threat or an enemy for Christians (1 Cor. 15:54,55; Heb. 2:14). It was not until the incarnation and the gospel that God chose to fully make known the truth of immortality and eternal life, a reality only partially understood by OT believers (cf. Job 19:26).

[5] light … darkness. John introduces the reader to contrastive themes that occur throughout the gospel. In Scripture light and darkness are very familiar symbols. Intellectually, light refers to biblical truth while darkness refers to error or falsehood (cf. Ps. 119:105; Prov. 6:23). Morally, light refers to holiness or purity (1 John 1:5) while darkness refers to sin or wrongdoing (John 3:19; 12:35, 46; Rom. 13:11–14; 1 Thess. 5:4–7; 1 John 1:6; 2:8–11). Darkness has special significance in relationship to Satan (and his demonic cohorts) who rules the present spiritually dark world (1 John 5:19) as the “prince of the power of the air” promoting spiritual darkness and rebellion against God (Eph. 2:2). John uses the term darkness  14 times (8 in the gospel and 6 in 1 John) out of its 17 occurrences in the NT, making it almost an exclusive Johannine word.

[6] comprehend. The better meaning of this term in context is overcome. Darkness is not able to overcome or conquer the light. Just as a single candle can overcome a room filled with darkness, so also the powers of darkness are overcome by the person and work of the Son through His death on the cross (cf. 19:11a).

[7] the true Light ... coming into the world. The words “coming into the world” would be better grammatically if attached to light rather than “every man” and thus translated “the true Light coming into the world gives light to every man.” This highlights the incarnation of Jesus Christ (John 1:14; 3:16).

[8] which gives light to every man. Through God’s sovereign power, every man has enough light to be responsible. God has planted His knowledge in man through general revelation in creation and conscience. The result of general revelation, however, does not produce salvation but either leads to the complete light of Jesus Christ or produces condemnation in those who reject such “light” (cf. Rom. 1:19,  20; 2:12–16). The coming of Jesus Christ was the fulfillment and embodiment of the light that God had placed inside the heart of man.

[9] the world. The basic sense of this Greek word meaning “an ornament” is illustrated by the word cosmetic (1 Pet. 3:3). While the NT uses it a total of 185 times, John had a particular fondness for this term, using it 78 times in his gospel, 24 times in 1–3 John and 3 times in Revelation. John gives it several shades of meaning: (1) the physical created universe (John 1:9; cf. v. 3; 21:24, 25); (2) humanity in general (John 3:16; 6:32, 51; 12:19); and (3) the invisible spiritual system of evil dominated by Satan and all that it offers in opposition to God, His Word, and His people (John 3:19; 4:42; 7:7; 14:17, 22, 27, 30; 15:18, 19; 16:8, 20, 33; 17:6, 9, 14; cf. 1 Cor. 1:21; 2 Cor. 4:4; 2 Pet. 1:4; 1 John 5:19). The latter concept is the significant new use that the term acquires in the NT and that predominates in John. Thus, in the majority of times that John uses the word, it has decidedly negative overtones.

[10] His own. The first usage of “His own” most likely refers to the world of mankind in general, while the second refers to the Jewish nation. As Creator, the world belongs to the Word as His property but the world did not even recognize Him due to spiritual blindness (cf. also v. 10). John used the second occurrence of “His own” in a narrower sense to refer to Jesus’ own physical lineage, the Jews. Although they possessed the Scriptures that testified of His person and coming, they still did not accept Him (Is. 65:2,  3; Jer. 7:25). This theme of Jewish rejection of their promised Messiah receives special attention in John’s gospel (12:37–41).

[11] as many as received Him … to those who believe in His name. The second phrase describes the first. To receive Him who is the Word of God means to acknowledge His claims, place one’s faith in Him, and thereby yield allegiance to Him.

[12] gave. The term emphasizes the grace of God involved in the gift of salvation (cf. Eph. 2:8–10).

[13] the right. Those who receive Jesus, the Word, receive full authority to claim the exalted title of “God’s children.”

[14] His name. Denotes the character of the person himself.

[15] of God. The divine side of salvation: ultimately it is not a man’s will that produces salvation but God’s will (cf. John 3:6–8; Titus 3:5; 1 John 2:29).

[16] Inasmuch. The opening four verses from Luke’s gospel make a single sentence, written in the polished style of a Greek literary classic. It was common for Greek historical works to begin with such a prologue. After this formal prologue, however, Luke shifted into a simpler style of narrative, probably patterned after the familiar style of the LXX.

[17] many. Although Luke wrote direct divine revelation inspired by the Holy Spirit, he acknowledged the works of others who had set down in writing events from Christ’s life. All those sources have been long lost, except for the inspired gospels. Since Matthew and Mark were most likely written before Luke, it has been suggested that either one or both of those may have been among Luke’s sources when he did his research. It is also known that he was personally acquainted with many firsthand witnesses to the events of Christ’s life. And it is possible that some of his sources were word-of-mouth reports. About 60 percent of the material in Mark is repeated in Luke, and Luke seems to follow Mark’s order of events closely.

[18] to set in order. Luke proposed to narrate the ministry of Christ in an authoritative, logical, and factual order (though not always strictly chronological).

[19] those things which have been fulfilled. i.e., the OT messianic promises fulfilled in Christ.

[20] among us. i.e., in our generation. This phrase does not mean Luke was personally an eyewitness to the life of Christ

[21] eyewitnesses and ministers of the word. Luke’s primary sources were the apostles themselves, who delivered facts about Jesus’ life and teaching—both orally and by means of recorded memoirs in written documents made available to Luke. In any case, Luke made no pretense of being an eyewitness himself, but explained that these were facts supported by careful research

[22] having had perfect understanding. Lit. “having traced out carefully.” Luke’s gospel was the result of painstaking investigation. Luke, more than anyone else in the early church, had the abilities and the opportunity to consult with eyewitnesses of Jesus’ ministry and consolidate their accounts. He spent more than two years during Paul’s imprisonment at Caesarea (Acts 24:26, 27), during which time he would have been able to meet and interview many of the apostles and other eyewitnesses of Jesus’ ministry. We know, for example, that he met Philip (Acts 21:8), who was undoubtedly one of Luke’s sources. In his travels through Asia Minor, he may also have encountered the Apostle John. Joanna, wife of Herod’s steward, is mentioned only in Luke’s gospel (cf. Luke 8:3; 24:10), so she must have been a personal acquaintance of his. Luke also related details about Herod’s dealings with Christ not found in the other gospels (Luke 13:31–33; 23:7–12). No doubt it was from Joanna (or someone in a similar position) that Luke learned those facts. However, his understanding was perfect because of the divine revelation he received from the Holy Spirit (1 Tim. 3:16,  17; 2 Pet. 1:19–21).

[23] from the very first. This could mean from the beginning of Christ’s earthly life. However, the word can mean “from above” (John 3:31;  19:11; James 3:15). “From the beginning” in Luke 1:2 uses a different Greek word,archē—so it is best to understand that Luke was saying he used earthly sources for his material, but was given heavenly guidance as he did his research and writing. It is clear that he regarded his account as authoritative

[24] an orderly account. Luke’s account is predominantly ordered chronologically, but he does not follow such an arrangement slavishly.

[25] most excellent. This was a title used to address governors (Acts 23:26;  24:3; 26:25). This sort of language was reserved for the highest dignitaries, suggesting that “Theophilus” was a such a person.

[26] certainty. Note the implicit claim of authority. Though Luke drew from other sources, he regarded the reliability and authority of his gospel as superior to uninspired sources.

[27] instructed. Theophilus had been schooled in the apostolic tradition, possibly even by the Apostle Paul himself. Yet the written Scripture by means of this gospel sealed the certainty of what he had heard.