Our guest speaker this weekend has been one of our missionaries, Jeff Thompson. He and his wife, Caroline, are missionaries serving the international student community at the University of Georgia through RUF. Jeff and they were previously missionaries in Japan with Mission to the World. And so we have been encouraged by what he's brought so far about the JAR. We'll hear more about the JAR this morning. Thank you, Jeff. Thank you, Brother John. Good morning, everybody. Good job on getting here on time. Stars go around. Now, missions conferences should also be fun. So you want to have a little fun with Ben Coppedge, who's going to be doing his dog and pony show during Sunday school. He's got some awesome coffee cups over there to my left at the RUF table. And as Andy Griffith would say, your coffee will be extra good if you pick one up. So I think it would be fun and actually every table that has something giveaway, I'm into re-gifting. So if you got a mother-in-law, Christmas, birthday, go for it. But get a coffee cup. They're really good coffee cups. I don't have coffee cups. I should do that. So turn in your bulletin or your Bibles to Luke chapter one. As John said, we've been focusing on this passage in second Corinthians chapter four. That's a such a great sending passages, especially when you're tired and worried and stumbling around. And God, through his servant Paul, is gathering us around the Lord Jesus Christ and all that he is, all that he's accomplished, his mercy, his grace, his Confidence that as Jesus is raised from the dead, so will we be raised from the dead. It's an iron clad, love washed promise that just as the first Adam brought us to death, and there's no way to break out of that except the second Adam, who will not let anything break his power and love on you, the church, into eternal life. You could not be more secure. But we argue and we fight to believe that. And 2 Corinthians 4 is a great passage for that. And I'm looking at your cards. So this is a week with decisions for you guys. I've been blessed, my family's been blessed, and you've been a blessing to the nations for years at the University of Georgia. Thank you for your love and support for RUF and RUF International, and also at Georgia Tech. Bless their hearts, Georgia Tech. But you know, thinking about your prayer promise, just your physical selves, And then your financial gifts, that's a deal. That's your deal. And we're told in 2 Corinthians 4 that we have this treasure in jars of clay. The treasure being the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. We embody that as a church. And you embody that as individuals in all the places where God sends you day in, day out. In the tumble world of life, it starts to peak out and break out. Now, I think everybody who lives on the face of the earth carries a treasure. They're all jars of clay, and they carry a treasure. Not the right treasure, but they carry one. And they don't want anything to break out and for that to be lost. We have an opposite experience. So why Luke 1? Well, it's a good part of the Bible. Luke is a physician. He's a scholar. We always go through Luke about once every four years at UGA because this is his curriculum vitae. I didn't know what that was till I got to be a campus minister. But this is his masterpiece of his life. As he has done his research, as he's interviewed all these people that knew Jesus, that watched Jesus, that experienced Jesus, and he compiled it into this research paper that God stamped with his blessing and said, I'm first author, Luke, you're second author. Let's publish this thing. Now, I'm gonna read the scripture to you and then get into more of the why Luke. especially for this Sunday, especially as you've got these cards in your hands. Luke chapter one, starting with verse one. And as much as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also Having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things that you have been taught. The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God will stand forever. Let us pray. Father, your word will stand forever. To God be the glory, great things he has done. Your word will stand forever. And those that you breathe upon, those that are born again in the power of the Holy Spirit will stand forever. It is your shepherding love that has brought us together this morning to sing, to pray, to commission this young lady and send her on the wings of your promises and our prayers, and to hear your word. And your word always brings an eternal change. Maybe we don't feel it at the time or experience it at the time, but you do that. That's your call, that's your deal. So be with us, move among us, And as you drove into Luke's heart to write to Theophilus, give us certainty, sweet, messy certainty about all that you have accomplished, Jesus. And we pray this in your name, amen. The driving word, according to verse four, is certainty. Now I love that, because I have never felt more uncertain at the horizontal level. I have never felt more uncertain about the events going on around the world, or in the United States of America, or in my little corner, Athens and UGA. I'm cynical. I'm not ready to put down an anchor anywhere these days. I'm just thinking, watching, thinking, watching. And I want the blends for everything I believe to be the scriptures, to living word of God. And that is not about me. This is on God's mind as he loves us so much. The most wonderful part of love, when you've got it, is certainty. Emotions come and go, but it's certainty. So 21 years ago, my wife and I looked at each other. We didn't know nothing, but we offered each other certainty. But underneath it was God's certainty that somehow he's going to help us keep these vows, these wonderful vows that are way bigger than we're just little children wearing these dress-up clothes, way bigger than us. And that's what he does. But he knows us, and he knows that we're gonna find certainty somewhere. We're gonna be looking for it. We wanna anchor down on that. And God says, here you go, brothers and sisters at Chestnut Mountain, and all that is perplexing and all the change, change, change we experience, here is Jesus. He is the same yesterday, today, forever. That's the anchor in Luke 1. And in Luke 22, as Jesus is with his disciples and he's resurrected and everybody's trying to figure out what in the world is going on and all these crazy things that are happening. He said to them, in summary, you must understand that it is absolutely necessary that the Son of Man suffer and be raised into glory. Certainty, absolutely necessary, absolutely true. So God's gonna take us into the wonder world of certainty through his servant, Luke. And if you take a, there's not a clock here, is there? I have to keep looking at my phone. All right, we've got one hour. No, we don't. If you go through Luke, It is interesting to see, and this is not new news, but it'll help you if you're on a Presbyterian exam. If you go through Luke, you can just string your pearls on this reality. This book of the Bible has more to say about money than anywhere else in the Bible, in my opinion. Over and over and over, money. Wealth, riches. Now, I've gotten into this habit on this conference to call people as I'm driving from here to Athens. It's only a 40-minute drive. So I called a buddy of mine in Mumbai, not a believer. And I said, what do you think I should tell the people at church? And you know what he said? He said that judgment's coming. He's right. is. So I told him I would tell you he said that. And he said I just need a good report card. Well, yeah you do. It's really interesting to get into the lives of people, what people think. Man. And I said, well how's your report card? He said, I'm getting better. And he said, how's yours? And I said, you know what my report card says? And he said, what? I said, it says zero. But Jesus' report card says 100. And I told him the passage, a little bit about the passage I would be speaking on this morning. And he said, you know what Bitcoin's worth today? And I said, what's it worth today? He said, $60,000. You know what Bitcoin was worth in 2011? Anybody know? It's OK. Anybody want to make a guess? Almost $0.008 for one Bitcoin. And I will tell you that when Bitcoin got to $1,000, I was like, why didn't I just buy one? And you hear that $60,000 number, it's just surreal to me. But I will tell you this, I have caught myself And our students are into this cryptocurrency world. Holy cow, it's fascinating. It is fascinating. But when I think about when he told me the 60K number, I just thought, could I have done it if I had bought 10 at .00? Do you see what we do? Do you see how good God is to us to give us minds that chew and ponder and take things apart and put them back together and make plans? It is a blessing to have a mind. But what in the world, what kind of certainties are we after? Because that's another part about us. We want some certainties. We want some guarantees. These contracts, I mean, some of these things, I'm like, I just hit agree, agree. I just can't. I can't look at it. But we are so wired for this. Think about if I just bought one Bitcoin in 2001. You're wealthy people. God has blessed us materially in the United States of America. In some ways, it's trans-racial. When you travel the world to see what goes on in the United States of America with all the warts, with all the stories, with all the grief, with all the flux we have in our country politically and on the street, it's amazing. One of our friends, received a job offer. He's from, I don't mean to keep harping on this, but I can't help it. He's from people that know those people right there in that table. His job offer was $120,000, PhD student. And students ask me stuff, and I'm like, I mean, I don't know. He said, is this a good job offer? And I said, well. In terms of the history of the world, you're like in the top 0.001% of job offers in the history of the world. Certainty. Treasure. We carry this treasure in jars of clay, right? Listen to what I'm just going to give you a real quick scan of Luke. Mary starts us off, really, in the first chapter of Luke, that God fills the hungry and the rich he sends away empty. In Luke 3, tax collectors. Do you know how many times these people are mentioned in the book of Luke? Just getting ready for today and just going through it all again, it's amazing. tax collectors coming to John the Baptist to repent of their sins. And they're like, all right, what do we do, John? And John says, be faithful. He didn't say, you know, give it all away and you guys need to go be monks somewhere. Be faithful in your ministry as tax collectors. Luke four, Jesus comes out publicly in the synagogue. He opens the Bible, and he's talking about the world to the synagogue. This is what I've come to do. I've come to bless the world, even people you think are enemies. Who are the two people healed back in the crazy times of Elijah and Elisha? The widow of Zarephath, who had nothing, and our friend Naaman, the general in the jar story from Friday night. That's it. Those two, raised dead for a dead son, healed of leprosy out of all the people out there. That freaked him out. Freaked out Jesus' audience. They were ready to throw him over the edge. He said, I'm out of here. Luke 5, Jesus calls a tax collector. I mean, these are hated people. I mean, we got to get ready, right, April? I don't think we get an extension this year. You got to get ready for April, tax time. So Jesus calls a tax collector to be one of his disciples. Luke 6, woe to the rich, the Sermon on the Mount stuff. Luke 9, what does it profit a man? I mean, you're here to count the cost, right? And as servants of God, you have to help people count the cost of what it means to believe and follow Jesus. And so, The deal is you take up your cross and follow him. Why should you follow him? Why should you die to yourself and follow him? Because what does it profit a man to gain the whole world? To gain the whole world and lose your soul? Or what can you give in exchange for your soul? What a treasure in the jar of clay, just that right there. and then added to it the knowledge of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Luke 10, the Good Samaritan, mercy ministry, which you guys are rich in mercy ministry. I know you're rich in mercy ministry. Keep going with this certainty of what Jesus has accomplished. There is an argument being made. Luke 12, the parable of the rich fool. The guy who said, barns are full, a lot of wine, I'm gonna take it easy and I'm gonna eat and drink and be merry. And God said, you fool, this night your soul will be demanded of you. Too late? It's not too late for you. You're still alive. Luke 15. We all know Luke 15, these awesome parables. Who's listening to these parables? The sinners and the tax collectors are coming near to Jesus. And the Pharisees are like, this guy is a clown. He is a fraud. He is hanging out with the dregs of humanity. And Jesus tells his story because he's talking to them, the lost, and the lost. Those who know they need a doctor and those who are like, no thanks, I'm healthy. And these people should just be cast into hell. You know the lost coin was the Bitcoin, right? I mean, can you imagine? Wouldn't you have a party? I would. The joy of the Lord, though, the joy of the Lord as he sees people saved and turning to him, it's not the angels that celebrate, although the angels celebrate. If you look into the window of heaven, it is loud. It is this times a trillion. Revelation 4 and 5 celebrate, but it is the Trinity in Luke 15 that celebrates. one person that finds the certainty of sins forgiven in the Lord Jesus Christ. So I know I need to land this plane. Luke 16 is about the dishonest manager. That's an interesting parable about being shrewd with your money and your position. Fascinating parable. Luke 18 is the Pharisee and the tax collector story. The one who just beat the tax collector beating on his chest God be propitious, please take your wrath somewhere else to me, the sinner. Certainty had burst upon his soul. Luke 19, who's in Luke 19? You get a coffee, I'm gonna hand you a coffee cup if you can tell me who's in Luke 19. Who's first person that, okay, all of you get a coffee cup, all right? Let them go first. You know what Zacchaeus means? You get two coffee cups if you know this one. Pure, Mr. Pure. Naaman, Mr. Pleasant, sunny day, and then we have Zacchaeus, Mr. Pure, Mr. Righteous. Fascinating, love it, love it, love it. You know, we gotta go land this plane. Zacchaeus. It's just sweet. I mean, you know, Zacchaeus had to have heard about the tax collectors. I think it's a pretty tight-knit community, you know? And he's hearing all this stuff, and he's like, I got to see this guy. I want to see Jesus. And he climbs the sycamore tree, and the rest is history. But I left out a passage, and I left out a big passage, and I want to finish with that. I left out a big one. because I want to tell it to us now. In Luke chapter four, Jesus goes in to the wilderness, having been benedicted by the Father and the power of the Holy Spirit, you are my son. I am so pleased with you. I mean, how many of us would have loved to have heard that from fathers? And if you're a father or a mother, do that please. Oh, and I wanted to say about Emily, who I've never met, hello. You know, if you're changing, you know, we make vows in the Presbyterian Church to, you know, come alongside, because we don't have godparents necessarily, but we are the godparents. Go to that nursery, and when you change diapers, pray over that little soul, whose soul is worth more than the world put together. Massive, massive, massive. All right. Jesus goes into the wilderness. He is not going in there as an example, any more than going to the cross as an example. He's going in there as the second Adam to face the devil. And everything the devil in his cunning malice can throw at Jesus to cause him to stumble. And it's the temptation of wealth. Jesus And this is the thing, I can't imagine, I can't imagine that the devil is able to show Jesus in a moment of time, all the kingdoms of the world and all the kingdom's glory. I mean, I read about this person who went to an estate sale in Connecticut and paid $35 for a Chinese vase that's worth half a million. It's like, glory. Oh, I want to go out to Connecticut and find another one. His mind is turned. Jesus came for the kingdoms of the world. He came for us. He came for the glory. He is the glory, but oh, what a path he has to take. He has to go down the cinder paths of the damned. The devil offers him a quick path, a certain path. He's offering Jesus certainty, just a little bit of worship, and you get, I have the authority to give it all to you. It's not, it is an example. This is good news for us who are attracted by little glittering nothing things. You're never going to be tempted with the whole world, all the kingdoms of the world at one time. You would turn into, you would burst into flames. If one, the glory of one kingdom were shown to us at one time, if the glory of Gainesville, Athens, let's say Athens. Athens, you know, I mean, that's what we talk about in Athens, right? You go to a football game, they don't do this at Georgia Tech, but you go to Athens football game and it's glory, glory to old Georgia, and I swear, your heart, I don't care who you are, your heart just swells with joy as you watch all the heroes from the past. Jesus said no. But it was a real temptation. It was real. Gave him everything he came for without the blood. So you take hold of that. This Jesus who says, I will worship God alone and went on down the path to Jerusalem to a crown, to Adam's crown. crown of thorns, thorns. Jesus, who was rich, became poor so that we might become rich. So you go to these places in Luke. It's a good place to go. As you think about your faith promise card, as you think about your prayer promise, you go there because it's all about certainty. God wants to give his church certainty about all that Jesus has accomplished, and certainly in Luke 4. He knows how to help us in our temptations with money, with wealth. It's a good thing, but the love of it is not. So do your good thing by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, who loves you and gave himself for you. is certain. Let's pray. Father, as you know, we go to school in the United States and we hear that Benjamin Franklin said, in this world, nothing can be said to be certain except death and taxes. It's true. but he's just looking horizontally. You have come, you have come to speak another layer of certainty. That you promised to forgive us our sins because you have paid in full. Because you were humiliated, not just as a servant, but you served unto death. And not just to death, you served to death on a cross. But now you are highly exalted. And one day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that you are Lord. People do it. Lord, you know, you've heard your name taken in vain so many times when people hear news, good or bad, they say, my God, my God. You know how this is coming. Because when people hear something bigger than themselves, they can't help but cry out, my God. Father, you've showed us that our sins, I mean, you haven't shown, I know you can't show us everything because we would just have a heart attack. But we do see what it did to Jesus. So thank you for a work of love and power, not done in a corner, but on the stage of stages and a Roman cross and an empty tomb. And now we are your witnesses as your children. We have sung give of your sons. Well, it's give of our sons and daughters to bless the world also on your heart. So Lord Jesus, bring it together, the prayer promise, the faith promise, and the jar of clay promise. All three resting on your promise as the yes and amen of all the promises in the Bible. We thank you. We love you and help us to go out and do good in your kingdom. And we ask this in Jesus' name, amen.