Discovering Certainty: A Journey through Luke's Gospel

But this morning, the introduction to the gospel of Luke, really,

you could look at it as an introduction to Luke chapter 1 through 12,

Luke 1 · chapter mention

but the gospel of Luke, I want y'all to get this, was written to give Christians certainty.

It says it right there in the text that we read those first four verses this morning.

To give Christians certainty, that alone, get this for a moment,

just that alone, that fact alone makes it a priceless part of scripture,

a must read for you and me.

And so Luke is clear. I want y'all to get this today.

Luke is clear that he was not an eyewitness of the events he describes.

That sets him apart, by the way, from the other gospel writers,

because Matthew and John were part of Jesus's inner circle.

And reliable tradition holds that Mark's gospel is the record of Peter's testimony about Jesus.

But Luke, however, he did not come onto the scene until the time of the events

that he records for us in his sequel to the book of Luke, which is the book of Acts, right?

Where he suddenly begins to write in the first person there,

plural, for those of you who like English, we and us, about the things that

he did as a companion of the apostle Paul.

And you can look at that, read about that in Acts chapter 16,

Acts 16:10–17

verses 10 through 17, but Luke's gospel account here is the only one that begins

with a personal address of the gospels.

We don't know how much about Theophilus. That's probably a cool name to have

on the record in case for a future baby, right, Theophilus?

But the man to whom Luke address this letter, this gospel.

And Acts, you know, too as well, but both his gospel and Acts,

presumably he was both a Christian who had been taught about Jesus.

We see that Luke chapter one, verse four, and also wealthy enough to commission

Luke to undertake his massive writing project.

And we barely know more about Luke, but there's something else about Luke.

Anybody else know a fact about Luke that he was a doctor, right?

And probably as you think about that and we talk about his account here,

it'll make sense because a doctor, their handwriting may not be so good,

Brother Ronnie, but they usually, they're very particular about details.

Because at least we pray our doctors are, right, about the details.

And that's where Luke is. In fact, he's going to undertake this massive project.

We barely know more about him. Like I said, most of what we do know comes from

those three brief mentions that he received in the letters of Paul.

Paul, like I said, calls him the doctor and our dear friend in Colossians 4, verse 14.

Colossians 4:14

In Philemon, verse 24, Paul calls him a fellow worker.

Well, that's important. And at the end of his life, Paul actually mourns those

who have abandoned him, saying that, listen to this, he said, only Luke is with me.

What does that tell you about old Luke, Dr. Luke? He was loyal, right?

And he was there when no one else was. That's talked about in 2 Timothy 4, verse 11.

2 Timothy 4:11

But Luke's status as an outsider of sorts, it shouldn't cause us to doubt whether

we can trust what he writes.

He tells Theophilus and us, by the way, at the outset of his narrative here,

we just read that having carefully followed these things for quite some time,

he's been on a mission to compile.

What kind of an account does it say there?

An orderly account. An orderly account, Luke 1-3, of all the things that have been fulfilled among us.

That goes back to verse 1. But Luke expresses no interest in passing rumors, right?

Passing on any kind of rumors about things that somebody thought may have happened

or hearsay, just hearing somebody say something like, oh, I'll write that down.

That's not Luke. And that's not what he says here.

He's not interested in religious propaganda.

You know what Luke wants? He wants his patron, those of us who read the gospel

here, to have confidence that he has received,

Theophilus as well specifically, that he has received an accurate record of what really happened.

But a historian, by the way, think about this for a moment, is only as good

as his access to the events that really happened.

And so it's natural, as we sit here today on January the 5th of 2025,

it's natural for us to ask whether our guide to the life of Jesus here,

Luke, got his information from reputable sources who were really in a position to know the truth.

Well, look at verse 2 again, because Luke anticipates our concern and he identifies his sources.

Who are they? He identifies them as, look at it in verse 2, eyewitnesses and servants of the word.

So Luke, the doctor who's doing an orderly account, He's wanting you to know

this is reliable information.

I'm getting my information from eyewitnesses and servants of the word.

I'm taking this seriously. I mean, he didn't want to leave anything,

Any stone unturned, right? We know that Luke was with Paul at the time of the

apostles' arrest and two-year detention in Jerusalem. How do we know it?

Well, it tells us that in Acts chapter 21, Acts chapter 24, through that section there.

Acts 21 · chapter mention Acts 24 · chapter mention

And it's not unreasonable for us to sit here today, church, and speculate that

this was the period of time when Luke was free to interview these eyewitnesses

and gather material for his book.

And this explanation here that we see of Luke's research methods,

it really helps us to understand why it is that there seems to be so much unique

material in the first two chapters of his book.

Our guide here seems to have had special access to the thoughts and feelings,

if you will, of the people that he writes about.

He can tell us, in other words, because he talked to them, he got eyewitness

accounts of service of the Lord.

He can tell us what Mary felt in Luke chapter 1, verse 29, Luke 1, 29.

Luke 1:29

He can tell us what Elizabeth said in the privacy of her room in verse 25.

And while we might be tempted just for a moment to dismiss these accounts as

a writer who's just taking some artistic license or something like that,

he's trying to kind of play fast and loose with the facts in order to tell a compelling story.

No, Luke insists, look back at verse four, Luke insists at the outset that his

account here is the product of what?

Careful research and an orderly account, a passion, y'all, for the facts.

After all, it's Dr. Luke, right? Dr.

Luke, Brother James, I mean, he wants to get it right, and he's going to get

it right. This is why he is able, in verse 4, to offer certainty.

You remember the gospel of Luke was written to give Christians certainty.

This is why we can, he's telling us, look, this is why I can give you this.

And that's so important. I want us to see that. Well, let's talk about some

major themes that we're going to see in Luke's gospel, major themes in the gospel.

And so what are those things about which are supposed to have certainty?

I'm going to give you all six things. And I want you all to think about this

this morning. There are six recurring major themes in Luke's gospel.

And keep your eye out for them as we go through the gospel of Luke in the future here.

But the first one is the ministry of the Holy Spirit, the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

The Spirit, y'all, gets prominent billing in Luke's sequel, the book of Acts.

We all know that probably.

The book of Acts, all about the church, the Holy Spirit, the church, right? Right.

And so but Luke's gospel here shows us all many ways that that third person

of the Trinity was at work beforehand.

We're going to see that he preparing as well to see the power of the spirit

unleashed at Pentecost. He brings us up to that.

We'll see him at work in the miraculous births of who?

John in chapter one, verse 15, that we're going to see soon and Jesus in chapter

one, verse 35. and also the praises of God's people in response to those arrivals.

So the Spirit descends, if you remember, and we're going to see this,

the Spirit descends on Jesus at his baptism, empowers him for ministry in chapter

4, verse 14, that we're going to look at later in verse 18,

and immediately leads him, where do you remember?

Into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan in chapter 4, verse 1.

Jesus himself, by the way, he would, rejoices in the Holy Spirit.

He tells us that in chapter 10, verse 21. And he promises his disciples the

presence of the Spirit in their times of need.

Chapter 12, verse 12. Chapter 24, verse 49. So we have the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

That's a major theme in the book of Luke. We're also going to see the importance of prayer.

How many of you know today, can you testify to the importance of prayer?

I mean, wow, prayer is powerful. Prayer, church, is our secret weapon. Amen?

I mean, the importance of prayer. Luke is quick to highlight Jesus' practice

of prayer, especially before important moments.

We're going to see that in chapter 9, verses 18 and verse 28 as we go forward.

He also records three memorable parables that touch on the subject of prayer.

Y'all probably can remember these if you think a little bit.

The parable about the friend who arrives in the middle of the night.

We're going to see that in chapter 11. How would you like that friend to come

to your house tonight knocking on the door, right? Okay.

And then the parable of the persistent woman and the judge.

Remember that one? We'll look at that in chapter 18.

And then the parable of the Pharisee and tax collector at prayer in the temple.

Y'all probably do remember that one in chapter 18 as well. But Luke also shows

Jesus repeatedly encouraging his followers to do what? To pray.

Chapter 6, verse 28. And showing them actually, y'all, how to do it in chapter 11.

We're going to see all those things. And then the next major thing that we're

going to see is the joyful praise of God's people.

Y'all, do you have praise in your hearts this morning? I mean,

are you grateful for what God has done?

The first two chapters of Luke, by the way, read a bit like a Broadway script.

Everybody ever been on Broadway?

No hands going up yet. People keep interrupting the action, though, by breaking into song.

We're going to see that, just breaking forth into joyful praise.

In just chapters one and two, the work of God is greeted with spontaneous words

of praise. is, remember, by Mary, Zachariah, the angels, Simeon, and Anna.

It's a pattern, y'all, that continues throughout the book. And we even see it in chapter 17.

Luke uses the verb rejoice more than any other author of scripture.

Let that sink in for a moment.

Well, another major thing that we're going to see in the gospel of Luke is God's

initiative in the salvation of his people.

Aren't you grateful that God did not leave your salvation up to you?

Y'all, if it was left up to me, I wouldn't have it.

But because God initiated it and he is the one who performs it, right?

He's the one who keeps us. So God's initiative in the salvation of his people.

Luke's account shows us that the life and death and resurrection of Jesus are

all a part of a definite plan that God has revealed in the Old Testament is

now unfolding for the salvation of his people.

Actually, it began before the foundations of the world.

And that marvelous trio of parables in chapter 15 gives us a really clear picture

of what Jesus means when he said that he has come, church,

to seek and save the lost in chapter 19.

I'm going to tell you, seek and save the lost. It just reminds me,

y'all, God's not after people who have it all together.

He's after people who are lost, lost in their sins, lost in their way.

They wander. They stray.

And the gospel is not anything like a self-help manual. The Luke's gospel is not.

It's the story of a divine rescue mission.

A divine rescue mission. In fact, we'll see this as another major theme that

I want y'all to be looking out for in this study is Jesus's love for outsiders. Come on.

His love for outsiders. Luke seems particularly concerned in his gospel that

his readers should see that the good news about Jesus is not limited to the

people that were valued or honored in society,

in the society of that day specifically.

And as you go through the book, as we take this journey together,

I want you to notice how Luke highlights the dignity and the value of the following

groups of people that would not have been valued in that society.

Let's break it down real quick as we look at these major themes.

He's going to take a look at women.

Luke's portrait of the role of women in the ministry of Jesus is extraordinary

as we're going to see. They are faithful and tenacious friends to Jesus when

many of the male disciples actually abandoned Jesus.

We'll see that in chapter 23.

They are the special objects. Women are the special objects of Jesus's mercy, his compassion.

We'll see that in chapter 7. And they're avid learners. We'll see that in chapter 10.

Financial supporters as well in chapter 8. and their models of true sacrificial

giving that we'll see in chapter 21.

So, his love for outsiders, women. Also, who else? Children.

In ancient times, y'all, children

were not given the prominent place in society that they occupy today.

But Luke highlights Jesus' concern for children, first of all,

who were gravely ill in chapter 8.

They're gravely ill. Some of them were oppressed by demons, we'll see in chapter 9.

Or even in the case of the young man from Nain, dead.

Dead in chapter 7, we'll see. And each one of these children is said to be an only child.

That's unique, right? And Jesus' mercy toward both the children and their parents

is, you know, it reveals to us in each of Luke's suspense-filled accounts that we're going to see,

it reveals to us the healing that is providing to them.

And then also, not only women and children, but also, guess what? Sinners.

How many of you are a sinner? I think everybody's hands should go up,

or at least in your thoughts, right?

Some of the most vibrant and memorable characters in Luke's gospel that we're

going to see were some of the most disreputable.

Think about it.

Zacchaeus. What was Zacchaeus known for?

He was a notorious crook, right? We'll see that in chapter 19.

And Luke actually delicately describes the woman who anointed Jesus' feet with

her hair, or I should say with her tears in this passage, as a woman who lived

a sinful life in chapter 7.

So each, however, is welcomed. Don't y'all see this as we look at it?

By Jesus and praise for their extraordinary love, their repentance that they shun.

And some of Jesus' parables that

we're going to look at in Luke come to a shocking conclusion, by the way.

As the sinner, the task collector, for example, you know, the wayward son turns

out to be the hero, while the upright person, the Pharisee, the older brother

who stayed home, winds up left out of God's grace.

You know, it just reminds me again, y'all, that this world is living life upside down.

It really does. It reminds me of that old, I think it was a for him song, right?

As well. I mean, living life upside down, what we think should be a certain

way, Jesus turns it on its head.

Really, he lets us know, no, this is real life, not the way you're approaching it.

And so there's some shocking conclusions to some of these parables because it

turns it on its head of the way that culture thinks.

But then also, foreigners. Well, the book of Acts shows the unfolding of God's

desire, if you remember, to give his salvation to how many nations?

All the nations. We see glimpses of that plan here in Luke's gospel.

The angel actually declares the birth of Jesus as good news for the entire earth, y'all, in chapter 2.

And Simeon says that Jesus will be a light of revelation to the Gentiles in chapter 2.

And so Jesus speaks well of Gentiles in chapter 4, and he heals the servant

of a Roman centurion, by the way, in chapter 7, marveling that he had not found

faith like this among the people of Israel.

Wow, what a statement.

Well, and then we also see the final one up on the board, the major thing that

we're going to see in Luke's gospel is the cross.

And get this church, the resurrection of Jesus. Amen.

The cross and the resurrection of Jesus. But Luke is obviously concerned that

we understand the importance of the cross and the resurrection.

The other three gospel writers use the word salvation once between them.

John chapter 4, verse 22, but Luke, Luke uses it repeatedly in his gospel and in the book of Acts.

John 4:22

Y'all, Luke understands, and he wants us to understand, church,

that Jesus' death and his resurrection is the only way that we can be saved

from the power and the penalty of sin. That's it.

And he tells us, we're going to see all this, Luke chapter 24,

Luke 24 · chapter mention

when we get to that down the road. But if you're willing, let me just give some challenges today.

If you're willing to read this book with us as we go through this and read it,

because maybe you come from the perspective that you're not a follower of Jesus.

So as we look at this next slide, I want you to kind of come from that perspective

for non-followers of Jesus.

But maybe you want to investigate what he taught and what he did,

then I want you to allow me just for a minute to put all of Luke's cards on the table.

He wants you to believe in Jesus so that you can be saved from your sins.

He wants you to have the same kind of certainty that was available here in this

gospel to Theophilus, the one it was addressed to 2,000 years ago.

And Luke has put together a reliable narrative. I want us all to get that today

of events that really happened.

And so as you read through the gospel of Luke, notice the way that Luke describes

events and he records the details.

See if they don't have the ring of eyewitness testimony.

Look out for it. See if they don't have that ring.

Also, I want to suggest that you pay careful attention to what kind of person,

finds a home in the hope that Jesus offers.

What kind of person walks away

from Jesus a bit confused and why he isn't impressed with their goodness?

We'll see all that in the Gospel of Luke. And if you're already a follower of

Christ, I want you to look at this next screen.

I want to encourage you to read along as well and read along two lines.

I want two thoughts that should enter your mind as we go through this. first

take notice in this gospel of what jesus

accomplished through his incarnation his ministry his death and his resurrection

luke uses the word get this y'all luke uses the word salvation and save more

than any other of the gospel writers wow.

And as you read, as we study together, look for what the salvation that Jesus

brought really means and what it does not mean, by the way.

And then second, here's the challenge for those of you that are believers.

Read Luke's gospel with an eye toward learning more about Jesus's character and his priorities.

Because you guessed it, they're going to become our priorities,

right? we're going to want to emulate the parts of his character.

We'll talk about that in a minute, but there are obviously some aspects of Jesus'

life that we are not meant to emulate.

Y'all could probably think about these.

For example, his death on a cross is a sacrifice for his people's sins.

We're not meant to do that.

But both Jesus and his disciples taught that we should look to certain aspects

of his character as a model for our own behavior.

In fact, particularly, y'all can probably think of a few of these,

his love, y'all, his love, John 13, his humility, and his sacrificial service to others.

In Mark 10, one of the very best ways for us as believers, for us as followers

of Christ, to grow in Christlikeness, becoming more and more like Christ,

is to spend time, church,

learning about and contemplating the story of Jesus as it's recorded in Luke's

faithful gospel narrative.

So with those goals in mind, Eastwood, next week we're going to turn to this

account in a deeper level as we start getting into it with a prayer that God

would use the gospel of Luke, his word,

to fulfill Luke's intention all along that we have certainty concerning the

things that we've been taught.

Because what does certainty do? I want you all to think about it.

What does it do? It builds our faith.

And when we have that certainty, guess what?

We're going to be able to stand. We're going to be able to defend.

We're going to be able to share with certainty.

Luke's gospel is going to give all this to us. And I hope y'all are excited as we take this journey.

But I just wanted y'all to see today just as a way of introduction of what we're

going to be approaching, what themes we're going to be seeing.

And today, I want to invite you just for a moment, if you would,

right where you're at, bow your heads just for a moment.

I'll have you stand in a moment where you can be seated for now.

But I want you to think today about just some of the things we've talked about.

Think about, do you have this salvation? Do you have this joy?

Do you have this certainty?

And are you ready to go deeper with Christ this year? You know,

some of y'all, maybe even possibly today, as we sit here today,

you're starting a new year.

Y'all, a lot of things change. We talked earlier, we can't control what happens

in the seasons of life, but we can sure be planted and rooted in the gospel

of Christ. We can sure be planted and rooted in God's word.

And today I'm going to invite you now. I want you to stand with us with heads

bowed, eyes closed as you just pray together. Think about this new year.

Think about what God would have you do this year.

Think about the things maybe god has been talking to you about possibly

some of you maybe even in 24 god wants

to take you to greater heights god wants to

take us to the place where we do have this kind of certainty where

we do experience his love where

we can show his love y'all just like luke tells us to those who are outsiders

that we can see people that maybe we would never imagine that they would even

have a chance to enter God's kingdom and see God just flip that narrative on

its head and say, I came to seek and save the lost.

I came to seek and save the lost.

It's your opportunity today. Father God, right now, I pray as you move in our

midst, Lord, that God will respond to you any way that you've told us to, Lord.

God, that we'll be obedient, Lord, and that we'll let your word sink into our heart in Jesus' name.