Luke 1:1-4 Introduction
Wed. March 16, 2011
Luke 1:1-4 Intro
Who was Luke?
A Gentile: Col. 4:10-11, 14
A Doctor: Col. 4:14, Paul calls him, “the beloved physician.”
A companion Of the Apostle Paul, Acts 16:10-11, 12, 2 Tim. 4:11, Phil. 1:24
A historian: He also wrote the Book of Acts, Acts 1:1, which shows up later in Acts as the narrative starts to say “we” in the Acts accounts.
There is not much said about Luke the man, but what we do know from what others say of him and his actions is that he was a faithful, loyal, and long term friend of Paul,and the church, he was a hard worker in the ministry, a sacrificial and serving man, and a lover of God.He was brave, humble, and blessed many people.
The Gospel of Luke was written probably around 63 AD. It is the story of Redemption from the Birth of Christ to His death and Resurrection. The Book of Acts is the 2nd half of the story; it details the birth of the Church, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and the missionary work of the Apostle Paul.
The Gospel of Luke with the Book of Acts is the largest portion of the New Testament. And while much of Mark is in Luke, there are things in Luke that had they not been written, we would never of had these accounts.
1. Infancy narratives 1:1–2:52
2. Jesus’ genealogy 3:23–38
3. A miraculous catch of fish 5:1–11
4. The anointing of Jesus by a sinful woman 7:36–50
5. Women who helped Jesus 8:1–3
6. Rejection by the Samaritans 9:51–56
7. The mission of the seventy 10:17–20
8. The parable of the good Samaritan 10:25–37
9. Martha and Mary 10:38–42
10. The parable of the friend at midnight 11:5–8
11. True blessedness 11:27–28
12. True cleansing 11:37–41
13. The parable of the rich fool 12:13–21
14. Repentance 13:1–5
15. The barren fig tree 13:6–9
16. Healing a bent woman 13:10–17
17. Who are in the kingdom? 13:22–30
18. That fox Herod 13:31–33
19. The man with dropsy 14:1–6
20. Invitation to a banquet 14::7–14
21. The parable of the lost coin 15:8–10
22. The parable of the prodigal son 15:11–32
23. The parable of the unjust steward 16:1–9
24. The covetous Pharisees 16:14–15
25. The parable of the rich man and Lazarus 16:19–31
26. Unprofitable servants 17:7–10
27. The ten lepers 17:11–19
28. The parable of the unjust judge 18:1–8
29. The parable of the Pharisee and the publican 18:9–14
30. Zaccheus 19:1–10
31. The parable of the pounds (similar to Matt. 25:14-30) 19:11–27
32. Lament over Jerusalem 19:41–44
33. Teaching in the Temple 21:37–38
34. Two swords 22:35–38
35. Jesus before Herod 23:6–12
36. Daughters of Jerusalem 23:27–31
37. Peter at the tomb 24:12
38. The walk to Emmaus 24:13–35
39. The appearance to the disciples 24:36–43
40. The fulfillment of Scripture 24:44–49
41. The ascension 24:50–53
Even though some of Luke’s accounts are in other Gospels, the Holy Spirit led Matthew, Mark, Luke and John to share different views and accounts of the life of Christ and yet they are all in their totality a full picture of their experiences and eye witness accounts which paint a glorious picture of Christ and His salvation!
Some main themes that are covered are Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, women who ministered to and with Jesus, the poor, the outcast, the foreigner, and the crowds.
50 percent of Luke is the words of Jesus, Jewish customs are explained, Jesus’ early years are covered, and the audience to which Luke writes are the Gentiles as Jesus is portrayed as the man who is God!
The beautiful thing about Luke is that it is written in common Greek, it was written in a language that the average person could understand….it was written to relate to us, the common people. Our time together is not to merely give you “facts” about Jesus, but to bring gospel reality to you that we’d all be changed and seek application and sanctification as disciples.
So we’re going to spend some time in Luke, get to know the people he interviews and the history and accounts of Jesus; it’s going to be awesome!
Read Luke 1:1-4
V1
“Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, V2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, V3 it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, V4 that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed.”
V1 Luke seeks to “set in order” an accurate and historical account of the fulfilled and accomplished things of who Jesus is and what He has done and what He is doing.
He’s kind of like a private investigator/C.S.I./ Indiana Jones guy
V2 Luke recognizes that writings about Jesus have already begun, probably Matthew and Mark.
V3 Luke was not an apostle, but he would have access to interview eye-witness accounts from the people who saw and experienced these things while they were still alive.
Many believe Theophilis was a government official who had some understanding of Jesus and the gospel, and was seeking further information. He may very well have been the financer of Luke’s travels so that he could gather all this information.
V4 Luke wants Theophilus to “know for sure the things he was instructed”
What are some of things that we’ll know for sure as we read the Gospel of Luke?
We’ll know the facts on Jesus’ birth, we’ll see Jesus as young boy, we’ll see His power over Satan, we’ll see His mission of salvation, we’ll see His healings of tormented and sick people, we’ll see Him clash with religious people and minister to the common people, we’ll see how to deal with enemies, we’ll see sinners forgiven, we’ll see demonic people set free, we’ll see people raised from the dead, we’ll see the 12 disciples sent out, we’ll see how to be great, how to treat our neighbors, how to pray, we’ll see what really matters in life, we’ll see a nation reject Jesus, we’ll meet the Prodigal son, the unforgiving man, a man in hell and a man in heaven, we’ll learn how to live as citizens under a government, we’ll learn about the last days, we’ll see Jesus betrayed, deserted, brutalized, beaten, crucified and risen and coming again!
There are a lot of things in life that we “don’t know” What’s my future? What am I going to do with my life? Who will I marry? What will I do when I get out of High school? Will I graduate from High School? How is this situation going to work out?Fill in the blank…
But Jesus wants us to be assured of His truth, His love, and His mercy.
His word can be trusted…His love is eternal…His mercy never ceases.
1 John 5:13, “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.”
The Gospel of Luke is not about Jesus as if that's the end of the story. It's a story about what God accomplished among us through Him. Luke emphasizes the issue of divine accomplishment. Luke's story is about what God accomplishes in the lives of sinners through Jesus Christ, that's what it's about.
*Christianity is not a “past-tense” profession- it is a living, vibrant, and life changing daily event God wants to move in us today!
Q & A?
Following week, March 30th: Luke 1:4-25 Zacharias and when God seems silent in our prayers