Tabor Baptist Church

Introduction

• "The Greatest Story Ever Told"
• The story of Jesus Christ
• Forgiveness of sin and righteousness in Jesus Christ
• Over Christmas started our epic journey into Luke
• Not every verse but to look in detail
• A balance between Old Testament and New Testament
• A gospel emphasis
• Luke - the longest, fullest and most detailed gospel
• Prologue
• He writes an orderly account to Theophilus
• He writes that he may be rooted and grounded in the truth
• Is he in Christ?
• He has heard of the truth
• Maybe he has not yet come to the full knowledge of the truth
• Maybe he is a baby Christian but needs a fuller understanding
• Luke writes to him in his gospel and in Acts
• Certainly a Christian when he receives Acts
• This Gospel is to establish him
• Is this true of you?
• Have you heard of the things of Christ?
• Have you been taught of the things of Christ?
• Have you understood the things of Christ?
• Four Gospels
• Much overlapping material but some unique things
• The parable of the Prodigal Son, the Pharisee and the Tax Collector, the Good Samaritan, the story of Zacchaeus, the thief on the cross
• God enabled Luke to recount these
• Overview:
• Background details
• Purpose of his writing

Background details

Luke - a doctor

• Logical and detailed - he is writing an orderly account:
• Mostly chronological
• Putting gospel truth together
• To emphasis the humanity of Christ, the doctrine of salvation
• A message to gentile people
• The largest of the gospels
• 7 miracles not in the other gospels
• 16 parables not in the other gospels
• A traveling companion of Paul
• 2 Tim 4:11
• Philemon
• Theophilus
• Most excellent - likely part of nobility or an important Roman Official
• Cf Festus and Felix in Acts
• He knew the apostles
• He went traveling with John Mark
• 60% of the material in Luke is also covered in Mark
• He is humble
• Not once does he mention his name in the Gospel of Luke or Acts
• The early church were clear he wrote these books
• He is content to be a background person
• He knows he is doing an essential and meticulous work
• He is respectful
• Are we respectful: to government
• The pharisees were not respectful

How did Luke collect his material?

• There were people who had written narratives about Jesus Christ
• Perhaps referring to the Matthew and Mark (John would be written later)
• Perhaps referring to others writing things down
• Not revelation and revelation with no investigation
• He went to sources
• He had close contact with eye witnesses of the resurrection (v2)
• He knew everything from the beginning (v3)
• He had direct eye contact with the apostles and the 120
• He set his account in order
• The Holy Spirit guiding him to write it in a particular way
• Quote from Brian Edwards
• The Greek used in v1-4: a high classical form - like Josepheus or a Greek philosopher
• From v5 onwards a prose form of Greek
• God uses different people and different personalities
• Scripture is God-breathed
• Comparison between Luke and Matthew
• More things could have been written (John)
• God has given us what we need to know
• There is variety amongst the people of God
• We believe the same gospel but we have different characters and personalities
• We are to value the word of God
• This was written for the purpose of one man
• But then read by all the church

Purpose of his writing

• An accurate understanding from AD30-60 to let Theophilus know the certainty of those things in which he was instructed
• We can have total confidence in the Scriptures
• The word Salvation mentioned 6 times
• That Jesus came to seek and save the lost
• The gospel message
• 1 Tim 2:4 - That all would be saved
• Salvation comes through a knowledge and understanding of the truth
• Study the Scriptures but remember ...
• ... that by simple faith in Jesus we are saved
• Today is the day of Salvation