{"id":18810,"date":"2017-08-06T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-08-06T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sugar-land-bible-church.local\/sermon\/lessons-in-luke-002\/"},"modified":"2023-08-03T08:45:37","modified_gmt":"2023-08-03T13:45:37","slug":"lessons-in-luke-002","status":"publish","type":"sermon","link":"https:\/\/slbc.org\/es\/sermon\/lessons-in-luke-002\/","title":{"rendered":"Lessons in Luke 002"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","book":[87],"series_event":[562],"sermon_service_type":[472],"speaker":[450],"class_list":["post-18810","sermon","type-sermon","status-publish","hentry","book-luke","series_event-topical-morris","sermon_service_type-main-service","speaker-gabe-morris","no-post-thumbnail"],"acf":{"sermon_title":"Lessons in Luke 002","sermon_date":"20170806","sermon_month":"08","sermon_year":"2017","sermon_notes":"","sermon_slides":6160,"sermon_mp3":4833,"sermon_id":"86171030189","series_or_event":562,"service_type":[472],"speaker":450,"books_of_the_bible":87,"chapter_and_verse":"1:1-4","sermon_transcript":"SUGAR LAND BIBLE CHURCH\r\n\r\nGabe Morris\r\n\r\nLessons in Luke, Part 2 Luke 1:1-4\r\n\r\n8-6-17\r\n\r\nGood morning.\u00a0 If you can turn to Luke, chapter 1, verse 1.\u00a0 We are in two of our mini-series, mini-mini-series.\u00a0 We entitled it Life Lessons with Luke.\u00a0 And I hope from the last session we have gained a little more insight into the Book of Luke and the life of Luke.\u00a0 Learning from Biblical characters can be a tremendous blessing.\u00a0 I know that because I was blessed studying the Book of Luke.\u00a0 Before we dive in can we pray?\r\n\r\nFather in heaven, we thank\u00a0 You for Your tremendous blessings upon our lives, upon this church, upon this state, upon this country Lord. \u00a0Father, we acknowledge our utter dependence upon\u00a0 You and we confess that if it were not for You we would be truly lost.\u00a0 So thank You, Lord, for the gift of salvation and thank You for this body of believers and thank You that You are coming soon.\u00a0 And oh how we await that day; may it be soon.\u00a0 And Father, bless this time in Your Word, ready our hearts and minds for it and use me as You see fit.\u00a0 And it\u2019s in Jesus\u2019 name we pray, and God\u2019s people said\u2026 Amen.\r\n\r\nBy way of review in our last session we looked at Luke and his life and his work.\u00a0 We learned that Luke is a very unique book in terms of its content, its writer, its material and the like.\u00a0 We learned that Luke is synoptic in nature, meaning Luke along with the books of Matthew and Mark make up a trio of books called the synoptic gospels.\u00a0 They all have a similar look to them.\u00a0 It\u2019s also unique in terms of its length, it\u2019s considered the longest book in the New Testament.\u00a0 It covers the life of Christ, including his pre-birth up to the growth of the expansion of the church in Acts.\u00a0 And this is unique because Luke would be considered the greatest contributor to the New Testament with Paul coming in second.\r\n\r\nThis book is also highly regarded in the scholarly circles because of its beauty, its eloquence and its literary ambition.\u00a0 It\u2019s also unique because of its content; I mentioned that Luke was the only book that speaks of Christ\u2019s pre-birth.\u00a0 Unique parables are also in Luke, events and quotations of Christ Jesus only found in Luke.\u00a0 The author, Luke himself, also makes this a unique book. We learn from internal and external evidence that Luke really wrote the Book of Luke.\u00a0 We also went the extra mile and discovered by building a scriptural case Luke was a Gentile, making him the only Gentile contributor to the New Testament.\u00a0 And I know this can rub some Christians the wrong way, there are Christians who believe that Luke was a Jew and that\u2019s okay; we\u2019re still brothers and sisters at the end of the day\u2026 Amen.\u00a0 It\u2019s okay to believe Luke was a Jew and it\u2019s okay to believe, me and Jesus, that Luke was a Gentile.\r\n\r\nWe also looked at the characteristics of Luke and made it applicational.\u00a0 Luke was humble; he walked in humility.\u00a0 How do we know that?\u00a0 Because he was the type of person that was content with staying behind the scenes while God got all the glory, gained all the glory.\u00a0 I mean, think about it, before these lessons in Luke if someone were to ask you what do you know about Luke you\u2019d probably say the things that we\u2019ve discussed, he was a doctor, he was a physician, he was a missionary companion of Paul, and that\u2019s about it.\r\n\r\nI had a conversation with a gentleman and he thought Luke was one of the twelve disciples.\u00a0 But if you really begin to slow down and read Luke you will discover Luke\u2019s personality, Luke\u2019s attributes begin to surface.\u00a0 Luke contributed the most to the New Testament and was content with remaining unnamed; that\u2019s how humble he was.\u00a0 We learned The Tyndale Bible Dictionary<\/em> defines humility as considering the proper attitude of human beings toward their Creator.\u00a0 Humility is a grateful and spontaneous awareness that life is a gift and it is manifested as an ungrudging and un-hypocritical acknowledge of absolute dependence upon God.\u00a0 Life is a gift and Luke knew that.\r\n\r\nWe learned that Luke traveled with Paul until Paul\u2019s dying day.\u00a0 Paul said this in Ephesians 2:11-13, he said \u201cremember<\/em>,\u201d he\u2019s commanding the Ephesians to \u201cremember <\/em>that you were at that time\u201d as unbelievers, \u201cseparate from Christ,\u201d he\u2019s speaking to Gentiles, \u201cexcluded from the common\u00adwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. [13] But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.\u201d\u00a0 And I think Luke, being a Gentile, this had a tremendous impact on him.\u00a0 Luke considered life a gift.\u00a0 Luke knew that before, as a Gentile, before he was \u201cin Christ\u201d he was destined for doom, damnation and no doubt he was thankful for salvation, and no doubt thankful to the person who led him to Christ.\u00a0 He was grateful and his life turned into total dependence upon God, so much so that Luke served Paul until the end.\u00a0 He humbled himself, Luke did, and served, just like Jesus did.\u00a0 Christ said, \u201cFor even the Son of man did not come to be served but to serve and gave His life for a ransom for many.\u201d\u00a0 Matthew 20:28 says that.\u00a0 It\u2019s safe to say that Luke was a humble man.\r\n\r\nBecause Luke was humble he was faithful and he faithfully served.\u00a0 He was selfless, and as a result of his selflessness he was appreciated by Paul.\u00a0 Paul loved this man, Luke; Paul called Luke \u201cBeloved,\u201d the beloved physician.\u201d\u00a0 [Colossians 4:14, \u201cLuke, the beloved physician, sends you his greetings, and also Demas.\u201d]\u00a0 Have you ever said to someone I just love that guy, I just love that girl?\u00a0 Why would you say that?\u00a0 Because you see the undeniable selflessness in that person, sacrificial service to the Lord. And Paul said he loved Luke.\u00a0 Humility, service, and selflessness, we can easily apply these attributes of Luke in our lives, being content with God getting all the glory and for others to be edified.\r\n\r\nSo we pick it up from here and we continue in our study.\u00a0 And how else can we describe Luke?\u00a0 Luke was not an eyewitness.\u00a0 Let\u2019s look at Luke 1:1 again, it says this: \u201cInasmuch as many have undertaken to compile an account of the things accomplished among us, \u00a0[2] just as they were handed down to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word,\u201d let\u2019s stop there.\u00a0 Luke is trying to tell Theophilus, his audience, the person he\u2019s writing to, he\u2019s saying what I\u2019m going to do is record this in a book, these testimonies, eyewitness testimonies which passed on to us, I\u2019m going to do that like a journalist, like a historian.\u00a0 I\u2019ll find these individual eyewitness testimonies and servant, he called them servants of the Word, and interview them and record their testimonies.\u00a0 That\u2019s what Luke meant by \u201cjust as they were handed down to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants.\u201d\r\n\r\nSo by this admission Luke is saying he was not an eyewitness but rather a second generation believer, if you will.\u00a0 And notice how Luke carefully includes himself in the first set of believers, \u201cus\u201d in verse 1.\u00a0 He says, \u201cInasmuch as many have undertaken to compile an account of the things accomplished among us.\u201d\u00a0 There are some who think that Luke was an eyewitness because they like to include Luke and the 70; remember the 70 that Jesus sent out in Luke 10:1-24.\u00a0 In Luke 10:1 it says, \u201cNow after this the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them in pairs ahead of Him\u00a0 [Jesus] to every city and place where He Himself was going to come.\u201d\u00a0 There it is, Luke was an eyewitness, right?\u00a0 Well, doesn\u2019t Luke confirm that in verse 12, he said \u201caccomplished among us\u201d?\r\n\r\nThere\u2019s a problem, however.\u00a0 That phrase, \u201cthey were handed down,\u201d see that, \u201cthey were handed down together\u201d that phrase there\u2019s one technical word in the Greek and that is paradidomi, <\/em>BDAG defines it as giving over, hand delivering, entrusting someone else with.\u00a0 That\u2019s a technical word; what is a technical word?\u00a0 A technical word is a word that means the same thing no matter where it\u2019s found in the Bible.\u00a0 For example, church, the word \u201cchurch\u201d is a technical word.\u00a0 \u201cIsrael\u201d is a technical word.\u00a0 Those words mean the same thing wherever it\u2019s found, wherever it\u2019s used in the Bible.\u00a0 So the fact that Luke wrote the phrase paradidomi<\/em>, just as they were handed down, stresses the legitimacy of the traditions of Jesus, the teachings of Jesus, the deeds of Jesus being passed down to Luke, being handed over.\u00a0 It was, in other words, entrusted to Luke.\r\n\r\nSo if it\u2019s a technical term we should find this phrase in other sections of the Bible, right?\u00a0 And the answer is yes.\u00a0 Paul uses the same emphasis in his writings.\u00a0 Was Paul considered an eye witness to Christ\u2019s life and ministry?\u00a0 Technically no, he was not.\u00a0 In 1 Corinthians 11:23 Paul said this: , this is considered the theology of the sacraments we just partook of, the Lord\u2019s supper.\u00a0 Paul said, \u201cFor I received\u201d a technical word, paralamb\u00e1n\u014d<\/em>, \u201cfrom the Lord that which I also delivered\u201d that\u2019s that technical word paradidomi<\/em>, and the verse goes on to explain the Lord\u2019s Supper.\u00a0 [\u201c\u2026 to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread.\u201d\r\n\r\nPaul, are you saying you were there in the Upper Room with Jesus and His disciples as they broke bread?\u00a0 Well, that\u2019s no, of course not.\u00a0 How then was Paul privy to these intimate details that only the apostles knew and experienced.\u00a0 Well, if you look in\u2026 we know that Paul and Peter, the person that Jesus Christ gave the keys to the kingdom Himself, Peter, they had a meeting in Galatians 1:18.\u00a0 Galatians 1:18 talks about a fifteen day meeting that they had.\u00a0 [Galatians 1:18, \u201cThen three years later I went up to Jerusalem to become acquainted with Cephas, and stayed with him fifteen days.\u201d]\r\n\r\nThe contents of this meeting is are not revealed but you can safely say they were not just shooting the breeze.\u00a0 So why is Paul saying he \u201creceived from the Lord\u201d and what helped me out was a commentary which talks about this technical word paradidomi<\/em>.\u00a0 It says this: \u201cThe two verbs Paul uses here, \u201cI received\u201d paralamb\u00e1n\u014d<\/em> and passed on, paradidomi<\/em> are words the apostle sometimes uses as technical words for receiving and passing on church traditions and teachings.\u00a0 Because the teaching of the apostles, The Twelve, was derived from Jesus Himself Paul is able to say that ultimately he received it \u201cfrom the Lord.\u201d\r\n\r\nSo what am I trying to get at here?\u00a0 Luke is saying the same thing; Luke is handing down to Theophilus what was handed down to him, the tradition, the life, the words of Jesus Christ were entrusted to him, to Luke orally through eyewitness accounts.\u00a0 Luke is saying he is not an eyewitness but a researcher.\u00a0 Why is this important to us.\u00a0 Did not Jesus say \u201cBlessed are they who did not see and\u00a0 yet believed?\u201d \u00a0\u00a0You, we, are in a special category of believers if we have not seen Jesus yet you trusted and believe in Jesus.\u00a0 Jesus declared this a special blessing to those who believed without seeing.\r\n\r\nWhat other characteristics can we extract from Luke\u2019s life?\u00a0 He was a faithful historian.\u00a0 Again, when we read the Book of Luke and Acts with care you will discover that he was just that?\u00a0 A faithful historian.\u00a0 Luke was not just recording a bunch of history or data.\u00a0 Notice in Luke 1:3, let me read from verse 1 again, \u201cInasmuch as many have undertaken to compile an account of the things accomplished among us, [2] just as they were handed down to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word,\u201d here\u2019s verse 3, \u201cit seemed fitting for me as well, having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it<\/em> out for you in consecutive order, most excellent Theophilus.\u201d\r\n\r\nSo we see that Luke was careful and cautious in his investigations.\u00a0 He did not just investigate some things of Christ and the church; he investigated everything carefully Scripture says.\u00a0 Luke is saying I carefully investigated, carefully studied it, now I\u2019m carefully teaching it.\u00a0 In fact, Luke was so careful God saw fit to include his account in the Gospels along with the other three of course.\u00a0 And let\u2019s not forget in Luke 1, look at verse 1, Luke 1:1, Luke said \u201cmany have undertaken to compile an account of the things\u2026.\u201d\u00a0 This implies that when Luke wrote this there was a tremendous interest in Christ\u2019s life, this man, Jesus, and only Luke along with three other Gospels, made the final cut, and that\u2019s it as far as being included in the New Testament canon.\r\n\r\nSo what we have from Luke and Acts is an accurate chronological record of history.\u00a0 You say \u201cchronological\u201d?\u00a0 It says here only Luke, by the way, claimed to record Christ\u2019s life in a chronological order.\u00a0 Look at verse 3 again, \u201cit seemed fitting for me as well, having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it<\/em> out for you in consecutive order\u2026\u201d chronological.\u00a0 In other words, Luke\u2019s account is trustworthy.\u00a0 Jesus did walk this earth, He did live a sinless life, He did do all the things the Bible says He did.\u00a0 He did die on an \u201cold rugged cross\u201d like we sang this morning.\u00a0 Luke was a faithful historian.\r\n\r\nYou know, when I pondered the thought of history I think about the extraordinary times we live in today.\u00a0 I think about how we as Christians and for those of us that are parents we have the crucial responsibility of teaching our children accurate history, actually on two fronts, one being Christianity and as Americans one being with our country, the history of our country.\u00a0 Remember God said, or was it Proverbs 22 David said, \u201cTrain up a child in the way he should go\u2026.\u201d\u00a0 God never said those words for nothing.\u00a0 He had a specific purpose for that instruction.\u00a0 What does the rest of the verse say, \u201c\u2026so that he shall not depart from it,\u201d it\u2019s no secret that we live in an anti-Jesus, anti-Bible and anti-Christian world today.\r\n\r\nAnd as a parent are we fulfilling our God-given mandate, teaching our children the things of God. \u00a0Because let me tell you there is a disturbing trend going on today, even in Christianity.\u00a0 There are Christians today that want nothing more than for your children to embrace the homosexual lifestyle, nothing more.\u00a0 Christian leaders dropping like flies giving in to the culture of today.\u00a0 Since the Bible doesn\u2019t say much about\u2026 what do they call it, gender identity?\u00a0 Or sexual orientation?\u00a0 The Bible doesn\u2019t talk about that, right?\u00a0 So it\u2019s okay to entertain those ideas they say.\u00a0 Give me a break!\u00a0 There are Christians today, both parents and teens who say sleeping around is just a part of adolescent life.\u00a0 There are Christians out there who believe that evolution is true, it\u2019s fact, or that the Bible contains errors, or that there are other ways to God, not just Jesus, there\u2019s another way, just fill in the blank.\u00a0 There are Christian leaders who believe Christian and Islam can theologically coincide.\r\n\r\nWe have a tremendous duty as Christians to pass on to the next generation, to our children the precise and accurate rendition of Christianity of the Bible, of history, of Jesus.\u00a0 And it shouldn\u2019t stop there.\u00a0 Are your children, are they learning the history of our great country accurately, or at all for that matter?\u00a0 Are they learning about the great founders of our country, because there\u2019s another troubling trend in our educational systems.\u00a0 Are you aware what your child, a teen, is learning in school?\u00a0 There are recent studies that say American students by and large are disturbingly ignorant of U.S. history.\u00a0 The experts are saying this is due to failing schools, substandard teachers, and get this, textbooks.\r\n\r\nTwo authors by the name of Gary Tobin and Dennis Ybarra wrote a book entitled The Trouble With Textbooks: Distorting History and Religion<\/em>, and in that book they document a five year study of the most widely used textbooks in American history, geography and social studies.\u00a0 You ready for this?\u00a0\u00a0 They found over 500 blatant errors.\u00a0 They say history and religion are being distorted in every 50 states, in every school of every one of the 50 states.\u00a0 Unbelievable!\u00a0 They\u2019re also discovering that textbook writers don\u2019t know much about these subjects. Some of the well credential scholars whose names appear on the cover have very little to do with the content of the book; they\u2019re just using the names to boost credibility and that\u2019s it.\r\n\r\nMost books are littered with propaganda, communistic innuendos, dumbing down of subjects, whitewashing and glorifying Islam, some of them.\u00a0 This is U.S. textbooks, books that antichristian, anti-Semitic, anti-Israel writings in them.\u00a0 Some textbooks make excuses for Arab and Muslim terrorism.\u00a0 One textbook says, \u201cThe U.S. support of Israel is the cause for terrorism, including 911.\u201d\u00a0 Shall I go on?\u00a0 Muslim beliefs are stated as fact without a clear qualifier, such as Muslims believe this or Muslims believe that.\u00a0 One textbook said Jesus was a Palestinian.\r\n\r\nThere\u2019s an entity called Textbook Advocates, their sole purpose is to review U.S. textbooks for those who desire to stay informed.\u00a0 Here\u2019s a sample of what they found in the U.S. textbooks.\u00a0 This is The American Government and Politics Today<\/em> by Schmidt and others.\u00a0 [Steffen W. Schmidt]\u00a0 This textbook is for high schoolers, 9th <\/sup>through 12th<\/sup> grade and they waste no time, on page 10 it\u2019s talking about property.\u00a0 \u201cProperty, especially wealth creating property, can be seen as giving its owner political power and liberty to do whatever he or she wants.\u00a0 At the same time the ownership of property immediately creates any quality in society.\u201d\u00a0 Close quote.\u00a0 Can you say hogwash?\u00a0 It looks to me like this textbook is discouraging students from diligence and hard work and success.\u00a0 And if they are a property owner they should be ashamed of themselves.\u00a0 That\u2019s what it looks like to me.\r\n\r\nHere\u2019s a zinger, same book, page 98.\u00a0 \u201cEarly colonists were intolerant of religious beliefs that did not quite conform to those held by the majority of citizens in their own community.\u201d\u00a0 Same book, page 152, \u201cAfrican Americans continue to feel the sense of injustice of race and this feeling is often not apparent to or appreciated by the majority of white America.\u201d\u00a0 If this is not rank falsity, propaganda at work I don\u2019t know what is.\u00a0 Here\u2019s another book, Magruder\u2019s American Government<\/em>, on page 3 there\u2019s an image of the Statue of Liberty and this is what the caption says:\u00a0 \u201cThe Statue of Liberty is an enduring symbol of American democracy.\u201d \u00a0I thought it was for liberty.\u00a0 Same book, a good thing you\u2019re seated, page 10 says this: \u201cBut what is justice?\u00a0 The term is difficult to define for justice is a concept, an idea, an invention of the human mind.\u00a0 Like other concepts, such as truth, liberty and fairness, justice means whatever the people want it to mean.\u201d\r\n\r\nAnd no, this is not a joke.\u00a0 And what you\u2019ve just seen is just the tip of the iceberg.\u00a0 This should raise great concern, don\u2019t you think?\u00a0 What seems to be apparent here is that nowadays authors, scholars, entities, are sacrificing their integrity in exchange for promoting a political agenda or perhaps gaining scholarly acceptance.\u00a0 They would rather tell lies, falsity, or promote utter bias and subjectivity instead of truth or objectivity when it comes to history.\r\n\r\nPraise the Lord that Luke was not this kind of a person.\u00a0 Thank the Lord that Luke set the scholarly standard of scholarly integrity.\u00a0 As I survey the Old Testament I can\u2019t help but notice this word being used over and over and over again; it\u2019s the word \u201cremember,\u201d remember!\u00a0 Remember what?\u00a0 Remember what God did for you Israel.\u00a0 Remember what God took you out of?\u00a0 Moses said this in Exodus 13:3, \u201c\u2026Remember this day,\u201d history, right? \u201cwhich you went out of Egypt from the house of slavery\u2026.\u201d\u00a0 Moses wanted the Israelites to preserve this record of history.\u00a0 For what?\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 If you read down, Exodus 13:8 it says so, \u201cYou shall tell your son\u201d the next generation.\u00a0 [Exodus 13:8, \u201cYou shall tell your son on that day, saying, 'It is because of what the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt.\u2019\u201d\r\n\r\nDeuteronomy 4:9-10 says, \u201cOnly give heed to yourself and keep your soul diligently, so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen and they do not depart from your heart all the days of your life; but make them known to your sons and your grandsons. [10]\u201cRemember<\/em> the day you stood before the LORD your God at Horeb\u2026.\u201d\u00a0 Do you think God cares about history?\u00a0 Do you think God cares about accurate history?\u00a0 These declarations of Israel about remembering contain very detailed information, dates, people.\u00a0 Do you think God cares about details?\r\n\r\nBeyond that does not God command us to remember in the New Testament?\u00a0 Think about communion, it causes us to remember the blood and the body of our Lord.\u00a0 We read earlier that we are to remember that we as Gentiles were formerly far off; we\u2019re supposed to remember that, separate from God and from what Christ has done.\u00a0 We are brought, because of what Christ has done we were brought near.\u00a0 That\u2019s in Ephesians 2:11.\u00a0 [Ephesians 2:11, \u201cTherefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called \u2018Uncircumcision\u2019 by the so-called \u2018Circumcision,\u2019 which is performed in the flesh by human hands\u2014\u201c]\r\n\r\nOr how about when Peter reminds us, this is what 2 Peter 3:1-2, Peter says, \u201c\u2026 I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, [2] that you should remember the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles.\u201d\u00a0 It\u2019s obvious God cares about history and commands us to remember.\u00a0 Therefore we, are held accountable for that history, for that truth being passed down.\u00a0 Thank You Lord that Luke was careful and accurate and orderly in his account of Christ\u2019s life, and of the church.\u00a0 Amen!\u00a0 He was a faithful historian.\r\n\r\nSpeaking of history since the introduction of both Luke and Acts give indication that they were written in sequence, and Acts records Paul\u2019s life until his final two year imprisonment in Rome, and before his death.\u00a0 So by knowing that knowledge we can confidently date the Book of Luke in the early 60\u2019s, 60\u2019s A.D.\u00a0 The Book of Luke was written around the 60\u2019s.\u00a0 (Not 1960\u2019s)\u00a0 He was not an eyewitness; he was a faithful and accurate historian.\r\n\r\nThis brings us to our next characteristic and he was a faithful theologian and preacher.\u00a0 Notice Luke 1:1-4 again, it says: \u201cInasmuch as many have undertaken to compile an account of the things accomplished among us, [2] just as they were handed down to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, [3] it seemed fitting for me as well, having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it<\/em> out for you in consecutive order, most excellent Theophilus;\u201d notice verse 4, \u201cso that you may know the exact truth about the things you have been taught.\u201d\r\n\r\nBecause Luke was humble he acknowledged his utter dependence on God; it affected everything he did, he put his hands to, he was faithful with the facts, he handled history with great care.\u00a0 Further\u00admore it affected how he viewed truth.\u00a0 Luke\u2019s desire was for his audience to not only receive what had been taught but also know the certainty of it.\u00a0 They could have confidence in it.\u00a0 He said, \u201cso that you may know the exact truth,\u201d the Greek word for \u201cexact truth\u201d here in verse 4 is the word asphaleian<\/em> which is translated \u201ccertainty.\u201d\u00a0 The New King James Version and the NIV, I think provide a better translation in regard to asphaleian<\/em> in verse 4.\u00a0 Here\u2019s what the New King James Version says, verse 4, \u201cthat you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed.\u201d\r\n\r\nBDAG describes that, asphaleian<\/em> as the stability of an idea or statement, the firmness of it.\u00a0 In other words, these eyewitnesses accounts that Luke handed down, you can be confident of their authen\u00adticity and their reliability.\u00a0 This speaks volumes of Luke as a historian but also to the fact that he was a careful theologian as well.\u00a0 If you read Luke carefully you will discover he weaves theology all throughout this book.\u00a0 Luke\u2019s beautiful theme that runs throughout this book is that Jesus is the Son of Man\u2026 He is the Son of Man.\u00a0 There\u2019s themes to books; Matthew\u2019s theme was Jesus the king.\u00a0\u00a0 Mark\u2019s theme was Jesus the servant.\u00a0 John\u2019s Gospel the theme was Jesus the Son of God.\u00a0 Luke\u2019s dominant theme in this book is Jesus the Son of Man.\r\n\r\nBruce mentioned Luke 19:10 and it says this, \u201cFor the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.\u201d\u00a0 You\u2019ll also notice if you compare Luke to the other Gospels there\u2019s a lot more compassion in Luke, humanity found in his accounts.\u00a0 There\u2019s a strong concentration on people, you\u2019ll notice that, people and their plight, their struggles, their sorrow, their emotion.\u00a0 Consider detailed portions of Zacharias and Elizabeth, Mary\u2019s relative, you will find intimate and privileged information that Luke had access to, like the barrenness of Elizabeth.\u00a0 In regard to Zacharias Luke says \u201cfear gripped him when he encountered the angel Gabriel. [Luke 1:12, \u201cZacharias was troubled when he saw the angel, and fear gripped him.\u201d]\u00a0 Or when Elizabeth and Mary met, right, the baby leaping for joy in the womb.\u00a0 [Luke 1:41, \u201cWhen Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.\u201d]\r\n\r\nZacharias and Elizabeth were just two people that were in love with God and we have the privilege to have a glimpse in their lives because of Luke.\u00a0 On the topic of humanity consider the parable of the Good Samaritan, you can\u2019t get any more human than the Good Samaritan, right?\u00a0 Robbers, beating a man half to death, a priest and a Levite passing him by.\u00a0 You know it\u2019s interesting about the priest and the Levite passing him by, the priest, remember the priest, they had the highest calling, duty, in serving in the temple and ministering the sacrifices.\u00a0 Right?\u00a0 The Levite, he was in charge of the maintenance and the service of the temple and some say that they passed by because of certain reasons, they didn\u2019t want to touch the half dead man in risk of defiling themselves.\u00a0 They couldn\u2019t touch a potentially dead man, they would put themselves in jeopardy because they worked at the temple.\u00a0 That\u2019s true, but if you read carefully they were coming down from Jerusalem.\u00a0 In other words their priestly and Levitical activities were over for the day.\u00a0 They clocked out.\u00a0 So why then then did they pass by?\u00a0 Because they had zero compassion.\u00a0 Then the Samaritan, the half breed, a man full of compassion, who cared not for external circum\u00adstances or racial differences or stereo types, he saw the need and he met it.\r\n\r\nThe Book of Luke is filled with examples like these.\u00a0 And the reason this is so is because Luke has an underlying purpose here; he is painting the bigger picture of the humanity and compassion of the Son of Man, \u201cFor the Son of Man,\u201d Luke 19:10, \u201chas come to seek and to save that which was lost.\u201d\u00a0 One scholar said this, he said: Jesus alone is the Greek ideal of human perfection.\u00a0 The Book of Luke can be conveniently divided into four sections.\u00a0 The introduction of the Son of Man, Luke 1:1-4, chapter 4-13, in this section you\u2019ll notice a strong emphasis on Christ\u2019s ancestry, His birth, His early years, the early years of the Lord.\u00a0 Luke even brilliantly summarizes Christ\u2019s 30 years of preparation in one single verse; Luke 2:52 says, \u201cAnd Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and men.\u201d\r\n\r\nThe second section can be divided the ministry of the Son of Man, Luke chapter 4-9:50, this section obviously covers Christ\u2019s ministry.\u00a0 And you\u2019ll notice in that section Christ\u2019s authority over everything He comes in contact with: demons, nature, sin, sickness, disease, men, traditions of men, things like that.\r\n\r\nThe third section, the rejection of the Son of Man; in this section you\u2019ll notice a growing and intensifying opposition to Christ, to the Son of Man, the fiery conflict between Him and the Pharisees, where they accused Christ of being demonically possessed.\u00a0 And then you\u2019ll see His later focus on His disciples, teaching them discipline of following Him, being His followers.\u00a0 And then the fourth section covers, chapter 19:28-24:53 and that\u2019s the crucifixion of the Son of Man.\r\n\r\nAnd these four sections capture Luke\u2019s fundamental theme in the greatest way: Christ as the Son of Man, especially in chapter 15.\u00a0 In chapter 15 are three parables, the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son, better known as the prodigal son.\u00a0 And all three parables speak of things being lost or a person being lost and then found again.\u00a0 And as a result there is celebration; one scholar called this section the gospel of the outcasts.\u00a0 It speaks purely and clearly of God\u2019s great concern for the sinner, the unbeliever.\r\n\r\nNow we must remember in this context, in chapter 15, Jesus was speaking to unbelieving Pharisees who were angry at Jesus for hanging out and having dinner with unbelieving Jewish people, sinners.\u00a0 These parables are in perfect alignment with Luke\u2019s key verse, Luke 19:10, \u201cFor the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.\u201d\u00a0 Consider what Christ said in Luke 5:31, here Christ was given a big reception by the future disciple, Levi, better known as Matthew.\u00a0 The Scripture says the Pharisees are grumbling and Jesus said this.\u00a0 \u201cAnd Jesus answered and said to them,\u201d \u201cthem\u201d being the Pharisees, \u2018\u201cIt is not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick.\u2019\u00a0 [32] \u2018I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.\u2019\u201d\r\n\r\nLet\u2019s go back to Luke 19:10, in this context, this is the story of the Zacchaeus, the rich Jewish tax collector.\u00a0 Why don\u2019t we read that, Luke 19:1, It says, \u201cHe\u201d that\u2019s Jesus, \u201centered Jericho and was passing through. [2] And there was a man called by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and he was rich. [3] Zacchaeus was trying to see who Jesus was, and was unable because of the crowd, for he was small in stature.\u00a0 [4] So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree in order to see Him, for He was about to pass through that way. [5] When Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, \u2018Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house.\u2019 \u00a0[6] And he hurried and came down and received Him gladly. [7] When they saw it, they all began<\/em> to grumble,\u201d the Pharisees, \u201csaying, \u2018He has gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.\u2019 [8] Zacchaeus stopped and said to the Lord, \u2018Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much.\u2019 \u00a0[9] And Jesus said to him, \u2018Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham. [10] For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.\u201d\u2019\r\n\r\nYou see here in verse 5 when Jesus said salvation has come to this house, that\u2019s the Greek word soteria<\/em>, you\u2019ll recognize the word sotaria<\/em> as in soteriology, as in the doctrine of salvation.\u00a0 This is the same soteria<\/em> such as the one justified at the point of faith in Christ Jesus\u2026 same soteria<\/em>, the soul is saved.\u00a0 Luke is using the same soteria<\/em> that he used in the Book of Acts, 14:12, when he said, \u201cAnd there is no one else, for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which he must be saved,\u201d soteria<\/em>.\u00a0 Luke is using the same soteria<\/em> that Paul used in his epistles. Luke traveled with Paul, correct?\u00a0 Romans 1:16, \u201cFor I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for\u201d soteria<\/em>, \u201csalvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.\u201d\r\n\r\nThis theme of the Son of Man, God\u2019s great concern for the sinner, is skillfully woven throughout this book.\u00a0 Consider the thief, when Jesus was on the cross, there were two thieves with Jesus in Luke 23:39, \u201cOne of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, \u2018Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!\u2019\u00a0 [40] But the other answered, and rebuking him said, \u2018Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?\u2019\u00a0 [41] \u2018And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.\u2019\u00a0 [42] And he was saying Jesus, remember me when you come in Your kingdom.\u00a0 [42] And He said to him, \u2018Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.\u201d\u2019\r\n\r\nHere Luke lays out a historical scenario for salvation.\u00a0 He was a faithful theologian and accute and sentenced sinner who faced death comes to his senses.\u00a0 Obviously he believed because of what Jesus said, \u201c\u2018Today you shall be with Me in Paradise.\u201d\u2019 This is exciting.\u00a0 Why is this exciting?\u00a0 Because I was a sinner once, I was lost in the world, you were lost, once a sinner, in the world.\u00a0 Hind sight is 20\/20, right?\r\n\r\nLooking back on my life I can clearly see God seeking my life in my lost state.\u00a0 Some of you heard my testimony I gave during Cowboy night a few years ago.\u00a0 Before I met Christ I was steeped in gangs and drugs and all that stuff.\u00a0 My parents were Christians but that doesn\u2019t secure my salvation.\u00a0 I once robbed a house while the owners were in it.\u00a0 Fabbi\u2019s like oooh.\u00a0 Some of you are saying let\u2019s not invite Gabriel over for lunch.\u00a0 [Laughter]\u00a0 One of my best friends survived a gunshot to the head because of a drug deal gone bad.\u00a0 That\u2019s the kind of people I hung around with (he was recently released from prison last year; he called me.\u00a0 Hindsight is 20\/20, looking back I can see God\u2019s mercy.\u00a0 God was chasing me, He was seeking me.\u00a0 God intervened.\u00a0 He had my number.\u00a0 In my worst state He was seeking me and He sent His Son for me, to seek and to save that which was lost.\r\n\r\nAnd you know what else the thief on the cross teaches?\u00a0 That it\u2019s never too late to believe in Jesus Christ.\u00a0 You could be on your death bed and God would still gladly receive you no matter what you have done.\u00a0 And then celebrate.\u00a0 But you must fulfill one condition and that\u2019s believe.\u00a0 Well Gabe, you don\u2019t know what I did?\u00a0 I\u2019ve done some ugly stuff, some wicked and evil stuff in my lifetime.\u00a0 My response would be God can save the worst of sinners.\u00a0 He can save the WORST of sinners.\r\n\r\nI want to show you a short clip of the testimony of Jeffrey Dahmer, not to worry, this is safe to watch.\u00a0 Many of you are familiar with that name so I won\u2019t go into the details.\u00a0 In 1992 he was convicted and sentenced to 15 terms of life in prison.\u00a0 In 1994 he was murdered by a fellow prison inmate.\u00a0 I was 17 years old at that time.\u00a0 And before his death he did an interview with MSNBC; his dad was also there.\u00a0 So there\u2019s an interviewer, Jeffrey Dahmer and his dad.\u00a0 And I happened to stumble on this video a few years back and I\u2019ll just show you a couple of minutes of it.\u00a0 [cannot hear\/understand video]\r\n\r\nThank you.\u00a0 When I heard about his death in 1994 I thought he deserved it.\u00a0 From a human perspective this man should be in hell, but not from God\u2019s perspective.\u00a0 No one should go to hell.\u00a0 \u00a02 Peter 3:9 says, \u201cGod wishes that no one should perish.\u201d\u00a0 That was the whole reason why He sent His Son.\u00a0 God can save the worst of sinners.\u00a0 Luke knew this truth, he taught it, he preached it.\u00a0 In Acts 16:10 it says, \u201cWhen he had seen the vision, immediately we\u201d remember Luke is speaking from the first person now, he is including himself in this account, \u201cwe sought to go into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.\u201d\u00a0 He was a faithful preacher as well as a faithful theologian.\r\n\r\nWhat\u2019s the takeaway here?\u00a0 You too can be faithful in what you do.\u00a0 How many of us are theologians?\u00a0 Everyone should be raising their hand.\u00a0 We are all students of God\u2019s Word, Amen!\u00a0 We should all be faithful theologians.\u00a0 How many of us are teachers?\u00a0 Parents should be raising their hands.\u00a0 As teachers we have an obligation to teach the Bible, Christianity, history, accurately, objectively to our children, to the next generation.\r\n\r\nLuke was not an eyewitness\u00a0 yet he became the most prolific writer of the New Testament.\u00a0 He was a faithful historian, and his purpose was stated in verse 3 and 4.\u00a0 He says the purpose of the book was \u201cso that we may know the exact truth about the things we have been taught.\u201d\u00a0 [Luke 1:4]\u00a0 We can count on the teachings of the Bible.\u00a0 Amen!\u00a0 There may be some of you who find yourselves in the same situation as the thief on the cross. You\u2019re lost or you\u2019re unsure of your relationship with God.\u00a0 Luke says there\u2019s good news; Christ came to \u201cseek and save those who are lost.\u201d\u00a0 [Luke 19:10, \u201cFor the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.\u201d]\r\n\r\nWell, how do you get found if\u00a0 you\u2019re lost?\u00a0 The Bible teaches one condition\u2026 ONE condition that can save a lost sinner and that is by faith, faith in Jesus Christ as your personal Savior.\u00a0 He can save the worst of sinners.\u00a0 He lived, He died, was buried and was raised proving He was the Son of Man and He did it for you, He did it for us.\u00a0 All you do is believe.\u00a0 Now that\u2019s good news, Amen.\u00a0 No matter how lost you are or what you did God still loves you.\u00a0 He has enough power to save you, like the song says, My God is mighty to save, He is mighty to save.\u00a0 If you exercise faith in Jesus Christ congratulations, you will one day be with Him in Paradise.\u00a0 And if you have not I am available to talk after the service.\r\n\r\nShall we pray.\u00a0 Heavenly Father, we thank You for what Your Word teaches us about Your truth, that You have come to seek and save that which was lost. We just thank You for Your Word and how it changes us from the inside out.\u00a0 Lord, we ask that\u00a0 You just be with us the remainder of our week as we give you all the glory and the praise, and it\u2019s in Jesus\u2019 name we pray.\u00a0 Amen","series_sermon_number":""},"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t