The Promise that Anchors Our Faith, Part 4 - Nov. 5th, 2023
CJ Walker
Luke: Living in Light of Promise • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 47:41
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· 7 views“Does It Seem Good to You? . . . to Tell Somebody About Jesus.” - The many: You are in good company - The manner: stay on the subject of Christ, driving them to discipleship - The message: based on Scripture investigated by personal study The motive: Building confidence instructing the believer
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REVIEW: “Does It Seem Good to You? . . . to Tell Somebody About Jesus.”
I. If So, You Are in Good Company with “Many” (v. 1)
A. Many have done more than merely “think”
B. Many have “taken in hand” to communicate Jesus to someone else.
1. Why should I, when so many others already have?
2. God has a “Theophilus” He wants you to reach
3. Luke is the only Gospel writer to address Theophilus directly
C. Many have made “an orderly account”; you should too.
D. Many have made a “declaration” of who Jesus is; you should too.
The declaration is of “those things . . . most surely believed”
These things are believed, “among us” i.e., the Brethren
Are you part of the “us?” If not, why not?
Trans: Does it seem good to you to tell somebody about Jesus? If so, then you are in good company. Now consider . . .
II. The Manner in which you should tell somebody about Jesus (Lk. 1:2)
A. Stay on the Subject: “Jesus Christ”
1. The Authority of the Word - Apostles & faithful disciples
2. The Authenticity of the Word - “eyewitnesses”
3. The Ministry of the Word - “ministers”
B. Drive Towards Discipleship
1. “they delivered them unto us” - 2 Tim. 2:2
2. “most excellent Theophilus” - he was ready to receive the word
Trans: You are in good company when you think it is good to tell somebody about Jesus Christ. Don’t stop short at merely “thinking” about it, Do it. When you do tell somebody else about Jesus Christ, stay on Subject, and drive that somebody towards being a disciple themselves.
III. The Message We Must Communicate to Somebody (v. 3)
A. Based on the Scriptures - “to write” = graphei; “in order” - an orderly account
Know what you believe, and know why you believe what you believe
B. Built Up By Careful, Personal Investigation of the Scriptures for One’s Self - “having had perfect understanding”
“Well, that’s why I just let my pastor do that, because I don’t have “perfect” understanding yet . . .”
Wrong: You do not have “perfect” understanding yet if you have not been willing to do the hard work of 2 Tim. 2:15 for yourself yet.
Remember, your pastor may never get to even talk to many of the people God has placed within your own sphere of influence.
C. Leave nothing of the Message out - “all things”
Give them the whole counsel of God
Teaching them to observe “all things whatsoever” Jesus has commanded
Give them the “whole gospel” (Acts 10:34-43)
Essence of the Whole Gospel: 1) God’s offer of salvation; 2) the Life, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus; 3) the Call to Faith in light of the Coming Judgment (Elwell, Encountering New Testament)
D. Remain Dependent Upon the Holy Spirit - “from the very first”
Trans: Does it seem good to you to be:
Banded together for the work of the Gospel ministry with these “many”?
To Be actively engaging somebody else to tell them about Jesus Christ and discipling them to follow Him and His Word?
To be a Born-Again, Spirit-Filled, Scripture-Searching Believer walking closely to God?
It seemed good to Luke. Today, we consider . . .
IV. The Mission Behind Our Ministry of the Word (Luke 1:4).
IV. The Mission Behind Our Ministry of the Word (Luke 1:4).
4 That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.
If we asked the question, ‘which writer contributed the most to the New Testament?’ we would probably say, ‘Paul, because he wrote so many letters to various churches and individuals.’ But the correct answer is Luke. Luke wrote two books: the Gospel that bears his name and the Acts of the Apostles (or the Acts of the Holy Spirit). Luke also has the distinction of being the only Gentile (non-Jewish) writer to contribute to the New Testament. [Welwyn Commentary Series]
A. Somebody (your Theophilus) Needs to Be Assured of the Certainty of Your Christianity
A. Somebody (your Theophilus) Needs to Be Assured of the Certainty of Your Christianity
Luke’s Gospel-wide pressing for commitment and for remaining faithful until Christ returns also suggests this force. Luke is not pressing for decision, but for faithfulness. [Bock, BECNT]
1. "What is truth?” - Pilate asked Jesus; the world at large still asks today.
1. "What is truth?” - Pilate asked Jesus; the world at large still asks today.
The meaning of ἀσφάλειαν translated “certainty” in the AV, carrying the synonymous ideas of truth, trustworthiness, assurance, is of interest. While some scholars have wondered whether Luke is trying to merely vouchsafe the message’s correctness, the translators have helped us understand that he is rather seeking to provide either reliability, or certainty to his reader. In other words, according to the translators, Luke was less interested in merely getting the facts down accurately (as per view 1) and substantially more interested in giving his reader absolute certainty in the truth that he has presented throughout his gospel sermon narratives (in line more with views 2–3). [Adapted from BECNT]
The . . . word’s position at the end of the sentence is emphatic, so it is a key term. Lucan usage of ἀσφάλεια and related terms answers the question. In Acts 2:36, 21:34, 22:30, 25:26, he consistently uses these terms in reference to assurance or determining the facts with certainty. [BECNT]
36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.
34 And some cried one thing, some another, among the multitude: and when he could not know the certainty for the tumult, he commanded him to be carried into the castle.
30 On the morrow, because he would have known the certainty wherefore he was accused of the Jews, he loosed him from his bands, and commanded the chief priests and all their council to appear, and brought Paul down, and set him before them.
26 Of whom I have no certain thing to write unto my lord. Wherefore I have brought him forth before you, and specially before thee, O king Agrippa, that, after examination had, I might have somewhat to write.
Thus, Luke wishes Theophilus, and those who have questions like his, to be certain of the teaching’s truth. [BECNT]
2. Not a political “apology”; but a Theological Persuasion
2. Not a political “apology”; but a Theological Persuasion
The resulting assurance is probably not of a political nature. Luke is not writing an apology to a Roman official who wonders if Christianity should be granted a legal status. [As one writer has noted, Luke’s] volumes [his Gospel & Acts] are too long and deal too little with political issues to have been written for that purpose. What official, he asks, would wade through all this information for just that point?
Rather, it seems that the assurance is of a religious, theological nature (Schneider 1977a: 40).
Theophilus’s question would seem to be, “Is Christianity what I believed it to be, a religion sent from God?” [BECNT]
3. Advancement of the Faith
3. Advancement of the Faith
[Why did Luke think] that his reader (or those he represents) needed this assurance? Was Theophilus merely an inquirer who was not yet persuaded of the truth of the gospel? Was he a Christian of long standing whose faith had however been shaken by opponents?
Perhaps most likely, Theophilus was a relatively recent convert who, along with many others, had received only basic teaching and who thus needed his faith established more securely. [NIDNTT]
4. “That thou mightest know . . .” - purpose
4. “That thou mightest know . . .” - purpose
The word translated as know (epignosko), among other things, has the sense of having ‘precise knowledge.’ The Word of God is indeed a precise record of truth. The inerrancy thereof is clearly hinted. That precise narrative thus commences. [D. Sorenson, Understanding the Bible]
“Luke wants to show that the story of Jesus is the answer to the existential problems and issues facing the Graeco-Roman (Gentile) world, as well as the Jewish one.” [C. Bartholomew, Revealing the Heart of Prayer, Luke]
Why did Luke write his Gospel?
He wrote it for Theophilus. We do not know who this man was but he certainly was a specific individual. His name (or nickname) means ‘lover of God’ or ‘one loved by God’. He was obviously someone who was interested to know more about the Christian faith and he was evidently someone who was important. Luke calls him ‘most excellent Theophilus’. He uses this same title for the governor Felix (Acts 23:26; 24:3) and his successor, Festus (Acts 26:25). If Theophilus was not a high Roman official, he was certainly someone who was respected enough to have been given a courtesy title.
Luke also dedicated part two of his writings to the same person. He says,
1 The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, 2 Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen:
and in the Acts of the Apostles Luke goes on to tell Theophilus about all that Jesus continued to do through His apostles (that is, His special messengers).
The central message of Luke’s Gospel is,
10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
John tells us [regarding the good shepherd, that],
3 To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.
Jesus called Zacchæus to come down from the tree; and today the Lord calls those whom by his grace he has chosen to eternal life from before the foundation of the world. [Welwyn Commentary Series]
B. Those Who Have Already Been “Instructed” Still Need to Be “Watered”
B. Those Who Have Already Been “Instructed” Still Need to Be “Watered”
1. The Importance of Being “Instructed” in the Faith
1. The Importance of Being “Instructed” in the Faith
Paul uses the word exclusively in the sense of to instruct someone regarding the content of the faith . . . katēcheō may even be regarded as a technical term for “to instruct in the faith”. This meaning seems particularly appropriate in 1 Cor. 14:19, where Paul asserts that he would rather speak five intelligible words “in order to instruct others” than ten thousand words in tongues, which after all may merely encourage self-glorification on the part of the speaker . . . the logoi of this verse are to be identified with the pragmata (events) of v. 1, by which Lk. means the life, death and resurrection of Jesus as recorded in pre-Lucan literature. [NIDNTT]
Concordance:
Used of Apollos:
25 This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John.
Used of Paul:
21 And they are informed of thee, that thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs.
24 Them take, and purify thyself with them, and be at charges with them, that they may shave their heads: and all may know that those things, whereof they were informed concerning thee, are nothing; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the law.
Used of the Jews:
18 And knowest his will, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law;
Used of the Corinthians:
19 Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue.
Used of the Galatians:
6 Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things.
2. Luke Was Intentional in His Instruction in the Faith
2. Luke Was Intentional in His Instruction in the Faith
Luke is the longest book in the New Testament (1,121 verses), Matthew is second (1,071 verses), and Acts is third (1,007 verses). (John has 879 verses, and Mark has 678 verses.) Luke and Acts combined comprise about 27 percent of the Greek New Testament. Furthermore, Luke wrote more verses in the New Testament than anyone else: 2,128 in Luke and Acts. Paul wrote the second largest number of verses (2,032), then John (1,416), then Matthew (1,071), then Mark (678), and finally the lesser contributors.20
“The presentation of the facts is fuller in some respects, but is less topical than Matthew’s and is more flowing than Mark’s.”21
“The gospel according to St. Luke has been called the loveliest book in the world. … It would not be far wrong to say that the third gospel is the best life of Christ ever written.”22
Muslims respect the Gospels, and probably more Muslims have been brought to faith in Christ through Luke’s Gospel than any other, because of its emphases. [Tom Constable’s Expository Notes]
3. Luke Shows an Intimacy of of Christ in His Presentation of Jesus Christ of Nazareth
3. Luke Shows an Intimacy of of Christ in His Presentation of Jesus Christ of Nazareth
Dr. Ironside has affectionately noted,
When we turn to Luke, Jesus is presented as Man in all perfection, the “Son of Man.” That is Luke’s favorite expression. As we examine this book carefully, we shall see many evidences of this.
Luke dwells much on the prayer-life of Jesus Christ, and prayer, of course, is connected with His Manhood. Jesus never makes a move but He looks first to His Father in heaven. We see Him praying, praying, praying, as every important occasion arises.
In this Gospel we also see frequently the Lord Jesus Christ as a guest in the homes of various people. He sat with them and ate with them, and talked over their problems. No other Gospel presents Christ going out to dinner so often as Luke does. Jesus shares their joys and sorrows and partakes of the good things that are presented to Him. When you meet a man at the dinner-table you find out what he really is. [H. Ironside, Addresses]
Luke, like Paul, has realized that the one who plants is nothing; the one who waters is nothing; God who gives life is everything!
The Truthfulness of the Gospel (1:1–4)
1.Based on multiple sources (1:1)
2.Based on eyewitness testimony (1:2)
3.Based on careful investigation (1:3)
4.Leads to confidence in the faith (1:4) [EGGNT]
4. Luke Invites All Believers to Learn About and Follow Jesus Christ:
4. Luke Invites All Believers to Learn About and Follow Jesus Christ:
Luke’s Message [the following has been adapted from Tom Constable]
Luke’s Message [the following has been adapted from Tom Constable]
The first Gospel presented Jesus as the King. The second Gospel presented Him as the Servant. The third Gospel presents Him as the perfect Man. Matthew wrote to Jews about their King. Mark wrote to Romans about a Servant. Luke wrote to Greeks about the ideal Man. The title “Messiah” is most fitting for Jesus in Matthew. The title “Suffering Servant” is most appropriate in Mark. “Son of Man” is the title most characteristic of Luke’s presentation of Jesus. G. Campbell Morgan believed that Matthew presented Jesus as the King, Mark presented Him as the Priest, and Luke presented Him as the Prophet.
a. Jesus Presented as Saviour
a. Jesus Presented as Saviour
Luke stressed the saving work of Jesus in his Gospel. He presented Jesus as the Savior of humankind. He also proclaimed Jesus’ work of providing salvation for humankind. Observe, first, the Savior that Luke presents, and then the salvation that the Savior came to provide:
Luke presented Jesus as the Savior in three different relationships: He presented Him as the firstborn of a new race. Second, he presented Him as the older brother in a new family. Third, he presented Him as the redeemer of a lost humanity.
1) Jesus as the firstborn of a new race.
1) Jesus as the firstborn of a new race.
Luke’s genealogy (3:23–38) reveals how the writer wanted the reader to regard Jesus. Matthew traced Jesus’ lineage back to David and Abraham, in his genealogy, in order to show His right to rule as Israel’s Messiah. Luke traced Jesus’ ancestry back to Adam. He did this in order to show Jesus’ true humanity.
However, Luke went back even further than Adam to God. This indicates that Jesus was not just like other human beings who descended from Adam. He was, as the Apostle Paul called Him, the “last Adam” (1 Cor. 15:45). The first Adam that God placed on this earth failed and plunged his race into sin and death. The last Adam that God placed on the earth did not fail, but saved His race from sin and brought it new life. The first man begins the Old Testament, but the “second man,” to use another Pauline title (1 Cor. 15:47), begins the New Testament. As Adam headed one race, so Jesus heads a new race. Both “Adams” were real men. Thus, both men head real races of humankind. Luke viewed Jesus as succeeding where Adam failed, as atoning for Adam’s transgression.
For Jesus to undo the consequences of Adam’s fall, He had to be more than just a good man. He had to be a perfect man, a sinless man. Therefore Luke stressed Jesus’ sinlessness. He did this primarily in his account of Jesus’ birth. Luke stressed the virgin conception of Jesus. The Holy Spirit, not a sinful human, fathered Jesus. God regards the male as responsible in the human family. Husbands are responsible for their wives (Eph. 5:23–24). Fathers are responsible for their children (Eph. 6:4). God held Adam, not Eve, responsible for his descendants (Gen. 3:17–19).
Human beings are sinners for three separate reasons:
First, we are sinners because we commit acts of sin.
Second, even if we never committed one act of sin, we would still be sinners because we inherited a sinful human nature. This nature apparently comes through our fathers (cf. Heb. 7:9–10).
Third, we are sinners because God has imputed the guilt of Adam’s sin to us because he is the head of the race and we are his descendants. As an illustration of this three-fold influence, consider a child. He is what he is for three reasons: his personal actions, his parents, and his citizenship (the country in which he was born). These all make him what he is, not just his actions.
Jesus was not a sinner.
First, He did not commit any acts of sin.
Second, He did not inherit a sinful nature from His human father because God was His real Father.
Third, God did not impute Adam’s sin to Jesus because Jesus was the direct descendant of God, the Son of God, and therefore the head of a new race.
God gave the first Adam life by breathing the breath of life into the body that He had created. Likewise, God gave the second Adam life by implanting His divine life into a body that He had created, namely, Mary’s body.
The doctrine of the virgin birth is extremely important because it establishes the sinlessness of Jesus in two of the three ways whereby people become sinners: an inherited sinful nature, and the imputation of Adam’s sin. If a virgin did not conceive Jesus, then He was a sinner. If Jesus was a sinner, then He cannot be the Savior of sinners.
One way that a person becomes a sinner is by committing acts of sin. Luke showed that Jesus did not commit sins in his account of Jesus’ temptations (4:1–13). In the wilderness, Satan subjected Jesus to the strongest temptations that humans face. Satan directed Jesus’ three tests at the three areas of human personality that constitute the totality of human existence. These areas are doing (the lust of the flesh), having (the lust of the eyes), and being (the pride of life). These are the same three areas in which Satan attacked Eve (cf. Gen. 3:1–7).
The first man fell in a garden, which was a good environment conducive to withstanding temptation. The Second Man overcame temptation in a wilderness, which was a bad environment conducive to yielding to temptation. Rather than showing at every turn in Jesus’ life that He did not sin, Luke showed that in the supreme test of His life Jesus did not sin. However, he continued to note Jesus’ conflicts with Satan, demons, and sin throughout His life. Luke’s record of these encounters also demonstrates Jesus’ sinlessness.
At the Transfiguration (9:28–36), God declared His Son acceptable to Him. This meant that He was sinless.
2) The older brother in a new family
2) The older brother in a new family
Second, not only did Luke present Jesus as the head of a new race, but he also presented Jesus as the older brother in a new family. Since Jesus was the head of a new race, we might think that Luke would have presented Jesus as a father. Jesus was the first and, therefore, the source of all that follow in the race that He established. But Luke stressed Jesus’ likeness with those in the new race. He is like an older brother to us who have new life through Him. This is not to deny His deity. In one sense, Jesus is completely different from us, since He is God. However, Luke stressed the sense in which He is like us, namely, in His humanity. He is one of us—fully human.
Luke presented Jesus as a man among men. He, of all the Gospel writers, wanted his readers to appreciate the fact that Jesus was a real person. There are many small indications of this throughout this Gospel. Luke did this because he was evidently writing to Greeks. Greeks had a background in polytheism and mythology. Because of their cultural background, they tended to think of gods as superhumans. These gods were not real people, but they had the characteristics of people expanded into superhuman proportions—faults and all. Luke wanted his readers to realize that Jesus was not that type of god. He was fully human, but He was also sinless. He had superhuman powers, but He was not the type of superman that the Greeks envisioned.
Jesus was a fellow human being, albeit sinless. This is very hard for us to imagine. Therefore, Luke put much in his Gospel that helps us understand Jesus, from His birth announcements, to His ascension into heaven. For example, Luke emphasized Jesus praying more than the other Gospel evangelists. As a man, Jesus was dependent on, and drew His strength from, His Father. We must not be too quick to ascribe Jesus’ superior powers to His being God. He laid aside the use of many of His powers in the Incarnation and usually operated as a Spirit-empowered man. Luke helps us appreciate this about Jesus. He stressed the Holy Spirit’s enablement of Jesus. Luke alone recorded, “Now the Child continued to grow and to become strong, increasing in wisdom; and the favor of God was upon Him” (2:40), and “Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and people” (2:52).
3) Redeemer of a lost humanity:
3) Redeemer of a lost humanity:
Third, Luke presented Jesus as the redeemer of a lost humanity, as well as the head of a new race, and the elder brother of believers. Since he was writing to Greeks, Luke did not identify many allusions to the Old Testament or to Jewish life and history. These allusions are in the text, but Luke did not draw attention to them. One of God’s provisions for Israelite life that Luke did not identify as such, but which overshadows his portrait of Jesus, is the kinsman-redeemer. His presentation of Jesus fits the image of the Jewish kinsman-redeemer remarkably.
The kinsman-redeemer had to be the next of kin to the person that he redeemed. Luke presented Jesus as qualifying as our redeemer in this respect. He was a human being, as we are. Therefore He could provide redemption for His needy brothers.
The kinsman-redeemer also had to accept personal responsibility for those that he purposed to save from their miserable estate. Luke presented Jesus as taking personal responsibility for lost sinners. He recorded Jesus saying that He had to go to the Cross. He viewed the salvation of humankind as something that He needed to accomplish, because He had made a personal commitment to do so. That commitment began in heaven, before the Incarnation (Acts 2:23), but continued on earth throughout Jesus’ life.
The kinsman-redeemer had to overcome those who opposed his brethren. Luke presented Jesus as in conflict with Satan and his hosts. He showed Him interceding for the Father’s help for His tempted brethren—Peter, for example (22:32). Jesus won the victory over humankind’s great enemy for His brethren.
The kinsman-redeemer had to create an opportunity for his brother’s redemption. Luke presented Jesus as doing this. Luke’s distinctive presentation of Jerusalem as Jesus’ city of destiny contributes to this theme. Jesus deliberately advanced toward Jerusalem and the Cross, because He was creating an opportunity for humankind’s redemption. (Similarly, Luke presented the Apostle Paul deliberately advancing toward Rome, his city of destiny, in the Book of Acts.)
The kinsman-redeemer turned his back on his personal rights and privileges in order to provide redemption for his brother. Luke presented Jesus doing this as well. Jesus modeled this strongly for His disciples, as we see in this Gospel. He also taught the importance of disciples doing this so that we can bring salvation to our brothers and sisters.
These major themes are very strong in Luke’s Gospel. Jesus is the head of an entirely new race of people: the redeemed. He is the elder brother who provides an example for His brethren to follow, including depending on the Father and relying on the Spirit. He is the Savior who has come “to seek and to save that which was lost” (19:10).
b. Luke’s Presentation of Salvation:
b. Luke’s Presentation of Salvation:
We have observed how Luke presents Jesus as the Savior. Now let us turn to what he revealed about salvation. The key verse in the Gospel is Luke 19:10: “The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” We have been looking at “the Son of Man.” Now let us look at “to seek and to save that which was lost.” I would say that the key verse in Matthew is 27:37: “This is Jesus the King of the Jews,” and the key verse in Mark is 10:45: “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” I would say the key verse in John is 20:31: “These [things] have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that by believing you may have life in His name.”
Redemption
Luke reveals that the Son of Man has redeemed humankind. This Gospel is a record of God’s redeeming work through Jesus Christ. Jesus’ work on the Cross is the climax of this Gospel, as it is the climax of all the Gospels and of history itself. Jesus was born to die. By His death, Jesus purchased humankind’s freedom from sin at the cost of His own life. Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper so that His disciples would always keep the memory of the significance of His death freshly before them. The Christian mission is to tell the world about this redemption (24:46–47).
Regeneration
Through redemption, God regenerates those who are dead in sin. This is the second step in God’s plan of seeking and saving the lost, after providing redemption. Believers receive new life when they believe on Jesus. Comprehending what this new life involves, learning how to live in view of its reality, and appreciating its great potential, are all things that Luke stressed in this Gospel. Jesus’ disciples struggled with learning this, as all Christians do. Luke recorded many of Jesus’ teachings that are helpful in understanding and appreciating regeneration.
Relationship
Through regeneration, God brings believers into relationship with Himself. This is the third step in this great salvation process. Luke helps the reader to understand the difference between trusting for salvation and working for rewards. What is our relationship to Jesus as His followers? What are our privileges and our responsibilities? How does prayer enter into our relationship? Luke has more to say to disciples about the Christian’s relationship to the Father and the Son than any other Gospel evangelist.
The Future
Then, through relationship with Himself, God prepares believers for life after death as members of a new race. Luke recorded much that is of great help for us as readers on this subject as well. What is the next phase of our life with God going to be like? How should we prepare for it? What is ahead in the future? Luke teaches us what it means to be a member of the new redeemed race of humanity.
In addition to the central teaching of this Gospel, let me also point out what I believe are the reasons for its abiding appeal. These are two: the personality of Jesus, and the presentation of discipleship.
1) The Personality of Jesus
1) The Personality of Jesus
The personality of Jesus, as Luke presents Him in this Gospel, is very appealing. Three things make Him so:
First, we feel that we can identify with the Jesus of Luke’s Gospel. This is probably because Luke presented Him as a real man. It may be harder to identify with a King or with a Suffering Servant, to say nothing about God, which is John’s emphasis. Even though He is perfect, He is someone with whom we feel a natural kinship, because we share humanity together. Jesus faced what we face, yet He was pleasing to God. This is very encouraging.
Second, the Jesus of Luke’s Gospel is attractive because He is different from us. Even though we are of the same kind, He holds a fascination for us because He was the personification of ideal humanity. He was everything that God intended human beings to be. It is thrilling to view someone like that, since we all fall so far short of what we should be.
Third, this Jesus is attractive because He was so compassionate. One of the characteristic features of Luke’s Gospel is the many stories that it contains that feature Jesus’ concern for the needy, including women, the poor, the sick, and outcasts of society. We read of the social outcasts of Jesus’ day flocking to Him and feeling at home in His presence. We see Him welcoming children, and we feel drawn to Him. We see Jesus’ compassion in Matthew and in Mark, but Luke stresses Jesus’ compassion even more than they do.
2) Luke’s Presentation of Discipleship
2) Luke’s Presentation of Discipleship
Another reason for the appeal of this book is its presentation of discipleship. It contains some of the straightest talk and most challenging demands for followers of Jesus that the New Testament records. We read Jesus telling us that unless we hate our family members, we cannot be His disciples (14:26). He taught that we have to deny ourselves (14:27). We have to renounce all that we have (14:33). Interestingly, these three conditions correspond to the three things that I mentioned earlier that Luke pointed out about Jesus. He did not call His disciples to do anything that He had not done. Let me explain further:
Jesus calls Christians to view our connections with our old race differently, because we have become members of a new race. Jesus taught that our spiritual relations are really closer than our physical relations. Therefore, we should let these old relations go—if they interfere with our participation in the calling of our new race. We should not break contact with unbelievers, of course, any more than Jesus did. But we should put our allegiance to Jesus and our spiritual brethren before our ties to our unbelieving brethren.
Jesus calls us to accept the same responsibility that He accepted, since we are now brothers. He denied Himself and took up His cross for us. Now we are brothers, so we need to do the same for Him. Brothers sacrifice for each other.
Jesus also calls us to give up everything for Him. Having received the benefits of redemption, because of the work of our Kinsman-Redeemer, who paid a great price for us, we need to pay a great price too. The price He calls us to pay is not to earn redemption. He has given that to us as a gift. It is to express our gratitude to Him for His grace, and to advance the mission that He has given us to fulfill. He had a mission from God, and He gave up everything to fulfill it. We, too, have a mission from God, and we need to give up everything to fulfill it.
c. Application of Luke’s Gospel:
c. Application of Luke’s Gospel:
Finally, this Gospel has a two-fold application: to the church and to the world.
1) Applied to the church:
1) Applied to the church:
To the church, Luke says: Be witnesses! “Ye are witnesses of these things” (24:48). We are to be so in view of the relationship that we now enjoy with the Son of Man. We should be witnesses for three reasons: We have experienced redemption, we enjoy His fellowship, and we have a future as members of a new race. We are also to be His witnesses in view of the lost condition of humankind. Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. Our fellowship with Jesus requires participation in His mission to seek and to save the lost. We can do this for three reasons: He has transformed our lives, He will open people’s eyes with His Word, and He has empowered us with His Spirit (cf. ch. 24).
2) Applied to the world:
2) Applied to the world:
To the world Luke says: You are lost, but the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost. A Redeemer has come. A Brother is available. A new life is possible. Behold the Man! He understands you. Yet He is different from you. And He will receive you. [END of adaptation from Tom Constable’s, Expository Notes]
Mini-Series Conclusion:
Mini-Series Conclusion:
Does it seem good to you today? It seemed good to Luke. If it does to you to join together with us:
Many - you are in good company in the faith
Manner - You are in a church that seeks to stay on the great Subject of Our Savior, Jesus Christ, the Word of God, while Driving Others Towards Discipleship in Him
Message - Based on the Bible, Built on a Careful Personal Investigation of the Scriptures, Covering the Whole Counsel of God, from Born Again Believers Depending on the Holy Spirit
Motivation - To help somebody else understand the certainty of our Christianity, building them up in their most holy faith