LK 1:1-4
INTRO: When someone asks me where to begin reading their Bibles, I almost always refer them to the gospel of Luke and the book of Acts. These books of the New Testament are presented as a very careful record of the life and works of Jesus and the early days of the church and its spread into the world. Both, of course, are penned by Luke, the beloved physician (Col 4:14). Both were originally addressed to a man whose name was Theophilus, who may have been a very important person with some official position. (Remember, he is addressed as most excellent Theophilus.) Matthewand Luke are the longest of the synoptic gospels. And while they include a considerable amount of similar material, their differences are many.
I. THE OPENING OF THE GOSPEL OF LUKE
A. Details of the birth of John the Baptist
1. no other gospel writer takes such pains with Johns origins
2. Johns parents were both of the tribe of Levi (1:5)
3. Johns parents were righteous people (1:6)
4. Johns mother was a cousin of Jesus mother (1:36)
5. the naming of their son - His name is John (1:63)
B. Details of the birth of Jesus
1. Gabriels announcement to Mary (1:26-31) - to Joseph in Matthew
2. Jesus birth and the visit of shepherds (2:6-15)
3. circumcision, Marys offering, presentation of Jesus (2:21-24)
4. of Simeon - For mine eyes have seen thy salvation (2:30)
5. of Anna - ...and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption... (2:38)
C. The temple visit when Jesus was twelve years of age
1. at 2:41 we see the example of godly parents!
2. the lost son? anxious parents search for their twelve year old son
3. 2:48,49 - 12 year old boys were men and began both to study the law and to be trained in secular work (often, in fathers business)
4. so, where is Jesus? in His Fathers house about His Fathers matters
5. notice the father to the Father in these verses
D. The difference in the genealogy (chapter 3)
1. in Matthew it is traced to Abraham (Mt 1:2)
2. in Luke it is traced to God (3:38)
3. significance? some suggest that Luke wrote for all mankind while the gospel of Matthew was initially for a Jewish readership
II. AN EMPHASIS ON REPENTANCE
A. See Lk 3:3 - 5:32 - 11:32 - 13:1-5 - 15:7,10 - 24:47
B. Some very important lessons?
1. from Lk 3:10-14 the very practical aspects of repentance ... change
2. from Lk 13:1-5 repentance is required of all since sin is not relative and is universal
3. from Lk 24:47a message of hope in repentance
III. ON THE WAY TO JERUSALEM...
A. At Lk 9:51 Jesus begins His journey to Jerusalem and crucifixion
1. from this point there are several events, teachings not in other accounts
2. indeed, some of the best know teachings & events are here
B. In chapter 10 - the sending of the seventy; the good Samaritan; Mary & Martha
C. In chapter 12 - the parable of the rich fool
D. In chapter 14 - on building towers and going to war
E. In chapter 15 - the lost sheep, the lost coin, the lost boy
F. In chapter 16 - the rich man and Lazarus
G. In chapter 17 - the ten lepers
H. In chapter 18 - the parable teaching people to pray; not to grow faint
I. In chapter 19 - Zacchaeus
CLOSE: In this book I noticed, too, what seems to me a greater emphasis on women involved in Jesus ministry: the raising of the son of the widow of Nain, the anointing of the feet of Jesus by a woman known as a sinner, the women who supported the preaching of Jesus with their money. Luke is my favorite of the three synoptic gospels. It is, I submit to you, an exciting book begging for our attention.
Cecil A. Hutson
24 August 2003
You Must Hear the Gospel
Romans 10:17
You must hear the gospel and then understand and recognize that you are lost without Jesus Christ no matter who you are and no matter what your background is. The Bible tells us that “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) Before you can be saved, you must understand that you are lost and that the only way to be saved is by obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 1:8) Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6) “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:17)
You Must Believe
Hebrews 11:6
You must believe and have faith in God because “without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6) But neither belief alone nor faith alone is sufficient to save. (James 2:19; James 2:24; Matthew 7:21)
You Must Repent
Acts 3:19
You must repent of your sins. (Acts 3:19) But repentance alone is not enough. The so-called “Sinner’s Prayer” that you hear so much about today from denominational preachers does not appear anywhere in the Bible. Indeed, nowhere in the Bible was anyone ever told to pray the “Sinner’s Prayer” to be saved. By contrast, there are numerous examples showing that prayer alone does not save. Saul, for example, prayed following his meeting with Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:11), but Saul was still in his sins when Ananias met him three days later (Acts 22:16). Cornelius prayed to God always, and yet there was something else he needed to do to be saved (Acts 10:2, 6, 33, 48). If prayer alone did not save Saul or Cornelius, prayer alone will not save you. You must obey the gospel. (2 Thess. 1:8)
You Must Confess
Romans 10:9
You must confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. (Romans 10:9-10) Note that you do NOT need to make Jesus “Lord of your life.” Why? Because Jesus is already Lord of your life whether or not you have obeyed his gospel. Indeed, we obey him, not to make him Lord, but because he already is Lord. (Acts 2:36) Also, no one in the Bible was ever told to just “accept Jesus as your personal savior.” We must confess that Jesus is the Son of God, but, as with faith and repentance, confession alone does not save. (Matthew 7:21)
You Must Be Baptized
Acts 2:38
Having believed, repented, and confessed that Jesus is the Son of God, you must be baptized for the remission of your sins. (Acts 2:38) It is at this point (and not before) that your sins are forgiven. (Acts 22:16) It is impossible to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ without teaching the absolute necessity of baptism for salvation. (Acts 8:35-36; Romans 6:3-4; 1 Peter 3:21) Anyone who responds to the question in Acts 2:37 with an answer that contradicts Acts 2:38 is NOT proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ!
You Must Be Faithful Unto Death
Revelation 2:10
Once you are saved, God adds you to his church and writes your name in the Book of Life. (Acts 2:47; Philippians 4:3) To continue in God’s grace, you must continue to serve God faithfully until death. Unless they remain faithful, those who are in God’s grace will fall from grace, and those whose names are in the Book of Life will have their names blotted out of that book. (Revelation 2:10; Revelation 3:5; Galatians 5:4)