Luke 1:1-4 - The Certainty of the Gospel

Introduction:

We live in a world where nothing seems certain.

Our news media is dominated by politics that spins stories and distorts the truth.

Our economy is like a roller coaster. One minute we feel great about the direction it is going and the next we feel like we are about to plummet down a 300 foot drop.

Our world governments are often unstable and can invade one another at the drop of a hat like we have just seen with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Our jobs are uncertain as I have recently seen with the closing of the Saint Francis Emergency Department that is imminent. We never know when we may need to look for another job!

We even used to be certain there would be toilet paper available at the store but even that wasn’t certain for quite some time there during the COVID-19 pandemic! And even in the midst of a toilet paper shortage - I do not recommend reusing it. Just a needed clarification from last week…If you didn’t get that, then you need to listen to last week’s sermon.

I could go on for hours about the uncertainty that we experience throughout our lives on earth. Our world is marred by sin. And uncertainty will continue to be the default of this planet when it comes to anything that man has his hand in.

But in the midst of all of this depressing news, we have a hope that is certain. There is something amazing that we can be certain about. And that is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We can be certain that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is accurate and true. In a world marked by uncertainty, we are going to start studying a book that is written with absolute certainty by Luke. Join me as we start a journey through the longest book of the New Testament by volume of Greek words!

Read Full Scripture:

Luke 1:1–2 ESV

Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us,

Luke 1:3–4 ESV

it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.

Prayer

Before we get into this amazing study of the book of Luke, I want us to have a little background information. This book is likely written during Paul’s second imprisonment in Rome around AD 60-62. It was also likely written along with the book of Acts around the same time.

There is almost universal consensus that this book, along with Acts, was written by Luke the physician. We are not told much about Luke and he does not specifically give his name in the two books that he authored. We only see him mentioned in 3 of Paul’s letters by name - Colossians 4:14 (where he is called the beloved physician), 2 Timothy 4:11 (where he alone is with Paul near the end of Paul’s earthly life), and Philemon 24 (where he is called a fellow worker of Paul). We know that he was a Gentile and that he was a physician that traveled along with Paul - likely caring for the aged Apostle who had many run-ins with townsfolk and was beaten up far too regularly! You know you have a rough life when you require your own personal physician!

It should be noted that Luke is the most thorough of the New Testament authors.

Not that I am biased being a physician myself, but Luke is quite the detailed fellow! Although he only wrote two of the 27 books of the New Testament, he wrote the most Greek words of any New Testament writer. And that is pretty amazing when you see that Paul wrote 13 of the 27 books and didn’t write as much in volume of words as Luke! Luke wrote what amounts to approximately be 27.5% of the New Testament.

We see his attention to detail even as we begin this first chapter of his Gospel where we see 80 verses!

And no - we aren’t going to go at this 4 verses at a time through this chapter! I just wanted to make sure we got a good introduction into this wonderful book before diving in headfirst.

We will actually be moving pretty quickly through this first chapter over the next few weeks to get to the Christmas account just time for Christmas day next month!

Now that we have a little background, lets study these first four verses and learn why we should believe the Gospel...

I. We Should Believe the Gospel Because It is Accurate (1-2)

Luke 1:1–2 ESV

Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us,

You will see as we break down these first four verses that there isn’t a period until the end of verse 4! Luke composes an exquisitely high level Greek first sentence to start off this book. This sentence is written to show his accuracy and attention to detail and to show his ability to compile the information in the book that follows.

Luke starts off by stating that many have undertaken to compile a narrative. This does not mean that there were a ton of people who did this. What he wants us to know is that he has reviewed the documents that preceded him. He likely reviewed the writings of Mark and Matthew among others prior to writing his account. He was well read - or pardon the pun, well versed, regarding the history of Jesus Christ.

And he has compiled all of this data into his book. He is providing us a complete narrative so that we can know that it is accurate.

He goes even further to stress the accuracy of his research and writing by letting us know that he had even interviewed eyewitnesses. Those who had walked and talked with the risen Christ. You see, this is incredibly important because unlike Matthew who was one of the twelve disciple of Christ, Luke was a later Gentile convert. He had to rely on interviewing eyewitnesses of Christ and spent a lot of time doing so in order to compile this accurate narrative.

Next we see that he also interviewed preachers of the word or ministers of the word. This term word or the related phrase ‘word of God’ is a common theme throughout Luke’s two authored books. It refers to the Gospel message in his writings. And he actually uses these two terms some forty times in his two books!

People like Paul, Peter, Timothy, and others were interviewed by Luke. Luke lived with many of these ministers and preachers for months and even years. He was able to accurately research and compile the data in order to form this complete narrative.

And it was these eyewitnesses and ministers or preachers of the word that delivered this information to him. The Greek word for delivered here is paradidōmi (par-a-the-though-me) and means to pass on, hand down, or transmit. He recieved the true Word of God as delivered by eyewitness and ministers of the Gospel. And as we also know and understand, all of this research and writing was directed by the Holy Spirit who wrote through the beloved physician to compile this narrative. We have mentioned this Scripture that proves this time and time again in 2 Peter 1:20-21:

2 Peter 1:20–21 ESV

knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Why is all of this so important for Luke to tell us in these first two verses? Luke was a Roman Gentile. He was well versed in the understanding of writing as a historian. He was also a physician as we have mentioned which meant he would have been a very thorough man. He sought to establish his book as a legitimate and reliable account. And he wanted to let his readers know that he was not bringing his own ideas or the ideas of those far off from the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. He was writing from sources that were primary sources. He wasn’t interviewing heretical people or fringe people. He was only interviewing those who were a part of the inner circle of Jesus Christ.

My friends, we can know that his book is accurate. The word accurate means conforming to the facts and without error. We can know that this book that we are starting to study is accurate.

As we mentioned at the start of this sermon, there are very few things that we can rely on as accurate in today’s world. But the Gospel is one thing that we can believe because it is without error. It is accurate.

Next, we...

Scripture References: Colossians 4:14, 2 Timothy 4:11, Philemon 24, 2 Peter 1:20-21

II. We Should Believe the Gospel Because It is Personal (3)

Luke 1:3 ESV

it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus,

Theologian Darrel Bock points out the four characteristics that mark Luke’s approach to this task.

He investigated or followed the account.

He went back to the beginning (as we see for some time past which literally means he went from the top - as we often say a top-down approach to refer to thoroughness)

He studied all things (everything).

He did his work carefully by following closely as we see here.

And not only was he diligently thorough in his work as we have mentioned already, he was also orderly with his work.

Luke 1:3 (ESV)

it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus,

This Greek word for orderly is kathĕxēs (kath-ex-aced) which means in sequence of time, space, or logic. Although most of this book is written in a consistent orderly sequence of time and events, we do see some teachings grouped in logical sequence rather than time. The overarching book is orderly in respect to time but there are cases where accounts are grouped in logical sequence rather than in a rigid time sequence. This does not make Luke’s account any less reliable. This style of writing was common in Greek writing and is even used in many books today. Many history books will group things in logical sequence in certain areas in respect to what flows the best.

For example: just think if you are reading a book on world history and there are multiple battles during a war going on simultaneously. It would be rather confusing to put everything in a time sequence order if there were multiple attacks in different battles being discussed back and forth on the same day and in different places. It would be tough to follow! Instead, one battle is explained entirely and then the next one - in logical order sequence. Luke uses this writing style as well.

Luke 1:3 (ESV)

it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus,

And continuing on at the end of verse 3 we see that we should believe the Gospel because it is is personal. He has written this orderly account for the most excellent Theophilus. This is quite a greeting. This greeting of ‘most excellent’ or ‘most noble’ has made many think that Theophilus was a chief magistrate or another important government official. And with a name like Theophilus - which means ‘friend of God’ speculation on who this man was - was and is far and wide reaching.

Some of these speculations that are found in commentaries are as follows:

Some think his name was a pseudonym to keep from his true identity from being found out. Others think his name is accurate.

Some think Theophilus funded Luke’s research and was a sponsor for both he and Paul. Others think Theophilus was a doubter of the faith and that Luke wrote to help him further understand the Gospel.

And to add to the drama - many commentators take one of these opposing views and say it with quite the gusto at times!

However, I think that it is important that we do not get lost in the weeds here. None of this really matters in the studying of this book.

The most important thing to grasp here is that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is a personal Gospel.

Luke wrote this to Theophilus and he writes it even to us today. All who would go on to read this book were given this book as a personal Gospel.

My friends, we have a personal God. Look at some of the verses in Scripture that screams our God is personal:

Revelation 3:20 ESV

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

Like an intimate friend, he knocks at the door wanting to come and eat with us.

Zephaniah 3:17 ESV

The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.

Our God wants to sing over and rejoice over those who are His. He is loving and gracious. And this beautiful verse is seen in an Old Testament prophet’s book!

Matthew 11:28–29 ESV

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

He wants to remove our burdens and lead us with grace and mercy.

Jeremiah 23:23 ESV

“Am I a God at hand, declares the Lord, and not a God far away?

Our God is a God who is near and not far away. He desires a close relationship with us. He is intimately involved in everything in our world.

Sadly, there are many who continue to hold to a false belief that God just wound up creation like a music box and now is hands off as things continue moving forward. This false teaching is called Deism. The most common illustration given for Deism is the clockmaker illustration. They believe that God wound up the clock and now it runs without his involvement.

There is nothing further from the truth. God is sovereignly involved in each and every situation. Even when we cannot see or understand how He could be involved, He is there. And He is constantly taking the evil things in our lives and using them for our good as we see in Romans 8:28. Because our God is a personal God.

Have you experienced this personal God, friends? Have you placed your faith and trust in Jesus Christ for salvation? He is a personal God. As we discussed last week - you are not saved because of your family or friend’s faith. Salvation is personal. It involves you admitting that you are a sinner, believing that Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man and that He lived a sinless life and died on the cross for your sins and rose three days later. And it involves confessing that He is Lord.

I pray that we all have done this friends. If not, today is the day of salvation - 2 Corinthians 6:2. Now is the time of salvation. Don’t let another day go by without being sure that you are saved by Jesus Christ.

Finally, we should..

Scripture References: Revelation 3:20, Zephaniah 3:17, Matthew 11:28-29, Jeremiah 23:23, 2 Corinthians 6:2

III. We Should Believe the Gospel Because it is Certain (4)

Luke 1:4 ESV

that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.

If you recall in our last verse we saw Luke mention Theophilus. We, again, are not sure who he was but here we see that he had been taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This Greek word for taught here is katēcheō (kath-a-hay-o) and oftentimes refers to being informed about something. In other words, the information in Luke’s Gospel was not completely new to Theophilus, but it was written to help him have a more thorough understanding of the Gospel.

And the main thrust of Luke’s writing is provided right in the middle of this verse - that you may have certainty.

My friends, are you certain of the Gospel of Jesus Christ? The definition of certain is to be established beyond doubt or question and to be indisputable.

Do you believe the Gospel to be certain? Is it beyond doubt or question to you? Is it indisputable in your eyes?

As Luke writes this book, he understands the pressure that Theophilus and others who might hear the Gospel will face. Believers in Christ face enormous pressures in a world that is hostile the Gospel. Luke is providing encouragement and certainty for those reading his book in a world full of uncertainty.

Luke provides this certainty in this book as well as the book of Acts as we see in Acts 4:12:

Acts 4:12 ESV

And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Can you think of a more certain and definitive statement? There is no other name given among men by which we must be saved. Most of the time we think of John who gives the definitive quote in John 14:6

John 14:6 ESV

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

But we see that Luke writes a similar definitive statement in his Gospel as well.

As if these two verses are not certain enough, Paul goes on in 1 Timothy 2:5 to say:

1 Timothy 2:5 ESV

For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

My friends, I understand that certainty can be difficult to find in this world. Many are hardened by the uncertainty that they have faced throughout their own lives. Maybe you have had a mom or dad who never kept their promises. They would speak with certainty but never follow through. Maybe you have a spouse that says certain things but never follows through. Maybe you have a boss that makes promises that always prove to be less than certain.

Whatever you have faced in this life, we can know that the Gospel is certain. It is indisputable.

And Luke is seeking to prove the certainty of the Gospel to both Theophilus as well as even us today who read this book. As we get started moving through this wonderful Gospel, I pray that we end our journey through this book with even more certainty of the truth of the Gospel.

Scripture References: Acts 4:12, John 14:6, 1 Timothy 2:5

Conclusion:

As we come to a close, I want us to reflect on the truthfulness and reliability of the Gospel for a moment. Many today doubt the truth of the Gospel - even in the church. There is a denial of the exclusivity of Jesus Christ among many mainline denominations - meaning that many do not believe that Jesus Christ is the only way for salvation. There is even much doubt over the inerrancy of the Bible among some churches in America.

But I pray that as we go through this wonderful Gospel written by Luke with the divine guidance of the Holy Spirit, that we see affirmed time and time again that:

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is:

Accurate - meaning it is reliable and true

Personal - meaning that is relevant and active

Certain - meaning that it indisputable and established beyond doubt