To Know Truth

“Charles Templeton”

Around 1949 a well known evangelist was just beginning his ministry that would catapult him onto a world wide platform… his name was Billy Graham. However around this time was an even more gifted speaker, one who was winning souls to Christ on an even more impressive rate and level… it was Billy’s friend and coworker in ministry Charles Templeton. It was around this time that the two would soon take different paths.

Charles would slowly move towards being a staunch athiest

While Billy would continue to boldly and powerfully proclaim the message of Jesus Christ

Fast forward to about the year 2000 we see Lee Strobel, an atheist who discovered Jesus Christ died for him and is now a renowned Christian Apologist!

Here is his final part of his interview with Charles Templeton… (“The Case For Faith”, by Lee Strobel pgs 17-18)

We are diving in to an amazing study of the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts! As we do we will look at:

Many facts concerning this Jesus

We will see teaching that goes against the flow of culture

A man who loved, taught Truth, Died and even rose again!!!

But as we study these books with all their detail and information, we too can know the man Jesus and MISS HIM as the very Son of God and our Savior! Church do not miss Him! Luke begins this book of Luke and Acts with a compelling greeting that should spur us to know Jesus deeper… Luke 1:1-4 & Acts 1:1

Luke 1:1–4 NASB95

1 Inasmuch 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 out for you in consecutive order, most excellent Theophilus; 4 so that you may know the exact truth about the things you have been taught.

Acts 1:1 NASB95

1 The first account I composed, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach,

Who Is Luke?

This is a man worth knowing and looking into...

We first of all know that he was a brother in Christ

We also know that he was a physician and a gentile

He was a gifted writer, well educated, scholars have often raved about his incredible use of Greek

Greek is the language the NT was written in

There are 7957 verses in the NT

Luke and Acts comprise 2158 of those verses!

Luke wrote over 1/4 of the new testament! (Luke ch.1 has 80 verses!)

We know he partnered with Paul on his missionary journeys

Luke had a passion for the Gospel…

The message and teaching of Jesus Christ as the Son of God… Promised Messiah! 1 Corinthians 15:3-4

1 Corinthians 15:3–4 NASB95

3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

Luke also has the desire for the gospel to be clear...

He presents it as for both Jew and Gentile and he focuses on the poor and oppressed having this same opportunity!

Luke 19:10 (theme Verse)

Luke 19:10 NASB95

10 “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Luke… The Apologist of His Time!

Apologetics: The word apologetics does not mean to say you’re sorry. Instead, it refers to the defense of what you believe to be true.

McDowell, J., & McDowell, S. (2017). Evidence that demands a verdict: life-changing truth for a skeptical world. Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

Peter challenges the believer to do this in 1 Peter 3:15

1 Peter 3:15 NASB95

15 but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;

Charles Colson “Christian faith is not an irrational leap. Examined objectively, the claims of the Bible are rational propositions well supported by reason and evidence.”

Clark Pinnock describes the facts this way… “The facts backing the Christian claim are not a special kind of religious fact. They are the cognitive, informational facts upon which all historical, legal, and ordinary decisions are based.”

We give an account by going to the very Word of God!

Luke did his homework… written around 60-61 AD (less than 30 years after Christ resurrection!)

There were “many” out there who had seen, heard, knew, about Christ and all the events we see!

“Compile an account” now we have all of these in a written document!

Oral telling of events was how things were taught and passed down

Luke wanted to preserve this and have it available for Jew and Gentile

Luke and Acts are also in consecutive order…(Historical books of the NT)

Luke himself “investigates everything carefully”

In other words, it verified… go check the facts yourself!

Possibly even spoke with Mary and other family members

He went all the way to the beginning, spoke to multiple eyewitnesses, traveled, researched, investigated…a great deal of work!

WHY? Why go to such effort?

Luke 1:4 gives us this answer...

Luke 1:4 NASB95

4 so that you may know the exact truth about the things you have been taught.

Theophilus: the name means “God’s friend” …

Most likely a gentile himself, it is speculated he had high status by Luke referring to him as “most excellent” in both Luke & Acts

It appears that he had been taught about Jesus but not to the extent that Luke would give him in these two books.

Notice in Acts… that the things written in Luke are the things Jesus “began to do and teach”

Jesus was not done teaching His church, He was not through building His church! and Acts continues to show all Jesus was doing! “I Will Build My Church!”

“Know the Exact Truth” Louw & Nida

Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament based on Semantic Domains 31.41 ἀσφάλεια, ας

31.41 ἀσφάλειαb, ας f: a state of certainty with regard to a belief—‘certainty, being without doubt.’ ἵνα ἐπιγνῷς περὶ ὧν κατηχήθης λόγων τὴν ἀσφάλειαν ‘so that you will know the certainty of those things that you have been taught’ Lk 1:4. It is also possible to render Lk 1:4 as ‘so that you may know that those things that you have been taught are certainly true.’

We are beginning this amazing study of Jesus Christ… Let me challenge you as Paul did in Romans 12:1-2 let me read it in the NLT...

Romans 12:1–2 NLT

1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Engage, use your minds, think through these things! Discover Jesus Christ the author and perfecter of our faith… and Do NOT Miss Him!