Why I believe the Gospel

“Why I Believe the Gospel”

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Are you amazed by the things people believe? I am!

· Some people believe in UFO’S, as high as 40% of Americans.

· Some people believe life came to earth on the back of an Alien.

· Some people believe life came from non-life, which is a scientific impossibility.

· Some people believe in Elf’s and leprechauns.

There are people who believe in life after death stories from preschoolers; but don’t believe what the Bible says about heaven.

There are people who read books like ”conversations with God” but don’t believe what God wrote in the Bible.

It’s amazing what some people believe!

It is also amazing what some people refuse to believe:

· Some people refuse to believe we went to the moon.

· Some people refuse to believe that God created the earth.

· Some people refuse to believe the Bible is 100% accurate.

· Some people refuse to believe that the gospel records of Jesus are true; and that he is the son of God, the Savior of the world.

I want to preach this morning on why I believe the gospel; and why you should believe the gospel.

? Are we as Christian’s just blind, naïve, ignorant people to believe in the supernatural birth of Jesus, the miraculous life of Jesus, the substitutionary death of Jesus, and the victorious resurrection of Jesus? Are do we have a trustworthy, accurate record of the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ? The gospel of Luke is such a record! Luke tells us in these opening verses why he felt led to write this gospel. V:4-“that you might know the certainty of those things, in which you were instructed”. Luke writes to a man named, V:3- Theophilus. He is believed to be a high-ranking Roman official, that’s why Luke addresses him as most excellent Theophilus. He has heard the testimonies about Jesus Christ; he has been instructed, but he needs a more complete, record about Jesus. It is possible he was a new believer and needed further instruction about the life ministry death and resurrection of Jesus.

He was living in the days when persecution was rising against Christians; and Satan was attacking the church, and many Christians were dying and others were doubting and deserting their faith. Luke writes to this man to assure him that what he has heard is true. The name Theophilus-means lover of God; so in that sense the gospel of Luke is written to everyone who is a lover of God. Luke wants us to know the truth about Jesus Christ.

Luke tells us his purpose in writing this gospel; and in the first four versus he gives us four reasons we can believe the gospel.

#1 we can believe the gospel because:

1. It is Historically Accurate.

V:1-“For as much as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which have been fulfilled among us.

The gospel of Luke is narrative history; what Luke records in his gospel are actual historical facts about Jesus. Luke wrote down for us history not fiction or myth. The main character of Luke’s Gospel is Jesus, the son of God, the Savior of the world. Luke is going to tell us that the historical Jesus; and the biblical Jesus; they are one and the same!

V:1-“Many have taken in hand to write a record about Jesus.

Luke knows that he is not the only person to write a biography of Jesus; many other people had recorded what Jesus had done. The person and work of Jesus Christ is a historical fact.

More has been written about Jesus that George Washington.

The gospel of Matthew and Mark had already been written when Luke wrote his account. The gospel of John is the last of the Gospels. In mentioning what others had written, Luke not being critical; he was just stating the fact that other accounts of Jesus had been written. No doubt the gospel of Mark was a help to Luke as he wrote his gospel.

There is no contradiction between what Luke and Matthew and Mark wrote.

What kind of man was Luke, and why did God choose him to write this gospel? Luke was a Gentile, from the city of Troas, he was saved and became a part of the Apostle Paul’s missionary team in . He spent many years traveling with the apostle Paul; and was the only one there with the apostle Paul was martyred. He would have known the other apostles, and Mary the mother of Jesus as. Luke was a Medical doctor,

-“Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas, greet you”.

Luke was a man of education, and great talent; Luke and the Paul are the most educated men to write the New Testament. The gospel is not something reserved for the unlearned; but for the educated and brilliant as well!

V:1-4, is one sentence in the Greek language; and many say it is the most well-crafted in all the New Testament. Luke was a widely traveled man, highly educated, and was of a scientific mind and temperament.

Luke was not an apostle; are an eyewitness of Jesus; but what he writes down he had received from eyewitnesses and those who ministered the word of God. V:2-“Even as they delivered them onto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word…

Luke was saying the information recorded in this gospel came to him firsthand from those who witnessed it. Not only had they witnessed it, they had ministered it, or preached it. Luke knew that the apostles and eyewitnesses would not be around forever, what they had seen needed to be written down; and Luke was uniquely gifted by God to record this gospel.

Luke tells us the story of the life of Jesus; about the things that he accomplished, things that had really happened; things that took place in time and space.

Luke is careful to place the story of Jesus in its historical context.

For example when he tells the story of Jesus birth, he says it coincided with -“when Caesar Augustus was Emperor of Rome and Cyrenius was governor of Syria.

Luke was writing historical fact, not fiction, and he recorded dates, people and places that would be well known by the people who read this gospel. It is important to remember that the first people who read this gospel were people who actually lived during the days of Jesus ministry.

You can’t tell false stories to people who lived during the time the stories happened. If you don’t believe me, just as Brian Williams; who said he was riding in a helicopter that was hit by a rocket propelled grenade when he was in Iraq. But the people on the helicopter with him said that is not what happened.

If Luke had of made up stories about Jesus, the people who lived during Jesus time would’ve called him out on it; and yet there’s not one record that anyone disputed the accounts that Luke gives of Jesus. In fact he says, V:1-“ they are most assuredly believed among us “

Those who have studied Luke’s facts say, “he is one of the finest and ablest historians in the ancient world”.

The famous archaeologist William Ramsey said,” Luke is a historian of the first rank; and should be placed among the very greatest of historians”.

If it could be shown that Luke’s work contained historical errors, then his whole gospel would be discredited.

A Christian is someone who believes that Jesus is who he said he is, and did what the Bible says he did. But if Luke didn’t get his facts straight on the governorship of Syria, how can we trust his testimony about miracles like the virgin birth are the body resurrection of Jesus Christ? Our salvation depends on the things that Jesus accomplished in human history, especially to his death and resurrection. And we can have certainty, confidence and rock-solid faith because Luke was a good historian and wrote down the facts about Jesus Christ. He did not write some fanciful account of things that people wanted to believe about Jesus, but an accurate historical record of what Jesus actually did! In gospel of Luke, and the other Gospels we have a historical accurate record of what Jesus accomplished and a solid foundation for our faith!

You can believe the gospel because: it is historically accurate!

#2 we can believe the gospel because:

2. It is Carefully Researched.

V:2-3-“Even as a delivered them under us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first…

In order for Luke to write a book that was historically accurate, Luke had to do careful research. Who better to do careful research than a medical doctor? As a traveling companion of the apostle Paul, Luke would have had the opportunity to interview and hear the stories of the people he writes about firsthand. So God put him in an excellent position to hear the truth about Jesus Christ from eyewitnesses of Jesus birth, life, ministry, death and resurrection.

Luke talked with the apostles and members of the early church and asked them to tell him everything they knew about Jesus. By his own testimony in V:3-“he followed all things closely from the very beginning”

Luke was a great investigative reporter; he sought out the people who had known Jesus Christ personally and learn the facts from their own lives.

With a doctor’s a gift for observation, Luke notice things other people overlooked.

Doctors are great at research; they know that lives depend upon it. Luke’s Gospel is the most complete gospel, and the longest book in the New Testament; there are more words spoken in Luke’s Gospel than any other book in the New Testament. Luke of course shares much in common with the other Gospels; the basic story is the same and many of the verses in Luke’s Gospel match what is written in Matthew and Mark word for word. About 60% of Marks gospel is reproduced verbatim in Luke’s. But Luke records many other wonderful details that the other Gospels omit.

It is Luke alone who relates the stories of:

· The visits of the angel Gabriel to Zacharias and Mary.

· The birth of John the Baptist.

· The birth of Jesus in a stable.

God chose a medical doctor Luke to write the detailed account of the virgin birth.

How did Luke have such detail about the birth of Jesus and John the Baptist? Because he interviewed their mothers.

· The Angels announcement to the shepherds.

· The songs of Mary, Zacharias, Simeon, and the Angel chorus of heaven.

· Luke alone records the parable of the Good Samaritan, the prodigal son, and the Pharisee and the publican, and others.

· Luke alone tells the story of Zaccheus, and Jesus talking to the disciples on the road to Emmaus.

How much we wouldn’t know if Luke wasn’t moved on by the Holy Spirit to research and write this gospel. Luke is the one who did the research and the writing, but God was the one who gave us this gospel! The work that Luke did was under the sovereign control of God’s Spirit, so the gospel he wrote is the very word of God! Like everything in the Bible, it is not merely a human book about God, but a book from God to humanity.

People talk of the “lost books” of the Bible, but that is all wrong. We have all the Bible God ever meant for us to have. The so-called “lost books” are unreliable and legendary.

#3 we can believe the gospel because:

3. It is Logically Organized.

V:3-“to write to you in order, most excellent Theophilus”.

Not only is the gospel of Luke historically accurate and carefully researched, it is logically organized.

Luke tells us his goal was “to write an orderly account”.

Luke with the help of the Holy Spirit was able to gather all of the information, and then he organized it to present to us the life of the most important person who’s ever walked on this earth; the Lord Jesus Christ! Luke’s is the most comprehensive gospel.

Luke’s Gospel for the most part is organized chronologically. Luke tells us about things in the order they happened; of course he was not able to record everything that Jesus ever said or did. The gospel of John tells us that all the books in the world could not contain all the things that Jesus said and did.

The book of Luke was written to show us why Jesus came to this earth, -“The Son of Man is calm to seek and to save the lost”.

Luke’s favorite title for Jesus is, the Son of Man.

· Matthew-Jesus is the son of David.

· Mark-Jesus is the servant of God

· Luke-Jesus is the son of man.

· John-Jesus is the son of God.

Luke presents Jesus as the son of man, who is on a search and rescue mission; to seek and save the lost!

Luke’s Gospel is logically organized to show us who Jesus is and what he has come to do, the Son of Man is come to seek and save the lost:

· Chapters 1-3, Jesus comes.

· Chapters 4-21, Jesus seeks.

· Chapters 22-24, Jesus saves.

Luke tells us about the virgin birth of Jesus Christ, his ministry of teaching and healing; then he ends with the great saving events of the gospel: the death, burial and resurrection. Luke organizes his gospel not only chronologically; but also geographically. He traces the steps of Jesus from Bethlehem, to Nazareth, His ministry in Galilee, and then to Jerusalem. Luke tells us that Jesus set his face to go to Jerusalem, from that point on there was no turning back. Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem; the most important journey in the history of the world.

Jesus would go to the city of Jerusalem, to the Temple, and then to the cross to die for the sins of the world.

Luke gives us the coming of the Son of Man, the ministry of the Son of Man, the rejection of the Son of Man, and the salvation of the Son of Man. The gospel of Luke is not some haphazard, disorganized account of Jesus; it is logically organized for us to get a clear understanding of who Jesus is and what he came to do, and place our faith in Him.

#4 we can believe the gospel because:

4. It is Personally Life-Changing.

V:4-“That you might know the certainty of those things, wherein you have been instructed”

Luke tells his friend Theophilus, that the reason he wrote this gospel was that he might have certainty, confidence that everything he had been told about Jesus was true!

He wanted him to know who Jesus Christ was; not a myth, legend, a made up religious figure; but the son of God, who came to this world through the virgin birth, lived a perfect life, died for the sins of the world, was buried and rose again the third day!

You can be certain Jesus Christ, and place your faith in him as Lord and Savior and experience salvation and eternal life.

The purpose of the gospel is not to just give information; but faith in the certain of the gospel will bring transformation. You have a credible account of Jesus life to lead you to place your faith in him!

The gospel is true; Jesus is the Savior, and it you trust him; He will save you!!

· Why was Luke so concerned about historical accuracy?

· Why did he do such careful research?

· Why did he arrange his gospel so systematically?

V:4-“that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught”

When Luke says, “you” he is not only speaking to his friend Theophilus, he is speaking to you! God has given us this gospel, the gospel of Luke is for you!

Theophilus knew about Jesus, but need to know him more, and have a greater certainty and confidence in the truth he had heard.

Today we need to know:

· We need to know these things because they prove Jesus is the son of God.

· We need to know what Jesus did to save us from the wrath of God.

· We need to know that he suffered and died on the cross for our sins.

· We need to know that he was raised from the dead to give eternal life to all who trust him.

· We need to know that he has ascended to heaven, where he rules over all things for the glory of God.

Do you know for sure that you are saved? Do you have certainty in your heart?

The gospel of Luke is the gospel of knowing for sure!

Luke will introduce us to many people who placed their faith in Jesus and were saved and transformed.

Jesus loved and cared for people like no other man who ever walked on this earth. Luke tells us that Jesus cared for women, children and the poor, and shepherds; who were not regarded very highly in that day. It is Luke that tells us that Jesus is the Savior of the world; and the gospel is a universal gospel! And yet Luke emphasizes that salvation is a personal matter. That Jesus is seeking for the one lost sheep, and the one lost coin, and the one lost son, and the Savior will come to the one wounded person because he is the Good Samaritan.

Luke’s Gospel is for anyone who needs to know Jesus, it is for people who have never met Jesus before, and for people who need to meet him again. It is for people who are not quite sure about Jesus, and for people who have trusted him for a while. Do you know Jesus? Do you know him for sure? Are you so certain in your faith that you’re able to live for Jesus, and even to die for him? Are you certain enough in your faith to tell others about him?

That is why we’re studying this gospel together; invite people that the lost sheep might be found, and lost prodigals might come home.

What you believe the gospel today? Would you come and place your faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord? Come today!

Are you experiencing difficulty, heartache, confusion, and doubt in your life today? What you believe that Jesus can be trusted with what you’re experiencing and turn it over to him today? Come this morning and turn it all over to Jesus!

A blind girl, one day, was caught in a fire on the 10th floor of a building. She made her way to a window, but she couldn’t see anything. She felt the heat and smell the smoke of the fire. And she heard a fireman yell, jump, jump! She said, I’m scared to jump, I can’t see, I’m blind.

The firemen said, if you don’t jump, you’re going to die. You can trust me jump, and I’ll catch you. It’s bad enough to jump from 10 stories high, but a jump when you can see where you’re jumping, that’s terrifying. In the midst of the chaos and confusion, she heard another voice, darling, jump, I’ve got you! She smiled and said, okay, daddy, I’ll jump.

The one inviting you to jump is no stranger, myth, legend; he is the Lord Jesus Christ! He knows your nervous, but jump. He knows you’re scared, but just jump. Remember were talking about someone who is completely trustworthy; step out, jump, place your faith in him and he will save your soul and change your life today!