The Story Of Dr. Luke Series

THE STORY OF DR. LUKE

Text: Col. 4:14, Luke 1:1-4, Acts 1:1-4, 2 Tim. 4:11

Introduction

1. Illustration: When our daughter-in-law, Emily, graduated from nursing school I told her, “Welcome to the family business!” You see, my mother was head nurse in the nursery at St. Thomas Hospital in Akron, OH for 25 years. In addition to my mom, my sister was a nurse, my brother John was the CEO of Mercy Children’s Hospital in Toledo, OH, my sister-in-law was a nurse, my other sister-in-law worked in the accounting department at a hospital, my nephew’s wife is a doctor, my niece Crystal is a nurse, and now another one of my nieces, Monica, has decided to leave being a school counselor to go to nursing school. Medicine is our family business!

2. This morning I’d like to look at the story of one of the most important biblical writers, Dr. Luke.

3. He’s important because he is the only biblical writer who was a Gentile, but he’s also important for many other reasons.

4. Dr. Luke was, as you might imagine a…

a. Doctor

b. Historian

c. Evangelist

d. Faithful

5. Read Col. 4:14

Proposition: From Dr. Luke we learn to be faithful and resourceful in all we do to build the Kingdom of God.

Transition: First, as my title indicates, he was a…

1. Doctor (Col. 4:14).

A. The Beloved Doctor

1. In Col. 4:14 Paul says, “Luke, the beloved doctor, sends his greetings, and so does Demas.”

a. First, and foremost, Luke was a doctor, and as Paul mentions here, the beloved doctor.

b. He was a traveling physician, and he went with Paul for most of his second and third missionary journeys.

c. On more than a few occasions, Paul was whipped, beaten, caned, stoned, and Lord knows what else, and Luke was able to take care of his physical needs.

2. In addition to Paul’s many beatings for preaching the Gospel, in 2 Cor. 12:7, Paul says, “even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud.”

a. Many scholars believe that Paul’s thorn in the flesh was some sort of physical ailment, and it’s very likely that Luke took care of this physical problem whatever it might have been.

b. The important thing for us to see here is that Luke used his marketplace skills to further the Kingdom.

B. Market Place Ministry

1. Illustration: Christ met unbelievers where they were. And He met them most often in the marketplace, not in a place of worship. He realized what many Christians today still don't seem to understand. Cultivators must get out in the field. According to one count, the Gospels record 132 contacts that Jesus had with people. Six were in the Temple, four in the synagogues and 122 were out with the people in the mainstream of life. Lost people aren't commanded to come to church, but the Church is commanded to go to the lost. Be like Jesus and find the lost by ministering in the marketplace. - unknown

2. Be like Dr. Luke and use your marketplace skills to further the Kingdom.

a. “And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.” (Col. 3:17)

b. Your mission field is where you work.

c. It is your opportunity to look for opportunities to share Jesus with people.

d. Whether it’s your co-workers or the customers and patients you deal with every day.

e. God is opening doors for you to further the Kingdom and you may not even realize it.

f. Luke used his medical skills to further the Kingdom, so use your marketplace skills to share the Gospel.

Transition: In addition to being a doctor, Luke was also a…

2. Historian (Lk. 1:1-4).

A. An Accurate Account

1. In addition to being a doctor, Luke was also a very accurate historian.

2. In the beginning of his gospel, Luke writes, “Many people have set out to write accounts about the events that have been fulfilled among us. 2 They used the eyewitness reports circulating among us from the early disciples. 3 Having carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I also have decided to write an accurate account for you, most honorable Theophilus, 4 so you can be certain of the truth of everything you were taught.”

a. I’d like to focus on vv 3-4, where Luke says that he carefully investigated everything from the beginning.

b. The thing about Luke as a historian was that his historical facts were impeccable.

c. When Tina and I were in bible college, we had a professor named Dr. Brian Messner, who already at the age of 25 had earned his PhD, and it was in ancient Roman history. So, ancient history was his thing. So, one day I asked him how accurate was Luke’s history? He told me that Luke’s historical writing was so accurate that they had to re-write the history books. He said that in places where they thought Luke was wrong, archeological studies discovered that Luke was right on the money!