It’s Just a Little Like High School!
Luke 1:1-4
© 2006 Eric Bain
NOTE: This sermon is available in audio format @ www.sanctuary-church.com
This morning, were beginning a brand new series… diving into the Gospel of Luke. But what is the Gospel of Luke??? Well, really, its the history that Luke wrote about the life and ministry of Jesus. So, grab a Bible and turn to the book of Luke (pg ________).
While you’re finding it, I want to take a moment to talk about Spirituality in America. You see, I’ve come to the conclusion that the American Spirituality really has a lot in common with American High Schools. Which makes sense, if you think about it, because aren’t we all… to some degree… a product of the way we were raised, or trained. And most all of us went to high school right here in the U.S.A.. So, remember how when you were back in High School… for some of us, that’s a more distant memory –
ILL – I was just in the back kitchen as we were setting up this morning. They have a list the names of their students and their birthdays… I came to the startling realization that this years high schools graduating class was born… the year after I graduated HS.
Nonetheless… Think back to when you were in HS, maybe you are still in high school, but remember how there were… for the most part… four basic groups that pretty much everybody fell into -- we call them cliques. I mean there were the Jocks, the Geeks, the Band Nerds, and the Drama Freaks. Right?... Basically?
o A BIG part of HS was figuring out… Where are you going to fit into this mix
Well, the same is true, I think, with Spirituality in American. There are really just four basic groups that, I think, the overwhelming majority of Americans fall into. That’s it, just four.
2. The first group of people within American Spirituality--- The "Spiritually Eclectic".
These people are at the buffet of spirituality and they are taking a sampling of everything they can get their hands on. To them, it doesn’t matter if you eat the turkey, or the chicken... the Chinese or the Italian, it’s just important that you join in on the feast. You see, to them, there is no right and wrong in spirituality. It is just all-good!
o I have my god… you have yours…
o I have my spirituality… you have yours… and it’s all good!
The Spiritually Eclectic…
2. The second group, are the individuals that really want nothing to do with spirituality. To them spirituality just is not worth the trouble. You see, if there are any consequences to being not spiritual… well... they’ll just deal with them later.
Well, I’ve come up with a name for this group of people. I call them "Shallow Ender’s." Now, I’ve known several "Shallow Ender’s" in my life, it’s not that they’re bad people… they just sort of carry this attitude of…
Don’t bother me with all that deep thought stuff…
I’ll just stay in the shallow end of the pool.
Shallow Ender’s….
3. The third group, or clique, within American Spirituality… I like to call the "Committed Non-Christians". These people have committed to some form of spirituality, and they’re going all out. The thing is… it’s just not main line Christianity. Now, don’t take that statement as a judgment call. I am just pointing out that these are deeply spiritual people… but they’re committed to something other than Christianity. It may be Mormonism, Hinduism, Buddhism, or naturalism...
The point is, the foundation of their belief is not based on the basic principles of Biblical Christianity.
4. Which makes the fourth group within American Spirituality… those people that follow the basic principles of Biblical Christianity. Committed Christians. – or followers of Christ (Explain
Four Groups within American Spirituality…
1. The Shallow Ender’s
2. The Spiritually Eclectic
3. The Committed Non-Christian
4. And the Committed Christians
And the thing is… we all have to determine where we fit in.
But now, for a moment, lets go back to the idea of High School. Remember back in those days?...
o First you had to figure out how you fit in… (Jock/Nerd/Geek/Freek)
o But then these various groups all mixed together to somehow form the center of the Universe.
You see… It was that way for me. I used to think that there was nobody else in the entire world that could possibly be dealing with situations similar to what I was dealing with at that cultural Mecca... Bemidji High School.
• I had this belief that my High School was somehow different from all the rest.
• That it was truly unique.
• That what my classmates, and I, were going through was some sort of radical, sociological experiment that had never been done before.
• And as a result, in the back of my mind – or in the bottom of my heart… I just had this feeling that nobody on the outside could really relate to what you I was going through.... The thing is I was wrong!
Since graduating from HS, my work provided me with the opportunity to travel to literally hundreds, if not thousands of other High Schools, all across the United States. And as I did that, I came to a rather startling realization… the day I woke up to find…
• That basically all high schools are the same.
• That they all have these same four cliques.
• And that nearly every student, everywhere, has this gut level feeling… that their school and their friends are the center of the universe.
• And that… nobody can relate to them.
That’s why…
• High School students don’t often turn to their parents to help them navigate through the relational difficulties of that time of life?
o You couldn’t possibly understand… I’m in love!
• And they don’t seek out their Grandparents and ask for insight into what are the most important things they need to get out of their High School experience?
But, you see, if they were wise… they would! Because the truth is, their parents and their grandparents have already been through it.
• They’ve actually lived those experiences… and could give valuable insight.
• Not that their parents or grandparents would have to make their decisions for them… But rather, just help guide them.
• So they could make important decisions on their own.
Well, where am I going with this? Well, my point is, I believe that what is true for American High Schools – and the students that attend them… is also true for American Spirituality. In other words…
• I believe that every generation – at least to some extent - feels that they are somehow spiritually unique.
• That the issues they deal with are somehow, so different. That they’re set apart.
• And that no previous generation could ever relate or help..
But the truth is… every generation before us… has dealt with many of the exact same questions…
• Do I want to dive into spirituality… or do I just want to stay in the shallow end?
• Do I want a taste of everything… or do I want to focus on just one dish?
• Is there really only one right way... and if so could it be Jesus?
You see, people throughout the centuries have been asking these same questions. Trying to figure out where they belong.
o Trying to figure out… How do I fit in?
o And it seems… that like High School… we’re all resistant to let those that have gone before us, help us find our way.
ILL – We just go to our class mates and ask then their opinion.
Rather than going to the Bible… we often form our opinions based on others around us.
The thing is… unlike High School… spirituality isn’t a popularity contest. Rather, it’s an issue of being connected with God. Of being connected with a being so powerful that he was able to create the universe and everything in it.
So here’s the deal… Today, we’re going to to begin a journey through the book of Luke. (pause) But I want you to think of it this way…
Today, we’re going to pull up a chair… and say… Hey Luke… You’ve been through this… Why don’t you tell us what you know… Why don’t you tell us the story of Jesus… So that we can make better decisions…
Cause we just got to know…
• Who was this Jesus?
• And what did he do that was so special?
• What did he really teach? (pause)
• And if we’re… followers of Jesus… then how do we really do that? Follow him?
You see, these are important questions… Questions that Luke’s gonna answer as we listen to him tell the story of Jesus. And from there… we can at least decide if Biblical Christianity is the thing for me. And we can do it from an informed perspective!
Take a look at the very first words that Luke writes… He says…
Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word.
(Circle that word “Many”)
In other words… Luke starts out by telling us that he’s not the only one. That others have decided to sit down and write out the story of Jesus as well. (We know of three of them. Their names are – Matthew, Mark & John)
Each of these individuals wrote with different reasons… and to different audiences
• Mark
o He wrote first
o His was a story of action… His focus was on the things that Jesus did, and not so much on what he said.
• Matthew –
o Wrote to a Jewish audience
o He talks an awful lot about how Jesus relates to the Jewish faith?
• John –
o Wrote last out of the four – In fact, he wrote years after the others
o And I think a big part of what he was doing, was answering some of the questions that people were asking after reading the stories that Mathew, Mark & Luke had writen
• Luke –
o But what about Luke?
o Who was he…
o And who was he writing to?
o And what was important to him & his original audience?
Well, look at the text again…
Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word.
(Circle “fulfilled”)
In other words, Luke knows something about the fact that this Jesus somehow fits into a much greater story.
The truth, however, is that Luke doesn’t know that story very well.
• You see, Luke wasn’t a Jew.
• He didn’t know the stories of the Old Testament very well.
• He didn’t really understand all the intricate ways that Jesus fit into the history and traditions of the Jews.
• He just knew bits and pieces… but what he knew was exciting.
• Cause he knew that the life of Jesus… who he was… and what he did… fulfilled promises that God had made to his people… centuries earlier.
But here’s what all this means to us… If you were raised in the Jewish Faith… Luke might not be the best author for you to read – Cause he doesn’t know a lot of that Jewish stuff. (Read Matthew)
But… If you’re like most Americans… that weren’t raised in a Jewish family… and you too don’t have a very good knowledge of the Old Testament. Well then Luke is the writer for you!
• You see, he’s going to think of things… in a way that’s similar to the way you think of things.
• He’s going to answer questions… that you would be likely to ask.
These are just a few of the reasons that when someone comes to me and says they want to start reading the Bible… Where should I start? I tell them… Read the book of Luke.
Luke continues in verse 3…. (This is the second of only two sentences we’re looking at today)
Vv. 3-4 Since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the
beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you,
most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the
things you have been taught.
Now let’s stop right there… This is were all the further we’re going in the text today… but there are three important things I want us to get from this very important sentence.
1. First… Luke let’s us know here that before he wrote… he carefully investigated everything.
You see, many people don’t realize this… but Luke never knew Jesus.
o Sure, he lived while Jesus lived…
o And he wrote about Jesus…
o But that doesn’t mean that he knew him personally.
Rather, Luke simply promises that he carefully investigated everything… before he wrote. Well, what does that mean? (pause ) Does that mean he talked to people that personally knew Jesus? Yes! At the very least, he talked at great lengths with Paul… But there were likely others. For instance… It might have been…
• Mary – Jesus’ mother
• Or the Apostles… Most of them were living while Luke was living.
• People that were healed of illnesses
o Previously blind – or crippled
• Heck, maybe he even talked to people that didn’t like Jesus… that were cynics
The point is… Although we don’t know who Luke spoke to… we do know that he is widely recognized as one of the best and most accurate of ancient historians.
Cause, he took the time to carefully investigate and sort through all of the facts… the rumors… and gossip that must have floating around surrounding the events that he describes in his letters. And then thankfully, he then took the time to write his findings down. The result is that we have Two Historical Documents that provide some of the best records of the Life of Christ & the History of the Early Church.
o The book of Luke
o The book of Acts
2. The second thing I want us to notice from the text… is that Luke wasn’t writing for himself.
He says…
Vv. 3-4 Since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the
beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus…
You see… Theophilus was a person! Now, we don’t know much about him, other than what we learn right here. But what we learn, is that Theophilus had heard… at least a little bit… about Jesus. The problem was… he just wasn’t certain if he could trust what he’d heard.
And this is important because it brings me to my final point… And that has to do with Why Luke wrote…
3. You see, Luke wrote so that Theophilus could know with certainty…
that the things he’d heard were true.
In other words… what we have here… is one friend… going out of the way… to help another friend know the truth.
(ILL – Have them flip through Luke and the book of Acts.)
Think of the SCOPE!
So what we have is a friend… going way out of his way… to help another friend to know the truth.
POINT: And Luke had no idea that all of this would be saved and we would be reading it thousands of years later. He just wanted his friend to know that he could trust what he had heard about Jesus.
I would bet that everyone in this room has heard something about Jesus!
One of the problems we often have today, is that it’s difficult to trust people… especially when it comes to issues of faith. Why?
1. Because people say things… claiming that their truth. But they, themselves haven’t really investigated the facts.
2. In addition… most people don’t seem to be willing to go way out of their way
3. Not even for their friends
ILL – Marc
o Lives in Minneapolis
o Calls himself a Christian, but is really screwed up on his theology
o I’ve never been willing to go way out of my way to help him know the truth.
Nonetheless…
1. Luke is a great friend
2. He is an investigator and historian
3. He has gone out of his way… to make sure that we can know the certainty of the things we’re gonna learn about in his letter.
Are you a…
o Spiritually Eclectic
o Shallow Ender
o Committed Non-Christian
o Christian
HOMEWORK: Read the first chapter of Luke (only 2 pages)
Next week, we’re going to continue with Luke. And let me just wet your appetite a little bit… You see, in the very first chapter of the book of Luke, he tells us about a miraculous conception and the birth of a baby. And, of course, we all know who that baby is right?
No! It’s not Jesus….
So…
o What is this miraculous conception?
o Who is this baby?
o Why is he so important that we learn about his birth, even before the birth of Jesus?
You see… the answers to these questions are going to have tremendous significance to the story! And you’re going to want to be here… to find out what they are!
Let’s PRAY
© 2006 Eric Bain
