SERMON OUTLINE:
• (1). Luke was a Doctor.
• Colossians chapter 4 verse 14.
• (2). Luke was a Faithful Friend.
• 2nd Timothy chapter 4 verses 9-11.
• (3). Luke was a Fellow Worker.
• Philemon verses 23-24.
• (4). Luke was a Historian.
• Luke chapter 1 verses 1-4.
• (5). Luke was a Believer.
• Luke chapter 1 verses 1-4.
SERMON BODY
Ill:
Famous opening lines in literature.
• ‘Call me Ishmael.’
• Moby-Dick’, Herman Melville.
• ‘All children, except one, grow up.’
• ‘Peter Pan’, J. M. Barrie.
• ‘It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.’
• ‘Pride and Prejudice’, Jane Austen
• “There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb and he almost deserved it.”
• ‘The Voyage of the Dawn Treader’ by C.S. Lewis
• ‘Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show.’
• ‘David Copperfield’, Charles Dickens.
• ‘I was born in the Year 1632, in the City of York, of a good Family, tho' not of that Country, my Father being a Foreigner of Bremen, who settled first at Hull; He got a good Estate by Merchandise, and leaving off his Trade, lived afterward at York, from whence he had married my Mother, whose Relations were named…’
• ‘Robinson Crusoe’, Daniel Defoe
• “In the light of the moon, a little egg lay on a leaf.”
• ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’, Eric Carle
• ‘It was the best of times, it was the worst of times”
• Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities (1859)
• TRANSITION: Our character study today is an author;
• He penned two books, the opening lines are:
“Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us”
“In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven,”
• Those lines may not be quoted in any quizzes on ‘famous opening lines in literature’.
• But these two books have impacted innumerable lives.
Quote: Warren Wiersbe.
“If ever a man wrote a book with good news for everybody, Dr Luke is the man. His key message is, “For the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke chapter 19 verse 10). He presents Jesus as the compassionate Son of Man, who came to live among sinners, love them, help them, and die for them”
• The two books of the Bible that he penned (Luke’s Gospel & Acts of the Apostles);
• Have impacted and transformed the lives of so many people.
• To Christians they are more than just the words of a man;
• They are also the words of God.
• The Bible had many human authors but one divine editor.
• We can always study the Bible two levels;
• The historical and the existential.
• On the historical level we ask the question:
• Why was I written?
• On the existential level we ask the questions:
• Why is this book in the Bible?
• What does God want us to know through these writings?
• So our character study today is an author, a man named Luke;
• So let’s delve a little deeper and found out who exactly he was!
Question: Who was Luke?
• It might surprise you to know;
• That Luke is only mentioned three times by name in the New Testament.
• The name checks come when the apostle Paul refers to him in his letters;
• Letters we have in our New Testaments (Colossians, 2nd Timothy & Philemon)
• So let’s look at those references.
(1). Luke was a Doctor.
• Bible Reading: Colossians chapter 4 verse 14.
• N.I.V.: “Our dear friend Luke, the doctor, and Demas send greetings”
• K.J.B.: “Luke, the beloved physician…”
Ill:
• Luke was a doctor:
• Which may well mean that at one time he had been a slave;
• Most physicians in Roman times, were educated slaves.
• Theophilus who Luke wrote his books for,
• May well have once owned Luke as a slave,
• He had him educated and trained as a doctor, and at some time later he set him free.
• The 4th Century historians Jerome & Eusebius;
• Refer to Luke as being a citizen of and also trained and educated in Antioch.
• This is where he may have acquired his excellent writing skills & medical training;
Note: We see hints of his occupation revealed in his writings:
• i.e. #1: Luke is the only gospel writer that recorded Jesus’ statements about doctors
• “Physician, heal yourself!” (Luke chapter 4 verse 23).
• i.e. #2: Another mention is found in Luke chapter 5 verse 31.
• Jesus said: “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but those who are ill”
• i.e.#3: On another occasion he extended “professional courtesy” to his fellow doctors;
• In the case of the woman with the issue of blood for twelve years.
Mark in his gospel writes (chapter 5 verses 25-26).,
“And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. 26 She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse.”
• Dr. Luke toned his account down in an almost clinical statement;
• About the inability of the woman to get healed:
• (Luke chapter 8 verse 43).
“Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on doctors and could not be healed by any”
• i.e.#4: On another occasion Mark writes Peter’s mother-in-law was sick with a ‘fever’.
• Luke writes it was a ‘High fever’.
Notice: God uses a doctor, a medical man to report the supernatural in his gospel!
• i.e. He recorded the virgin birth
• (as well as miraculous pregnancy of Elizabeth mother of John the Baptist).
• i.e. He recorded Miracles that Jesus performed.
• i.e. In the book of acts he records ‘signs & wonders’ that he saw take place.
• I would suggest that most doctors are sceptical;
• About anything which is outside the natural, physical realm,
• But Luke is able to uses his skill as a writer and as a doctor to record what took place,
• Even when it was outside medical knowledge or ability.
(2). Luke was a Faithful Friend.
• Bible Reading: 2nd Timothy chapter 4 verses 9-11.
• “Do your best to come to me soon…only Luke is with me”
Ill:
The Shadow once said to the Body:
"Who is a friend like me? I follow you wherever you go. In sunlight or in moonlight I never leave you."
The Body replied:,
"True, you go with me in sunlight and in moonlight. But where are you when neither sun nor moon shines upon me?"
• TRANSITION: Though the shadow may desert the body;
• Luke was someone who did not leave the apostle Paul.
• And when everyone else had gone, Luke stayed with him!
Ill:
• J. E. B. Stuart tells the story that in the great hall;
• Of one of the old-time mansions of the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, USA,
• There hangs the portrait of a broad-shouldered cavalier,
• And written in his own hand are the words, "Yours to count on”
• TRANSITION: Luke was someone the apostle Paul could depend on!
• And when everyone else had gone, Luke stayed with him!
Question: What is faithfulness?
• Faithfulness is not a very common word these days.
• It is becoming a diminishing trait in people.
• i.e. We used to hear it used concerning couples celebrating a golden wedding anniversary.
• Fifty years of faithful, loving support given to each other.
• There is a card now sold in Hallmark card shops which reads;
• "I can’t promise you forever, but I can promise you today."
• Sadly, that’s about as deep a commitment as some people are willing to make.
• TRANSITION: Luke was someone the apostle Paul could depend on!
• And when everyone else had gone, Luke stayed with him!
Ill:
Another example of faithfulness:
• People used have what was called ‘jobs for life’
• A life-time of service working for the same company.
• And at the end of that service they used to give them a watch or a clock.
• Not sure why they gave them a watch or a clock;
• But that does remind me of the joke/story…
• The wife who told her husband;
• “When you die, I am going to have you cremated and his ashes made into an egg-timer”.
• The husband asked; “Why an egg-timer?”
• And wife replied;
• She replied: “Well you never did any work while you were alive,
• So he might as well do some when your dead!”
• TRANSITION: Luke was someone the apostle Paul could depend on!
• And when everyone else had gone, Luke stayed with him!
Question: What is faithfulness?
Answer: According to the dictionary:
"To follow through with a commitment regardless of difficulty."
That’s a good definition but rather bland.
• But let me give you one that may be easier to remember,
• "Faithfulness is dependability, it is love hanging on refusing to quit”
• Faithfulness is a characteristic of God;
• We often sing the hymn, “Great thy faithfulness”
• So faithfulness is a characteristic of God;
• And it should be a characteristic of God’s people;
• “…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness…”
• (Galatians chapter 5 verses 22-23).
Ill;
• Years ago people used to describe other believers as a ‘faithful brother/sister’,
• It used to mean they were always at the meetings,
• And that of course is important.
• But our faithfulness needs to extend beyond these four walls,
• And in our service for God,
• Be it in the home, in the workplace, in the community and in the Church,
• May it be marked by faithfulness!
And one day, we all hope to hear those words of Jesus:
• “Well done, good and faithful servant!”
• Three times Jesus used that expression in two of his parables.
• Twice in Matthew chapter 25 verses 14-30,
• And once in the parable of the talents, Luke chapter 19 verse 11-27.
• And although I may have quoted them out of context,
• Surely the sentiment is true.
• We want God to be pleased with or faithfulness.
(3). He was a Fellow Worker.
Bible Reading: Philemon verses 23-24.
“Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends you greetings. 24 And so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas and Luke, my fellow workers.”
• The apostle Paul concludes his postcard to Philemon,
• With some personal greetings from others.
• Mentioned in the list is his good friend and travelling companion Dr Luke.
• The apostle Paul and Dr Luke travelled with each other side by side,
• The apostle with his sermon notes;
• And he doctor with his medical bag and historical records.
He is called a fellow worker:
Ill:
• Joke: Someone once asked the pope how many people worked at the Vatican?
• He replied, “About half of them”
• If everything in the early Church depended mon the apostle Paul;
• Then the Church would have been in big trouble.
• Paul was a leader but he realised the value of involving others,
• The apostle Paul was a team player.
• Quote: Traditional saying:
“The forests would be silent indeed, if no birds sang except those who sang best”
• Paul was a leader who realised the value of involving people,
• The apostle Paul was a team player.
ill:
• In this series of talks called ‘Travelling With Paul’
• We are only looking at seven people.
• But the New Testament tells us of 19 travelling companions.
• Who came and went at different stages of Paul’s life and journeys.
• i.e. Aquilla & Aristarchus, Barnabas, Epaphras, Gaius, Justus, Luke, Marcus,
• Onesimus, Philemon, Priscilla, Secundus, Silas, Sopater, Tertius, Timothy, Titus,
• Trophimus & Tychicus.
• As well as his travelling companions, we are also given the names of;
• 16 of his co-workers, fellow prisoners & supporters.
• Andonichus. Apphia. Archippus. Carpus. Demus. Epaphroditus. Erastus.
• Lucius. Lydia. Jason. Junia. Nymphus. Onesiphorus. Phebe. Tyrannus. Urbane.
• TRANITION: The apostle Paul was not a one-man-show.
• He always worked with and through a team of people;
• Who were committed to ministry.
(4). He was a historian.
Bible Reading: Luke chapter 1 verses 1-4.
“Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled[a] among us, 2 just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eye witnesses and servants of the word. 3 With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught. so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.,”
ill:
• Rudyard Kipling told his children gloriously fanciful tales;
• Of how things in the world came to be as they are.
• We know them as the ‘Just So Stories’.
• Since their publication generations of children were tucked into bed at night;
• With readings of highly imaginative and wildly improbably explanations;
• Such as how the elephant got his trunk
• But Kipling wrote them for his daughter and not for publication;
• It was three years after the tragic death of the daughter;
• He was persuaded to have them printed for others to enjoy.
• TRANSITION:
• You may be surprised to know that Luke also wrote his books for one person,
• A man called Theophilus;
• Chapter 1 verses 1-4 tells us that Theophilus had a title; ‘Most excellent’.
• That title is the normal one given for a high Roman official.
• So Theophilus may have been in the Roman government.
• Luke knew his master was an intelligent man;
• And so he writes an intelligent and well researched account of Jesus Christ.
• He carefully researched his material, interviewed eyewitnesses;
• And listened to those who had ministered the word.
Ill:
• Some scholars believe Luke wrote these accounts in defence of his friend Paul.
• If Theophilus may have been the judge or defence lawyer at the trial of Paul in Rome
• So Luke provides an accurate, well researched brief;
• Containing fist hand testimony, eyewitness accounts and carefully researched facts,
• Detailing the circumstances that lead up to Paul’s trial.
• i.e. Details of how this new religion started?
• i.e. Who was the founder?
• i.e. How did Paul come to be part of its propagation?
ill:
• One example of the care Luke took with his gospel;
• Is the way he dates the birth of John the Baptist.
• Mark in his gospel chapter 1 verse 4 introduces John this way:
• “John the baptiser appeared in the wilderness”
• (a no frills description, brief & to the point)
• In contrast Luke the historian introduces John the baptiser;
• (Luke chapter 3 verses 1-2)
• With six contemporary historical dating’s.
• (1). “In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar”.
• (2). “When Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea”.
• (3). “Herod tetrarch of Galilee”.
• (4). “His brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Trachonitus”.
• (5). “And Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene”
• (6). “During the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas”
• TRANSITION:
• There is no ‘once upon a time’ in Luke’s gospel.
• The very opposite.
• Luke is a man who is writing with care & precision;
• And who will be as accurate as it is possible for a historian to be!
Note:
• The two books Luke penned are 28% of the New Testament.
• That is more material than any other writer,
• And has Greek has been recognised as the finest in the Bible!
• As you read the two books, not once did he include his own name,
• He appears to be a very humble man.
• The closest he came to mentioning himself is in the “we” sections in the book of Acts.
• In which he referred to himself in a most underrated manner.
• (i.e. Acts chapter 16 verse 10):
“Once when WE were going to the place of prayer, WE were met by a female slave who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling”
• Apparently it was here in Troas that Dr Luke first joined the apostle Paul’s team.
• So Luke joined Paul on his journey through Macedonia.
And finally:
• Luke was not satisfied with anyone else’s story of Christ.
• He had to have his own!
• He wanted to, he needed to discover the truth for himself.
• Now we are not told when or how Luke came to faith,
• But it is obvious that he did and through his books;
• And through missionary journeys, he shared his faith with others.
• Quote: Someone has said:
• “Real religion is never a second hand thing, it is a personal discovery!”
• And real Christianity is more than an understanding or agreement with key truths;
• It is a life-changing encounter with the living Christ!
• So my punchline to this sermon is:
• Have you come to faith in Jesus Christ, if not, why not?
SERMON AUDIO:
https://surf.pxwave.com/wl/?id=YKadEtcAOpFQ1QPDf3WgSxlsDk7ChDvh
