To Seek & Save | Sunday, February 9, 2025

And praise the Lord! Thank you, team. Good morning, Cross Connection. You guys can have a seat for a moment. It is so good to see you this morning.

Before we get into the Scriptures, I have a few things that I wanted to share with you and to ask you to pray for. First, you may have noticed that Anthony hasn't been here for a few weeks, and some people were asking what’s going on with him. Now, you cannot get upset at me about this, but he sent us a picture this morning and said we could post it when we pray for him.

Let me first preface this: Anthony has a virus that has caused him to have Bell's palsy. Some of you may have experienced this before; your face kind of droops a little bit. He had this a few years ago, and it flared up again. Now, it’s affecting both sides of his face. So, I think we have this picture. I don’t know if it’s working, but that is not Anthony. He sent it to us, so don’t get upset at me. He told me that we could post this. At least he still has his sense of humor!

You need to pray for Anthony. He’s having a tough time, obviously. He’s also on prednisone to try to deal with the inflammation, which really affects you in a big way. He’s been having a rough few weeks, so please pray for him. We’re praying for a quick recovery. The last time I talked to him, he was kind of slurring his words and said, “I don’t think I can sing, bro.” I told him, “No, you can’t.” So, let’s pray for him to get better.

In addition to praying for Anthony, I would ask you to continue to pray for Laya. She is still at R. Christian, or I’m sorry, Children’s Hospital. They got some good news yesterday. About ten days ago, they took a specific kind of test that tells you the level of the fungal infection in her body. When they first took it, the number was at 21,000. They redid the test yesterday, and it’s below 50! Even the doctors were amazed by it, so praise the Lord! We are trusting that God is moving in a miraculous way. Apart from a miracle from the Lord, this infection could take her life, so we’re asking you to continue to pray for Laya and for her family.

We’re going to pray in just a moment for Anthony and for Laya, but we also want to pray this morning for Sharon. Sharon, why don’t you come up here? Her daughter is also going through cancer treatment. In the midst of helping her daughter through all that, Sharon is one of our chaplains with the Billy Graham organization.

Sharon is being dispatched by Samaritan's Purse to help with recovery efforts in Los Angeles today. We want to pray for her, so come on up here, Sharon. Would you stand with me? If anyone wants to join us in praying for Sharon, you can.

We also want to lift up Anthony and Layla to the Lord. Let's pray.

Father God, thank you for Anthony. We pray that You would be with him this morning. I thank You that he still has joy and a sense of humor, even though his face is a little sagging this morning. We ask, God, that You would strengthen his immune system. Lord, continue to give him Your peace that surpasses understanding. We pray for Your healing touch. We pray that this Bell's palsy and whatever virus he has would go away quickly. Just strengthen his body and bring him back to us swiftly.

We lift Layla into Your hands. We thank You for the good report yesterday, and we ask, God, that this is just one of many good reports to come. We ask for complete and total healing. We thank You that, as far as her cancer is concerned, it is looking as if that has been put to the side as the major issue. We pray against this infection. We ask that You would be with her mom, her dad, and her brother, strengthening them as well.

Lord, we lift Sharon into Your hands. We pray that in the midst of all the things she is going through, You would also lift up Heather, her daughter, and heal her. Strengthen their family. Sharon has many things on her heart and mind, but You have opened the door for her to minister to people in Los Angeles who have lost everything. We ask, God, that through this, You would shine Your light, Your grace, and Your truth to people through Sharon and others with Samaritan's Purse. Would You strengthen the chaplain teams and the recovery teams that are there to be a blessing and encouragement? Be with Sharon and go before her, we pray. We ask this in Jesus' name, and all those that agree said, "Amen."

Amen! Praise the Lord! Thank you very much.

Now, don't sit yet. I'm going to ask you to stand. I want you to do something this morning that we have done for years but haven't done in a while. If you would take out your Bibles while you're standing, if you don't have a Bible, you can raise your hand. Open to the Gospel of Luke. Open to about the middle of your Bible, turn to the right, and eventually, you'll see Matthew, Mark, and then Luke.

Luke chapter 1. I've been telling you for several weeks that we're going to begin studying in the Gospel of Luke. I hate to break it to you, but we're not going to get very far into the Gospel of Luke this morning. However, I do want to begin by reading this.

This morning, I want to begin with the opening words from Luke 1, verse 1. It is written, "Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having had a perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, that you may know the certainty of the things in which you were instructed."

God, I pray that this would be the outcome of our study of the Gospel of Luke. Whenever we open the Scriptures, regardless of the passage, I ask that through Your word, we would know the certainty of the things in which we have been instructed. I pray that You would help us to see that these are, as Peter said, not cunningly devised fables. They are not myths or legends; Lord, this is truth—history that has a great and powerful impact in the world and in individual lives, including our own.

I pray that You would continue to use Your word, and that, Holy Spirit, You would work in us by Your power to transform us through the renewing of our minds. Help us to display what is Your good and perfect will. So, God, teach us and work in us, we pray. We ask this today in Jesus' name. Amen.

You can be seated.

Anytime we open a text and examine someone's writing, it is very helpful to determine a number of things at the outset. There are several questions that come to mind as we look at any passage of Scripture or any body of text. It is good to know who wrote what is recorded and to answer the question of why they wrote this. Who is the author? Where did they come from? What is their connection to the subject matter?

Their connection to the subject matter gives them credibility and authority regarding what they are writing about. Therefore, we want to know these kinds of questions about the purpose, the reason for their writing, and the intended audience—the people they are writing for. This is helpful for any passage or text you read, but it is especially true when considering the Gospels, as we have.

One of the things I've discovered in talking with people about the Bible over the years, which is a big part of my life, is that people often ask the question: why are there four Gospels? In the New Testament, we have Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. There are many questions about these Gospels, but one of the most common is why there are four and why they are not identical.

When you open the first three Gospels, which are referred to by scholars and theologians as the Synoptic Gospels, you find that they provide an orderly account, as Luke describes, of the basic events in Jesus's life and ministry. Matthew, Mark, and Luke share a lot of crossover; many of the stories and events that Mark discusses are also found in Matthew and Luke. However, there are variations among them, and this variation can be a stumbling block for some. They may wonder if errors have been introduced into the text when Matthew's account differs from Mark's.

I have received this question many times over the years: why four Gospels, and why are they not identical? The fascinating thing is that when you study historiography or examine how historians study history, or how linguists assess language and literary works, you discover that the differences between these accounts actually support their authenticity. Linguists and historians tell us that eyewitness accounts naturally vary.

Anytime you find accounts that are identical between two or three different individuals, it often indicates that the stories may be fabricated. When everything lines up perfectly, it raises a red flag. I see my friend Ryan nodding his head; he is a homicide detective who interviews people. When their stories are identical, he knows something is not right.

Thus, the variation among the Gospels is actually proof of their authenticity. It shows that the individuals who wrote them did not rely on a single source for their information. Instead, they had different perspectives and points of view, and they focused on different aspects of what they were trying to convey.

What they are trying to put forward often has a different audience that they are writing for. For example, the Gospel of Matthew, the first of the gospels in the New Testament, has been traditionally believed to have been written down by a firsthand eyewitness of the Gospel, whose name we know as Matthew or Levi. He is mentioned in the gospels as one of Jesus's twelve Apostles or disciples.

What we know of him from the gospels is that he was a tax collector, and tax collectors were looked down upon in that society. However, historians often suggest that those tax collectors, because of the work they did, likely had a certain studiousness to their lives. You can see this in Matthew, as he keeps an orderly account of things.

In Matthew, he provides the largest sections of Jesus's direct discourse, or teaching. For example, the Sermon on the Mount, found in Matthew chapters 5, 6, and 7, is a very long portion of scripture. If you have a Bible where the words of Jesus are in red, that entire section is in red. It is a significant message of Jesus that is recorded. You find another one of those in Matthew chapters 24 and 25, known as the Olivet Discourse. This is the teaching Jesus gave while he was seated on the Mount of Olives outside the city of Jerusalem.

Matthew gives a clear, orderly account of the things that Jesus said. He is a Jewish individual who appears to be writing for Jewish individuals. In his book, The Gospel of Matthew, he shows that Jesus fulfills the law and the prophets of the Jewish people. The Jewish people were looking for their Messiah, and the law pointed to the coming of the Messiah, while the prophets looked forward to the coming of this anointed one.

Matthew, writing for Jewish individuals, targets this audience to demonstrate that Jesus is the fulfillment of those Old Testament passages of scripture. He often says things like, "as Isaiah the prophet said" or "as the prophet Jeremiah said," connecting it all together as he goes through.

I have shared with you before that in the gospels, we have very clear purpose statements from Jesus, where He says, "I have come for this reason." In the Gospel of Matthew, what is Jesus's explicit purpose statement? It is recorded in Matthew 5:17-18, where He says, "I did not come to destroy the law and the prophets; I came to fulfill." Not one jot or tittle...

The smallest mark of the law will not be done away with until all is fulfilled. Matthew is showing in his gospel that Jesus's point in coming is that He has come to fulfill the law and the prophets. Matthew writes in such a way that he is addressing a Jewish audience that is looking to the law and the prophets, and he demonstrates that Jesus is the fulfillment of that.

Moving from Matthew to Mark, scholars have said that Mark appears to be writing for Roman Gentiles, especially for people who lived in the city of Rome and were being sought to be reached with the gospel. This makes a lot of sense because it is believed that Mark was not an eyewitness; rather, he is the one writing down the account of Peter. The Apostle Peter spent the last days, maybe even years, of his life in the city of Rome. He was ultimately martyred there and spent the final period of his life trying to reach Gentile people in Rome. Therefore, it would make sense that Peter's gospel, written down by Mark, has a focus on reaching the Roman Gentile mind in the first century.

In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus is portrayed as a suffering servant, but He is also depicted as a man of power and action. There is a very fast pace to the Gospel of Mark; the word "immediately" appears many times throughout. You see that Jesus is on the move, presented as a man of power, authority, and action. He is shown to have power over demons, disease, and death.

Jesus's purpose statement in the Gospel of Mark speaks to this: He says, "I have come for this reason" (Mark 10:45). For even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many. His purpose statement in Matthew is that He has come to fulfill the law and the prophets, while in Mark, it is that He has come not to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many.

This brings us to the Gospel of Luke, which will be the focus of our study and our series this year. The Gospel of Luke is believed to be written by an individual named Luke, who seems to be recording the message of the gospel from the Apostle Paul.

Luke is writing from a specific point of view, targeting a Greek-minded Gentile audience, likely because he himself was a Greek Gentile. He addresses his letter to an individual named Theophilus, as we read in the opening verses. There is much speculation about Theophilus's identity, as we do not know for certain who he was. Some suggest that the name means "friend" or "lover of God," and that he may have been an actual person who funded Luke's life and ministry, enabling him to record what we know as the Gospel of Luke and later the book of Acts.

Others speculate that Theophilus is a symbolic term representing all friends of God or lovers of God—essentially, Christians. This interpretation suggests that the letter was written for anyone who follows God. Ultimately, the exact identity of Theophilus may not matter as much as the fact that Luke recorded these important messages for us, allowing us to have them in our hands.

In Luke 1:3-4, Luke states his mission and aim: "It seemed good to me, having known this story, to write to you an orderly account." He acknowledges that others, like Matthew and Mark, had already endeavored to write down the gospel, but he felt compelled to provide an orderly account based on what he had received from Paul and other eyewitnesses. His purpose was so that his readers would know the certainty of the things in which they were instructed.

The purpose of Jesus, as presented by Luke, is encapsulated in a passage in Luke chapter 19. I would like you to turn there for just a moment. I won't go into depth on it now, as we will likely explore Luke 19 verse by verse in the future. However, this chapter contains Jesus's purpose statement in the Gospel of Luke, which gives us insight into why Luke wrote in the manner that he did. I want to read the entire lead-up to Jesus's statement.

In Luke chapter 19, we find a familiar story, especially for those who grew up in church, attended Sunday school, or participated in children's ministry. This passage introduces us to an interesting character. Luke 19:1 states, "Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho." Jericho was the last stop, the final city on the way to Jerusalem for travelers. Jewish individuals would journey to Jerusalem three times a year for the feasts, and they would always stop in Jericho. At this point, Jesus was on His final walk toward Jerusalem before His crucifixion.

As He entered Jericho, we learn about a man named Zacchaeus, who was a chief tax collector and quite wealthy. He likely received some funding from the Roman authorities. Zacchaeus sought to see who Jesus was, but he could not because of the crowd, and he was of short stature. Zacchaeus was a wee little man, and so what did he do? He ran ahead and climbed into a sycamore tree to see what he could see, for Jesus was going to pass that way.

When Jesus came to the place where Zacchaeus was, He looked up and saw him. He said, "Zacchaeus, make haste and come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house." Jesus had a remarkable social grace; He just invited Himself to people's homes. I love that! You could say, "I'm just following the way of Jesus; I'm going to come to your house today." So, Zacchaeus made haste, came down, and received Him joyfully.

However, when the crowd saw this, they all complained, saying, "He has gone to be the guest with a man who is a sinner." In response, Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord, I give half my goods to the poor, and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore it fourfold." Jesus then said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham."

Here is the key verse, the purpose statement of Jesus for the Gospel of Luke: "For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which is lost." This is Jesus's purpose statement. In the Gospel of Matthew, He states, "I have come to fulfill the law and the prophets." In the Gospel of Mark, He says, "I have come not to be served but to serve and to give My life a ransom for many." In the Gospel of Luke, I absolutely love this; it is a significant part of the reason why I want to go.

Through this, of all four of the Gospels, this Gospel, the Son of Man, has come to seek and to save that which is lost. Now, just so I don't overlook it, let me give you a brief synopsis of the Gospel of John. John was the last of the Gospels written. I believe that Matthew, Mark, and Luke were written prior to the finish of the Book of Acts, which happens in the early 60s AD.

The Gospel of John was written by an eyewitness of Jesus's ministry. We know him as the Apostle John, and he was the longest-living of Jesus's first followers. We believe he lived well into the 90s AD and probably wrote the Gospel of John then. His depiction of the life and ministry of Jesus is drastically different from the synoptic Gospels—Matthew, Mark, and Luke. In fact, it's been said by some researchers that as much as 80 to 90% of the Gospel of John is different from Matthew, Mark, and Luke.

But there's a reason for the difference. John is writing for a very specific purpose, which he gives us at the end of the book in John 20:30-31. He says, "These things I've written about the life and ministry, the miracles and the message of Jesus. These things I've written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, that he is the Son of God, and that believing you would have life in his name."

I've recorded these things so that you can trust that Jesus is the Christ. That's a word that refers back to the Messianic role of this individual that the prophets looked forward to. He is the anointed one, but not only that, he is God in the flesh. John is the one who says, "In the beginning was the Word, the Logos, and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory as of the only begotten of the Father."

He is writing for a general audience, all people, to show that Jesus is God in the flesh. Jesus reveals himself in the Gospel of John through seven "I am" statements, where he says, "I am the bread of life, I am the light of the world, I am the door of the sheep, I am the Good Shepherd, I am the resurrection and the life, I am the way, the truth, and the life, and I am the True Vine."

In this, Jesus's purpose in the Gospel of John is that you might have life and that you might have it more abundantly—a certain kind of abundant and eternal life through the resurrection. He says it very clearly.

Clearly, in John chapter 10, verse 10, it says, "The thief has come to steal, to kill, and to destroy. But I have come," which is Jesus's purpose statement, "that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly." This is the presentation of John in his gospel.

So, why do we have four gospels? We have four gospels that vary in their presentation of the same basic story of the same basic individual because they are independent accounts from four different individuals. They come from four different perspectives, target four different audiences, and have four different purposes in writing.

However, in every single one of them, what do we see? What is the core message of these four gospel writers—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John? They present that Jesus is the anointed Messiah. He is the Christ, the fulfillment of the prophecies of the Old Testament prophets. He fulfills the law; he comes to fulfill, not destroy, the law.

We see in both Mark's gospel and Luke's gospel, two of the earliest gospels written, that he is titled the Son of Man. Every Jewish reader would have understood what that meant because that title, Son of Man, came from a writer who lived about 500 years before Jesus named Daniel. In Daniel, he writes about the Son of Man who is going to come to bring the kingdom of God. So, any Jewish hearer reading or hearing those words, the Son of Man as the title applied to Jesus, would think, "Wait, he's the one who brings the kingdom of God."

He is the Son of Man bringing the kingdom of God. He is the Word become flesh, God in the flesh, who comes to bring abundant and eternal life through resurrection. He is the Shepherd of the sheep; he leaves the ninety-nine to seek out the one lost sheep. He lays down his life for others so that they may have life themselves.

He is on a mission to reach both Jews and Gentiles, all people. He is on a mission to reach the top of the hierarchy, the goody two-shoes, but also those at the lowest end, the pagans. He is seeking not just good people; in fact, he is seeking unrighteous people, as we see him in the scriptures. He goes after the sick, the maimed, the lame, the dumb, the deaf, and the blind. He is not a respecter of persons.

The Jesus presented to us in the Scriptures is not arrogant or aloof. He is not too busy for normal people. He does not reject children coming to Him, nor does He turn away widows or foreigners. These were the lowest of the low in His time. The widow, the child, and the foreigner were the people who received no attention; yet, He gave time to them. He even gave time to the religious elite, the Pharisees and the Sadducees.

In the Gospels, whether you are reading Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John, we see this point: Jesus is the Savior of sinners and the Redeemer and Restorer of wrecked and destitute lives. I love this because there is not a single person here today who does not fit into that category. Sinners with wrecked and destitute lives—comparatively speaking, your life might look better today than your neighbor, friend, family member, or coworker. It might, but if you only look at your life in comparison to Christ, you are a sinner with a wrecked and destitute life. Jesus came to this world to save sinners and to redeem and rescue them from their wrecked and destitute lives.

Why did Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John record these things? Because they wanted people to meet this Jesus, the Savior of sinners who redeems and restores wrecked and destitute lives. Why have Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and all the other great followers of Jesus, as well as the many saints and sinners saved by grace over the last 2,000 years, been so passionate about and committed to the message of Jesus? Because they themselves had met the Savior of sinners, the Redeemer and Restorer of wrecked and destitute lives. Their sins had been forgiven by Him, and their lives, which had been wrecked and destitute, had been redeemed and restored.

Not only that, these individuals—Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and other early followers of Jesus—had seen Jesus heal the sick. They had witnessed Him raise the dead, feed the hungry, and some had even seen Him walk on water. They had seen Him restore sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf. They had observed Him give to those in need and preach freedom and liberty to the captives, good news to those who were poor. He gave joy to those who were despondent, healed the brokenhearted, and freed those who were oppressed.

They were oppressed and possessed by spirits that overtook them. The same group of people saw Him suffer and die, but most importantly, they saw Him alive after His death. That's what they proclaimed.

One of the amazing things is that if you read the skeptical scholarship of historians, New Testament scholars, and historians today—those who do not believe the proclamation of the church that Jesus died and rose from the dead—they will at least tell you this: it is very clear that the early followers of Jesus believed that He had risen from the dead. These scholars and skeptics do not believe that Jesus rose from the dead, but they will tell you that Matthew, Paul, and Peter believed that Jesus had risen from the dead. Why did they believe that? They said they saw Him alive after His death.

If you had been with Him and saw Him perform miracles or walk on water, whatever it may be, but then you saw Him alive after He was crucified, you would probably be rather committed to and passionate about that message as well. You would not be able to keep quiet, even though you were threatened by the religious establishment and leaders of the day to do so.

The Gospel According to Luke is believed to be, as I already mentioned, Paul's gospel. Luke, a close companion and co-laborer with Paul, received it from Paul and wrote it down. It is interesting because around the year 57 AD, Paul wrote a letter while he was ministering in the city of Asia Minor called Ephesus. He wrote a letter to a group of Christians who lived in a very carnal Greek city called Corinth. This letter is called First Corinthians.

In his letter to the Corinthians, specifically in 1 Corinthians chapter 15, he outlines the core message of the Gospel. What was it that Paul preached and that later Luke recorded and wrote down? Here it is: in 1 Corinthians 15, you can note it in your notes if you'd like to look at it later. In verse one, Paul says, "Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel." The word "gospel" is a Greek word, euangelion, which just means "good news." He proclaims or declares to them the good news which he preached and which they have received, and in which they stand, by which they are saved, if they hold fast to that word which he preached.

You unless you have believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received. Here is Paul's simple message summarized: Christ died for our sins. This is what Paul preached; this is what the other apostles preached, and the early church believed. Within 25 years of Jesus's crucifixion, Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures. He was buried, and you only bury those who are dead. He was buried dead, and he rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.

Here’s the key: he was seen. Four times Paul repeats this. He died for our sins, he was buried, he rose from the dead according to the Scriptures, and he was seen by Peter and by the twelve. Afterwards, he was seen by 500 brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have died, fallen asleep. After that, he was seen by James, the half-brother of Jesus, and then by all the apostles. Last of all, he was seen by me as one born out of due time.

That is the simple summation of the Gospel: Christ died for our sins, was buried, rose again according to the Scriptures, and he was seen. He was seen by witnesses.

Paul's message about Jesus was very likely the story that you and I will read and study as we go through the Gospel of Luke. The author of the Gospel of Luke is also the author of the Book of Acts. He is not directly named in either Luke or Acts, but historic evidence or tradition holds that Luke is the one who is writing these things down. Luke was a co-laborer and close companion of Paul, and he is mentioned by Paul in three of Paul's letters. Paul wrote 14 New Testament letters, and in three of them—Colossians, 2 Timothy, and Philemon—Paul mentions Luke.

However, Luke, being a close associate of Paul, is not named in the Book of Acts, while all the other close associates are. So we use deduction to conclude that it seems Luke was the author of this. We ask the question, "Well, who was he?" Very likely, he is someone who came to faith in Jesus through the preaching ministry of Paul when Paul was on one of his missionary journeys. The Book of Acts describes the account of Paul's life and ministry as he ventured out to preach the Gospel to various places in the first-century known world.

The missionary journey is recorded in Acts chapters 13 and 14. Paul goes to a part of the world that we know today as the country of Turkey. Back then, it was called Galatia, the region he visited in southwestern Turkey. This was his first missionary journey.

In his second missionary journey, he revisited the people in Galatia, but then he continued on his way. He tried to go into Asia Minor, which is western Turkey on the coast of the Aegean Sea, but he couldn't get there. He then attempted to go to what he knew as Bithynia; today, we would recognize it as the region around the Black Sea in Turkey, but he was unable to go there as well. Eventually, he reached a town called Troas, located in the northeastern corner of the Aegean, in what we know as modern-day Turkey.

While he was there, the language of the book of Acts shifts, and we enter what scholars refer to as the "we passages." We call it the "we passages" because the language in Acts changes from the third person—"Paul went here, Silas and Paul went there"—to the first person. Now it says, "we went to this place," indicating that the author of the book of Acts is apparently with Paul. Luke likely joins him during this second missionary journey.

Let me read to you from Acts chapter 16. It says, "Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia"—that's southwestern Turkey today—"they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia." After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, up near the Black Sea, but the Spirit did not permit them. So, passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas, a coastal town on the Aegean Sea.

A vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." After Paul had seen the vision, immediately we—now the author of the book of Acts is with Paul—sought to go to Macedonia. They would have taken a boat from the coastal city of Troas across the Aegean Sea. For the first time, the Gospel now goes into Europe, to Macedonia, the northern reaches of Greece.

Therefore, sailing from Troas, we went straight to Samothrace. The next day, we came to Neapolis, and from there we went to Philippi, which is the foremost city of that part of Macedonia, a colony. We stayed there many days.

The gospel, for the first time, goes into Europe as Paul, Silas, Timothy, and probably Luke, who has now joined the team, go to the city of Philippi. They preach the gospel there, and a church is planted. The interesting thing is that Paul, not too long after that, leaves Philippi, and the language shifts from "we" to "they." It is believed by many scholars that Luke remained in Philippi after Paul left, becoming the de facto pastor of this newly planted church.

It is amazing to think about how this man, who had just recently become a convert to Christianity—maybe within the last weeks or months—was appointed by Paul to be the pastor. How many of you are ready for that? Paul said, "You're going to stay here, and you're going to minister to these people." I think Luke did a great job. Philippi came to be known as one of the strongest churches in the early church. It was the church that supported Paul's ministry more than any other church, and they remained strong for many years. Luke was very possibly their pastor.

As you follow the story of Paul in the book of Acts, the language shifts back to "we" about three times, indicating that Luke is with Paul again in those instances. At some point during Paul's life and ministry, he came to the city of Rome. The book of Acts ends with Paul under arrest in the city. It seems that at that point, Luke is recording the Gospel of Luke and the message we have in the book of Acts.

What is the message that he is preaching? He is writing down the gospel message that Paul preached: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, was buried, rose again on the third day, and was seen by witnesses. This is the core message he gives us, and it is that message that is the power of God. It brings salvation to people as they believe it, receive it, and stand upon it.

The simple message is this: Jesus rescues those who trust in his death on their behalf for their sinful failings. That is the simple message of the gospel. Jesus is the one who rescues those who trust in his death for their sinful failings. That is such good news because every single one of us here today, and every single person we will interact with outside of this, needs to hear it.

Building over the next several days, every single one of us falls into that category of people who have sinful failings. This is the truth that was prophesied by the prophet Isaiah in that very famous passage of Scripture in Isaiah chapter 53. The prophet Isaiah, 700 years before Jesus came to this world, says, "He was wounded for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities. The punishment so that we could have peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed."

Why? Because all we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way, and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. Every single one of us is like sheep who have gone astray. The good news is that God came to this world as the man Jesus Christ to seek and to save that which is lost. All we like sheep have gone astray, and He leaves the ninety-nine to go after the one.

This theme is presented repeatedly in the Gospel of Luke. It's one of the reasons why I like this Gospel so much. The idea that Jesus is seeking and saving that which is lost, which is His purpose statement in Luke 19:10, is repeated throughout this Gospel. We will see it someday, a long time from now, when we get to Luke 15. There, Jesus tells the story about the lost coin, the lost sheep, and the lost son—the very powerful, famous message of the prodigal son.

In every single one of those stories, we have this theme emphasized: Jesus is seeking that which is lost—the lost coin, the lost sheep, the lost son. But it's not just those stories from Jesus in Luke chapter 15. The story of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10 is another example. It is one of the most famous stories associated with Jesus. But what is it about? It's about an individual who is taken by thieves, robbed, beaten, and left for dead.

Along comes this Good Samaritan who finds him and restores him. The one that everybody else would walk by and reject, the Samaritan comes and lifts him up and takes care of him. In that story, who is the Good Samaritan? Well, it's Jesus. And who is the man taken by thieves and left for dead? That's you and me—our lives broken, bruised, and battered by the one who comes to steal, to kill, and to destroy. This is the message of Jesus in the Gospel of Luke.

The story of the Pharisee and the tax collector is a beautiful one. The Pharisee, a religious leader, stands before God in the temple and prays, saying, "God, I thank You that I'm not like sinners, like that tax collector over there." In contrast, the tax collector prays, beating his chest and saying, "God, I thank You for Your mercy that You've rescued someone like me." What a beautiful story!

Not only is this story significant, but Jesus also pursues the two disciples in Luke chapter 24, who are fleeing Jerusalem in fear after the crucifixion of Jesus. Over and over again in the Book of Luke, we see Jesus pursuing, seeking, and finding those who are broken, battered, distressed, destroyed, or fleeing because of fear. The emphasis on this point in Luke comes up constantly.

Point number three: Jesus seeks to find and reach those whom we despise and reject. This is such a good story because every single one of us can find ourselves in the narratives of the lost coin, the lost sheep, the lost son, the Good Samaritan, the Pharisee and the tax collector, or those fleeing in fear. We all find ourselves there, and Jesus is the one who seeks to reach those who are despised and lost—the down and out, the depressed, the dejected, the rejected, the lost. He is constantly seeking them. That is why we call this gospel good news.

My hope, as we go through this, is that you will meet Jesus in a different way than you may have seen Him before. I hope that you have read the gospels, but I don't want to assume that you have. I find more and more that there are many people, even those who have been in church for a long time, who have never taken the time to read through the Gospel of Luke or the Gospel of John. I say this as a bit of an embarrassing confession: it has been 16 years since I taught through the gospel here at this church. So, yes, we haven't really gotten into it, but I promise we will get there at some point in time.

For now, I want to finish today with three considerations about the Gospel of Luke as we get into this text. First, the Gospel of Luke is an invitation to certainty. Luke wrote this so that you may know the certainty of the things that you have been taught. Christianity is not built as...

Peter says that cunningly devised fables are not myths, legends, or vague spiritual ideas; they are a historical reality that can be verified. Christ was seen by witnesses after His death. He was seen by witnesses who spoke of His many miracles and great teachings. He was not a mere man; He was not just a prophet. As those who first saw Him and walked with Him said, He is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Yes, that's an audacious and far-out message, but that is what the historical evidence supports. Even though people don't like the conclusion, that's what the historical evidence supports. The Gospel is not faith without reason; it is trust established in truth.

The Gospel of Luke is an invitation to certainty. Secondly, it is an invitation into transformation. Repeatedly in Luke, we see individuals who are changed and transformed by an encounter with Jesus. Whether it's the tax collector named Zacchaeus, the Prodigal Son, the thief on the cross, or the fearful followers of Jesus who fled after His death, Luke's message in this Gospel is clear: no one is too far gone. Let me say that again because some of you need to hear that today: no one is too far gone. No one has sinned too greatly for the forgiving power of Jesus to forgive their sins. No heart is too hard; Jesus still has the ability to seek the lost and change them forever. That's what He does.

Third and finally, the Gospel of Luke is an invitation to join Jesus's mission. Every single one of the New Testament Gospels tells the same basic story of the life, ministry, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. All of them end with a commissioning exhortation where Jesus speaks to those who have come to faith in Him. He says to them, "I'm sending you out to take this message to others." The Gospel of Matthew has what we call the Great Commission: go into all the world and make disciples of all nations. The Gospel of Mark also has a commission: go preach the Gospel to every creature. The Gospel of Luke, in chapter 24, ends with a similar message.

With these words, repentance and remission of sins should be preached in Jesus's name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. If you become a witness and believer in the life, ministry, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, then what does that mean? You are now an ambassador for Him to carry that message to others.

Jesus says in Matthew's Gospel, chapter 10, verse 8, "Freely you have received; freely give." If Jesus came to seek and to save the lost, then we, who are His ambassadors, are commissioned to do the same. If Jesus came and demonstrated compassion and grace to sinners, the poor, the brokenhearted, and the outcasts, then we, as His representatives, ought to do so as well. The Gospel is not just something that we receive; it is something that we also give out to others.

So, I want to leave you with a very simple question today: Who in your life needs to meet Jesus? You have been commissioned and dispatched to introduce them. We might say, "Well, I need to get to know Him." That's right; you need to get to know Jesus in the Gospel of Luke, which we'll continue to explore. But there's a reason for this—not just that you will believe, but that you also will introduce Him to other people as well. There are a lot of people that you know who need to meet Jesus, and you are the one whom God has called to introduce them.

Would you stand with me as we close in prayer? God, I realize that this might be a very fearful thing for some people to hear this morning. I'm sure it was something that caused great angst and fear in some of Your early disciples when You sent them to minister Your grace and truth to others, to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom. But God, by Your power, by Your grace, and by Your Holy Spirit, You enabled them to become bold witnesses, and I pray that You would enable us to do the same.

Lord, help us today, and as we continue on through this book, to get to know who You are more fully. Help us to see You and to enter into a deeper relationship with You so that we might be able to introduce other people to You. God, pour...

Outpour Your Spirit upon Your people. Strengthen and enable us to be lights in a dark place. For we ask this in Jesus' name, and all those that agreed said, "Amen."