Good News for Skeptics - Luke 1:1-4

Luke, a Gentile physician, a companion of Paul, and a meticulous investigator chased down eyewitnesses and arranged a clear, checkable account so a thoughtful skeptic could be sure about Jesus. We kick off a long walk through Luke by unpacking his purpose, his method, and the kind of reader he had in mind—someone like Theophilus, and maybe like you.

We explore why Luke’s opening paragraph matters so much. He claims to have “followed all things closely for some time,” leaning on eyewitnesses and earlier narratives, then adding interviews and details others missed. The result is a gospel that is orderly in time, grounded in place, and dramatic in its rising tension from growing crowds to fierce opposition to the shock of the cross and the vindication of the resurrection. Along the way Luke ties names and dates to rulers like Herod, Caesar Augustus, Quirinius, Tiberius, and Pilate, signaling that these claims live inside history where honest people can test them.

At the center stands the identity and mission of Jesus: Lord, Savior, Messiah, holy Son, and the righteous one who resists temptation and seeks the lost. We connect “things accomplished” to promises made, tracing how the Old Testament anticipated a redeeming king and how Jesus fulfills those hopes. 

Rather than asking listeners to park their minds, we invite rigorous questions, careful reading, and open-eyed evaluation. If Christianity can be tested, it can be trusted—and Luke intends to give you enough to stake your life, not just your curiosity.

Transcript

Launching A Long Journey In Luke

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hey, if you have your Bible, go ahead and open it up to the Gospel of Luke in the New Testament, the third book in the New Testament, Matthew, Mark, Luke. One of the three synoptic gospels and the longest of all four Gospels, the Gospel of Luke. We are beginning a brand new series that will take us through 2027 as we walk through the real story of Jesus as presented by Luke. This morning is an introductory message, meaning I will be covering the first four verses and introducing you to the book's author, the audience, and its purpose. Luke wrote so skeptical people could have real certainty that Jesus is who he claimed to be. I'll repeat that. Luke wrote so skeptical people could have real certainty that Jesus is who he claimed to be. Luke did not write his gospel to impress theologians, though it may. Luke wrote, so people who struggle with doubt could be certain that Jesus is real, reliable, and he's worth following. That's what we're going to see as we introduce this gospel this morning. So let's start by just reading the first four verses we just read. Will you look at your Bible with me? Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word who have delivered them to us. It seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things that you have been taught. Let's pray. God teach us by your Spirit your word this morning. You know what we need. Each individual in this room, whether it be encouragement, conviction, Lord, just the truth of righteousness, that we might look more to your son and run more from our sin. Help us to be encouraged, that you care for us enough to right us that we might have certainty about you. I pray for the skeptic in this room this morning. They would take time in the next few weeks, in the next few months, and the next two years to read and examine the evidence of Jesus Christ presented in the Gospel of Luke. And that they would be convinced by your Spirit that it is true. Everybody said together. Amen. Before Luke ever tells us the story of Jesus, which he will over 24 chapters, he gives us in this passage his introductions, four reasons we can trust the Jesus account, his account about the life of Jesus. So, quite simply, your outline this morning is four points. Four reasons you can trust the gospel of Luke. And the first is that Luke is a careful investigator. Luke is a careful investigator. If you don't know much about this third gospel, Luke is really part one of a two-part book written by one author for one audience. Luke is the only gospel with a sequel. Luke wrote the book of Luke and the book of Acts. But who is this guy? Well, the book doesn't actually attribute authorship. Luke does not self-identify and say, Hi, my name is Luke, grace and peace, like Paul often does in his letters. Yet church history claims the writer, the author, was a gentleman named Luke. And we know a lot about him from other passages of Scripture. So who is this Luke guy? Well, he was not a pastor. He was not an apostle or even an evangelist, though we might call him as such because he shared the gospel and wrote one of the four gospels. He was, by trade, a physician. We learn that in Colossians chapter 4. He was most likely a Gentile because in Paul's letter to the Colossian church, he does not include Luke as a member of the circumcision. So Luke is a physician, a Gentile, meaning he did not grow up learning about the Hebrew scriptures. He was most likely a former skeptic before writing this gospel, based upon how he followed all things closely for some time past, as he says in this introduction. Though we'll talk about that later. He wrote Acts, and you can see in the book of Acts, as he's recording what Paul did and how the church began, in the middle of Acts, you see the wording go from he and they to we. We. He includes himself on the journey. Luke is a significant individual, not only because he wrote this gospel, but he was a companion of Paul, and he was persecuted for his faith and continued in it. In fact, one of the best ways that you can commend a fellow brother in Christ, according to Paul, is not only to call him my fellow worker, which he says a lot of Luke, but he says in 2 Timothy chapter 4, before he is about to die, Paul says, Everyone has left me. Except Luke. He hasn't gone anywhere. Paul loved him. My beloved Luke. Let's begin just by reading some of the introductory verses and let's see what we find. We've already read them, but let's look closely. Verse 1 inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative, that would be the other gospels. Other people had written about Jesus' life, ministry, death, and resurrection. Luke knew that. Many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning, that would be the beginning of Jesus' life and ministry, his disciples, were eyewitnesses, like they actually saw him, and ministers of the word have delivered him to us. He includes himself as one of the people who were not eyewitnesses, but learned from other eyewitnesses. He would include in this group the deliverate, the deliverers, the apostles, other teachers. It seemed good to me. I thought it was a really good idea. Having followed all things closely for some time past, to also write an account. I think we see a lot about Luke just in these few sentences. I'm not sure if Luke was a natural-born skeptic of the things that took place, or that was just his demeanor in life, the way he acted with things he saw and heard. But what we do know is he is quite simply not a blind faith kind of guy. He had, as he writes, diligently examined the life and teachings of Christ for himself over time. Three things to that effect. He followed all things. That's the birth, the life, the teachings, the ministry, the relationships, the miracles, the power, the accusations, the beatings, the torture, the murder, the resurrection, the testimony and ascension of Christ. He had followed those things. And he had done some or done so for some time. He wasn't just immediately a believer. He had intentionally followed things, not being an eyewitness himself. He spent time searching the truth claims of Jesus for verification. But more on that in a bit. Many, verse one, have undertaken to compile a narrative. Most likely he had some form of a copy of the Gospel of Mark. I believe the Gospel of Mark was the first written of the four. It had probably been spread out, and Matthew and Luke write from that account multiple times. What they say looks exactly like what Mark says. And so he had written some of the stories of Jesus that had gone out. So not an eyewitness himself, but an evidence examiner. He had most likely heard, as I said, about Jesus from the gospel shred from Paul's first missionary journey before investigating and joining him on his second missionary journey. He had for some time been an interested skeptic. An interested skeptic. In your notes, number two, a questioning man. Matthew, for example, is writing, I would argue, to a primarily Jewish audience. And so Matthew looks back to Old Testament prophecies and says, often in the first three chapters, this took place to fulfill blank. Luke does not do that. The name Theophilus literally means loved by God. And because of that, some scholars believe the letter of Luke was written to a group of believers loved by God. What it means to have an opinion is to think that other people are wrong. I think they're wrong. I think by the way things are worded in the introduction of Luke and Acts, Paul is addressing an individual. He calls this individual most excellent. One of the many reasons I think he is addressing an individual is because he only uses that phrase, most excellent, addressing an individual two other times in the two letters he wrote. So I think Theophilus is most likely a Roman official, an officer, some high-ranking government officer in the Roman government who had some sort of relationship with Luke. And here's what we can surmise or guess about Theophilus himself. There's really two options. Theophilus was either an interested outsider to the faith, having heard about the things of Christ, but having not yet believed in him. So he's not a believer, but he's interested. And so Luke writes an account so that he might have certainty concerning the things he had been taught but had not yet believed in. Or Theophilus may be a young believer in a sort of crisis of faith, concerned whether or not the teachings of Christ can really be trusted. So again, Luke writes to Theophilus that he might have certainty concerning the things he had been taught. In either case, I think this is awesome. I think this is awesome. You say, You're just in the introduction. Why do you think that's so awesome? Why? Well, because my personal weakness is one of many, is that I am typically over-skeptical about things. I don't just say that because I'm introducing a book written to, I would argue, skeptics. My wife can attest to that. I am a skeptic. Maybe some of you are just naturally skeptics in the room. Like you can tell me about something that happened in the world and you're telling me about it, and I may look like in our conversation that I'm bought in, but I am like thinking about it in my head, and 100% I may not be. Like I'm thinking in my head while you're talking. I wonder if this is actually true. Could it be true? I've heard it, but not from reliable sources. I would have heard more of it from now from more reliable sources. I don't believe anything he says. I don't believe anything she says on the internet. No way that happened. I wonder what news source this person pulled from. I've seen some sources they've used before, and they were not legit. And then maybe I confess, after someone maybe done describing to me in vivid detail what I didn't hear, I go look it up for 10 minutes and find every detail I can about the thing before I come back and say, I don't think that was true. Anyone else like that? So back on track. Theophilus is in some sense struggling with the teachings and truth claims of Christianity, and God's response is to send Luke in. Luke, a possible skeptic, with specifics that he had searched after for some time, to point another skeptic who was struggling to the Savior who can be trusted. I mean, as one who wrestles against a certain level of skepticism, this is glorious. It's amazing that God would use a man like Luke for Theophilus to say, yes, these things are legitimate. So I tell you, the Bible is not a fanciful tale of mythological stories like you might read about in class. It is written for skeptics like you and I. And it's detailed. I mean, I can't imagine Luke left much to the imagination. About the only thing that Luke left out in his story about Jesus is the fact that Jesus, because of his humanity, had to use the restroom, was thirsty some different times. It is incredibly detailed. So if you're a skeptic in this room, maybe you can identify with Theophilus. You've heard about Christianity, but you're struggling with certainty. There seems to be more questions than answers. The teachings of Jesus might be new to you and difficult to believe, but I am glad you are here. Because the Bible gives answers for your questions. Questions like Theophilus probably had. Luke's gospel is orderly. Let me tell you how. Well, first, it's ordered chronologically. The other gospels are not necessarily. You have Jesus' birth in chapters 1 and 2. You have his public ministry in chapters 3 through 9. You have his teaching on the kingdom of God as he heads to Jerusalem in chapters 10 through 19. And you have his betrayal, crucifixion, and resurrection in chapters 20 through 24. It's ordered chronologically. It's orderly because it's ordered geographically. Chapters 1 through 9 are mostly in Galilee. Chapters 9 through 19, Jesus is on the move. It's called his travel narrative toward Jerusalem. And then chapters 19 through 24, Jesus is in Jerusalem. It's orderly because it's written chronologically, it's written geographically, and it's ordered dramatically. You see Jesus' growing popularity, and then growing opposition, and then Jesus' rejection or the crowd's rejection of Jesus, ultimately leading to his vindication before all of those people. Luke's Gospel's orderly. It is also detailed. Detailed. It is by far the longest. Of the four Gospels, including many details and stories the others do not. Luke's travel narrative as he heads to Jerusalem in chapter 9 through 19 is unique to Luke. If you were to put all of the synoptic gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke together, you will see that chapter 9 through 19 is unique. Events like the parable of the prodigal son and the parable of the Good Samaritan, Mary and Martha, they come from Luke. As Jesus heads to Jerusalem. Finally, Luke's Gospel is not only orderly and detailed, it is all about Christ. Luke's Gospel recounts the birth, life, teachings, death, and resurrection, and then ascension of Jesus in the first three chapters alone, which we'll walk through over the next few months. Luke tells us that Jesus is the Lord. You see that in Elizabeth's declaration. Who am I that my Lord would visit me as John the Baptist leaps inside her womb, already doing his job? As a pre-born baby in her womb, pointing to the Savior? Who am I that my Lord would visit me? Luke tells us that Jesus is the Lord. Luke tells us that Jesus is the Savior as angels tell shepherds, for unto you this day born is a Savior who is Christ the Lord. In the first three chapters alone, Luke tells us that Jesus is the Messiah. The Messiah is a word that means the promised one of God from the Old Testament, the anointed one, the one prophesied about. You see that when the prophets, Simeon and Anna in the temple, rejoice when Jesus is presented there as a young infant. In the first three chapters alone, Luke tells us Jesus is not only the Lord, the Savior, the Messiah, but he is holy as John calls people to repentance. Even the Jewish leaders who show up. And he says, Do you not know that God can raise these stones to be his if you will not repent? Lord, Savior, Messiah, holy, Jesus is, in the first three chapters, we learn the Son of God. As the Spirit descends upon Jesus at his baptism, and God the Father from heaven says, My son, in whom I am well pleased. Lastly, in the first three chapters alone, Jesus is presented as the righteous one, the one who will be tempted and tried in the wilderness as Israel was, but will not sin, will not complain, will obey the words of Jesus and not listen to that devilish serpent. More than that, Luke's gospel focuses on many things all throughout. That a perfect and powerful Savior has come for sinful people. Luke 19, 10. Luke's gospel tells us that while God has the authority to heal people physically, his priority is preaching the gospel because he desires a relationship with people eternally. It tells us the way to have a relationship with Jesus for eternity is to repent of our sins and believe upon Jesus. It tells us to follow Jesus, we must be willing to leave everything behind. It tells us that his ways are not our ways, yet where he goes we must follow. It tells us that Jesus hangs out with the least, the lost, and the lowly of the world, and it tells us that we are called to lead the least, the lost, and the lowly to him our Lord. Lastly, Luke points us to Jesus' cross and his resurrection, preparing us to follow Jesus through hardship and through humiliation, strengthened by faith in the God who exalts the lowly. If I was to summarize the entirety of Luke's gospel in one brief statement, it would be what you find in its center. Luke 19, 10, for the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost. So this book is an orderly account of the things that have been fulfilled by Jesus during his life, his death, and his resurrection. Number four. So what is the aim? What do I desire for you as your pastor, and what does Luke desire for Theophilus? It is not simply to know about Jesus, it is to take him at his word and believe in Jesus. There is a significant difference in knowing about Jesus and knowing Jesus. These things are written that you might have certainty, that you might believe, and that you might bet your life on Jesus' words. Notice verse 4, certainty concerning the things you have been taught. Skeptics want answers. And Luke was willing to go to great lengths, reporting and writing, that his friend might be assured that his faith was not in vain. The book of Luke is the detailed report given to Theophilus, that he might read it, that he might examine it and its evidence for Jesus' existence and therefore have certainty. Like Theophilus, we can be certain what we read is true, and I'm going to give you two reasons why from this introduction. Because it comes from promises in the Word. Now don't move past that quickly. Luke's account entails promises, but it also is a writing of the fulfillment of promises that had already been written hundreds of years before Luke would even be born. You need to notice that because in verse one it says, Many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been, what's the word? Accomplished. The word accomplished means fulfilled. People have written down things that have been fulfilled. This gospel is a record of prophecies fulfilled. It's important because he doesn't just say happenings, it says accomplishments. So if the Bible is true and verifiable, you should expect it in its days of being written to fulfill promises it made. And the Bible does just that. It records the fulfillment of promises made thousands of years before Jesus ever walked on the earth. The Old Testament, written many years before Jesus walked the earth, records prophecies about Jesus' birth, life, and death, foreshadowing about Jesus' birth, life, and death. The Bible references many instances that that is the case. Paul, when he is in Berea, preaches about Jesus using the Old Testament writings upon scrolls, and the godly saints of Berea went back to their scrolls and said, Is this true? Is Jesus really the answer to all that we've been longing for that all our forefathers have promised? Has he really come? Was it the one who died in Jerusalem? And who Paul tells us resurrected? Jesus, after he resurrected, talked to two of his disciples on the road to Emmaus, explaining that the things written in the first five books of the Bible by Moses were about him. That all the prophecies all throughout the Old Testament were about him. Genesis, about Jesus. Exodus, ultimately about Jesus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, ultimately about Jesus. Paul before King Agrippa. You yourself know these things. That Jesus had to die, had to be crucified, and would resurrect. You know your Old Testament. So the New Testament are the it is the kept promises of the Old Testament's promises that were made. Old Testament promises made. New Testament promises kept. The Old Testament is all about Jesus, and Luke writes so that you might know, hey, you can verify looking back at the Old Testament, these are not just happenings, these are promises from God's Word that have now been fulfilled. But not only can you be certain of the things Luke wrote, because of promises from the Word, but personal witnesses he probably interviewed. Just as those who have from the beginning been eyewitnesses, verse 2, and ministers of the Word, they've delivered them to us. It seemed good to me to write an orderly account. Now follow me here. Luke records that he had received a lot of the story of Jesus from eyewitnesses. But it seems that he went further than that. He had received teachings of Christ from eyewitnesses, but it seems like he also went and gathered more details about Christ from other eyewitnesses who had not yet compiled a narrative. We know this is true because he includes things I've already mentioned that others writer, other writers didn't. Mary's visit to Elizabeth, that we'll talk about in a few weeks. Mary's song of praise, the travel narrative, chapters 9 through 19. No one else recorded that. How did he get that information? Well, I submit to you that as he was following all things closely, he went and investigated the teachings and the ministry of Jesus for himself by going and interviewing personally eyewitnesses of what took place as Jesus walked from where he was ministering all the way to Jerusalem. Luke writes like an investigative journalist, tracking down eyewitnesses and checking the facts. Think about for a moment how truth works in a courtroom. If you have a significant crime, a judge does not call people to the stand who say, Well, I heard from a guy who heard from another guy. No, he calls eyewitnesses. And he calls eyewitnesses to get corroborating evidence that what took place really happened. That's exactly what Luke is telling us he did. He is not asking Theophilus to believe rumors, he's presenting a case for Theophilus. Look at this, Theophilus. You can have certainty. He roots his whole account from the beginning in evidence, not merely experience. In Christianity, we have verifiable historical evidence that what Jesus said is in fact true, and then what Jesus did did in fact happen. This is, I tell you, unique to Christianity. Other religions do not get to boast in that fact. One writer said, in Islam, there are specific historical truth claims that have no evidence in history. For example, he says every Muslim believes in Muhammad being miraculously transported to Jerusalem and then from there into heaven. That's why they claim Jerusalem as a holy site. However, there is absolutely no historical evidence anywhere from anyone that Muhammad ever went to Jerusalem. No accounts. When Paul wrote his account to the church in Corinth, far from where Jesus ascended and showed himself to be alive after he died, he said, Hey, there is more than 500 witnesses. If you want to go ask them, they're still alive. The things we claim as Christians were not done in secret. They were done publicly and recorded with much detail. Maybe you don't understand exactly what I'm saying here. Not only is Luke interviewing eyewitnesses and recording in much detail what took place, but he puts timestamps. You notice that? Matthew, when he writes his gospel, he says this took place to fulfill blank, blink, blank, blink, blank, blink, blank in the first three chapters. Luke doesn't do that. Luke is writing to Theophilus. Theophilus is probably a Roman official, and so what does Luke do? Let me read it to you. Chapter 1, verse 5. In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zachariah of the division of Abijah. Luke 2, 1 through 2. In the days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the words should be, world should be registered. This was the first registration when Corinius was governor of Syria. Chapter 3. In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea at that time, and Herod being Tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip, Tetrarch of the region of Ituria and Trachonidas. And Licinius, Tetrarch of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John. So Christianity does not call you to shut your eyes and believe, but to open them, examine the evidence, and yes, have certainty. What did Theophilus need to know? What do you, a skeptic, need to know? Christianity can be tested, and because it can be tested, it can be trusted. I'll say that again. Christianity can be tested, and because it can be tested, it can be trusted. We can be certain of the things in the Gospel of Luke because of promises in the word fulfilled and personal witnesses. So I say again, Luke wrote so skeptical people could have real certainty that Jesus is who he claimed to be. He did not write with priority that scholars and theologians would be impressed, though they are. Luke wrote, so people who struggle with doubt could have real faith and believe Jesus is real, reliable, and worth following. So do you have certainty? Do you have questions? Luke says you can have certainty, not by ignoring your doubts, but by bringing them to Jesus. So do not leave your mind at the door as we walk through this series. Bring your mind, come to his word, find the truth, and you will be satisfied. This book is for you, dear skeptic. And here's the thing: Luke didn't just want Theophilus to believe facts about Jesus. He wanted him to trust Jesus. And that's what we believe God could even invite you to today. To repent of the sin that's killing you. To believe in Jesus who was killed for you. And to follow him into eternity, he offers you. Maybe you're sitting in the room and you've been a believer for a long time and you have proven your faith in one way by coming all the way here to Knoxville to reach more people. Let me just encourage you, be like Luke. Do whatever you can to help people confused and concerned about the truth claims of Christianity so that they may have certainty that Jesus is who he says he is. The gospel of Luke was God's plan to disciple a man named Theophilus. It was the manual. So maybe you just feel like I don't know how to disciple another individual. The Great Commission tells me not only to tell people about Jesus, but to teach them all the things that Jesus has taught. I want to disciple people. Let me encourage you, why not the book of Luke? Read it with someone you want to disciple and just be a little bit ahead of them. It changed Theophilus' life. Maybe it can change the life of your friend that they would have certainty concerning the things they've heard. Welcome to the book of Luke, a gospel written for skeptics. Would you pray? God, in this room this morning, there are people who have walked with you for a number of years, people who are new in their relationship with you, and people who may not be following you right now. I pray, Lord, that we would all be encouraged and some believe for the first time as we investigate the claims of Christianity. We know from Scripture, 1 Corinthians chapter 2, that we cannot in our own power totally understand all the things you have recorded, that we need the power of your spirit to open our eyes that are blinded by the God of this age, to cause deaf ears to hear. And so Lord, we pray that through the preaching of your word, through the diligent discipleship through the gospel of Luke, that you would cause deaf ears to hear, blind eyes to see, and stony hearts to rejoice in. Jesus the Savior. May these two years be fruitful as we are faithful. God, we love you. We thank you for being the Son who came to suffer and die. So that we now called sons of God might live. God, we sing to you this morning. We praise you this morning. Prepare our hearts, not only as we continue to walk in truth, but gather around your table. In your name we pray. All God's people said, Amen. Let's stand, let's sing together, and we'll dine with a Savior.