In our sermon this week, we looked at Luke’s stated purpose in writing his Gospel.  We don’t have to try and guess why Luke wrote what he did, and why he wrote it the way he did.  He is seeking to nurture a confidence in our faith.  He is writing ‘that [we] may know the certainty of the things [we] have been taught’ (1:4).  He is a Doctor (Col.4:14), and bring his training to bear on the spiritual virus of insecurity that is threatening the Church.  His prognosis is to present a detailed, carefully researched, verifiable account of the event of Jesus.  These are things that happened in history.  Christianity is not a ‘spiritual’ thing – if by that we mean something that doesn’t necessarily touch the reality of life in the ‘real’ world.  All of Christianity is found in the arena of the ‘real’ world.  And in the history of that ‘real’ world.

I love how Luke talks about history.  It isn’t a series of events that simply happen...  events that may or may not have purpose or significance.  History is ‘the things that have been fulfilled’.  History is not the pursuit of a secular utopia.  It is not driven by issues of money and class (Marx); it is not reducible to a single, all-encompassing equation (Hawking); it is not about power (Nietzsche); neither can it be explained in terms of nationalism, or expansionism.  It is not the quest for justice (King); or the endless reactions of new generations against what has gone before (Hegel).   Still less is it the result of social evolution, or the outworking of a struggle between genders...

History is what has been fulfilled among us.  It is about Gods’ ordaining and oftentimes revealing what will happen in the outworking of His creation, and then bringing that to pass.  He is the God who ‘works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will’ (Eph.1:11).  This isn’t some kind of fortune cookie wisdom:  an unexpected event will make your life more exciting.  No, it is specific, clear, verifiable statements about what will happen.  And for Luke, that is a powerful tool in building our confidence.  His stated aim is to show us that his account of Jesus is the fulfilling of what God has foretold.  It is the result of God’s engagement and involvement in history.  Everything that Jesus says or does has been prophesied, foretold, sometimes centuries before it came to pass.

Questions:

Does it matter if things didn’t happen the way Luke says they did?  If someone could prove Luke had made an error, would it cause problems for the Christian faith?

Periodically, someone tries to tell us that the virgin birth didn’t happen, and that it doesn’t matter whether it did or not?  Do you agree?  Why / why not?

How confident are you in what you believe and why you believe it?  

How much does it matter that we are confident and informed in our faith?  Is spiritual insecurity and uncertainty a problem?  Have a look at Heb.6:17-18.  How important is your spiritual security to God? 

How would you help someone who lacked confidence and security in their faith?

Can you think of anything in the Gospel accounts of Jesus that isn’t prophesied in the OT? 

How do you feel about the idea that everything that happens is ordained by God (Eph.1:11, see above)?  As you read through Eph.1, can you identify the purpose to which His will is shaping history?

How does that impact the way you live as a Christian?

Theo-Philus: lover of God.   What would characterise someone who loved God with all their:

...heart?

...soul?

...mind?

...strength?

How can we cultivate love for God?