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LUKE
I. BACKGROUND
1. Author
- Luke, a physician and frequent laborer with Paul, who was present, ministering to Paul during his
imprisonments; see 2 Timothy 4:11 and Colossians 4:14. 2. Date
- about A.D. 65-85; possibly while Paul was imprisoned in Caearea and Rome, Luke gathered the information needed
to write this account of Jesus' life. 3. Setting
- The book deals with the time from before Jesus' birth until His ascension
into heaven. It was written to Theophilus, possibly a member of Caesar's
household, who had heard of Jesus through oral
teaching. II. PURPOSE OF
THE BOOK
1. Key
Verses: 1:1-4; 19:10;
Acts 1:1-5 2. Purpose: To give and accurate, chronological, and
comprehensive account of the life of Christ in order to
establish and strengthen Theophilus' faith (and the faith of the Gentiles); to
show the humanity of the Christ.
These were the things that Jesus began both
to do and to teach, until the day He ascended into heaven; Acts 1:1 3. Outline
of the Book: 1) Introduction
to the Son of Man a. Kinship
to John, the Baptizer: 1:5-25 b. The
miraculous conception of Jesus:
1:26-45 c. Birth
of Jesus: 2:1-14 d. Circumcision
of Jesus: 2:21-24 e. The
child grows: 2:40 f. The
genealogy of Jesus (through Mary):
3:23-38 2) Jesus
begins His work a. Teaching
in the Temple: 2:41-50 b. Jesus
grows in wisdom: 2:51-52 c. Jesus
is baptized by John: 3:21-22 d. Tempted
by the devil: 4:1-13 e. Rejected
by His countrymen: 4:16-30 3) Jesus
demonstrates His power a. Power
over demons: 4:31-37 b. Power
over diseases: 4:38-39 c. Power
over the Sabbath: 6:1-11 d. Power
over death: 7:11-16; 8:49-56 4) Jesus
shows compassion for the poor and the outcasts. a. The
beautitudes: 6:20-26 b. The
sinful woman: 7:36-50 c. The
tax collectors and sinners: 15:1-32 d. The
lepers: 17:11-19 e. The
tax collector, Zacchaeus: 19:1-10 f. The
dying thief: 23:39-43 g. The
children: 18:15-17 5) Jesus shows His humanity a. Calls
Himself the Son of Man twenty-five (25) times in the book. b. His
human emotions throughout the book such as: His crying, His joy, His need
for God, His pain.... c. His
dying on the cross reveals His humanity. d. After
His resurrection: 24:38-43 III. APPLICATIONS - LESSONS
1. The
Prologue gives some strength to our faith because: 1:1=4 1) We
can "know the certainty" of the things that were heard: enough evidence had been gathered to
eliminate doubt. the gospel is fully documented in history; not a
myth or legend. 2) Luke's
record is thorough and accurate from beginning to end: it is reliable, adequate. 3) The material was gathered from eyewitnesses and ministers of the word; it is believable, credible,
tested, lived 4) This
gospel concerned matters "fulfilled among us"; it is relevant and
relied upon the plan of O.T. prophecy. 5) All
these things had to do with Jesus, His teachings and His actions: Acts 1:1-2 2. Great
themes of Luke's record: 1) The
mercy of God: 1:50, 54 2) God's
salvation of man: 1:69-72, 77, 2:11,
25 30,38; 19:10 3) Forgiveness
of sins: 1:77; 5:
20-24; 7:47; 24:44-47 4) Law
vs Grace: 6:1-11; 14:1-6;
18:9-14 LUKE QUESTIONS
1. When we have examined enough evidence
concerning facts we can "know the ___________________________ " of
those things (Luke 1:4). 2. The book of Luke is all about life of
__________________. 3. Jesus not only believed that the Old
Testament scriptures predicted that He had to suffer and rise from the dead on the
third day, but also that ___________ and ________________ of sins should be
preached in His name to all _________________, beginning from
Jerusalem. (Luke 24:46-47) 4. Some great themes of the gospel of Luke are: 1) 2) 3) 4) 5. Luke was trained in what profession? 6. Why would God include four gospel accounts in
our Bibles? 7. Should people believe everything they are
told? What should cause us to have faith in things we cannot see? 8. Is it alright to ask to have things proven
before believing? Is it alright to
prove or to question things that are recorded in the
Bible? |