All right. Beautiful singing welcome to church and please, Matthew, glad you’re with us today. So very good things from last week. So you were with us last week. We had an outdoor service.
There’s really good things for us. Thanks Wes, for doing that. My family, we’re up at our campground in central Wisconsin so we do outing services, holiday weekends and so we were last weekend and be with them but. And so you can open up to the Gospel of Luke.
How full of Luke.
If you’re looking at a few Bibles, two Bible scatters on page 198.
So this morning I’m just going to read verses one through four and then I’m going to pray and then read the words called Luke. Well, Matthew, Mark, Luke, Follow on me as I read. So Luke 1, verse 1 says this. As much as many. As much as many have undertaken to highlight narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the Word have delivered them to us.
It seemed good to me also having followed all things closely for some time past, pray worthily come to you most excellent the authors that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.
Thank you for bringing us together this morning to hear from you in your word. I pray that you bless this time from error the congregation of ego listeners that your spirit would be at work active in our hearts and use this time to be much glory to Jesus. In his name we pray. Amen. The season that we’re entering the church is really my favorite season in church life simply because this time of year we kind of all get back together, being a little bit more scattered throughout the summer because vacation because all of our college kids head back home.
So I love this time of year now for our college kids. This week you started out the semester and the number of your classes. I’ve just simply started with you working through the syllabus. Professor just walk you through some of the background information, use of handles on the class with intentions that will set you up for the rest of the semester. So you know where you’re going to come today is going to be a little bit of a syllabus Sunday for us as a church because as we gather together this morning to do so, we start a long sermon series through the New Testament book Luke, which is one of the four accounts of the life, death, resurrection of Jesus Christ, which are commonly referred to as the Gospel accounts.
So Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, Matthew, Mark and Luke, often referred to as like the synoptic Gospels. And I would call that because Matthew, Mark and Luke have like some overlap with stories that they share where it seems that both Matthew and Luke even used Mark as a resource as they wrote their Gospel accounts. Now, because today, this being a little bit more of a sloping Sunday for us, this sermon is going to be a little different than what we normally do in our normal sermons. For today, I’m actually going to give you a lot of information, a lot of background information, much more than what we normally do. And the hope that I have to find that is to take a little more time to go through all the information is that this is very difficult.
We will give us some candles just to set us up for this long sermon series that we’re about to impart on, which I want to mention here. So Luke is actually the longest book in the New Testament in terms of number of words that it contains. So Matthew and Acts are longer in terms of chapter breakdowns. Those chapter breakdowns come much later just to kind of help the reader, but in terms of words. So Luke is actually the longest New Testament book.
And in this long Testament book, some of the most loved and cherished stories, stories in scripture are found. So stories like the first Christmas, which we get to soon, and we get to Luke 2, there’s the story like the Prodigal Son that multifacetes, really love, which is in Luke 15. So there’s a lot of great information, a lot of great stories all throughout the book. So let me just give you a bunch of background information before we get back to the text. So first, the Gospel of Luke is actually part of a two volume book written to a man named Theophilus.
We’re going to talk about more in just a bit. So Gospel of Luke, this is volume one and then the book of Acts is volume two. And I do think it was the intention for Luke I should read these two books together as like one large book. Now with this first volume that we call Luke 1, four gospel accounts. So volume one does center on the life, the ministry, the teachings, the death, the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
And it finishes off of the ascension of Jesus Christ back into the heavenly places. Then book two or volume two, Book of Acts, picks up with the ascension of risen Christ, followed by the coming of the promised Holy Spirit who came to empower those who have faith in Jesus in ways that they’re spreading the message of Christ all throughout the region. As the church of the Lord Jesus Christ was being established in this two volume set that Luke wrote, this is written somewhere around like 60 to 65 AD and the writing why it seems likely it was written somewhere in that window of time. This is on the early end of the window. So all the information that this two volume work includes, particularly the spread of the Christian faith that makes up the majority of the book of Acts.
In the historical timeline these things were taking place maybe three decades after the ascension of Christ back in heaven, which was around like 335 A.D. this is one of the reasons why most scholars mean like 60 A.D. like the early end of the window over this rift. But then on the other end of the window on the later end, it does not seem like the two volume book would have been written much later than 65 or so AD and the reason why I simply because neither one of these volumes mentions like the most significant and monumental event that took place in the region during that era, which is an event that really took place over like a couple years, roughly around 66 or so AD and peaking at 70 AD which is when the Romans came and basically conquered Jerusalem, destroying the Old Testament temple, which the temple was destroyed in 70 AD. So nowhere in the two lines of Luke or Acts does that meant mentioned. And so it seemed incredibly likely this is written then prior to 70 A.D. particularly how verse one starts volume one, Luke saying he’s going to give like or not verse one, but chapter one starts with Luke saying he’s given quarterly to count events that took place. So maybe for us think about being tell the story of the world around the years 2015 to 2025, but then failed to mention even once what took place in 2020 as it relates to Covid.
So it doesn’t seem very likely that this was written after 70 AD because of what took place. Furthermore, what it means even more likely that Luke wrote this after 70 AD was a prophetic teaching that Luke records that Jesus made in Luke 19. In this story Jesus wept over Jerusalem as he told Jerusalem that it was actually about to fall. Because there’s no mention of the fall of Jerusalem, particularly the fall of the Old Testament temple that Jesus predicted would happen. It seems very late.
Luke Acts had written before 70 AD so somewhere in the window of 60 to 65 AD. Now for us, why is this important information for us to know? This is a general time frame of the window when it’s ready. Well, what’s important this is what verse two tells us. And what more you see, Luke wrote this information he shares in the Gospel of Luke in the book of Acts.
This information is shared with him from eyewitness accounts. Specifically in the Gospel account, Luke is able to go and talk to those who were with Jesus like who live next to Christ. As Jesus lived in the flesh. Were eyewitnesses were present to see his ministry take place? Who were there to physically hear him teach and preach?
Who were like witnesses to the miracles that the Lord performed? Were there eyewitnesses when Christ was crucified and buried were also there as eyewitnesses to his resurrection from the dead and ascension back to heaven. So this timeline, this window is actually important to these two. Love said as it been written some like years and years and years after the time of Christ, like long after time of Christ, where that generation had died off. That just don’t make sense.
Was written through Luke sharing eyewitness accounts from those who were alive in time of Jesus.
People doubted him that he doubted what he wrote concerning Jesus Christ. Luke could then point them to the eyewitness accounts to back them up on the stories that he shares. Bel, come on this note that these eyewitness accounts is actually something that’s really important in the New Testament. Let me just share two passages that you understand. So this is from 1 Corinthians 15, written by a man like the apostle Paul.
It says this. It says, but I delivered to you as a first importance what I also received. That Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, that he was buried, that he rised from the dead, but raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. And he appeared to Josephus and to the 12. And then he appeared to more than 500 brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive while some have fallen asleep.
Then he appeared to James, then all the apostles. And last of all, as the one untimely life, he appeared also. Right? So these eyewitness accounts, people who are still alive. For people who are skeptical of the message of Christ to go talk to me.
John 1:1 says this. That which is from the beginning which we have heard, which we have seen, how with our own eyes which have looked upon, we have touched with our own hands concerning the word of life. The life was made manifest and we’ve seen it and we testified to it, reclaims you. The eternal light which was with the Father was made manifest to us. That which we have seen and heard.
We proclaim also to you that you may have fellowship with us. And indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete. This is the first intersect. So Luke is part of a two volume book written around 60 to 65 AD.
Written based on. I would disappoint you. The second thing, I’m so disappointed. So let me just talk a little bit about Luke, who’s the author of this book as well as Acts. So now what we know about Luke is actually a few things.
So we know that he was the companion of the Apostle Paul for some Paul’s missionary journeys. And where we see Luke link up with Paul and his journey is actually in volume two, the book of Acts, specifically Acts 16. And how we see Luke linked up with Paul is actually through a shift in language before Acts 6 through 10. Luke of Acts is communicating like a third person account, which we know Luke was able to get to like eyewitness accounts probably from Paul himself. So we read through the first 16 plus chapters of Acts.
It’s like an account of and they did this and they did that and they saw this point. In reality, Luke was present at those events. However, as we read Acts 16:11, there’s a shift in language throughout the first person world. So then from the rest on in the book of Acts, the economy is like, we did this or we saw that or we did that. Which tells us that Luke is now present for these events that he recorded as these events that he records from 1611 on are ones that he like personally experienced as he was up personal eyewitness.
One of the things that’s of interest is to me, I think others. So when it comes to this shift in person from third person to first person. So this shift happens in Acts 15, Ascension. And what happens is a story involving the Apostle Paul where Paul is attempting to go to a place called Bithynia to be the next stop in his missionary journey, whereas he attempts to go to Bithynia, the spirit of God that prevents him from heading that way. And as he’s being prevented to go to Bithynia, a vision came to Paul of a man from Macedonia who was urging Paul to like come there to help them to preach the message of Christ there right after that story, right after this vision of the man of Macedonia.
So this is where Acts now shifts to the first person of Torah from there to me. I also know at this point who this man of Macedonia was. But what is interesting, at least to me, that many throughout church history have wondered if the man of Macedonia actually was Luke and if he was a man of Macedonia, that’s one who God gave the vision to Paul concerning. So that’s how Paul was able to like hook up them with Luke. We don’t know that information.
But we do know concerning Luke that he was a missionary, the one who was with Paul, who spread the message of Christ all around the region. But that’s not the only thing we know about Luke. We also know that Luke was a doctor. And the reason that we know he was a doctor is from the book of Colossians written by Paul, where Paul ends that letter with a final reading that included this. It says, Luke, the beloved physician.
So Luke as a missionary is a doctor. That’s not the only things that we know about. It also seems very likely that Luke was a Gentile or a non Jewish man, although not all scholars were at this point. But the vast majority of scholars throughout history believe that Luke was a Gentile. And they believe that based on how he described the New Testament.
Also just some of the words that he would use in these two books that have a very Gentile feel to them. Now this information of Luke will likely be in a Gentile, non Jewish. So this might not seem interesting to us. But first of all, this Sunday we do have to remember some of the historical context of when this was written and when this is written. There’s a lot of animosity between Jews and Gentiles.
And for a time Jewish Christians basically did not think it was possible for Gentiles to come to faith. You can actually read more about this in Acts 15 where Luke records like the first real big church council that was forming where the primary topic of conversation was surrounding the possibility of like gentile conversion. So Luke most likely a Gentile convert. So this, this would have been a big deal in his lifetime. And even bigger deal is that he was a missionary with Paul.
For us, all this information will be of interest to us and works the Gospel of Luke. So we’re going to come across a lot of different stories in Luke involved the ministry of Jesus where he cares for Jews and Gentiles. And some of the Gentiles that the Lord cares for we see in Luke were like some real suicidal outcasts, people who are hated and rejected by society, yet loved and cared for by Jesus Christ. Luke, this ministry of Jesus, this ministry to the Gentiles, this is really important in his right. Even from the birth of Jesus.
Luke records a prophecy concerning Christ to come as by an elderly man named Simeon where Simeon says that Christ came why A light for revelation to the Gentiles. That’s the second point here in our syllabus. It’s a little background information on Luke which is the next point of information I want to share. With you just considering the name Theophilus, which is who Luke wrote this two volume book to Theophilus. There’s a lot of interest concerning the name Theophilus.
It’s a name that basically means like friend of God or like lover of God. No for some the name Theophilus, friend of God this is not like a proper name but more like a generic title that was like given to like anyone who just so happened to read this book almost like to whom it may concern meaning Luke can’t write a few volumes set to anyone in particular mind so he just addresses to anyone who reads this book as a friend of God. Our students may just think of your textbooks not written directly to you, but all students who just happen to read it. And for some that’s how they interpret the name theatres that a generic title certainly is possible. Some very respected church fathers and scholars do believe this is the case.
However, being said, what most of church history, myself included think is the olive is not like a generic hello green but rather theoplas. This actually was a person, an individual that Luke first wrote this book for. Assuming Luke understood others would read as well. Not just a few things on this. So first this name is Theopolis.
So this is actually Greek name in origin which has led many to assume that Theophos was either Greek or Roman. Thus also the shenga. Second, as Luke greets Theophilus, he does so by giving him an honorary title as referred to Theophilus as a most excellent Theophilus. By the way, this title most excellent. This is a primary reason why I do not think Theophilus is a generic title.
But he’s an individual, one who clearly had some type of importance, some type of gravity, maybe some type of military or political dignity. Now Paul, Luke knew most excellent sculpt for us to know this point. Perhaps this is someone who like Luke grew up with. Perhaps this is someone that Luke served as a physician. Perhaps this is someone that Luke happened to meet during his missionary journeys.
Impossible for us to know today, but we do know that he was someone of importance reminds us that the message of Jesus this is not just for the suicidal asphalt cast but also even for the societal elite. All kinds of people. It’s actually something we see all throughout this gospel. All kinds of people. Third, let me mention it does seem possible that Luke wrote this two book volume or two volume book doing so actually being funded by Theophilus to do this project.
What I read this week in my study, it was actually common in this time period for wealthy or noteworthy People to go hire someone to write a historical account for them to read. And it does seem possible that’s what actually Theophilus does here with Luke. He basically pays Luke to go around to meet as many eyewitnesses as he could and record what he learned to give Theophilus a historical account of Jesus Christ and the start of the church. That’s the case. We don’t know exactly why the officer do that.
But during the time of the writing of this two volume book, 1665. So Christianity at this point is really spreading really wrapped in all delusion. And this has made the region really in a plus. And perhaps as Christianity was spreading jobless agenda was that he converted to Christianity and he wanted to learn more and grow in his new faith. So he hires them to give more information for himself concerning Jesus Christ or perhaps many.
Theophilus was not yet converting Christianity, but there’s something about the faith that piqued his interest. And he’s a spiritual seeker. And so he asked Luke to write this book for him to give him a historical account as he’s searching out the faith. Again this point impossible to know. Indeed the author has hired Luke to write this to buying books.
Or maybe just Luke knew Theophilus and it’s actually Luke’s burden to write to him with hopes of either conversion or censorship. But we do know is that Luke as he wrote the Gospel of Luke in the book of Acts, Theophilus, we do know that he wrote with a lot of care and a lot of attention where Luke is like very thorough, very thought through in his communication, where he clearly has a heart for Theophilus as well as others who read the account that Theophilus as others including us as we read it, that we be blessed by this book. One of the commentaries about this week, a century later there’s a harsh critic, a skeptic of the Lord Jesus Christ. And this harsh skeptic called Luke’s Gospel like the most beautiful book in the world. It’s about thought through and plural.
Luke is his communication and all the care that he gives. There’s certainly a lot more I can share with you. Background information. The Gospel of Luke makes Double Sunday even longer. But I think that might be enough for us for this point in the text.
So that is a little bit of our introduction. Now look back at verse one. As you look back there, just notice that verse one and two we see a little bit of how Luke wrote the book. And then we get the verse 3 to 4 of our text today going to See a little bit of why he wrote this book. So first one, you want to keep your eyes there.
If you’re new to us, we just do a valid preaching called expository preaching, kind of like verse by verse. And so I’m just going to walk us back through Luke 1:1 through 4 just to try to help understand. So verse one starts to howl. We read these words in as much as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, which for us that the stars already tell us a few things. So first, just a reminder of the buzz going around the region concerning Jesus Christ and the new Christian faith that spread so naturally as the buzz was spreading, people all over the region are starting to write down and record that which was taking place so that in the text, many, many have undertaken the endeavor to compile a narrative of the events.
Now let’s record three other Gospel accounts written around the same time as Luke. So Matthew and Mark. So I’m sure Luke is referring to them as part of the meaning, but I’m also sure that there are many others outside of just Matthew and Mark who also were writing things down as the Gospel and Christianity spread in our region. Second verse one is reminded the events being recorded were events that took place in time and in space. So this is the narrative.
Things of what had happened, of things that were being accomplished as Luke wrote it or recorded these events. These were historical events, things that did happen. We circle back to this more piano. It’s actually really important to our faith. So our faith is darted in history, in events.
So Christianity is not some deco lane, just simple philosophical way of living, which many world religions are. But Christianity is a way of life that’s tethered to history, to time, to space, to the flesh, to history, where history. In verse one, Christ came to accomplish all that he set out to accomplish all that Scripture foretold he would do he want. Verse 2, as Luke sought to compile his narrative and see how he went about doing so. We read that Luke, when he’s writing, when he’s compiled this narrative, he said he would do so just from the beginning as eyewitnesses and ministers of the Word, most likely apostles, have delivered them to us.
Meaningful Luke as he wrote the Gospel account, so the primary sources were of like utmost importance to them. But Luke, you don’t want to play like this telephone game where they heard a story from someone else who heard a story from someone else who heard a story from someone else who heard the story. So his story is passed through the telephone game through many different people before him and then he writes down where he recorded. That’s. That’s not how Luke is going to go about as compiled this narrative.
As mentioned, Luke is there from the primary sources only study sources from those who were there who with their own eyes and ears saw and heard it all from the ones who would take the starting point how to tell the as they shared, as they passed on what they witnessed take place. Yeah, this actually is really important to the early church eyewitness accounts. Eyewitnesses who be delivered unto others that was they witnessed. Keep going. Verse three says why this book?
As Luke was hearing about the many various compilings of narratives of events took place as resulted hearing of the various eyewitness accounts within the things shared in Paul we read in the text that it seemed good to Luke. We read with one who was following all the things closely for some time past. It seemed good to him to rape an ordinary a detail an organized account of these events. I’m sure it seemed good to Luke for multiple reasons to do this. So no doubt as Luke was following things closely for some time now as our text tells us, he was well aware of the different stories being passed around the telephone game so that just were not accurate that were not actually true to what happened.
So Luke, he felt it was good to correct any wrong information that was given by giving his own orderly Bethel from eyewitnesses on the truth of the things that took place. We also see in the text Luke felt it was good for him to compile this narrative because of the relationship he had with Theophilus. The text we back there. It seemed good to write this early account for you. Most excellent.
Theophilus mentioned very possible that Theophilus may be paid or hired Luke to write this two line set which if that’s the case anniversary I would say Luke agreeing with Theophilus. This is a good idea. It was a good idea to fund this endeavor here so we can get like an orderly account. However, Luke wrote this on the cord. Verse three would be more of Luke’s sharing a burden that he had for Theophilus.
And so he felt it was good for him to reach out to Theophilus in this way. It was good to write to him this orderly account. Perhaps Luke’s burden for Theophilus was maybe it was like Luke or the office was like new to the faith. So Luke felt it was good and necessary to write an orderly account that the office could grow in his faith. Or maybe perhaps mentioned the Office was not yet in the faith.
So Luke’s burden was for him to come to faith. So it seemed good to Luke to write the Theophilus concerning Jesus Christ with the hope that Theophilus would trust and believe in him. Whatever the reason initiated the gospel being written. Luke clearly thought it was a good important thing to do. Luke Luke thought it was worth all the time and energy that he would put forth to give this orderly count, to take the time and energy to go around, to find eyewitnesses, to talk to eyewitnesses.
It was like good and important to cyber drew all the stories to see which was actually true, which one were not. It was good, it was right. There was proper for Luke to write this longest book in the New Testament along with the book of Acts volume two, which just happens to be the second longest book the New Testament based on verse Luke. This wasn’t a waste of time. It was good, it was right.
It was important for him to do. You need to sense the burden that Luke has in this book. A burden not just to give an orderly come to get that in order to help ensure the truth goes forward. Paul was burdened with Theophilus in a burden to bless and encourage. All those who read this account receive this burden of Theophilus.
You see this in verse four. You guys there. It means good to write this early account. Why? So that Theophilus may have certainty concerning the things that he had been on.
He does by a Theophilus at least around Christian faith where someone at least pointed him to the things of Christ. So he was like taught about the faith. The events that transpired were told to him. Basically see in verse 4. Seems like the office is struggling at least with some doubt on the truth that was being taught.
Perhaps the office himself was like unsure what to do with the telephone game. All different stories passed around him where he’s like struggling to know like what his faith is, what was true. So his hope, his why behind this endeavor to write this gospel account, to give this orderly account from eyewitnesses, this hope is to be a blessing to Theophilus in a way that Theophilus would grow in certainty, an assurance of the things that took place concerning the Lord Jesus Christ, including things concerning his birth and Jesus teachings and his miracles and his death and his resurrection from the dead church. We started this series, may this be true of us as well as we started this long sermon series through this book. So by the grace of God we would grow and continue to grow in certainty and insurance concerning all that we’ve been taught in Scriptures, including all that we’ve been taught concerning Jesus Christ.
Amen. All things will be working through in the weeks to come for us. This prayer we end this morning. This introduction, just verses one through four.
Before I finish, I do want to just give us just three quick summary thoughts. And these thoughts are not just for today, but just really some thoughts that hopefully will be applying to our hearts as we go through this. So first, first be humbled by the events that Luke records. Be humble because they’re true events, events that did happen, events that came from eyewitness accounts, events that took place in time, space, in history, in the flesh, where God’s eternal Son, the Lord Jesus Christ that came to us to live among us. Where Jesus enters into time by taking on human flesh as he born or earthening yang, he became like us in every way, yet without sin.
We’re in time and space. We go through Luke’s gospel. We see the things that Jesus taught concerning the Lord, concerning God, concerning the kingdom, as he taught the words of life, where in time and space he’s performed all his incredible miracles, signs and wonders to prove that he has authority for all things.
Where in time and space you see how Jesus loves those that he came for. He loves all kinds of people. We’re in his great love that Jesus had for his people in time, space and history. The Lord Jesus Christ in the flesh died on the cross to bear the wrath of God, the burden of sin. So whenever we believe in him would not only find repentance of sin, but you have a common eternal life.
Did Jesus able to heal us eternal life? His promise. Why? Because in time and space, on the third day, according to the scriptures that he came to fill time and space in the flesh, in history, we rose again from the dead. There’s all these things I just mentioned that happened in time and space and history.
These are things we’re working through in the next several weeks. His works of the gospel include maybe these things humble you that God would do this for us through His Son, through Jesus Christ. It may humble us all in ways and increase our trust and our confidence and our assurance in our Lord. You see, it’s not some type of life empty philosophy. Luke, the Gospel of Luke.
It’s an orderly account of things that took place to record what Jesus accomplished for us in history, for his people. So meant to touch all of our lives in the time and space and point of issue that we all live. Second, as we go through this sermon series, be encouraged that these Events of course they’re there for all kinds of people including like all kinds of people that fill this room today. So yeah, this is actually one of the stronger themes that run through the Luke Gospel. It’s really unsettling.
We’re over and over and over all about the Gospel of Luke. We see these records of Jesus ministering and caring like all kinds of people. Young, old, men, women who came from social elite like Theopolis, but also to social outcasts. We see him minister to those who are committed to the faith. But also we read the great story of the prodigal.
We see it almost like abandonment faith. We see Jesus minister to Jewish to Gentile. The Gospel of Luke is filled with all kinds of people. I hope that’s an encouragement to all of us, even you like no matter where you are in life or who you are by faith, the message of Jesus Christ, it is for you. And may that like warm your heart with his love that you might worship him with great joy and follow him all of your days.
This deep burden to share these events with others.
We can not only see in our verses day with Luke feeling this burden for Theophilus, but through the entire Gospel of Luke including volume two of Acts. We just see people have put their faith in Jesus Christ. Ones who are joyfully worshipping him. We see them have this burden to go and share the message of Christ with others. See that it wasn’t like a waste of time but it was like good and right and important.
They take whatever time and energy and effort is needed to pass down the faith to others. The church made that be true of us as we work through the gospel. That there should be burdens in our hearts that would grow grow in ways that we like try to find our own Theophilus that we might come alongside that we might help others to grow to and certainty concerning that which has been taught about the Lord Jesus. By the way, I just want you to stretch back up. Would it be great if there’s more and more of us had a burden to come alongside many kids that help our church to be involved in the village kids is it for the first time in a while we haven’t had enough volunteers to have that burden be great.
Maybe that’s a burden God put on your heart. May a burden come along increasing number of youth that are starting to build up a church. Come alongside them, help them grow in their faith or register the college students are now back in town. I’m sure a lot of them would love to have others pour into them in ways that they’re caring for them, helping them, investing in them while they’re away from home. Here at school yesterday, this little bit of a sylvia Sunday for us, as today is a little heavier on information than we normally have.
May all of this information not only help us to better understand the Gospel of Luke, but all we need to better understand the Lord Jesus Christ and all that he has accomplished for us, the same thing which he accomplished in time, space, in history. And may that increase our faith, increase the assurance of our faith, increase the worship that we have.
Before the Gospel of Luke.
Lord, as we begin this long sermon series through this gospel, pray that we just speak some love, wisdom and grace to rightly divide the word of truth.
Lord, I pray that all different information that we’re going to be studying, looking at, not just the information for information’s sake, use all different things that we’re going to learn to really change us, to grow us, and to shape us to be more like Jesus. Lord, I do pray for those who are maybe struggling with assurance and to the power of your spirit, spirit and use your word to help them have confidence in the things of you.
Lord, you pray, O church, you just give us the deep burdens here for others that we might pass down what’s been passed on to us.