The True Story of Jesus from Luke - Part 1

Let us pray. Heavenly Father we pray that you would Pour Out Among Us a full measure of your promise. Holy Spirit The Blessed not with the speaking in the hearing of your word on men. Today, we begin a series of multiple League series. I'd love to tell you how many weeks but I don't yet know how many weeks. But it will be quite a few because we're going to actually look at both of Luke's books because there really are one continuous story. We're going to start with the gospel of Luke and then we're going to move into the Acts of the Apostles Luke's kind of part 2 as it was cuz he first paints a picture of who Jesus is in what Jesus has done. Event kind of answers the question. So what? What effect does Jesus have on the world? That's the book of Acts? What effects does Jesus life have on us? That's the book of Acts. And so today we begin our sermon series called the true story of Jesus from Luke. Lucan is opening pages of his gospel answers. One of the first questions that comes in people's minds listen to these words again in as much as many have undertaken to complete a narrative of the things that have been accomplished Among Us. Gus's those who from the beginning where eyewitnesses and Ministers of the word have delivered them to us.

It seemed good to me. Also, I've been followed all things closely for some time past to write an orderly account for you. Most excellent Theophilus that you might have certainty in the things which you have been taught. I want you to notice something striking something unusual. Luke actually is known for his beautiful language at Lucas an educated man. He's writing to an educated man most excellent Theophilus. And so he writes in a very educated form and yet his language at the beginning of this book seems almost wrong. Like she didn't really know what he was writing a listen to these words in as much as many have undertaken to complete a narrative of the things that have been accomplished Among Us.

He's telling the story of Jesus. Why doesn't he say in as much as some of undertaken to complete a narrative of the things that we have seen or the things that Jesus did where the things that Jesus said while he was Among Us. He says the things that were accomplished.

And that's why it matters. We talked today about the story of Jesus. Stories a loaded word in our culture today because story we often equate with fiction. But nothing could be further from the truth in Luke's gospel. He's talking about the story of Jesus because you see the stuff Jesus did. Luke is even more important than the stuff Jesus said Jesus words and actions are two separate things and Luke paints for us in this gospel a picture. Who Jesus is and he paints that picture and he answers the question that cynics have been asking all along and it's the first question that comes up when you ask someone are you tell someone I'd like to tell you about Jesus about the story of Jesus. And first question that comes up is when you get your information, how do we know which reliable?

It seems to go downhill from there because if we say what I came from the Bible. Well, then all kinds of arguments come out. You may have heard a statement like this. I can believe in God. If someone would just give me a watertight argument watertight proof without a single hole from which There Is No Escape.

This isn't just someone from Missouri the Show-Me State. This is from everywhere. We hear this all the time just make it a watertight argument for who Jesus is and what he did and why it matters to me and I don't believe that's only takes just a simple watertight. argument

is an Episcopal Pastor by the name of Dick Lucas who heard this question over and over and over and over and it came up with what I thought is a brilliant response. Because I don't think God has provided us with a watertight argument. Oh, I know some of you may disagree with me. Instead what God has provided you and me with is a watertight person. With him, there is no holes. No escaping him. Jesus Christ is the watertight person again in the end. There can be no argument.

I love that statement the fact that's basically what Luke's gospel says to there's no escaping Jesus. In fact in the end. No one can escape. He's got a watertight argument. He's a watertight person. Who Jesus is what Jesus did is inescapable undeniable? many reasons

so today we look at the story of Jesus life. But as I mentioned before we're not looking at the teachings of Jesus from Luke. That would be all the other. Holy books. If you stop and think about it, if you read the Quran or you read the writings of a Buddha or you read the writings of Confucius, they are old teachings. As a Miracles all have a point, right every miracle that was reported to have happened by some of these other prophets and all the Miracles are teaching you something. That's not the case with Jesus.

Is Miracles were not teaching us anything? Necessarily I take for example the birth of Jesus miraculous. We say that he was born of a virgin in a barn to Shepherds. What's that supposed to teach you? encourage you

Kumon Shepherd Where is outdoors? There is no message hidden in that. Accept Jesus humbled himself. Became born of a virgin in a barn and it's not there's not a lesson from the miracle. The miracle is the lesson. The miracle is the thing. It's the thing that Jesus did that is miraculous. Not our takeaway. That's why it's very important that we get to know who Jesus is we get to have a narrative a story of Jesus. We can see who he is. Yes, we'll look at what he said, but will also look at what he did. That's where the true story of Jesus's found.

You don't know the gospel writers. They were biased they were creating a story to get people to follow them. They wanted to make more Christians. Have you ever heard this argument? Well, of course that gospel writers make Jesus out to be so miraculous person. That's what they wanted to do. Why is people they wanted to convert people to their way of thinking of course, they would write that way and I responses. Yep.

You're right. You got us they were trying to convince people of who Jesus was. They were trying to get people to follow us. No doubt about it. They were biased they loved him. They worshipped him. Yes. They were bias. There's a difference.

He also wrote the truth. matters what they wrote as biases it was we know it was a truth. In fact, you're a three ways. You can defend the Gospels. If there's someone that gives you the old bias argument can't be trusted ancient books long ago mythology. Let's take a look at some reasons. First of all Fluke Begins by saying there were eyewitnesses.

You might suppose. So what? You wrote there were eyewitnesses. How do we know he wasn't lying? Let's look at when he wrote the book. When he wrote the book those eyewitnesses would have still been alive.

There was nobody rushing forward to the gospels as they hate time-out time-out. I was there Jesus never said that he never did that. There were no Powder gospels written. Nobody fought against the message of the gospels, I could say. 2017 I saw a man fly without the aid of any instrument or help just slide from one end of Shakopee to the other and he flew back and forth for more than an hour. It was amazing.

And if I started passing that story around there would be many people who would argue. And then say, excuse me. I never saw it. I work outside everyday. I am certain that I would have seen it if somebody was flying over head over Shakopee for more than an hour back and forth cytosine. It someone else would have taught you the only person I ever saw the said that we won't be able to make a legend out of it. If I said in 1856, so a man fly without aid over the Minnesota River Valley Nixle back and forth for an hour.

I'll be around going to challenge me. What else was there? See, that's how Legends are born King Arthur the legend of King Arthur if it has any basis in truth King Arthur would have lived 500 years before the legend of King Arthur was written. Who's going to argue? nobody

Etsy Jesus story has eyewitnesses all kinds of people that saw him heard him that witnessed the Miracles.

We can know that the Bible is true because it has eyewitnesses. That's not the only reason. We know the Bible is true because it was against culture. My chihuahua, why does that prove the Bible to be true?

If you think about it, if you are trying to write a book to convince people to follow you. Would you put things in that are so contrary to the way everyone thought that they were considered? Not only absurd but in some cases almost disgusting. unheard of unreasonable It was a college professor a number of years ago a Christian college professor who grew frustrated of her class as they tried to raise all these bias arguments against the Gospels. Oh, she said how many of you have actually read the Bible. Very few of them raise their hand. No in her literature class. She assigned to them The Sermon on the Mount. She said I want you to read The Sermon on the Mount and write a one-page paper about your reaction to it.

People wrote back and said well, I'm sure glad I don't follow this nutcase. I wouldn't want to do that stuff. He makes it impossible. I mean, what is he saying? He says we not only should we not kill we shouldn't even think bad about people I couldn't do that. That's absurd.

Wasn't Jesus day 2? attacked in The Sermon on the Mount we get these words over and over you have heard it said But I tell you. Over and over Jesus says, yeah. I know you think you know the way it is, but you're wrong. I'm going to tell you this is the way it is.

eyewitnesses of the Resurrection a first eyewitnesses there women women If he wanted to convince people by writing a gospel, the Jesus is risen from the dead the first eyewitnesses, you put in place would not be women women couldn't even testify in court in those days. Their witness was totally unreliable. Why would you put that in except it's true.

is true

Why would you put the Jesus from the cross would utter the words my God, you have forsaken me forsaken by that's the Messiah of her shaking man.

I would you put that in. And it's true. That's what makes the gospel. So believable. They say things that people wouldn't say to win people over. In fact, let's be honest. In the Gospel of Luke, especially if we look at the claims of Jesus there almost them. megalomaniac kind of things you wouldn't hear outside of maybe in an asylum. He claims to be light and life claims to be Resurrection over death.

Rich and pretty outrageous claims that even in his day. We're not well accepted. That's not how you try and Win Friends and Influence People.

One of the ways we know the gospel is true. Is it so countercultural? It wouldn't have been written that way with the bias of the writers had if it wasn't true.

Last argument is one. That's Lost on most people today with good reason. And that is the storytelling style of the Gospels. I'm going to reread the gospels and we read the storytelling style of the gospels. They don't strike us has anything unusual anything out of the ordinary? Yes. The stories are unbelievable some of the things she did but how the stories are shared don't really pop off the page as being out of the norm. but in their day they were see we've grown used to up a narrative of story that is called detailed realism detailed realism is how novels are written today. If you look at the ancient stories of old. Legends of old those details were not included they weren't important today with Joe Friday thing, you know just the facts ma'am. Just the facts don't give us any of these other details. Example to text your Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. Do you know where that appears in the story? Jesus finds a woman caught in adultery? They come to me to see Jesus. This woman was caught in adultery. What should we do? According to the law of Moses? She should be stoned in Jesus in the dirt.

And then Jesus gets up and speaks to them. What is the doodle in the dirt do to the story? nothing Is it Advance the story does it doesn't make sense in the end because that's why you was to know. I never come back to it. The the author doesn't say in the end. He was doodling the names of other prostitutes of that all visited. No, he don't come back and explain why you was doodling in the dirt. Why do you was doing in the door? But it's there put it in. One of my favorite stories is after Jesus had risen from the dead of the disciples are out fishing. He calls them ashore. He's got breakfast for. And they've been out fishing in and they brought in quite a load of fish at his Direction once again. In Matthews account Master rights in the number of fish. They caught where hundred and fifty-three.

The what? 153 that's a magic number. Is that how many people are getting into heaven the runner 53 rooms in the heaven doesn't correlate with anything. It doesn't make the story any better or Lester. But it's just there. And there are facts like that written throughout the gospels that in storytelling of the day would not have been in there. Except if it were true. And the writers were fascinated by these things. Let's face it when you have someone as colorful as it is is Jesus. Amazed by everything

around him is amazing. So they put details like that in.

That's why we know it's a true story of Jesus. The reality is we don't need reasons. We don't need to intellectually a scent that the story of Jesus is true because we have another proof.

Rufus the spirit

in the water and word of holy baptism as we remind ourselves at the beginning of every worship service God came to us and he called us to be his own and then he said to so that you know that you are mine. Here's my spirit. We have that Spirit within us.

Monday read the words of Jesus

our time sets. Almost screams inside of us. Did you hear that? Did you notice that?

The spirit that interprets scripture for us.

also know the word is true because You know one another.

We've seen scripture play out in each of Our Lives. Are the testimony of what God has done Among Us.

when we do that we are eyewitnesses. We are the ones who get to say I too have seen Jesus at work. I know he is real.

So he says to his disciples in the end of the book.

These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.

The saying to them is everything that the Old Testament ever said.

Scriptures that they had in there and everything that I ever said was talking about him. It was all pointing to ship. The open their minds that they might understand them.

And he gives them discharge.

It's to them. That's it is written that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name.

And then he speaking to all of us. You are eyewitnesses of these things. You are witnesses of these things. The disciples. He said everything that we talked about in the Old Testament. Everything's of the Prophet said you saw it with your own eyes. You saw it. And so he says to us. You are witnesses of these things.

We're going to be witnesses to who he's a sis. We're going to be witnesses to the narrative to the story of Jesus. Have to take it all in.

View You're Something Happening you're driving down the road. your tires squealing You know that sound. Something's wrong.

Probably going to be another sound following those squealing tire. So you close your eyes and cover your ears.

You miss it. You were right there.

They come to you and they say well what happened?

Bring me up. No idea you you were right there. It was right in front of you. What did you see? Would you hear nothing?

10th Street Jesus that way I'm not going to look listen. Because if I do then I'm going to have to be a witness to this and I don't want to get involved or already involved. I got involved back here. a whole life

our call to watch Acadian we can become his Witnesses. I pray that over the next few weeks. You will get an image of who Jesus is.

What Jesus did?

What difference it makes in our lives?

That's what the story of Jesus really all about.

Knowing who he is and what he did. 5 manners He-Man And I made a strong loving strange piece of our god with.