I am preaching through Luke at Trinity Reformed Church, and I will be posting sermon notes at this site. Here are the notes from last week’s sermon:

Things Fulfilled Among Us, Luke 1:1-56

INTRODUCTION

Luke’s gospel is the first part of a two-volume work. Luke wrote his gospel to tell of the things that Jesus “began to do and teach” (Acts 1:1), and wrote Acts to tell of things that Jesus continued to do through His church. The things we do are what Jesus continues to do, and part of the “fulfillment” of things God promised to Abraham and Israel.

THE TEXT

“Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us . . . .” (Luke 1:1-56).

THINGS FULFILLED

Luke begins his gospel by explaining his intentions in writing. He wants his reader (or patron) Theophilus to have certainty about the things that happened in the life and ministry of Jesus. He describes these as “things accomplished (or fulfilled) among us.” What does this mean?

First, he is saying that Jesus fulfilled all that the Old Testament promised and prophesied. This comes out explicitly and implicitly in the first chapter of Luke and throughout his gospel:

• Explicitly, Mary and Zacharias both sing about the Lord remembering His covenant promises and accomplishing them (Luke 1:54-55, 68-79). Luke’s gospel closes on this same note, with Jesus teaching His disciples that the entire Old Testament is about Him (24:26-27, 46-47).

• Implicitly, the conception and birth of John and Jesus are described in terms of Old Testament types, especially Samuel. John, like Samuel, is born of an aging priest and his barren wife, is a lifetime Nazirite, and prepares the way for the coming of a king. Mary’s song celebrating Jesus’ birth is very similar to the song of Hannah (1 Samuel 2:1-10), and Jesus’ growth in knowledge and favor is reminiscent of Samuel (Luke 2:40, 52; cf. 1 Samuel 2:21, 26).

Luke is writing a story about how Yahweh’s promises to Israel were fulfilled in Jesus.

AMONG US

But Luke says that the fulfillment of Yahweh’s promises extends beyond Jesus and into the church. Both Luke and Acts are about “things fulfilled,” Old Testament promises fulfilled by Jesus. Luke sees salvation unfolded in three stages: Promise (OT)— Fulfillment in Jesus (gospel) — Fulfillment in the Church (Acts). This is why the history of the church in the book of Acts follows the story-line of the gospel. The church is conformed to Jesus, continues His ministry, and lives out His life through His Spirit.

This also means that the ministry of Jesus serves as a model for the ministry of the church. Jesus’ work was unique, unrepeatable. Yet, the church imitates Jesus’ once-for-all work, and does the same things in a different way. In Luke, for example, Jesus’ ministry centers on having table fellowship with outcasts and sinners, and the church’s life should be similar.

AN ORDERLY ACCOUNT

Luke also states that he has written things carefully and “in sequence” (1:3). There are many different explanations of this phrase, but the best explanation comes when we connect verses 3-4: Luke believes that telling the story “in sequence” will help Theophilus to be more secure in his faith. How?

The large sequence that Luke talks about is a movement from Jew to Gentile. Jesus ministers among the Jews, but the apostles spread out to the Gentiles. Luke begins and ends in Jerusalem; Acts begins in Jerusalem but ends in Rome. This is the “order” that Luke emphasizes.

How does this confirm the faith of Theophilus? Luke is addressing the same issue that Paul addresses in Romans 9-11: Can God be a faithful and trustworthy God if the Jews fall away? Can Gentiles trust God to save them if He doesn’t keep faith with Israel? Luke’s answer is to show that God was more than fair with Israel. He gave them not one but two chances to receive His Messiah, and when the Jews rejected the Spirit they condemned themselves. Gentiles can trust God. He did not break faith with the Jews; they broke faith with Him.