Is the story of Jesus a true story, or a legend made up by Christians? Luke addresses this directly in the first four verses of his gospel.

May 14, 2017

Introduction and offering:

Today, we kick off our Summer Bible Series. This summer, we’re going to work our way through the gospel of Luke, which I’m calling “the gospel for everyone.” Luke wrote his gospel for everyone—he tells more stories about Gentiles, women, the poor, and the marginalized than any other gospel writer. He wanted us to know that Jesus is for everyone!

Each week, we’ll read a short passage from Luke, and ask, “What does this tell us about Jesus? About us?” Our goal is to know Jesus better and follow Him more closely. I hope that you’ll use the SOAP method and read the assigned passage each week before Sunday.

Read the Scripture: for next Sunday, it is written on the bottom of your outline. Read it and ask God for one thing. Then observe: what does it say? What is the point? What does the author mean? Then apply: what will I do? What is God saying to me? How will this change the way I think, talk and live? Then pray your one thing back to God. I hope you’ll do this each week, and you’ll come prepped for Sunday. And if you get something great, be sure to share it with me—I need all the help I can get!

Today we’re going to read the first four verses of Luke—it’s Luke’s preface to his gospel. He’s going to answer the question: can I trust the gospel? Is this true or just a nice story?

ILL: Have you heard the story of the lady who got a cookie at the Neiman-Marcus cafe in Dallas? She loved the cookie and asked her server for the recipe. Her server replied that they don’t give it away. “Could I buy it?” she asked. Her server said yes and when she asked how much, the server said two fifty. Imagine her surprise when her credit card bill arrived that month with a $250 charge for that cookie recipe. She tried to return it and get the charge removed to no avail. So to get her revenge, she posted the recipe online for everyone to have for free! Justice for the little guy!

It’s a fun story…it’s just not true. It’s an urban legend that has been around in multiple forms for more tha