Key Truth: God works through the brokenness and unbelief of individuals to tell the Gospel story of Jesus Christ.

Q: What helps you to have certainty in the things you have been taught?

Luke’s Preface:

Luke 1:1-4

“Let us bless God daily that we are not left dependent on man’s traditions, and need not be led astray by ministers’ mistakes. We have a written volume, which is “able to make us wise unto salvation, through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” (2 Tim. iii. 15) Let us begin St. Luke’s Gospel with an earnest desire to know more ourselves of the truth as it is in Jesus, and with a hearty determination to do what in us lies to spread the knowledge of that truth throughout the world.”

J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Luke 1-10

Q: Is your experience of the Gospel of Jesus Christ worth sharing with others?

Zechariah and Elizabeth: Righteous and Barren:

Luke 1:5-10

“In this case, Elizabeth was barren for the glory of God. God was not punishing her, but planning a miracle that would get his people ready for salvation (and also bring Elizabeth great joy)….Part of the Christian perspective on suffering is that even in suffering, there is a way for us to glorify God….The question to ask about suffering is not “What have I done to deserve this?” but “How can I glorify God through this?””

Philip Graham Ryken, Luke, Volume 1: Chapters 1-12

Q: How has God used your brokenness to display His glory?

Gabriel and Zechariah: Prophetic Promise and Unbelief:

Luke 1:11-25

“Yet Zechariah disbelieved! This was serious, because in his doubt he implicitly denied the power that would be so central to the gospel—namely, the power of resurrection. If God could not give Zechariah’s wife Elizabeth the power to conceive, how could he raise Jesus’ body from the tomb? The priest’s unbelief was unknowingly subversive to the entire gospel.”

R. Kent Hughes, Luke, Volume 1: That You May Know the Truth

Q: What promises of God or aspects of the Gospel do you struggle to believe?

Luke 1:1-25 teaches us that:

-the Gospel of Jesus Christ is a story worth sharing

-God uses our brokenness to display His glory

-all things are possible with God