Luke 1 Lesson

INTRODUCTION TO LUKE’S GOSPEL

The Gospel of Luke is the longest and most comprehensive of the four gospels.  

Luke is the only one of the four Gospel writers that makes it a point to mention that he wrote his Gospel in chronological order.

That is a valuable piece of information.

In his Gospel, Luke writes about:

1. The birth and early years of Jesus,
2. The ministry of Jesus,
3. The rejection of Jesus,
4. The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.

In addition to his gospel, Luke also authored the book of Acts.  

Chronologically, Acts picks up where the Gospel of Luke ends.  

Luke was a well-respected man whom the apostle Paul called:

• “The beloved physician.” – Colossians 4:14.

His attention to detail provides a thorough account of the ancestry of Jesus dating all the way back to Adam.  

Luke’s writing reveals the human side of Jesus.  

He provides amazing insight into the feelings and emotions of Jesus, our Lord and Savior, who was both God and man. (John 1:14)

DOUBT

Luke Chapter 1 contains the story of Elizabeth and Zacharias, who were the parents of John the Baptist. 

Luke tells us about Elizabeth and Zacharias, how they were righteous and unable to conceive a child:

• “They were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord. But they had no child because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in years.” –   Luke 1:6-7.

They had been praying for a child, and then one day, an angel of the Lord appeared to Zacharias.  

Zacharias was gripped with fear, and the angel (Gabriel) said to him:

• “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John.  You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother’s womb.  And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God. It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” – Luke 1:13-17.

Zacharias was a man who was, “Righteous in the sight of God,” however, when God sent word that their prayer had finally been answered, Zacharias responded with doubt. 

Luke writes:

• “Zacharias said to the angel, “How will I know this for certain? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” The angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.  And behold, you shall be silent and unable to speak until the day when these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time.” – Luke 1:18-20.

The Bible is full of stories about people who had great faith.  

The story of Zacharias is not one of them!  

The story of Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, is a story about doubt, and doubt is the opposite of faith.  

God was not happy with Zacharias’ response to the angel, because Zacharias doubted what the angel was telling him.

God responded by punishing Zacharias and rendering him unable to speak until his baby, John the Baptist, was born.

GOD PUNISHES DOUBT AND REWARDS FAITH

The story of Zacharias teaches us two things:

1. When wetrustin God, our faith is rewarded,  
2. When we doubt God, we will be punished and disciplined.

There are times in our lives when God is ready to answer our prayers, and then the voice of doubt creeps in.  

Do not listen to it! 

That is the voice of Satan trying to trip us up.

God wants us to listen to the voice of faith and ignore the voice of doubt!  

That can be easier said than done.  

The voice of doubt can be loud.  

It can come from within our own heads, or it can come from the people around us. 

And as we have just seen, God punishes doubt and rewards faith.  

Fortunately for us, there is something that we can do if we want to doubt less and believe more.

The Apostle Paul wrote about it in his letter to the Romans:

• “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.” – Romans 10:17.

If we consistently immerse ourselves in God’s word and apply what we learn, our faith will grow, and our doubt will go away.

CONCLUSION

The more we learn about God and act on our faith, the more pleasing we are to God, and the more meaningful our lives become.

The story of Zacharias is the story of a man who was punished for doubting God’s messenger, Gabriel.

Zacharias was the father of John the Baptist, and later became obedient to God and was rewarded, spiritually.

That is the takeaway from today’s lesson.

If we trust in God’s plan and follow His commandments, we will be rewarded spiritually.

If we rebel and follow the evil ways of the world, we put our souls at risk, and we will be disciplined.

We will end today’s lesson with a scripture from the Book of James that reminds us of the importance of trusting God’s plan, and not doubting Him:

• “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.  But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.  For that person ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” – James 1:5-8.