Sermon Recap | 09/06/2026
Date: September 6, 2026
Speaker: Pastor John Hardie
Sermon Series: What a Kingdom, What a King — Introduction
Sermon Title: “Introducing...”
Scripture: Luke 1:1–4
📝 Message Summary
As a soft introduction to the upcoming sermon series, Pastor John opened the Gospel of Luke by showing how the Christian faith comes to us through faithful witnesses, careful research, and God’s providential work through people. He used the theme of “introducing” to help us meet several important figures connected to the Gospel story: Paul, Luke, and Theophilus.
Paul was introduced as the former Saul—the brilliant Pharisee who once opposed Jesus and the early Church, but who was transformed after encountering the risen Christ. His life became a testimony that Jesus’ death and resurrection reveal both who Jesus is and God’s gracious plan of salvation for the world. Luke, by contrast, was presented not primarily as a debater, but as a historian, researcher, and storyteller who carefully investigated the life and ministry of Jesus.
Pastor John then drew attention to Theophilus, the man to whom Luke addressed his Gospel and the book of Acts. Theophilus appears to have been a person of faith seeking understanding, and Luke’s work served not only him, but countless others across the centuries. Luke’s Gospel especially helps bridge the gap for those who may wonder what the Jewish Jesus has to do with them and their lives.
The sermon ultimately brought the question home to us: not only “What did Jesus do?” but “What do we do with Jesus?” If the Gospel accounts are historically grounded and trustworthy—and Pastor John emphasized that they are—then Jesus is not merely a figure from the past, but the living Savior who desires to lay claim to every part of our lives.
💬 Quote of the Week
“The question really becomes not just, ‘What did Jesus do?’ but ‘What do we do with Jesus?’
How much do we want, how much do you want the living Savior to do with your life?
You want Him to have a lot to do with your life or a little?”
— Pastor John Hardie
🔑 Key Lessons
1. Faith seeks understanding.
Theophilus models a healthy posture of wanting to grow in confidence and understanding. Christian faith is not afraid of careful thought, questions, or deeper study.
2. God uses different people and gifts to make Christ known.
Paul proclaimed Christ with bold conviction, while Luke served the Church through research, writing, and faithful historical witness. Both were essential to God’s purposes.
3. Luke’s Gospel is a bridge for the whole world.
Luke helps us see that Jesus is not only significant within Jewish history, but is truly the Savior of the world—relevant to people everywhere.
4. The Gospel calls for a personal response.
Learning about Jesus is not enough. Each of us must wrestle with what it means for the living Savior to have a claim on our whole lives.
🤔 Reflection Questions
In what ways am I growing as a person of faith seeking understanding?
What gifts or opportunities has God given me that could help introduce others to Jesus?
What parts of my life do I most want Jesus to shape—and what parts am I tempted to hold back from Him?
Do I want the living Savior to have a lot to do with my life, or only a little?
🙏 Prayer Focus
Thank you, Lord, for the remarkable scriptures that we are so privileged to have.
Help us to Read, Mark, Learn and Inwardly Digest them, so that in the days and weeks ahead, we are set free by the astounding truth they proclaim:
You, Jesus, are who you say you are:
You are the Savior of the world!
