When I Grow Up, I Want to be just like Jesus (2)

Text: Luke 2:40-52

Theme: Christians must emulate the life of our Savior by growing in grace and wisdom.

Date: 01/15/2023 FileName: When I Grow Up.wpd ID: NT03-02

We’ve all heard children say it. And maybe you’ve even heard an adult say it ... “When I grow up, I want to be just like ... “ As I was studying for this morning’s message I couldn’t help but wonder, “Did those words every come out of one of Jesus’ siblings mouth?” We know from the Gospels that Mary and Joseph had a number of children together. There were four brothers. Their names were James, and Joseph, and Simon, and Judas. We know from the same passages that there were at least two sisters since the plural is used although their names are not given. It was a typically large Jewish household.

I’ve wondered for some time about what the family dynamics must have been like in that home. First, I though about a few lines that you probably never heard in Jesus’ home when He was growing up:

• You probably never heard James say, “But Jesus hit me first!”

• You probably never heard Joseph say, “Jesus, now don’t you lie to me!”

• You probably never heard Mary say, “Simon, it’s too quiet in there. Go see what mischief your brother Jesus is getting into.”

• You probably never heard, “Jesus, You’ve go to the count of three ... 1 ... 2 ... “

I also wondered if Mary ever held up Jesus as an example for the other children to follow. Did Mary ever tell James, “Why can’t you be more like your brother, Jesus?” Whoa boy! Did Judas’ synagogue teacher ever tell him, “I remember your brother Jesus. I hope you know the Torah as well as he did.” How do these sons of Abraham ever hope to measure up to the one who is the Son of God?

Now this may all seem like an exercise in theological silliness to you, but I share this silliness with you to make a point. The goal of the believer is to, indeed, be conformed to the image of Christ. As a Christian have you ever said to yourself: “When I grow up, I want to be just like Jesus!”

ILLUS. When the wife of missionary Adoniram Judson told him that a newspaper article likened him to some of the apostles, Judson replied, "I do not want to be like a Paul...or any mere man. I want to be like Christ...I want to follow Him only, copy His teachings, drink in His Spirit, and place my feet in His footprints...Oh, to be more like Christ!"

I want to preach this morning of growing in your faith. As believers we are to increasingly reflect the Lord’s character in our lives. The Apostle Paul speaks of this when he wrote to the Christians at Corinth:

2 Corinthians 3:18 "And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”

In this, I believe the boyhood of Jesus has much to teach us about being transformed into His likeness.

I. THE BOYHOOD OF JESUS TEACHES US THAT SPIRITUAL GROWTH IS A NATURAL OCCURRENCE

1. one of the chief characteristics of children is that they are always growing

a. they are growing physically

1) our text this morning says of Jesus, and the child grew v. 40

2) I have no doubt that Joseph and Mary had as much trouble keeping Jesus in scandals as today’s parents have keeping their children in shoes

b. they are growing intellectually

1) v. 40 also says that Jesus was filled with wisdom

2) children’s minds soak up everything — good things and sometimes bad — but they are always learning

3) that intellectual growth must include a knowledge of God

c. they are growing spiritually

1) v. 40 also says that the grace of God was upon him

2) this is a reference to the development of his spiritual maturity

3) it would have begun very early with Jesus learning Israel’s basic confession of faith

a) it’s called the Shema which is the Hebrew word for Hear and is the first word in Deuteronomy 6:4

“ “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 5 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” (Deuteronomy 6:4–5, ESV)

d. children are always growing

2. Christians need to emulate this childlike attribute of growth

a. in Matthew’s gospel, Jesus extolled the virtues of children in our relationship to the Kingdom of God

“And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them 3 and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:2–4, ESV)

b. I’m sure that one of the characteristics that Jesus was probably thinking of was constant growth

3. there is never a time when the Child of God is to stop growing in the Lord and in the knowledge of His Word

ILLUS. Jewel Thompson, in her mid-90s wanted a new Study Bible!

4. if you are not growing in Christ, there are only two other possibilities ...

a. 1st, you’re still spiritually dead in trespasses and sin

1) the sad truth is that many professing Christians are merely church attenders who practice certain religious rites instead of being disciples of the Christ

2) they are tares growing up among the wheat — they feign the real thing, but time reveals their true nature

b. 2nd, you’ve become spiritually stagnate

ILLUS. When water sits in one place without being renewed by rains or a fresh flow of new water, it becomes stagnate. It becomes stale and bitter to the taste. It begins to breed and grow nasty little things, and becomes scummy.

1) there are a lot of scummy believers in our society

5. if either of these two realities resemble your spiritual life, you need to make a decision to do something about it

A. WE DEVELOP SPIRITUALLY WHEN WE GROW IN WISDOM & SPIRITUAL KNOWLEDGE

1. you can never have too much knowledge of God’s character, God’s Word, or God’s Ways

2. the word that is translated wisdom in Luke 2:40 means a broad and full intelligence of diverse matters

a. we often hear Jesus referred to as a simple carpenter

1) by that, people often mean that He was unschooled or unlearned

b. but there was nothing unschooled about Jesus’ intellect

1) in John 7:46 hear the crowds say of Jesus, “No one ever spoke the way this man does.”

2) when He taught in the local synagogue in His home town of Nazareth, the people were amazed at His knowledge and wisdom

“and coming to his hometown he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? 55 Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas?” (Matthew 13:54–55, ESV)

3) when Jesus was in Jerusalem, He regularly went to the Temple and taught the people

“About the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and began teaching. 15 The Jews therefore marveled, saying, “How is it that this man has learning, when he has never studied?”” (John 7:14–15, ESV)

ILLUS. For those of you who went to college, did you every have a professor who wrote the text book you were using in his class? You could never really argue with them about the interpretation of the text since they wrote the book and knew exactly what they meant when the wrote it!

a) Jesus wrote the Book! He knows what it says, and he knows what it means

b) we’re not to argue about what we think it means, but to learn what he says it means

3. it is obvious from the Gospel accounts that Jesus the man, had a thorough knowledge of God, of the Scriptures, and of man’s nature

4. how do you grow in wisdom like Jesus did?

a. like Jesus, you acquire maturity in your faith as you attain a more thorough knowledge of the Scriptures

1) the Word of God is the very best place to find wisdom

“Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding, 14 for the gain from her is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold.” (Proverbs 3:13–14, ESV)

ILLUS. Remember the game Trivial Pursuit? Remember how stupid you felt after playing the game? Then they came out with the Bible Version of the game. On the front of the box is a statement I really like. It reads, “The trivia that is not trivial.”

2) a knowledge of God’s Word leads to wisdom and spiritual maturity

b. like Jesus, you acquire maturity as you actively look for God in the everyday affairs of life

1) Jesus saw the hand of God the Father in every area of life

ILLUS. Just consider the parables Jesus told. There were always about normal, everyday events, and in those events he saw the evidence of God the Father at work.

ILLUS. Consider the hymn by 19th -century American hymn writer Maltbie D. Babcock. His most famous hymn is This Is My Father’s World. Consider some of the lyrics ...

This is my Father’s world:

I rest me in the thought

Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas—

His hand the wonders wrought.

This is my Father’s world:

The birds their carols raise,

The morning light, the lily white,

Declare their Maker’s praise.

2) God was not merely a theological concept to Jesus — He was an intimate Father who is sovereign over the world and sovereign over our lives

c. like Jesus, you acquire maturity as you actively seek God’s face in prayer

1) every decision he made, every step He took, every disciple he called, every word he said, every action he took was a result of intimate conversation with God

2) Jesus experienced God, because Jesus always sought to know the Father

“So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.” (John 5:19, ESV)

3) if Jesus, the incarnate Son of God, in his humanity, had to pray to know and experience the Father, how much more do you and I need to pray if we’re going to grow in our faith?

d. like Jesus, you acquire maturity as you understand the ways in which God works

1) God’s ways are not our ways

“For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are,” (1 Corinthians 1:25–28, ESV)

2) Jesus came to understand that the Father frequently works in opposition to the ways men believe He ought to work

ILLUS. God always flips things on their heads. Consider ... Do you want to be a great leader? The world says, you do that by obtaining power, and resources and influence, and even by knowing what skeletons are in whose closets. Jesus said you become a great leader by being a slave to everyone around you.

3) we need to understand this, too

5. we develop spiritually when we grow in wisdom

B. WE DEVELOP SPIRITUALLY WHEN WE GROW IN STATURE

“So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.” (John 5:19, ESV)

1. the word stature in Luke 40:52 refers to a maturity of character

a. when the Bible says that Jesus grew in stature, it means that He developed a Godly character

b. character matters and Jesus was a man of integrity, who fully experienced and perfectly expressed the Fruit of the Spirit and the Attributes of God

1) the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) is comprised of love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control

a) these are the attributes of a Godly character

2) the chief attribute of God is holiness and that was our Lord’s chief attribute as well

2. Christians need to work toward developing a Christ-like character

a. Christian character is developed as we mature in the faith and put childish behaviors, and childish attributes, and childish thoughts behind us

“When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.” (1 Corinthians 13:11, ESV)

3. the Bible tells us that we are to have a child-like faith, never a childish faith

a. I think each of us knows Christians who have never really grown up in their faith

1) the childish Christian is the believer who, like the ten-year-old, tells his friends,

“If you don’t play by my rules, I’m gonna take my ball and bat and go home, and then see where you’ll be!”

c. or it’s like the church member who says, “If you don’t do it my way, I’ll take my tithe and go to another church.”

1) and we need to tell such people, “Don’t let the door hit ya in the butt on the way out.”

2) of course we need to say it in a loving way!

3) such Christians need to grow up!

4. spiritual development means putting away childish behaviors and striving to develop a Christ-like character

“ ... we [must] all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,” (Ephesians 4:13, ESV)

... the Boyhood of Jesus Teaches Us That We must Grow Spiritually

II. THE BOYHOOD OF JESUS TEACHES US THAT WE MUST ‘BE ABOUT THE FATHER’S BUSINESS’

“And when his parents saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.” 49 And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”” (Luke 2:48–49, ESV)

1. this passage tells us of the time when Jesus and His parents came to Jerusalem on His 12th birthday

a. the reason for that trip was undoubtedly His bar mitzvah

b. bar mitzvah is that Jewish ceremony in which a boy is recognized as a man and attains the age of religious duty and responsibility

1) he becomes a son of the law

2. on the return trip, the caravan has traveled all day and has stopped for the evening

a. the women begin to prepare the evening meal, fathers begin the age old task of rounding up the kids

1) but there’s a problem — Joseph cannot find his son Jesus

2) he’s found James, and Joseph, and Simon, and Judas, and the girls, but a search of the camp reveals Jesus is nowhere to be found

b. with that feeling of panic that overwhelms every parent at such a moment, Joseph and Mary leave their other children with friends and rush back to Jerusalem to look for their son

1) they look for Him for three days

2) they go every place they think would be attractive to a boy of twelve

a) they go to the bazaar and begin looking through all the shops and stalls

b) they hurry to the sheep market and then the cattle market, and then the camel market

c) they anxiously check with friends, “Have you seen him?”

d) they even inquire of strangers, “We’re looking for a twelve-year-old boy.”

3) finally, in desperation, they look in the last place you would expect to find an active, bright, twelve-year-old boy — in a religious service have serious theological conversations with the Jewish doctors of divinity

4) when they find him, Mary reprimands him

"And when his parents saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.”" (Luke 2:48, ESV)

ILLUS. That word ‘distress’ in this verse means to cause pain either physical pain or mental anguish. It’s the same word used in the story in Luke 16 of the Rich Man who dies and goes to hell and finds himself in torment. “Torment” is the same word as “distress” in Luke 2:48. If we put the verse into our modern vernacular Mary says, “Your father and I have been frantically searching for you. You’ve put us through hell.”

3. when admonished and questioned about His where-a-bouts, Jesus responds, “Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?”

ILLUS. The phrase must be is (dāy ē-mē) and can be more literally translated, it is necessary. It’s a word that refers to divine destiny or unavoidable fate. Once Jesus is in Jerusalem and sees the Temple, he is irresistibly drawn to the place where God is worshiped. Jesus essentially tells his parents, “Didn’t you know that this is the only place I could have been?”

A. GROWING CHRISTIANS MUST BE ABOUT THE HEAVENLY FATHER’S BUSINESS

1. what does that mean?

a well, I think it means, first of all, that God has a specific plan and a specific will for your life that is unique to your abilities, gifts, and willingness

b. some of you have found it, and some of you are still searching for it

2. it also means that there are some general activities we must engage in if we are going to be about the Father’s business

a. being about the Father’s business means personal evangelism

b. being about the Father’s business means supporting missions

c. being about the Father’s business means ministering to others in need

d. being about the Father’s business means loving even our enemies

e. being about the Father’s business means praying for those who use and abuse us

f. being about the Father’s business means raising your children in the nurture and counsel of God

g. being about the Father’s business means praying in the Spirit for all those in authority over us

h. being about the Father’s business means leading quiet and peaceable lives

i. being about the Father’s business means taking up your cross daily and following Jesus

j. I could go on, but I think you get the point!

... the Boyhood of Jesus Teaches Us That We must Be about the Father’s Business

III. THE BOYHOOD OF JESUS TEACHES US THAT WE MUST BE OBEDIENT TO THE FATHER

“And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart.” (Luke 2:51, ESV)

1. this event in the life of Jesus ends what we know about his childhood

a. between the age of 12 and 30 — when He began His public ministry, the Bible is silent about the life of our Savior

b. it simply tells us that He went home to Nazareth and was obedient to Joseph and Mary

2. during His ministry, Jesus was completely obedient to the will of His Heavenly Father

a. the Apostle Paul reminds us of the degree to which Jesus was obedient

“And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:8, ESV)

b. one of the reasons Jesus could be obedient to God the Father, was he learned obedience to his earthly father

ILLUS. We live in a culture full of people who are living radially self-autonomous lives in obedience to no one except their own thoughts and desires. We should not be surprised, therefore, when we see our society increasingly turning away from God. In such a culture, the proclamation of Christ’s Lordship falls on resistant ears, and self-indulgent hearts.

c. Christ demands to be in control of your life

3. God’s greatest desire this morning is that you surrender yourself to His Sovereignty

a. that means that your desires must be conformed to His will

b. that means that your mind must be filled with His thoughts

c. that means that your body must be subjected to His discipline

4. you show God your love for Him through your surrender to His authority in your life

“For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.” (1 John 5:3, ESV)

... the Boyhood of Jesus Teaches Us That We must Be Obedient to the Father

In the world of academics there is a study method known by many as, cramming. It is the practice of procrastinating on studies until the last possible moment. When the day of reckoning arrives, the coffee pot is stoked, and we strap ourselves to the desk for an all night journey with our books.

Cramming is a phenomenon unknown to the agricultural world. Farmers don’t cram. They can’t delay planting crops in the Spring then hit the ground really hard in the Fall. If a harvest is expected in the fall then planned and scheduled activities must take place throughout the year. Maybe that is why Jesus used so many agricultural illustrations in His teaching and preaching. Spiritual growth and maturity doesn’t come like grades that are salvaged by intensive periods of last minute cramming. Christlikeness comes from seasons spent with the Savior, constantly cultivating our faith.

As I close this morning, I have two questions for you: 1st, “Are you a child of the King? Have you been born again?”

2nd, “It you are a Christian, what are you doing to please your Heavenly Father? Are you growing up into spiritual maturity? Are you about your Heavenly Father’s business? Are you being obedient to the will of God?”

Are you willing to say today, “When I grow up, I want to be just like Jesus?”