The Father's Business
Notes
Transcript
41 Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Passover festival. 42 When Jesus was twelve years old, they attended the festival as usual. 43 After the celebration was over, they started home to Nazareth, but Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents didn’t miss him at first, 44 because they assumed he was among the other travelers. But when he didn’t show up that evening, they started looking for him among their relatives and friends.
45 When they couldn’t find him, they went back to Jerusalem to search for him there. 46 Three days later they finally discovered him in the Temple, sitting among the religious teachers, listening to them and asking questions. 47 All who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.
48 His parents didn’t know what to think. “Son,” his mother said to him, “why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been frantic, searching for you everywhere.”
49 “But why did you need to search?” he asked. “Didn’t you know that I must be in my Father’s house?” 50 But they didn’t understand what he meant.
51 Then he returned to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. And his mother stored all these things in her heart.
52 Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and all the people.
Background
Background
Obedient Parents
Going every year to fulfill the Law’s requirements
16 “Each year every man in Israel must celebrate these three festivals: the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Harvest, and the Festival of Shelters. On each of these occasions, all men must appear before the Lord your God at the place he chooses, but they must not appear before the Lord without a gift for him. 17 All must give as they are able, according to the blessings given to them by the Lord your God.
At the age of 12 Jesus would be considered a young man entering into adulthood.
This would mean that he would be allowed to make many of his own decisions. Joseph and Mary most likely thought he was traveling with the other young men in their convoy.
I, personally, like the nuance of him being found 3 days later. This helps to provide a foreshadow many years later where Jesus will, once again, return to Jerusalem. During that trip Jesus would offer himself as the Great Passover Sacrifice and enter into God’s Heavenly Temple (according to Hebrews) with his own blood to sprinkle on the heavenly altar. Also, at that trip, Jesus will be seen by others 3 days later.
But, why would Jesus do this?
49 “But why did you need to search?” he asked. “Didn’t you know that I must be in my Father’s house?”
Jesus told his parents he had to be in His Father’s House
At the age of 12 Jesus understands His relationship with the Father...
Compare this to what Mary asked
48 His parents didn’t know what to think. “Son,” his mother said to him, “why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been frantic, searching for you everywhere.”
Jesus is NOT being disrespectful! He is, however, highlighting that his PURPOSE extends BEYOND Joseph and Mary. That although they are his parents (and the text ends with him being OBEDIENT to them) He ULTIMATELY will receive his MARCHING ORDERS from his HEAVENLY FATHER.
He is going to be about His Father’s Business
He is going to be about His Father’s Business
To be in someone’s house is to be about the master of the house’s business
Jesus here has said that he had to be in the Father’s House because ULTIMATELY he is about the Father’s Business...
What is the Father’s Business
What is the Father’s Business
To see that ALL have the opportunity to receive salvation and allow that to make them holy
28 They replied, “We want to perform God’s works, too. What should we do?”
29 Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.”
3 God’s will is for you to be holy, so stay away from all sexual sin.
32 For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent and live!
11 As surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of wicked people. I only want them to turn from their wicked ways so they can live. Turn! Turn from your wickedness, O people of Israel! Why should you die?
9 The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.
God sent Jesus to FULFILL God’s desires
14 And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.
16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.
32 And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.”
10 For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”
45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
We are to be about God’s Business
We are to be about God’s Business
Jesus, after his resurrection, sends US into the world to be about the Father’s business!
21 Again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” 22 Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
Jesus GIFTS us the Holy Spirit SO THAT we could go into the world on the same mission - being about the Father’s Business. And, it is a mission that involves forgiveness.
Whose Business are You About?
Whose Business are You About?
Often we say we are about God’s business, but are we really?
There is a DRASTIC difference between being about God’s business on the one hand, and being about OUR business that we invite God into from time to time on the other hand...
Too many times we are about our business and we FIT God into it. Our business is still our priority-but we try to sanctify it by making it Godly...
Examples...
We go about our daily routines and then through out a quick prayer occasionally
Often, being about our business is seen in how we lack trust in God
We say things like, “I have to drink that beverage, for business purposes, so I don’t lose the contract.”
Or, “I want to fit in with everyone at the office, so a little coarse joking is ok.”
I TOTALLY understand showing up and being present in questionable places - it seems like that was where Jesus was often found in his time. However, Jesus brought the Holy God with him - he did not PARTICIPATE in the questionable activities. He changed the places he was in - and never was he changed by the places he went...
It’s About Priorities
It’s About Priorities
So, to answer the question about whose business you are about, you must answer the question of who is your priority...
Being about God’s business does not always mean you have to change jobs, move to another city, learn a new language, etc.. BUT IT MIGHT!
However, being about God’s Business is a question of our priorities...
Think Tower of Babel vs. Abram
1 At one time all the people of the world spoke the same language and used the same words. 2 As the people migrated to the east, they found a plain in the land of Babylonia and settled there.
3 They began saying to each other, “Let’s make bricks and harden them with fire.” (In this region bricks were used instead of stone, and tar was used for mortar.) 4 Then they said, “Come, let’s build a great city for ourselves with a tower that reaches into the sky. This will make us famous and keep us from being scattered all over the world.”
5 But the Lord came down to look at the city and the tower the people were building. 6 “Look!” he said. “The people are united, and they all speak the same language. After this, nothing they set out to do will be impossible for them! 7 Come, let’s go down and confuse the people with different languages. Then they won’t be able to understand each other.”
8 In that way, the Lord scattered them all over the world, and they stopped building the city. 9 That is why the city was called Babel, because that is where the Lord confused the people with different languages. In this way he scattered them all over the world.
The people were concerned about themselves. They wanted to make their own name great. Yet, God STILL had to COME DOWN and see the work they did...
But, on the other hand there is Abram...
1 The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. 3 I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.”
God instructed Abram, that if He made God his priority, then God would take care of him. God would make Abram’s name great and bless the whole world through Abram.
God did just that - as Abram allowed God to - and God made good on the promise, and it was through Jesus Christ the seed of Abram who was ULTIMATELY 100% TO THE DEATH about God’s business that God was able to bless the world and make Abram’s name great!
It’s about our priorities!!
If WE are our 1st priority, then we are CLEARLY NOT about God’s business...
We are still concerned about ourselves. We make decisions based upon how they impact us. We exclude the bigger picture of God blessing the world through us. We run to fear of the unknown instead of cling to faith in the known God who will see us through EVERYTHING he calls us to. It’s still all about me, me, me and I, I, I. Oh, but we attend Bible studies and church. We might even be on the Church Board. We might even be PASTORS. But, we haven’t made God priority. And, until then, we will ONLY be about our business!
But, when God is our priority EVERYTHING ELSE FALLS INTO PLACE!
We we surrender our desires, our fears, our ways of looking at life and the world. When we surrender our jobs, our families, our finances. When we surrender OURSELVES - and then make God our priority… Then we can honestly say we are about God’s business.
But, until we surrender EVERYTHING we are still going to be about our business.
Yet, once we surrender it ALL, then God makes sure all the pieces get put into place according to HIS plan, HIS purpose, and HIS WILL