Losing Jesus

Luke 2:41-50

Main Idea: Recognize Jesus in our everyday lives, stay focused on Him amidst distractions, and live in obedience to Him, as illustrated by the story of young Jesus in the temple.

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Introduction

Good morning! Today, as we continue our series on the life of Christ, we're going to delve deeper into the book of Luke. Now, you might be familiar with this particular passage – it's where the young Jesus stays behind in the temple, amazing the teachers with His understanding, while Joseph and Mary search for Him anxiously.

C.S. Lewis once wrote, "I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else." This encapsulates our theme for today - Recognizing Jesus in our lives, staying focused on Him, and living in obedience to Him.

Now, follow along as I begin to read the passage in Luke 2:40-44

And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him. 41 Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover. 42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast. 43 And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it. 44 But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day's journey; and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance. 45 And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions. 47 And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers. 48 And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. 49 And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business? 50 And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them.

Before we dive into the heart of the message, let's bow our heads and open our hearts in prayer.

Let's dive in!

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Recognizing Jesus in Our Lives

Recognizing Jesus in our lives is about acknowledging His presence, His influence, and His work in our daily experiences. It's about seeing His hand in the mundane and the extraordinary, the trials and the triumphs, the ordinary and the miraculous.

It's about understanding that He is not just a distant deity, but a personal Savior who is intricately involved in every aspect of our lives. Deists are those that believe that God created the world and then abandoned it, similar to a clockmaker putting together a clock, winding it up, and then leaving it alone until it wound down to its last tick. Deists hold to the belief that since God created the universe and has since left it alone, there are no miracles, there is no revelation of divine knowledge, and that all that can be known of God can be found in nature by way of reason and logic. Famous Deists include Thomas Jefferson, Voltaire, Albert Einstein, and Benjamin Franklin. Thomas Jefferson had famously cut out portions of the New Testament that dealt with supernatural events, miracles, and passages that portrayed Jesus as divine to create his own religious work that he titled The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth.

If it is not obvious yet, we reject these beliefs of the Deists as false. We worship a God who we believe not only created the universe and everything in it, but has an active hand in this world and in our lives. We believe the complete opposite of the Deists; we hold to the teaching that not only does God actively play a part in His creation today, but actively pursues mankind, first for salvation, and after that for an intimate relationship with Him.

It is of utmost importance that we recognize Jesus as having an important role in our daily lives and not just on Sunday. Sometimes I wonder if it sounds like I am beating a dead horse, but honestly, I don't plan these sermons like you might think I do. I pray about a series to preach on Sundays and about a study to do on Wednesdays, and it always surprises me how God lines things up perfectly. Wednesdays we have been going through the book of Ecclesiastes and have been studying the importance of having the correct worldview: an "under the heaven" outlook as opposed to an "under the sun" outlook. We have discussed, and will continue to discuss in great detail the importance of keeping Christ at the center of our lives. When we do, life is full of meaning and purpose, but when we lose that focus, life becomes frustratingly empty.

Through different sermons and studies on Sundays we have looked the need to keep Jesus as our main focal point. To not just treat God and the things of God as something of a checklist to go through on a daily or weekly basis. When we lose sight of Jesus, we will lose the ability to recognize Him in our daily lives.

Mary and Joseph lost sight of Jesus: They assumed He was with them, but they were not intentionally aware of His presence. Let me say that again, "They assumed He was with them, but they were not intentionally aware of His presence."

They went every year to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. It was their custom. This feast was supposed to be remembering that God had spared the Israelites the same fate that the Egyptians suffered. See, when Israel was still a slave nation to Egypt and Pharaoh refused to let them go, God sent ten plagues to the Egyptian nation. The last, and worst plague of all was a plague of death. Every firstborn son of every family residing in Egypt would die that night unless the family made the proper sacrifice of a perfect, spotless lamb and then painted their door frame with the the blood of that lamb. The Israelites did this, and as the angel of death moved about Egypt, when it encountered the bloodied door posts of the Israelite families, it passed over them without taking the lives of any in that family. Therefore, the name of the feast that they celebrated every year commemorating this event was called the "Passover." It was a feast that remembered God's protection, but also God's deliverance, for after that night, the Pharaoh and the Egyptians not only let the Israelites go, but even provided for their journey back to the promised land of Canaan.

But this celebration was not just a remembrance; it was also a look to the future. The Messiah, the perfect Lamb of God, would one day come to the world. He would die a violent death, willingly sacrificing His perfect life to pay for the sins of the world. That blood that He would shed would be the only thing that would free mankind from the bondage of sin and the spiritual death that it brings to all mankind. Anyone who would put their faith in this Messiah, this Chosen One, would be saved from eternal death much like the Israelites were saved from a physical death that night in Egypt.

Mary and Joseph had gone to Jerusalem now for 12 years straight with that Messiah, Jesus. And in a celebration that was speaking of His coming death that would liberate all those who trusted in Him from sin, they got caught up in all that was happening and lost sight of Jesus.

They left Jerusalem after the feast and went a whole day's journey before realizing that Jesus was not with them. This can happen to us too. We can get so caught up in our routines, our plans, our worries, and our desires that we lose sight of Jesus. We assume He's there somewhere in the background, but we're not actively recognizing His presence and His work in our lives.

The sad thing is, and this is something that I and other pastors and ministry leaders have to actively fight, that it is so easy to get caught up in "doing church" that we lose sight of the Author of the church.

If you teach a children's class, would you raise your hand?

If you sing or play on any of the worship teams, would you raise your hand?

If you volunteer in the nursery, would you raise your hand?

If you help in the audio and video department, doing sound and slides, would you raise your hand?

If you teach or help out in a class, whether that is teens or the connect class or a Bible study, would you raise your hand?

Everyone that raised their hand is in need of this sermon. It is so easy to get caught up in the doing that we lose focus on Jesus. Jesus later tells Martha and Mary something similar. Jesus is visiting friends in the town of Bethany. While at Mary and Martha's house, Martha is running around getting everything ready for their guest, Jesus. Meanwhile, Mary is sitting at Jesus' feet just listening to Him and hanging on every word.

As Martha goes by the room where they are and sees them, she stops and asks Jesus to please tell Mary to help her with the chores and not leave her all alone doing everything.

And Jesus responds this way: "Martha, you are careful and troubled about many things, but one thing is needful, and Mary has chosen that good part which will not be taken away from her."

Jesus said that one thing is needful, one thing is necessary, and that Mary had chosen a part of that thing that was the better part. Martha had chosen the other part. These two parts, listening and doing, make up one whole thing that is necessary in each Christian's life. Listening and doing are both essential for being a disciple. But the best part is listening, spending time with Jesus. Yes, doing is needful, but you can "do" without ever spending time with Jesus, but you can never spend time with Jesus and not "do."

We need to recognize Jesus in our lives.

We must recognize His authority.

Recognizing His authority: In the temple, Jesus was not just a passive participant, He was actively engaging with the teachers, asking questions, and giving answers that amazed everyone. He was not just a twelve-year-old boy; He was a teacher, a prophet, the Son of God.

Remember, the Temple is a loose representation of the church but a direct picture of the Christian's life. Recognizing Jesus in our lives means recognizing His authority over our lives. It means acknowledging that He is not just our Savior, but also our Lord.

Recognizing His priorities: When Mary and Joseph found Jesus in the temple, He said to

them, "Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?" Jesus was not lost; He was exactly where He needed to be, doing exactly what He needed to be doing. He was about His Father's business. Recognizing Jesus in our lives means aligning our priorities with His. It means seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, knowing that everything else will be added unto us. Too many times we start going our way in life. We have everything mapped out, just like Joseph and Mary did. They had a plan: Travel to Jerusalem with friends, family, and acquaintances; stay for the duration of the feast; travel back home after it was done in caravan with their friends.

None of this seems wrong. All of this is logical. In fact, most likely it was what had been done for the previous 11 years. In the routine of things, however, they lost sight of Jesus and His priorities.

Anyone ever lose a child before? I remember the first time it happened to us. We were at a church, and after the service we had stayed around to talk with people. When it came time to leave, we gathered the kids and Mia was nowhere to be found. We screamed and hollered for her all through the church, outside in the parking lot, around the back where the kids often played. As a parent in that situation, you start thinking of the worst case scenarios and my mind immediately went to some dark possibilities. I was panicking and my heart was racing. Then she came out of a classroom with a cousin of hers and a friend, absolutely clueless that we were all worried about her. It turns out that the kid that said that they had looked in all the rooms on that side of the church had not actually looked in all the rooms...

Coming to the realization that we have lost sight of Jesus should produce the same panic. We need to daily recognize Him and His authority and His priorities.

This is not a one-time event, but a daily practice: It happens by cultivating a relationship with Him, spending time in His Word, in prayer, and in worship. It's about being sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit, and being obedient to His promptings. It's about seeing the world through the lens of faith, and recognizing God's hand in everything that happens to us.

Recognizing Jesus in our lives is transformative:

It changes how we see ourselves, how we see others, and how we see the world. It gives us a sense of purpose, a sense of peace, and a sense of joy that transcends our circumstances. (Deb Kunce)

It empowers us to live a life of love, a life of faith, and a life of obedience.

Once we have recognized Jesus and His Authority and His Priorities, we must endeavor to stay focused on Jesus.

Staying Focused on Jesus

We sang earlier the hymn Be Thou My Vision. This hymn takes the form of a prayer, asking God that He would be the overwhelming object of our focus.

Be thou my vision, o Lord of my heart.

Naught be all else to me save that thou art. (Let everything be nothing to me if you aren't in it)

Thou my best though by day or by night

Waking or sleeping Thy presence my light

The hymn goes on to say these lines in different stanzas:

Be thou my shield and my sword for the fight

Be thou my dignity be thou my might

Heart of my own heart whatever befall

Still be my vision o ruler of all

Staying focused on Jesus is about keeping our eyes fixed on Him, regardless of the circumstances around us. In the passage we've read, we see that Jesus, even as a young boy, was completely focused on His Father's business. He was in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them, and asking them questions. His focus was not on the festival or the journey home, but on learning and understanding the things of God.

It's so easy to get distracted: We live in a world that is constantly vying for our attention.

There are demands from work, family, friends, and even our own desires and ambitions. But the call for us as believers is to stay focused on Jesus, to keep our eyes fixed on Him. This doesn't mean that we neglect our responsibilities or ignore the world around us. Rather, it means that in everything we do, we do it with an awareness of Jesus' presence and a desire to honor Him.

The Apostle Paul in his letter to the Colossians wrote: "Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things." (Colossians 3:2) This is a call to shift our focus from the temporal to the eternal, from the worldly to the heavenly. It's a call to live with an eternal perspective, recognizing that this world is not our home and that we are citizens of heaven.

- A.W. Tozer once said: "The man who has God for his treasure has all things in One."

When we have Jesus as our treasure, when our focus is on Him, we have everything we need. We have peace in the midst of storms, joy in the midst of sorrow, strength in the midst of weakness, and hope in the midst of despair.

Abiding in Him: It means remaining connected to Him, drawing our strength and sustenance from Him. Jesus said in John 15:5, "I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing."

When we stay focused on Jesus, we will bear fruit in our lives - the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Living in Obedience to Jesus

Living in obedience to Jesus is not just about acknowledging Him as our Savior but also recognizing Him as our Lord, the one to whom we submit our lives. This means that we strive to align our actions, decisions, and attitudes with His teachings and commands.

Jesus Obeyed His Heavenly Father: We see Jesus, at a young age, demonstrating obedience to His heavenly Father. He said, "Didn’t you know that I must be in my Father’s business?" This statement shows that Jesus understood His purpose and was committed to fulfilling it. He was obedient to His Father's will, even at a young age.

Jesus Obeyed His Earthly Parents: Though Jesus' Heavenly Father's business was temple business, i.e.: teaching, learning, studying, and exposing scripture, it was not time for him to be completely given to that yet.

I will not pretend to know how it worked with Jesus, but we are told in Luke 2:52 that Jesus grew in wisdom, in stature, and in favor with God and man. Luke 2:40 says He grew and waxed strong in spirit and that He was filled with wisdom.

It is imperative to remember that Jesus was the incarnation of God. It is not that God dwelled in a man named Jesus, which is something that the Jehovah's Witnesses teach, but Jesus was fully man and fully God. (Colossians 2:9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.) So like I said, I am not sure exactly how it happened, but Jesus, being fully God took on flesh along with its weaknesses and its limitations. The Bible says that Jesus humbled himself.

Being the Son of God did he not have the authority to command his earthly parents? Yes. But he humbled himself. He went back with his parents. Parents that could not understand his sayings any better than the temple leaders that he had been discussing.

Jesus submitted himself to their authority.

In the same way, we are called to live in obedience to Jesus: This obedience is not out of obligation or fear, but out of love and gratitude for what He has done for us. Jesus said in John 14:15, "If you love me, keep my commands." Our obedience is a response to His love for us, a love that led Him to the cross to pay the penalty for our sins.

Living in obedience to Jesus means that we will

Seek His will in all areas of our lives: It means that we make decisions based on His Word and guidance, not just our own desires or the pressures of the world around us. It means that we strive to live lives that reflect His love, grace, and truth to those around us.

A commitment to spiritual growth:

Just as Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man (Luke 2:52), we too are called to grow in our knowledge and understanding of Him, to mature in our faith, and to bear fruit in keeping with repentance (Matthew 3:8).

Trust Him: Even when we don't understand, even when the way is hard, we trust that He is good, that He loves us, and that His plans for us are for our good and His glory. We trust that He is with us, guiding us and empowering us to live in obedience to Him.

It's about choosing, every day, to say with Jesus, "Not my will, but yours be done." (Luke 22:42)

Invitation

This morning as we finish up, we enter into the most important part of the service after the preaching of God's word, the invitation. I will have just a couple of questions, but before I ask you to close your eyes and listen to these questions I would like to just explain something about the invitation times we normally have after a sermon.

I hope you fully realize by now that these questions are not meant to embarrass or single anyone out. Rather, these questions are for two other very important reasons: 1) so that if you are confronted by an uncomfortable reality, you might have the opportunity to acknowledge it to yourself and to the Lord; and 2) so that you have an opportunity to make things right with God.

After the questions are asked, I usually follow up with invitation to act. Sometimes that invitation to act will be something akin to simply raising your hand in acknowledgment of something. Once again, this call to action is not to embarrass anyone or single anyone out. This call to to raise your hand is simply so that I can better pray for you. This also gives people the opportunity to share with someone else, me or whomever is doing the invitation, their struggles or realizations.

Why is would this be necessary? It is common reasoning, even outside of religious circles, that for a problem to be dealt with, it must first be acknowledged. Acknowledging issues, problems, or struggles to even one other person can be the catalyst for that person to start making steps toward dealing with whatever is going on in a proper way. This is why when I ask a question, many times I will ask you to raise your hand if it applies to you.

Then after I do that, I normally will give another call to action. This call is for you to deal with whatever God has spoken to your heart about during the sermon. During this time, I will ask that if you have raised your hand (and even if you have not) that you would come to the altar to pray. Once again, I do not ask this for the purpose of embarrassing anyone. I understand that it may be a bit difficult to come forward to pray, after all, "What will others think?" The truth of the matter is, it doesn't matter what others think, however, anyone that does observe someone going to the altar to pray should only ever think, "That person wants to be closer to Jesus," and for that, there should never be any shame.

There is nothing wrong with praying in your seat as opposed to praying here at the altar, but coming to the altar to pray does something unique that just praying in your seat cannot provide. 1) It acts similarly in the way that raising your hand acts. It acknowledges in a more public manner that there is a problem, a struggle, or a need that needs dealt with.

2) It provides others the opportunity to pray with you and for you.

One of the most significant prayers in my life happened at an altar very similar to this one. I was 32 or 33 years old, and I was desperately seeking God's will and direction for my life. To be more accurate, I was desperately waiting for His timing. I knew His will, I knew what He wanted me to do, I just did not have an open door to be able to do it. I came forward during an invitation. My prayer had nothing to do with what the sermon had been about, but I felt that I needed to go forward and pray, and not just stay in my seat. As I prayed, I wept. Tears were literally flowing off my nose onto the carpet. And as I prayed and wept, I felt someone kneel beside me and put their arm across my shoulders.

My Dad's voice whispered in my ear, "Mikey," he said, "Is everything okay?" When I told him why I had come and what I was praying for, he completely understood. There, he prayed on my behalf, and I was blessed. Then, he gave me a short peace of advice that I will carry with me until I die. He said, "Don't rush God's timing. Don't jump the gun. Moses rushed God's timing and it set him back 40 years. Don't be Moses; God knows when the best time will come."

If I had not heeded that advice, I would not be here today. And that prayer from my father meant the world to me and still does.

Listen, if you ever see anyone of your family or friends dealing with something at the altar, pray with them. If you don't feel like going and being with them at the altar, at least pray for them there where you are.

Lastly, the next call to action is to come speak with me if you wish. If you come to the altar, you do not have to speak with me, but if you would like to, I am here and available. I turn my mic off and we pray together. If it is advice you're seeking, if I can give it in a short time there, I will; if not, we will set something up to either talk after the service or sometime during the week.

If there is something I can pray about for you, then I will gladly take that time and pray with you.

I hope this better explains why we have invitations and why I do the things I do during those times.

That being said, at this time I will ask that you all close your eyes and bow your heads.

If you are here this morning and you would say, "Bro. Mike, I am struggling with one of these issues: Recognizing Jesus, staying focused on Jesus, or living in obedience to Jesus, would you pray for me?" I will ask you to raise your hand.

If you are here and don't know if you have Jesus as your savior, but would like to, I'll ask you to raise your hand.

If anyone would like to come to the altar, now is the time as Tahsha sings this song one more time. (Be Thou My Vision)

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Life Groups:

Recognizing Jesus is about acknowledging His presence, His influence, and His work in our daily experiences.

Understanding this phrase, how then can I recognize Jesus (acknowledge His presence, influence, and work) in my home life / work / plans / health / etc.?

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