The Teenage Years Of Jesus Christ
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Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Turn to Luke 2:39-52.
As you’re turning to Luke chapter two, I invite you to take a moment and to think of one famous person in history. It can be anyone.
Now, what do you know about the teenage years of that person?
For example, you know of George Washington, but what do you know about his teenage years?
I mentioned Sir Winston Churchhill in a recent message. You know him as the famous prime minister Great Britain, but what do you know about his teenage years?
No doubt, you’ve heard of Albert Einstein, but again, what do you know about his teenage years?
It seems that in most cases, a person’s teenage years are often overshadowed by that person’s adulthood achievements, but so often it is in the teenage years that those seeds of success or failure take root and flourish.
This morning I’d like you to consider what the Bible says about The Teenage Years Of Jesus Christ. Like many other famous people, there is not much information about that time in Christ’s life, but there is enough said to know this: no matter your age today, your priorities must be the same as those of the teenage Christ.
Read Luke 2:39-52.
Several years ago I had the opportunity to read a book entitled, The Teenage Years Of Jesus Christ. It was written by Pastor Jerry Ross, an independent Baptist pastor and in full disclosure, today’s message and outline is largely derived from his book.
Today’s message is an overview of this subject. We could take several sermons and sift through this text far more deeply than we will today.
Message
Message
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The teenage Christ increased in wisdom - Luke 2:40, 52.
Wisdom. We know enough about our culture to know that wisdom is not usually prioritized by teenagers today. Nor, is it always taught to be a priority. Jesus, however, was “filled with wisdom” and “increased in wisdom.” Those two phrases are interesting because they are not saying the same thing. The first indicates that Jesus received wisdom from someone else (from God) while the second indicates that He actively sought wisdom as He grew up. What was this? What was this wisdom that marked the teenage Christ?
You can find many definitions for wisdom, but understand this first: God is the source of true wisdom.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: And the knowledge of the holy is understanding.
Wisdom in the Bible is directly linked to one’s knowledge of God.
Definitions of wisdom:
Biblical wisdom refers to practical skills associated with understanding and living a successful life.
Wisdom is believing what God has said and doing something about it.
Combine those two definitions together and you have a good picture of the wisdom that characterized the life of the teenage Christ.
As a young Jewish boy, Jesus was taught the Old Testament Scriptures. He believed the Scriptures, He lived according to the Scriptures, therefore, He was able to understand and live a successful life.
From His childhood years, Jesus prioritized the wisdom of God. He increased in wisdom as He grew older.
Application: What are your priorities in life? Is it your priority to grow in the wisdom of God via the Scriptures or are you just too busy about “more important things”?
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The teenage Christ increased in maturity - Luke 2:52.
Read Luke 2:52.
Stature: can refer to one’s height, but more commonly its used in Scripture to refer to a person’s age or maturity.
When are young people taught to grow up nowadays? It is time to grow up once they hit their twenties? Or is it okay to wait until after they sowed their wild oats in their college years? Then, after that, they’ll begin to mature and get serious about life.
Jesus didn’t wait until his twenties or thirties. He increased in maturity as a teenager.
As a twelve year old boy, he was just entering manhood according to Jewish society. As a twelve year old boy, he was found at the temple sitting among the religious leaders of his day - both listening to them and asking them questions.
What a conversation that must have been!
Why? Because the teenage Christ increased in stature. He became of full age. He grew in maturity.
Pastor Jerry Ross gives the opinion that, “most of life’s major decisions are made from eighteen to twenty-four years of age.”
I think that within our American culture, that’s an accurate assessment.
Application: If that’s true, then we better put a priority on teenage maturity. There’s no time to waste. The next generation must be taught the value of maturity and the value of growing up to be a man or a woman that God wants you to be.
Perhaps another word for maturity would be the words self-discipline. Much of maturity is simply saying “no” to some feelings, to some thoughts, or to some actions while saying “yes” to what God commands.
Adults, let’s put a priority on maturity and teach that to the next generation. They have got to learn that maturity is invaluable. They need to hear that it is far more valuable than the best paying career in America!
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The teenage Christ increased in favor with God - Luke 2:52.
Favor: translated from the Greek word χάρις, where we get our English word “grace.” You could put the word “grace” there and it would be a fair translation of the text.
Do you like to be in people’s good graces? Most people do. In other words, most people prefer to be “liked and thought highly of by someone in authority.” - Merriam Webster Online Dictionary
I like to be in people’s good graces, especially with my wife. Now I’m blessed to have an amazing relationship with her, but if I’m not in my wife’s good graces, the kissing isn’t very good.
If it’s important to be in your spouse’s good graces - and it is - how much more to be in God’s good graces?
That’s what Jesus prioritized. He prioritized increasing in favor with God.
Increase: imperfect tense, active voice. It was something that Jesus continually grew in as He got older.
He grew more and more in favor with God.
How? How did He grow in favor with God?
I’ve said before from this pulpit that none of us are capable of impressing a holy God, and that is true. God doesn’t pick favorites. God’s favor is not something we can earn; it’s something He freely bestows as we live by faith.
Jesus lived by faith and he showed it in several ways.
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He lived a righteous life - Psalm 5:12.
For thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous; With favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.
Application: You want more of God’s favor? Live a righteous life. Live out your faith in Christ. Live it out by keeping his commandments!
Jesus lived the law perfectly. He kept all of the commandments, He showed His faith in the Father, therefore, He enjoyed the favor of His Father.
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He pursued wisdom - Proverbs 8:35.
For whoso findeth me findeth life, And shall obtain favour of the Lord.
Application: Make the wisdom of God a priority in your life and you will enjoy the favor of God! God smiles at that!
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He performed good works - Proverbs 12:2.
A good man obtaineth favour of the Lord: But a man of wicked devices will he condemn.
Good works: any action that shows love toward God and love toward others.
Jesus said there were two great commandments that summarized God’s entire law:
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Application: Jesus lived by those two principles, therefore He lived a life full of good works - a life that pleased His Father!
By those three things, Jesus practiced His faith and it pleased His Father. Living out His faith was a characteristic of the teenage Christ. Christian, is it a characteristic of your life? Are you living out your faith in these ways? You can find a fair number of people that talk about their faith in God, but those that actually live it out - they’re different. They stand out. They’re not perfect, but they put their faith into action and it shows.
That’s what Jesus did - as a teenager. Christian, what are you doing? How are you living out your faith and growing in God’s grace?
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The teenage Christ increased in favor with man - Luke 2:52.
Now this is an interesting verse because it seems in contradiction with other Scriptures. Jesus increased in favor with man. There were many in the village of Nazareth who could not help but think highly of Jesus, but there were also those who thought very little of him.
For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, And as a root out of a dry ground: He hath no form nor comeliness; And when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; A man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: And we hid as it were our faces from him; He was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.
You see, Jesus was both loved and despised. It seems that He lived trying to navigate a minefield of complicated relationships where people both secretly admired Him for His righteousness and also loathed Him because of the conviction they felt over their own sin. Through it all, the teenage Christ gave no reason for others to despise Him. He increased in favor with man.
Application: Christian, you cannot control what others think of you, but you can control how you act towards them. You can take the high road. You can be gracious and kind. By the power of Christ within you, you can be like the teenage Christ and increase in favor with God and man.
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The teenage Christ remained subject to his parents - Luke 2:51.
I cannot fathom what it would be like to have a perfect son that is subject to imperfect parents.
Subject: to arrange [oneself] under [another], to subordinate, or to put in subjection
Jesus, in His teenage years, put a priority on arranging Himself under the authority of His earthly parents. That seems so opposite of what rightly should have been, but that is what He chose to do in accordance with the Father’s will.
Our culture absolutely mocks submission to authority; whereas the Son of God lived it.
Our culture teaches rebellion to lawful authority. The Creator submitted Himself to His own creation.
Young people, do you want the favor of God? Then submit yourself to His ordained authorities that are in your life. Your authorities are not perfect. Your authorities are not always consistent. Neither are you.
Jesus was perfect. Jesus was always consistent, yet He, the Son, submitted Himself to earthly parents that were not!
The teenage Christ remained subject to his parents.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Christian, what are your priorities? I’m not asking this morning if you have good intent. Probably many of us do. I’m asking how your good intent is being lived out in your priorities.
Maybe you want to increase in wisdom.
Maybe you want to increase in maturity.
Maybe you truly desire to increase in favor with God and man.
Maybe you want to be subject to the lawful authorities in your life.
That is good, but how is your intent being put into action?
Read slowly:
No matter your age, make certain today that your priorities reflect those of our Savior during The Teenage Years Of Jesus Christ.
