In My Father’s House
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Announcements- 31 days of prayer starts next Sunday! We will start by praying for OUR CHURCH!
Who was Jesus as a kid? It’s a common question- and honestly, His childhood seems to have been pretty standard. With one major exception- HE NEVER SINNED! Luke 2:39-40
39 When they had completed everything according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. 40 The boy grew up and became strong, filled with wisdom, and God’s grace was on him.
Chiastic structure- We’ll mention this more in depth later, but I want to emphasize this- it draws our attention to what happens in the middle.
Main Point: Jesus is the SON OF GOD!
Main Point: Jesus is the SON OF GOD!
Body
Body
Today as we start our passage we get a glimpse at Jesus’s childhood. It’s the only example of Jesus as an older child that we get and it shows us so much about who our SAVIOR IS!
41 Every year his parents traveled to Jerusalem for the Passover Festival. 42 When he was twelve years old, they went up according to the custom of the festival. 43 After those days were over, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it.
The first thing that we see in this passage is that MARY AND JOSEPH DEEPLY LOVED GOD!
How do we see that? We see that because they obey God’s Word! They obey what GOD HAD DESIGNED!
We know that they were not overly wealthy- going back to Luke 2:24 we saw that they did not have money for a lamb for the sacrifice.
But, despite their lack of earthly wealth, they did not neglect the passover.
Each year as verse 41 tells us they go up to the temple for the Passover.
This was a part of remembering the passover as God had laid out in Deuteronomy 16. People were to gather together and sacrifice a passover animal to remember what God did during the passover.
And as Deuteronomy 16:6 tells us, they were to gather at the place where GOD CHOSE TO HAVE HIS NAME DWELL!
That was Jerusalem- more specifically at the temple.
So in other words, every year for Passover people should have gone to the temple in Jerusalem to remember the Passover.
Luke points out that Mary and Joseph do this, so what do we learn from that?
We learn that not everyone does! There are Israelites who are not obeying God’s Word and are not following the design that God has given.
But Mary and Joseph? They spend their time praising God and they bring their family up in this.
See- there’s two parallel sets of applications from this passage. Just as we see Jesus as a child, we see an example of parenting.
And one takeaway that we can have from this passage is the importance of helping connect our children with God!
Now- remember, Mary and Joseph are not perfect, they are not sinless, but their actions here are a good reminder of the importance of being an example of following God for children!
I’d expand this actually- this is not just for parents, this is also for grandparents, for each one of us here at church with children and with younger believers!
Titus 2 dives deeper into this- we won’t go in depth on this, but discipleship- or helping people grow closer to God- really mirrors this! It mirrors this level of support and care!
And discipleship isn’t optional! Jesus establishes a MANDATE of discipleship- or of helping people grow closer to God!
We are ALL PART OF THIS!
Now, we see Mary and Joseph setting this great example and raising Jesus in obedience to what God designed.
But then something happens.
After the festivals are over they return home. But, they lose track of Jesus!
Joseph and Mary don’t realize that Jesus is not with them, but He is not! Instead, He is in JERUSALEM!
Admittedly, it can be easy to start to think- “HOW DID THEY LOSE THEIR SON?” I’m just being honest here- that’s always something I’ve wondered, but at the same time, it’s important that our focus doesn’t drift.
See, the focus of this situation isn’t them losing track of Jesus, it is actually WHAT THEY WILL HEAR WHEN THEY FIND JESUS!
Last week we talked about how the CROSS becomes more and more clear each chapter of the Gospels. And this is no different. What we are seeing in Luke 2:41-52 makes Jesus and WHO HE IS EVEN MORE CLEAR!
Luke 2:44-45
Luke 2:44-45
44 Assuming he was in the traveling party, they went a day’s journey. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. 45 When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him.
As Mary and Joseph look for Jesus, they assume that Jesus is with someone else in this group.
Understand- this was a big deal- many people- though not all would go to Jerusalem. And from Nazareth, they would have met with family and traveled to Jerusalem together.
My Senior Year of High School our basketball team went to Arizona to play in a tournament. When we got there we had 2 rental cars. I’m going to be honest, we had “assigned cars” but we moved around all the time. As long as there were enough heads counted we were good. (Of course, in Home Alone we see the issue with this).
Mary and Joseph think this is the case. They figure Jesus is with someone else, like with a friend or a cousin!
But, at the end of a day of travel, they realize that they can’t find Jesus.
And when they can’t find Jesus, they go back to Jerusalem thinking that He must still be there!
It’s an understandable thought and honestly, it’s a good thought. So, let’s see what happens when they return to Jerusalem.
Luke 2:46-48
Luke 2:46-48
46 After three days, they found him in the temple sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 And all those who heard him were astounded at his understanding and his answers. 48 When his parents saw him, they were astonished, and his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.”
For three days Mary and Joseph search.
They are searching everywhere that they can. I can imagine that panic is setting in. Like WHERE IS OUR CHILD!
And finally, they find Jesus. They find Jesus in the temple sitting with the teachers of the law- that is the scribes, the priests, the Pharisees, and the Sadducees.
Look at what Jesus is doing with them- Jesu sis asking questions and listening to them. Jesu sis talking with them!
And from verse 47 we see that they are ASTOUNDED AT HIS UNDERSTANDING AND HIS ANSWERS!
Jesus is not just asking the questions, Jesus is teaching the teachers!
It’s a really impressive thing! Jesus is 12!
I remember being in 5th grade and correcting the teacher one day in class. Let me tell you- that was an uncomfortable week for me afterwards! But JESUS IS TEACHING THE TEACHERS AND CAN I CHALLENGE WITH SOMETHING ELSE?
Jesus’s teaching always is DONE WITH AUTHORITY! In fact, during HIS PUBLIC MINISTRY, the crowds talk about this! HIS TEACHING IS DIFFERENT! And Mary and Jospeh walk in on this!
And there are people gathered around who hear Jesus doing this- they are hearing Jesus teach for the first time!
It’s like a foreshadowing of what is to come!
But let’s look at the response of Mary and Joseph!
Mary and Joseph are ASTONISHED AND THEY ARE UPSET!
Mary rebukes Jesus because she feels that Jesus has done this to hurt them.
They don’t understand what is going on and they are unhappy.
Let’s see how Jesus responds to this!
Luke 2:49-50
Luke 2:49-50
49 “Why were you searching for me?” he asked them. “Didn’t you know that it was necessary for me to be in my Father’s house?” 50 But they did not understand what he said to them.
Jesus responds with something SO PROFOUND!
Jesus starts off by asking why they were searching for Him everywhere EXCEPT THE TEMPLE- and look at his reasoning- “Didn’t you know that it was necessary for me to be in my Father’s house?” Another way to translate this would be- “It was necessary for me to be in my Father’s Presence.”
And remember, the temple was where GOD HAD CHOSEN TO HAVE HIS PRESENCE RESIDE! The temple was where people went TO BE WITH GOD!
We can overlook that statement, or read right through it, but do you see the GRAVITY OF WHAT JESUS JUST SAID!
IN FRONT OF ALL THESE PEOPLE, ALL THESE PRIESTS, ALL THESE TEACHERS, AND EVERYONE ELSE THERE, Jesus just said that HE IS THE SON OF GOD!
This is Jesus’s first PROCLAMATION OF WHO HE IS!
A few years ago there was a movement to try and say that Jesus never said that He was God. This is a passage that directly disagrees with that.
AT 12 YEARS OLD JESUS IS PUBLICLY DECLARING THAT GOD IS HIS FATHER- or to say this another way- THAT JESUS IS THE SON OF GOD!
This isn’t something that starts later in life; this isn’t something that Jesus just decides one day; Jesus has always been the SON OF GOD, JESUS KNEW HE WAS THE SON OF GOD AND JESUS KNEW WHAT HIS MISSION WAS!
There’s something else going on here- do you remember last week how we saw Simeon proclaim that Jesus was the SAVIOR and that JESUS HAD TO DIE? (Luke 2:35)
We talked about how our understanding of what has to happen becomes more and more clear as the Gospel of Luke goes on.
In Luke 2:35 the picture becomes more clear that JESUS HAS TO DIE and here in Luke 2:49 the picture becomes clear that JESUS IS THE SON OF GOD!
JESUS IS THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN SAVE US BECAUSE JESUS IS THE SON OF GOD!
Don’t miss this- Jesus being the SON OF GOD IS A NECESSITY FOR OUR SALVATION! IF WE EVER STRIP JESUS OF HIS DIVINITY THEN OUR SALVATION IS IMPOSSIBLE!
THIS DECLARATION IS SO IMPORTANT! I can’t stress this ENOUGH!
In verse 50 we see Mary and Joseph- they don’t really understand what is going on.
And this continues. His Family doesn’t really understand what is going on until after His Death- Mark 3:20-21, and then in 1 Corinthians 15:7 we see how James gets saved!
20 Jesus entered a house, and the crowd gathered again so that they were not even able to eat. 21 When his family heard this, they set out to restrain him, because they said, “He’s out of his mind.”
7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.
Mary and Joseph don’t fully understand, but look at how Jesus responds to them!
Before we jump into Luke 2:51-52 you may notice that it is VERY SIMILAR TO Luke 2:39-40. Luke is employing something called a chiasm. Basically, Luke mirrors the beginning and the end of a passage to draw ATTENTION to what happens in the middle.
The pinnacle of this chiasm is really simple- it is Jesus in the temple teaching and then declaring that He is the SON OF GOD!
Luke 2:51-52
Luke 2:51-52
51 Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was obedient to them. His mother kept all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and with people.
So Jesus goes back from Jerusalem to Nazareth and Jesus OBEYS MARY AND JOSEPH!
Jesus is without sin- HE LITERALLY NEVER SINS! So He OBEYS HIS PARENTS PERFECTLY AS HE GROWS UP!
Luke 2:51 matters because if HE EVER SINNED THEN NONE OF THIS WOULD MATTER! JESUS WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO BE OUR PERFECT SACRIFICE!
And Mary keeps these things in her heart- have you noticed how this is a repeated phrase?
MARY IS MEDITATING ON THESE THINGS! She meditates on Jesus as He grows up, on the angel’s visit, on what the shepherds say, and on what Simeon and Anna say!
SHE CONSIDERS THESE THINGS BECAUSE THEY MATTER!
She considers these things and as she does, she is reminded that JESUS IS THE SAVIOR!
In verse 52 we see 4 things highlighted.
First, Jesus increases in Wisdom.
Jesus continues to grow CLOSER TO GOD and it is shown through HIM GROWING IN WISDOM!
This is such a powerful example for us.m Jesus PURSUES WISDOM!
We know that wisdom comes from God and we need to PURSUE WISDOM ALSO!
And the simplest way to pursue wisdom is to TALK TO GOD AND BE IN SCRIPTURE.
Listen to this challenge from J.C. Ryle about pursuing God through reading scripture and praying- “Let boys and girls ponder these things well, and take example from the conduct of Jesus at the age of only twelve years. Let them remember, that if they are old enough to do wrong, they are also old enough to do right; and that if able to read story-books and to talk, they are also able to read their Bibles and pray.”
What is the conduct of Jesus? IT WAS TO PURSUE GOD! THAT’S EMPHASIZED IN LUKE 2 and IT SHOULD BE EMPHASIZED IN OUR LIVES!
Cornerstone family, let’s be examples for our children and our younger believers! Let’s GUIDE THEM INTO SCRIPTURE AND INTO GOD’S WORD!
Second, Jesus increases in stature.
Jesus grows physically. This is similar to how He becomes strong.
Jesus is physically growing up! this may seem like an obvious thing, but it shows us that Jesus is not just fully God, JESUS IS ALSO FULLY MAN!
This is called the HYPOSTATIC UNION!
Jesus is both fully God and fully man! That’s why JESUS CAN BE OUR SAVIOR!
Third, Jesus increases in favor with God!
To put this another way-Jesus closely walks with God which serves as an example for us!
Fourth, Jesus increases in favor with people!
Jesus grows in favor with people- literally this could be translated as- “Jesus was popular.”
But as we know, Jesus did not come to be popular, or just to be strong, or just to be wise.
Jesus came to SAVE!
And that’s what we’ve seen in Luke 1-2. We’ve seen how
Application
Application
The Gospel Shapes How We Live
The Gospel Shapes How We Live
RESPOND TO THE GOSPEL!
AND HERE IS THE GOSPEL, or the GOOD NEWS!
JESUS- THE SON OF GOD CAME TO EARTH!
JESUS- THE SON OF GOD- NEVER SINNED!
JESUS- THE SON OF GOD- LOVES YOU!
JESUS- THE SON OF GOD- WAS CRUCIFIED FOR US!
JESUS- THE SON OF GOD- TOOK THE PUNISHMENT FOR OUR SIN (EXPLAIN SIN)
JESUS- THE SON OF GOD- ROSE ON THE THIRD DAY!
JESUS- THE SON OF GOD- HAS SEALED YOUR SALVATION! IT IS SECURED!
TODAY- RESPOND TO JESUS WHO IS THE SON OF GOD! (Respond by confessing your sins and believing in your hearts! AND ONCE YOU DO THAT, TELL SOMEONE!)
Today let your lives be shaped by JESUS!
In Luke 2 we see what our priority needs to be BECAUSE OF THE GOSPEL!
Our priority needs to be God!
GROW IN WISDOM BY BEING IN SCRIPTURE!
6 For the Lord gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
19 The mystery was then revealed to Daniel in a vision at night, and Daniel praised the God of the heavens 20 and declared:
May the name of God
be praised forever and ever,
for wisdom and power belong to him.
Bible Reading Plan this year! (Explain- TAKE ONE! And if you get behind, that’s ok! Jump back in. We aren’t here to legalize HOW MUCH you read, but it IS IMPORTANT to be in SCRIPTURE! Second step- get into scripture with someone else! Family, friend, someone here, etc.)
GROW IN WISDOM BY PRAYING!
9 “Therefore, you should pray like this:
Our Father in heaven,
your name be honored as holy.
10 Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And do not bring us into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.
TALK TO GOD! DON’T EVER SHY AWAY FROM THE GOD WHO MADE US AND LOVES US! TALK TO GOD AND ASK FOR WISDOM! James 1:5
5 Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God—who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly—and it will be given to him.
The Gospel Shapes How We Disciple People
The Gospel Shapes How We Disciple People
We see this most obviously through Luke 2:41-52’s instructions to parents, but I want to expand it.
Children AND OUR WORLD needs to see something in us and they need to know 2 things.
They need to see that we LOVE GOD! (Kids need to see parents that love God- see Mary and Joseph) and the world needs to see that WE LOVE GOD! (Why would you listen to someone talk about God if they hate God!)
They need to know WHO THEY ARE IN CHRIST- 2 Corinthians 5:17
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!
They need to know WHAT THEIR PURPOSE IS- Psalm 100- PRAISE AND GLORIFY GOD! But there’s more! Our purpose is also to BE AN AMBASSADOR! 2 Corinthians 5:20
20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf, “Be reconciled to God.”
This is what our world needs!
So what does this all have to do with discipleship?
The Gospel shapes how we DISCIPLE PEOPLE BECAUSE THE GOSPEL SHOWS US WHAT WE NEED TO TEACH and what we need to PASS ON!
We need to help people understand their NEW IDENTITY and their NEW PURPOSE!
Discipleship as a reminder is HELPING SOMEONE KNOW GOD MORE AND OBEY GOD!
The Gospel shapes that!
As a point of application:
Parenting is a discipleship activity, grandparenting is a discipleship activity, walking with another believer who is less mature in their faith is a DISCIPLESHIP ACTIVITY! (These should be discipleship activities, but if we shy away from talking about God in these settings then they are not! And what a missed opportunity!)
And as we engage in discipleship, we keep this framework about how the GOSPEL TEACHES US WHO WE ARE AND OUR PURPOSE IN MIND!
And if we want to draw closer to God then we MUST UNDERSTAND WHO WE ARE AND WHAT OUR PURPOSE IS!
Practically, that understanding is going to shape our PRIORITIES, what we do on a daily basis, etc.
Final thought- It is on us to BRING THE GOSPEL TO THE WORLD AROUND US! (Evangelism is not discipleship, but as we talked about, our world needs this message and this is a CENTRAL THEME OF LUKE 1-2!)
Our world needs to know WHO THEY ARE MADE TO BE AND WHAT THEIR PURPOSE IS!! AND FOR THEM TO KNOW THAT, FOR THEM TO UNDERSTAND HOW THE GOSPEL SHAPES THEIR LIVES, THEY NEED SOMETHING ELSE!
They need us to go! We need to GROW IN EVANGELISM! (We need to take this with us- wisdom is good, but we need to be willing to share that GODLY WISDOM WITH OUR WORLD THAT DESPERATELY NEEDS IT- NOLA and LAS VEGAS TRUCK ATTACKS)
