Where's Jesus?

(NKJV)

41 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 according to the custom of the feast. 43 When they had finished the days, as they returned, the Boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem. And Joseph and His mother did not know it; 44 but supposing Him to have been in the company, they went a day’s journey, and sought Him among their relatives and acquaintances. 45 So when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him. 46 Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. 47 And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers. 48 So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously.” 49 And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” 50 But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them. 51 Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

1000 Illustrations for Preaching & Teaching This Thing of Age!

Johann Strauss, Jr., composed his first waltz at the age of six.

John Keats died at twenty-six, but what a legacy of poetry he left!

Upton Sinclair published his first book, The Prairie Pirates, when he was seventeen.

John Wesley preached with remarkable regularity and effectiveness when he was past eighty.

Jesus of Nazareth was a young Man. According to our methods of reckoning time, His ministry did not exceed His thirty-third birthday. Albert Schweitzer believed that our Lord’s ministry was much briefer than the traditional three-year span. It was not His age, but His identity, relationships, promises, and fulfillment culminating at Calvary and the empty tomb that made Him Savior.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon at nineteen preached to 27,000 persons on a British hillside.

Influence of Young People

By contrast, aged people need youth. Visit any college campus, and nearby you will find some of the youngest old people on earth. These professors, staff members, and other workers have been around youth so long and in such numbers that they think young, act young, and dream like young people.

INTRO:

ME:

Alexander the Great conquered countries at the age of 18

Charles Haddon Spurgeon at nineteen preached to 27,000 persons on a British hillside.

Upton Sinclair published his first book, The Prairie Pirates, when he was seventeen.

Now I remember playing sort of a puzzle game when I was younger. It was a game called “Where’s Waldo?” Anyone ever play it before? It was a game showing several people in a picture all clumped together. Each doing something amusing. The point of the games was to find “Waldo” who is identified by his red-and-white-striped shirt, bobble hat, and glasses. He wasn’t easy to find. Some people spend several minutes looking for him.

WE:

By contrast, aged people need youth. Visit any college campus, and nearby you will find some of the youngest old people on earth. These professors, staff members, and other workers have been around youth so long and in such numbers that they think young, act young, and dream like young people.

Now we see Jesus here who goes on a trip with his parents to the festival and they get to play the not so fun game of “Where’s Jesus”

Maybe we had to play that game to. Our children goes missing for a few minutes, our dog runs away, or we just can’t get a hold of someone.

Maybe sometimes we feel like that in our relationship with God. Our prayers go unanswered, God is silent, we lose a loved one, someone gets sick & we think to ourselves…Where is Jesus in all this?

Influence of Young People

GOD:

By contrast, aged people need youth. Visit any college campus, and nearby you will find some of the youngest old people on earth. These professors, staff members, and other workers have been around youth so long and in such numbers that they think young, act young, and dream like young people.

Now we see Jesus here as a boy. He was twelve years old and is growing in stature and wisdom. He probably learned the carpentry business from his dad, Joseph. Max Lucado asks a penetrating question in one of his books…

“I often wonder, If Jesus as a boy in his carpentry trade, would ever pick up a nail and rub it in between His two fingers anticipating the pain that was to come as he would be nailed to the cross at Calvary.”

Now the early church seemed to have no interest in the life of Jesus after his birth until his emergence as a teacher. It is only mentioned in the gospel of Luke. That’s important to know, because Luke was a Doctor. Doctors are very detailed orientated. They are precise and very careful and organized in everything they do.

In our natural tendacies, we don’t like the unknown, the mysterious. So in an attempt to fill in the gap of this missing piece of His life, there would be legends that would come to the surface about Jesus and his life between 12 and 30. Legends that were unreliable and lacked credibility. One example of such a legend comes from a manuscript in the 2nd Century called....

From the Infancy Gospel of Thomas (2nd century):

the Infancy Gospel of Thomas (2nd century):

When this boy Jesus was five years old he was playing at the ford of a brook, and he gathered together into pools the water that flowed by, and made it at once clean, and commanded it by his word alone. But the son of Annas the scribe was standing there with Joseph; and he took a branch of a willow and (with it) dispersed the water which Jesus had gathered together. When Jesus saw what he had done, he was enraged and said to him: "You insolent, godless dunderhead, what harm did the pools and the water do to you? See, now you also shall wither like a tree and shall bear neither leaves nor root nor fruit." And immediately that lad withered up completely; and Jesus departed and went into Joseph's house. But the parents of him that was withered took him away, bewailing his youth, and brought him to Joseph and reproached him: "What a child you have who does such things." After this again he went through the village, and a lad ran and knocked against his shoulder. Jesus was exasperated and said to him: "You shall not go further on your way," and the child immediately fell down and died. But some, who saw what took place, said: "From where does this child spring, since every word is an accomplished deed?"

Here is one more example from the Arabic Infancy Gospel:

One day, when Jesus was running about and playing with some children, he passed by the workshop of a dyer called Salem. They had in the workshop many cloths which he had to dye. The Lord Jesus went into the dyer's workshop, took all these cloths. When Salem came and saw that the cloths were spoiled, he began to cry aloud and asked the Lord Jesus, saying: "What have you done to me, son of Mary? You have ruined my reputation in the eyes of all the people of the city; for everyone orders a suitable colour for himself, but you have come and spoiled everything." And the Lord Jesus replied: "I will change for you the colour of any cloth which you wish to be changed"; and he immediately began to take the cloths out of the cauldron, each of them dyed as the dyer wished, until he had taken them all out. When the Jews saw this miracle and wonder, they praised God.

Now these Gospels weren’t accepted into the Bible because they came from sources that weren’t credible or reliable. There was a process where we got the 66 bibles. This process is call canonization. It didn’t happen over night but through hundreds of years as God inspired the words that He wanted to be written.

The councils followed something similar to the following principles to determine whether a New Testament book was truly inspired by the Holy Spirit: 1) Was the author an apostle or have a close connection with an apostle? 2) Is the book being accepted by the body of Christ at large? 3) Did the book contain consistency of doctrine and orthodox teaching? 4) Did the book bear evidence of high moral and spiritual values that would reflect a work of the Holy Spirit?

Councils followed something similar to the following principles to determine whether a New Testament book was truly inspired by the Holy Spirit:

1) Was the author an apostle or have a close connection with an apostle?

2) Is the book being accepted by the body of Christ at large?

3) Did the book contain consistency of doctrine and orthodox teaching?

4) Did the book bear evidence of high moral and spiritual values that would reflect a work of the Holy Spirit?

Now we see how Luke wrote his gospel under the inspiration of the gospel with such detail precision. Such as how any Doctor does every thing they do. We see in our text how he speaks of the only episode written about the childhood of Jesus. Where He reveals to us and gives us an example of what Child-like faith should look like.

Characteristics of a Childlike faith....

A Child-like faith Honors the Habit of Tradition(v.41-45)

Life Application Bible Commentary, Luke Jesus Speaks with the Religious Teachers / 2:41–52 / 15

REGULAR HABITS

Jesus’ parents, like most devout Jews, went to Jerusalem each year. Jesus’ family had the right priorities. Families that establish regular habits of worship are less likely to have their spiritual life deflected by alternative attractions. Keep worship on top of your family’s agenda. Putting God first is a great example to children, who quickly learn what parents care about by observing how they plan and spend time.

Now it was tradition for jews to goto Jerusalem every year for the feast of the passover. This was a celebration for the Jews for their deliverance from slavery in Egypt. You know the story. Moses was choosen to lead the Israelites but, Pharoah wouldn’t let Gods people go and he kept them in bondage and slavery. Moses persisted and warned him of God’s judgment of the ten plagues that He would send if Pharoah didn’t obey God’s command. The 10th and final plague was the death of every 1st born child in Egypt but for the Israelites they are to smear the blood of a lamp on their door post so death may pass them over.

This what God’s people would celebrate year after year. Remembering how God has freed them from the bondage of slavery.

We see Joseph and Mary head to Jersusalem for the passover feast as they have done every year. This would be the 1st year Jesus would go. For it was Jewish custom that a boy becomes a man at the age of 12 and they would partake in all the festivities.

Now the festival was similar in some ways to festivals we have today. They would travel together and walk in long lines of people in procession on the streets until they reached the festival. They developed this habit worship. They didn’t use family as an excuse not to worship. Sadly today, many people worship family instead of worshipping God with the family. Putting God first is a great example to children, who quickly learn what their parents care about by observing how they spend their time and what’s a priority.

Even though, Mary and Joseph were doing the right thing in developing a habit of worship by going to this festival every year, we see a HUGE parenting fail here! Somewhere on the journey home they lose Jesus. Jesus stayed back in Jerusalem because he didn’t want to leave the festival. They assumed that he was with friends or family. Im sure like other parents would they rushed through crowds on the street. Yelling at friends and relatives. Asking them if they have seen Jesus. I could imagine responding “Jesus, you mean the son of God”? You lost the Son of God. Really”?

Mary and Joseph backtracked all the way back to Jerusalem, where the festival was at. They found the boy Jesus in the temple listening and asking questions of the religious learning. You see Jesus as a boy one who had this hunger for the things of the kingdom of God. You wouldnt find him skipping church for a football game, a family outing, or sleeping in. He was one that fully enjoyed God. It wasn’t a chore for him or a religious duty. You will today a church that is full of lifeless and apathetic Christians who have lost the joy of their salvation. To find that again we must approach God with a child like faith full of excitement and wonder at the things of God.

The Apostle Pauls says something about the passover and where our hearts should be.

(NKJV)

7 Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. 8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Jesus and the apostles described sin as leaven. This is because just a little sin into our lives or into the church allows it to spread throughout our whole life or the whole church.

It needs to be purged out because when we come to Christ we are made a new creation. The old has gone and the new has come and the bride of Christ which is the church is called to be pure and Holy because He is righteous and true!

What about you? Do you have a child like faith that worships God through habits of prayer, fasting, bible reading, acts of mercy, and fellowship by not forsaking the assembling together as some are in the habit of doing? It just takes the occasional missing of a Sunday service, or skipping of a devotional time to get us off track. Maybe their is a sin that has creeped into your life?

Remember the warning from God in ...

If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it."

We all were hungry for God when we first encountered Jesus. But many of our hearts have grown cold and that fire for him has faded away. But it doesn’t have to be that way. What I see here with Jesus is that He had such a passion for the things of the kingdom as a child and as He grew that fire never wavered and ares doesn’t have to either. Jesus is the son of God and He gives us a perfect example of what it looks like to the love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength!

We have to be purposeful about it though, if thats what we truly want. We will have to get up earlier to do devotions. We will have to say no to friends and family in order to say yes to God.

When we seek God with all our hearts we will be found by him!

COMMUNION

The administration of the Lord’s Supper may be introduced by an appropriate sermon and the reading of or some other suitable passage. Let the minister then give the following invitation:

(NKJV)

14 When the hour had come, He sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him. 15 Then He said to them, “With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; 16 for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” 17 Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, “Take this and divide it among yourselves; 18 for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” 19 And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 20 Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.

The Lord himself ordained this holy sacrament. He commanded His disciples to partake of the bread and wine, emblems of His broken body and shed blood. This is His table. The feast is for His disciples. Let all those who have with true repentance forsaken their sins, and have believed in Christ unto salvation, draw near and take these emblems, and, by faith, partake of the life of Jesus Christ, to your soul’s comfort and joy. Let us remember that it is the memorial of the death and passion of our Lord; also a token of His coming again. Let us not forget that we are one, at one table with the Lord.

The minister may offer a prayer of confession and supplication, concluding with the following prayer of consecration:

Almighty God, our Heavenly Father, who out of Your tender mercy gave Your only Son, Jesus Christ, to suffer death upon the Cross for our redemption: hear us, we most humbly beseech You. Grant that, as we receive these Your creatures of bread and wine according to the holy institution of Your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, in remembrance of His passion and death, we may be made partakers of the benefits of His atoning sacrifice.

We are reminded that in the same night that our Lord was betrayed, He took bread and, when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to His disciples, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” Likewise, after supper, He took the cup, and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

May we come before You in true humility and faith as we partake of this holy sacrament. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Then may the minister, partaking first, with the assistance of any other ministers present, and when necessary, of the stewards, administer the Communion to the people. While the bread is being distributed, let the minister say:

The body of our Lord Jesus Christ, which was broken for you, preserve you blameless, unto everlasting life. Take and eat this, in remembrance that Christ died for you.

As the cup is being passed, let the minister say:

The blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, which was shed for you, preserve you blameless unto everlasting life. Drink this, in remembrance that Christ’s blood was shed for you, and be thankful.

After all have partaken, the minister may then offer a concluding prayer of thanksgiving and commitment.

What was a Caravan in biblical days?

Jesus’ parents, like most devout Jews, went to Jerusalem each year. Jesus’ family had the right priorities. Families that establish regular habits of worship are less likely to have their spiritual life deflected by alternative attractions. Keep worship on top of your family’s agenda. Putting God first is a great example to children, who quickly learn what parents care about by observing how they plan and spend time.

A Child-like faith is to be Teachable(v.46-47)

humility

unlearning what we have been taught

we want to be taught the deep things of God when we aren’t living out the basic things of God such as love, compassion, and mercy.

A Child-Like faith seeks their heavenly father above all else (v.48-52)

Carry your cross/ everything else should seem like hate

love God over your family

Jesus/Peter conversation- Peter do you love me? 3 times, then feed my sheep