The Gospel of Luke - Week 6
And and and we haven't always done a good job of this. We were there been a few times where we've you know, very declarative. This is what we're going to do in this year. And this is what we're going to be in this year. And then you know, what kind of forgetting we move on to the other stuff and and and we move on but but we can set the expectations for the year, right? It helps us to give Focus to what we want to be about as a church over the next 12 months with the next 52 weeks and we have the opportunity here to set the tone for what the rest of the year is going to be like And in so it's no coincidence today that we're looking at this passage in Luke and I'll be honest with you. I wish I could plan this good. I ever told you I wish I could plan this, there's no chance that I would have ever been able to plan this good. I need 6-8 weeks ago as belonging that almost almost three months ago now because it was beginning of November when Chris and I sat down and said, hey, why don't you do look for Christmas and then we can just keep rolling that out. There's not a chance that either one of us had any inclination any idea that we would be talking about today's passage on the first Sunday of the year. And so God is really good to us because he said, you know what these guys are going to have this little idea and we're going to time this out and boom. Here's first Sunday of the year you get to talk about this passage and it's going to be perfect for what we need it to be So what I want you to do you want you to open your Bibles to Luke 2. Yes. We're still in Luke 2. I'm going to be finishing out if we finish out lu2 today. Yes, we finish lutu today. So I'll bring them finishing out. Lu2 today. And what's neat about this. Is this passage in Luke 2 starting in verse 41 is unique. It's the only space in the Bible that we see this story right this the only place that we get this part of Jesus's life the other three gospels. Skip the birth of Jesus all together like Mark doesn't just go straight into his ministry or we get the birth narrative in Matthew and Sean and then they go right into his ministry. So Jesus is born and now he's doing his ministry like Mark Mark is one of those great sort of action packed books that we just start out Boom full on right into Jesus ministry something here that the other gospels don't remember that that Luke is writing for Theophilus. He he's writing for this person who has had some kind of event something happened in his life that is caused him to doubt. What he was taught and so Lux it then says the awfulest. I'm going to give you what you need so that you know that what you thought was true. And so Luke gives us this story of Jesus as a kid. I was the only place we get this. He's not a baby at this point. He's 12, right? So wrap your head around This Is It Michael and Kelly's right in between these guys just now will Jesus is at this point and so it's Unique to this unique to us because this is the only place we see it. So I'm going to pray and then we're going to read it together and then we'll talk about what this has to do with the new year and how we set expectations for 2019 as a church. Okay? Okay. Let's pray father. We thank you for today. We thank you that we have the opportunity to begin the New Year together as a church that we can still gather together to listen to your word. To seek your face and your presence. Father we ask that you would speak to us through your holy spirit that that God you would have Luminate the word that you have preserved for us that our hearts would be open to hear your voice and that we would have Clarity in the understanding of what you want to do in our lives today and moving forward. We thank you for all that you do for us and especially what you're going to do today. We ask all these things in Jesus name. Amen Loop to starting a verse 41 will finish out the the chapter here is what Luke Reitz. He says now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover and when he was 12 years old, they went up according to custom and when the feast was ended as they were returning the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, his parents did not know it but supposing him to be in the group. They went a Day's Journey, but then I began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem searching for him after 3 days, they found him in the temple sitting among the teachers listening to them and asking them questions and all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers and when his parents saw they were astonished and his mother said damn son. Why have you treated us? So behold your father and I have been searching for you in great distress, and he said to them, why were you looking for me? Did you not know I must be in My father's house and they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them and he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them and his mother treasured up all these things in her heart and Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man.
Okay, so we need some context here right again. This is the only place that we see Jesus at this stage of life. And so an inverse 41 through 45. We see this thing that Mary and Joseph and Jesus participate in right they go from Nazareth where they live to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of the Passover by the Israelites were required to celebrate Three feasts at the temple it if you can go you can go read this INXS actually just read this this morning in my in my daily reading but God tells Moses on the mountain when the Israelites to come out of Egypt says there are three festivals that I want you to celebrate every year all together, right? There's the Feast of the Passover which commemorates God pulling his people out of Egypt. There's the Feast of firstfruits right when you get the first harvest in And then the feasts and this is the one I always forget. I can't remember go look it up. It's in Exodus. There's another feast. And and if these three celebrations were commanded to them by God. God says I want you to celebrate these three times a year because in doing so you're going to remember what I've done for you. And and it was customary that these will be celebrated at the temple in Jerusalem. Now by Jesus time this gets a little more difficult, right because it because the Jews are not localized around Jerusalem anymore. They've spread out they occupied the promised land they've they've moved into these other places. Rome has come and spread them a little further even and so it's not quite as easy as it used to be for everybody to gather together for these feasts. But what do we see here? We see that Joseph and Mary make the journey to Jerusalem each year for Passover it is that that these people who were not wealthy who did not have a lot of material Goods took the time each year to make the journey from Nazareth to Jerusalem to celebrate this Festival remembering how God had brought his people out of Egypt What's a Jesus is 12 years old at this point? This is the 12th time. He's been to Jerusalem for Passover. And after the feast after after the week-long celebration of Passover. They they start the journey back home, right it it takes a few days to get there. They have a week of party and then it takes a few days to get back and usually when people traveled for these festivals, they would travel together. So it would be like if if we know we live here in Pocatello, right and and there was a festival of some kind in Salt Lake we would all carpool together. Right, let's let's all carpool together. Why because it's it's cheaper. It's safer that it's easier to keep track of everything if we're all doing this together. And so everybody from Nazareth who had gone to celebrate this Passover would have traveled together would have traveled to Jerusalem together and we've all met up and travel back together. There there people that everybody knew right? Remember that these communities were huge Community. We talked and maybe a couple hundred people in some cases. It's always you knew who you were traveling with. They were your neighbors. They were your friends. They were your family. It's usually people travel together and when they did this it would typically not always but typically beat women and children sort of leading the way and then the men would come behind them together and Jesus at 12 would have most likely kind of moved between the two groups right here yet spend some time up in the front with his mother and and with the kids that he that he had grown up with it. He did that knew him. But it he's also not not quite a kid anymore and so he would go and hang back with the guys with the men. He's living in the space at 12 that where he's not quite a child anymore. He's also not quite a man yet either. And so it shouldn't surprise us that Mary and Joseph might not know where he's at all the time. Now. This is a different way of thinking than us, right because right now is like I don't want kids at I don't want my kid that and if you didn't know where your kids at was first thing you do.
now the travel today, so there are date. It's full 12 hours away from Jerusalem. And it's at this point. They say Jesus intense America's back if I just say Jesus with you and he says no I thought he was with you. And so they start to search around. It's been a whole day. Now since anybody knows where Jesus was at they travel to full day away from Jerusalem, and I can't find him. So what they do we must have left them in Jerusalem. Let's go back. So they travel the whole day at 2 days now write a day out. They can't find him. They travel a whole day back to Jerusalem 2 days. They haven't seen Jesus. I want you to think about your mental state. It has been two days since you've seen your kid like some of us are going
And then the rest of us going the opposite of War.
And what we see it in verse versus 46 through 48 is it takes to find Jesus? He's been gone for 5 days.
5 days I can't find. Jesus and when they do find him, he's in the temple talking with the teachers and answering their questions. And what's really interesting is that the Bible tells us that the people who were in the temple the teachers listening to that listening to him. They were amazed at his understanding. I apparently none of these guys. You know, it's kind of weird that 12 year olds here saying these amazingly incredible things. I wonder where his parents are like that. Never occurs to them it seems They're so amazed by what Jesus is saying that they don't think to wonder about his parents and then Mary and Joseph show up and they find him. and their astonishment
And here's the thing like you can trust your Bible and I want to be very clear. You can trust your Bible. Right but sometimes the words that the translators choose may not fully Express the range of emotion that you might experience yourself. So after 5 days, this is what we see Mary responding. She says, son why have you treated us? So And that may not be the same emotional force that Mary may have asked that question. We don't read it the same way that she would have said it at times.
But they're astonished. Astonished why be treated us like this. We didn't know where you were. We were scared. Your father and I have been searching for you in great distress kind of an understatement.
to look at how Jesus response to their question what he says how he responds to the verse 49 I mean said to them, why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my father's house.
This feels funky to us. It just feels weird to us and it feels weird to us because we're not experiencing this story the same way that Joseph and Mary experience. That's right. Remember that. They knew that Jesus was the Messiah. Gabriel has shown up and said hey Mary, you're going to be pregnant. It's the Son of God. He will save his people from their sins the Gabriel shows up to to Joseph and says Joseph. It's okay. This is from God. This is a big deal lately new to this but they don't experience Jesus the same way we do right? We can read the Bible we read the story and and we get to experience the full unfolding of Jesus as Messiah right away. We see the whole picture but this isn't what Jesus or what Joseph and Mary got to go through. They would have experienced the unfolding revelation of Jesus as the Son of God bit by bit piece by piece. And so we look at this is a man. That's a funny way to react. But if it's in that kind of a contacts where they had they don't have the luxury of reading ahead.
Then it sort of makes sense. Jesus's got this kind of questioning attitude about the whole situation like big eyes, don't you remember what Gabriel said? Why are you looking for me? Don't you don't you know that I should be in my father's house. And Jesus expresses this thirst for the knowledge of God in this question. Where is he at? He's where God would be.
He's in the temple talking with the teachers the people who know most about God. This is where Jesus is at.
And we see in there this thirst for the knowledge of God, even though he is God. He has this desire in him to have his relationship with God deepened and strengthened. But notice something else but the Bible also tells us about his obedience in returning with his parents. He doesn't say hold on guys. I don't know why you were looking for me. But you know remember. I'm in the temple is where I should be go back to business. It doesn't do that. What does he do? He submits what's the word we see in the Bible? They didn't understand what he was saying and he went down with them to Nazareth and was submissive to them. He obeys his parents even though they don't quite get what's going on, even though they don't fully understand what's happening. Jesus submits to them and goes back to Nazareth. And I'm married again Treasures these things in her. This is something that that Mary does all her life as she takes these experiences that she has regarding her her child and then Treasures them up holds them close in her heart and Luke leaves us with verse 52, which it which is where we going to spend most of our time. There's 52 is where we're going to spend most of our time. Look at this. Let's read it together and Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man. Increased in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man and here's why this is so good. This is why this is so good. Luke shows us how Jesus grew he shows us how Jesus grew up. This isn't like Matthew and John where is baby Jesus man Jesus. It's not like Mark where it's man. Jesus. Luke gives us baby. Jesus boy Jesus man Jesus and so we can see the trajectory of his life. We can see the process that he went through and what this does is this provides us with a framework for our own growth efforts. Remember we're supposed to be like Jesus. So essentially what Lucas doing is saying look, here's how Jesus grew up. This is how you should grow up to. We were given what we need again. This is something that I want us to get. This is like one of the big ideas of Mission Church is that Jesus wants you to know him and he gives you what you need in order to do that. And that's what we see here. We're supposed to be like Christ. And so God in his grace and his wisdom and his love for us says here you go. This is what it looks like. you can walk this path to this is how Jesus grew up. This is how we should grow up and so here is our big idea for this passage. Here's our big idea gospel growth is holistic growth. Growth in the gospel is holistic. How we grow covers the whole range of us as people. It's not a piece here in a piece there. So I want to break this damn. We're going to look at each of these four pieces as we talk about what it's like to grow the way Jesus did so number one Jesus grew in wisdom. He grew in wisdom to make a mistake here. I don't know if you've ever made that made this mistake. I've made this mistake before a lot of guys. Let's be honest a lot of guys when they first get into the whole reformed thing make this mistake. We tend to make a mistake and think of wisdom as knowledge. What we think of wisdom as knowledge know a lot of stuff if I know more if I can wrap my head around these Concepts and ideas if I can explain it if I know this stuff then I will be wise but that's not the case growth strictly and knowledge can be a problem. Let me let me frame this for you. Have you ever known someone who knew a lot?
Okay. Do you want to spend a lot of time with those people? No, you don't why because they just have to explain what they know. They're going to tell you the origin of this in the Providence of that and how this thing came to be and how this thing works and how you're not smart enough to know this but they are let me tell you right this is how this works when you'd gather just knowledge you turn into this know-it-all person that nobody really wants to be around. I've been that guy right I did my friends used to make fun of me that I would just make up the rules as we went because I was that guy I knew everything or at least everything that I thought I needed to know and I was quick to let other people know that I knew what I was talking about.
It was about Gathering knowledge. Wisdom is different wisdom is different than just knowledge knowledge is a part of it. But wisdom is a little different this wisdom that Jesus is growing in is both intellectual and emotional. It's it's both of these and remember it's holistic. It's both intellectual and emotional. I listen to this from Psalm 111. We get a picture of what this looks like someone 11 verse 10 and the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom all those who practice it have a good understanding his praise endures forever. What is a psalmist saying they're the psalmist of saying that if you want to be wise you need to fear God?
If you're going to be wise if you use going to go down that road of wisdom, it has to start with seeing God for who he is. The fear of God is an interesting. I just I just read the the middle portion of Exodus this morning in my in my daily reading and in that this is the the time in in the story when God comes down on the mountain to meet with Moses and it says that the people were afraid because of the the loud trumpets in the thunder in the fire. And the thing is that when that happens they see God for who he is and they see themselves in relation to God and that causes with the Bible terms fear of the Lord is not like you're scared. He's going to beat you up but it's a recognition of how great he really is how holy he really is how perfect he really is pain. The song was just telling us if you want to be wise. This is where you start.
In the Bible tells us that Jesus grew in wisdom. It wasn't just knowledge because let's be honest. Nobody knew more about God than Jesus. Can we all just agree to that because nobody who knows more about God than Jesus.
But he grew in wisdom didn't grow knowledge. He grew in wisdom. It was both intellectual and emotional. I think of it this way think of this way knowledge tells us what things are but wisdom tells us what to do with them. Wright's knowledge tells me what an umbrella is. Knowledge tells me how an umbrella works, right there's a piece that you raise up and because their arms connected to it presses outward in that swings these other arms out and into space increases and there's fabric between them is the space increases the fabric stretched out and you push it until it's hot and then you've got a shield from the weather like that's knowledge wisdom tells me when it's raining. I should open my umbrella to stay dry. Nose tells us what it is, but wisdom tells us what we're supposed to do with it how it's supposed to work how we benefits. That's what Jesus grows in wisdom. Not just knowledge not just knowing but in wisdom. Annoying, what were what he supposed to do with this. What is he supposed to do with his knowledge of God? What is he supposed to do with his knowledge of the world?
What's the question for us is are you growing in wisdom? As as you begin 2019. Are you growing in wisdom? Not just amassing more information. Just grabbing more facts. This is the thing that happens right? One of my things that I like to do. Every year is its try to read more and I've made a decision with this year in that. I'm not going to worry about reading more. I'm going to wear that reading better. How to read better books not just more books because I'm tired of fighting this growth in knowledge. It wears me out. Maybe wears you out to. It's just always so much to know so many more things to know. I want to get off that. I don't want it. I don't want to fight knowledge anymore, but only grown wisdom. So I'm going to try to read better books this year. How are you growing? A growing wisdom you growing in knowledge.
That's number one Jesus grew in wisdom number to he grew in stature. Jesus grew in stature. This means a couple of things right? First of all, it means that he grew up. He grew bigger as 12 year old boys are want to do Jesus grew up at Chris and I were just having a conversation that apparently James had an inch and a half growth spurt in the last 6 weeks. That's crazy. Right that you was way we were looking at him yesterday last night is run around his pants are all four inches too short. Stature growth in stature means he grew up 12 year old boys grow up. They get taller they get more muscular right puberty is beginning to set in and they're beginning to become men, but that's not all that happens when you grow in stature and what the Bible is telling us is that Jesus grew in maturity didn't just grow up, but he grew up. He's growing a maturity this this has a particular meaning when it comes to us from the scripture. So again a couple of verses here. They're written down. You can look them up later. I heard you looking up later. But first Timothy. Chapter 4 sorry, I thought I had a bookmark in it, but I didn't 1st Timothy Chapter 4 verses 7 through 10 Paul here is writing to his Protege and it's what he says. He says have nothing to do with the Reverend silly myths rather train yourself for godliness for a while bodily training is of some value godliness is a value in every way as it holds promise for the present light and also for the life to come the saying is trustworthy and deserving a full acceptance for to this end we Toil and strive because we have our hopes set on the Living God who is the savior of all people especially those who believe Paul is telling Timothy. It's time to grow up get rid of the silly irreverent myths but but train for godliness become mature.
No more childish things but but move toward that picture of who Jesus is we see something similar in Ephesians chapter 4 reasons for starting a verse 11 and he gave the apostles the prophets the Evangelist the Shepherds and teachers to equip the Saints for work of Ministry for building up the body of price right here until we all the Tain to the unity of faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God to mature manhood to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ so that we may no longer be children tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of Doctrine by human cunning by craftiness and deceitful schemes rather speaking the truth in love. We are to grow up in every way into him. Who is the head into Christ. Jesus becomes the measure of our maturity. But there's a maturity that comes as we grow like Price Rite. We move away from irreverent silly myths and toward godliness. We embrace our role in the body and we measure ourselves against Jesus. Zima charity is not how much more how much more mature I am compared to y'all. The measure of my maturity is against the fullness of Christ and it's a different kind of thing. That's what that means that that my maturity is not based on how much more I serve than say Chris. My maturity is do I serve like Jesus? My maturity is a my Godly like Jesus. It's not comparing to each other comparing to Christ. A lot of times we find ourselves stuck here right nnnn like Paul tells Timothy that that some bodily training is useful, right? There's good things about bodily training the spiritual training that training at tour godliness is eminently useful when we get stuck here. We do kind of something like when your body stops growing up and starts growing out. Heights right when it comes to New Year's a lot of us make resolutions about stemming the outward growth tied, we're going to cut that down we're going to shrink that we're not getting any taller not going up anymore, but we want to stop going out and bring that back in. Paul is using this bodily metaphor and it works both ways. He says yes go to the gym workout get strong get muscular be lean and fit because there's some benefit there. But if you will exercise godliness if you will grow in maturity like Christ, there is always benefit there. There's no downside to that like there's no dieting in your growth and godliness. That's cool.
maturity
Doesn't stop as we grow like Jesus, there's no point where we get off that train. It's from new birth to death. Nobody ever retains the full measure of Christ. Here on Earth. We just can't we we can't do that. We will only ever attain the full measure of Conformity to Jesus when we see him face to face. That's a beautiful day. But we're not there yet.
so question Have you given up growing in stature? Define to reading your Bible less you're praying less your less inclined to spend time with other believers. Have you given up are you are you growing out instead of growing up? How do you compare yourself as far as maturity goes to other people? Are you looking to Jesus as the measure of your growth?
Have you given up growing in stature?
Number 3 Third Way that Jesus crew was in favor with God Jesus grew in favor with God. This sounds weird to our ears, right? Because Jesus is God. So he the father liked him more as he grew that sounds were that's not what this means. K-LOVE. Let's just take that off the table. That's not what Luke is saying what what we have here. Is this favor with God. This is spirituality. Did this is this is Jesus growing spiritually? Too often we find ourselves running into this attitude of I'm I'm good where I'm at when it comes to our spirituality. I would like to be more I would like to be better than this but I can't get there. So I'm I'm good where I'm at for the problem is when we get to that point we end up trading real spirituality real spiritual growth for things that look like it. I'd say it's like trading real good healthy food for stuff. That looks like real good healthy food. That's made out of sugar. It looks right or or even better. Like if you don't know if you've ever watches, maybe you don't want to watch this, but you can go on YouTube and you can watch videos about how they make food for TV commercials that you may not want to do this and I may burst some of your bubble. But when you see on TV the platter with the stack of pancakes and the butter and then the picture comes down, right and they pour the syrup over the pancakes and it just kind of hits the top and Cascade down over the sides and it looks beautiful and scrumptious. Yes 10 W 30 motor motor oil. Right, it looks right and it is really wrong. No one should put motor oil either. Let me make it worse. Never seen TV commercials when they open the carton of ice cream and then they get the scoop and they stick it in and they pull it across yesterday just perfectly curls right up and they pop. Do you know what that is, Crisco? Vegetable fat that's not ice cream. This is what we do when we reach this point where we say, I'm good here. We trade the ice cream. foreshortening betrayed the maple syrup from motor oil
and all of these things that look rights are actually less than worthless. If I if I put a plate of pancakes on your table right in front of you poured motor oil over it you would go I'll pass. I'll skip on that one today. Thanks, and I have some toast. If I were to put a bowl of shortening in front of you you wouldn't eat that you would need that right? You wouldn't eat that. No, but we do this all the time when it comes to things that are spiritual we trade what looks right for what is right and end in the Bible has some harsh words to say about this in Philippians. Philippians chapter 3
I get there I turned around page.
Paul here is riding to the church at Philippi and this is what he tells him. He's talking about this thing where we've taken all of this stuff that looks right and tried to replace it for the stuff. We should be doing for the things that we should be experiencing. And this is what he says Olympians 3 verses 8 and 9. He says indeed I count everything as a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord that's true spirituality knowing Jesus. That's what it is to be spiritual. I counted as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord for his sake. I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish in order that I might gain Christ and be found in him not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ the righteousness from God that depends on faith. now you need to understand something about what Paul just said here in about what we're supposed to be doing about what we do. The word that is translated rubbish there. The Greek word is skubala. It's not a nice word. I weary brother should be like okay with that, right? Okay, cool the rubbish. It's it's garbage some people some some translations have garbage there. Trash some translations get a little closer to what the word actually means and they'll say dung.
Kenworth is work going. Not a nice word. Because when we take things that look, right. And put them in the places of things that are rights. They're exactly worst that word you're thinking of right now.
growing in favor with God isn't going to church everyday or every Sunday isn't reading your Bible everyday. It isn't not looking at p***. It isn't giving to the poor. All of those things are good. You should do all of those things. But none of them.
Are knowing Jesus.
Your salvation isn't based on your ability to keep the law.
Jesus grew in favor with God it wasn't about his ability to keep the law off Jesus kept the law. There was nothing he ever did that was wrong. There was no slip-of-the-tongue. There was no careless thought there was no action that he made that violated the rules of God. It's not about keeping the law.
It's entirely on the righteousness of God that comes through faith in Jesus. And all of your efforts to do anything other than that. Are skubala.
How are you growing spiritually? Are you growing under your own strength or rather? Are you trying to grow under your own strength? Are you just muscling through like I'm going to read my Bible every day this year.
I just that's not how Jesus wants you to reach your Bible and cry. I'm really going to love my co-workers who I hate. That's not how this works.
How did you got up every morning? For those of you who are married if you got up every morning and you walked into the the kitchen and you saw your spout their you said I really love you, too.
He's not going to last that's not how this works. You can't muscle your way through this but we try Oh by golly do we try? We try all the time. I'm going to be more generous. I'm going to pray more. I'm going to read Mark. I'm going to be more faithful at church. I'm going to do this and I'm going to do that and I'm going to do this and I'm going to do that in all of it is skubala. Because it is the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus. That is worth having.
That's favor with God. fourth and final Jesus grew in favor with man
God created us to live in community, right if we go back to the Garden of Eden we see that God makes Adam and then gives them a job and I'm kind of bummed out because he doesn't find anybody who you know, he wants to spend time with my big hippos are great but hippos, right? I really like orangutans. They look funny but not quite my thing and God looks at the man and says it's not good that the man should be alone. And so he creates woman. Humanity has been created to live in community with each other. There is no point in the history of humankind that people have not gathered together as communities for Mutual benefit. It's safer when there's more of us together. We can help each other achieve more things when there's more of us together. We all benefit right? I get the benefit of your insight into my kids lives. I did they don't grow up in a vacuum of just me. They get you to which is good. We need that. God created us to live in community and we have talked a lot about this in in the last few months, right especially as we finished out the back half of the Apostles Creed. There's a lot of communal language and that we've talked about how salvation is a communal Prospect headed when God forgives sin. There's communal consequences to that how he created the church to work together to glorify him and edify us. A solo Christian is an oxymoron.
Pretty heavy on the moron. You can't do it. It won't work. Will end up looking like what it should instead of being what it should.
Jesus grew in favor with man. That means people like Tim people listened to him. He was Winsome. He was full of grace are you wasn't one of those know-it-all people that you didn't want to be around you like now I'm and we should go talk to Jesus. He left them in sight. I like hanging out with him. I like being around those guys.
He's a fun guy to hang with. Yeah, sure. He said some stuff sometimes it stings, but I know he loves me.
If you have those people in your lives, do you have those people that you know what I just like hanging out with this guy? I like hanging out with that girl. She's my friend. He's like family.
They push me. I sometimes don't like what they say, but I know he loves me and I know he's looking out for me. I know he knows he's after what's best for me.
What's preventing you from growing closer with each other? Cuz their stuff right? Let's be honest. Can we be honest with each other? We should be honest with each other wearing Church their stuff that's preventing us from growing closer with the people around us. There just is it doesn't mean that it's bad stuff. There might be some of that but there are things that we're holding back because we just don't want and it just don't want someone to know quite that much. I want someone to be quiet vac close. I've been hurt in the past. I don't know if I can trust them. What's holding you back. What's preventing you from growing in the son not saying that you just got it like after soon as we're done here. We need to sit down. I'm going to tell you everything. Hold on we're so I don't want to know everything right away. Maybe we'll get there. Hold on. This isn't about doing it perfectly but grow. What's preventing you from growing in that? Remember that this gospel growth is holistic ever going to grow in the Gospel of Jesus. It's holistic. We're going to grow in wisdom and stature and favor with God and favor with man. one piece
The picture that we get from the Bible, is that the gospel melts your heart. It takes are hard Stoney.
Hearts and it melts them and pores are melted heart into a mold forming it to the image of Jesus.
Some of us melt faster than others and some parts of our heart melt faster than others and some of some parts of our heart conform they set in that new shape faster than others.
But the end of 2019 As We Gather for Christmas Eve services as a church in 12 months. What I want to see is that we have grown in the gospel. Do we have experienced this holistic growth that we are more wise 12 months from now. Then we are today that we are more mature 12 months from now, then we are today that we have more favor with God 12 months from now than we do today. But we have more favor with each other and with those around us and we do today.
This is the goal for 2019. Did I tell you I can't plan this out. I'm not that good.
But the goal for 2019 is to finish the year being more like Jesus.
Who grew in wisdom and stature and favor with God and man?
My Hope Is that we would grow holistically in the gospel together Lights that we would push each other that when when we feel ourselves going down the road of just gaining knowledge, we would ask for help and help me. I don't want to be puffed up with knowledge. I want to be a know-it-all help me know what to do with this. That when we bump into something that might prevent us from maturing that we would ask for help. Cuz I need help. I feel like I'm getting stuck. Push me pull me something help me. BB find ourselves leaning toward the skubala of spiritual Bakery that we would ask for help. And then we would be pulled back to the reality of measuring our self against Jesus.
And we wouldn't try to do it on our own but we would do it it Community with each other helping and encouraging and challenging and lifting up and mourning and weeping and celebrating and rejoicing together. As a group of people.
This is what I want for 2019. What I want for you for 2019. That you would be like Jesus and grow. in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man What spray?