06AM August 13 Luke 2 40_52

August 13, 2006—Morning Worship

The “Life of Jesus” Series – Part 2

My Father’s Business

God’s Great Examples Found in Jesus

Luke 2:40-52

Intro:  Have you ever stopped to think about the fact that Jesus was just like you? Has it ever crossed your mind that, in the flesh, Jesus was absolutely human? Do you realize what impact that truth has on the similarities between you & Jesus?

          The Bible tells us that Jesus ate, & slept, & walked, & talked. He got tired, experienced joy & sorrow, pleasure & pain, & even wept! In the flesh, Jesus was just like ever other human being who ever lived! Almost every painting you see of Jesus depicts Him w/either a strange glow about Him or He has a halo over His head. But the Bible tells us that, as far as His looks or His appearance is concerned, there was nothing special about Jesus! & yet—Jesus was still fully God! I really cannot explain that but the Bible teaches it & so we know it’s true, b/c the Bible is God’s word & God cannot lie!

          Many people ask, “Why did Jesus come to earth?” He came for many reasons, the chief reason being to die for the sins of all who would believe. But Jesus also came to leave us an example of how to live a godly life in the middle of this ungodly world. He came to show us the way; to walk the path; to point the direction to God.

          Peter, writing about the submission & willingness of the believer to suffer like Jesus did, wrote in 1 Peter 2 21 For to this you were called, b/c Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: & so, today, we want to look more closely at this matter of Jesus being our example. & as we do, we’ll see from the Bible, “God’s great examples found in Jesus.” & we’ll also see how these examples are to apply to our lives today.

- Our text is found in…

Luke 2 40 & the Child grew & became strong in spirit, filled w/wisdom; & the grace of God was upon Him. 41 His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. 42 & when He was 12 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. & Joseph & His mother did not know it; 44 but supposing Him to have been in the company, they went a day's journey, & sought Him among their relatives & acquaintances. 45 So when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him. 46 Now so it was that after 3 days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them & asking them questions. 47 & all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding & answers. 48 So when they saw Him, they were amazed; & His mother said to Him, "Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father & I have sought You anxiously." 49 & 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 w/them & came to Nazareth, & was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart. 52 & Jesus increased in wisdom & stature, & in favor w/God & men.

- Notice w/me, 1st of all that, Jesus is…

1. Our example for Growth (v. 40).

- That’s found in v. 40 of our text & we’ll break that down into 4 elements. The 1st is that…

    A. Jesus grew Physically (v. 40a). “& the Child grew….”

- That is a natural occurrence. The Child grew! & you may say, “Well, big deal!”

- But in order for that to take place, a child must be fed & cared for in a loving way.

- A new born child, left alone will die in a matter of hours.

- & a young child, left alone will not be able to provide for himself & will die in a matter of weeks if not days.

- v. 40 is Luke’s summary statement of the 1st 12 years of Jesus’ life.

- & the major emphasis in Luke’s gospel is that Jesus was a man. It’s true He is the God-man, but Luke shows the humanity of Jesus, especially in v. 40.

- & Luke’s point is that Jesus grew up just like you did.

- We have very little information about the early years of Jesus’ life.

- He grew up in a small, obscure village w/ordinary parents.

- The details of His life are really unimportant b/c the truth of the matter is, He grew up just like you did! He grew just like every other human does!

- & so, in that respect, there’s nothing special about Him.

- & the 2nd element of growth found in this verse is that…

    B. Jesus grew Emotionally (v. 40b). “…& became strong in spirit….”

- IOW Jesus grew emotionally. His spirit, just like your spirit, had experiences of joy & sorrow.

- Jesus experienced hunger & pain; & all the other feelings of emotion that every other human feels during their lifetimes.

- IOW Jesus knew the love of His parents & family.

- He knew the pain of separation—presumably b/c Joseph, His earthly father, had died; not being mentioned again in the Scriptures after this account.

- So, by telling us that Jesus became strong in spirit, Luke is saying that Jesus was a normal, average, everyday kind of kid, who grew into a strong, stable young man.

- IOW Jesus was not some nut case w/a Messiah complex!

- But He was just like you & me in that He grew physically & emotionally.

- The 3rd element of growth here is that…

    C. Jesus grew Intellectually (v. 40c). “…filled w/wisdom….”

- There is a huge difference between knowledge & wisdom.

- Knowledge means you know how stuff works.

- Wisdom means you know how to make stuff work for you.

- IOW wisdom is the ability to apply the knowledge you have.

- Luke’s point is that, as Jesus was a man, He had to learn.

- Every human being learns from our experiences & our education.

- But Jesus was filled w/wisdom. As a man, He studied & learned.

- I’ve hammered the point before that God never had to learn anything & that Jesus is God so therefore He never had to learn anything!

- & that’s true—but, as a man, Jesus had to learn many things!

- For instance, He had to learn to talk & to walk & to eat & to drink through a straw if they had them back then.

- Jesus had to learn to read & to write.

- You see, Luke’s point is that Jesus was just like you & He grew just like you & that He had similar experiences in His childhood, just like you!

- But that in the course of His life, Jesus was filled w/wisdom.

- & the way that’s written in the original language it means that the intellectual growth of Jesus kept pace w/His physical growth.

- Oh, that it could be so w/us as well!

- That brings us to the final element of growth found in this verse & it’s somewhat confusing b/c it says…

    D. Jesus grew Spiritually (v. 40d). “…& the grace of God was upon Him.”

- We can understand that Jesus grew physically & emotionally. But we have a harder time understanding how Jesus grew intellectually & we have great difficulty understanding how Jesus could grow spiritually!

- The word translated ‘grace’ means the favor of God.

- It means the joy, the delight, the pleasure of God was on Jesus.

- This was the doting Heavenly Father pouring out His love on & finding His pleasure in His only begotten Son!

- This was God’s grace on the humanness of Jesus. His human nature needed the grace of God—His divine nature was the grace of God!

- If you tried to figure out that paradox, it would give you a headache!

- But the Bible teaches that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, God the Son, God Incarnate, God in the flesh, grew just like every other human being who ever lives!

- B/c it’s Luke’s point that Jesus was a man – He was 100% God – but Jesus was also 100% man!

- So, not only is Jesus our example for growth, but Jesus is…

2. Our example for Devotion (vv. 41-49).

- Devotion is displayed through actions & when we look at the early life of Jesus we find...

    A. The Practice of devotion (v. 41) 41 His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover.

- What kind of example of devotion are you setting in your household?

- Joseph & Mary went EVERY YEAR to the Feast of the Passover.

- It was not just a religious requirement for them, it was a spiritual experience!

- They didn’t go just to be going; they didn’t go just b/c it was required; they went b/c of their devotion to God.

- We already know that Joseph was a just & righteous man & we already know that Mary found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

- What 2 people could better minister to the needs of the young child Jesus?

- They served as a good example of the practice of devotion.

- IOW they lived out their faith in God.

- Jesus lived out for us the example of devotion. He practiced devotion for the world to see.

- I don’t want you to do anything religiously! I don’t want you to do anything b/c I told you to do it!

- I want you to do whatever you do for the glory of God! I want you to live out your faith!

- I want you to practice your devotion so that others will see & know the God you serve!

- Joseph & Mary raised Jesus just like He was a real human & that’s b/c He was!

- So they practiced devotion to God for Him to see & they taught Him…

    B. The Patience of devotion (v. 42) 42 & when He was 12 years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast.

- Jewish males became “sons of the Covenant” at the age of 13 years & 1 day.

- Until that time they were children; considered innocent, not obligated of the law.

- But at 13 years & 1 day, they became responsible for their own actions.

- At that age, they were considered adults. The Jewish culture has no adolescences.

- They go straight from being children to being adults. But they are trained differently than in our culture & so their responsibilities are different.

- It was the custom – not the law – but the custom to take the males the year before they became adults to the required feasts.

- Now we don’t know for sure, but it would appear from the way Luke wrote this that this was Jesus’ 1st trip w/His parents to the feast.

- If that’s the case, Jesus learned the importance of the feasts & the privilege of participating in the things of God.

- He learned the significance of the feasts & respected its symbolism.

- We need to train our children in the things of God & not push them into church membership & baptism before God calls them to it.

- But allow them to learn the patience of devotion so that when God calls them they will have a deep respect & reverence for Him.

- In vv. 43-49 Luke writes about…

    C. The Power of devotion (vv. 43-49) 43 When they had finished the days, as they returned, the Boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem. & Joseph & His mother did not know it; 44 but supposing Him to have been in the company, they went a day's journey, & sought Him among their relatives & acquaintances. 45 So when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him. 46 Now so it was that after 3 days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them & asking them questions. 47 & all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding & answers. 48 So when they saw Him, they were amazed; & His mother said to Him, "Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father & I have sought You anxiously." 49 & He said to them, "Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father's business?"

- Jesus’ devotion to God was so strong that even at the early age of 12 He knew His business was the Father’s business & the Father’s business was His business.

- You see the power of devotion is the depth of spirituality that it builds.

- Jesus astonished & amazed the learned Rabbi scholars. & that word “astonished” literally means “they were in shock” at Jesus’ ability to understand & answer deep theological questions.

- The power of devotion builds godly character; it instills great faith; it produces genuine wisdom; it generates spirituality; it grows the believer & molds them into the very image of God!

- Joseph & Mary were worried; they were fretting; they were distraught b/c Jesus was missing!

- & perhaps; maybe, just maybe there was a buzz about the temple. “Did you hear about the young boy there who has all the answers to the Rabbis’ questions?”

- We don’t really know how Joseph & Mary came to look in the temple, perhaps they had given up their search & were coming to pray that Jesus would be found.

- We don’t really know, but regardless of how they came to the temple, when they got there they found Jesus quietly & calmly teaching the teachers of Israel!

- When you are devoted to God & His will for your life, you will be able to do what you alone could never do!

- You will have the power of devotion & that means the power of faith; the power of God at work in you to do His will!

- Jesus is our example of growth & devotion but notice also that Jesus is…

3. Our example of Submission (vv. 50­52).

- Now I realize that the word submission is not a popular word today b/c everyone wants to be in charge of their own lives. We don’t want to submit to anyone or anything.

- But the Bible describes Jesus as submissive & we also find that…

    A. Submission requires your Humility (vv. 50-51) 50 But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them. 51 Then He went down w/them & came to Nazareth, & was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart.

- Joseph & Mary didn’t grasp what Jesus had said. You would think that they would have gotten it.

- After all, He did have a miraculous birth! They had been told ahead of time that the child born to Mary would be the Son of the Most High.

- You would think that they would have gotten the meaning of His message. But it passed them by.

- & so, Jesus, quickly & quietly submitted to Joseph & Mary. Now think about that.

- The Son of God, God in the flesh, the Sovereign of the universe submitted to His creation!

- He was obedient to His earthly parents! He followed the will & wishes of Joseph & Mary!

- He yielded to their authority! That is amazing!

- IOW Jesus, the Creator, humbled Himself not only to become a man, but to obey the authority of man!

- & since Jesus is our example—we should be humble; we should be submissive; we should follow in His foot steps!

- B/c submission not only requires humility but…

    B. Submission builds your Reputation (v. 52) 52 & Jesus increased in wisdom & stature, & in favor w/God & men.

- As God, Jesus could not increase in anything b/c He had no need to increase!

- But as man, Jesus became wise; Jesus grew in physical form & in the eyes of those around Him.

- After all, Jesus was the perfect baby; the perfect child; the perfect man!

- The word translated “stature” means age; it speaks of maturity, or the length of life.

- As Jesus lived & walked this earth, God was pleased w/all He did. Those around Him appreciated His personality & His character.

- He had a good reputation in the neighborhood – but no one really knew who He was or what He was going to do!

- Jesus was fully submitted to His earthly parents, but He was also fully submitted to His heavenly Father’s will.

- You may have a good reputation around your community; or workplace; or church.

- But you can never have a better reputation; you could never be paid a better complement than to have God’s favor; God’s grace poured out on your life.

- & you may say, “That’s what I want! I want God’s grace in abundance poured out on me! How do I get that?”

- & the answer is simply, follow the example of Jesus!

- Be submissive to the will of the Father. Be obedient to God’s word. Be subject to the laws of man as long as they don’t interfere w/your walking w/God!

Conclusion:  God’s great examples found in Jesus are that Jesus grew physically, emotionally, intellectually & spiritually. We find in Him the example of godly devotion that leads us to be about the Father’s business. & we also learn submission from the Sovereign Creator of all things.

          Luke’s point is that Jesus was a man just like you & that if He can walk w/God then so can you! Would you commit yourself today to follow the examples of Jesus?

Invitation:  Would you come in repentance of sin & seek the Savior & commit to follow Him from this moment on? I pray you will! Will you come…

Hymn 519 Face to Face with Christ, My Savior