Let Them Grow
Notes
Transcript
Let Them Grow
Let Them Grow
42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast.
43 And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it.
44 But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day’s journey; and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance.
45 And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him.
46 And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions.
47 And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers.
48 And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing.
49 And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?
We only find glimpses of the Savior before his ministry began -
We find the promise of Jesus at conception of the Holy Ghost
34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
We find Jesus in a manger - luke 2
We find Jesus as a young child - fleeing to Egypt (under 2 years old)
We find Jesus coming back to Israel after the death of Herod
Then we find in our text verses - Jesus as a youth - 12 years old...
The Jewish doctors say that at twelve years old children must begin to fast from time to time, that they may learn to fast on the day of atonement; and that at thirteen years old a child begins to be a son of the commandment, that is, obliged to the duties of adult church-membership, having been from his infancy, by virtue of his circumcision, a son of the covenant
We will not have another glimpse into his life until Jesus was baptized by John...
But in these silent years, we know that these years were not wasted years, but formative years.
Teaching
Training
Teaching
Training
Teaching
Training
Trusting
Teaching
Training
Trusting
Trusting
Young people have a wonderful opportunity to serve the Lord in ways that adults simply cannot...
They don’t have the responsibilities of:
Work / career
Financial independence
Marriage
child rearing (parents - be careful not to put too much pressure on the children in the rearing of their siblings) They definitely can help - but they didn’t bring the kids into this world
We are preparing them for this, but they aren’t there yet...
On the other hand - we are preparing them for real life...
School is coming - get back on a schedule BEFORE school get’s here...
(that takes mom and dad being on a schedule)
Get up:
make your bed
clean your room
do some chores - help around the house-
we are not preparing them to:
stay up til 2 am,
get up at 2 pm
watch tv
play video games
watch youtube video’s
stay in their pj’s all day -
That’s not real life - unless you want them, their girlfriend and their kids living with you the rest of their life...
(There have been some posts recently in different circles about statements like this - making it out that we don’t love our kids & grandkids… That is not even close to the truth)
We don’t want to be enabler’s for their demise - we want to be proponents of their success and fulfillment!
SOCIALISM DOESN’T WORK!!!
The teens just came home from camp… I am so excited for each of the teens that were able to go… some could not - and hopefully they might be able to go another time...
But what happens when the teens go to camp, a conference, a revival -
We were able to hear some great testimonies our teens and some of our youth workers - PTL for each one...
Where do we go from here?
Let Them Grow
Let Them Grow
Illust:
Years ago, when I was a youth pastor, I took a group of teens up to Seattle for a youth conference. It was early in ministry - guessing around 96… I had been a youth pastor for a few years at that point -
Our group was slowly changing… we had some good kids, but we also had some very rough kids - kids who had grown up in church and had seen some of the hypocrisies in leadership, others had been enticed by the world and were living lives not consistent with Christianity.
While we were at this specific conference, we had some teenagers make some wonderful decisions… 1 of our bus teens, a rough kid - he had been kicked out so many times - but the Lord was working in his life - he came in baggy pants, a muscle shirt, he had an afro and a pic in his hair… he made some decisions that were great - I can’t remember if he surrendered to full time ministry that night, or if it was a stirring in his soul to really decide to follow the Lord in his life…
another young man surrendered his life to preach… these decisions as well as many others were so exciting...
When we hit town, the one teen told his mom he surrendered to preach - He was so excited… Mom looked at him - started laughing and began to berate him… “You can’t even clean your room and you think you are going to be a preacher...” she went on and on… I talked to her and tried to get her to see he is still a kid… and kids don’t have everything figured out yet… (I’m 52, and I still don’t have everything figured out yet…) but she was on him… didn’t back off - and kept this up for quite awhile...
I don’t know where he is at today, but he isn’t in the ministry - and when I left Washington, he wasn’t in church. I hope and pray that he will recover from the injury that he experienced as a young man - just a young teenage boy… but words of those who you love deeply can hurt you deeply...
The bus teen - went up to the preacher that was the conference speaker and tried to get a little of his time and some mentorship - (there wasn’t more than 75-100 kids at this conference) and the speaker blew him off…
was it his hair?
was it his dress?
was it his gang like swagger?
I don’t know what it was that caused him not to take a few minutes to invest in this young man - but I know where that young man is… He is still serving the Lord...
There was a bus captain and workers on bus #2 that loved and invested in him
There was a pastor and youth pastor who cared and loved him and invested in him
There was a bus ministry - where the workers took up offerings every week to pay the tuition so he could go to the Christian school...
Mrs. B & I had the wonderful pleasure to fly to texas to be a part of his ordination council…
(He is the outreach / Bus Pastor at a huge church in Garland, Texas) Lavon Drive Baptist Church -
The responses can be responses of encouragement - the responses can be those of discouragement...
We all want our children to succeed and to thrive in their Christian life
We all want our teenagers to succeed and to thrive in their Christian life -
We all need to encourage them...
Tonight, we are just going to take a walk, we aren’t really going to go anywhere, but we are going to have a family discussion and I would like to share my heart with you so we can all be working together to help encourage our hope and future if the Lord tarries his coming.
“Let Them Grow”
“Let Them Grow”
46 And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions.
47 And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers.
48 And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing.
49 And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?
The Lord Jesus at the age of 12 knew what his Father’s business was...
Kids are smart...
Kids all around the world - are kids...
At 12 Jesus was beginning the purpose of His incarnation...
He wasn’t going to the cross yet...
He wasn’t fulfilling the ultimate purchase of the sins of man
He WAS about His Father’s business...
Several Observations:
Love them
People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care
all of us need to have a real, genuine love for the children and teens...
13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
Lead them
Model and mentor...
Example
“Many things in the Christian life are caught, not taught”
10 But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience,
11 Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me.
be engaged
be edified
be encouraged
Let them
be engaged
be edified
be encouraged
be empowered
Kid’s need to have time to be kids, but this age of 12 / 13 - teen years - they need to be about the Father’s business...
It will get them involved in Spiritual things
It will get their minds off of themselves:
Mind on the Lord
Mind on meeting the needs of others
36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37 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.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
The Lord Jesus - at the age of 12 -
49 And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?
50 And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them.
51 And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart.
52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.
Let Them Grow...