of the congressional committee seeking to determine whether the President of the United
States should be impeached. The question which seemed to become the bottom line of that whole
inquiry was, what did the President know and when did he know it? Do you remember that
question being asked over and over again? Well, that same question, asked in a far different
context and with necessary reverence, might be asked regarding our Savior. Part of the
Son of God's self-humbling in coming in His incarnation was the limiting of certain of
His divine prerogatives as He united Himself to our sinless humanity. The babe in the manger
was the God-man, yet He knew nothing more than an infant. The Christ went through a
process of learning, though He is the God who knows all things. He even came to understand
in time who He was and what His mission was in the world. And so we reverently ask, what
did He know and when did He know it? The text that we're looking at today makes it clear,
but by the time Jesus was in the pre-adolescent time of life, He knew those details. Luke
writes as a Gentile for Gentile readers, and he emphasizes the humanity of Christ, not
neglecting His deity at all, but emphasizing His humanity, that He is in fact the Son of
man as well as the Son of God. As we look at our text this morning in Luke chapter 2,
and I'm not going to read it before we deal with it as we normally do to try to save a
little voice, but as we work our way through this text, I think you will see with me that
Jesus Christ was truly human. He experienced what it means to be one of us. Our text records
three experiences which were His as the Holy Child. And I think as we look at these, we
will be able to identify to some extent with each of these experiences. And as we do, we
will see some lessons to learn. We will be able, I hope, to follow His example. He became
one of us that we might become like Him. For example, as the Holy Child, Jesus grew as
a person. Verse 39 says, And when they had performed everything according to the law
of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city of Nazareth. Now Luke, for
his purposes, being inspired by the Holy Spirit, does not talk about what happened with Herod
and the children in Bethlehem. Matthew talks about that. For Luke's purposes, he does
not talk about their going down into Egypt. But he simply goes directly from the birth
to their eventual residence in Nazareth where Jesus spent most of His childhood. This does
not mean that the gospels contradict each other at all, as some liberal scholars, so
called, like to try to tell us. It simply means that the gospels complement each other.
The writers chose to include what they did for particular purposes. Luke goes on to say,
Remember, He was a physician. And the child continued to grow and become strong, increasing
in wisdom. And the grace of God was upon Him. And so we see the first experience of our
Lord talking about these early years, primarily in Luke's mind from the time he was in Nazareth
until the time he was about twelve. Perhaps we have here a period of some ten years, maybe
a little less. During that time, Luke says, Jesus genuinely developed as a child, just
like any child develops. And yet, of course, He did so in a unique way. He continued to
grow and become strong, says Luke, increasing in wisdom. One commentator, Dr. Geldenhuis,
says it this way, As a true human child, Jesus passed through a process of physical and spiritual
growth and increase. This verse expressly tells us that the intellectual, moral, and
spiritual growth of Jesus as a child was just as real as His physical growth. He was completely
subject to the ordinary laws of physical and intellectual development, except that in His
case there was nothing of the influence of sin or shortcoming. Physically and spiritually,
He grew up perfectly as no one before or after Him. He was truly man, but a perfect man,
even in childhood. Then He quotes another commentator by the name of Plummer who says,
His was a perfect humanity developing perfectly, unimpeded by hereditary or acquired defects.
It was the first instance of such a growth in history. For the first time, a human infant
was realizing the ideal of humanity. So understand that Jesus grew and He increased. He developed,
just like any child does, with the exception that there was no sin within Him to impede
that development. Luke tells us that the grace of God was upon Him. In other words, God's
love and power was upon Him to guide, protect, and support Him every day of His childhood.
G. Campbell Morgan adds this thought, Grace is first that which delights and charms. Grace
secondly is desire to impart to others the things that make them happy. Grace finally
is the activity that does this at all costs. The grace of God was upon the child.
We notice in verse 41 that His parents did their part in faithfully setting before Jesus
an example. It says His parents used to go to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the
Passover. In the Old Testament there were three feasts each year at which the males
of Israel were required to go to Jerusalem. But the people of Israel never really followed
that law. By the time of our Lord's coming, they only observed this with the Passover
feast. So Joseph and Mary every year would do what they knew they should do. They went
to Jerusalem and the indication is that they took Jesus with them during those years. Is
there not a wonderful example here for all of us who are parents? It's not just enough
for us to teach our children. We must show our children. They must be able to hear from
our lips what is right, but they must also be able to watch our lives to know what is
right. As Jesus grew as a person, so God wants you
and me to grow and develop as well. He wants us to become fully that unique person that
He desires us to be, which He has created us to be. And so my application this morning
is this. Although we have sin that dwells within us, even as children of God, let us
determine by God's grace not to allow ourselves to be anything less than the fully developed
person that God wants us to be. Satan is a master at stopping growth, stunting potential,
and sidetracking possibilities. Satan is the great spoiler of all times. He seeks to do
everything that he can to derail God's purpose in your being here. Won't you determine
by God's grace not to play His games? Won't you ask God to give you discernment to see
that person He wants you to be and determine by His grace to become fully that person?
I only know of one way to really do that, and that is to live as Jesus did during the
days of His childhood as He grew, and that is to acknowledge the Lord as Lord of your
life so that God's grace, His favor, may continually rest upon you. As you acknowledge
Him Lord of your life, then He will be free to work in you to bring forth all of that
potential, all of that growth and development that God has placed in there.
But I am talking to some people this morning who are playing games with the devil, and
you are running in a direction in your life that could mean that God's purpose for you
will be thwarted. You say, well, God forgives. Yes, God does forgive. Bless the Lord He forgives.
But when you and I rebel against His Lordship in our lives, there are consequences that
we sometimes suffer. And the result sometimes of those consequences is that God's best
purpose for us, God's fullest purpose for us, cannot be realized. So whether we are
young or old, whether a child or a grandparent, it behooves us today as we think about Jesus
growing to determine that we will do everything that we can to grow and to develop, that we
will make the right kinds of friends and associations because those people influence us, that we
will read the right kinds of books that will stimulate us to godliness, that we will be
in the word of God and in prayer so that God is working in our lives. As the holy child,
Jesus grew as a person. Dear child of God, won't you grow? And if today somehow you are
being manipulated by the devil or you are held in a snare by him so that you are not
growing and developing and becoming the person God wants you to be, won't you today deal
with that thing in your life? I pray you will. Secondly, I notice that as the holy child,
Jesus knew His identity and purpose. Now the story that is told here is very familiar.
When Jesus became twelve, he went up according to the custom of the feast and as they were
returning, Joseph and Mary, after spending the full number of days, the boy Jesus stayed
behind in Jerusalem and his parents were unaware of it. That's not unusual. How would you like
to be the parent of a perfect child? You think sometimes it's hard to raise sinners. How
would you like to raise a perfect child? Jesus had never done anything disobediently. Undoubtedly
he was fully responsible at twelve years of age and they assumed that he was with the
children and it may be that they were in a caravan in which the men were in part of it
and the women in another part. Joseph assumed Jesus was with Mary and vice versa. The fact
is that though they supposed him to be in the caravan, they went a day's journey and
they began looking for him among their relatives and acquaintances and they did not find him.
So it says they returned to Jerusalem looking for him. Now two days have passed. They've
gone out a day from Jerusalem, now they've come back to Jerusalem. It says it came about
after three days they found him. Probably here's the third day when they were looking
for him. They found him in the temple sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening
to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding
and his answers. And when they saw him they were astonished. They were just beside themselves
when they saw what was taking place. And as mother said to him, son, why have you treated
us this way? Behold, your father and I have been anxiously looking for you.
Well we see Jesus at twelve years of age in the temple. Perhaps debating, teaching, listening
for sure. At thirteen a Jewish boy became a son of the covenant in a ceremony that is
still observed today somewhat in what is called Bar Mitzvah, which means son of the law. Jesus
was approaching that age of life when he would go through that ceremony and become a son
of the covenant according to the Jewish custom. And it was typical that parents would be sure
that children were with them a year or two before that age when they went to Jerusalem
to help prepare them for that experience. Here we see Jesus was able on this occasion
at twelve years of age to sit down and to deduce things from scriptures which his teachers,
the teachers, the rabbis of Jerusalem had never seen before. And as parents came in
finding him they were astonished. And the words of Mary express what any mother might
say to him in mildly scolding him. But Jesus responded by saying, Why is it that you are
looking for me? Did you not know that I had to be in my Father's house? These are the
earliest words ever recorded that Jesus spoke. The very first words in all of scripture that
Jesus spoke after the incarnation. We see a couple of important things here in this
statement. We see a statement of his understanding and a statement of his mission. Here we find
out that at twelve years of age what Jesus knew. He understood who he was. Now they had
mentioned Joseph as his father, verse 48, your father and I. Jesus may have played on
that and he speaks about my father, the speaking of his heavenly father in verse 49. So Jesus
understood here his unique relationship to God as his father. He says, My Father. This
is the first statement of his consciousness that he was unique in his relationship to
God. That he was not like the other boys and girls. He was different. That God was in a
very unique way his father. He understood that. And he also understood what he was to
be busy doing. I had to be in my Father's things, my Father's business, my Father's
house. The word is put in there by English translators. The idea is, Jesus said I have
to be about those things that concern my Father. So he understood that his mission was unique.
He was different from other children in this respect and he knew it. As the holy child
of twelve years of AIDS, Jesus knew his identity and he knew his purpose in being in the world.
I want to stop there for a moment and talk about application. The first question I want
to ask is this. Who are you? Do you know who you are? Of course I'm not talking about the
name that's applied to you. Hope all of us can remember that. But I'm talking about your
truest identity. Who are you? What is your deepest identity as a person? If you have
come to faith in Jesus Christ in that personal saving sense, then perhaps the answer that
we ought to give to that question as Christians is this. Who am I? I am a child of God. And
I can address God as Father. Not precisely in the same way that Jesus could, because
he was God the Son. But as a child of God through faith in Christ, I can look up to
the God who created everything that is and I can say to him, Father, that's who I am
and that's who you are. And is there any identity in all of the world that matters
more than that? You could answer the question, who you are, by talking about the job you
have, where you live, the children you have, the things you possess. All of those have
to do with our identity in an earthly sense, but in an eternal sense. We are children of
God through faith in Christ. And the second question is equally important. If you are
in fact a child of the eternal God, then what is your mission in life? Isn't it more than
just to go to college and to get a job and bring home a paycheck and have a wife or a
husband and children and build a home, prepare for retirement, finally, hopefully get to
that point where you can retire and then die? Isn't there more to life for a child of God
than that? Of course there is. God has business for us to do in this world. So like Jesus,
we must be able to say, I must be about my Father's business while I'm doing my job,
while I'm gathering these things, while I'm preparing for the future in a wise sense.
I must be about my Father's business. That is priority number one in my life. Now if
that's the case, if that's the answer we ought to give, then it's wise for us to look
at our activities, what we're really doing, to look over the past week's calendar and
say, does that reflect my Father's business? Do the decisions that I make, the things that
I do, do those things reflect my mission? I believe that only a right relationship to
God can answer the three questions that have challenged philosophical thinkers from the
beginning of time. Who am I? Why am I here? Where am I going? Only a right relationship
to God can answer those three questions. If you don't have that relationship with Him,
I hope you will establish it. You may do so, but it will cost you something. It will cost
you everything. Jesus said you must deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Me. You have
to be willing to lay everything on the line in order to receive everything as a gift from
Him. Are you willing to follow Him, to be a child of God, and to know a mission in this
world that can be described only in heavenly terms? But we have to go on to the third experience
of Jesus as the Holy Child. As the Holy Child, He was faithful to do what He should. Verse
51, He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and He continued in subjection to them. We
see here perfect humanity exhibited along with the previous statement of His deity when
He called God His Father in that unique sense. For here we see in verse 51 the ideal boy,
His will was to do the will of His heavenly Father, and as a child that was expressed
by His subjection to His earthly parents. When it says that He was in subjection, it
means in a continuous sense. The word here is a military term. It means to rank yourself
under your superior. Our Lord gives an example here for children of all time, of all generations,
to be in subjection to parents. This aligns perfectly with what He says elsewhere about
obeying your parents, honoring your parents. But we're not talking primarily to children
at this point this morning. So we might ask this question, how long is one required to
be in subjection to parents? There are those who answer that differently. I believe that
the answer to that, though biblically, is this, that one is required to be in subjection
to parents as long as one is dependent upon them. In other words, there comes a time when
subjection to parents is not the right expression for that relationship. Respect must be lifelong.
Honoring parents, that never ceases. But to be in subjection to them is a certain part
of the life. Jesus was faithful to do what He should as a child. This same word about
being in subjection is used in the New Testament of us in several relationships, not just as
children but as adults. We offer, for example, Romans 13.1 to be in subjection to governmental
authorities that God puts over us. Now we know there's a balance to that. We're to
obey God rather than man when there's a conflict. But the point is that generally speaking,
you and I are to rank under our superiors when it comes to subjection to our governing
authorities. The word is used in Ephesians 5.21 of our subjecting ourselves to one another
in the church. We are to be a submissive people to each other, not trying to gain power, not
manipulating, not playing politics, not playing games in the church, but in honest, genuine
humility subjecting ourselves one to another. And the word is used of employees by application.
Titus 2.9 tells slaves to be in subjection to their masters. That's not a perfect parallel
to employees for sure, but the principle is the same, that as an employee I am to be submissive
to my boss. But then it's used again in James 4 of our submission to God. An attitude of
rebellion, an attitude of resisting God's appointed authority in my life is sin. Faithfulness
to do what we should and to be submissive to God's ordained authority in our lives
is to follow in the footsteps of the Holy Child Jesus, who faithfully did what he should.
My point this morning is this, that Jesus Christ, whose life we will be studying over
these next months, was fully human. He experienced the spectrum of what it means to be human,
except for human sin. He grew. Are you growing? Are you today in the process of becoming the
person God created you to be? Jesus knew who he was, what his mission was, and his life
was ordered around that. Are you ordering your life around who you are and what your
purpose and mission is in the world? And then Jesus was faithful to do what he should as
a man in subjection. Does that describe your spirit? Does the word submission grate against
you? To be honest about it, it does with all of us in certain relationships. We need the
Spirit of God to soften us, to humble us, and to make us willing to submit to those
that God places over us in our lives as his appointed authority. God helped us to apply
this to our lives today. Know this, that Jesus became a man, that he might fully identify
with all the feelings that are within you. He was tempted in every way like you are,
but he never sinned. And he identified with you in that way that he might perfectly today
meet your need. Will you let him do it? Let's bow together. Dear friend, our Savior had
to be God in order to save us for all of eternity, but he also had to be man, and he was. And
he understands what you're going through. He understands the temptations that you feel,
and that perhaps you've stepped into, and he's able to help you. Has Satan somehow
sidetracked your life? Has he stunted your growth? Please, don't allow yourself to become
spiritually handicapped. Be the person God wants you to become. Will you determine that
by God's grace right where you're seated this morning? Are you living according to
who you are? And are you doing what God wants you to do? Are you busy about the Father's
business? Are you submissive or rebellious? Are you willing to obey God's authority in
your life? Or are you disobedient and resistant? God will only bless our lives when we're
submissive. Will you give that area of struggle over to him? As we close the service, I'd
like to pray for you if today there is a decision that you are specifically making, and I'm
going to ask you to stand where you are. Our heads are bowed, our eyes are closed, but
if today there is an area of your life, your human life, where you have sensed God speaking
to you and you're saying, Lord, Son of God, Son of Man, today in this area of my life
there's a new beginning. I'm committing my life to your Lordship. Would you stand where
you are? We don't have time for a come forward invitation, but I ask you to stand. Join these
others who are standing. It makes no difference what others think if they see you. God needs
to see you. He needs to know the sincerity of your heart. I'm going to close in prayer
in just a moment. Others are continuing to stand if you need to. Father, I'm grateful
that your Holy Spirit works. Despite human weakness, your Word is powerful. And today
by the Spirit, these who are your children have sensed a need, in some respect, you know
what it is to respond. Thank you that you hear them, you see their heart's desire, and
you're going to answer their prayer. And I pray that you will work powerfully to bring
deliverance. I pray that you will work by grace so that each one will become that unique
and special person that you've created him or her to be. Thank you for ministering to
us. And Father, we pray for someone here today who may need to know Christ that that life
transforming decision will be made before that person sleeps another night. That there
will be a yield in us to Christ and an invitation to him to come in. In Jesus' name, would you
all stand with me please?