If you will, take your Bibles
and turn with me to the book of Luke, chapter two. We'll try to finish out the chapter
this morning. Luke chapter two, verses 40 through
52. Luke chapter two, beginning with
verse 40. And the child grew, talking about
Jesus, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom, and the grace
of God was upon him. Now his parents went to Jerusalem
every year to feast of the Passover. And when he was 12 years old,
they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast. And
when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus
carried behind in Jerusalem. And Joseph and his mother knew
not of it. But they supposing him to have
been in the company went a day's journey, and they sought him
among their kinfolk and acquaintance. When they found him not, they
turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him. 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. And all that
heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers. And when they saw him talking
about Joseph and Mary, 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 sorrowly, supposing something bad had happened
to him. And he said to them, how is it
that you sought me? Wished ye not that I must be
about my father's business? And they understood not the saying
which he spake unto them. 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. And Jesus increased in wisdom
and stature and in favor with God and man. Now in these 13
verses, these 13 verses that I've just read to you, is the
whole of the testimony of God concerning Jesus Christ from
his infancy to his approaching adulthood. That's all the information
you're gonna find on him in all the scripture on that age, right
here in Luke chapter two. Now if time will permit, I've
got four things I'd like for you to consider concerning these
passages. I want us to look first at the
Savior of sinners. And then I wanna talk a little
bit about losing the Savior. And then I want us to look carefully
at these puzzled parents. And then I wanna talk a little
bit about our Lord being made perfect. So let's begin here
with the Savior of sinners. Jesus Christ is God come into
the flesh. That's who he is. This is not
just another man, he's not just a, people were willing, these
doctors were willing. They were amazed with his understanding
of the scriptures at 12 years old. When it talks about the
doctors, what they're talking about in this special time, they're
talking about the great Sanhedrin. This was the high council of
Israel. There were no more elite than
this in Israel. And their training and their
upbringing and all their education was so that this council could
look for and be able to identify Jesus Christ, the Son of God,
the promised Redeemer. And here they are, and they're
watching, they're watching this young boy, 12 years old, and
he's sitting there in the temple, and they're asking him questions,
and he's answering them, and they're absolutely amazed at
his questions. Number one, you know, people
ask such dumb questions, I did, before I come to know the Lord,
still do on occasion, We ask such dumb questions. But his
questions left him amazed. He knew the right questions.
And then his answers, they'd say something to him and his
answers concerning those scriptures just left them dumbfounded. Now
these doctors were not medical doctors. These were men with
doctorates. They were master theologians. They were trained to the highest
level. Jesus Christ is God come into
the flesh, and his coming into the flesh is but just a speck
in eternity. If you think about eternity and
how long it is and how far back, we talk about old eternity. Well,
eternity is eternity, and we grasp for words to try to describe
it. We have no conception of eternity. Our souls are eternal. Our souls
was in the mind of God and he spoke of us from eternity past,
eons before we was ever born. He talked about us as though
we were living and at his feet. You can read about it in Proverbs.
Before the mountains were created, before any of those things. His
delight was with the sons of God. Who's that? That's his elect. And he spoke
of us as though we had an existence and though we were before him
and love and all of these things because this is what he purposed.
And when we talk about eternity, this little thing called time
is just a speck in eternity. And yet in this tiny speck is
where God has purposed to show and manifest his glory. In this
time, we were born in time, we have no sense of eternity, we
just have sense of time. have sense of the moment. We
got a little bit of past and hope to have a little bit of
future and that's it. But not so with him. This is
the eternal son of God made flesh and dwelling among us. It's just a speck in eternity
yet in this tiny clip of time God manifests his glory and he
sheds all the light that we're ever gonna gain concerning these
eternal matters. In 1 John 5 20 it says, and we
know that the Son of God hath come and given to us an understanding
that we may know him that is true. We might know the eternal
God. And that we're in him that is
true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal
life. This is what it is to have eternal
life. It's to know God, to know His
Son. And creation itself is just a
stage upon which our God has chosen to reveal His glory and
the salvation of a people that He chose in His Son. That's what
creation is. That's what it's about. That's
its whole purpose. And when that purpose is accomplished,
it's gone. It's gone. Its whole reason for
existence has been fulfilled. It's gone. And it's this knowledge which
enables us to see His glory in His Son, whether it be in the
promises or prophecies or preaching of Christ or in the appearing
of His glorious Son, which we're considering here today. And this
little 12-year-old boy, this is not the rambunctious, disobedient,
and unthoughtful actions of a common 12-year-old. But this is the loving obedience
of God our Savior. And whether an infant lying in
a manger or a 12-year-old in the temple, this is the God-man
and we see him that way no matter how young or old he is. Simeon,
knowing these things, picked up an infant. It's just a baby. It can't talk, it can't walk,
it can't communicate. And he picked up that tiny baby
and he held it up And he said, I've seen thy salvation. In an
infant? Yeah, in an infant. Because that
infant is the infinite God robed in human flesh. That's right. What do we see? When we look
at that baby Jesus, you know, around Christmas time, You look around and every church,
every home got, here's the little manger out in the front yard
with a baby and some cattle and things sitting around. What do
we see when we see the baby Jesus? What do we see? We just see a
baby? Or we see God coming into the
flesh? What do we see in this 12-year-old
boy? Now, a little bit to justify
his parents, maybe that's the wrong word to
use, but is their ignorance concerning
the Messiah. Everybody in Israel thought the
Messiah was gonna be a man like David. They thought he was gonna
be an Elijah, because that's the last promise they had in
Malachi. Elijah the prophet. And that's
what they looked for. And they adored this baby, but
they still didn't see this baby as God, even though they talked
about it. They still didn't see it in their heart. This was God
come into the flesh. Can you picture yourself, there's
some mothers in here, can you picture yourself if one of your
children was the son of God? Can you picture yourself scolding
him? You can't do it, can you? She
didn't see him that way. She didn't see him that way.
Or at least what she saw was mixed with tradition and mixed
with religious ideas. Mary said of him that was yet
in her womb, my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior. But that's
not how she saw him sitting among the doctors. That was her son,
and he'd went against their will. And this account is given to
show us something of the youth of Jesus Christ, the Savior of
sinners. And then the second thing I wanted
to talk about is how easy it is to lose sight of our Lord. How easy. Joseph and Mary went
up to Jerusalem to keep the Passover feast, which also observed other
things, the Feast of Pentecost and the Feast of the Tabernacles
and so on. And it was required of Joseph
to do this three times in a year. You can read about that back
in Deuteronomy 16, 16. It was required of them by law
for the husbands to go to Jerusalem three times a year and keep these
feasts. It wasn't required of the women, nor was it required
of the men until they reached age 13. So Mary's presence was voluntary,
and so was that of her son, who wasn't quite 13 yet. He wasn't required to be there.
But they all came as a household, and they all came with a willing
heart, and then submission to God, and then something strange
happened. Verse 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. And supposing
him to have been in the company, they went a day's journey, and
then they missed him. Where's Jesus? Where's he at? Where'd he go?
He ain't here. Well, he's probably over there at Uncle
Sam's. No. No, he wasn't over there. He
wasn't among the kinfolk, and he wasn't among their acquaintance.
And so, panicked, they went back to Jerusalem, and they started
hunting all over Jerusalem, supposing somebody to have kidnapped him
or something. inquiring all over the place,
finally they went to the temple. They found him right where they
lost him, in the temple. Now let me tell you something. It's easier to lose sight of
your Lord than you think it is. It really is. They were faithful
in keeping him near when Herod was seeking to kill him. But
they knew where he was every minute. Herod seeking to kill
him and killing all them babies, trying to kill the Lord Jesus
Christ. And they were so careful to watch
for him and defend him and go and hide. And they were faithful
to move him to safety when his life was in danger. But now,
in a time of worship, in a time of religious traditions, in a
time of religious activities, now they lost him. They lost
him. They were so caught up in the
moment and so caught up in the, this was a great time if you
lived in Israel to go to these feasts. It was a great honor
and you went there and you saw people you hadn't seen in a long
time and you're talking to them and visiting with them and they're
all, you know how it is when you go to a Bible conference.
Y'all caught up? That's where they lost him. And
the easiest place to lose sight of the Lord is in religious activity,
not in times of trial. Doctor comes along and tells
you you're gonna die in a little bit, you're real careful. You're
real careful to keep, to know exactly where he's at. You want
his presence with you at all times. Man, when you're on top
of the mountain and things are rolling real good and you're
all caught up, huh? That's when you lose it. Christ is all. There's nothing
apart from him except death and condemnation. All the promises
of God in him are yea and amen. In him dwelleth all the fullness
of the Godhead bodily, so that in him alone you're complete. And to have him is to have all
things, but to lose him is to lose all things. Salvation's
in Christ. It's in Christ. You might go on and on speculating
about how and why they lost him, but the fact is they did lose
sight of the Son of Man. They lost sight of him. They
supposed that he would follow them. Do you do that? I'm guilty of that. Supposing that he's gonna follow
you. Notice how the Holy Ghost describes
this event. They supposing him to have been
in the company. It's a grave mistake to suppose
his responsibility to follow you and forget your responsibility
to follow him. He didn't say, I'm going to come
to you. He said, come unto me. All those given to me of the
Father, they're gonna come to me. He's the head of the body of
the church. He's the beginning, the firstborn from the dead,
that in all things, He might have the preeminence. And you'd think they'd know this,
shepherds being enlightened as to the birth of the child, And
the whole heavenly host declaring his presence in this world and
those shepherds coming to the manger and telling them these
things and bearing gifts to the child and all of the things that
took place. You'd think they'd know this. He has the preeminence in all
things. Feast days, and Feast of Tabernacles,
and the Feast of Passover, and all these things going on in
Jerusalem. It was hustle bustle. People were everywhere. Sacrifices
were being offered, and all of these things. The priest was
there. The doctors were there. All the important people were
there in Jerusalem, and they want all of these days passed
by. But while all them days was passing
by, they never gave a thought to who he was. He was the preeminent
one in Jerusalem. Not the feast days, not the ceremonies. These things were all types of
Him. He's the one who sits on the
throne. His train, Isaiah said, filled the temple. He alone is
high and lifted up, and it's His glory that fills heaven and
earth. He's the preeminent one. All
things were made by him and for him, and by him all things consist. And to lose sight of him is to
lose sight of God. To lose sight of him is to lose
sight of all light, because he is the light of the world. To
lose sight of him is to lose your soul. But they didn't understand this
yet. Now here's the next thing I want
you to think about, these puzzled parents. They sought him among
their kinfolks, and they come away empty, and they sought him
among their acquaintance, and he wasn't there. And after a
hard day's journey back to Jerusalem, they looked for him all over
town, but they didn't find him there either. And the last place
they looked is where they found him. Do you know where the last
place people look for a savior is? Right here. They'll stand and argue with
you about it. You can be saved anywhere. Really? Is that what
God said? Show me that in the scripture.
I can be saved anytime I want to. Show me that in the scripture.
It ain't there. That religious nut who don't
know God, he's the one who told you that, and you swallowed it
hook, line, and sinker. That's right. I did. I had no
reason not to. I love my dad. My dad believed
those things. Why wouldn't they be true? Huh? Satan knows that. And he's behind
the whole thing. Last place they looked is where
they found him, and they found him right where they lost him,
in the temple. It's so easy to get caught up
in routines and customs. Well, it's Sunday. I guess we'll
go to church. It's Passover. I guess we'll
go to Jerusalem. One fellow said, I don't know
what y'all get out of going over there. Just two songs and a sermon. A few short hours and then back
to our homes and back to our everyday lives. Now listen to this, verse 46. And it came to pass that after
three days they found him in the temple sitting in the midst
of doctors both hearing them and asking them questions. Every one of the great Sanhedrin
were astonished at his understanding and answers. These were learned
men. This was a 12-year-old. And Mary and Joseph, when they
came in, they saw him sitting among the doctors and the Sanhedrin at all. by what their son was
saying. And it says Mary and Joseph were
amazed. They were amazed at where they
found their son, and they were amazed in whose midst he was
sitting, and they were amazed in the Sanhedrin's reactions
to him. But it got the best of Mary,
and she asked him why he thus had dealt with them, not letting
them in on where he was at. And the Lord said to him, how
is it that you sock me? You know, we talk about seeking
the Lord. I did that before the Lord saved
me. We talk about Seeking the Lord,
I thought I was seeking the Lord. He said, how is it that you sought
me? Why were you looking there and
looking here and looking over there somewhere and wandering
all over Jerusalem? Don't you know that I must be
about my father's business? What's our Lord telling them?
He's telling them that Joseph is not his father. He came down
because the Father, the Heavenly Father sent him and he was about
the Heavenly Father's business, not this man Joseph. Why you looking for me? You know
where I'm gonna be. Don't you know why I'm here?
I must be about my Father's business. You wanna find me, that's where
you'll find me. If you're here this morning and
you don't know the Lord, He's about His Father's business. And what we're doing here this
morning is His Father's business. That's what He was telling them. He's telling them, I'm not here,
I'm not like other children. I'm here to accomplish the saving
will of God. Now listen to this, verse 50.
And they understood not that saying which he spake unto them. They still didn't know that this
was a representative man, the head of the church, the head
of the body, and he's here as a representative man obeying
the will of God, accomplishing the saving will of God. daily business of life, they'd
lost sight of the fact that he'd had a heavenly father, and he
had a greater purpose than that of an ordinary son. And in fact,
his whole reason for being here superseded everything they could
have come up with. He's the Son of God. He's the
Savior, Russell. And they just could not perceive
a Savior of sinners in a 12-year-old boy. And then I wanna, let me close
with this very quick. Verse 52. And Jesus increased
in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man. What was going on in the early
days of Jesus Christ? I want you to hear me. He was
being made a perfect Savior. Turn with me to Hebrews chapter
two. Jesus said, preacher, he's God
come into the flesh. He was already perfect. He never
ceased to be perfect. And I agree, he was holy, harmless,
undefiled. He was perfect in every way,
but he wasn't yet the perfect savior. Hebrews chapter two, verse eight.
He's talking about the Lord from heaven. And he said, thou hast
put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he
put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that was not
put under him. But now we see not yet all things
put under him. What do we see? We see Jesus. who was made a little lower than
the angels for suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor,
that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. For
it became him for whom are all things in bringing many sons
unto glory to make the captain of their salvation perfect through
suffering. Now it didn't make him perfect
in his character, it made him perfect in his office. He had never suffered. This is the Son of God. What
did He suffer? He's sitting in heaven. But when
He robed Himself in human flesh as our representative, He had
to learn. He had the taste of death. He
had to learn by sufferings. And when you call upon our Savior,
You call upon our high priest. He can be touched with the feelings
of your infirmity because he was made perfect by sufferings. You're hungry, you've lost your
job, you don't, man, the dinner table ain't set like it used
to be. He knows that. He knows what
hunger is. He knows what thirst is. He knows
what pain is. Do you think about it? He was made
the perfect savior, Russell. You young people here today know
this. He suffered just as you do going
through youth. He suffered. He suffered. The child grew. Boy, that says
a lot, don't it? He grew. I've watched some of
you sit in here. You just toddlin' around in here
when I first got here. I've watched you grow into young
adulthood. The child grew, and he whacked
strong in spirit, filled with wisdom and the grace of God. was upon him. Oh, my soul. Grace, grace. God's grace. Thank you.