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Jesus - The Boy With a Purpose - Part 2
Luke 2-3
Skip Heitzig

Luke 2 (NKJV™)
1 And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.
2 This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria.
3 So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.
4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David,
5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child.
6 So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered.
7 And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
8 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.
10 Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.
11 "For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
12 "And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger."
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
14 "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!"
15 So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, "Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us."
16 And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger.
17 Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child.
18 And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
19 But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.
20 Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.
21 And when eight days were completed for the circumcision of the Child, His name was called JESUS, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.
22 Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord
23 (as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the LORD"),
24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, "A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons."
25 And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ.
27 So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law,
28 he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said:
29 "Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, According to Your word;
30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation
31 Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples,
32 A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel."
33 And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him.
34 Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, "Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against
35 "(yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed."
36 Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity;
37 and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.
38 And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem.
39 So when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth.
40 And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.
41 His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover.
42 And when He was twelve 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. And Joseph and His mother did not know it;
44 but supposing Him to have been in the company, they went a day's journey, and sought Him among their relatives and acquaintances.
45 So when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him.
46 Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions.
47 And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers.
48 So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, "Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously."
49 And 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 with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart.
52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.
Luke 3 (NKJV™)
1 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene,
2 while Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.
3 And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins,
4 as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying: "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight.
5 Every valley shall be filled And every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough ways smooth;
6 And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'"
7 Then he said to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, "Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
8 "Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.
9 "And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."
10 So the people asked him, saying, "What shall we do then?"
11 He answered and said to them, "He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise."
12 Then tax collectors also came to be baptized, and said to him, "Teacher, what shall we do?"
13 And he said to them, "Collect no more than what is appointed for you."
14 Likewise the soldiers asked him, saying, "And what shall we do?" So he said to them, "Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages."
15 Now as the people were in expectation, and all reasoned in their hearts about John, whether he was the Christ or not,
16 John answered, saying to all, "I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
17 "His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire."
18 And with many other exhortations he preached to the people.
19 But Herod the tetrarch, being rebuked by him concerning Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done,
20 also added this, above all, that he shut John up in prison.
21 When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened.
22 And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, "You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased."
23 Now Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, the son of Heli,
24 the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Janna, the son of Joseph,
25 the son of Mattathiah, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai,
26 the son of Maath, the son of Mattathiah, the son of Semei, the son of Joseph, the son of Judah,
27 the son of Joannas, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri,
28 the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmodam, the son of Er,
29 the son of Jose, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi,
30 the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonan, the son of Eliakim,
31 the son of Melea, the son of Menan, the son of Mattathah, the son of Nathan, the son of David,
32 the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon,
33 the son of Amminadab, the son of Ram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah,
34 the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor,
35 the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah,
36 the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech,
37 the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalalel, the son of Cainan,
38 the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.

New King James Version®, Copyright © 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Rediscovering Our Foundations

We don't give much thought to Jesus growing up, developing into adolescence and then into manhood. But of course He did. Luke is really the only New Testament author who gives us information about these early years. He speaks generally about Jesus' growth as well as specifically about Jesus' capacity as a young boy of 12. At each stage of His life, Jesus demonstrated He knew His purpose for His life on earth.

We live in an age where truth has become a relative term. But the Bible leaves no room for doubt when it comes to the absolute nature of truth. Unfortunately, our culture is vastly biblically illiterate. In this series, Pastor Skip Heitzig gets back to the roots of our faith, looking at what the Bible has to say about God, Christ, the Trinity, mankind, the church, heaven, and hell. Learn to stand on a firm foundation in the midst of an unstable culture.

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Outline

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  1. Well-Rounded Development
    A. His Place of Growth
    B. His Progress of Growth
  2. Whole-Hearted Amazement
    A. The Occasion
    B. The Separation
    C. The Wisdom
    D. The Explanation

Transcript

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You'll probably remember that Solomon at the end of his journey in life and at the end of the journal that he wrote about life wrote to youth and he said, "Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth." You would think somebody older would say that. But a youth hearing that would say, "Oh but youth is the time for fun." Remember saying that? When I grow older and there's nothing left to do in life that's fun, then I'll think about the Lord." Don't you think it's funny that teenagers complain that there's nothing to do and then they stay out all night getting it done? On a serious note, seventy high school graduates leave the church never to return. Sixty-five percent of evangelical never read their Bibles. Forty-two percent of Protestant teenagers say there are many ways to God. Now that says a lot about kids but it also I think says a lot about parents, Christian parents and Christian churches.

Once upon a time there was a church staff looking for teachers for youth, some adult said, "I don't want to leave the sweet fellowship and study of my class." But the drug pusher on the street said, "Not even the threat of jail will keep me from working with your children." And some adult said, "I could never give the time required to plan and go to teacher's meetings." But the pusher in the porno and the book dealer and the movie producer said, "We'll stay open whatever hours are necessary every day to win the minds of kids." Some adult said, "Well I'm unsuited and untrained and unable to work." "Preschoolers or youth, not my thing." But the movie producer, "We will study and survey and spend millions of dollars to produce whatever turns kids on." So the adults stayed in their classes and enjyed sweet fellowship and absorbed good Bible study and when Sunday came the kids went to their classes and no one was there except the church staff going from one room to another, trying to assure them that someone would surely come to teach them some Sunday soon. But no one ever came. And the kids soon quit coming because they had gone to listen to others who did care about the things they did and did care about what went into their minds."

Today we're going to look at Jesus' early life, his early life, up to the time he was a teenager. And we're going to look at not only his commitment, but part and parcel of that would be his parents' commitment to him as a young child. Last week we started this and we looked at Jesus with his circumcision in the temple and his dedication in the temple thirty days after that, his visitation by the magi sometime after that. And we continue in that same vein of Jesus growing up until he was age 30. We're going to look at Luke because Luke gives us the most somprehensive part of it. These are the formative years of Jesus' life you might say. These are the years when character is cemented in a person, when the future is determined by the events of childhood. Now what we're going to do is just look at two slices as Luke gives it in chapter 2. One he writes generally, the other he writes specifically. One is about his general development as a child, the other is a specific incident. The first takes place in Nazareth where he spent most of his life. The second in Jerusalem where he spent a portion of his life. The first shows his developing humanity, the second shows his divine capacity. An incident with Jesus at the temple. Now Luke does something you should just make note of, he omits what Matthew includes. Matthew tells us that the magi came and informed the family that Herod wanted to kill the child and so being warned by an angel they fled to Egypt. Luke omits completely the whole Egypt scene and picks it up as Jesus is in Nazareth as a youth. So let's look in verse 39, "So when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own city Nazareth. And the child grew and became strong in spirit and filled with wisdom and the grace of God was upon him." These two short verses give Jesus life from about age two to age thirty. And the only thing we have besides that is the next incident that he begins in verse 41. We'll get to that in a minute but those two verses show his development, a well-rounded development Luke tells us in verse 40. He mentions the place, the place is Nazareth. Now this is where Jesus spent most of his years growing up. Until he was about age 30, he spent it in Nazareth. Why? Because that was the place of Joseph's trade, he was a carpenter. Even though his lineage was in Bethlehem, Nazareth was the place he had been living, he was a carpenter and so they went back. In fact, Jesus' title will become "Jesus of Nazareth," used seventeen times in the New Testament. It's not Jesus of Bethlehem though he was born there. It's not Jesus of Capernaum though he spent his three-and-a-half year headquarters in Capernaum. It's not Jesus of Jerusalem though he walked into the temple and regarded it as his father's house. But he was known as Jesus of Nazareth. In fact, early Christians were called Nazarenes, not the denomination, but followers of Jesus of Nazareth. Even Paul the apostle, they said, "He is a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes." So this is the place that forms his identity, Nazareth.

Let me tell you about Nazareth. There wasn't really much to tell. It's just a little village, still there but much bigger today on the hill of a very steep slope as part of Mount Carmel. It's situated about fourteen miles southwest of the Sea of Galilee and about the same distance inland from the Mediterranean Sea. From Jesus' home, he could look six miles across the valley of Armageddon and see Mount Tabor where Deborah and Barak fought in the book of Judges. He could see the trade routes coming from Egypt up through Damascus and Mesopotamia. But it really wasn't on the main road, it was just close enough to it. The village of Nazareth at Jesus' time, get this, was probably only about a hundred and twenty thousand square feet, the entire village. The population base about 1800 to 2000 max in that tiny little village. I'm sure the kids in Nazareth got bored, don't you? I can hear all the kids in Nazareth saying, "There's nothing to do in this dirt town. Jerusalem is where the action is." But that's where Jesus grew up. You see Nazareth was a hick town, that's what all the people in the big city of Jerusalem regarded it as. Why? First of all it was in Galilee and there is a phrase in the Old Testament that Galilee of the Gentiles, it had a Gentile influence. It was unsophisticated, it was never mentioned once in the Old Testament. Josephyus never mentioned it once. The apocrypha never mentions it once and the Talmud, the commentary of the Jews never mentioned it. IN fact, when it is mentioned I's mentioned scornfully. When Phillip went to Nathaniel and said, "We found the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth." You remember what his response was, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" It just wasn't much to speak of. What I love is though that is true, the risen glorified Jesus Christ spoke about Nazareth from heaven. That's right. When Paul the apostle in Acts 22 is giving his testimony before the Jews in Jerusalem, and he tells a story about being on the Damascus road and he sees this bright light and gets knocked off of his beast of burden, and he says, "Who are you, Lord?" He said unto me said Paul, "I am Jesus of Nazareth whom you are persecuting." And what I love about that is here you have a town scorned by men but taken to heaven if you will and made glorious. Now there is a principle here. In fact let's call it the Nazareth Principle. It is just like God to take towns like this and have the Messiah born in them. Or to take you at your place of a Nazareth and make something wonderful out of that. Here's the principle, I'm just going to read it to you, it sort of forms my life verse. It's in I Corinthians chapter 1, listen to it, "For your see your calling brethren, not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called. But God has deliberately chosen the foolish things of this world to confound the wise (or to put them to shame). And God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty. And the base things of the world and the things which are despised, God had chosen. And the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are (and here's the reason) so that no flesh would glory in his presence." And here's the point: It doesn't matter where you're from, it doesn't matter where you live, what matters is who you are and what you do. Here's Nazareth, despised tiny hick town and God says, "The Messiah who will be born in Bethlehem will grow up in Nazareth."

So what did the Messiah do the first thirty years of his life? Lived a routine life in Nazareth. "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" You might look at your town and think, "Yeah but I'm from Tijeras. I'm not from New York." It doesn't matter if you're from New York or Tijeras. It doesn't matter if you're from Los Angeles or Albuquerque, if you're from Chicago or Espanola (well...) God can do anything with who you are wherever you are.

There's a plant called the century plant and here's why it's called that: because of the long intervals in between the flowering, there's these long abnormally just stagnant periods of time where it seems like nothing is happening in this plant. The intervals last from five to a hundred years in between flowering. But those intervals of rest are just as much a part of the plant's existence as the blossoming. Do you remember when the children of Israel came back from captivity and they loked at this temple, this meager temple that was being built? And many of them started weeping because they compared it to the old temple? God through the prophet Zechariah said, "Why do you despise the days of small things?" I just want you to keep this in your mind. We focus on the three-and-a-half years of Jesus's ministry for an obvious reason, that was his life's work and atonement, etcetera. But he spent thirty years in preparation for those three and a half years of ministry.

Look in verse 40. Luke is the sole source of these early years and what I want you to notice about verse 40 is that everything about Jesus' life from age 2 to age 30 is summed up in one verse, "The child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom and the grace of God was upon him. Jesus developed physically, it says, "And the child grew." The Greek word oxono means the normal natural process of growth of aliving thing. In this case a pideon, a child. Jesus grew up normally. He was a normal kid. Or as A. T. Robertson called him, "A hearty vigorous little boy." Jesus in his incarnation accepted the full development process of youth. Paul the apostle tells us that he took on himself the very nature of a servant and being made in human likeness or he came as a man. He was the firstborn male in a Jewish family. By that virtue, he had the place of status as the future head of the family. He was breastfed by Mary for probably two to three years, that's how Jews did it back then. The weaning process did not end until the child was about three. But it brings up a point that I just thought I'd tough on: that's the physical growth of Jesus. What did he look like exactly? Well we don't know because it's interesting that in the entire scripture, there is not one single physical description of him, as to his height, color of hair, etcetera. Now if you follow the holy cards or the renaissance art or the American ideal in all of the movies, you would think that Jesus was lean, long, light brown flowing hair, blue eyes and taller than his disciples. If that were the case, no doubt the gospel writers would have told us because he would have been the exception of every other Jewish male living at the time. The best evidence we have from history and archaeology and DNA evidence of first century Semites, Jewish males, Jesus had dark eyes, not blue; dark hair, not light brown; he had a beard according to Jewish custom; and probably by all the other evidence, his hair wasn't long but shorter and tightly curled. Now I know somebody's going to say, "But now wait a minute I saw that PBS special about the Shroud of Turin. And that's supposed to be the burial cloth of Jesus." Of course, you know that the shroud of Turin is highly disputed and I believe not even comes close to fitting a New Testament description of burial and I don't think it is the burial cloth. And here's one of the reasons: because the shroud of Turin depicts Jesus as having this long flowing hair and being very lean. When Paul the apostle in I Corinthians 9 said that he had seen the Lord Jesus. Two chapters later he says, "Doesn't nature tell us that for a man to have long hair is a shame and disgrace to him." And so because of that, scholars in piecing it together have said, "Jesus didn't look like what we in America think he looks like."

There's a magazine that I saw on the shelf and I got this week called, "The Real Face of Jesus." It was in Popular Mechanics (laughter). Well, I know of all places, right? Like they would know. Yeah, they found him in a machine shop over in....no. When I was in the airport and I looked at this I saw two gals talking, "Oh the real face of Jesus," and they opened it up and looked at the depiction in the magazine which I'm not going to show you because it'll throw you the rest of the study. But they closed it and said, "I like the one at my church better." But the article said, "From an analysis of the skeletal remains, archeologists firmly established that the average build of a Semit male at the time of Jesus was five foot one inch, with an average weight of 110 pounds. Since Jesus worked outdoors as a carpenter until he was thirty, it's reasonable to assume that he was more muscular and physically fit than Westernized portraits suggest." So much sorter, stockier, than what the moview have depicted him. He developed, he grew, the child grew. Notice also that he grew and developed spiritually. It says he "became strong in spirit." Now here we're dealing with the human development of Jesus I know he was God in human flesh but he has submitted himself to a process of development whereby he was trained in depth and spiritual knowledge by his parents and the rabbis in the synagogues etcetera. Spiritual training for Jewish kids, back then especially, started very young and was very intense because kids had more responsibility at a much younger age. Paul noted of Timothy how from a child, "From an infant," he says, "You have known the holy scriptures which are able to make you wise unto salvation." So they started these kids young. Can't you just picture Timothy's mom reciting verses of scripture as she's bouncing young Timothy on her knee.

Rabbi Judah Bentima said that Jewish boys should learn the scripture at age 5, the Michna or the oral law at age ten, they should learn to fulfill all of the law in being responsible for it at age 13 when they were bar mitzvahed. And they should study the Talmud, all of those commentaries at age 15. The mother was more directly responsible for this early development. Eighty-five percent of the child's character is developed in the first five years of life. No better way to start them out than with the Bible. But then it's not just mom, dad would get involved too. But because had the job, he had the trade, Joseph had the workshop, you've got to picture Joseph and Jesus sort of walking around Nazareth and Joseph finding a life situation and explaining a spiritual principle to him because that's what dads were commanded to. In Deuteronomy 6, "Impress these upon your children, talk about them when you sit at home, when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." In fact, the worth of a Jewish father was measured by how he raised his kids. They would look at the kids and his worth would then be measured.

Now on a related note, never underestimate the spiritual acumen of a child. There is a sensitivity to spiritual things that we should always be aware of and never bypass. "Oh, they're too young." Polycarp, the early church martyr came to Christ at age 9. Jonathan Edwards whose preaching stirred New England came to Christ at age 7. Count Zinzendorf who started a missionary movement called the Moravian movement signed a covenant at age 4 which read, "Dear Savior, do thou be mine and I will be thine." And he stuck with it and turned his part of the world upside down with the missionary movement. Isaac Watts, we sing "Joy to the World" every Christmas season and he wrote it, at age 9 came to Christ. Charles Spurgeon, age 12. In fact Charles Spurgeon used to preach a lot on children coming to faith in Christ. And he used to say, "Before a child reaches seven, teach him all the way to heaven. And better still the work will thrive if he learns before he's five." He believed in child evangelism. So Jesus developed, physically. Jesus developed spiritually. Notice also in this same verse Jesus developed mentally. It says, "He was filled with wisdom and the grace of God was upon him." Now picture this young boy in Nazareth being filled with wisdom or learning things in a classroom. That's hard for us because we know that Jesus is all wisdom personified as Paul wrote in Colossians. Of Christ he said, "In him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." But again humanly he grew. He grew. He learned, he understood and a process of training.

The word wisdom, Sophia is the word, means the capacity to understand something and then act wisely as a result. But the word filled is a present passive participle, in other words it suggests an ongoing process of being filled that kept up in step with his physical growth. So we could translate this verse, "As Jesus was growing up physically, he had a corresponding growth intellectually as well as spiritually." Now honestly, that's not always the case with people. People grow physically but sometimes they just let all the brain cells rest and don't exercise them. Benjamin Bloom, professor of education, University of Chicago said, "by age 4 a child has formed one half of the intelligence he will have at full maturity." Now let's step into a classroom of Jesus in Nazareth, the typical first century classroom of a village. It was part of a synagogue, the school, it was next to the synagogue. The students would stand, the teacher would sit. Or if the teacher was very generous would let the pupils sit in a semicircle around the teacher. At age 5, Jesus began a process of rote memorization of the scripture, the Torah, the first five books of Moses. In fact, the Bible was his only textbook until he was age 10. His study of the Bible began with guess what book? Not Genesis, Leviticus. Leviticus was the first book. Now think of a five-year-old starting out memorizing chunks of Leviticus. He'd study Leviticus first, then he'd move on to the rest of the Torah, then after the Torah, he's study the prophets. And after the prophets he'd study the writings. All Old Testament. By age thirteen, Jesus came of age, he was responsible to become a son of the commandment, he was bar mitzvahed. At that point he was responsible to recite the schmah, schmah Israel adonai ached. Or Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. He would have fasts that he would be allowed and expected to fulfill. And to take a pilgrimage to Jerusalem as we'll explain in just a few minutes.

We also know that Jesus learned how to read and learned how to write. We know that because in Luke chapter 4, Jesus is in the synagogue and they hand him the scroll of Isaiah and he reads Isaiah 61 to the congregation. We know Jesus could write because in John chapter 8, a woman is caught in adultery and the religious elite are accusing the woman and Jesus writes in the ground. We don't know what he writes but it was enough to convict those guys. Maybe he wrote their secret sins that they thought nobody knew of and he just sort of wrote them out in public. But whatever it was they hightailed it out of there.

Jesus also developed socially. Look over at verse 51, the end of chapter, "Then he went down (this is at age 12 no doubt or after) He went down and came to Nazareth and was subject to them but his mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and men." So that's another summary verse of his development. And I would say he developed socially. He was subject to his parents, honoring mother and father. He grew in favor with God and with men.

Jesus the son of God, the one who knew more stuff than Joseph or Mary ever would, Jesus was subject to them to keep the fifth commandment, "Honor your father and your mother." Now I want you notice about this verse in particular is this is right after an incident when Jesus goes to Jerusalem at age 12. So we think Jesus was 12 years of age, just perhaps turning into a teenager. The very time when kids change their views of their parents and submission doesn't come easily after this point, does it? I say that the view of parents changes, you know at first to a kid Mom and Dad they're superheroes. That's when the child is about that big, they're toddlers. Then they grow up and they become teenagers. And at teenagers you're not a superhero any more, you're tolerated, you're a necessity. You're a super geek in some cases to your kids. But here's Jesus at this age submitting gracefully, graciously to his parents. Honoring, being subject to them. Something else about Jesus, he had siblings. A lot of people are either not taught this or they forget about it. In fact, Jesus grew up in a poor family and a large family. He had at least four brothers that are mentioned and he sisters, plural so that would mean at least two. So Jesus one of at least seven children in the home. And he grew in favor with God and people, men. Matthew 13 it tells us as he's in Nazareth, the rest of the people say of him, "Is this not the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary and his brothers James, Joses, Simon and Judas? And his sisters (plural) are they not all with us?" So Jesus grew in a household, a poor household with a lot of kids, a lot of brothers and sisters, he was not the sole child. He grew with them. And Jesus was the oldest, he was their firstborn and as the oldest he would have worked alongside Joseph in the carpenter's shop. And no doubt when Joseph died and we presume he died quite young, Jesus would have taken over the carpenter's shop in Nazareth until he was age 30 until he laid down his tools and he went to the Jordan River. A carpenter but don't think Black & Decer, don't think Drillpress or all of the fancy tools that we have in our garages, think very primitive. Think of the basic necessities of a line, a compass, a plane in which to scrape things, an awl in which to drill things. Think of iron and bronze nails, a stone hammer attached to a piece of wood, the saws were little bands of metal set in a wood frame. Isn't it strange that Jesus worked with wood and nails, the very things he died with, that's his upbringing, that's his upbringing in Nazareth.

One final thing we're going to look at and that is the incident taking place beginning in verse 41 and let's just read this, this takes place not in Nazareth but Jerusalem. And this is the sole exception to a generalization given by Luke who said, "This child grew, physically, mentally, spiritually, socially." But here's one incident departing now from human development, showing his divine capability. It says in verse 41 "His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast. When they had finished the days, when they returned, the boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem. Joseph and his mother did not know it. But supposing him to be in the company they went a day's journey and sought him among their relatives and acquaintances. So when they did not find him they returned to Jerusalem seeking him. So it was that after three days 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 astonished at his understanding and his answers. So when they saw him they were amazed. And his mother said to him, "Son, why have you done this to us? Look, your father and I have sought you anxiously." And he said to them, 'Why did you seek me? Did you not know that I must be about my Father's business?' But they did not understand the statement which he spoke to them." The occasion is Passover, this is one of the three annual feasts that every Jewish male living within a fifteen mile perimeter of Jerusalem was compelled to go to. If you lived outside of that fifteen-mile perimeter you were still, they still thought you ought to go to it. And if you couldn't because you were poor then if you had to take one feast it would be Passover, that was the most important feast of the year. They traveled in caravans because you're thinking, "How do you lose your kid? How do you go to Jerusalem and then after a day you go, 'Where is he?' How do you lose a child?" Well, ever been Christmas shopping with your child in the mall? It's easy to do. They traveled in caravans, whole villages would go out, lots of relatives. The moms and the kids started out, set the pace, the dads and the other guys, the budding young men would follow behind them to watch out for marauders. The children would flit about from group to group, so they're going thinking, Joseph's thinking, "Oh Jesus is probably with the rest of the kids, they're up with Mary." Mary's thinking, "Oh Jesus us a little older now, he's probably back with Joseph and the guys." But they go a day's journey, they discover Jesus is not with them.

Something I want to interject, Jesus was twelve the scripture says. It could be that he (and many believe this) that he as twelve turning thirteen, he was going to Jerusalem for the Passover and his bar mitzvah. When you go from twelve to thirteen and you become a child of the commandment, an adult male in the Jewish community. You get to don the templeen, the phylacteries for the first time, you get to read from the sephyr torah, the book of the law for the first time in public. Which sort of goes back to when Jesus was born, the early church as I mentioned a couple weeks ago, traditionally believed Jesus was born around the Passover. So Jesus could be twelve turning thirteen where he was going to be bar mitzvahed. But I want you to notice verse 46, "So it was that after (how many days?) three days they found him in the temple." This is how it worked. They left Jerusalem and were going back home, one days' journey out. After a day they go, "Hey he's not with us." So it's another days' journey back to Jerusalem, that's two days. The third day they spend looking for him and they found him. But he was gone from them for three days. And notice in verse 48 where Mary says, "Look, your father and I have sought for you anxiously" the word means sorrowfully, in deep distress, in great anguish. What do you think was going through their minds as Jesus wasn't with them? He's what? What's the fear of every parent? He's dead. So after three days, to find their son alive was to them like a resurrection. "He's alive. He's here." Their anxiety ceased. And I mention that because it's like a fingerprint of the Holy Spirit of what would happen twenty years in the future, when just after another Passover in Jerusalem, at which Jesus would be crucified, he would three days later appear before his disciples and his mother.

Now notice the contrast, it's very obvious. Verse 48, "Your father and I have sought for you anxiously." Jesus said, "I must be about my Father's business." The next couple verses say Jesus went to Nazareth, submitted himself to his parents, he honored them, he was subject to them, but his allegiance to his Father always overrode any human responsibility. Here is a boy with a purpose at every stage of his development. And Luke brings this out so that you would know he lived with purpose. It was always, "What does my Father in heaven want?" What does my Father in heaven want?

I've often wondered what the discussion was about. We know that at every Passover the Sanhedrin would get together at the court of Solomon and they would have theological discussions. Now this is just described very briefly but this questioning is in Hebrew called the shaeilot it is a deep intensive intellectual arguing, questioning, answering. And a twelve-year-old boy is holding his own. And they're all going, "Wow! How'd he do that?" And he says to his mother, "I must be about my Father's business."

Now I'd like to close this message this way. I don't know what your life verse is, I don't even know if you have one. But it could be that you're at a place now, at this Christmas season after whatever has gone on in your life, that you want to really do it right, you want your life to be right, you want to be committed totally to God, you're rededicating your life to Christ. Or, maybe you're transitioning, maybe you're about to graduate at the end of this year, or this year you're going to get married or start a new career path. But you want to do it right. You couldn't have a greater banner statement to ride over your life than this, "I must be about my Father's business." There's your goal in life. Whatever you do in your marriage, whatever you do in your ministry, whatever you do in your career to further your education, "I must always be about my Father's business." Your Father's business. Remember as a kid being told, "Mind your own business." I'm telling you tonight, don't. We have a whole world minding its own business. Mind his business. Do the family business. And what's God's business? Well it says, "God is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance." That's the family business. God wants people to get to heaven. You and I are given the glorious opportunity to share in the family business. Is that your business? Is that your overriding goal in life?

Gordon Dahl writes these words, "Most middle-class Americans tend to worship their work, to work at their play and to play at their worship. As a result, their meanings and values are distorted. Their relationships disintegrate faster than they can keep them in repair and their lifestyles resemble (listen to this) their lifestyles resemble a cast of characters in search of a plot." I want to give you the plot tonight. Here's the plot. Your life needs a plot: your Father's business. Be about your Father's business. "But it's Christmastime." Be about your Father's business. "But the New Year's coming up." "It's tax time." Be about your Father's business.

Heavenly Father, so often we make it all about us, about our happiness, about our place, about our fulfillment. And that's so far removed from the Father's business. Lord, you told us something that we should also keep in mind as we close. You sort of made a deal with us, you told us that if we would seek first the kingdom of God above everything else that all of these other things that we need would be added to us. Help us Lord not to reverse that process by seeking what should be added to our lives and expect you to throw in the kingdom of God. But rather to live with the priority of a life with purpose. We see that purpose in Jesus' life at his circumcision, at his dedication, we see it at his visitation by the magi, we see it as the general overriding principle of his life. The years of preparation, working hard, submitting to parents, growing and learning intellectually and spiritually. And then saying at a young age, "My life is all about dad's business, the family business." So Lord, we boldly call ourselves Christians, followers of Christ and if that be the case I pray that we would not play at our worship. We need a plot Lord and may this plot be ours, not only this Christmas season but the rest of the year. Our banner verse, the statement that overrides every hallway in our life, "I must be about my Father's business." What a delight Lord, that you for the commission. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Additional Messages in this Series

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9/15/2002
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Does the Truth Really Matter?
2 Timothy 4
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Today I begin a new series I am calling Rediscovering Our Foundations. I am concerned about the vast biblical illiteracy that exists in our country in general and in our churches in particular. Truth is commonly seen by our culture as relative and not fixed. Often sentiments such as, "Well, that is your truth, but it's not my truth," are expressed by many. But if truth is absolute, then why not stand up for it? Why be embarrassed about it? What do you really believe about God, the Trinity, Christ, mankind, the church, heaven, and hell?
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9/22/2002
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Is Anybody Up There?
Hebrews 11:1-40;Romans 2:1-29
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We all remember the scene in The Wizard of Oz when Dorothy and her three friends come to approach the Great Oz. Out of the corner of their eye they notice a man pulling levers behind a curtain, working the mechanical, smoke-breathing Oz. The man then reacts by announcing, "Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!" But how can they not? The man is the explanation for everything to them. They discovered that Oz didn't really exist! So how do we know that God exists and isn't a fabrication or projection of our own imaginations?
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9/29/2002
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The Bible - From God or From Men? - Part 1
2 Timothy 3:15-17
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In this series, Rediscovering Our Foundations, it's time to consider your own personal foundation. What is the final resting place for your cares, concerns, griefs, surprises and sorrows? Where do you turn for answers to life's deepest questions? What is your authority? How sure are you that the Bible is the inerrant and inspired Word of God? Can you articulate to others the difference between the Bible and other "sacred" religious works?
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10/6/2002
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The Bible - From God or From Men? - Part 2
2 Timothy 3:15-17
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Last week, we discovered exactly what the designation "Scripture" referred to and how books of the Bible were considered as part of the inspired text. We also learned what inspiration means and how God used humans in His process of having exactly what He wanted written down. But anyone can claim inspiration for their work. Yet how do we know that the Bible is the authentic Word of God? Moreover, how can we share with others its uniqueness so they, too, may listen to its message and apply it?
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10/13/2002
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The God Who Knows It All!
Psalm 139:1-6
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A little boy climbed his neighbor's apple tree when he saw their car leave. He didn't realize that while he was stuffing his pockets full of apples, another neighbor was watching through a pair of binoculars and saw the whole thing! God isn't spying on people, trying to catch them doing something wrong; but God is aware of everything. Such a truth has a profound effect on us: it can either be very comforting or else extremely unsettling.
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10/20/2002
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Are You a Big-Godder or a Little Godder?
Psalm 139:7-24
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11/10/2002
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Wholly Holy!
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In this current series, Rediscovering Our Foundations, we've considered some key attributes of the God we know and love. He is omniscient (knows everything); He is omnipresent (everywhere present); He is omnipotent (operates at full power). But there is another key attribute that is seldom considered, yet is fundamentally key in understanding the Bible—God's holiness. Let's observe one man's encounter with this holy God and what it means to us.
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11/17/2002
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Good Man, Mad Man, Con Man, or God-Man?
Matthew 16:13-17
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No other person from history has generated so much controversy and speculation, as well as written literature, as Jesus Christ. Theologians, philosophers, poets and pundits have all weighed in concerning who Jesus is. What is often forgotten is that Jesus can never be overestimated! John said that the, "world itself could not contain the books that should be written" (John 21:25) about His accomplishments.
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12/1/2002
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A King Among the Critters
Luke 2:1-7
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In our current series, Rediscovering Our Foundations, we've come to the person of Christ. Last time, we considered His identity; today, we contemplate His nativity. For the next few weeks, we'll look closely at Jesus' birth, His early years, ministry, and death on the cross, which was the very purpose of His birth. It's my hope that we'll all emerge with a fuller understanding of Jesus and a deeper desire to worship and serve Him. Today, let's look at the strange circumstances of His birth.
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12/8/2002
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Jesus - The Boy With a Purpose - Part 1
Luke 2:1-52; Matthew 2:1-23
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Jesus' upbringing and boyhood has been the subject of much speculation and endless controversy throughout the centuries. Myths have developed about Jesus based (interestingly enough) on what isn't written. The Bible gives us five cameo glimpses of Jesus from early boyhood to age 30. We'll look at three of these today and then two more next week. We discover that Jesus' whole life was marked with purpose.
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12/22/2002
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A Lamb at the River
Matthew 3:1-17; John 1:1-51
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When Jesus turned 30, He presented Himself to the nation of Israel in public ministry. His first appearance, however, seemed so out of character for the kind of Messiah that people were anticipating. What was He doing getting baptized in a river with everyone else? John was about to find out—and so was everyone else.
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1/12/2003
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The Holy Spirit: Invisible, Personal, Powerful
John 14-16
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Today in our series Rediscovering Our Foundations, we consider the Holy Spirit. Most of us have heard of Him, but who is He exactly? What does He do? How important is the Holy Spirit to your personal life, your family life, your work or your leisure time? Perhaps A.W. Tozer was right when he said, "For multitudes of Christians profess today the Holy Spirit is not a necessity. They have learned to cheer their hearts and warm their hands at other fires." It is my sincere prayer that will change for us in the few weeks ahead.
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1/19/2003
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The Gracious and Holy Hound of Heaven
John 16:5-11
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Having understood Who the Holy Spirit is (Person, not just power; Deity, not just dignitary), we now find out what He does, specifically what He does in the world of unbelievers. Since the greatest gift God ever gave to the world was His only Son (John 3:16), it stands to reason that the greatest sin one can commit is to reject the Son (John 16:9). How does the Holy Spirit both sentence the world as prosecutor and yet lead people away from judgment? And what role do we play in all of this?
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1/26/2003
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I Need Somebody, Help! Not Just Anybody
John 14-16
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To live one's life for God in an ungodly world sounds like mission impossible, right? It would be as if we had to do it without help. But be strengthened by this thought: God never intended for us to do it alone! That's why He has provided His people a Helper, the Holy Spirit. This ever-present divine Person is very busy helping God's people become all He wants them to be.
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2/2/2003
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Brand-Spankin' New Apostles!
Acts 1:1-8
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The legendary missionary to India, William Carey, didn't see obstacles; he saw opportunities. He was the "Let's go for it!" kind of guy. In fact, one of his most famous sayings was, "Attempt great things for God; expect great things from God." Carey did both and saw results! The Holy Spirit can take ordinary men and women and do extraordinary things with them. He is the God who "makes all things new" (Revelation 21:5). Such a truth can only create a sense of wonder and excitement in the heart of a child of God. After all, what new thing could God do through you?
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2/9/2003
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Unholy Responses to the Holy Spirit
Ephesians 4:30
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You might say that we live in the "Age of the Holy Spirit." Jesus promised Him to us after He was done with His own earthly ministry. We have seen that He is very active both in the world among the unconverted and in the church among God's own people. But He has one overriding goal-to bring glory to Jesus Christ in every life. What does that mean to us? It means a total surrendering to Him. As Oswald Chambers said, "The Holy Spirit cannot be located as a guest in a house. He invades everything." But what happens when people don't respond to Him rightly? Then what?
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2/16/2003
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How Can Three Be One?
Matthew 28:16-20
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1+1+1=1. Is this new math? No, it's the doctrine of the Trinity. The Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God. At the very heart of the Judeo-Christian faith is the belief that there is only One God. Yet the Bible clearly teaches the plurality within the Godhead—three persons who are distinct from one another yet perfectly One in essence. What are we to make of all this? Why is it important? And more fundamentally, how should it affect us personally?
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2/23/2003
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The Exceedingly Un-Holy Spirit
1 John 5:19
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Satan, the prince of darkness, has been around a long time. He has studied mankind for thousands of years, marking his strategies according to what he sees in us and what God's plan for the world is. He hates what God loves; he fights what God establishes. And let's remember, he's got help! Other spirit beings have joined his rebellion and control the system known in Scripture as the world. John even said, "the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one" (1 John 5:19). What should we know about this arch-nemesis of God in order to stand against him?
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3/2/2003
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Touched by an Angel
Luke 1-2
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As even the title suggests, angels have become popular in modern culture. But whether we know it or not, we've all been "touched an angel." Martin Luther helped us to understand their role by remarking, "An angel is a spiritual creature created by God without a body, for the service of Christendom and of the church." He was partially correct, but angels serve an even greater role than being strictly for the church. Their ministry goes beyond us and is principally concerned with the glory and majesty of God.
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3/9/2003
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Man, Has God Got a Plan For You!
Genesis 1-3
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Alexander Pope once remarked that, "the chief study of man is man himself." That may be true, especially in our culture, but this could also be the reason why mankind is so desperate and spiritually thirsty. Looking only to ourselves rather than beyond ourselves can get pretty lonely! But why are we here? What is the purpose of mankind inhabiting this planet? How can I fulfill the God-given destiny that He originally designed for me?
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3/16/2003
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From Creation to Corruption
Genesis 2-3
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How did we, as the human race, get into the colossal mess we find ourselves in? Was it always this way? And what do Adam's actions, acted out so long ago, have to do with us in this modern technologically advanced age? Am I at all responsible? Can the effects ever be undone? Let's look at these issues in the opening chapters of Genesis.
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4/27/2003
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Church-Building 101
Matthew 16:13-20
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The church was God's idea; it was never man's notion. Jesus Christ is the founder, director, architect, owner and builder of the church. But there is an awful lot of confusion about what a church is supposed to look and function like. Today, we look at the first New Testament mention of the church and look at our spiritual origins. As we are Rediscovering Our Foundations, let's also rediscover our spiritual roots as the people of God.
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5/4/2003
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What Jesus Wants His Church to Be - Part 1
John 17
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The church is not a place, but a people (a called-out assembly of people who gather together and whose heartfelt conviction is that Jesus is Lord). Jesus laid claim on the church—it belongs to Him ("I will build My church"). So then, what does He want His church to be like? What should mark us overall? In Jesus' longest recorded prayer before His crucifixion, He prays for four characteristics that are to mark the people of God. Today we look at the first two.
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5/25/2003
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What Jesus Wants His Church to Be - Part 2
John 17
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Church shopping and church hopping have become one of American Christians’ favorite pastimes. We want a church that suits us, helps us, and pleases us. But since Jesus paid for it, it’s His church (Acts 20:28). So what does He want from us? What should the people of God be like? What ingredients and activities ought to be part of our makeup? In this series, Rediscovering our Foundations, we must rediscover the foundational purpose for our existence as His church.
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6/1/2003
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How to Build a Beautiful Body
1 Corinthians 12:3-22
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6/22/2003
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The Last Days
2 Peter 1-3
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On October 30, 1938, the day before Halloween, the novel War of the Worlds was made into a radio broadcast featuring Orson Welles. As millions of Americans were listening, the play was performed so it would sound like a news broadcast about an invasion from Mars. Many thought they were hearing an actual news account of an invasion from Mars and concluded this was the end. Some even committed suicide as their final fatal act! In Rediscovering Our Foundations, what can we know about the last days of this world and what can we do to prepare?
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6/29/2003
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I'll Be Back
John 13:31-14:6
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A little boy was trying desperately to tell his friends about what Jesus' return would be like. He described Jesus' coming in glory as being "greater than Superman, Batman, and the Power Rangers put together!" Of course even that would be an understatement. Jesus came here 2000 years ago and then left; but He promised to return. What will it be like? What difference should it make to us right here, right now?
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7/6/2003
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The Burning Question
Revelation 20:11-15
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Hell is an eternal and biblical reality that has been relegated to the junk pile of modern myths. Woody Allen once said that hell is the abode of all people who annoy him. The word hell is used on a daily basis in people's dicey language patterns—usually as a fill-in expletive. Of all the Christian doctrines unfolded in Scripture, hell is the toughest one to handle. Most love the notion of a blissful heaven awaiting them; few cling to the idea of a literal hell to punish the lost.
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7/13/2003
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Heaven: Our Final Frontier
Revelation 21:1-27
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Captain Kirk and his starship Enterprise weekly traversed the galaxies on the famed Star Trek episodes. That was fiction! But one day you will inhabit the recreated millennial earth in a glorified body and then explore the vast kingdoms of heaven in the eternal state. That is reality! It will be so different than what you're used to that it's linguistically impossible to convey its vastness. But there's enough here to whet the appetite for heaven!
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There are 29 additional messages in this series.
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