To Grow Luke 2:39, 52

Before reading this you should read Luke 2:39,52

Having Obeyed the Law in everything, Mary and Joseph returned to Nazareth, which would be the Lord's home until He started Hs official ministry. One question I have always had is what was Jesus like as a teenager into adulthood? Was he picked first for dodge ball(I'm not really sure if dodge ball was invented at this time)? Did all the other teenagers in the neighborhood look up to him? Was he popular or was he a fringe kid? Luke reports that he developed physically, mentally, socially and spiritually. We know Jesus worked with Joseph in the carpenter shop (Matt 13:55 and Mark 6:3) and apparently ran the business after Joseph died. (Just a thought How awesome would it be to own furniture made by Jesus. How many people could say you see this couch yeah the son of God made it. Got to be honest it would be pretty epic). Joseph and Mary had other children during those years Matt. 13:55-56; John 7:1-10). How was Jesus as an older brother?? Luke gives us only one story from Jesus youthful years. Joseph and Mary were devout Jews who observed Passover in Jerusalem every year. Three times a year the Jewish men were required to go to Jerusalem to worship (Deut. 16:16) but not all of them could afford to do so. If they chose one feast, it was usually the passover; and they tried to take their family with them, for it was the most important feast of the Jewish calendar. People would travel to this feast in caravans, the women and children leading the way and setting the pace, and the men and young men following behind. Villages often traveled together and kept an eye on each other's children. At age 12 Jesus could have easily have gone from one group to another and not been missed.

They had gone a day's journey from Jerusalem when they discovered that Jesus was missing. It took a day to return to the city and another day for them to find him. I wonder what was running through Mary's and Joseph mind when they couldn't find Jesus? Mary's rebuke brought a respectful but astonished reply from Jesus; "Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had t be in My Fathers house?" Jesus was affirming His divine Sonship and His mission to do the will of the father. Even at the age of twelve, Jesus was moved by a divine compulsion to do the Father's will. To my teenagers that read this you are not the church of tomorrow you are the church of today!!! does your life bring glory to the fathers will.

Jesus grew in a balanced way without neglecting any part of life, and His priority was to do the will of His Father. He knew how to listen and how to ask the right questions. He learned how to work, and HE was obedient to His parents. Jesus grew up in a large family, in a despised city, nurtured by parents who were probably poor. The Jewish religion was at an all-time low, the Roman government was in control, and society was in a state of change. Yet when Jesus emerged from Nazareth, eighteen years later, the Father was able to say of Him, "Thou art My beloved Son; in Thee I am well pleased"(Luke 3:22). May the Father be able to say that about us!!!!!

A Song of Joy Luke 1:39-56

Mary knew at this time that she was to become a mother, and that her relative Elisabeth would give birth in three months, she wanted to see Elisabeth so they could rejoice together. " Joy"is the major theme of this section as you see three persons rejoicing in the Lord.

First is the joy of Elisabeth verses 39-45. As Mary entered the house, Elisabeth heard her greeting, was filled with the Spirit and was told by the Lord why Mary was there. The one word that filled her lips was "blessed. Note that she did not say that Mary was blessed above women but among women, and certainly this is true. While we don't want to ascribe to Mary that which only belongs to God, neither do we want to minimize her place in the plan of God. What Elisabeth emphasized was Mary's faith: "Blessed is she that believed" (Verse 45). We are saved by grace through faith Ephesians 2:8-9. Because Mary believed the Word of God, she experienced the power of God.

Second, there was the joy of the unborn son. This was probably the time when he was filled with the Spirit as the angel had promised. Even before his birth, John rejoiced in Jesus Christ, just as he did during his earthy ministry. As John the Baptist, he would be the forerunner for the Messiah.

Third the Joy of Mary verses 46-56. A joy that compelled her to lift her voice in a hymn of praise. The fullness of the Spirit should lead to joyful praise in our lives Eph 5:18-20. And so should the fullness of the Word Col. 3:16-17. Mary's song contains quotations from and references to the Old Scriptures, especially the Psalms and the song of Hannah in 1 Samuel 2:1-10. Mary had God's word in her heart and turned it into a song. Her great desire was to magnify the Lord, not herself. Question of the day who do you try to magnify in your life? Do we give ourselves all the credit for what we have achieved or do we realize every good and perfect gift is from above! She used the phrase He hath eight times as she recounted what God had done for three recipients of His blessing.

1. What God Did for Mary-To begin with, God had saved her (verse 47). Which indicates that Mary was a sinner like all of us and needed to trust the Lord for her eternal salvation. Not only had He saved her, but He also had chosen her to be the mother of the Messiah. He had regarded her, which means He was mindful of her and looked with favor upon her. No doubt there were others who could have been chosen, but God chose her! Not only was God mindful of her, but He was also mighty for her, working on her behalf. Because she believed God and yielded to His will, He performed a miracle in her life and used her to bring the Saviour into the world.

2. What God did for us-In the second stanza of her song, Mary included all of God's people who fear Him from generation to generation. We have all received His mercy and experienced His help. Mary named three specific groups to whom God had been merciful: the helpless, the humble, and the hungry. The common people of that day were almost helpless when it came to justice and civil rights. They were often hungry, downtrodden and discouraged and there was no way to fight the system. Mary saw the Lord turning everything upside down: the weak dethrone the mighty, the humble scatter the proud, he nobodies are exalted, the hungry are filled, and the rich end up poor! The grace of God works contrary to the thoughts and ways of this world system

3. What God did for Israel-He shall save His people from their sins. In spite of Israel's destitute condition, the nation was still God's servant and He would help the people fulfill His purposes. God was on Israel's side! He would remember His mercy and keep His promises.

99% Obedient part 2 1 Samuel 15:15-35

Sorry for the long delay regarding this blog I had it done just didn't post it. Looking at these last 18 verses I've outlined them into two topics.

Lost Sight of what was Important 1 Samuel 15:15-23

Looking at verse 15 we imedietely see that Kings Saul blames his soldiers for his disobedience. As I thought about that do we do the same today? When we our confronted with mistakes or things we have done wrong do we pass the buck? Do we try to make excuses for our short comings or do we take ownership of what we have done regardless of how painful it will be. (Something to think about). God could do everything without us, however he chooses to use us and so wants us to trust and obey him that these things naturally flow out of hearing and obeying His world Sacrifice without obedience is hypocrisy and sickening to God! Samuel goes on to say that the sins of stubbornness (arrogance) and rebellion controlled Saul’s heart. Then condemns them as bad as witchcraft and idolatry. When we know God’s word and deliberately disobey it we are exalting ourselves above the throne of God. This is the height of idolatry!! What resulted from Saul’s disobedience of God’s word, an inability to take responsibility for his own actions?

Rejected by God 15: 24-35

Saul was sadly more concerned with his popularity than his right standing with God. Someone truly broken over their sin would sound much more like David, “I have sinned against heaven, and against you Oh God!!”It seems that problem carries on today. People are more worried about being popular than with pleasing God. Was it that Saul failed that was so terrible? No!!! It was that when confronted with the truth of that failure he lied and made excuses. Oh what a difference it makes when we own up to our failures and sin and allow God to cleanse us of our unrighteousness.

Conclusion: What can we learn from king Saul? Saul began his life so well. He became the first king of Israel through the divine appointment of God. However as he grew older he depended on God less and less, disobeyed and made excuses for his failures. God can work with anything except disobedience. God will work on you, or through you. But if you live your life in continual rejection and disobedience to His word he will ultimately do what he did to Saul, he will reject you. What should we do?

1) Always obey the word of God
2) Never make excuses for your failures (take responsibility)

Saul's attitude of optional obedience led to:

SAUL’S DISOBEDIENCE

SAUL’S DENIAL

SAUL’S DOWNFALL

99% Obedient 1 Samuel 15:1-14 (Part 1)

We are told, "For whatever things were written before were written for our learning" (Romans 15:4). Today I want to take a look at the king of Israel Saul, I want to point out some observations and hopefully we can learn from them. In 1 Samuel 15 :3 Samuel went to Saul with a command from the mouth of God and this is what he says, "Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy all that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys." The first thing we see is that this command is very specific and direct, anything that required air to breath was to be destroyed. after hearing these words Saul gathered his men and made ready his attack. He attacked and killed every man, woman, infant, and nursing child. Tens of thousands were put to the edge of the sword by Saul and his army. However there were some problems Saul spared the king of Amalek. Why? Possibly he was conforming to the culture of that time. If you conquered a nation and took alive its leader, you brought back to your palace a slave, to show your trophies off. Saul also slaughtered thousands of animals. Yet he spared the best of the sheep, oxen, fated calfs, lambs and all that was good, and gave it to his people so they could sacrifice to God. As I thought about this I'm sure Saul's army thought he was doing a good thing or even the right thing. I wonder if they thought they had a godly king who was always putting the Lord first. If you take a look at verse 11 we see God has a different take on this matter. He lamented to Samuel, "I greatly regret that I have set up Saul as king, for he has turned back from following Me, and has not performed my commandments." Saul killed tens of thousands and spared but one. He did 99.9 percent of what was commanded of him. Most of us would look at this and see obedience in his actions, yet God saw disobedience. In fact the prophet a few verses later called it rebellion. From this we learn that partial obedience is not obedience at all in the eyes of God. 99% is not considered obedience; rather it is rebellion.

Samuel left to meet Saul, and when Samuel reached him, Saul enthusiastically greeted him, "The LORD bless you! I have carried out the Lord's instructions (1 Sam 15:13) You can hear the joy and confidence in his voice. I believe Saul was sincere. He really believed he did what was commanded, yet God said he rebelled.

The Moment a person disobeys the Word of God clearly revealed to him, a veil goes over his heart, and that veil distorts and obstructs his view. It is deception. Saul was deceived in his reasoning and confident he did right when, in reality, he was wrong. His belief conflicted with God's reality, even though it might agree with human reasoning. Can we see today the consequences of disobedience? More than all the sacrifices and religious observances, God wants us to obey him. Are you obeying God in every area of your life? Remember 99% isn't good enough and it's not what God wants. Whatever he is asking you to do follow through and be obedient. Jesus said, “Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him." (Joh 14:21)

Why Worship!! Rev 5.

In Revelation 5 The focus of attention shifts to a seven sealed scroll in the hand of God. The scroll could not be read because it was rolled up and sealed with seven seals. John could see writing on both sides of the scroll, which meant that nothing more could be added. What was written was completed and final. The scroll represents Christ's "Title deed" to all that the Father promised Him because of His sacrifice on the cross. He is our beloved Kinsman Redeemer who was willing to give His life to set us free from bondage and to restore our lost inheritance. No one in all the universe could be found worthy enough to break the seals. No wonder John wept, for he realized that God's glorious redemption plan for mankind could never be completed until the scroll was opened. Jesus Christ meets all of the qualifications. He became flesh, so He is our kinsman. He loves us and is willing to redeem; and He paid the price, so He is able to redeem. Now we are able to enter into the worship experience described in the remainder of Revelation 5. As we take a look at this chapter we will discover four compelling reasons why we worship Jesus Christ.

BECAUSE OF WHO HE IS (Rev 5:5-7) Three unique titles are given to our Lord to describe who He is. First He is the Lion of the tribe of Judah. This refers back to Genesis 49:8-10, where Jacob prophetically gave the scepter to Judah and made it the tribe of the Kings. (God never meant for Saul to establish a dynasty, because he came from the tribe of Benjamin. God used him to discipline Israel because the people asked for a king; then He gave them David from the tribe of Judah.) The image of "the lion" speaks of dignity, sovereignty, courage, and victory. Jesus Christ is the only living Jew who can prove His kingship from the genealogical records.

Son of David was a title often used when he was ministering on earth (Matt 1.) But He is also the Root of David, which means He brought David (and David's line) into existence. As far as His humanity is concerned, Jesus had His roots in David (Isa.11:1, 10) ; but as far as His deity is concerned, Jesus is the root of David. How the Messiah could both be David's Lord and David's son was a problem Jesus presented to the Pharisees, and they could not (or would not) answer Him. (Matt. 22:41-46).

When John turned to see, he saw not a lion but a lamb! Jesus is called "the Lamb" at least twenty-eight times in the book of Revelation. The theme of 'the Lamb" is an important one throughout Scripture, for it presents the person and work of Jesus Christ, the Redeemer. The Old Testament question, "Where is the Lamb?" (Gen. 22:7) was answered by John the Baptist who cried, "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). The choirs of heaven sing, "Worthy is the lamb!" (Rev. 5:12)

BECAUSE OF WHERE HE IS (5:6) Jesus is in heaven. He is not in the manger, in Jerusalem, on the cross, or in the tomb. He is ascended and exalted in heaven. Our savior has defeated every enemy and is now controlling events from glory! He too suffered, but God turned His suffering into glory. The Lamb is the center of all that transpires in heaven. Angles around the throne encircle the Savior and praise Him. We do not worship a babe in a manger or a corpse on a cross. We worship the living, reigning Lamb of God who is in the midst of all in heaven!!

BECAUSE HE IS WORTHY (5:8-12) When the Lamb came and took the scroll the weeping ended and the prasing began. Warren Wiersbee a famous Christian author said this about worship and I tend to agree with him. "Too many contemporary songs are "I" centered rather than "Christ" centered. They so emphasize the believer's experience that they almost ignore the Lord's glory. Certainly there is a place for that kind of song, but nothing can compare with adoring Christ in spiritual worship."(BOOM that just happened!!!!) Sometimes I feel like our worship time has turned to a request time. God I need this, I want that, gimme gimme gimme I, I , I. WE need to stand amazed shift our attention from ourselves and focus on the one who is worthy!!!! Challenge for today take time and just be amazed because our savior is worthy!!!!!!

BECAUSE OF WHAT HE HAS (5:13-14) He was born in weakness and He died in weakness; but He is the recipient of all power. He became the poorest of the poor and yet He owns all the riches of heaven and earth. Man laughed at Him and called Him a fool; yet He is the very wisdom of God. He shared in the sinless weakness of humanity as he hungered, thirsted, and became weary. Today in glory, He possesses all strength. On earth, He experienced humiliation and shame as sinners ridiculed and reviled Him. They laughed at His kingship and attired Him in a mock robe, crown and scepter. But all of this is changed now!! He has received all honor and glory and blessing!! I want to leave you with this closing question. You may believe in Christ as the creator, but have you trusted Him as your redeemer???

Worship the creator Rev 4:8-11

The book of Revelation is filled with hymns of praise. The emphasis on praise is significant when you remember that John wrote this book to encourage people who were going through suffering and persecution! The theme of this hymn is God the Creator. If the 24 elders typify people of God in heaven then we have to ask ourselves, " If the heavens are declaring the glory of God, why shouldn't God's heavenly people join the chorus? Creation bears constant witness to the power, wisdom, and glory of God. Acknowledging God the Creator is the first step towards trusting God the redeemer. "All things were created by Him "Christ" and for Him and by Him all things consist and hold together."(Colossians 1:16-17) But sinful man worships and follows the creature rather than the Creator. Sinful man has polluted and destroyed God's wonderful creation; and he will pay for it (Rev 11:18). Creation is for God's praise and pleasure, and man has no right to usurp that which rightfully belongs to God. Man drove creation into sin, so that God's good creation is today a groaning creation (Romans 8:22). But because of Christ's work on the cross, it will one day be delivered and become a glorious creation. (Romans 8:18-24). I want to leave you with this closing thought to those that our found faithful to God the creator of all things. Heaven is a place of worship, and God's people shall worship Him throughout all eternity. It would be a good idea to start practicing now!!

Laodicea the land of opportunity.

Laodicea was a very, wealthy city, founded by Antiochus II and named after his wife Laodice. The city was strategically located where three highways converged, thus it was highly commercial. It was well known for its banking industry, its manufacture of black wool and a medical school that produced eye ointment. The wealth in the city had been used to build theaters, a huge stadium, lavish public baths and fabulous shopping centers. Sound familiar? Sounds like any typical American city. So wealthy was this city that when an earthquake almost entirely destroyed it in 60 AD, its wealthy citizens refused help from Rome in rebuilding the city. If you were a real estate agent at the time it wouldn’t be hard to sell Laodicea. It was a great place to live. The land of opportunity. The only real negative about the place was its lack of an adequate water supply (we will deal with the details regarding this shortly). The Christians here had become victims of their environment. Indeed, a valuable lesson for us all today!

In writing to the other six churches, Jesus found something good to say, he recognized something positive about the congregation. Not here!

The Amen… says this – In the Greek, this phrase means firm, stable, sure, established and trustworthy. What point is Jesus trying to get across? He’s saying, "Don’t kid yourselves, what I’m about to say may shock you, but you can take it to the bank!"
Unfortunately, the Christians at Laodicea had grown to love and put their faith in the “things” of this world, not their creator!

Vs. 15: I know your deeds…

What a powerful and sobering truth! Jesus knows our deeds, both individually and as a church. Jesus knew all about the church at Laodicea, the details of which we will get to momentarily. What about us? Does Jesus know our deeds? This is not one of the key issues I want to focus upon in this lesson; however, when I ponder this truth… well, it stands as a sobering reminder for us all to examine ourselves from time-to-time. A couple of passages come to mind here:
Mark 4:22: For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it should come to light.
Col. 3:17: And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus…

Jesus, the true and faithful Witness, knows our deeds! What were the deeds of the church at Laodicea? Look again at verse 15. Jesus says they are neither cold nor hot; I would rather that you were cold or hot. What is Jesus saying here? We all know the answer, He’s saying they are lukewarm!
This is perhaps the most familiar passage in the book of Revelation. Many, lessons and sermons have been given from this text. Lukewarmness is a characteristic which is most despised among Christ’s churches, even today! So popular is this verse, we often fail to recognize that the Laodiceans were guilty of another serious sin which is often overshadowed by their lukewarmness. First, what is lukewarness? According to the dictionary, it means lacking warmth of feeling or enthusiasm. To a Christian, it describes a state of indifference, complacency, or apathy. Perhaps because they are self-satisfied, or feel self-sufficient. In reality, they are like a chicken with its head cut off – dead, but don’t know it yet!
How would you describe a lukewarm church today? If I were to take your definitions, what would be included? How about a church that just goes through the motions. They gather to worship and mindlessly go through the motions. There is no heart, no zeal, no focus in their worship. When they sing, it’s just blah! When they pray, study, and remember our Savior at the Lord’s Table, their minds simply wander. They don’t worry about spreading the gospel, visiting the sick, carrying for the those in need – they don’t do anything for Christ! Would that be a lukewarm church?
Wait a minute, let’s look at verse 15 again, Jesus knew their deeds, in particular they were lukewarm. But what about Jesus’ desire for them? He said, (I wish) that you were cold or hot. Now I understand His desire for them to be hot. Have you ever wondered why He would prefer them to be cold?
He is using a local, well known problem relating to their water supply to allegorize a spiritual meaning. This is a sort of parable, if you will!
Laodicea, as rich as it was, had a serious water problem. The city’s water was “piped in” from six miles out. It came to them along an aqueduct. By the time it arrived it was lukewarm. The city of Hierapolis, just seven miles north of Laodicea, was famous for its hot springs. Colosee, less than ten miles away, was known for its cool water. What was Jesus saying to them in His desire that they be cold or hot? He’s saying their spiritual condition is of no benefit. He would rather they be spiritually beneficial like a refreshing drink of cold water or like the soothing warmth of the hot springs! What’s the message? If we are simply going through the motions, if our heart is not in it, if we are not living and working for Christ everyday of our lives, we are of no benefit to Him! I don’t know about you, but that thought scares me!
How does this condition of lukewarmness really make Jesus feel? Let’s look at the next verse in our text.

Vs. 16: … I will spit you out of My mouth.
Jesus says that because of their lukewarmness, because they are of no spiritual benefit, He will spit them out. The Greek word here means “to vomit.” John could have used another Greek phrase that means simply “to spit.” If a church of our Lord has become so passionless, so indifferent… if a church of Christ has become of no spiritual benefit, if we as individuals have become of no spiritual benefit, it makes Jesus so sick, that He wants to vomit! This should make us all examine our walk with Him. Jesus knows our deeds. There are no secrets. Where do we stand with Him today?
Lukewarmness, being of no spiritual benefit is a serious issue; however, as stated earlier, because we have given this topic so much attention, another serious sin at Laodicea is often overlooked. Let’s continue reading our text.

Vs. 17: Because you say, “I am rich

the second spiritual problem with the church at Laodicea. They had become infected with the love of material things. Perhaps the most dangerous point made here is the fact that they are so “caught-up” in their wealth, they were unaware of their sinful state – they were dead and didn’t know it!

We could approach this from many different angles. We as American’s are so blessed. Compared to most of the world, we are a modern day Laodicea. There is a very, very important lesson here for us today! Our time is running short and there are so many points one could make here. When I read and contemplate the message here as it relates to me, here’s what I consider:

Self-dependence – Can we get to the point in our lives that we have so much and are doing so well that we think we don’t need God?

Thanksgiving – Can we get to the point where we have so much and are doing so well that we fail to realize and be thankful for the source of all our blessings?

Priorities – Can we get to the point where we have so much and are doing so well that we become slaves to our things? Can our priorities change such that we put having things, doing things, more and more things in front of God?

Jesus knew the condition of the church at Laodicea. Not only were they wretched and miserable (dead and didn’t know it), notice again what Jesus says about their condition in the later part of verse 17: they are poor blind and naked.
Jesus, in pointing out their areas of misery, contrasts all the riches of the city.

Poor – there was plenty of money here, but they were spiritually poor.

Blind – known for it’s eye salve, yet all of the salve in the world wouldn’t cure their spiritual blindness.

Naked – known for the finest wool in the world, all of which couldn’t cloth their spiritual nakedness.

Is there a cure? Let’s continue to read our text.

Vs. 18: I advise you…

If Jesus were to give us advise today, do you think it prudent to follow it? The truth is, He is giving us advise today, we are all reading it together. What was His advise to them and any today who are “dead and don’t know it?” To buy from Him! Jesus provides the only true cure for spiritual sickness. It can’t be found in banks, goods, medicine or in any worldly treasure. A true cure can only be found in Christ! How do we do that? Let’s continue with our text.

Vs. 19-20: Those whom I love… repent.

Though blinded by their wealth, love of material things and lukewarmness, Jesus still loved them and provided an opportunity for repentance. The same is true for us today. He stands at the door and knocks. We have to make the next move, it’s our responsibility to open it!