Jesus- Left Behind

Jesus…. Left Behind.

Opening Statement….. During this Holiday Season.. have we Forgotten Jesus Christ??

Have we forgotten Jesus?

How many of you have done any shopping for Christmas so far?… We have

We even braved Wal-Mart at 6:00 A.M. the day after Thanksgiving… now, you have to be desperate to save some money to brave Wal-Mart at 6:00 A.M. the day after thanksgiving…

It is always a wild and crazy time.

I remember a few years ago, the Wal-Mart in the little town we lived in had so many fights break out that they had to call the police in to keep peace and order.

The police are there every year now. I worked at that Wal-Mart for a Short time…. And I know for a fact that NOBODY wants to work in that turmoil the day after thanksgiving…..

I remember when Denise and I were shopping one year, it was so crowded that even getting a shopping cart was hard to do.. We walked in the front doors of the store and a shopping cart was sitting there where the carts usually were, and no one was near it… well, Denise just grabbed the cart and we started walking and then this lady that was talking with a man some distance away just starting cussing…. She called my wife some very obscene names and said, “I was about to get that cart”….

I was very proud of my wife that day….. she said, “Hey, if you need this cart that bad… you can have it..”

Have we forgotten Jesus??

Take you Bibles now if you would and turn to Luke chapter 2 verse 41.

Read Luke 2:41-49.

Prayer—

What a story… Now, from this one passage of Scripture, many messages could be taught… of course that could be said about any passage of scripture.. I could use this same passage of scripture for many different messages, but I will try and limit myself to one message this morning.

Now, lets look closely at this account in the life of Jesus and his parents, and see how it relates to our lives today.

Luke is the only Gospel writer that mentions the childhood of Jesus, and this is the only account of his childhood. It is referring to Jesus at the age of 12.

The seven-day feast of unleavened bread was being celebrated, and this feast always began with the Passover meal.

We know the Passover meal as it is portrayed in the famous portrait, the last supper.

We also know it as a representation of the sacrificial Lamb of God… Christ Jesus himself.

We celebrate the Passover meal when we have communion or, the Lords supper. We remember the sacrifice Christ made for us.

For the Israelites, it was, and still is, a very significant feast and festival. It was and still is a memorial celebration for them as well.

It was a time for the nation of Israel to celebrate what God had done for them as the tenth and final plaque descended upon Egypt.

It was a time for Israel to remember how God had sent death to every first born in Egypt that did not have the blood of a sacrificial lamb without spot or blemish, painted upon the doorposts of their house.

Israel was released from their bondage to Egypt. This was, and indeed still is, a time worth remembering and celebrating.

And in the book of Exodus, God had commanded that Israel remember his providential love for them. The Bible states that the celebration was to be held annually in the place that God prescribed… and that place was Jerusalem.

Now, everyone was allowed to participate in the feast and surrounding activities, but only males over the age of 20 and living within a specific distance from Jerusalem were Commanded to make the pilgrimage and take part in the celebration.

I think this goes a long way in showing us the faithfulness of Mary, and her strong desire to obey the teachings and commands of God.

V 41 says that EVERY YEAR His parents, plural, meaning Both of them, made the journey to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover.

Mary was so dedicated to God and to obeying God, that she was willing to make this most difficult Journey even though it was not required of her.

You see, this was not just some empty ritual for Mary and Joseph. They were not observing this celebration because it was the thing to do… they were not going because everyone else was doing it…..they were not going to Jerusalem just to be seen as being pious and religious by others… no..

They celebrated the Passover in Jerusalem because they wanted to obediently follow the commands of the Lord.

Christ said in John 14:15 “If you love me, you will obey what I command”