My Favorite Jesus
Pt. 2 - The Teenagers Jesus
I. Introduction
Having favorite things is not bad. We all have favorites. Favorite colors. Favorite cities. Favorite music. Favorite shows on TV. A favorite pair of jeans! And right or wrong, like Ricky Bobby most of us have a favorite Jesus too.
During Christmas our attention is turned towards what for many is their favorite version of Jesus. Through the trappings of lights, gifts, and all the commercialization we still seem to finally get our attention to the sweet, 8 lb. 6 oz, golden diaper, little bundle of baby God. There are lessons to learn from Infant Baby Jesus . . . Salvation is often hard to discern and at times even harder to accept. He teaches us ugly is the new beautiful. He teaches us that detours can be divine. However, Ricky Bobby’s smokin’ hot wife Carley demands that we remember that "He did grow up!" It is imperative for us to remember this because if we don’t we will find ourselves in the same place the religious leaders of Jesus’ day were in when in John 5:37 - "And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form,"
So again my question to you is "What is your favorite Jesus?" Are you willing to learn from the Jesus that doesn’t fit your "favorite" box?
II. Text
Luke 2:41-52
41-45Every year Jesus’ parents traveled to Jerusalem for the Feast of Passover. When he was twelve years old, they went up as they always did for the Feast. When it was over and they left for home, the child Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents didn’t know it. Thinking he was somewhere in the company of pilgrims, they journeyed for a whole day and then began looking for him among relatives and neighbors. When they didn’t find him, they went back to Jerusalem looking for him.
46-48The next day they found him in the Temple seated among the teachers, listening to them and asking questions. The teachers were all quite taken with him, impressed with the sharpness of his answers. But his parents were not impressed; they were upset and hurt.
His mother said, "Young man, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been half out of our minds looking for you."
49-50He said, "Why were you looking for me? Didn’t you know that I had to be here, dealing with the things of my Father?" But they had no idea what he was talking about.
51-52So he went back to Nazareth with them, and lived obediently with them. His mother held these things dearly, deep within herself. And Jesus matured, growing up in both body and spirit, blessed by both God and people.
III. The Teenage Jesus Truths
This may be a harder concept than God becoming a baby. God as a teenager! At least a baby comes across as innocent and cute. But a teenager? Pimples, mouthy, voice changing . . . not exactly where most of us look to find our favorite Jesus!
A. Teenage Jesus teaches us that God will drive you crazy!
The infant baby Jesus couldn’t teach us this the way a teenage Jesus could! Those of you with a teenager or who have lived through having a teenager in your house know that this is the perfect Jesus to remind us that there will be days when Jesus and when God will drive us crazy!
Jesus’ parents should have understood Him. They knew the prophetic promises over Him. They knew the circumstances of His birth and yet they still misunderstood him. Just being around Him doesn’t mean you understand Him. His ways are higher than our ways. His thoughts are higher than our thoughts! How is that supposed to help me? It is a simple lesson from a teenager that there are many days in this relationship with Him that you are just going to have to trust Him, follow Him, and find Him when you are unable to understand what He is up to!
If your relationship with Him is solely contingent on figuring Him out, getting all the details, having all the information then you are going to fail in maintaining a relationship with Him! Faith is a necessary component in this relationship with Him. On the days you can’t jive with His thoughts, His commands, His path is not the one you like, understand, or even perceive as anointed you may just have to look at Jesus as a teenager and realize that you just have to shake your head without shaking your heart and your faith! God will drive you crazy, but He is still worth pursuing! There may be days in this relationship with God where you aren’t that impressed with Him and actually find yourself hurt and angry with Him! Anyone else discovered that His answers are sometimes sharp? Ever felt like when He is talking you have no idea what He means? However, He is still worth finding!
B. Teenage Jesus teaches us that we can lose the Way on the road.
There is a key phrase in the passage that I read to you . . . "Every year they traveled to Jerusalem!" For 12 years He made this journey with His parents.
How many of you would be honest enough to say that you have your life in some sort of routine? Not that there aren’t days of variation and interruption, but for the most part it is Monday . . . work, Tuesday . . . work, Wednesday . . . work, Thursday . . . work and gym, Friday . . . work and movie, Saturday . . . sleep late, garage sale, store, watch tv, Sunday . . . Church!
You can get your life down to a routine! I am a routined person! I like routines! It brings order to my life! They had gone this way for years . . . It is possible to get a rhythm, a routine, a pattern and walk a road for so long and then one day wake up and discover that you have actually walked ahead or away from Him! You must do a Jesus search on a regular basis!
I wonder how many of us are walking, doing life, and all the while we are convinced that we have brought Jesus along for the ride, but He exited the journey months or even years ago! Where is Jesus in your journey? You may be thinking you are walking with Him, but is He walking with you? What if you are actually creating distance from Him? What if rather than getting closer to Him you are actually moving further away?
I know your routine is intact, but is Jesus with you? I know your pattern is sacred, but is the Sacred with you! I know your "To Do List" reigns supreme, but is the Supreme with you? You can be on your way without The Way! You can’t take His presence for granted. He has always been here so He is here now! It isn’t enough for Him to be traveling with friends or family you need Him with you! No one else is responsible for His presence in your journey!
I can remember as a child being lost. I can remember being in a store and losing sight of my father. Panic sets in quickly! Ever been lost! Being lost is terrifying! In today’s perspective we would say Jesus was lost! But it is apparent Jesus wasn’t the one who was lost! He was right where He was supposed to be. The reality was that His parents were the ones who were lost. They were lost without Him!
They had gone a full day’s journey before they realized their loss! How long have you gone without Him?
It is time that get back to where we are terrified if we discover that we are without Him! We should panic when we can’t see Him, hear Him, feel Him, or find Him!
I think too many of us are consumed by a "take Him or leave Him" mentality. I got this thing. I know where I am going and how I am going to get there! You have gone days, weeks, and years without Him and I want to disrupt the utopia of your life and remind you that if He isn’t with you then you are lost! If He isn’t on your journey your walk may seem familiar and comfortable, but you are lost and headed for destruction!
Are you lost today? Are you at the point that you can no longer sense His presence? Are you at the point where you are no longer moved to sheer panic when you realize that you actually sat through a service and didn’t locate Him? Are you at the point where you can do days without seeing Him and yet you still walk your path? Let panic set in today! Let desperation set in so that you will retrace your steps until you find Him again!
It may be time for God to reorder your steps!
C. Teenage Jesus teaches us that He is supposed to go home with you!
Joseph and Mary freak out and search frantically for their teenage son. Where did they find Him? Where did they find God? In God’s house . . . church, let me just tell you now that if you path leads you away from His house your path is leading you away from Him! However, at the same time you can’t leave Him at church! You need to take Him home with you! You can lose Him at church! You need to bundle up, corral the Jesus you encounter here and get Him home! Get Him to your job on Monday! Get Him to your basketball and soccer team! Get Him to your date! Have you left Jesus at church! Jesus can do church! Jesus is comfortable at church! However, Jesus is supposed to go home with you! His place is in your daily life!
