Sermon for 2/27/13

Sermon from Luke 2:41-52 Growing in Favor

In Luke 2:52 we saw that Jesus grew
 wisdom
 stature
 favor with God
 favor with men

All should desire this growth. It’s only mentioned of one other person - Samuel - in the bible.

How does this happen?

See our other passages in which believers look to God in hope.
 Watch the way God moves and works.
 See God’s mercy and grace.
 Learn to look to God in trust.
 Gradually we learn to live like the partakers of God’s kingdom that we are.
 Sanctification does have a progressive element.
 Gerhard Forde - it’s really a matter of getting used to the fact that we’ve been justified by grace

Do we have a long way to go? No doubt about it.

What was Jesus doing?
 We affirm that Jesus always had a sinless and divine nature.
 He could never do anything that would increase the amount of favor God the Father showed to him.
 He could learn the importance and hope found in that favor. He did, after all, have a human nature which was limited, as we do.
 Jesus was not born knowing all the things he knew when he was an adult.
   He had to learn to walk and talk
   He had to learn to read and write
   He had to learn how to gain favor with men.

By trust in Jesus we can hope to learn and grow in him as well. We can listen to the teachers and ask them questions. We can seek to hang out in the temple and live the Christian life in a community of worship. And we can turn to him in trust and hope, knowing that he will bring us right along with him.