The Messiah at Twelve Years Old | Luke 2:41-52 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh

Well, we all know that it is a time of the year where we are invited to turn our attention on the truth of the incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ. And we will seek to do that together by exploring the early years of Jesus, but in particular, a part of those early years that is often overlooked. We know that the gospels tell us much about the birth of the Messiah, and we know that the gospels have much more to say about his ministry. But there is one particular incident that is provided to us that grants us a portrait of Jesus between those two significant stages of his life. Site that is, very brief.

And because of its brevity, some people are tempted to feel as though it is inconsequential in our understanding of God's character and nature, or perhaps little value in terms of God's instruction for us. But we have been here enough to know that that is not the case. There we have been here enough to know that that is not the case. There is obviously a purpose for what Luke records about the young Jesus of Nazareth in the text that we're going to look at this afternoon. So I do invite you to turn with me to Luke chapter two in verse 41, and we will read together until verse 52 as we consider together the Messiah at 12 years old.

Luke two forty one, here's what the word of God reads. Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. And when he was 12 years old, they went up according to custom. And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it.

But supposing him to be in the group, they went a day's journey, but then they began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances. And when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem searching for him. After three days, they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. And when his parents saw him, they were astonished.

And his mother said to him, son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress. And he said to them, why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my father's house? And they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them.

And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them, and his mother treasured up all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man. Lord, we ask in great humility, help us with these verses. We pray that there would be nothing delivered in confusion or lack of clarity. We pray that there would be precision.

We ask for power. We ask for our hearts to be moved. Help us see Jesus only today. And we pray these things in his name. Amen.

Luke is preparing to introduce us to the boy Jesus. But before he does that, he seeks to put the spotlight on the devoutness of his parents, his earthly guardians. And he does this by telling us that they went to Jerusalem to honor the feast of the Passover. But he's more specific than that. It's not that they just went to the Passover on this particular year.

Look back again at verse 41. Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the Passover. And so we're supposed to hear see something about their diligence and their commitment to the law of God, because the old testament tells us that under the Mosaic covenant, every male Israelite was to go and honor three specific feasts, three separate times of the year. And what's interesting here is that, yes, they are obeying, but in a way that is a little bit unusual. And the only way for you to know that is when you look at one of the instructions about these pilgrimages.

So look at your old testament with me in Exodus and verse 17 of chapter 23, and notice this detail that I think some people miss. Exodus 23 beginning in verse 17. It says here, three times in the year shall, and this is where you want to highlight it, all your males appear before the Lord God. All your males, and that is echoed in Deuteronomy sixteen sixteen. We learned that it was the males who were primarily responsible for representing their families as they came to these yearly conferences of worship.

And it's not to say that women could not accompany them, but they were not obliged to. And if a wife did assist and attend these journeys with their husbands, it highlighted something about their exceptional devotion to the Lord. Again, it was not mandatory for them to go, but if they did go, then it said something about their hunger. It said something about their worship. It said something about their devotion to God.

And why I bring that up is because Mary is highlighted in our main passage with this background that she didn't have to go to the feast of the passover. She wanted to go. And right here already we have something as a model for parents today. Do you know why? Because as much as the Lord Jesus Christ possessed divine wisdom and revelation, from his human perspective, he grew up in an environment where his spiritual intellectual growth was nurtured and fostered by the faithfulness of his earthly parents.

Now if you're hesitant to believe that, let me show you a couple of verses in the same chapter that we read from. Right before the main text, he says this in Luke two thirty nine. And when they had performed everything according to the law of the Lord speaking about Joseph and Mary again. When they had performed everything according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. And then verse 40.

And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom, and the favor of God was upon him. So right after the comment of Joseph and Mary observing everything that was found in the law of the Lord, we learn of Jesus's growth. And some translations don't just say that the child grew and became strong, but add that he became strong in spirit. Strong in spirit. Now here's what I wanna say, parents.

Do not underestimate what your love for the Lord can do for your little ones. Don't you ever doubt that. And don't you ever, ever, ever think for a moment that there is a greater investment that you can make in the lives of your children than living sacrificially for the Lord. Here's where the maps in our Bible help sometimes. To journey from Nazareth to Jerusalem was not a small journey.

It was a trek of about 70 to 80 miles, which would take about three to four days to complete. And yet, we see these parents doing this faithfully, year after year. And in many cases, it is earthly concerns, daily responsibilities, personal projects, and other inconveniences that keep couples from making worship their priority in their family. And I wanna share a promise to you from the word of God that I pray will stir your heart, especially if you can honestly admit in this place that worshiping God has not been your personal priority on an individual basis or on a corporate level. If you look back at 2024, if you can honestly say, that's been me.

The house of God has not been my priority. Spending time with God has not been my ultimate desire. And you might be able to list all these different reasons. God gives a promise in the very same book where you read that the male should appear before the Lord three times a year. So I'm gonna ask you to go back to Exodus.

It will be worth it because there is a promise by way of principle that applies to us. Look at Exodus 34 and look at verse 24. In this chapter, God renews his covenant with Israel because they committed idolatry by worshiping the false golden calf at the bottom of the mountain, but notice this as he reestablishes this relationship in Exodus thirty four twenty four. He says, for I will cast out nations before you and enlarge your borders. No one shall cover your land when you go up to appear before the Lord your God three times in the year.

Did you see the promise? Think about it. If the males, the heads of the homes were to travel weeks at a time to go and stand before the Lord at the house of God, a designated location where he was to be worshiped, what would be one of their main concerns? Leaving behind their families. Leaving behind their properties, not just to the threats of neighbors, but neighboring nations and enemies who might harm their homes.

So what does the Lord say in this verse? No one will covet your land. When you come to worship me, I'll take care of you. This is the lesson, that when you prioritize God and no matter what it demands of you, He will provide for you, and he will protect you better than you can imagine, and better than what you can fend for yourself. No matter what that sacrifice looks like in your relationship with Christ and honoring what he asks of you, it's not really a sacrifice.

It's always an investment. And we see even a promise here. You go to Jerusalem to worship, I'll take care of your home. I'll take care of your family. Nothing, no one will touch you.

But it's contingent upon setting him first, living for him first, honoring him above everything else. Mary and Joseph here are honoring the Lord. But as faithful as they were, they were not perfect. Some would like to think otherwise. They were not perfect, because Luke records one blunder made by them in terms of their parenting, at least.

So you have to understand that when Jerusalem was designated as the place of worship, and people would make pilgrimage to honor these feasts, there was hundreds of thousands of people swarming on those streets. And in many cases, when people would come to Jerusalem, they would do so in large caravans, large groups, because it just made the journey more pleasant and made it more safe from bandits and robbers. So as wonderful as that is, you can imagine the logistical difficulties. Joseph and Mary came with a group, and as they were making their way back to Nazareth, they forgot Jesus. Now, some use this reference as an incident to try to put some kind of blame on the Lord Jesus, and we'll get to why he stayed back in a moment.

But what I want you to focus on is what we see here in verse 43. And when the feast was ended and as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it. And what's even more staggering is that after a full day's journey, they learned, where's Jesus? Where's our son?

Where's the boy? A full day. Can you imagine? Some people try to explain this. Maybe Joseph thought that, you know, they were separate, Mary was ahead or behind, and she thought, okay.

He thought she's he's with her, or she thought he's with him. We don't know. A full day's journey. And even in this, we have some practical instruction. You know why?

Because what Joseph and Mary did here physically is something that you and I are capable of doing spiritually. What do you mean? We too can lose focus on Jesus. Can we not? And I'm not speaking here about how we can be pulled away by the seduction of of sin or the dazzle of worldly entertainment.

I'm speaking about how even in the midst of good things, we can lose sight of Christ. What happened with Joseph and Mary here? Were they on vacation when they lost Jesus? No. No.

They were honoring the law of the Lord. And even in that pursuit, they were disconnected from Christ. I think this serves as a helpful warning for each of us that we can become so preoccupied in activities, even religious ones, that we become disconnected from conscience fellowship with the Lord. Which brings me to the next point, that we must make our awareness of the Lord a daily habit. They went one day without recognizing that Jesus was in there, which I think in terms of principle, we, each of us, must make it a daily habit to set the Lord always before us.

Can I give you a verse that infers that practice? Go to the book of Hebrews chapter three, and I want you to look at this instruction that the Holy Spirit gives to the church. Hebrews chapter three, beginning in verse 13, and it's really just this verse. Notice what the holy spirit says to the believers. Hebrews three thirteen, but exhort one another every day as long as it is called today, that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

Read it again. But exhort one another every Sunday. Every day. Every day, as long as it is called today. What's the insight here?

Here's what the insight is. You and I need, not weekly, not monthly, daily spiritual nourishment, daily mutual encouragement, because all it takes is one day for your heart to become hard. Twenty four hours. Have you ever been to a conference, like a church conference, and you see people excited and filled with joy and anticipation, and then all it takes is that midweek of the same weekend where that conference was observed and enjoyed, where things tend to go back the way they were. That's not a phenomenon, that's something that the Bible says can happen to each of us in one day.

My heart can be cold, my heart can become distracted, deceived by sin overnight. And so there's something that needs to happen every day. Notice what the author says, as long as it is called today. In other words, you can't afford to delay this. You have to implement it right away.

There's urgency here. This needs to be honored. This is like almost emergency protocol, and if you haven't been doing it in this past year, begin the next year right. Let the the last couple of weeks of this year be this, that your heart comes into contact with the glory of Jesus. We allow His word, His presence to keep your heart soft.

Where you are intentional of encouraging others and allowing others to encourage you. All it takes is one one day for you to lose sight of Jesus. So they go back, because in verse 44 of Luke two, they suppose that he was in the group. They began to search for him among the relatives and acquaintances, and when they did not find him, verse 45, they returned to Jerusalem searching for them. Now, Luke is not interested in providing us the intricate movements of Christ during these three days.

We don't know where he slept during those three days. We don't know who fed him. We don't know about all these other potential interactions that he had with others. But what we do know here is that there is a scene that he wants us to look at, and it's a scene that his parents stumbled upon after frantically looking for him for hours. They finally decided to go to the temple and what they saw there was absolutely astounding.

12 year old Jesus sitting with the teachers of the law, the priests, the scribes, asking them questions, probing, and then even receiving questions at some point and and giving answers or clarifying their answers. Is that where you would think you would find a 12 year old boy if you lost him for a few days? This is the Son of God. And you know, Luke does something in his gospel account that I discovered when looking at this last night. Whenever I preach out of Luke 24 where Jesus, after the resurrection, walks with those two on the road to Emmaus, I always am stirred because he gives the most profound Old Testament Bible study about the Messiah and where he is found in the Hebrew scriptures.

And guess what? We don't get one in sight in that bible study. That's at the end of the gospel of Luke. And here we are at the beginning of the gospel of Luke, and you have 12 year old Jesus doing a bible study with a group of scholars. Luke doesn't tell us anything either.

Why? Just personally venting. Doesn't do it in the beginning, doesn't do it at the end. But one thing that we can say safely as a guess, is that some of these same teachers who were amazed by this little boy would, eighteen years later, continue to be confounded by him, only to provoke a murderous hatred and envy. And I believe there's something else here to learn about Jesus for our own lives, because I've already addressed parents.

Now let me address those who are younger in the room, and there's many of you. I'm so glad that you're here in the main service. And I hope that this tide doesn't intimidate you. I hope you can hear me, and I wanna speak as plainly as possible. You see 12 year old Jesus, yes, the Son of God, yes, unique, yes, bestowed with a wisdom that is unparalleled.

But if we are called to follow Jesus, and what we see in the gospels concerning his adult life and his ministry, surely it applies here at 12 years old. Here's what I would tell you. Don't waste your younger years. Please, don't waste your younger years. This is a special window of time, young people, where your minds are fresh, and your energy is at its peak, and you're able to absorb and retain in a way that you won't be able to in the years to come.

Do you know what you find Jesus doing here? Asking questions from his humanity seeking to grow and learn. Yes, confounding, but also receiving. You know, I've talked to many people who've obviously been saved and the common regret that I hear from people, and I hope it doesn't eat them up too much, but one of the things that I hear over and over from people is I wish I was saved earlier. I wish I was saved when I was younger.

There's so much to know. There's there's only so much time I have left to be able to share about Jesus, to be able to serve Jesus in this life. This is a thought that, in a good way, haunts me all the time. You know what it is? That as glorious as heaven will be, as wonderful as eternity will be, as much as I am looking forward to a time where even the presence of sin will be a far memory, I only have this life to glorify God in a unique way that I can't in heaven.

Only in this life can I say no to temptation and glorify God in my nose, because I won't be tempted in heaven? Only in heaven will, only on earth will I be able to evangelize and tell people about Christ, because there's gonna be no lost people in heaven. Only on earth will I be able to pray prayers and see God's mighty hand intervene in my life, in my family's life, in my city, in my nation, only now because there'll be no need to pray. Everything will be consummated at that point. Here's Jesus, 12 years old, maximizing the opportunity while being in Jerusalem to grow.

I pray that you would be the same. I'm not saying don't be a kid. Be a kid. Enjoy activities, enjoy hobbies, but develop a foundation now. You know, there are some preachers that I heard from who said that what they preach in their sixties and in the latter portions of their life are things that they learned in their twenties and thirties.

Because life only gets busier, and more responsibilities are added. And so I heard one man say it's it's helpful to to gather in and create a reservoir now, and build on that as you age if God were to give you more life. They were amazed, and as exhilarating as this sight must have been, the maternal instincts of Mary kicked in. Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.

Now Mary's line of questioning should prompt us to ask our own. Is Jesus wrong here for staying behind in Jerusalem? Is he being insensitive? Or worse, is there a streak of sinfulness in his adolescence? Some would be brave enough to claim so.

Thankfully, you and I don't have to speculate in our defense of the perfection of the savior, because Luke tells us here plainly that that is not so, and there are three points to make about how Jesus here is perfectly righteous. He was perfectly righteous in his thirties, and he was perfectly righteous at his twelfth year. First, Mary doesn't accuse Jesus of being disobedient. She is merely expressing how his actions made her and her husband feel. So that's just the first point.

The second one is that Luke actually goes out of his way in the same text to tell us the posture of the boy Jesus before and after this particular moment. Look here at verse 52, or 51 rather, of Luke of Luke chapter two. Notice what he says. And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. He was submissive to them.

He did honor them. He did respect him. Lastly, and this is the most important point, Jesus' response to Mary was a profound recognition of his divine mission and his identity as the son of God. So let me try to break this down as solely as possible so that nobody misses it. Jesus had an awareness.

Some would say that this is where he received the complete awareness of who he was and his divinity. And this awareness did not diminish his respect for those who God had chosen to be his guardians, but it does underscore his primary allegiance. And his primary allegiance was to the father. In other words, Jesus staying at the temple was not an act of carelessness. It was not an act of defiance, but rather of obedience to the will of God, which made him staying at the temple necessary for his preparation for the ministry.

And so, when you look at this you realize, yes, this is a unique moment, but also foreshadows something that we're going to see over and over in the life of Christ. Things that he will teach and things that he will do. And what is that? That his obedience to the will of the father supersedes any social expectation and any family relationship that might seek to hinder him from doing what God called him to do. And he gently, even at the age of 12, he gently reminds Mary of that.

Saying how? Because remember, she says, behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress. And look how he answers in verse 49, and he said to them, why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my father's house? In other words, yes.

I am subject to you as earthly guardians, but can I remind you that I am ultimately the son of God? This is profound. I am the son of God, and my allegiance is ultimately to him. And even if you look at this from a cultural standpoint, the age of 12 was the pivotal point where a Jewish boy will become a man. That's from the cultural standpoint.

So the fact that it's happening at 12 is significant even from that lens. But theologically, what we're seeing here is that Jesus is preparing Mary specifically for what's to come in a few short years. That he's gonna separate and he's going to ultimately fulfill what God had sent him into the world to do. I must be about my father's house. Some translations, I must be about my father's business.

And we see here that although there is a theological answer, there is also, as I've been doing throughout this study, a practical inspiration. What was Mary's mistake here? Mary's mistake was that she misunderstood the meaning of Jesus' actions. Don't mind the rumbling. It'll go away in a minute.

Mary misunderstood Jesus' actions. And if we're not careful, we too can fall into the same trap of failing to understand what Christ is doing in times of distress. And maybe even in your own way, telling the Lord, why are you treating me as such? Why are you doing this? Why are you not doing this?

You see, Mary's misinterpretation is a tendency we all share in our human frailty. What is that? Especially when you're confronted with challenges or unmet expectations. Things that are ruffled, things that kind of take you by surprise. Why?

When in fact, God is doing exactly what he needs to do in perfect wisdom. So do you know how you and I can avoid that mistake? A mistake of looking at the Lord and putting him in a place of being questioned, which will honestly only add more turmoil to your trials and your tests. The way you can limit that is by being more deeply acquainted with who God is. We're not told exactly how Mary came to this, but you can just imagine over the years how though she was visited by angels, and she received prophetic utterances, and she was visited by these amazing characters in the bible at the birth of this boy.

As the years went on, she perhaps didn't fully understand the significance of his destiny. That's why she can come to this place and say, why are you doing this? If you want to be more confident in God's ways, be more familiar with who he is. And there'll be less questions and more worship. I wanna look more at what Jesus says in verse 49.

And he said to them, why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my father's house? Wow. Your father and I have been looking for you, but didn't you know that I would be in my father's house? You know what makes us even more impactful?

These are the first recorded words of the Lord Jesus Christ. The first. The first in his life that's been given to us and the first in the gospel of Luke. And what makes us even more special is when you consider the last recorded words of Jesus before his death. It's in the gospel of Luke.

Go to Luke 23 and look here with me at verse 46. Then Jesus calling out with a loud voice said, father, into your hands I commit my spirit and having said this, he breathed his last. What a glorious observation. Do you know why? Because between the first recorded words of Jesus and his last before his death, he emphasized his relationship with the father.

Father, do you not know that I must be in my father's house? And there he is before he gives his final sigh. Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. I mean, this is awesome for many reasons, but the the principle that grips me the most is that from first to last, Jesus' life was defined by joyful obedience to the will of God. From first to last, everything was framed by this ultimate desire.

I want to obey, live, love the Father. And some of you here have experienced the saving power of the gospel and have proclaimed Jesus Christ as lord. This might have happened at a young age, others in the prime of your life, and some others may be at the midpoint of your life. Whether it was 12, 22, or 52, can I ask you something, please? Is the desire to live for God strong today as it was when you first start walking with him.

Because here is my model, here is my example. Jesus at 12 said father, my father, and Jesus at the prime of his life, while being executed, could say father. I hope that's your ambition. If that ambition has been weakened, may it reawaken with a new force in this new year Finish strong. I I wonder how many of us in this place have it as our goal to finish well.

To finish well. There was an old preacher who was a friend of mine who was in heaven today, and whenever I would ask him, how can I be praying for you? Do you know what he would say? Pray that I would die climbing. It's a very imaginative way of saying, I want to finish well.

It inspired me, at least. Father at the start, father when he finished. What happens? Look at verse 50 of Luke two, and they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them. They didn't fully make sense.

They couldn't put the pieces together. And here's what's so moving about this, is because I can't help but think how the Lord was misunderstood at all points of his life and ministry. Here he is at 12, saying, why are you why are you surprised? I'm supposed to be in my father's house, and his parents didn't get it. And and how much throughout his ministry in the gospels do we see people not getting it, even those were under his apprenticeship.

Even those who were being trained to be apostles, they didn't get so many things. You say, why are you bringing that? I'm bringing that up because despite the lack of awareness and the inability to catch up, He loves. He's committed. He's steadfast.

He's so patient. He loved Joseph and Mary even in this. Jesus who knew more about himself than these parents. Jesus who was more aware of God's will than these earthly guardians. And yet he still loved them.

Saying, how did he love them? Because 51 says he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. It's very hard for some people to submit to others whom they believe to be more experienced, or more knowledgeable, more powerful. That was not Jesus. He had profound insight, and yet he understood that this is a part of the will of God, that I will honor and respect those who are in authority over me, and so I will submit to them.

And listen, this kind of steadfast love that Christ shows for imperfect people applies to all of us today. Most of us are slow in learning, including the preacher, And yet Christ loves, and He stays, and He goes with us, and He leads us, and He nudges us, and He protects us, and He provides for us. We would all be in trouble if we had to have consistent a's in our spiritual learning. What a powerful example this sets for each of us as we intermingle with one another, and especially if we have people in our lives that are over us, and we're challenged in our flesh to honor them the way that God calls us to honor them. So both young and old here, you might even have parents that are limited in their thinking, limited in their ways of dealing with situations.

Look at your example in Jesus, and seek him for the strength to be able to worship God in the place of submission. Mutual respect. That might be true for our spiritual leaders as well, or any kind of authority, any kind of relationship for that matter. Christ, even at 12, was far superior, yet he still submitted humility, kindness, and patience. This is the master.

I I want to be like Jesus. Who knew that a 12 year old could inspire? He's the Messiah. And not just that, I see his patience in another way. He was patient with his parents, yes, but he was also patient with the will of God.

Think about it. At 12 years old, he understands I am the son of the father in heaven. He's comprehending his divine mission. He's growing into that. The awareness is there, and yet what?

He waits eighteen years before he starts his public ministry. Imagine the temptation of being a 12 year old prodigy. Going on those preaching crusades and confounding these Oh, you would Surely you would get a bigger crowd. The 12 year old out there preaching, doing miracles. He didn't.

Year by year, he goes by, and he grows. He matures. He goes to school. He submits to his parents. Perfect without sin.

Until God said, now is the time. Till the father said, now is the time. Oh, he was in step with the will of God, how I want to be like Jesus, patient with people, patient with God's plan for my life. So let me end here. What is the purpose of Luke, including this story in his gospel account?

I think there are three quick summaries that we can make. One is to show that Jesus was truly human. Alright. So look at verse 52. And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.

So he was really human, though without sin. He grew, he was hungry, he went to bed, he experienced temptation, he was truly human, and we're reminded of that. And that's important for a reason I'm gonna get to. But not only was he truly human, but he was aware at a very early stage of his life of his divinity, that he was the son of God. So this wasn't something that his followers later on conjured up about his identity.

Nor is it something that he accepted because of the claims of the crowd who were longing for a Messiah and decided to just put that on him, and that's something that he worked with. No. Jesus knew he was a son of God many years even before he ministered as a son of God. And lastly, a question after the question, why Luke included this. Have you ever wondered why, the plan for our salvation could have been a much quicker ordeal?

Send the Son into the world, and let the next day come by where He is crucified. Let Him shed His blood, conquer the grave, resurrect, ascend, and purchase our salvation. If you've ever thought that, then I say respectfully, then you have an incomplete understanding of what our salvation entails. His death is paramount. It is necessary, but so was his life.

So was his life. Because what the Bible teaches here is not that we have our debt paid by his death, It's that also we receive his perfection because of how he lived. So in Jesus, who lived a perfect life, even from the age of 12, by honoring the law, by submitting to the will of God, by resisting temptation, by conquering all these things before he conquered death, what happens now is that when you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, you know what takes place? He takes your guilt, and he gives you his perfection. His life was necessary to accumulate the righteousness that would be ascribed unto you and placed into your account.

That is the divine exchange of the gospel. That is the beauty of this message. That in a way, God treated Jesus, not that he sinned, but as a sin bearer, and in turn he looks at you and treats you like Jesus, as though you have never sinned. That's where we find the confidence in our faith, in the understanding of the gospel. You know, I wasn't planning to end this way, but allow me to.

Just before the service, there's a prayer that I like to pray from the book of Isaiah. I don't need to share that part, but I thought after looking at that verse to just kinda read on because it deals with the Messiah. And here's our final text in Isaiah 50. Look at verse nine. This deals with Messiah, this deals with Jesus Christ seven hundred years before his entrance into the world.

And there's all these wonderful prophecies of what he would be like and what he would do and what he would accomplish. But let's hear let's begin here at verse seven. Actually, just to prove it, let's look at verse five to get to get the context. So you're convinced, at least I hope, if this is foreign to you that this is about Messiah. Isaiah 50 verse five.

The Lord God has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious. I turned not backward. I gave my back to those who strike and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard. I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting. That's talking about the suffering, the torture that Christ experienced.

But it doesn't end here. He goes on. Messiah says, but the Lord God helps me, therefore I have not been disgraced. Therefore I have set my face like flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame. He who vindicates me is near.

Who will contend with me? Let us stand up together. Who is my adversary? Let him come near to me. And this is the part that struck me.

Verse nine. Behold, the Lord God helps me. Who will declare me guilty? Behold, all of them will wear out like a garment. The moth will eat them up.

You see what Messiah is saying? He's not just describing the fact that he will indeed be tortured. He will be punished. But in his punishment, is there no indication that he was wrong? That he did anything to actually receive that punishment justly?

He voluntarily received, yes, God's punishment, but from a human standpoint, he was free. There was nothing that they could pin on him. So he says here in verse nine, behold, the Lord God helps me. Who will declare me guilty? And even before that, who is my adversary?

Let him come near to me. Does does that language sound familiar to you? On your own time, look it up in Romans chapter eight where Paul makes allusions to these words, where he says, who shall condemn the elect? Who can condemn those who belong? It is God who justifies.

So even Paul, obviously a scholar familiar with the Old Testament, makes allusions to these words, I believe. And here's what's so beautiful. It began with Messiah saying, who can declare me guilty? And then Paul borrows such words for the Christian. Why?

Because the Christian, when he puts his faith, is in Christ. So when Messiah says, who can declare me guilty because of his perfection? Now the Christian can say, who can declare me guilty because of his perfection that has been imputed to you by faith? Do you see that? This is the Christmas message that God has given us his inexpressible gift, and it is free, and it is available to any person in this room.

That if you realize that you are a sinner, that you have dishonored, violated God's law, that can all change. Your status from guilty to innocent can take place this afternoon. Your eternal staying before God can be shifted when you understand what the Savior has done for you. And what does that look like? It looks like you acknowledging that you are a sinner, and recognizing that He is your sole Savior, and that you would receive His righteousness.

I believe that apart from you, I'm damned. That I need your perfection if I'm to stand before God with confidence, and I need you to take care of this debt, lest I pay it myself. And Christ willingly, willingly wants to make that transaction with you. You just have to believe it. He extends that gift to you on 12/15/2024.

I hope you would take it if you've never received it. I hope you would not reject it. I hope you would not swat his hand away. I hope today that you would put your hand in hand with the living Christ. Because the one that I preach about, who was at 1.12 years old, is alive today.

He died. He was buried. He raised. And as pastor Mark opened the service, he's coming back, and he's gonna redeem those who have put their faith in him in their lifetime. Would you do it today, believer?

I hope that you feel a great confidence surging up in you once more, that it's because of what Christ has done in this rescue mission of coming into this world on your behalf that you should be joyful. Let's rejoice together. Indeed, Lord, we see that even in this text of the boy Jesus at 12 years old, you have provided for us a banquet. Thank you for showing us just a glimpse of the extent of his sacrifice, of subjecting himself to the limitations of humanity in order to redeem humanity. Lord, today, we we feel the joy of our salvation.

If it's not true for anyone here, may they taste it for the first time. And for those who have tasted in it, may there be a freedom in their hearts to know that they can make a fresh commitment to you if they have not been as zealous as they should have been, if they have missed the mark, if they, like the story has told us, have walked ahead of Jesus or have delayed where Christ has went ahead. We pray that if it's been a day, a week, a month, a year, where closeness with Christ has not been enjoyed and realized that today would be the turning point, only your spirit can do that. So we rejoice in you, Lord. We pray that there would be rejoicing in heaven because of repentance in this house.

And we give you glory and thanks that the confidence of our salvation is in Christ alone. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. If the praise team can join us and help us glorify the Son of God who became a man so that men could become born again.