GROWING UP WITH JESUS Matthew 3:17

 GROWING UP IN JESUS 

Matthew 3:17

In the life of Jesus we focus on two events, His birth and His death

We know little about His early life.

We see Jesus in Bethlehem on Christmas morning, We see Him at 2 to 3 years old when the Wise men visited Him in Bethlehem 

We see Mary Joseph and the child Jesus directed by an angel of the Lord to Egypt to escape the murder of babies by Herod in an effort to kill Jesus

Matt 2:15 and was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt did I call my son (Hosea 11:1).

We see Jesus at 12 years old in Jerusalem questioning the teachers of the 

WHAT SCRIPTURE TELLS US ABOUT JESUS LIFE FROM 12 TO 30

The story begins afresh at 30 years old when Jesus is baptised in the Jordan river by John the Baptist. We hear the voice of the Father giving

Him approval

Matt 3:17 and lo, a voice out of the heavens, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

From the verse we get three pieces of information

  1. Jesus lives a life pleasing to the Father

  2. His life was one of obedience

  3. He is the eternal son of the Father and step down from heaven and was 

      Born in the flesh full human.  He had a divine nature and a human 

      Nature, yet never sinned.

HIS EARLY LIFE ACCORDING TO SCRIPTURE AND JEWISH CUSTOMS

At 12 Years old   Luke 2:39-51 He went with Mary and Joseph to Jerusalem to observe the Passover festival commanded by the Lord

Deut 16:16 Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before Jehovah thy God in the place which he shall choose: in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles; and they shall not appear before Jehovah empty.

Like any normal Jewish child He grew in spirit and wisdom

He was found in temple Asking question of the teachers for 3 days

God stripped Him of all his wisdom and knowledge to be born in the flesh.

Luke 2:46 And it came to pass, after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both hearing them, and asking them questions: 47 and all that heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. 52 And Jesus advanced in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and Men.

BORN IN HUMBLE CONDITIONS

In His early life Jesus was learning humility , responsibility and service

Born in a poor conditions with  poor parents , He learned the trade of carpenter from Joseph

Galilee was considered one of the worst areas

John 1:46 And Nathanael said unto him, Can any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.

DILEGENT STUDY OF GOD’S WORD

Jesus spent time studying the Word out of obedience to His earthly parents and the Jewish custom. Jesus knew that the best place to find the best teachers of the Word was at the temple in Jerusalem

He spent  3 days in Jerusalem  asking questions from the

Teachers . Luke 2: 47 and all that heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.

Lean to write, He  wrote in the sand when the Jewish leaders brought Him a woman caught in adultery,  John 8:6 And this they said, trying him, that they might have (whereof) to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground.

ASV

 

JESUS WAS A SKILLED LABORER 

In Obedient to parents and the Jewish custom, Jesus Learn the trade of Joseph   a carpenter

Mark 6:3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James, and Joses, and Judas, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended in him.

He was Obedient first to God the Father. He became aware early as a child that He had a higher calling. All His focus was on the Lord's work.   

Luke 2:49  And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? knew ye not that I must be in my Father's house?

Jesus Never spoke or acted on His own 

John 5:30 I can of myself do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is righteous; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.

John 14:10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I say unto you I speak not from myself: but the Father abiding in me doeth his works.

Jesus was an image of the Father 

John 14:9  Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; how sayest thou, Show us the Father?

Jesus was the oldest son of Mary and Joseph 

Mark 6:3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James, and Joses, and Judas, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended in him.

JESUS BROTHERS AND SISTERS WERE KEPT IN THE DARK

After Joseph death, by Jewish law He became leader of the family.

This implies that Jesus’s brothers did not know that He was the Son of God and the long awaited Messiah, It indicated that Mary and Joseph kept the secret of Jesus virgin birth. This may have been to protect the family from

Perfection or death 

 

The parents could not reveal who Jesus was for fear he would be killed

His brothers and sisters  didn’t believe in His message,  thought He was crazy.

Matt 2:22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judaea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither; and being warned (of God) in a dream, he withdrew into the parts of Galilee, 23 and came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth; that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophets, that he should be called a Nazarene.

According to Joscephus, After Herod’s death, his son Herod Archelaus took the throne To consolidate his power and  put down the uproar in Jerusalem, He sent An army into Jerusalem killed 3000 insurrectionists and canceled 

the passover

While Jesus lived his brothers and sister were not part of His ministery

His brothers and sisters  didn’t believe in His message and   thought He was crazy.

Mark 3:21 When his family heard this, they went to get him because they thought he was out of his mind. 22 But the teachers of the law from Jerusalem were saying, "Beelzebul is living inside him! He uses power from the ruler of demons to force demons out of people." 

THE EARLY YEARS OF JESUS LIFE WAS SPIRITUAL PREPARATION FOR THE MINISTRY

Jesus early life was set and followed normal Jewish values

Deut 6:7 and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thy house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

• The Father gave Jesus 30 years of on the job training

• 30 years of listening to problems. 30 years of listening to deception of men

• 30 years of obedience. 30 years of studying the scriptures. 30 years of communication with the Lord

• 30 years of spiritual growth and development. 30 years of growing in wisdom and favor with the Father and man. . 30 years of perfection to become a Rabbi 

• You and I ought to graduate from student to teacher 

• Heb 5:12 For when by reason of the time ye ought to be teachers

• 30 years of role modeling righteous living before a sinful world

• Listen and observe, Jesus fought every temptation with Word

• Satan is never finished. He will come back with another temptation. 

JESUS GROWTH FROM CHILDHOOD TO MANHOOD IS A ROLE MODEL FOR US

Luke 2:49 And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? knew ye not that I must be in my Father's house?

1. Jesus was raised in a working family and lived in a poor neighborhood

2. Luke 2:52  And Jesus advanced in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

3. Jesus lived a life like you. He was focused on the will of the Father, as we should be

4. He experienced what you experienced . He can identify with your problems

5. He knows your past and used it to grow your future 

6. Every event in your life has prepared you for good work in the Lord 

7. Your life with Jesus is assured and will be blesse

GOD CHOSE A FAMILY FOR YOU, Matthew 1:1-17

 GOD DESIGNED A FAMILY FOR YOU

Matthew 1:1-17

Family is God’s first divine institution. I believe His most joyous creation. 

There is a mad rush to know our genealogy. Ancestry.com has a DNA kit

To identify past members of your family history. 

When you go to a doctor they want to know your family history. Do any one in the family have a history of heart trouble, high blood pressure, arthritis.

Cancer and other illnesses?  It all in your DNA, and can be transferred to you. 

You have a permanent human DNA. It is in you from birth and is a combination of your family history, Once we accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior we have spiritual DNA with Him. 

The Bible lists two Jewish  genealogies of Jesus, one in the gospel of Matthew and one in the Gospel of Luke.  The Gospel of Matthew is the public record of Abraham to Mary. The genealogy in Luke is the private record from Joseph to Adam.

JESUS FAMILY LIFE

You would think that Jesus our Lord and Savior, the author of our faith,

The giver of undeserved grace and mercy and the Father of righteousness would choose the best genealogy for Himself.  But He did not.

Jesus is related by blood to Mary, his earthy mother. Jesus is the adopted son of Joseph and is related by the private record. Mary and Joseph were first cousins. Their fathers were brothers. Jesus is related by private and public record to Adam the one who created Him. Jesus is both father and

Brother to us by adoption. 

THE GENEALOGY OF JESUS

Family is made up of  collection people and event through time.  Matthew

Traces Jesus human genealogy back to Abraham around 2200 BC. Luke traces Jesus genealogy back to Adam around 4000 BC. Spiritually Jesus always was and always will be, from eternity past to eternity future.

In the genealogy of Jesus are two non Jewish women who married Jewish men, Rahab and Ruth.  Rahab was a Canaanite, a  prostitute who ran a house of prostitution.

 Ruth was a Moabite who married Boaz , the great grandfather of King David (Ruth 3:14) The Moabites were known for incessual relationships. So we have  non Jews  related to Jesus by both Public and private record.

In every family there are some good people and some not so good people. There are some honest, hard working people and some lazy folk. There are

Some thieves, liars, drug abusers and may some in jail.  We all have some

Family members we want  spend too  much time talking about.

Jesus genealogy includes a prostitute, a rapist, a murder, a polygamist

And some non  Jews.  One of His chosen Judges of Israel was a wild man, a violent man, an irrational man and a womanizer.  Jesus' genealogy also includes some righteous faithful men and women. 

Rehab ran a house of prostitution, made a deal with the Israelite spies

By hiding them from her king of Jereico in turn for the life of her and her family. She married Salmon one of the great great grand fathers of David Matthew 1:5

Ruth was a Moabite woman, whose love for Naomi brought her to Israel,

Where she married Boaz the great great grandfather of David  Matthew 1:5

King David a man after God’s own heart was a rapist and murder, He raped

Bathsheba and had her husband killed in battle to cover his sin.

King Solomon the son David and Bathsheba is considered the wisest man of all times, David son was a polygamist. He had 700 wives and 300 concubines. He was also disobedient to God by marrying women who worshiped idol gods,  

Manasseh King of Judah , southern Israel did evil in the site of God, building idol altars  in Israel including in the temple  Matthew 1:10.

Jesus is from the line of Judah.

Samsom  one of God's judges of Israel was a man of unusual  physical strength. He was a wild , violent, irrational man, He slept with Delliah a Philistine woman, the enemy of god who tricked Him to reveal the sources of his strength. In  the end  blinded and chained appealed to God to place him on support post of a building doing a Philistine party of all the kings and warriors which he pushed down killing them all

The point of all this is our family line, like Jesus includes all types of people, It is a story of repentance and redemption. It is a story of our adoption into the family of Jesus by faith in  His atoning blood on the cross.

It is a story of family that God chose for us. God chose to bring Jesus in the

Flesh though 42 generation of Israelites. He chose us before the foundation

Of the earth to be in that family Ephesion 1:4,  He spiritually adopted us as

Sons and daughters Ephesians 1:5, Romans 8:15.

We are included in the public record and the private record of Jesus Christ. We are in His family line by His grace and mercy, We don’t deserve it and

We cannot earn  a place with Jesus,  

Jesus made up his family to look like ours. A family of sinners in need of a Savior.  God is no respecter of person,

FIVE WOMEN IN THE GENEALOGY OF JESUS

There are some interesting things about some of the women in the Genealogy of Jesus. They were smart and used their sexuality to marry into the Jesus’s genealogy. 

      

              Tamar married one of the sons of Judah (a son of Jacob)

               Her husband died. She tricked Judah her father in law that she   

               was a prostitute and got impregnated by him. Her and her son   

               Perez are in genealogy.  Gen 38

              Rahab ran a house of prostitution. She hid the spies of Joshua

              And made a deal with them to save her and her family doing

              The fall of Jereco. She married Obez, her and her son are in

              Genealogy.

              Ruth  was a moabite whose culture was known for incestial  

              relationships. She Followed Naomi , her mother in law from Moab 

              to Israel. She married Obez.  

              Under the direction of Naomi she uncovered Obez while he was  

              sleep and laid at His feet.   The Hebrew word for feet is a  

             euphemism for genitalia. By laying next to his feet/genitalia she 

             was offered herself to him as His wife.  

              

              Mary a teenage virgin conceived Jesus by the power of the

              Holy Spirit. 

    The genealogy of Jesus is broken into three sections. 

1. FAITH   From Abraham to David                              14 generation      

2. MERCY From David to the deportation to Babylon  14 generations 

3. HOPE     From the deportation of Israel  to Jesus    14 generations

One additional note about the number 14.  In the Hebrew Bible language    7 is the number of completion. 14 is 7 twice meaning the genealogy is 

Very important information. The genealogy of Jesus shows us that He gave up his crown and became nothing so you I could be everything. The genealogy includes Jews and Gentiles, good people and bad people in all types of situation, sins of every imaginable type that Jesus came like us

To reconcile to Himself in His shed blood.

God used the members in your genealogy to position you in places  that He can use you.    

YOU WERE CHOSEN FOR THE FAMILY OF JESUS

Eph 1:4  He chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blemish before him in love: 5 having foreordained us unto adoption as sons through Jesus Christ unto himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 to the praise of the glory of his grace, which he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved:

The genealogy is a story of God’s unending grace and mercy

A story of forgiveness and redemption

A story of God’s  love grounded in faith

A story of a well executed plan 

A story that you can see your life in

THANK GOD JESUS IS THE REASON FOR THE SEASON 

WE OUGHT TO BE GRATEFUL THAT WE ARE HIS FAMILY

UGHT

CHRIST DESIGNED A NATION FOR YOU

 CHRIST DESIGNED A NATION FOR YOU

                                                Gen 12:1-3

12 Now Jehovah said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto the land that I will show thee.

2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great. And be thou a blessing. 3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and him that curseth thee will I curse. And in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed.

He established Faith as the Foundation for the nation

Heb 11:1  Now faith is assurance of (things) hoped for, a conviction of things not seen.

God spoke the world into existence by His faith  Hebrews 11:3

God was in no hurry in developing a  nation for His family to reside in. He is

In no hurry in developing a nation of believers in Him. A day is as a 1000 years to the Lord and a1000 years is as a day to the Lord.

God chose Abraham as the earthly father of His nation.  It is good to review the history to put time in God’s perspective 

EVENT                                 TIME FRAME                      COVENANT

GOD CHOSE YOU BEFORE THE CREATION OF THE WORLD 

Ephesians 1:4

SATAN CORRUPT HEAVEN    ⅓ ANGELS  fell  JOB 38

GOD CREATED THE WORLD   

ADAM AND EVE MADE IN GOD’S IMAGE   EDENIC COVENANT

ADAM AND EVE SIN   GEN 3             4000BC    ADAMIC COV

SECOND SET OF ANGELS FELL     GEN 6:2-4  2300  BC? Locked up, can’t roam                         JUDE 1:6

NOAH’S ARK  FLOOD       GEN 8:20        2340 BC   NOAHIC COV   

                                           God restarted the population of the Earth

                                           Noah and his family

TOWER OF BABEL           GEN 11            2247 BC

                                           Man decided to quit populating the Earth

                                           Make a name for themselves  Tower of Babel

                             SCATTERING OF FAMILIES   DIFFERENT LANGIAGES

ABRAM CALLED                GEN 12           1920 BC    ABRAHAMIC COV

The nation began with God choosing Abram as the Father

 Abraham’s  call

Gen 12:1-3

1 Now Jehovah said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto the land that I will show thee. 

2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great. And be thou a blessing. 3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and him that curseth thee will I curse. And in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed.

THE LORD SAID TO ABRAM

God established a relationship with Abram with His call. If you read the story you will find out that he had been blessed with livestock, servants and

A faithful wife. He was rich. You could also assume he was devoted to God

And knew His voice. Abram was living under God’s grace and was prepared by Him to take the charge that would be given to him

God has done that for each of us. From birth we have been prepared to serve God. Every resource and event in our lives have been carefully orchestrated by God for His good pleasure. The ups and downs are the 

process in the preparation.

LEAVE YOUR COUNTRY

Abram was living in Haran with mother and father and relatives. He was in a good place with a good wife. He was living the good life. I believe he was 

Thankful and grateful. His father took Abram  to Haran from Ur intending

To continue to Cannan. 

Gen 11:31 And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran, his son's son, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram's wife. And they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan. And they came unto Haran, and dwelt there.

Abram was a obedient to the Lord’s command.  Haran was a significant city in Mesopotamia, the center of commerce and culture. To the ordinary man

This would not be a place to leave. Abram was no ordinary man because he listen to God rather than his flesh

Every since our birth God has been in the process of placing all believers

Where he wants to serve Him. There have been times where you moved

Somewhere not thinking that it was God guiding you for the greater good of others.  There probably been times where you heard the Word of God and moved. You are no ordinary person, because you are the dear children  of God.  Ephesians 5:1. You were once in the dark but God has moved you to the light. Eph 5:8 For ye were once darkness, but are now light in the Lord: walk as children of light

LEAVE YOUR KINDRED

Abram had the support, the identity and security of his extended family.

He and his wife grew up around them. He was 75 years old and had no children. God asked Abram to leave all he knew. We have to break from our past behavior to follow God. Whatever the family was doing was not in keeping with God’s plan. As long as Abram stayed around them he would be influenced by them. 

It is the alone time with God that we gain greater insight into who He is. We have to move away from the noise to  hear God. When there are no distractions God's voice is heard louder and more clearly. Jesus always

Dedicated alone time with Father in prayer listen for His directions 

John 12:49 For I spake not from myself; but the Father that sent me, he hath given me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.

LEAVE YOUR FATHER’S HOUSEHOLD

Leaving our mother and father can be a difficult thing. Sometimes is what we plan to do. It is God’s design for marriage. In Biblical time to leave the Fathers house was to abandon the inheritance and social status.

However in the first marriage God commanded Adam to leave mother and father and cleave to his wife. Genesis 2:24. A holy marriage is not to be

Influence by the mother and father but by God himself. What momma did and what daddy did may not be what God wants for your marriage. The two

Cannot become one flesh in momma’s house. 

GO TO THE LAND WHERE I WILL SHOW YOU

THe place where God led Abram’s father was not the place where

God wanted Abram. Abram’s journey was different from his father. While Abram was in a comfortable place, he had no chance of growing in faith.

He obviously knew God because he listen to Him, The move would

Test and grow His faith. Abram would grow into an intimate trusting relationship with God. To leave his family took the measure of faith

God had given him. Blind faith goes without knowing where you are

Going.

I grew up in Alabama. When I finished college, a job brought ne to Houston Texas, After 10 year, i got restless and was transferred to Dallas where I began a formal study of the Bible. I got transferred back to Houston. I believed God fixed it so I could not leave. I pursued a degree in theology

And have been teaching the Bible since then.  This was not where my father was, but I believe it is where God wants me to be. 

God’s plan for Abram started in the land He showed Him 

THE PROMISES  OF FAITH

Gen 12:2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great. And be thou a blessing. 3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and him that curseth thee will I curse. And in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed.

When you walk by faith the journey will take you places you have never been and doing things you cannot do by yourself.

There are promises when you walk by faith. You have to move when God

Says move,   step out in faith

1. I will make you a great nation

2. I will bless you and make your name great

3. I will be your blessing

4. I will bless those who bless you

5. I will curse them who curse you

6. All the families of the earth will blessed in you

In ourselves we are not great. But in God we can do great things that bless others. God promises to bless and protect us as we serve Him. All the promises to Abram were fulfilled. What God did for Abram, He will do for you 

THE PROMISED LAND BECAME THE NATION OF ISRAEL

Gen 12:5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran. And they went forth to go into the land of Canaan. And into the land of Canaan they came.

Gen 12:7 And Jehovah appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land. And there builded he an altar unto Jehovah, who appeared unto him.

At 100 years old, a son was born to Abram and Sarai who was 90 years old. Isaac became the promise seed who 400 years later became the Nation of Israel born in slavery. From Abraham seed came Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior who is the blessing of all the nations of the world who come to Him by faith

The Lord will always confirm His Word to you.  He does not tell you the entire journey at one time, but will guide you doing the journey, Abram

Had never been to Cannan, There were no road maps. There was no appointed guide to Cannan, Let me suggest that Abram move his family

By faith in the Lord.  God was the only guide he needed

SUMMARY

SUMMARY 

• God designed a nation for your salvation

• A nation of faith

• A nation developed over a period of 6000 plus years

• A nation open to anyone who believes in Jesus

• A nation whose hope is in the God who promised it

• A nation that brought forth Jesus Christ

• A nation still growing until Christ returns

• A nation that you were chosen for

• A nation whose destination is Heaven

CAN YOU HAVE ANY BETTER NEWS THAN THIS?

WHAT AMAZES YOU ABOUT THE GOOD NEWS OF JESUS?