Pastor Michael Neumann

December 27, 2009 

Luke 2:41-52

Speak Lord, your servant is listening.

1) Listen to God’s Word.

2) Obey God’s Word.

3) Proclaim God’s Word.

 Are you excited to be here this morning? Or was it a struggle to get out of bed and to make it here this morning? Christmas was just a couple days ago. You were in church for special services. The days at this time of year are short and cold. The weather isn’t the greatest. What a temptation to take a Sunday off from church.

But you are here because you recognize the importance of spending time with the Lord and his Word. How important it is for us to make time to hear and study the Bible. What a great treasure God has given us in his word. Through that word the Lord strengthens our faith and guides us in life. He makes us sure of our salvation and his love. Through that word, the Lord comforts us and gives us hope. He encourages us as we deal with trials and troubles and as we struggle against temptation. That word is something that we can count on. God’s word can never deceive us or fail us. How precious that word is.

 This morning in our Scripture readings, we have a couple of good examples to encourage us in our devotion to the Lord and his word. In the boy Samuel and in the boy Jesus, we have wonderful examples of what our attitude toward the Lord’s word will be. Even more than that, in Jesus we see our substitute faithfully carrying out God’s business, faithful in his love and devotion to God’s Word. So already as a boy, we see Jesus keeping the law perfectly in our place. And our Savior’s perfect love for us moves us to love his word.  Let us respond to the Lord’s word in a similar way - Speak Lord, your servant is listening. Listen to God’s Word. Obey God’s Word. Proclaim God’s Word.

 Mary and Joseph also provide a good example for us when it comes to hearing God’s word. As faithful Jews, they made it a point to travel to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. It was their custom we are told – their habit. How important for us to develop good habits for faithful study of God’s word – regular attendance in Sunday worship and Bible class, regular time for personal and family devotion. How important to make time to study God’s word together as a family or couple. Not only will that strengthen our relationship with the Lord, but it will also help to strengthen those family relationships as well.

For Mary and Joseph, after the seven days of the Passover celebration were over, they and their relatives and others from Galilee, began the journey back home. Mary and Joseph assumed that Jesus was somewhere in the group. But when they stopped to make camp that first night, Jesus wasn’t there. So immediately they began a search for him.

 They returned to Jerusalem to try and find him. You can imagine the anxious moments as Mary and Joseph searched Jerusalem for their son. And where did they find him? In the last place that they looked - which really should have been the first place. They found him in the temple sitting among the teachers there - discussing with them, questioning and answering them.

 Here at this young age, we see Jesus’ great love for the Word of God, his Father. After seven days of Passover celebration, he wanted to continue to hear from God’s Word, to learn and to listen to those who were teachers of that Word. He had become so wrapped up in listening to and learning God’s Word that he had been left behind, when his family and friends left for home.

 Do we have that same love for God’s Word? Do we look forward to the opportunities we have to hear and study that Word? Do we take advantage of every opportunity which we have to study that Word? To often isn’t our attitude, “Well, it’s time for church, I suppose I should go.” We have to confess that we don’t always find time for church or Bible Class or our own personal Bible study. It seems that it is often easy to find an excuse not to go to church or Bible class, or not to read our Bible. It sometimes seems difficult for us to make time to devote to studying God’s Word, but easy to find time for so many other things.

 Let our attitude be that of King David - in Psalm 122 he declares, “I rejoiced with those who said to me, “Let us go to the house of the LORD.” Make every effort to hear and study that Word, because that word is our sure foundation. That word is the foundation upon which our faith is based. That word is our life-giving water, which nourishes and sustains our faith. There in the Word we find strength to live our lives. We find strength to overcome temptation. There in the Word we find comfort in times of trouble. There in the Word we find comfort, as we are given the assurance that our sins are forgiven. Be eager to find out all that the Word has to tell us.

 But not only are we going to be eager to listen to that word, but we will also be eager to do what it says, to obey God’s Word. The apostle James tells us, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.”

 Again, how eager are we to keep God’s law? How often don’t we think that we know what is better for our lives? How often don’t we complain about the rules and laws under which we live? We want to do what we want. Sometimes we might think that God’s law gets in the way of our fun. It’s not easy to be a Christian. It’s not easy to live a life according to God’s Word. Following God’s word takes a lot of hard work on our part. And we often fail to do what God commands. Because we fail to obey all of God’s Word, we deserve to be punished by God - ultimately we deserve to be punished forever in hell.

 But here in our text, we see Jesus not only eager to listen to God’s Word, but also eager to obey that Word. Mary and Joseph, after a couple of anxious days, finally found Jesus in the temple. Mary exclaims, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.” Mary and Joseph had been worried about their son, as any parent would have been. But they really should have known where to find Jesus. They knew who Jesus was. They knew he was not just a young boy, but that he was also the Son of God. They really should have known to look first in the temple.

 Jesus is really astonished that they didn’t know where to find him. He asks them, “Why were you searching for me? Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” These are not words of rebuke or disrespect towards his parents, but more astonishment. Mary and Joseph knew who Jesus was and why he had come into the world. They should have expected to find him in the temple, discussing God’s Word.

We see Jesus’ obedience to his parents and to God. We are told that he went with them and that he was obedient to them. His obedience to his parents and his keeping of the Fourth Commandment, were certainly on a higher plane than any other child. Jesus obeyed his parents perfectly. What a joy it must have been for Mary and Joseph to raise Jesus as a child.

  The Lord wants us to listen to his word; to obey his word, but then also to share his word with others. We see Jesus not only listening to these teachers in the temple, but it seems as if he himself was instructing them. Luke writes that, “Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers.” This was certainly more than just a boy who was advanced beyond his age. This was something more. This was in fact the very Son of God.

 We see already as a boy, Jesus eager to be about his Father’s work of proclaiming that gospel message. Maybe Jesus was discussing with them the significance of that Passover celebration just over. Maybe he was leading them to an understanding that the Passover pointed forward to the sacrifice of the Messiah on the cross; that just as the Israelites were saved in Egypt by the blood of the lamb on the door posts, so all mankind would be saved from sin by the blood of God’s perfect lamb shed on the cross. Exactly what the discussion was Luke does not record for us. But I think we can safely assume that the discussion centered on that gospel message - that they discussed the Messiah and his work of salvation.

 We will be just as eager and excited to discuss that same Messiah and his work with others. We just celebrated the birth of our Savior on Christmas – but how many people don’t really know what Christmas is about. Christmas is not just about giving and a spirit of kindness; it is not just about family and love towards others. It is so much more. It is about God’s love for us, his gift of his own Son to be our Savior – to live and ultimately to die for us. That message of Jesus Christ crucified for sinners is one that every person needs to hear. Sometimes it can be difficult for us to tell others about our faith and our Savior. We are afraid we won’t know what to say. Or we’re afraid we might be ridiculed; and so many times we don’t say anything. But what wonderful message it is. Jesus Christ lived a perfect life and died as my substitute. The Lord has commanded us, “Go and make disciples of all nations,” and we really can’t do anything less. That message is too wonderful to keep to ourselves.

 But Jesus here in our text, not only provides us with an example to follow in our lives, but even more importantly, Jesus perfectly carried out God’s law as our substitute. If Jesus were only an example for us to follow, we would be in trouble. As we realize, we often fail to keep God’s law. We fail to have a love for his word, to gladly listen and obey it. We have failed to be obedient children. We have failed to be obedient to those in authority over us. 

But Jesus’ perfect obedience is far more than just an example for us. Jesus perfectly kept the third commandment – he had perfectly love and obedience toward God’s word. Jesus perfectly kept the fourth commandment – he perfectly obeyed his parents. Jesus perfectly kept all the commandments and he did that as our substitute. Here we see Jesus’ active obedience to the law. Jesus fulfilled the entire law perfectly for us as our substitute. He did what we are unable to do. Jesus never disobeyed his parents or anyone else in authority. Jesus never neglected the study of God’s Word. He was perfect, without any sin.

 And then he offered up that perfect life as the sacrifice to pay for our sins. For our sins of disobedience toward our parents and superiors, for our sins of neglect of God’s Word, for these and for all of the sins which we have committed, Jesus sacrificed his perfect life on the cross. Jesus perfectly obeyed his Father’s will by carrying out God’s plan for our salvation. Through faith, Jesus’ perfect obedience to the law is credited to our account. Instead of the punishment which our sins deserve, we are counted worthy of eternal life.

 We are told that Mary “treasured all these things in her heart.” We can also treasure all of these things. What wonderful words they are for us to hear. Jesus perfectly obeyed the law for us. He offered his perfect life as a sacrifice for our sins. He is our Savior. Be about the Father’s business of making faithful use of His word. Be eager to listen to his word. Strive to follow and obey that word in your lives. Share that wonderful message with others. Let our prayer be – “Speak Lord; your servant is listening to your wonderful, comforting, life giving Word.”