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Series C – Second Sunday of Christmas – Sunday, January 3, 2016 | Pr. Chris Rosebrough

Welcome to the Teaching Ministry of Kongsvinger Lutheran Church. Kongsvinger is a beacon for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and is located on the plains of Northwestern Minnesota. We proclaim Christ and Him crucified for our sins and salvation by grace through faith alone, and now, here’s a message from Pastor Chris Rosebrough:

Time Stamp	Transcript
0:28	the holy Gospel According to Saint Luke
0:30	Chapter 2 verses 40 through 52.
0:34	and the child grew and became strong
0:38	filled with wisdom and the favor of God
0:41	was upon him now his parents went to
0:43	Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the
0:45	Passover and when he was 12 years old
0:48	they went up according to custom and
0:51	when the feast was ended as they were
0:53	returning the boy Jesus stayed behind in
0:55	Jerusalem his parents did not know it
0:58	but supposing him to be in the group
1:00	they went a Day’s Journey but then they
1:02	began to search for him among their
1:04	relatives and acquaintances and when
1:06	they did not find him they returned to
1:08	Jerusalem searching for him after three
1:11	days as they found him in the temple
1:12	sitting among the teachers listening to
1:14	them and asking them questions and all
1:17	who heard him
1:18	were amazed at his understanding and his
1:20	answers and when his parents saw him
1:23	they were astonished and his mother said
1:25	to him son why have you treated us so
1:28	behold your father and I have been
1:30	searching for you in great distress and
1:33	he said to them why were you looking for
1:35	me did you not know that I must be in my
1:37	father’s house
1:39	and they did not understand the saying
1:41	that he spoke to them and he went down
1:43	with them and came to Nazareth and was
1:46	submissive to them and his mother
1:48	treasured up all of these things in her
1:50	heart Jesus increased in wisdom and in
1:54	stature and in favor with God and man in
1:58	the name of Jesus
1:59	amen
2:02	verse 40 the child was growing and
2:06	becoming strong and while being filled
2:09	with wisdom Passive by the way he’s
2:11	being filled God’s doing the filling and
2:14	the grace of the favor of God was upon
2:17	him
2:18	so here’s our theme for this passage
2:21	here’s the idea
2:22	don’t let the package fool you if you
2:25	remember the movie Forrest Gump well
2:27	Forrest Gump had that famous saying life
2:30	is like a box of chocolates you never
2:31	know what you’re going to get and the
2:33	idea is this it’s simple when you look
2:35	at a box of chocolates they all kind of
2:37	look like chocolates but then when you
2:39	bite into one of them you might say oh
2:41	that’s really amazing
2:43	or you might say oh
2:46	why did I pick that one that’s kind of
2:48	the idea so you don’t don’t let the
2:51	package fool you that’s the idea in our
2:53	passage today so here in this text that
2:57	we just read
2:58	Jesus is making his second appearance in
3:02	the temple and Jesus in the temple are
3:04	inextricably linked important thing to
3:07	keep in mind and this first verse verse
3:10	40 we in a sense get the Fulfillment of
3:14	the type and Shadow of which Solomon
3:17	really was the type let me exam let me
3:20	explain First Kings chapter 3 verses 3
3:22	through 12. you remember Solomon becomes
3:25	king of Israel after his father David
3:27	had passed away and it says this Solomon
3:31	loved the Lord walking in the statutes
3:33	of David his father only he sacrificed
3:35	and made offerings at the high places
3:37	and the King went to gibeon to sacrifice
3:40	there for that was the great high place
3:42	Solomon used to offer a thousand burnt
3:45	offerings on that altar at gibeon the
3:48	Lord appeared to Solomon in a Dream by
3:49	night and God said ask what I shall give
3:52	you
3:53	and Solomon said you have shown great
3:56	and steadfast love to your servant David
3:58	my father because he walked before you
3:59	in faithfulness in righteousness in an
4:02	uprightness of heart towards you and you
4:04	have kept for him this great and
4:07	steadfast love and have given him a son
4:09	to sit on his throne this day and now O
4:12	Lord my God
4:14	you have made your servant King in place
4:18	of David my father although I am but a
4:22	little child
4:24	I do not know how to go out or to come
4:26	in and your servant is in the midst of
4:28	your people whom you have chosen a great
4:31	people too many to be numbered are
4:33	accounted for multitude give your
4:36	servant therefore an understanding mind
4:38	to govern your people that I may discern
4:40	between good and evil for who is able to
4:43	govern this your great people
4:45	it pleased the Lord that Solomon had
4:47	asked this and God said to him because
4:49	you have asked for this and have not
4:51	asked for yourself for long life or
4:53	riches or the life of your enemies but
4:55	have asked for yourself understanding to
4:57	discern what is right
4:58	behold I now do according to your word
5:01	behold I give you a wise and Discerning
5:04	mind so that none like you has been
5:07	before you and none like you shall arise
5:09	after you
5:11	the idea is this in this text we see
5:14	that the son of David is asking for
5:18	wisdom and he grows in wisdom and God
5:20	gives him wisdom wisdom to govern his
5:22	people while he sits on the throne of
5:24	his father
5:25	David and so here in the temple we see
5:28	Jesus in our text this morning
5:31	well full of wisdom
5:33	wise Beyond his years a child if you
5:37	would now I’ll have to save it for a
5:39	later time but there’s something
5:40	significant in the fact that Jesus is 12
5:43	years old think 12 tribes of Israel 12
5:46	disciples and that it takes his parents
5:49	three days to find him there’s something
5:52	going on there in the numbers in the
5:54	Bible but that’s for a different sermon
5:56	I’ll have to tease that out at a later
5:57	time in this text suffice it to say that
6:01	Solomon in type and Shadow in the Old
6:03	Testament is pointing beeline right to
6:05	Christ you know and so when you hear
6:08	about Jesus growing in wisdom and having
6:10	wisdom Beyond his years this is the
6:14	Fulfillment that Solomon was pointing to
6:16	because Jesus himself truly is the son
6:19	of David who sits on the throne of his
6:22	father David forever and God has given
6:25	him great wisdom to rule the multitude
6:27	the great multitude too well too big to
6:30	be numbered
6:32	as he rules them forever and forever
6:36	so we now come back to our text that’s
6:38	all kind of pretext
6:39	now as parents it says went to Jerusalem
6:42	every year at the Feast of the Passover
6:44	and when he was 12 years old they went
6:46	up according to custom and when the
6:49	feast was ended as they were returning
6:51	the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem
6:54	his parents did not know of know it but
6:57	supposing him to be in the group they
6:59	went a Day’s Journey but then they began
7:02	to search for him among the relatives
7:03	and acquaintances and when they did not
7:05	find him they returned to Jerusalem
7:08	searching for him
7:10	now there’s a lot of fun that you can
7:12	have with this text and the reason I say
7:14	that is because well we parents can
7:16	relate to this story many of us myself
7:18	included have experienced the stress and
7:21	the Panic of taking our eyes off of our
7:24	children only for a moment at the mall
7:26	or a grocery store and then turning
7:29	around and not seeing your children
7:31	where they thought where you thought
7:32	they would be
7:33	we get this we understand this but
7:36	here’s the issue if you’ve been paying
7:38	close attention to what the Gospel of
7:39	Luke has revealed about Jesus there is
7:42	truly a sense in which their stress the
7:45	stress of Mary and Joseph is unwarranted
7:48	and unjustified I know that sounds kind
7:51	of cruel but let me make my point Jesus
7:53	isn’t like any other child and yet they
7:56	know that you know but at the same time
7:59	Jesus looks like every other child but
8:05	see Jesus is God in human flesh
8:09	and he really and it really is easy to
8:11	forget that when it comes to Jesus there
8:14	is so much more than meets the eye so
8:17	let me be blunt Jesus Is God God the son
8:19	second person of the Holy Trinity and
8:21	human flesh and because of that he’s
8:23	quite capable of taking care of himself
8:26	I know that seems kind of blunt but it
8:29	will kind of come back to this more in a
8:30	minute so Mary and Joseph are in a panic
8:33	they’ve lost the Son of God yeah he’s
8:36	which it’s just you think about it it’s
8:39	just bizarre to talk this way but it’s
8:41	important that we do after three days
8:44	they found Jesus in the temple so on the
8:47	third day they find the 12 year old
8:49	Jesus in the temple again there’s
8:50	something going on there sitting among
8:52	the teachers listening to them
8:55	and asking them questions
9:01	and so and all who heard him were amazed
9:06	at his understanding and his answers now
9:09	here’s kind of the irony of the
9:10	situation here is the word of God made
9:13	flesh and that’s who Jesus is remember
9:17	what John chapter 1 says in the
9:19	beginning was the word and the Word was
9:21	with God and the Word was God and so
9:23	here we have the word of God made flesh
9:27	dwelling Among Us and the word of God
9:30	made flesh is indwelling Among Us is
9:33	astounding the teachers of the Torah by
9:36	his understanding of the scriptures even
9:39	as a 12 year old boy
9:41	how were they to know who Jesus truly
9:45	was well they don’t he looked just like
9:48	any other 12 year old boy of the time so
9:50	the teachers of the Torah had no way of
9:52	knowing who Jesus really was it hadn’t
9:54	been revealed to them but they were
9:56	amazed and astounded of his
9:57	understanding of the scriptures and oh I
10:00	wish I could have been a fly on the wall
10:01	just listening to Jesus teach and ask
10:05	the questions of those who are the ones
10:07	who were supposed to be asking him the
10:09	questions right he’s the catechuman he’s
10:11	this is Jesus in junior high and Junior
10:14	High kids get asked the questions but
10:17	he’s the one asking the questions which
10:19	I think is fantastic so all of this then
10:23	is part of the mystery and even the
10:26	Scandal itself of the Incarnation here
10:29	we have the word of God made flesh
10:32	but there’s no bright neon light it’s
10:35	not like Jesus is walking around he’s
10:37	got a halo over his head as all the
10:40	medieval artists depict the boy Jesus
10:42	right no he’s just going about his
10:45	business doing his thing and he looks
10:48	like every other boy
10:50	but he’s not
10:52	so this is part and parcel of the
10:54	mystery of how God comes to us and even
10:58	works among us today I want you to think
11:00	about this when we take the Lord’s
11:03	Supper all we see with our eyes is
11:06	ordinary bread
11:07	end well cheap sweet wine
11:11	but don’t let your eyes and your taste
11:13	buds deceive you God’s word reveals that
11:17	in with and Under The Bread and Wine is
11:21	the very body and blood of Jesus Christ
11:23	broken and shed for you for the
11:25	Forgiveness of your sins
11:27	when we consider our baptisms all we see
11:31	and sense with our eyes and our physical
11:33	senses is very ordinary Minnesota tap
11:37	water
11:38	but God’s word reveals that when that
11:42	ordinary tap water is combined with
11:44	God’s word
11:46	it becomes a washing of regeneration
11:48	that washes away sins and that in that
11:51	Minnesota tap water
11:53	you all had your sins washed away your
11:56	hearts circumcised by Christ and you
11:59	yourselves buried and raised with him
12:03	all through Minnesota tap water
12:06	added
12:08	to the word
12:10	when we consider the words of the
12:11	Absolution that we hear week after week
12:13	you hear from the pastor’s mouth a man
12:16	who I can attest is truly an ordinary
12:19	sinner just like you you hear from him
12:21	that your sins are forgiven
12:24	yet the word of God reveals
12:27	that that Absolution that you hear from
12:30	his your pastor’s sinful mouth doesn’t
12:33	have its origin in him
12:35	but what he speaks is an echo of the
12:38	Absolution that’s actually pronounced in
12:40	heaven John 20 verse 23 says this if you
12:44	forgive the sins of any their sins have
12:47	already been forgiven them if you retain
12:50	the sins of any they have already been
12:53	retained you see
12:55	it might look like the pastors getting
12:58	all uppity might look like the pastors
12:59	overstepped his bounds but in reality
13:02	the pastor has done nothing of the sort
13:03	all he’s done is Echo what has happened
13:07	in eternity and that is the Forgiveness
13:10	of your sins
13:12	so don’t let the package fool you
13:16	twelve-year-old Jesus is well he looks
13:19	like 12 year old Jesus and he truly is
13:21	12 years old but remember
13:23	he’s God in human flesh at 12 years old
13:26	more than meets the eye and so now his
13:29	parents they find him in the temple
13:31	everyone’s astonished by his questions
13:34	and his understanding of the scriptures
13:35	when his parents saw him they were
13:38	astonished and his mother said to him
13:40	son why have you treated us so
13:44	behold your father and I
13:49	um Joseph isn’t Jesus’s father is he
13:53	no he’s not
13:54	see even Mary
13:57	is already by the time Jesus is 12 year
14:00	old 12 years old she’s wrestling with
14:04	this incarnation of who Jesus is behold
14:07	your father and I we’ve been searching
14:09	for you in great distress
14:11	and he’s said to them
14:15	why were you looking for me
14:19	did you not know
14:21	I must be in my father’s house
14:26	notice that Jesus doesn’t break the
14:28	fourth Commandment
14:29	he answers her question which wrongly
14:32	stated that Joseph was was Jesus’s
14:35	father and so he asked a question with a
14:38	question that rightly pointed out
14:41	who Jesus’s father truly is you see
14:46	remember Jesus was born of the Virgin
14:48	Mary
14:50	Joseph is not his physical father
14:52	he might be his legal adopted father
14:55	but he’s not his physical father and so
14:59	Jesus asked the question why why were
15:00	you looking for me did you not know that
15:03	I must be in My Father’s House Jesus’s
15:06	work is intimately wrapped up with and
15:09	cannot be separated from the work of God
15:11	happening where
15:14	in the temple
15:15	like a son learning his Earthly father’s
15:18	trade
15:19	I think Carpenter teaching his son to be
15:21	a carpenter right Jesus is learning and
15:25	learning to be about his father’s trade
15:29	and his father’s business but Jesus’s
15:32	father’s business is not carpentry
15:35	what is the father’s business
15:37	well the father set up shop in Israel
15:39	long ago
15:40	forgiving people sins
15:43	Jesus is now hard at work following in
15:45	his Father’s Footsteps keeping God’s law
15:49	perfectly and keeping it perfectly for
15:52	you even perfectly keeping the fourth
15:55	Commandment honor your father and mother
15:58	by perfectly honoring and obeying his
16:01	Earthly parents
16:02	all we are born Rebels we are all
16:06	rebellious children regardless of how
16:08	well compared to other children we’ve
16:10	obeyed our parents but compared to Jesus
16:13	we don’t even come close in fact Jesus
16:17	is perfect keeping of the fourth
16:18	Commandments just shows us how
16:19	rebellious we all truly are
16:22	every chore given to Jesus was
16:25	obediently completed without even a hint
16:27	of taking back our talking back or
16:30	lollygagging how many of you can say
16:32	that when your parents gave you chores
16:35	you did it without even talking back or
16:37	without any lawly gagging Jesus never
16:40	threw a fit when his parents said that
16:42	he couldn’t have something Jesus never
16:44	snuck out of his house to hang out with
16:46	friends that his parents didn’t approve
16:48	of Jesus never hid behind the backstop
16:52	at the schoolyard to sneak a smoke or to
16:55	Swig a beer Jesus always applied himself
16:58	wholeheartedly
17:00	to his homework and to his study of the
17:03	scriptures
17:04	it never procrastinated
17:06	need I go on
17:08	but all of this Jesus was doing he was
17:11	doing it for you and in your place
17:15	he wasn’t being obedient in order to
17:17	save himself he was being obedient in
17:20	order to save you and to save me because
17:23	well let’s be honest even our best
17:26	obedience is far from the type of
17:29	obedience that Jesus rendered so many
17:31	times when we obey and do the right
17:34	thing getting up the energy to do it
17:37	takes some time and even then so many
17:41	times we just go through the motions
17:43	while our attitudes and our feelings are
17:46	far far far behind we’ve even come up
17:50	with a phrase for describing this kind
17:52	of obedience the phrase is fake it until
17:56	you make it
17:58	but Jesus never once had to fake it when
18:02	it came to obeying God’s law from day
18:05	one Jesus never merely honored god with
18:09	his lips or mindlessly went through the
18:12	actions while his heart was far from God
18:15	instead Jesus became obedient even to
18:19	the point of laying down his own life
18:21	and even doing that in the most painful
18:25	and shameful way possible by being
18:27	crucified on a cross
18:30	and all of that he did for you so that
18:35	you can be forgiven so that you can have
18:37	a right standing with God
18:42	back to the text
18:44	so why were you looking for me
18:47	did you not know
18:49	that I must be in my father’s house
18:52	and they did not understand the saying
18:55	that he spoke to them
18:57	it’s kind of tough
18:59	it’s difficult
19:00	because here’s Jesus he looks just like
19:04	any other 12 year old
19:06	but here
19:08	he very politely and in a way that
19:11	honors his parents reminds them
19:14	who his true father is and why he’s come
19:17	to do what he’s come to do
19:21	so they didn’t understand it they didn’t
19:25	it’s difficult to understand you have to
19:27	be given this to understand
19:30	so the text then says this he went down
19:32	with them
19:34	came to Nazareth
19:36	and he was submissive to them
19:38	obeying the fourth Commandment perfectly
19:41	and his mother treasured up all of these
19:43	things in her heart wondering what does
19:46	it mean
19:47	and the text ends kind of where it left
19:49	off and Jesus increased in wisdom and he
19:54	increased in stature and he increased in
19:57	favor and Grace with God and with man
20:01	and this increasing of favor and stature
20:05	continued
20:06	all the way to Jesus’s death and his
20:10	resurrection and we know this from
20:12	Philippians chapter 2. which says though
20:15	he was in the form of God he did not
20:18	count equality with God a thing to be
20:20	grasped but he emptied himself
20:23	by taking on the form of a servant being
20:25	born in the likeness of men and being
20:27	found in human form he humbled himself
20:30	by becoming obedient to the point of
20:33	death even death on a cross and now this
20:37	says this therefore God has highly
20:40	exalted Jesus and has bestowed on him
20:44	the name that is above every name
20:47	so that the name of Jesus every knee
20:50	should bow in heaven and on Earth and
20:52	under the Earth and every tongue confess
20:56	that Jesus Christ is Lord
20:58	to the glory of his father
21:01	God the Father in heaven
21:04	in the name of Jesus
21:06	amen

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