(Disclaimer: This transcript is auto-generated and may contain mistakes.)

Amen. All right, we're there in Luke, chapter number two. And of course, we've been going through this series called Celebrating Christ. And we've been going through the first couple of chapters of the Book of Luke. And we've been looking at the events that led up to the birth of Christ. And of course, last week we saw the birth of Christ, the presentation of Christ. And this morning, we're going to end this section of the life of Christ, referring to his childhood. And we're going to look at the childhood of Christ. And in the passage this morning in Luke, chapter two, verses 40 through 52, which is the end of the chapter, we have a very unique story. And it is the only story in the entire Bible that tells us about Jesus as a kid, as a child growing up. Of course, we've looked at several stories. And Matthew has passages about the birth of Christ. But here, we fast forward. If you remember, last week we ended with the presentation of Christ. And Jesus was eight days old, being presented in the temple. And in verse 40, we fast forward 12 years. If you look down at verse 40, the Bible says this. And the child, referring to Jesus, grew and waxed strong in spirit. The word waxed there means to grow or to increase. He increased strong in spirit, filled with wisdom. And the grace of God was upon him. Now, his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. And when he was 12 years old. So you'll notice that we are fast forwarding now, 12 years into the life of Christ. And we meet him as a 12-year-old boy. And we have this story. And we're going to go through it. And I'll give you some things to consider and things we can learn from the story. But we have the story of Jesus as a child. And like I said, it's a very unique story because it's the only story in the entire Bible where we learn this. Now, there are many stories that have developed through the hundreds of years of church history that are really just made up stories about Jesus and his childhood, about him performing miracles as a kid and as a toddler and those things. But the Bible doesn't speak to any of those things. And many of those things, if you hear them out, they sound like fairy tales anyway. And the only thing we can trust is the Bible, is the word of God. And this is the story that God gives us about Jesus as a child. Now, why don't you notice in verse 41, the Bible says, now his parents went to Jerusalem every year. If you remember, we saw at the birth of Christ that they had to go down to Bethlehem, which is a little town about 10 or 15 miles from Jerusalem because of the taxing and the census that was being taken place. However, the Bible in the Old Testament commanded that the men of the nation of Israel would go to Jerusalem multiple times a year for different things, three different feasts that they would go down to Jerusalem for. And some people were told, this is from history, especially poor people often could not make those journeys all of those times. But they would always try to make at least one. And the main one that you would go to would be the Passover. This is what the Bible is telling us about Joseph and Mary. Once a year, they would go from Nazareth, if you remember, 90 to 95 miles north of Jerusalem. They would make the trip down south to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover. And of course, if you're familiar with the Old Testament, you know the Passover is a very famous, well-known feast. It's a representation of the Lord Jesus Christ. But it is the feast when they celebrate the fact that God brought the children of Israel out of Egypt and into the promised land. So this was a religious trip, a religious pilgrimage. But honestly, it probably felt more like a family vacation for Joseph and Mary. This would be something that they would do alongside, we'll see here in a minute, with friends, and family, and acquaintances. They would travel down, and they would spend Passover together. And it was done for religious purposes. But like I said, it was probably also just a time to get away, to be able to be with family, to spend time together. So they're having a good time. So we see there in verse 42, and when he, referring to Jesus, was 12 years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast. And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind. That phrase, tarried behind, means he stayed longer. He stayed behind, but he stayed longer than them. He tarried behind in Jerusalem. Notice, and Joseph and his mother knew not of it. So here they are traveling together. They've gone down to Jerusalem. Now they're making their way back home to Nazareth. And they're traveling, and Jesus, the 12-year-old Jesus, stays behind. The Bible tells us he tarried behind, and Joseph and his mother knew not of it. They didn't realize that Jesus had stayed back. Look at verse 44. But they, supposing, and the word supposing there means assuming him to have been in the company, went a day's journey, and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintances. So you'll notice that the Bible tells us here that when they were traveling, they were traveling in this caravan. They were with kinsfolk, meaning family, and they were with acquaintances. They were with friends. And when they were traveling back, they did not realize that Jesus was not with them, because they, supposing, the Bible says, they assume that he was just with friends and family. I'm sure this was a very festive type thing. People were traveling together. And I could imagine that kids were playing, and that people were just fellowshipping and having a good time. And they assumed that he was with family, or he was with friends, that he was with them. Notice verse 45. And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him. And it came to pass, notice this, that after three days. So for three days, they did not know where Jesus was. Now, I don't think that they were searching for Jesus in Jerusalem necessarily for three days, because earlier here, we were told that they had gone a day's journey. So they had already traveled from Jerusalem towards Nazareth about a day's worth of travel before they realized Jesus isn't with us. So then they had to go back to Jerusalem. That would be another day's journey. That's two days. And then they probably spent a day in Jerusalem looking for Jesus. But the Bible tells us here, after three days, they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them and asking them questions. So here you have Jesus, this 12-year-old child. And he's sitting in the temple. He's in the midst of the doctors. These are religious lawyers and doctors, people who know the law. And he's hearing them and asking them questions. Notice verse 47. And all they that heard him, that heard Jesus, were astonished at his understanding and answers. So he's hearing them. He's asking them questions. They're hearing him. He's answering their questions. And they're astonished at his understanding and answers. And when they saw him, they were amazed. And his mother said unto him, son, why has thou thus dealt with us? Behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. And he said unto them, verse 49, how is it that ye sought me? He says, wist ye not. The word wist means to know. Or in this sentence, he's saying, knew ye not that I must be about my father's business. And he understood not the saying which he spake unto them. And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was subject unto them. But his mother kept all these sayings in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man. So we have the story of Jesus as a child in his childhood. And of course, the main thing that we kind of see from the story is that Mary and Joseph lost Jesus for three days. They didn't know where he was. They had been entrusted with the Son of God. And they managed to lose him for three days. But I'm going to make some applications, some parenting applications at the end. But I want to just point out some things in regards to the scriptures this morning from the story. There are two major lessons that we can learn from this story in regards to the Bible itself. So not necessarily usually when I'm preaching through narratives. I kind of preach through the story. We get into the story itself. And we draw out the human characteristics. And I'm not going to do that necessarily this morning. I will give you some application at the end. But I want you to just notice some theological things that we can learn from this story in regards to the Word of God. Now, I'd like you to keep your place there in Luke chapter 2. And go with me if you would to the book of 2 Timothy, 2 Timothy chapter number 2. If you find the T books in the New Testament, they're all clustered together, 1 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy. 2 Timothy chapter 2. And look at verse number 15. The first thing I'd like you to notice from this story, from this narrative, from this passage, is a lesson on biblical study. We find a lesson in this passage regarding how to study the Bible. Now, I don't know if you study the Bible. I hope you show up to, I hope you consider this Bible study. I hope you consider Wednesday night Bible study. But the Bible tells us in 2 Timothy chapter 2 and verse 15, it says, study to show thyself approved unto God. And the Bible teaches that you and I need to know what the Bible says. We need to understand what the Bible says. You say, why? Not too long ago, I preached a sermon called Build Your Life on the Bible. And we talked about the fact that you need to know what the Bible says, you need to believe what the Bible says, you need to trust what the Bible says, and you need to do what the Bible says. You say, well, why would I do that? Well, here we're told study to show thyself approved unto God. If you want God's approval on your life, if you want God's favor on your life, God's blessing on your life, you should know what the Bible says. And you should do what the Bible says. Here we're told study to show thyself approved unto God. A workman, by the way, that's why most people don't read and study the Bible, because it's work. It requires work to do it. It's easier to watch YouTube. It's easier to be on Facebook. It's easier to watch television. It's really easier to do anything than to open up the word of God and read it and memorize it and study it and learn it. Here we're told study to show thyself approved unto God. A workman that needeth not to be ashamed. Notice, rightly dividing the word of truth. See, the reason we're supposed to study the Bible is that we might be approved unto God. You say, well, I don't care about being approved unto God. Okay, well, how about this? Do you care about being ashamed? Because it says a workman that needeth not to be ashamed. And I'm here to tell you what you don't know from the Bible is hurting you. What you don't know from the word of God is gonna bring shame to your life. So you should study that you might show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed. But I wanna focus on this little phrase here when it comes to studying the Bible or how to study the Bible. The Bible says rightly dividing the word of truth. Bible tells us that the reason you wanna put some work into studying the Bible is because the Bible needs to be rightly divided. There's divisions in the word of God. There are things that are there. Obviously, the whole Bible is inspired of God. It's given to us, it's all profitable. But there are some things that we need to rightly divide. And I'm not gonna get into all the details of how that can be applied this morning, but let me just give you a couple of examples. Go to the book of Acts, if you would, Acts chapter one. Keep your place in 2 Timothy, if you could. We're gonna come back there later on in the sermon, 2 Timothy chapter two. But go to Acts, if you have Luke, you have John, and then the book of Acts, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts. You say, why do I wanna rightly divide the word of truth? A couple of weeks ago, my wife and I were out soul winning, and we knocked on this guy's door, and he tells us he's on the seventh day in Venice. And we try to talk to him about the gospel, and he is one of these guys who's more interested in converting us than hearing to what we were bringing him. But the interesting thing is that he wasn't trying to preach the gospel to us at all. The only thing he cared about was making sure we knew that you're supposed to worship on the Sabbath day. And it's all about the Sabbath, and it's gotta be Saturday. But the problem with that is that you have an individual here who has not studied to show himself or prove them to God because he's not rightly dividing the word of truth. He's not realizing that there are things from the Old Testament that, yes, we can learn from those principles, we can learn why they were given, but there's simply just some things in the Old Testament that no longer apply to New Testament Christianity. And when the Bible says we need to rightly divide the word of truth, this is what it's referring to, to the fact that we need to look at Scripture and understand that there are some divisions, there are some things that we need to look at. It's all the word of God, but we may look at some of it a little different than others. Let me just lay a little bit of foundation before I get down to Luke chapter two and kind of show you how this should be rightly divided. And let me give you just some thoughts in regards to biblical study, and specifically in regards to this passage. Let me begin by saying this, and you might wanna write this down if you're interested in learning how to study the Bible. But one thought is this, that in the Bible, and in the Bible's stories, what we would call the biblical narratives, and this is something, you know, when we talk about writing, dividing the word of truth, this is something that you might wanna begin to consider as you read the Bible, that not all the Bible is written in the same format. Some of the Bible is written in what we call narrative, or in story form. You know, you read 1 and 2 Samuel, you read the gospels, you read certain passages, the book of Joshua, the book of Judges, and what you're reading is stories that are written down, but there's other passages of scripture like the epistles where it's not a story. You know, we're studying to the book of 2 Corinthians right now. There's no stories with characters there, it's just the apostle Paul speaking and writing under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, and teaching us doctrine. So you've got different styles of writing throughout the Bible. Some is written in poetic form, some is written in prophetic form. Well, when it comes to narratives or Bible stories, what you need to understand is this, that when there's a narrator, and there usually is, the narrator of the story would be the human author, the person who's writing down and telling us the story. For example, in the book of Luke, we know that the narrator of the story is the physician Luke is the disciple Luke. He's the one who's telling us the story about the birth of Jesus, about the presentation of Jesus, about the childhood of Jesus. We know that Luke is the human narrator, but here's what you need to understand. When it comes to the narrative, and by the way, we don't always know who the narrators are. There are books in the Bible that are narrated, and we might make educated guesses as to who wrote them, but we don't know for sure who wrote them. The point is this, there's always a human narrator, a human author, that is narrating the story. We're talking about the narratives of the Bible, but here's what you need to understand. When the narrator is speaking, the true narrator is the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit of God that is speaking through the narrator. We read the Gospel according to Luke, and you might say, oh, this is a story that Luke told us, but it's actually a story that the Holy Spirit told us through Luke. Are you there in Acts chapter one? Let me give you an example. Look at verse 16, and this is not just true about Luke. It's true about the Bible in general. Acts chapter one and verse 16. Notice what the Bible says. Acts 1 16, men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled. Notice the wording, which the Holy Ghost, notice these words, by the mouth of David spake. Now here, we are being told about a fulfillment of an Old Testament scripture, and we're told that that Old Testament scripture was given to us by the Holy Ghost, but how was it given to us? By the mouth of David. We're told which the Holy Ghost, by the mouth of David, spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus. So here we're told, hey, David was the human author. He's the narrator that gave us a certain passage, but it was really the Holy Ghost speaking by the mouth of David. Let me give you another example. Go to Acts chapter number four. Acts chapter four, look at verse 24. Acts chapter four and verse 24. Acts 4 24, the Bible says this, and when they heard that, Acts 4 24, and when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord and said, Lord, now notice what they said. Lord, thou art God, which is made in heaven and earth and the sea and all that in them is. Who are they speaking to? They're speaking to God. Their speech is directed towards Lord, thou art God. Notice what they say about God, verse 25. Who by the mouth of thy servant David has said, why did the heathen rage and the people imagine vain things? Now why did the heathen rage and the people imagine a vain thing is a quote from Psalm 2, which is a psalm that David wrote. But here the Bible tells us that it was actually the Lord who is God who by the mouth of thy servant David has said these words. So what we need to understand is this. When you read the Bible, it is a spiritual book. It is a book written to us by the inspiration of God. What does that mean? Is that when these men spake, it was the Holy Ghost speaking through them. Go to 2 Peter 1, if you would. Let me give you a final example, 2 Peter 1. If you go backwards from the book of Revelation and go back, you have Jude 3 and 1 John and then you have the book of 2 Peter, 2 Peter 1. While you turn there, let me give you another example. I'll just read this one for you. This is from 2 Samuel 23, verses one and two. The Bible says this, now these be the last words of David. David the son of Jesse said, and the man who was raised up on high, the anointed of God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel said, the spirit of the Lord spake by me and his word was in my tongue. So here we have David telling us in the book of 2 Samuel that the spirit of the Lord spake by me and his word was in my mouth. This is what we refer to as the doctrine of inspiration, that God spake through these men. 2 Peter, are you there? Look at verse one, excuse me, chapter one, verse 21. 2 Peter 1.21, the Bible says this, for the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man. Let me tell you something. The Bible did not come to us by the will of man. Man would not have written the Bible. The Bible is like no book written by man. If man would have written the Bible, they would have written a book that said, you're innately good, there's nothing wrong with you, you're fine, and anything that's wrong with you, it's your parents' fault anyway. That's what man writes. The Bible says you're a sinner and accountable to God. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man, notice, but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. The Bible tells us that the Holy Ghost would come upon individuals and they would speak. David spake, Luke spake, Paul spoke, Isaiah spoke, but they spake the words of God. They spake, the Holy Ghost spake using their mouth. Now, with that said, go back to Luke chapter two. All that to say this, the narrator is the human author, but the human author is really the Holy Spirit speaking through the narrator. So here's what you need to understand. When Paul is writing 2 Corinthians, 1 Corinthians, Galatians, when Luke is telling us a story in the Gospel of Luke, it is not Luke telling the story, it is the Holy Spirit of God telling the story through Luke, and anything that Luke says is inspired because it's the Holy Spirit speaking through him. And anything he says is true, we can believe it, it's dogmatic. The narrator is the Holy Spirit speaking in the story. However, with that said, let me say this, in the Bible stories or in the Bible narratives, sometimes we have characters who are speaking within that story. Now, you don't get this when you're studying the epistles because it's just Paul speaking. But when you're looking at a story like David and Goliath, you're looking at a story like the one we're seeing about the childhood of Christ, what you have in these narratives is because it's a story, you have characters and those characters are speaking. Now, in the Bible narratives, the characters are always accurately quoted. Whatever they said, that's what they actually said. And the story is true because what they said, it really is true, that's what they said. However, sometimes what they actually said is wrong. So when you're studying a narrative in the Bible and you have a character who's speaking, you need to understand that what that person is saying may or may not be true. Now, you say, well, everything in the Bible is true. Yes, everything in the Bible is true because what that person said is what they actually said. They truly said that. But what they said may be a lie. What they said may be inaccurate. What they said may not be true. Here's a perfect example. We just, not too long ago, got done studying the book of Job. And the book of Job is a book that the first two chapters, which is pretty much the only chapters that people read in the book of Job, are the first two chapters and the last chapter. You say, why is it that people read the first two chapters and the last chapter of Job? Let me give you a little hint. It's the most interesting part because it's a narrative. It's a story. We read about Satan giving this challenge and God and Satan getting into this challenge and these things happening to Job. But when you get into chapter three, we begin this conversation between Job and his three friends and later on a fourth man. And it lasts about 30 some odd chapters. And it's a conversation going back and forth. The thing about this conversation is that some of his friends speak for one, two chapters at a time. But when you get to the end of the book of Job, God steps in and he says, hey, everything the friend said was wrong. So you have a book of the Bible, the book of Job, that literally has chapters filled in it with what these friends said. And you say, well, is that true? That's what they actually said. But what they said was not true because they said that Job was a sinner. They said that God was punishing Job because of his sin. They said that Job had some secret hidden sin and that was the reason why this was happening to Job. None of that is true. But it's true that they actually said that. This is what the Bible says when it says, you must study to show thyself, approve them to God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. See, there are people that have came up with false doctrines, false teachings. They've came up with false doctrines. And then you ask him, when do you get that in the Bible? And they'll say, it's right here in the book of Job. And they point to Eliphaz speaking. See, the Bible says here in this chapter, Job. And it's like, yeah, but you need to rightly divide the word of truth because you know what God said about this guy? He said he's a bozo. He said everything he said is wrong. He said everything he said is not correct. So when we rightly divide the word of truth, here's what we know. The narrator is always correct because the narrator is a holy man of God who is speaking and who's spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. But when the characters are speaking, sometimes what they're saying is right. But sometimes what they're saying is wrong. And this is where we have to rightly divide the word of truth. Now, when you find a character speaking the truth, you say, how do you know if they're telling the truth? Well, if what they're saying is matching what the rest of the Bible says, then they're probably saying the right thing. But when they're saying something incorrect, then we need to be able to understand that and be able to rightly divide the word of truth. So just a couple of principles for you. In the Bible narratives, the narrator, which is a human author, is really the Holy Spirit. And in the Bible narratives, the characters are accurately quoted. It is true, it is a true account because that's what they actually said. But sometimes what they actually said is wrong. Are you there in Luke chapter two? Look at verse 42. With that said, let's look at this story. Luke 2 42. And when he, referring to Jesus, was 12 years old. Now let me ask you this question. Who's speaking right now in Acts 2 42? Who just told us, and when he was 12 years old? This is the narrator. I know you guys are tired and whatever, but just try to pretend like you care. It's the narrator speaking here, right? We're looking at a story, but it's not Joseph telling us, well, Jesus was 12 years old. When he was 12 years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast. This is Luke speaking, who's speaking on behalf of the Holy Ghost. So the Holy Ghost is using Luke to pen this down, to write this down. When he was 12 years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast, verse 43. And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem, and Joseph and his mother knew not of it. Who's speaking? The narrator. What is the narrator telling us? And I want you to notice, when the narrator is speaking, when Luke is speaking, I want you to notice that the narrator is careful to never refer to Joseph as Jesus' father. Look at verse 43 again. And Joseph and his mother knew not of it. Luke is telling us a story. He says, yeah, Jesus was 12 years old. They went down to Jerusalem. His parents, which is a term that is used, and I think appropriately, forgot about him. But he says, and Joseph and his mother knew not of it. Notice, the narrator is careful, Luke is careful. The Holy Ghost is careful to do this, even earlier in the passage. Look at Luke chapter two and verse 33, Luke 2, 33. Notice what the Bible says. This is the narrator speaking. And Joseph and his mother marveled at those things which were spoken of him. Here we have Luke, the narrator, and he's careful to tell us, Joseph and his mother. Joseph and his mother. The narrator, the Holy Ghost, never tells us, or never refers to Joseph as Jesus' father. Look at verse 44, Luke chapter two, verse 44. But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went on today's journey, and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance. Again, the narrator speaking, the narrator's telling us the story. And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him. And it came to pass, after three days, they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them and asking them questions. And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers. Look at verse 48, and when they saw him, they were amazed, and his mother, I notice the narrator calls Mary Jesus' mother, because Mary truly was Jesus' mother. And his mother said unto him, said unto Jesus, now, in your King James Bible, there's no use of quotation marks, but we're gonna get a quote from Mary. His mother said unto him, quote, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? Who's speaking here? Who said, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? It's not Luke, the narrator, it's Mary speaking. So why is Luke telling us this? Because this is what Mary said. This is what Mary actually truly said, it's all true. But notice what she says. Son, why hast thou dealt with us? Behold, notice what Mary says, thy father. She's referring to Joseph. She says, thy father and I, she says, have sought thee sorrowing. Now let me ask you a question. Was Joseph Jesus' father? And the answer is no. His father is God the Father. He was begotten of the Virgin Mary. Joseph was his stepfather, but Joseph was not the father of Jesus. Here we have Mary making an incorrect statement. She's wrong in what she says. And by the way, this lends to the idea that Mary was a sinner. We're not beating up on Mary, you know, I say things that are wrong, you say things that are wrong, we all say things that are wrong. Here she says, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. She made an incorrect statement. You know, just newsflash, Mary's not deity, she's not infallible, she's a human being. She made a mistake, she said the wrong thing. But notice that Jesus, the 12-year-old Jesus, even subtly corrects her. Because she says to him, thy father, she says incorrectly, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing, and he said unto them, how is it that ye sought me? Because she just got done saying, your father and I have been looking for you. And he said, well, how have you been looking for me? How has my father and you been looking for me? Wish ye not that I must be about my father's business? She just said, your father and I have been looking for you, and he's like, really, because I've been with my father. She says, your father and I have been looking for you. She's like, he's like, I've been doing my father's business. And he's subtly kind of correcting the idea that Joseph was his father. And I'm sure that Jesus had a lot of respect, and in fact, I proved to you that he had respect for Joseph and Mary, but at the end of the day, the father of Jesus was God the father. And here we have Mary quoted in this narrative saying, son, why has thou thus dealt with us? Behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. And here's the thing about that statement. It is a true statement in the sense that that is accurately what Mary said, but it is a false statement in the sense that what she's saying is not true, just like Job's friends, just like the Bible quotes the devil. The devil speaks throughout the Bible, but Jesus tells us that everything he says is a lie, but yet he's quoted because those lies are what he actually said. So the Bible is true because everything in it actually is truth, or when we're looking at a narrative, actually happened, but not everything in there, everything that people say is accurate. So you and I need to be able to rightly divide the word of truth because people attack the Bible, and they'll say, there are contradictions in the Bible. And they'll say, look, there's contradictions in the Bible because here the Bible says that Joseph is the father of Mary, and you're like, show me in the Bible where it says that Joseph is the father of Mary, and they'll go to Luke chapter two, and they'll point at Mary saying thy father and I. And we have to explain to people, no, you need to rightly divide the word of truth because that's not the Holy Ghost speaking. That's not the narrator speaking. That's the Holy Ghost quoting for us what Mary said, and what Mary said is incorrect. We need to rightly divide the word of truth. Go to 2 Corinthians chapter two if you would. 2 Corinthians chapter two, if you're there from Luke, you have John, Acts, Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians. Here's another example. While you turn to 2 Corinthians chapter two, let me give you another example. People will point at a contradiction in the Bible in regards to the death of King Saul because in the Bible, you have two different accounts regarding the death of how Saul died, and they're in conflict with each other. One passage of scripture tells us he died one way, another passage of scripture tells us he died a different way in two different books, and people will point at that and say, see, here's a contradiction in the Bible. What people don't understand though is when you look at those two stories where we're told about how Saul died, one story is the narrator telling us here's how Saul died. Another story is some guy telling David how he saw Saul die, and he's telling David that because he's hoping that if he tells David, hey, your enemy, Saul, is dead, that David's gonna give him some reward. So obviously, the guy's lying. He's not telling the truth. He's just saying that because he wants David to give him a reward. Of course, David was a man of character and integrity, and he didn't reward him. He ended up killing him because of what he said, but the funny thing is what he said was a lie, and people say, here's a contradiction in the Bible. No, this is not a contradiction in the Bible. This is a contradiction between what this guy said and what the Bible actually says. Well, why is it in the Bible? Because that's what he actually said. That's what he actually told David. It's a true story, and it's accurate because that's what he actually said to David, but what he said to David is wrong, and later on, the Bible tells us how Saul actually died. So we must study to show ourselves approved unto God, be a workman that needed not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. We need to look at the Bible and ask ourselves, who's the narrator here? Who's the characters? Who's speaking? What are they saying? And when those characters are speaking, when they're speaking, we need to examine that and figure out is what they're saying, is what they're doing correct? Here's another example. People over the centuries have justified polygamy, and you ask them to justify polygamy, you know, the sin of marrying multiple women, and they'll point at characters in the Old Testament that had multiple wives. The funny thing is that the Bible specifically has commandments against polygamy. God himself said that twain shall become one flesh, that two will become one. He didn't say seven will become one. He said, a man shall leave father and mother and cleave unto his wife, and two shall become one flesh. That's quoted all throughout the Bible. God specifically said marriage is between one man and one woman, not one man and seven women. But you say, but what about these Bible characters? You know, the Bible tells us that they had multiple wives. Yeah, you know why the Bible tells us that? Because they actually had multiple wives. And the Bible accurately is telling us what actually happened. But just because the Bible tells us something happened doesn't make that what God wants or what's right. So we need to rightly divide the word of truth. I look, I can show you in the Bible where people get divorced. There's stories in the Bible of people getting divorced. Does that mean God's for divorce? Well, the Bible says that God hated putting away. The Bible says that marriage is till death do us part. The Bible says that God's against divorce. But just because there's a story of somebody getting a divorce in the Bible doesn't make divorce right. So we need to rightly divide the word of truth. So be careful. Be careful about when you say the Bible. And you may or may have not noticed this, but there are times when I'm preaching through the word of God when I will make this statement. You know, the Bible doesn't specifically tell us, but we can base off the pattern. We can base off what we see in scripture. We've made these decisions. I had somebody ask me a while ago, go to 2 Corinthians if you would. Somebody asked me, you know, who do we allow to baptize? And I said that, you know, different churches have different stances, but at Verity Baptist Church, we only allow ordained ministers to perform baptism. I believe that baptism is an ordinance and therefore should be done only by ordained ministers. But I always tell people this. You know, the Bible doesn't specifically say that. The reason I take that position is because whenever you see anybody baptizing in the Bible, it's always an ordained minister or someone that God has called out, set aside, you know, commissioned for a minister. You don't just see laymen just baptizing people. So, but again, I wouldn't be dogmatic about that. That's why I'm not dogmatic about it. I understand other churches have different stance, but my position on that is not based off what the Bible clearly says because the Bible doesn't clearly tell us anyone can baptize or doesn't clearly tell us only ordained ministers can baptize. But as I study the Bible and I see people performing baptisms, there are always, you know, people that are in full-time, ordained, called of God, separated ministry. So we've adopted that as our pattern here as well. But this is what I mean by you have to know what you believe and why you believe it. You need to rightly divide the word of truth. And that may keep you from, where I might fight someone on a certain topic, the Bible says, you know, the Bible says no divorce. The Bible says no fornication. Where I'm not necessarily gonna fight somebody over, you know, who can or can't get baptized. But at our church, I'm gonna make that decision and say only ordained ministers. So we need to understand how to look at scripture, how to interpret scripture, how to study the Bible. You're there in 2 Corinthians chapter two. Let me shift gears here for a second. We've been talking about how to biblically study the Bible, biblical study. Let me just quickly talk to you about Bible versions or different versions of the Bible. The Bible tells us that there's an attack on the word of God. 2 Corinthians two and verse 17, notice what Paul says. He says, for we are not as many. Now keep in mind, when Paul wrote the epistle of 2 Corinthians, this was in the first century. I mean, this was in the first 30 years since the ascension of Christ. And at that time, he said, for we are not as many which corrupt the word of God, but as of sincerity, but as of God in the sight of God, speak we in Christ. So notice that Paul tells us, even during his lifetime, there were already people who were corrupting the word of God. And there's been an attack on the word of God since the very beginning. Go to Genesis chapter three, if you would. Genesis chapter three. First book in the Bible, should be fairly easy to find, Genesis chapter three. I've showed this to you before, but it's good to be reminded. Genesis chapter three and verse one, the Bible says, this is the serpent speaking to Eve at the fall of man. Genesis three and verse one, now the serpent, referring to Satan, was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, yea, hath God said. I want you to notice, from the very beginning, God told Adam and Eve, you can eat of any tree of the garden of Eden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you're not allowed to eat of that tree. And the first time we see Satan speak in the Bible, he's questioning the word of God. He says, yea, hath God said, did God really say, ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? By the way, be very careful with people who are questioning the word of God. I mean, when the Bible clearly says one thing, and they're like, well, is that really what the Bible, does the Bible really say that, is that really what God meant? You know, I always want to tell those people like, why don't you just speak the truth and tell, you know, why don't you just say, you think you're smarter than God? Have God said, you shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, we may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden. Notice she corrects him and says, no, that's not true. Because he says, you know, did God say that you shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And she says, no, that's not what he said. He said, we may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden, but of the fruit of the tree, which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, you shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it, lest you die. Notice, first he questions the word of God. And, you know, interprets it incorrectly. Then he flat out changes the word of God, verse four. And the serpent said unto the woman, ye shall not surely die. For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And he lies to her. And notice, he says, ye shall not surely die. She says, ye shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it, lest ye die. She says, you know, ye shall die. He says, ye shall not surely die. He added one word, not. And it changed the entire meaning. And today, when it comes to Bible versions, you know, we'll talk about different Bible versions. Go to Luke chapter two, the King James version. And by the way, at Verity Baptist Church, we believe the King James version of the Bible is God's inspired, preserved, inerrant word. We believe it's the word of God in the English language, period. There's nothing wrong with it. It's perfect. You'll talk to people about the different Bible versions, though. The King James versus the New King James versus the New International versus the English Standard Version versus the New American Standard. And people often say like, oh, it's just one word. It's just this little change. Yeah, well, you know, ye shall die and ye shall not surely die is just one little word. But it changes the entire meaning. Now, here's what's interesting. In your King James Bible, we have Mary saying, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. And she was wrong. Jesus corrected her. He says, really? Wish ye not that I must be about my father's business? I've been with my father. I've been doing the business of my father. I don't understand how you and my father have been looking for me. You mean you and Joseph have been looking for me. He corrects her in a very respectful and subtle way. But the narrator, the Holy Spirit, is very careful through the narrative to always refer to Joseph as Joseph. He says, Joseph and his mother, Joseph and his mother. Here's what's interesting. You're there in Luke chapter two, look at verse 33. And Joseph and his mother marveled at those things which were spoken of him. Here's what's interesting. The modern Bible versions change. They don't change what Mary said to correct it. And by the way, the King James Bible doesn't change what Mary said to correct it because the King James Bible's always gonna tell you the truth. They're gonna tell you the truth about what Mary said even when what Mary said was wrong. Here's the interesting thing about the modern Bible versions. They change what the narrator, the human author, Luke, under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, they change what Luke said to match what Mary said. In Luke 2, 33, the Bible says, and Joseph and his mother marveled at those things which were spoken of him. The New International Version says, the child's father and mother marveled at what was said about him. The English Standard Version said, and his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. The New American Standard Version says, and his father and mother were amazed at the things which were being said about him. And people say, well, what's the big deal? It's just one little change. Hey, that's an attack on the deity of Christ. And look, I'm here to tell you, who's behind the modern Bible versions? It's the devil himself. He's been questioning and changing the word of God from the beginning. Hey, who would want Jesus to be the son of Joseph more than the devil? It's an attack on the deity of Christ to call Joseph the father of Jesus. But the modern Bible version is the child's father, his father and his mother, his father and his mother, the King James, Joseph and his mother. Why? Because to call Joseph the father of Jesus is not only inaccurate, it's blasphemy. Words matter. Things that are different are not the same. And if you've ever wondered why is it that Jesus wished you not that I must be about my father's business, why isn't that even a response in that way? I think in the context when you realize that Mary is looking at Jesus saying, your father and I have sought these sorrowing. And he says, I've been about my father's business. Joseph was not the father of Jesus. He was the stepfather of Jesus. He raised Jesus. I'm sure Jesus loved him and respected him. We know for a fact that Jesus respected him. But Joseph was not the father of Jesus. So I want you to notice there's a lesson on Bible study, writing, dividing the word truth. But there's also a lesson on Bible versions because the modern Bible versions, look, it's interesting to me. People say, oh, it's all these little changes. It's no big deal. But it's funny because the little changes are always an attack on the deity of Christ. They're always an attack on salvation by grace through faith. They're always an attack. They're little changes that are always attacking major doctrines. So the New International Version is a lie. It's not true. It's not the child's father. It's Joseph and his mother. It's not his father and his mother. It's Joseph and his mother. It's not his father and his mother. It's Joseph and his mother. And we need to understand, look, every word matters. Go to Matthew. Matthew chapter number four. Matthew chapter four. While you turn there, let me read to you from Psalm 12. The Bible says in Psalm 12, the words of the Lord are pure words. A silver triad in the furnace of earth purified seven times. Thou shall keep them, O Lord. Thou shall preserve them from this generation forever. The Bible says that it's God's job, it's God's responsibility to preserve His word. And He has done that in the English language in the King James Bible. I say in the English language because we don't believe that the King James Bible is the only Bible on this earth. It's preserved in other versions in other languages. But in English, if you're wondering, it's the King James. Holy Bible, book divine, that's the one for me. I know what the right one is. It's the KJV. It's the word of God. It's inspired. You say, well, does it really matter? It's just one word. Matthew four and verse four. The Bible says, but He answered and said, it is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. We need an every word Bible. We need a Bible where we know, is it Joseph and his mother, or is it his father and his mother? Because one is accurate and one is blasphemous. Go back to 2 Timothy chapter three, if you would. I'm not sure if you kept your place there. 2 Timothy chapter three. Actually, before you go there, go to 1 Peter. I asked you to keep your place in 2 Peter and 2 Timothy. So go to 1 Peter from 2 Peter, if you would, just real quickly. Let me just show this verse to you. 1 Peter chapter one, verse 23. Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever. The Bible tells us that the word of God is not a corruptible seed, but an incorruptible seed. It's incorrupted. It's incorruptible. There's nothing wrong with it. 2 Timothy 3.16 says this. All scripture is given by inspiration of God. The word inspiration means to breathe. It means to inhale and exhale. You say, why is the word inspiration used? Here's why. Because all scripture was spoken by God. He said, no, Luke spoke it. No, David spoke it. No, holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. All scripture is given by inspiration of God means that God spoke those words. That's what God said. And as a result of that, it is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. I'm just here to tell you this morning that when you study the Bible and read the Bible, people might tell you, there's contradictions in the Bible. There's no contradiction in the Bible. There's contradictions in their minds. We just study and show ourselves the proof. And look, you say, well, what's the takeaway? What should we walk away from this morning? Understanding. Here's what you should walk away from. Understanding that the Bible is perfect. It's preserved. It is inspired of God. It's exactly what God wants us to have. There's nothing wrong with it. And I can build my life on it. I can trust it. I can believe it. I can study it. I can learn it. I can make decisions based off of it. Why? Because all scripture is given by inspiration of God. And it's profitable. It's profitable for you and for me. So we see this lesson on Bible study. And we see this lesson on Bible versions. Let's go back to Luke chapter two real quickly and just by way of conclusion, let me give you a couple of thoughts in regards to parenting. Because this is obviously a story about parenting. And as far as I can tell, over the last 11 years of teaching people how to be good parents from the word of God, as far as my wife and I have done many years, years and years of counseling people and answering questions and helping people, as far as I can tell, there are two extremes to parenting. One extreme is the parents who just want to be perfect parents. And these are the ones that you refer to as the helicopter hovering type where they're just like every, and they're constantly trying to protect their kids, never let their kids have any issue or problem and everything's just has to be perfect, has to be right. I gotta protect them. I'm Mama Bear and I'm Papa Bear. And I understand to an extent, obviously, we need that. And when your kid's one year old, you need that. When they're 17 years old, you don't necessarily need to hold their hand while they're crossing the street. But it's a summer for another day. The point is this, if they're 12 years old and they're on your lap, Mom, that's a problem. I'm just saying, you may not agree with that. That's not necessarily in the Bible. This is my opinion. Just based off principles I find in scripture, I think that's odd. So you have these extremes. You know, the parents that are just like, they've got to be flawless, just trying too hard. And sometimes the problem is you try so hard. You say, Pastor, what do you say to the parents that are trying too hard? This is what I have to say to them. Don't bail, let them fail. Don't bail, let them fail. Sometimes I'm telling grown adult parents about their grown adult children in prison, don't bail, let them fail. To some extent, we can't protect our children from everything. Sometimes we have to let them get hurt. I'm not talking about letting a three-year-old cross the highway, okay, obviously. But to some extent, we can't just be there and be these perfect, and look, I'll tell you this. When it comes to these two extremes, if there's one extreme that my wife and I, we try to be balanced, but we're probably more on the trying to be perfect side than not. But what I'm saying is there's these two extremes, and both are unhealthy. And you wanna try to find yourself somewhere in the middle. So the first extreme is this, trying too hard, just everything's gotta be perfect. They could never have hurt feelings. Look, let me tell you something. Kids need to learn how to deal with hurt feelings. You say, why? Because somebody's gonna hurt their feelings as an adult. And they're either gonna just be unable to deal with society, or they're gonna walk into their job and shoot everybody, teach them to deal with the issues. But then there's this other extreme. The other extreme is just not trying hard at all, not trying hard enough. This is what the book of Proverbs calls the child left himself. The child left himself, bringeth his mother to shame. So there's the extreme where it's like you're trying too much, too hard, and then there's the extreme where you're not trying at all. Like, what do you say to these parents? We're telling these parents, you need to spend some time with your kid. You might wanna take a break from Facebook and have some quality time with your child. You know, your child needs you. They need to spend time with you. They're very, they misbehave because they don't have a parent because a child left himself, bringeth his mother to shame. So there's these two extremes. What's interesting is that in Luke chapter two, God speaks to both extremes of parenting. I mean, isn't it interesting that there's one story in the entire Bible that God gives us about the childhood of Jesus? And it's not the story that you and I would tell. I mean, if Joseph and Mary had a Facebook account, this is not what they would be posting on their Facebook. Parents are always posting about the big jump house and the big this and the big that and look at this, but this is not the story that Joseph and Mary would tell. Why? Because look down at it, Luke 2 44. But they supposing him to have been in the company, went on his journey and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance. And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him. And it came to pass that after three days, they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them and asking them questions. Hey, this story is all about how Joseph and Mary lost the son of God. And then when they found him, they set a blasphemous thing to him and said, your father's been looking for you. He's like, I've been with my father. They lost Jesus. Think about this. Now you say, what's the problem with Joseph and Mary? Look, nothing's wrong with Joseph and Mary. I'm not down on Joseph and Mary. I think an argument could be made that Joseph and Mary were probably the greatest parents who ever lived. Because God almighty in heaven, look down on earth, could have chosen any parents at any time in the history of earth, and he chose Joseph and Mary to bring up his son. I think they were great parents. But I think that God brings a story out to show us. Because like, look, if you were chosen to birth the son of God, couldn't that kind of go to your head? I mean, mother of the year, Mary's like, of course. Stepfather of the year, Joseph, look at him. You know, that could have been a very arrogant thing. So then God has a story, you know, for all of, because we have these great stories about Joseph and Mary, the birth of Christ, then the next story's like, remember when you lost Jesus? You know, like, oh yeah. Well, there was those three days. Here's the point that I'm making. There's no such thing as flawless parenting. We're all gonna make mistakes. We're all gonna mess up. One of the things that my wife and I, and I think I've shared this with you in the past, and I don't know how other families are, and I don't know how you are. You may be just like us, you may be different. But if there's one thing that my wife and I stay up late talking about, I mean, the one thing that we probably talk the most about is how our kids are doing, and how we're doing in the raising of our children. And I think that's good. I don't think there's anything wrong with that. One of the things that we're trying to avoid, and one of the things that we pray, and I pray this prayer, my wife prays this prayer. I ask God, if I'm doing something wrong, if we're doing something wrong with our children right now, would you please open our eyes and help us see that? Because I'm trying to minimize the amount of regret that I'm going to have once my kids are grown and out of the house, and I realize like, oh, maybe I shouldn't have let them do that. Maybe we shouldn't have let them go there. Maybe we shouldn't have exposed them to that. Maybe we shouldn't have gone there. I'm trying to minimize that as much as possible, and I think that's good, and I think that's right, and I would encourage all of you parents to filter everything you're doing with your kids, and ask yourself, am I going to regret this? With that said, though, let me say this. You're not going to be perfect. You're not going to be flawless. You're going to make mistakes. There's going to be things you did that you kind of just like, oh, yeah, we lost them, three days. So there's no such thing as flawless parenting. Try, try to do your best with your children, but realize that you're not going to be perfect. With that said, though, there's another extreme. There's another thing that God emphasizes here. At the very end of this story, look at verse 52. And Jesus increased, well, first of all, let me say this. Look at verse 51. And he went down with them and came to Nazareth. This is how we know that Joseph and Mary were good parents. Notice what the Bible says. And was subject unto them. Here we have Jesus, the Son of God, and he submitted himself under the authority of Joseph and Mary. He submitted himself, he was subject unto them. This shows us that he respected them. This shows us that he loved them. But his mother kept all these sayings in her heart. Look at the last verse of the chapter. And Jesus increased. Because when we flip the page to the next chapter, we're going to fast forward, and Jesus is going to be a 30-year-old man. So this little verse is transitioning us from 12-year-old Jesus to grown man Jesus. So what happened in those years? Those teen years of Jesus, everybody's curious about. The teen years of Jesus, what happened? Here's what happened. Jesus increased in, we're given four categories. Wisdom, stature, favor with God, and favor with man. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man. For those of you parents who tend to be on the extreme of trying too hard, here's a lesson for you. Keep trying, work hard at it, but realize there's no such thing as flawless parenting. For those of you parents that maybe are on the other extreme not trying hard enough, here's a lesson for you. You need to get focused on parenting your children. So what should I focus on? Four areas. Jesus grew in wisdom. That's intellectual growth. The Bible tells us I won't take the time to run the verses all throughout the book of Proverbs. We're told about, you know, hear the instruction of your father, forsake not the law of thy mother. The fact that we're supposed to be teaching our children and guiding our children, bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Listen, you say, how do I know if I'm not trying hard enough? Mom and dad, if there are never any non-shallow conversations between you and your children about life and how to do life and how to live right and how to be an adult and how to be mature, if all your conversations are just shallow, hey, how's it going, how's the weather, you know, just, look, you need to sit down with your kids and talk to them. Train up a child in the way he should go. You need to teach your children and impart wisdom and help them grow and learn. They need to increase in wisdom. Jesus increased in wisdom. Then of course, it says, and stature. That means he grew physically. And obviously you need to be making sure your kids are well fed and clothed and they're getting a good night's rest and that they're okay physically. Do your best with that. But then notice, it says that he increased in wisdom, he increased in stature, he increased in favor with God. Look, you and I need to be concerned over the spiritual growth of our children. Are they growing in their favor with God? The word favor means that their lives are pleasing to the Lord. Are they growing spiritually? Are they developing a real walk with God? Not they're doing what they're doing because mom and dad tell them to do it. Because here's the thing, one day they're gonna grow up, they're gonna get married, they're gonna leave the house, and mom and dad are no longer gonna tell them what to do. And we want them to walk with God, to increase in their favor with God. But notice, that's not it. There's intellectual growth, physical growth, spiritual growth, but then it says favor with God and favor with man. That's social growth. It's not enough to teach your kids to be fundamental Baptists. You also need to teach your kids to get along with people. Social growth, they need to have favor with God and favor with man. I mean, my wife and I are often telling our kids, and sometimes we're telling adults, that's not normal. When you said that, I know that's what you said, but you shouldn't have said that. That's not what normal people do. That's not the way you treat people. You shouldn't talk to people that way. You shouldn't, look, you need to have conversations with your kids who are saying, when you said that, you sounded very arrogant. When you said that, you sounded very spoiled. When you said that, you sounded very angry. When you said it that way, you sounded very mean. You said, why do I need to be teaching my kids when, because here's the thing, if not, then there's gonna be a pastor and a pastor's wife who's telling the 40-year-old version, the 50-year-old version of your kid, hey, when you said that to your husband, you sounded really angry. When you said that to your wife, that was very mean. Literally, these are the things that we're teaching grown adults. Look, you oughta be teaching these things to your children, how to treat people, how to act with people, that there are things that you may think that, but don't say, you may think that, but it isn't appropriate. You may think that, but that, you need to be telling your, you don't talk to an adult that way. I'm often telling my kids, when you said that to that adult, that was inappropriate, you're not on their level. Don't talk to adults that way. Don't talk to me that way. Don't talk to your younger siblings that way. They're not your slave. We need to be teaching our children to grow in wisdom, to grow in spirit, to grow in favor with God, and to grow in favor with man. So we need to be focused. You say, how did they raise Jesus? He grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man. It's by our heads, and I wanna pray. Heavenly Father, thank you, Lord, for your word. Thank you for the Bible. Thank you for the fact that the Bible tells us everything about everything. Lord, help us to believe it, and understand it, and learn it, and grow from it. And Lord, I pray you'd help us to build our lives in the Bible. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.