Introduction

The focus of the sermon is Luke 2:52:

“And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.”  — Luke 2:52

The context is the account of Jesus at the age of twelve. After the Passover in Jerusalem, Joseph and Mary began their journey home, only to discover that Jesus was not with them. After three days, they found Him in the temple, discussing spiritual matters with the temple leaders. Even as a child, Jesus demonstrated a deep connection with God as He grew and learned.

1. Jesus' Holistic Growth

 

Luke 2:52 shows that Jesus' growth was holistic, covering all the proper and necessary aspects of life:

• Intellectual (proper understanding and application)— wisdom

• Physical growth and emotional and social maturity— stature

• Spiritual, faithful obedience and constant alignment to the Father’s will — favour with God

• Relational, well respected and regarded — favour with man

 

This growth did not happen overnight. It took place over time through teaching, nurture, effort, patience and, importantly, God's favour.

Luke 2:40 similarly describes Jesus' development:

 

“And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.”
— Luke 2:40

This pattern had already been seen in the Old Testament in the life of young Samuel, who was mentored by Eli:

“And the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favour with the Lord and with people.”
— 1 Samuel 2:26

Thus, Luke 2:52 provides a pattern for our own growth and for the growth of our children, whether biological or spiritual.

(1) Increase in Wisdom
Jesus “increased in wisdom”.

Why wisdom first?

“Wisdom is the principal thing.”
— Proverbs 4:7

Wisdom is more than learning and accumulating knowledge. It includes the proper understanding and application of knowledge, particularly the knowledge of God's Word.

(2) Increase in Stature
Jesus “increased in stature”.

This refers not only to physical growth but also to emotional and social maturity. It marked His transition from childhood towards adulthood, in keeping with the responsibilities expected of young Jewish men as they matured.

(3) Increase in Favour with God and Man
Jesus “increased in favour with God and man”.
These words point to two crucial relationships:

• the divine relationship — with God;

• the human relationship — with other people.

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Favour with God speaks of faithful obedience and constant alignment with the Father's will. Jesus lived to please God through choices and actions that aligned with biblical teaching.

Favour with man indicates that Jesus was well respected and regarded by His community. He was able to connect with others and embody compassion and integrity. He lived a life that was both blessed by, and a blessing to, others.

2. Three Lessons from Luke 2:52
Luke 2:52 gives us three important lessons:

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• The importance of continual growth and development in all the proper and necessary aspects of life.

• The necessity of nurturing relationships.

• Surrendering our lives to God's will is fundamental.

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These lessons apply not only to children but also to adults.

We Must Continue to Grow
If parents and those serving in Covenant Kids want to raise children well in their Christian faith, we ourselves must not stop increasing in wisdom and stature and in favour with God and man.

Otherwise, we lose our spiritual and moral authority to tell our children to grow while we ourselves remain stagnant or even degenerate.

We must not hide behind excuses such as:

“I cannot change.”

or:

“A leopard cannot change its spots.”

The Christian life requires continual growth.

Our children, particularly when they become teenagers, can recognise the inconsistency between what we say and what we do. If our lives do not reflect what we teach, they can see the hypocrisy.
Growth, especially spiritual growth, is not instantaneous but a lifelong journey. It requires time, effort and a willingness to learn.

3. Cultivating a God-Focused Heart

Luke 2:52 challenges us to persevere in our journey of growth and never stop growing as we should.

To do this, we need to cultivate a heart that focuses on God in all aspects of life.

Jesus reminded us that where our treasure is, there our heart will be also.

The sermon therefore identifies four ways to keep our hearts, and those of our children, God-focused:

1. Love God

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”
— Mark 12:30

2. Please Him

“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.”
— Psalm 19:14

3. Prioritise Him

“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.”
— Colossians 3:1

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4. Trust Him

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”
— Proverbs 3:5–6

If we take these seriously — teaching our hearts and our children's hearts to love, please, prioritise and trust God — we will help start our children on the way they should go.

“Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.”
— Proverbs 22:6

Even if they do wander from God, the prayer is that they will turn back to Him as quickly as they can.

4. Four Questions for Making Proper Decisions
The sermon then draws on Jerry Bridges' The Pursuit of Holiness to consider how we can make proper decisions in our lives.

Based on four passages in 1 Corinthians, four questions can guide our decisions. These questions should also be taught to our children as early as possible.

Question 1

 

“Everything is permissible for me” – but not everything is beneficial.
— 1 Corinthians 6:12

Does it help me — physically, spiritually and mentally?

Question 2

 

“Everything is permissible for me” – but I will not be mastered by anything.
— 1 Corinthians 6:12

Does it bring me under its power?

Question 3

 

“Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall.”
— 1 Corinthians 8:13

Does it hurt others?

Question 4

 

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”
— 1 Corinthians 10:31

To decide does it glorify God?

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II. REFLECTION QUESTIONS
 

From Luke 2:52, “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.”, we considered the importance of holistic and life-long growth as a disciple of Jesus in all the proper and necessary aspects of our lives: intellectual, physical, spiritual, and relational.

 

1. Share which of the following you need to grow more in and why: 

(1) “increase in wisdom” encompasses the proper understanding and application of that knowledge, and in particular, that of God’s word.

 

(2) “increase in stature” refers not only to physical growth but also developing emotional and social maturity.

 

(3) “increase in favour with God and man” highlight two crucial relationships a person must have to truly live: the divine and the human i. “increase in favour with God” refers to faithful obedience and constant alignment to the Father’s will and with biblical teachings. ii. “increase in favour with man” indicates being well respected and regarded by one’s community.

 

2. To help us to keep growing as Jesus did, our hearts must always be God-focused where our treasure is, there our heart will be also. And so, to be God-focused, we must:

 

(1) Love God – Mark 12:30  

 

(2) Please Him – Psalm 19:14 

 

(3) Prioritise Him – Col 3:1 

 

(4) Trust Him – Proverbs 3:5&6 

 

Discuss what challenges you are facing in being God-focused and why.

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3. Four essential questions to guide us to make proper decisions:

 

Qn 1: Does it help me – physically, spiritually, and mentally? (1 Cor 6:12a) 

 

Qn 2: Does it bring me under its power? (1 Cor 6:12b) 

 

Qn 3: Does it hurt others? (1 Cor 8:13) 

 

Qn 4: Does it glorify God? (1 Cor 10:31)
 

Discuss how this grid may help us make a difference in our decision making.

 

4. Based on Lk :2:52 and Prov 22:6, discuss how Susannah Wesley’s “Rules for Raising Children” can help raise a Faithful Child/Grandchild:

 

(1) Subdue self-will in a child and thus work together with God to save his soul 

 

(2) Teach him to pray as soon as he can speak

 

(3) Give him nothing he cries for and only what is good for him if he asks for it politely

 

(4) To prevent lying, punish no fault which is freely confessed but never allow a rebellious, sinful act to go unnoticed

 

(5) Commend and reward good behaviour

 

(6) Strictly observe all promises you have made to your child