“And Jesus increased… in favor with man…” (Luke 2:52d) “As he is, so are we in this world.” (1 John 4:17b NIV)

Favor with man – Socially

Over the last three days I pointed out that according to Luke 2:52, as Jesus grew from a child into an adult, He increased in four distinct areas of His life: 1. Wisdom (mentally), 2. stature (physically), 3. favor with God (Spiritually) and 4. favor with man (socially).

Jesus was a perfect example of living a perfect balanced life. And, we should also increase in all four of these areas.

Yesterday I discussed the third area, favor with God which is spiritually, today will be the fourth one, “favor with man” which is the social area.

We are social creatures. We need others and they need us. God made us that way. He said, “It is not good for the man to be alone.” (Gen. 2:18). He created Eve for that reason.

In life, there are people we must be around in the course of daily life and there are close friends we choose to be around.

Bad friends can drag you down

You can’t always choose who you must associate with on a day to day basis, but you can choose your close friends. Choose wisely!

“The righteous should choose his friends carefully, for the way of the wicked leads them astray.” (Prov. 12:26)

“Take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability.” (2 Peter 3:17)

Good and faithful friends speak truth into your life

“Better is open rebuke Than love that is concealed. Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But deceitful are the kisses of an enemy.” (Prov. 27;5-6)

“And Jesus increased… in favor with God…” (Luke 2:52c) “As he is, so are we in this world.” (1 John 4:17b)

Spiritually

Over the last couple of days, I pointed out that according to Luke 2:52, as Jesus grew from a child into an adult, He increased in four distinct areas of His life: 1. Wisdom (mentally), 2. stature (physically), 3. favor with God (Spiritually) and 4. favor with man (socially).

Jesus, without a doubt, was a perfect example of living a perfect balanced life. We also should work to increase in all four of these important areas.

Yesterday I discussed the second area, stature, which is physically (the body). Today will be the third one, “favor with God” which is the spiritual area.

How to begin

You can do a lot to grow spiritually, but it all begins with becoming a child of God by receiving Jesus Christ as your personal savior. “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” (John 1:12)

When you receive Christ, His Holy Spirit comes inside of you and will help you grow spiritually. (Rom. 8:9; 1 Cor. 3:16; 2 Tim. 1:14; John 14:17).

How the Holy Spirit helps you

• He teaches you (1 Cor. 2:13; John 14:26).

• He guides you into all truth (John 16:13).

• He reveals the deep things of God to you (1 Cor. 2:10).

• He transforms you into the image of Christ (2 Cor. 3:18).

• He strengthens your spirit (Eph. 3:16).

Practical things you can do to grow spiritually

1) Pray. Talk to God about everything. He hears you. He cares for you. He will help you grow closer to Him.

2) Read the Bible every day. It is God’s Word to us. The Bible is literally “God-breathed” (2 Timothy 3:16).

3) Memorize scripture. The Bible is a book of tremendous wisdom that can have an impact on every area of your life. By memorizing the Scripture, you are able to have that wisdom with you at all times.

4) Attend a Bible believing, Bible preaching church each week where you will continue to grow in His knowledge and grace.

5) Read good Christian books. Visit a Christian bookstore and there you will find shelves of great books for encouragement and spiritual growth.

6) Listen to Christian music. You can find it on Christian radio stations and you can find it in every style at your Christian book store.

7) Join a small Bible study group. Most churches have them. They usually meet in private homes, coffee shops and restaurants. You usually grow spiritually at a faster rate in community because you are able to share your experiences with one another and hold each other accountable.

8) Listen to Christian speakers. There are lots of them.

9) Volunteer for Christian service. Helping others is a great pathway towards spiritual growth. As you help others, God helps you!

“Be no longer children, but grow up in Christ.” (Eph. 4:14-15)

“Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 3:18)

“And Jesus increased… in stature…” (Luke 2:52b) “As he is, so are we in this world.” (1 John 4:17b)

Stature (Physically – Body)

Yesterday I pointed out that according to Luke 2:52, as Jesus grew from a child into an adult, He increased in four distinct areas of His life: 1. Wisdom (mentally), 2. stature (physically), 3. favor with God (Spiritually), and 4. favor with man (socially).

Jesus was a perfect example of living a perfect balanced life. And, we should increase in all four of these areas as well.

Yesterday I discussed the first area (wisdom), today will be the second one, “stature” which is the physical area, or simply put, your body.

We each have a body and we should take care of it for important reasons.

·  It is the temple of the Holy Spirit

“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own.” (1 Cor. 6:19)

·  Honor God with your bodies

“You were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.” (1 Cor. 6:20)

·  A healthy body enables you to do what God has created you to do

A healthy body helps you serve God and others better, so take care of it! Use common sense. Get plenty of exercise and eat healthy foods that include fruit and vegetables, avoid junk food, watch your weight, and get enough sleep at night. These are all things that you can control, and will help you be healthy and physically usable so you will be able to do whatever God has prepared for you to do.

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Eph. 2:10).

“And Jesus increased in wisdom.” (Luke 2:52a) “As he is, so are we in this world.” (1 John 4:17b NIV)

Jesus had to grow up from a newborn baby to an adult, increasing gradually to maturity, just like all other human beings do. Luke 2:52, says, “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.”

Notice that This verse says that Jesus increased in four distinct areas:

1. Wisdom (mentally)

2. stature (physically)

3. favor with God (spiritually)

4. and man (socially)

It was a wonderful balanced life!

In order to live a balanced life, you too must increase in all four of these areas just like Jesus did. Over the next four days, I will discuss each of these areas.

Today I will discuss the first one, which is wisdom. “And Jesus increased in wisdom…” (Luke 2:52a)

Wisdom

But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. (James. 3:17)

Wisdom blesses you with its many benefits

“Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her; those who hold her fast will be blessed. By wisdom the Lord laid the earth’s foundations, by understanding he set the heavens in place.” (Prov. 3:13-19)

Ask God for it

“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” (James 1:5)

“For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.” (Prov. 2:6)

“For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” (1 Tim. 4:8 NIV)

This verse points out that physical training is of “some value.” It’s great to take care of your body, it’s the temple of the Holy Spirit. But, as hard as we try, we will not be able to keep our earthly bodies forever. We are all temporary here. But, “godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.”

So, what exactly is godliness?

According to Strong’s Concordance, the word “godliness” is translated from the Greek word for “piety,” and is used in the New Testament fourteen times in the letters of Peter and Paul. While the expression also refers to the divinity of God, godliness in the Bible is mainly used to describe a positive way of life influenced by God.

We should aspire to live godly lives!

“Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment.” (1 Tim. 6:6)

The word “godly” is defined as conforming to the laws and wishes of God

“For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 1:5-8)

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (Rom. 8:28 NIV)

God has promised it and He will deliver!

God has promised that all things work together for good to those who love and serve Him faithfully. It may be difficult for us to see and understand how this is accomplished at times, but God has promised it and He will deliver!

“Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Phil. 1:6)

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  (Jer. 29:11)

“For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.” (Isaiah 41:13 NIV)

The late President, Ronald Reagan, once said jokingly, “Some of the scariest words ever spoken are, ‘I am from the government, and I’m here to help you!’”

Unfortunately, many feel the same way about God! He says, “I am the LORD … and I will help you.” And yet, they treat that statement with fear instead of with delight!

Why is this so? It’s because many don’t understand the true nature of God (love)! They picture Him wrong! They don’t understand that God loves them and really wants only the very best for them.

Understand this about God

“So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.” (1 John 4:16)

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1)

“Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God, Who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; Who keeps truth forever, Who executes justice for the oppressed, Who gives food to the hungry. The LORD gives freedom to the prisoners.” (Psalm 146:5-7)

Boldly!

“So we may boldly say: ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” (Heb. 13:6)

God will uphold you with His righteous right hand!

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10 NIV)

Powerful and life-changing! 

“See, the LORD’s hand is not too short to save.” (Isaiah 59:1)

And, I believe it! Amen!

“When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, ‘We want to hear you again on this subject.’ At that, Paul left the Council. Some of the people became followers of Paul and believed.” (Acts 17:32-34)

Idols were everywhere!

The Apostle Paul was troubled by all the idols he saw around Athens when he visiting that city, so he spoke to them about who the real God is. He told them about Jesus, and when he got to the part about God raising Him from the dead, there were three distinct reactions.

1) Some sneered.

2) Others said, “we want to hear you again on this subject.”

3) Some of them became followers.

This is typical when you share your faith with others. Some will sneer, some will be positive, but put it off, and some will believe. And, it’s worth it! God can and will change lives and it’s wonderful to be used by Him to reach others with the good news!

 Here’s what the Bible says about sharing your faith

“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” (1 Peter 3:15)

“And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.’” (Mark 16:15)

“Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage–with great patience and careful instruction.” (2 Tim. 4:2)

“Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples.” (Psalms 96:3)

“We may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Heb. 4:16b)

Grace and Mercy to you from God!

·  Grace means to get something that you do not deserve; unmerited favor.

·  Mercy means you do not get a punishment that you deserve instead you receive; compassion and forbearance.

God is abundant in grace and mercy!

“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)

His greatest act of grace is the gift of salvation available for all people through faith in Jesus

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”  (Eph.:8-9)

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” (Rom. 3:23)

When the gift of salvation is accepted, eternal life is promised to the recipient

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved.”  (Eph. 2:4)