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MINDING GOD’S BUSINESS

Introduction

Have you ever had someone tell you to mind your own business? I think we all have had that experience at one time or another.

Usually it happens because we sticking our nose where it doesn’t belong. We are meddling in things that don’t concern us. And, by the way, we shouldn’t be the kind of people who are always trying to find out what is going on with someone else.

However, I want you to understand that one of the greatest problems in our Churches today is Christians who mind their own business.

You might say Pastor, if I am not to mind my own business then whose business am I to mind?

Let’s look at our text again. The Bible says four things about Jesus in verse 40:

1.         Jesus grew. (In verse 39 He was still a young infant and then verse 42 picks up at age 12)

The Son of God, in His humanity, had a childhood. Don’t you wonder what that was like? It would have been tough being one of Jesus’ siblings because you could never measure up to Him!

            All that we know about Jesus’ early years is the four things in this verse.

            Jesus grew physically as well as anyone could grow (perfectly well and healthy).

No other child had ever been or ever will be perfect in growth at the various stages of childhood, but Jesus was.

2.         He became strong in Spirit.

He "waxed strong in spirit," as strong as a child could grow. Emotionally speaking there was no weakness in Him. He didn’t have any insecurities. He was not fearful. He didn’t have A.D.D., He was as emotionally stable as one could be. He was strong in His spirit.

3.         He was filled with wisdom.

He was "filled with wisdom," as much as a child could be filled. Intellectually, He excelled. But he didn’t just have knowledge, He was filled with wisdom (the right use of knowledge.) He was not tainted by sin. I believe he had full use of all his faculties.

4.         The grace of God was upon Him.

The favor of God was evident in His life. To look at Jesus you would know that He was a blessed Child.

So that is all we know about Jesus in His early childhood before the age of twelve.

At the age of twelve, Joseph, Mary, and Jesus traveled to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover.

But when it came time to leave. Joseph and Mary headed home not realizing that Jesus was still back in Jerusalem.

They were probably traveling with a caravan because the Bible says in verse 44 that they supposed Him to have been in the company.

When one full day had passed they began to ask their kinfolks and friends if they had seen Jesus. Nobody had seen Jesus.

Vs. 45 tells us that when they didn’t find Him they returned to Jerusalem to look for Him.

Now parents, I want you to imagine how Joseph and Mary must have felt. There no doubt would be frantic searches, sleepless nights. The Bible doesn’t say, but they certainly could have felt all of the same emotions and faced all the difficulties that parents today would feel in similar circumstances. Think about it, for three days they had no idea where Jesus was.

After three days they found Jesus. He was sitting in the temple in the middle of the doctors of the law. It says that He was both hearing them and asking them questions.

Verse 47 says that all that heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers.

Now, notice what His parents said when they found Him. (Vs 48)

Notice Jesus’ response. Verse 49–"How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?" Jesus was saying to His parents, "Didn’t you know that I must be about my Father’s business."

That statement sums up the secret to a successful Christian life. “I must be about my Father’s business.” I want you to know tonight that there is no business like God’s business.

There are far too many Christians who are more concerned about their own business than they are about God’s business.

Some Christians make time for all the things they want to do and squeeze God in here and there giving God the leftovers of their lives. Why? They are minding their own business not God’s.

Some Christians won’t give sacrificially to the Lord’s work, but they always seem to have money to satisfy their own personal lusts for things. Why is it that way? Because they are minding their own business not God’s.

I want you to understand that it is the will of God for every believer to quit minding their own business and start minding God’s. What does your life and lifestyle say about whose business you are minding?

By the way, being about the Father’s business is a lifestyle, it’s not just a cute little phrase.

If we will quit minding our own business and start minding God’s business, then I believe some wonderful things will begin to happen in our lives:

I.         WHEN WE BEGIN TO MIND GOD’S BUSINESS OUR PRIORITIES WILL CHANGE!

When Christ went missing He was twelve years old. Where would you go to find a missing twelve year old? Playing with friends, wrestling with other boys, having fun, and all the other things twelve year olds like to do.

Maybe so, but Jesus was in the Temple sitting among the doctors speaking with them. Why? Even as a 12 year old child Jesus understood the need to be about His Father’s business and it changed His priorities.

Paul understood this principle in his own life when he said in Philippians 3:7,

            "But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ."

            In other words, Paul was saying, my life is not about me, it’s about God.

Paul understood the need to be about his Father’s business rather than about his own business and he was able to count all the other things in his life as loss.

I am saying when we begin to be about our Father’s business our priorities will change. We won’t find excuses to not serve God. We need to do away with our excuses that we give for not doing the things we know God wants us to do.

Our problem is that most of the time we are placing our own business above God’s.

            What is wrong is that our desire, not God’s desire, is our priority.

When God’s business becomes our business, our priorities will be the things that are important to Him: Bible study, preaching, the souls of men, Church, others. . .

            Where are your priorities?

            WHEN WE BEGIN TO MIND GOD’S BUSINESS OUR PRIORITIES WILL CHANGE!

II.       WHEN WE BEGIN TO MIND GOD’S BUSINESS OUR SCHEDULES WILL CHANGE!

Joseph and Mary had a definite schedule for leaving Jerusalem and going back home. Jesus could not keep their schedule for He was about His Father’s business.

Listen, when we mind our own business:

                        We are too busy to be interrupted.

                        We are too busy to worry ourselves with someone else who may need our help.

We are too busy to be concerned about some way God may want us to serve Him in the Church or in the community.

When we are minding our own business our refrain is " I am too busy, I am too busy."

I can’t find one example in Scripture where Christ told someone He was too busy.

            Do we have more or less to accomplish in our earthly life than He did? I don’t think so!

            When we mind God’s business then His schedule becomes our schedule.

Luke 9:23-24–“And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. 24 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.”

When we mind God’s business, then we will cancel whatever we have on our schedule that conflicts with His schedule.

When we mind God’s business, we will say, God I have plans for this day but feel free to change them. Not my will, but Thine be done!

Did you know that we should not view interruptions as a bother but as divine appointments. If we would do that, we would get a lot less frustrated in our lives.

In John 4:4, Jesus said that He needed to go through Samaria. Why? Because He had nothing better to do? No. Because it was a shortcut? No, it was actually out of the way. He needed to go through Samaria because His Father said go and He was busy doing His Father’s business.

When we are minding God’s business rather than our own, we allow Him to set the agenda. We get so busy! Don’t we? We need to beware of the barrenness of a busy life!

            WHEN WE BEGIN TO MIND GOD’S BUSINESS OUR PRIORITIES WILL CHANGE!

. . .OUR SCHEDULES WILL CHANGE!

III.      WHEN WE BEGIN TO MIND GOD’S BUSINESS OUR LIVES WON’T BE ABOUT US, IT WILL BE ABOUT OTHERS.

            Luke 4:18-19

Matthew 20:26–“. . .whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; 27And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: 28Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

Philippians 2:7–“But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:”

            Several of the New Testament writers said they were “servants” of the Lord.

            Our Father’s business requires us to be servants! It requires us to be givers, not takers!

            It requires us to by love serve one another ( Galatians 5:13)

            It requires us not to see what can I do for me but what can I do for others.

IV.      WHEN WE BEGIN TO MIND GOD’S BUSINESS WE WILL LAY ASIDE EXCUSES AND PERSEVERE THROUGH GREAT TRIALS.

Jesus did just that in the Garden of Gethsemene.

Matthew 26:39–“And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.”

How did Jesus endure this time of great suffering? He was about His Father’s business.

James 5:10–“Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. 11Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.”

1 Peter 4:12–“Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: 13But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. 14If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you:”

When we are about God’s business we won’t run at the first obstacle. We will persevere because God has placed us where we are and His grace will sustain us.

1 Peter 2:21-23–“For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: 22 Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: 23 Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:”

            WHEN WE BEGIN TO MIND GOD’S BUSINESS OUR PRIORITIES WILL CHANGE!

. . .OUR SCHEDULES WILL CHANGE!. . .OUR LIVES WON’T BE ABOUT US, IT WILL BE ABOUT OTHERS!. . .WE WILL LAY ASIDE EXCUSES AND PERSEVERE THROUGH GREAT TRIALS!. . .

V.        WHEN WE BEGIN TO MIND GOD’S BUSINESS HE WILL MIND OUR BUSINESS. (Luke 12:22-34)

            e.g       The Widow of Zarephath (1 Kings 17:8-16)

            e.g.      Jesus

Philippians 2:8-11--“And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Conclusion

When we mind our own business we become stingy, selfish, worried, resentful, and we never seem to have enough.

But when we mind God’s business, oh how He blesses above measure, He satisfies our every need.

Whose business are you minding? Yours or God’s? If we are going to be Christ-like, we need to move from minding our own business to minding God’s business.

Home Page   Contact Us    Service Times   Sermons   Are You Going To Heaven?

NOTICE:   THESE SERMONS ARE FREE TO BE USED BUT ARE NOT TO BE SOLD!