Get Growing | Luke 2: 52 | Rev. Dr. George Shears III

Devotional

Day 1: The Trophy Is Real, But the Gap Remains

Achievement often reveals the distance between what we’ve done and who we’ve become. Like Tiger Woods rebuilding his swing after historic success, growth demands humility to acknowledge unfinished formation. Jesus’ development in wisdom—despite his divine nature—shows that knowledge alone isn’t maturity. True wisdom integrates what we know with how we live, bridging the gap between accomplishment and character. God prioritizes who we’re becoming over what we’ve checked off. [01:06:54]

“And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.”
(Luke 2:52, ESV)

Reflection: Where has achievement tempted you to stop growing? What “gap” between your skills and character is God highlighting today?

Day 2: Holiness in Ordinary Responsibility

Jesus spent years carrying beams in a workshop before carrying the cross. Ordinary labor—showing up, building, serving—is where God shapes capacity for greater callings. David learned to shepherd flocks before leading nations. Faithfulness in unseen tasks prepares us to bear the weight of visible blessings. There’s no shortcut: growth happens in the mundane. [01:18:16]

“Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.”
(Mark 6:3, ESV)

Reflection: What mundane responsibility have you undervalued? How might God be using it to build your capacity for what’s next?

Day 3: Favor With God Precedes Public Recognition

Jesus lived in God’s pleasure long before crowds followed him. At his baptism, the Father affirmed him not for miracles performed but for obedient sonship. Our culture obsesses over visibility, but God’s smile matters more than viral moments. Formation happens in sixth-row pews, quiet prayers, and private obedience before promotion. [01:20:55]

“And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him. And behold, a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.’”
(Matthew 3:16–17, ESV)

Reflection: Where are you seeking human applause over God’s approval? How can you rest in His pleasure today?

Day 4: Capacity Is Built in Hidden Fields

David fought lions in obscurity before facing Goliath in the spotlight. Jesus’ 30 hidden years prepared him for 3 years of public ministry. Capacity isn’t gifted—it’s grown through seasons of testing, waiting, and small obediences. Rushing promotion without proven faithfulness leads to collapse. God withholds what we’re not ready to carry. [01:17:21]

“Then Samuel said to Jesse, ‘Are all your sons here?’ And he said, ‘There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.’ And Samuel said to Jesse, ‘Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.’ And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the Lord said, ‘Arise, anoint him, for this is he.’”
(1 Samuel 16:11–12, ESV)

Reflection: What “field” are you impatient to leave? How might staying there longer deepen your capacity?

Day 5: Surrender Ends in Resurrection, Not Ruin

Jesus’ surrender in Gethsemane led not to annihilation but to resurrection power. Letting go of control—pride, plans, pain—feels like death but unlocks new life. The cross proves God redeems surrender, turning apparent loss into eternal gain. What we cling to limits us; what we release, God resurrects. [01:29:41]

“And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name.”
(Philippians 2:8–9, ESV)

Reflection: What are you white-knuckling that God is asking you to release? How might surrender create space for resurrection?

Sermon Summary

Luke 2:52 stands up and names growth as the way of Jesus. The text shows Jesus increasing in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and people, so achievement cannot be the finish line. That point lands through a parable of Tiger Woods: history-making victory, then a decision to rebuild his swing because the trophy was real but the gap was too. Achievement is good, but formation is better; the diploma is not the destination. If the Son of God kept growing, nobody else can afford to stop.

Wisdom comes first. Luke says Jesus increased in wisdom, so wisdom must be received and practiced, not just recited. Wisdom is how a life handles what a mind knows. James says to ask for it. At twelve, Jesus sits in the temple, listening and asking questions. He honors process. Being called is not being released. Development in private precedes promotion in public. The line is sharp and true: preparation is not punishment, hidden years are not wasted, movement is not maturity, visibility is not value, speed is not success.

Stature follows. Stature is not height. Stature means Jesus grew all the way human, through unglamorous stages that build capacity. Awards do not make capacity, they only reveal what capacity has been formed. David’s life between oil and throne becomes the template for capacity work. A crown without capacity is just a weight on an unprepared head. Mark calls Jesus a carpenter before the cross-bearer; ordinary labor becomes holy ground. There is holiness in ordinary responsibility.

Favor with God roots the life. Before the crowds and the miracles, the Father was already pleased. At baptism the voice says, This is my beloved Son, before any performance. Pleasure is tied to sonship and obedience. Luke keeps showing Jesus at prayer. A life needs a prayer rhythm that can survive success, because success can make the soul forget God.

Favor with people rounds it out. Growth in Christ is never just private. The test shows up in traffic, in office politics, in hard conversations. Spirituality that does not reshape how people treat people is still under construction. The measure becomes how a life treats those who cannot advance it. Love embodied forgives enemies and honors image-bearers. When the applause fades, what remains is who a person has become in the presence of neighbors. Over all of it sits one word that unlocks growth: surrender. Calvary proves surrender does not end in loss. Surrender ends in resurrection.

Key Takeaways

1. Wisdom is lived knowledge Wisdom is not information, it is formation. Jesus models humility by listening and asking, showing that teachability is holiness in motion. Asking God for wisdom is itself an act of wisdom because it admits need. Where knowledge inflates, wisdom steadies, heals, and guides. [71:39]
2. Capacity grows in hidden seasons Stature is shaped in obscurity, not on stages. David’s gap between oil and throne trained hands, heart, and reflexes for weight he could not carry yet. The workshop of Nazareth turns ordinary tasks into sacrament, making a soul strong enough for public strain. A crown without capacity crushes. [77:21]
3. God’s pleasure precedes performance The Father’s delight rests on sonship before sermons, crowds, or miracles. Obedience in quiet places is seen and smiled upon, even when nobody posts about it. A prayer life that survives success keeps the heart from confusing applause with approval. Identity anchored in God frees labor from desperation. [80:55]
4. Public love proves private faith Christian maturity steps into traffic, offices, and kitchen tables and treats image-bearers with honor. Skill without love wounds; zeal without patience corrodes. Growth shows up in how one treats those who cannot open doors back. The Spirit’s fruit looks like gentleness under fire. [86:23]
5. Surrender opens into resurrection Calvary teaches that letting go is not losing but yielding to the God who raises the dead. The grave sits between obedience and vindication, yet Sunday still interrupts Friday. Pride, plans, pain, and applause fall from the hands that trust. On the other side stands power, not regret. [90:40]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[65:32] - Luke 2:52 and achievement
[65:56] - Tiger rewrites, then rebuilds
[67:09] - Celebration is not the finish line
[69:25] - Grow in wisdom defined
[71:39] - Listening and asking questions
[72:43] - Preparation is not punishment
[73:15] - Grow in stature and capacity
[76:55] - Between the oil and the throne
[78:30] - Holiness in ordinary responsibility
[79:20] - Favor with God before applause
[81:58] - A prayer life that survives success
[82:54] - Tried in public, love people
[86:23] - How you treat the least
[89:41] - Surrender and resurrection

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Luke 2:52 (ESV): "And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man."

Observation Questions

According to Luke 2:52, what four dimensions of growth did Jesus experience? How does the example of Tiger Woods rebuilding his swing after a historic victory illustrate the difference between achievement and formation? [01:05:56]
The sermon mentions Jesus sitting in the temple at age 12, "listening and asking questions." What does this reveal about the relationship between wisdom and humility? [01:11:39]
How does David’s life "between the oil and the throne" (1 Samuel 16 to 2 Samuel 5) demonstrate the importance of hidden seasons for building capacity? [01:16:55]
What does Jesus’ identity as a carpenter (Mark 6:3) before his public ministry teach about holiness in ordinary work? [01:18:30]

Interpretation Questions

Why might "favor with God" precede public success or recognition, as seen in Jesus’ baptism (Matthew 3:17)? How does this redefine our understanding of God’s approval? [01:20:55]
The sermon states, "A crown without capacity crushes." What does this mean in the context of David’s preparation for kingship, and how might it apply to leadership today?
How does 1 Corinthians 13’s emphasis on love challenge the idea of "spirituality" that doesn’t reshape how we treat others? What makes treating people well a test of genuine growth? [01:24:06]
The parable of Tiger Woods highlights the gap between achievement and formation. Why is it dangerous to confuse visible success with internal maturity?

Application Questions

Reflect on a recent achievement or milestone. How can you actively pursue growth in wisdom (e.g., listening, asking questions) rather than treating it as a finish line?
What "ordinary responsibility" in your life (e.g., work, chores, daily routines) could become "holy ground" if approached with intentional faithfulness? [01:18:30]
Think of someone in your life who cannot "advance" your goals (e.g., a stranger, a difficult coworker). How could you intentionally honor them this week as an image-bearer of God? [01:26:23]
Where have you tied your sense of worth to performance or applause? What practical step could you take to anchor your identity in God’s pleasure over your productivity?
The sermon says, "Surrender ends in resurrection." What pride, plan, or fear do you need to surrender to God today? What would it look like to trust Him with the outcome? [01:29:41]

Sermon Clips

58s

“In 1997, Tiger Woods walked onto Augusta National Golf Course for the Masters Tournament. He was 21 years old. With his first full season as professional, he won that masters by 12 strokes. He finished 18 under par. He set a new all time scoring record. He became the lowest achieving, lowest score for a golfer in the history of the masters. then he went home and told his swing coach, he needed to completely rebuild his swing. The world thought he had lost his mind. You just won by 12 strokes. You just rewrote history books. You just put on one of the greatest performances in golf history and you're going to change that swing?”

34s

“Today, we celebrate achievement. We celebrate these students and that's exactly what we're supposed to do. We we should clap. We should take pictures. We should frame those diplomas. We should cry at the ceremonies. We they deserve they deserve the honor and achievement. They worked hard. They should be recognized. But before anything else, we celebrate every student, every graduate, every honoree in this room today. I need you to know, you did do something. What you did matters.”

30s

“Tiger said, this is what he said. He said, he had been playing better than he knew how. The trophy was real. The victory was real but so was the gap between what he had accomplished and who he had actually become. refused to let the celebration convince him that his growing was done. That's the word today.”

29s

“get your diploma but get some wisdom. Get that platform but get some wisdom. Get get that promotion but get some wisdom because here's what I need you to know. A gift without wisdom can take you where your character cannot keep you. James one and five says, if you lack wisdom, ask god. So, do you know what that means? Wisdom is received.”

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