FAMILY MATTERS 

Part Nine: teens August 2, 2026 

 
The teenage years are not a season to fear—they're a season God uses to prepare young people for His purposes. The only story the Bible gives us about Jesus between His birth and the beginning of His public ministry takes place when He was twelve years old. Through this account, God gives parents timeless wisdom for raising teenagers and preparing them for adulthood. 
  

• Healthy parents understand that God is preparing teenagers for adulthood. 

Truth #1: Don't Mistake Maturity for Misbehavior. 

Luke 2:41–46 (NLT) Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Passover festival. When Jesus was twelve years old, they attended the festival as usual. After the celebration was over, they started home to Nazareth, but Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents didn’t miss him at first, because they assumed he was among the other travelers. But when he didn’t show up that evening, they started looking for him among their relatives and friends. When they couldn’t find him, they went back to Jerusalem to search for him there. Three days later they finally discovered him in the Temple, sitting among the religious teachers, listening to them and asking questions. 
  

When Mary and Joseph discovered that Jesus was missing, they eventually found Him in the Temple, where He was listening, asking questions, and growing in His understanding. Jesus was not rebelling against His parents. He was embracing His Father's mission. One of the greatest challenges of parenting teenagers is recognizing the difference between healthy maturity and sinful rebellion. As children grow, parents must adjust how they lead, guide, and prepare them for adulthood. 

• Jesus is becoming independent, not rebellious. 

• Ask yourself: "Am I parenting according to my child's age and stage of development, or am I being guided by my fears?" 

• Children need our protection, teenagers need our preparation, and adults need our partnership. 

Truth #2: Mine for God's Mission. 

Luke 2:46–49 (NLT) Three days later they finally discovered him in the Temple, sitting among the religious teachers, listening to them and asking questions. All who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. His parents didn’t know what to think. “Son,” his mother said to him, “why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been frantic, searching for you everywhere.” “But why did you need to search?” He asked. “Didn’t you know that I must be in my Father’s house?” 
 

Jesus' first recorded words reveal His highest priority: "I must be in My Father's house." He understood that His identity and purpose came from His heavenly Father. Healthy parents cannot create God's calling for their children, but they can discover, encourage, and pray for the gifts and passions God has placed within them. 

• Parents influence. God calls. 

• Parents cannot manufacture God's calling.   Parents mine for it. 

• Our greatest responsibility is not choosing our children's future but preparing them to follow Jesus wherever He leads. 

 
Truth #3: Move from Managing to Mentoring. 

Luke 2:50–51 (NLT) But they didn’t understand what he meant. Then he returned to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. And his mother stored all these things in her heart. 

Although Jesus declared His ultimate allegiance to His heavenly Father, He also returned home and willingly submitted to Mary and Joseph. Jesus demonstrates that submission to God does not eliminate submission to God-given earthly authority. Healthy parenting develops both growing independence and growing humility. 

• Parents don't have to understand everything, win every argument, or know every answer. 
   

• Freedom without submission becomes rebellion. 

• Submission without maturity becomes dependence. 

• Biblical parenting develops both freedom and submission. 
   

• The goal isn't raising children who always need us. It's raising adults who always need Jesus. 

Truth #4: Measure What Matters. 

Luke 2:52 (NLT) Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and all the people. 

Luke summarizes eighteen hidden years of Jesus' life with one remarkable verse. Jesus grew mentally, physically, spiritually, and relationally. Healthy parenting is more than correcting behavior; it is about encouraging whole-person discipleship. While parents faithfully plant, teach, encourage, and pray, only God can produce lasting spiritual growth. 

 
Jesus grew... 

• In wisdom (Mentally)  

• In stature (Physically)  

• In favor with God (Spiritually)  

• In favor with people (Relationally)  

• You plant. God grows. 
  1 Corinthians 3:6 (NLT) I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. 

• Growth belongs to God. 

Gospel Hope 

This story is ultimately not about parenting; it is about Jesus. The perfect Son obeyed His earthly parents and perfectly obeyed His heavenly Father—even to death on a cross. Because of Christ's perfect obedience, there is grace for imperfect parents, forgiveness for rebellious teenagers, and hope for every family (Phil. 2:6–8). 
 

At the cross...families find hope. 

This Week's Challenge 

Parents of Teenagers 

Ask more questions than you answer. Listen carefully. Stay calm. Pray faithfully. Trust God with the work only He can do. 

Teenagers 

Honor your parents, extend grace when they fall short, and invite them into your life as you grow toward adulthood. 

Grandparents 

Encourage the next generation, pray faithfully, support parents, and use your influence to point your family toward Christ. 
 

• Parenting isn't about producing perfect kids. 

• It's about faithfully pointing imperfect kids to a perfect Savior.