Behold, children are a gift of the Lord; The fruit of the womb is a reward. - Psalm 127:3
Good morning. Over the past several months I have been thinking a lot about children. I spend most of my days taking care of and playing with Hunter and Tucker, my almost 2-year old twin grandsons. I’ve heard it said that a real man should go to bed tired every night after putting in a hard day’s work, and I can attest to you all this morning that I do just that. But despite the exhaustion, having these boys has been and continues to be a tremendous blessing. On behalf of Janice and myself, I want to thank this church for your understanding, grace, and assistance during this season of our life.
Next Sunday we will begin this year’s extended sermon series through the first 11 chapters of Genesis and selected passages from Job. However, this morning I am going to preach a “stand alone” message about children. We are going to read and consider 3 instances in the gospels during which Jesus interacted with and/or spoke about children. Besides these, there are several other occasions during which He healed children of various afflictions, raising at least 1 from the dead! As we consider these 3 select passages (and their parallel accounts), we’ll discover some vital lessons that apply not only to children, but to adults as well.
I. CHILDLIKE FAITH (Matthew 19:13-15; Mark 10:13-16; Luke 18:15-17)
As Jesus traveled about during His earthly ministry, many parents brought their babies and young children to Him in hopes that He might pray for and touch them. The disciples initially rebuked and tried to prevent them from doing so. Jesus became angry with the disciples and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” He took the children in His arms, laid His hands on them and blessed them.
It is quite natural for Christian parents to seek God’s blessing on their children, so it is easy to understand why these Jewish parents brought their children to Jesus. The disciples weren’t necessarily opposed to children, but rather they wanted to prevent Jesus from being bothered or distracted from His work. However, Jesus made it clear that He wanted to interact with children and was not burdened by them at all.
Jesus taught the disciples that the kingdom of God belongs to those who receive it like a child. The concept of childlike faith comes from this passage. Childlike faith is trusting, humble, and wholly dependent on God. When a parent tells their child something, they naturally tend to believe them. Children aren’t cynical or jaded like many adults are. They depend on their parents to take care of them and don’t worry or fret about such things. As believers, we should exhibit a similar faith in God, pure and simple, without doubt or fear.
Nonbelievers argue that children are gullible and easily led astray. They suggest that a believer’s faith in God, like that of children, is naive and misplaced. However, the problem isn’t in the faith, but rather in the person in whom the faith is placed. God is totally trustworthy and faithful. Unlike us, He always keeps His promises. As such, Christians can confidently live with childlike faith knowing that their Father in Heaven will never fail.
II. CHILDLIKE HUMILITY (Matthew 18:1-6; Mark 9:33-37)
On a certain occasion, the disciples began arguing among themselves which of them was the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven. Knowing this, Jesus called a child over to Him, held the child in His arms in their midst, and said to them, “Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives such a child in my name receives me. If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.”
Children aren’t naturally concerned about being the greatest or best. They aren’t consumed with pride or arrogance, but instead are generally humble, meek, and unassuming. They just want to enjoy life and have fun. While we as parents naturally want our children to be successful in their endeavors and activities, we must be careful not to push our children so hard that they lose this inherent humility and joy.
Jesus taught His disciples how to become truly great in the kingdom of God. Rather than seeking accolades, prominence, or fame, we as believers should humble ourselves like children. We should not compare ourselves with and/or try to outdo each other. Life is not about "keeping up with the Joneses”, but rather about servanthood. Those who wish to be first must be last of all. The truest sign of greatness is childlike humility.
III. CHILDLIKE PRAISE (Matthew 21:14-16)
After His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Jesus went to the temple where He was teaching and healing people. The chief priests and scribes who were there became indignant when they saw what He was doing and heard the children crying out, “Hosanna to the Son of David”. They confronted Jesus about this and He replied, “Have you never read, ‘Out of the mouths of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise’?”
Sometimes children say the most profound things. They are uninhibited, unfiltered, and brutally honest. They have a wisdom that seems to transcend knowledge. They don’t allow their common sense and curiosity to be hampered by intellect. They ask big questions and have tremendous creativity. They seem to perceive and understand things that many adults don’t, including the secrets and wonders of God (Matthew 11:25; Luke 10:21).
Jesus answered the chief priests and scribes using a quote from Psalm 8:2. The children in the temple were praising Jesus as Savior while the Jewish religious leaders denied it. God silences the voice of His enemies by the words of children and infants who declare His strength.
Most young children like to sing. They sing loudly and without reservation, expressing great joy and passion with every word. While I agree that praising the Lord is much more than singing, as it extends to all areas of our lives, singing is a good place to start. Oh how wonderful it would be if we as a congregation sang our hymns in church like children sing! Sincere, from the heart, unashamed, and bursting with happiness. Such childlike praise is infectious and is a source of great strength to a weary heart.
CONCLUSION
During the New Testament era, children were not held in high regard within Roman culture. In fact, they were often viewed as burdensome and undesirable. It was legal and socially acceptable to simply abandon unwanted newborns and young children. This was a despicable, yet common practice. The early Christian church took in and adopted many of these children, raising them to become believers, and helping to spread not only the morality of the church but also faith in Jesus Christ.
We as the church have a responsibility to support our parents and supplement their efforts to disciple their children. We do this in a variety of ways through Children's Ministries designed to teach kids about Jesus and the Bible and to afford them genuine opportunities to participate and serve in the church and beyond. My prayer is that we as adults will be faithful to raise up our children in the fear and admonition of the LORD that they might be even more effectual servants of Christ than we are.
In closing, Jesus loves children and they love Him. This is as it should be, in accordance with God’s design. Following their lead, may we as adult believers demonstrate childlike faith, childlike humility, and childlike joy as we worship, praise, and serve the Lord every day.
Good morning. Over the past several months I have been thinking a lot about children. I spend most of my days taking care of and playing with Hunter and Tucker, my almost 2-year old twin grandsons. I’ve heard it said that a real man should go to bed tired every night after putting in a hard day’s work, and I can attest to you all this morning that I do just that. But despite the exhaustion, having these boys has been and continues to be a tremendous blessing. On behalf of Janice and myself, I want to thank this church for your understanding, grace, and assistance during this season of our life.
Next Sunday we will begin this year’s extended sermon series through the first 11 chapters of Genesis and selected passages from Job. However, this morning I am going to preach a “stand alone” message about children. We are going to read and consider 3 instances in the gospels during which Jesus interacted with and/or spoke about children. Besides these, there are several other occasions during which He healed children of various afflictions, raising at least 1 from the dead! As we consider these 3 select passages (and their parallel accounts), we’ll discover some vital lessons that apply not only to children, but to adults as well.
I. CHILDLIKE FAITH (Matthew 19:13-15; Mark 10:13-16; Luke 18:15-17)
As Jesus traveled about during His earthly ministry, many parents brought their babies and young children to Him in hopes that He might pray for and touch them. The disciples initially rebuked and tried to prevent them from doing so. Jesus became angry with the disciples and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” He took the children in His arms, laid His hands on them and blessed them.
It is quite natural for Christian parents to seek God’s blessing on their children, so it is easy to understand why these Jewish parents brought their children to Jesus. The disciples weren’t necessarily opposed to children, but rather they wanted to prevent Jesus from being bothered or distracted from His work. However, Jesus made it clear that He wanted to interact with children and was not burdened by them at all.
Jesus taught the disciples that the kingdom of God belongs to those who receive it like a child. The concept of childlike faith comes from this passage. Childlike faith is trusting, humble, and wholly dependent on God. When a parent tells their child something, they naturally tend to believe them. Children aren’t cynical or jaded like many adults are. They depend on their parents to take care of them and don’t worry or fret about such things. As believers, we should exhibit a similar faith in God, pure and simple, without doubt or fear.
Nonbelievers argue that children are gullible and easily led astray. They suggest that a believer’s faith in God, like that of children, is naive and misplaced. However, the problem isn’t in the faith, but rather in the person in whom the faith is placed. God is totally trustworthy and faithful. Unlike us, He always keeps His promises. As such, Christians can confidently live with childlike faith knowing that their Father in Heaven will never fail.
II. CHILDLIKE HUMILITY (Matthew 18:1-6; Mark 9:33-37)
On a certain occasion, the disciples began arguing among themselves which of them was the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven. Knowing this, Jesus called a child over to Him, held the child in His arms in their midst, and said to them, “Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives such a child in my name receives me. If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.”
Children aren’t naturally concerned about being the greatest or best. They aren’t consumed with pride or arrogance, but instead are generally humble, meek, and unassuming. They just want to enjoy life and have fun. While we as parents naturally want our children to be successful in their endeavors and activities, we must be careful not to push our children so hard that they lose this inherent humility and joy.
Jesus taught His disciples how to become truly great in the kingdom of God. Rather than seeking accolades, prominence, or fame, we as believers should humble ourselves like children. We should not compare ourselves with and/or try to outdo each other. Life is not about "keeping up with the Joneses”, but rather about servanthood. Those who wish to be first must be last of all. The truest sign of greatness is childlike humility.
III. CHILDLIKE PRAISE (Matthew 21:14-16)
After His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Jesus went to the temple where He was teaching and healing people. The chief priests and scribes who were there became indignant when they saw what He was doing and heard the children crying out, “Hosanna to the Son of David”. They confronted Jesus about this and He replied, “Have you never read, ‘Out of the mouths of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise’?”
Sometimes children say the most profound things. They are uninhibited, unfiltered, and brutally honest. They have a wisdom that seems to transcend knowledge. They don’t allow their common sense and curiosity to be hampered by intellect. They ask big questions and have tremendous creativity. They seem to perceive and understand things that many adults don’t, including the secrets and wonders of God (Matthew 11:25; Luke 10:21).
Jesus answered the chief priests and scribes using a quote from Psalm 8:2. The children in the temple were praising Jesus as Savior while the Jewish religious leaders denied it. God silences the voice of His enemies by the words of children and infants who declare His strength.
Most young children like to sing. They sing loudly and without reservation, expressing great joy and passion with every word. While I agree that praising the Lord is much more than singing, as it extends to all areas of our lives, singing is a good place to start. Oh how wonderful it would be if we as a congregation sang our hymns in church like children sing! Sincere, from the heart, unashamed, and bursting with happiness. Such childlike praise is infectious and is a source of great strength to a weary heart.
CONCLUSION
During the New Testament era, children were not held in high regard within Roman culture. In fact, they were often viewed as burdensome and undesirable. It was legal and socially acceptable to simply abandon unwanted newborns and young children. This was a despicable, yet common practice. The early Christian church took in and adopted many of these children, raising them to become believers, and helping to spread not only the morality of the church but also faith in Jesus Christ.
We as the church have a responsibility to support our parents and supplement their efforts to disciple their children. We do this in a variety of ways through Children's Ministries designed to teach kids about Jesus and the Bible and to afford them genuine opportunities to participate and serve in the church and beyond. My prayer is that we as adults will be faithful to raise up our children in the fear and admonition of the LORD that they might be even more effectual servants of Christ than we are.
In closing, Jesus loves children and they love Him. This is as it should be, in accordance with God’s design. Following their lead, may we as adult believers demonstrate childlike faith, childlike humility, and childlike joy as we worship, praise, and serve the Lord every day.