Amen. Appreciate that very much. Wonderful words of comfort in that song. I'm glad that you're here. Good to see you folks tonight. And if you would, take your Bibles and go to Matthew chapter 19, and we'll get to the text in just a moment. I do appreciate the opportunity, and there are some handout sheets, and if you do need one of those, go ahead and raise your hand up, and you should receive one of those. And many of you are aware that Pastor Sullivan, a couple of weeks ago, mentioned about doing a number of series or a variation on the series on Wednesday night and having some teaching in relation to different elements of ministry. And Pastor Matt was able to bring forth a lesson on teenagers and helping them with the different elements that they deal with in their life and then for us adults in trying to be a blessing and seeking to help them as well during that time. A real encouragement to my heart in relation to the teenagers that we have in our home. And so this evening, I do want to teach a lesson, preach on a practical element or practical lessons on reaching children for Christ. And we'll get to the text in just a moment, but what it does is it takes my memory back to my introduction to ministry really here at Pemina Valley Baptist Church. And it was with children. It was Brother Will Clawson who was teaching on Wednesday nights. and he was teaching God's Little Lambs, that was the class, and it was the four and five year olds in Master Club, and I was asked by Brother Gary Drieger if I would be willing to help Brother Will Clawson in that class, and I recall quite vividly feeling overwhelmed at that time in dealing with four and five year old children. And my role was not to teach in that particular class, it was to help Brother Will, who did the teaching. And with that, I had the great responsibility of making sure they had crayons for the coloring page, and leaky noses needed to be wiped. and kids needed to be in their chairs and the supplies had to be there and that was my responsibility and amazingly it did feel overwhelming at that time and the Lord gave me grace but that was my introduction and from there I helped him for some time And then that September we split up the classes and I was able to teach God's little lambs and we had the four and the five-year-olds because the class was so big. A good problem to have. And did that for some time. So the Lord has allowed me to be involved with children's ministries and as such, I trust that this will be a help to you. So the lesson really has a couple of applications in the sense that if you are involved with children's ministry, or if you end up in children's ministry, I trust these will help, but also in our homes. And if you have children, or if you have access to children that you are trying to reach for Christ, these principles will help. And so let's read Matthew chapter 19. It's the account of Jesus Christ, His disciples, and some children. We're going to read Matthew 19 verses 13 to 15, and you can follow along in your Bibles. It says in verse 13 of Matthew 19, Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them, and pray, and the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not to come unto me, for of such is the kingdom of heaven. And he laid his hands on them, and departed thence. So we see here in the scriptures Jesus Christ and this interaction between the disciples and these little children. Psalm 127 in the Old Testament reveals that children are an heritage of the Lord. By way of introduction let me say that reaching them for Christ must be a priority in our churches. They are a vital element of our churches, and at times, if we're not careful, we may approach it the same way the disciples did, and not view them as a blessing, as an heritage of the Lord, and minimize the ministries toward young children, and we ought not do that. For we recognize, and in your introduction you'll find that Ab Thomas in his book, Sharing Christ with Children, says that 85% of people that are reached with the gospel accept Christ between the ages of 4 to 14. And so we recognize that children are open and receptive. And we'll look at more of that as we go through the notes. But we realize that those that come to know Jesus Christ as their personal Savior frequently are in that age bracket. Not always, and we understand that, and we accept that, that people come to know Christ at different ages, at different stages of life, and we appreciate that and praise the Lord for every one of them. But as we think about churches, and ministry, and reaching this world with the gospel of Jesus Christ, children must be a priority and a focus. And so what I've done is try to provide some practical helps. And so what follows, the points that follow, are designed to aid each of us in ministering Jesus Christ to young children. And I suppose you can think of them along the lines of some do's and don'ts. And some of these things that we're going to look at, again, I say are helpful when you're ministering to children in a structured fashion, but they're also principles that we must examine and consider in light of our homes, in light of our communities, our neighbors, and children that we have the opportunity to influence for Christ with the gospel. And so this evening, I really do pray that the Lord will use these things in our hearts and in our lives to help us in reaching little ones for the Lord Jesus Christ. Number one on your study sheet, you'll find that it says, do not dismiss little children. Do not dismiss them. In Matthew chapter 19, verse 13, The Bible says that Jesus Christ desired those children and the Bible says that the disciples rebuked them as these little ones and we envision this and at times it might be hard for us to think along these lines because we think of the Lord Jesus Christ and His great love for humanity and And here they are gathering in the community, and as they do so, these little children are being ushered into Jesus Christ, His presence, and thronging Him, and all those that are gathered around, and the disciples, they rebuke them, meaning that they didn't want them around, they were trying to shoo them out of the way, and considering them less than important. And that's difficult to consider, especially in light of many of us that have grown up in an area that appreciates families, and we have large families in this area. And so little children, for the most part, are considered a blessing. And to think of rebuking them and sending them away from Jesus, that doesn't sit well with us. And yet that's what the Bible says they were doing. We must recognize that Jesus loves everyone, including little children. Jesus desired those children near Him. I like that scene and the picture that I have in my mind's eye of Jesus Christ correcting His disciples, and it would have probably been a bit of a shock to them. Whenever I see the disciples being corrected by the Lord Jesus Christ, I have to believe that they thought they were doing the right thing. in sending the children away or telling them to leave Jesus alone. And Jesus Christ corrected them. It was a bit of a wake-up call to them. Oh, we didn't do the right thing. And Jesus says, no, suffer the little children to come unto me, for of such is the kingdom of heaven. And so when we consider little children, we ought not dismiss them. The world has a tendency to do that. The world has a tendency to overlook those that are often viewed as weak and perhaps not profitable to society. And we won't get into a lengthy discussion on that element. We know in the world that we live in that children are at times dismissed beyond even our imaginations. and discounted and discarded, if you will. And what we find here is that Jesus loved those children and He desired them with Him. And so, as such, we understand that dismissing them was something that God said we ought not do. And so, let's take note and not act as the disciples do. And I'm not saying that we do, or that's something that we have a tendency of doing, but at the same time, to highlight that element and say, these are precious children that the Lord Jesus Christ desires near Him, ought to motivate us to look around, and to examine our surroundings and see whether there aren't some little ones that the Lord would desire near Him, and that we would have the opportunity to reach. So let's not dismiss little children. Number two, do start early telling little ones about Jesus. If you go back into the Old Testament, and you can turn with me if you'd like to the book of Deuteronomy. I appreciate Pastor Matt in his description, he says, if you have trouble finding Deuteronomy, you just start at the beginning. Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. And so, in that sense, it's helpful to find the book of Deuteronomy. In chapter 6, I want to read the first nine verses, and recognizing that God had instructed the nation of Israel in helping them in their homes, in conveying the commands of God to the children of Israel. And so you can follow along beginning in verse 1, it says, Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the Lord your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go to possess it. That thou mightest fear the Lord thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son's son, all the days of thy life, and that thy days may be prolonged. Hear, therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it, that it may be well with thee, that ye may increase mightily, as the Lord God of thy fathers hath promised thee, in the land that floweth with milk and honey. Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord, and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words which I command thee this day shall be in thine heart, and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house and on thy gates. I appreciate my wife. We perhaps don't see it in the same fashion as far as, you know, the nation of Israel and writing on our doorposts. My wife appreciates sticky notes, and so you'll find them throughout our house on windowsills, in the bathroom, and so we have scripture and those types of things posted throughout our house. Some are a little more permanent than sticky notes, but you recognize that it is that process of trying to teach our children the Word of God. And it began early. It was something we implemented in our home and I appreciate my wife's faithfulness in that through the years. The Bible says here in Deuteronomy chapter 6 in verse 7, And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children. This is something that should begin early in the lives of children. They can understand far more and having them under the influence of the scriptures is far better than the world's influence. And so, implementing a structured way of teaching them the Word of God. And this is something on a practical level you can do as a family in having family devotions. And this is where, you know, this lesson is designed, yes, for ministering to children in a structured fashion in a church, but also in our homes. I look back with joy and even now, our devotional life has transitioned as our children have grown up. Now, you know, our devotional time is around the table when everybody gets together. Makes sense, around the table. We all love food. But in the early days, it just worked out better for us to do it in the evening as the children were getting ready for bed. And they were tiny. I mean, they were small. And we would get together in usually one of the bedrooms, and everybody would gather and sit on the floor, and we'd open up the Word of God, and we'd read a portion of Scripture. And then it would be followed up with perhaps a story and a time of prayer and then it was off to bed. But it did begin early. And as such, the little ones would sit on the laps or on the floor, and the older ones would listen. But we sought to implement the scriptures and giving it to our children at an early age. Just like we see here, God instructing the nation of Israel to teach their children. And He says, do it diligently. That word diligently, it means with steady application and care. Do start early, telling little ones about Jesus Christ. Which leads me into number three in your study sheet. Do use the scriptures in seeking to win children to Christ. In 2 Timothy 3, verse 15, the Bible says, And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation, through faith which is in Christ Jesus. So we realize that from an early age, and of course, 2 Timothy chapter 3 was the apostle Paul writing to his son in the faith, Timothy. And it was Timothy who had his mother and grandmother teach him those scriptures. And Paul says, I recognize that from an early age thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation. When we're seeking to win children to Christ, we use the word of God to do it. We use the Scriptures because we also realize that the Word of God, according to Hebrews 4 and verse 12, is quick and powerful. It's alive. It is the Word of God that has that amazing ability to touch the heart, and in conjunction with the Holy Spirit of God, expose sin, even in the lives of children, and reveal to them their lost condition, and show them that they need Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. And so we ought to, and I encourage you, do use the Scriptures. when you're seeking to win children. I mean, they love Bible stories, and so do I. And we ought to use them, and it captures the attention, and we'll look at that in a little bit, but we must recognize that it is the Word of God that has that power to reach and touch the heart. Many of you, I can hear your Bibles turning here. If you go to the book of Hebrews, we recognize that the Scriptures really are alive and they can pierce and cut and prick the heart. We'll read that verse one more time because, as I said, I can hear the pages turning. And the Bible says in Hebrews chapter 4 and verse 12, for the word of God is quick and powerful. That word quick means it's alive. And sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And so it's the Word of God that can, to a child, to an adult, to anyone, expose that heart of sin and reveal that they're not good or they're not pure and that they need Jesus Christ. So I would encourage each and every one of us to use the Scriptures when we're seeking to lead children to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. It is the Word of God that is central to salvation. I believe I may have touched on this verse in 1 Peter 1 on Sunday in my message, and it led me to think on it again. 1 Peter 1, the Bible says in verse 23, I don't know if that's, yes, there we go. Verse 23, being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth forever. So we see here that the Word of God is that seed, that incorruptible seed, and being born again, it involves that seed, the Word of God, being planted in the heart and revealing the wonder that is salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ. So when you're talking to children, And you're thinking of your little ones or those in your class, give them the Word of God. Give them those memory verses to implement into their minds and into their hearts and watch as God uses that Word to bring forth salvation in a young heart. It's amazing. and little minds are able to absorb so much, amen? I mean, it's incredible when you watch children. I guess I think about my own daughter, and though she's not a little one anymore, she's a young lady now, and yet, she can absorb so much information. The things that she hears, I mean, I'm always amazed at the things she repeats. And it's like, where did you hear that? And you'd think she would have heard it time and time again, but no, it was, you know, she heard it once or twice and there it is in her mind. Well, let's do that with the Word of God. Let's take the scriptures and implant it into those young hearts so that God can use it. Number four, do not deny the faith of a little child. Do not deny the faith of a little child. You know, at times we may look and think, well, do they really understand? And there is an element of that, and we'll touch on that a little bit as we continue on through the lesson, being sensitive to the Holy Spirit and recognizing a child's level of understanding. But one thing we must grasp is that children can believe. Children can have faith. And we must not dismiss the faith that a child puts in Jesus Christ. So do not deny the faith of a little child. In Matthew chapter 18, our text was in chapter 19, but in Matthew chapter 18, the first six verses Refer to that. The Bible says in verse 1, At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, and said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name, receiveth me. But whoso shall offend one of these little ones, which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. So you recognize Jesus Christ understood and something we should understand is that salvation requires childlike faith. It is that simple belief in what Jesus says that children often take to heart sooner than adults. Because as you see in your notes, letter B, children lack the hurdles to salvation that adults must frequently overcome. Pride and prejudice and preconceived ideas about salvation. You know, often when you're dealing with someone who's older that doesn't know Jesus Christ as their personal Savior, you have to overcome whatever they've been taught already in the matter of religion or misconceptions about the Bible or God or about salvation. We see it all the time. You ask people about whether they're assured of a home in heaven, they may say, I hope so. Or you ask them whether they believe that they're going to heaven and they say, well, I'm a pretty good person. And yet the scripture says that none of us are good. No, not one. And so children frequently don't have those hurdles to overcome when it comes to the matter of salvation. And so when children in that simplistic faith say yes to Jesus Christ, we can't dismiss that. I mean, certainly we want to be sensitive, as I said, to their understanding and sensitive as to their knowledge of biblical salvation. But when they believe, they frequently wholeheartedly believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. And so we can't dismiss that, is what I'm trying to say. Number five, do give the gospel of Jesus Christ to children. Now we talk about the gospel and I frequently say that if you're going to define the gospel, it's found in 1 Corinthians chapter 15, the first four verses, and you don't have to turn there, but recognizing that it is the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. And with the gospel, you may need to explain, and you will have to explain, as we see in the notes, explaining sin scripturally cannot be excluded. In Romans chapter 3 and verse 23, the Bible says, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. There's an unrighteous, no not one, the Bible says. These are elements of the gospel. We often say that nobody gets saved until they believe they need to be saved. I use that. And with children, you need to explain those elements of salvation. They need to understand that they're sinners. We can't overlook that or we can't circumvent that because they need to grasp that. for them to truly be born again. And so taking the Bible and explaining the gospel, explaining sin scripturally, we can't gloss over that and we can't exclude that in presenting Christ to young children. Christ died for the individual's sin. And so we need to make it personal. Children, again, they may know John 3.16. And many of us do know John 3.16. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. And so, children, as we talk to them about salvation, we need to explain those elements. And they need to understand that Jesus Christ came into this world and died for their sin. I mean, they may, like many, say, yes, Christ came to die for sin. But it has to be personal to them. And we can explain that. And as I said, they're frequently ready to grasp that and agree with that. Letter C, belief in Jesus is the only answer for every person, including children. They're not in a special category because they're children in relation to salvation. They need to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ the same way everyone else does. And with that, we ought to present salvation in a scriptural manner, explaining the Gospel, explaining the death of the Lord Jesus Christ because of our sin. Why did Jesus die? And that's something that you can explain using the Bible, that He died for our sin. Sometimes it takes more in-depth explanations, sometimes it's a simple statement, but we do that so they can understand the gospel. So do present the gospel when you're talking to children about Jesus Christ. Number six, do understand that the devil and the world are seeking to destroy children. Letter A, the devil seeks anyone, including children, to devour. 1 Peter 5 and verse 8, we use this frequently, be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about seeking whom he may devour. We may look at children and say, well, they're precious, they're a blessing, they're an heritage of the Lord, those things are all true. The devil looks at them indiscriminately and he has no qualms, no issue with destroying children. So don't neglect that when you're looking at children. Oh, they're young, they have time, those types of things. The devil is after them just as well as anyone else. He's no respecter of persons in the sense that, oh, well, they're children, I'll leave them alone. You know, often in society, and there should be in society, a protection of the vulnerable, the little ones. And sadly that's lacking even in our society. But we ought to recognize that the devil is after children. And so to reach them and intercede and try to win them before the devil in the world gets them is imperative. Because he is after them. And he wants to destroy them. When the Bible says, the devil seeks whom he may devour, I often use the word picture, he wants to chew them up and spit them out. But he doesn't want to spit them out alive. He wants them to remain in their sin and die and go to hell. Now that's pretty serious. But it is something that we should know and be aware of when we're seeking to reach children. Letter B, the world seeks to lure children away from God. In 1 John 2, the Bible speaks of loving the world, and we're not to love the world. If you'd like, you can turn there. I'm going to read verses 15-17. In 1 John 2, the Bible says, and I'll start reading. Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof, but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever." We recognize that the world has its influence in trying to lure children away. And so TV and movies, and of course the internet, has to be monitored in our homes. As we have young children, being sensitive to what they're hearing and being exposed to, we want God to get a hold of their hearts. And so let's guard against those influences of the world through the different avenues they come in. That's what it says in letter C, we must guard against those influences. in the lives of children. Number seven, do be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and very careful in dealing spiritually with young children. You know, as a soul winner, you're best off to ask questions to discern a child's reason for approaching you. And this is perhaps more applicable in a class setting or perhaps at a vacation Bible school where you have the opportunity to engage children and ask them, perhaps at an invitation time. But if they come forward, I mean, you have the opportunity. You know, hey, little Johnny, why did you come? And if they look at you and they say, well, I thought this is where the prizes were for the contests. You may present to them Christ. You can perhaps talk to them about Christ, but recognize they didn't come for salvation. They came for the treasure chest. You know, we ought to be sensitive to that. And as I say in your notes, asking those questions helps. Remembering that children, letter B, frequently desire to please adults and are easily swayed. Well, we're not here to pad any numbers. We're here to present Christ to young children. And so as that opportunity arises, we need to gauge their level of understanding. And that takes God's leadership and being sensitive. And as I said, not dismissing the faith that a young child has, but being sensitive to the Holy Spirit and recognizing which children are there for salvation and which ones are there for the treasure chest or the candy or whatever other tidbit comes along. So asking questions can really help. And questions such as, oh, well, little Johnny or little Susie, and I use those names only because my name's John and I feel comfortable saying Johnny. And so in that sense, when they come, you could ask them, oh, have you been saved before? Oh, yes, yes, I was saved last night and the night before, and oh, I get saved every night. Those questions can help you in gauging what kind of child you're dealing with. Oh, that's wonderful, and would you like to get saved tonight again? So, you know, let's be careful, and I guess, again, Ab Thomas, in his book, Dealing with Children, says, aggressive, but careful. We want children to come to know Christ, and we want to be careful in being led by the Spirit to understand where they're at. Which, number eight, don't forget to present Christ at a child's level of understanding. Letter A, don't use terms they cannot grasp. Propitiation and substitutionary atonement are wonderful Bible doctrines and great Bible words. But four and five year olds, we don't need to be asking them if they understand propitiation, the appeasing of God's wrath, Jesus Christ being our propitiation. I sometimes look at my own Christian life and walk and You know, I'd like to think that it wasn't too long after I accepted Christ that I understood these things, but truth be said, that's not the case. It would have been a while after that. Perhaps it was even in Bible school that I started grasping these things, and still to this day love studying those doctrines. And they're rich and deep, and yes, they're parts of salvation. But let's make sure that when we're explaining these things to children, that we explain it on their level, on their understanding. Now, some have been in church for a long time and they've perhaps heard those things and may have some depth in regards to what they know. But others, we may have to maintain a simplicity in explaining Christ. 1 Corinthians chapter 13 and verse 11, the Bible says, When I was a child, I spake as a child, I thought as a child, but when I became a man, I put away childish things. Letter B under that, visual aids can be very helpful when ministering to children. Here at the church we have tracts that are designed for children. and I would encourage you, pick those up. I have them in my office and they're on the information table and if you need one of those, you grab it. If you're teaching, there's the wordless book and experiments that teach Jesus Christ, His sinlessness and those types of things can be very beneficial in reaching children. They're always intrigued by things. And so, using those avenues can certainly help in presenting Christ at a child's level. Number nine, do not underestimate the potential of reaching children for Jesus Christ. You know, in the Bible we have some great young men that went on to do great things for the Lord. And they were young. Daniel, taken from his home and led into captivity, but served God faithfully. David, who at a young age, tending sheep, was called to be anointed king over the nation of Israel and serve God in his generation. Timothy, in the scriptures, again making reference to him, and he was Paul's son in the faith. God used him mightily. You know, when children accept Jesus Christ, you have no idea how God is going to use them. I mean, that could be, as we saw in the politicians' presentation, the young guy who stood behind the pulpit and said, I'm the pastor of this church. Well, perhaps one day he will be. We don't know that. But the potential is great. The potential for children to be missionaries and preachers and leaders of the church. I mean, God could do a great work and as we see in the Bible, He does all the time. So don't underestimate those young ones coming to know Christ and what God can do with them and from all walks of life. from every corner, those that may be at times troublesome, and I say that lightheartedly, in that maybe they haven't been in church for a long time, and they run around from time to time, or you find them walking along in the front of the church from time to time. Maybe those are the ones that God's going to use in a great way to reach this world with the gospel. So don't underestimate it. Number 10, make much of Jesus Christ when presenting Christ to children. Letter A, he saves from sin and gives eternal life. Children need to understand it's Christ and the person of Christ that they need, and that he's great, and that he's wonderful, and that he's marvelous, and that he's loving, and that he's caring, and that He's compassionate, and that He desires them near Him, like Matthew chapter 19 says. Make much of Christ. Isn't Jesus Christ all to you? Well, convey that. You can let children know that He's all to you. Jesus Christ means everything to you. He's our all in all. We don't have life without Him. We can tell children that. Let's present Jesus Christ like He means everything to us. And perhaps they'll see that He could mean everything to them. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life that children need. John 14, 6. You know, we often recall that little song, Jesus loves the little children. We ought to seek to open the way that they can come to Him as easily as possible. Amen. So let's seek to reach children. I trust these thoughts and principles will help.