Our scripture lesson this morning comes from Mark chapter 10. Mark 10, and we're gonna be reading verses 13 through 16. And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant 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. Then he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them. You may be seated. So as it says in your bulletins, my name is Andrew Jones, recently licensed as of yesterday. It's kind of like when the surgeon passes the comp exams and it's coming at you with that scalpel with the shaky hand. But I am going to play it safe. So if you missed yesterday's presbytery, you're going to hear the sermon that I preached there. So sorry for the ones that are there. But here it is again. one that is close to my heart and I hope that it's close to yours as well after we get done listening to it and it lifts up the Savior. So a little bit about me. I am at Exodus Presbyterian in Springfield. I got linked up with that through a guy named Kyle. I moved down in the Springfield area from Plainfield, where I was originally serving as an assistant pastor at the church I grew up in and got ordained in there. The pandemic hit, and my wife got a new job down here. So we moved down here and got involved with a Reformed church. I met a guy named Kyle, and I was looking for a place to serve, and Kyle said, oh, there's this guy named Steve. Why don't you get linked up with him? He's doing a PCA plant. And so I got linked up with Steve, and Kyle continued to be a pretty good friend of mine. We would get together early in the morning and lift weights and do all that stuff. For some reason, he likes to get up at 6 a.m. and do it. But we got up there nonetheless. And time goes by and my wife, Jenny, who's sick this morning, and... We became pregnant, or she became pregnant. And I was real excited. And so I wanted to tell all kinds of people. And my wife was like, no, don't go tell everybody just yet. Well, I was like, I'm going to tell one person. I'm going to tell Kyle. And so we're there lifting weights one morning. And I told him, and he's all excited. He's a good Presbyterian guy, so I don't need to mention the kids. He is ecstatic. And a couple of weeks go by. And he got me this book, a little green book, called Our Town, Play in Three Acts. It's by Thornton Wilder. What it does is it depicts the ordinary lives of the residents in a fictional American community of Grover's Corners between 1901 and 1913. And he recommended it because, in his words, it's really relevant to fatherhood. And there's a part in there that gets him each time, chokes him up. And I'd know what it was when I read it. And so I open this book and I read an act a night. It's pretty short. One part I wanted to see what got Kyle each time so I can playfully jab at him and tease him for crying at a certain part in a book. The second part, it wasn't a bad play. It was actually pretty good. And I finally get to act three. And there's a scene where all the people in the previous acts in the town are gathered around in a graveyard. And the ones who have died in the town are also present but in ghostly visage form. And a character named Emily who was pregnant in Act II, actually gave birth and died shortly thereafter. And so she is there at the burial site with everybody, and she's not ready to go yet. And one of the elderly ladies that is standing there with her in ghostly form says, no, just come on, you don't need to stick around and dwell on things, just go. It's better if you go. And she says, no, no, I want to visit one last time, one last part of my life. And so she picks her 12th birthday. And so in zooming fashion, however it happens, a Christmas story type fashion, zooms to her 12th birthday. And she's sitting around there watching herself have this birthday and all the good things that are happening and she's really happy about it. But then she It's sad and then it's very sad. She realizes that all the people around there that are enjoying this are still not enjoying the little things in life. And they take it for granted. Things like a 12th birthday only happen once and then they're gone forever. So I think to myself, man, it's not one of those feel-good comedies that Kyle has given me. But I finish it. And I call them up and I'm like, I think I pinned down the moment that they got you. And I was right and I did make fun of them a little bit. But at the same time, it was a point well taken. It was a point well taken so much that I use it in this introduction, this sermon, that we only get a certain amount of time. We only get a certain amount of time and we have to make what is best of that time that we've gotten. My daughter will only grow up once, and then there will be no turning back, so I have to enjoy it while I can. And this got me to wondering, how am I going to use the time with my daughter most effectively? So I went to Scripture for Guidance, and as we all know, there are many different texts that talk about raising children, but the one that stuck out to me the most was Mark 10, 13 through 16. It did so because I witnessed Jesus interacting one-on-one with children and how much he cared for them. And it crystallized to me why I should raise my kids in the faith. Because God loves children. First and foremost, the time must be spent introducing her to the Savior. This text not only shows Jesus' heart for little children, but it also reveals to us a lot about saving faith that we all have. So therefore I think we can all be blessed by this passage this morning that teaches us about God's care for children as well as the childlike trust he calls us to all have. So I'll read our text once more and then we'll go to prayer. So this is, again, Mark 10 starting with verse 13. Verse 13 says this, Then they brought little children to him, that he might touch them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them. But when Jesus saw it, he was greatly displeased and said to them, Let the little children come to me, and do not forbid them, for of such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it. And he took them up into his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them. Pray with me, please. Heavenly Father, I thank you for the opportunity to come here and preach this message this morning. Lord, it's just plain old Andrew once again. And Lord, I pray that through my foibles and my hiccups here and there, that your word and message would go out to the ears of your children, Lord, the children of God, that you would bolster them in their faith. that you would show the heart they have for the little ones, and that they would be moved to a greater appreciation and worship of you. Holy Spirit, illumine this text to our hearts and minds, and may it glorify you. I pray this in Christ's name. Amen. So we see from the disciples' example here that sin leaves us seeing things through the eyes of the world, and it takes looking to Christ and his example to see things are right. So in this example we see Christ giving us eyes how we should view the little ones as well as faith. So we'll take a few moments this morning examining these views and making some application. The first point, the first application I'd like to make is that all of us, whether we be rich, poor, smart or not, Big or tall, all of us come to Christ as children. That is to say, all of us come in childlike faith and dependence upon Jesus. And those who do so will not be denied access to him, but rather be gathered in by him and be blessed. This comparison with children must have been groundbreaking to Jesus' audience, because the view of the children at the time was not very high. But just before this interaction with the children, Jesus arrives in Judea from the other side of the Jordan, and multitudes are coming to Him and gathering around Him. And He begins to teach. And a Pharisee approaches Jesus and puts Him to the test, asking, Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife? Jesus inquires what Moses taught them, and the Pharisee responded, Well, Moses authorizes for the man to give us a certificate of divorce and dismiss her. Jesus reminds them that This was only permitted at that time for the hardness of man's heart and that normal marriage is between man and woman and were created for each other to be linked in marriage and that they should not be separated. Jesus upholds the creational standard of man and woman being joined in marriage. And then following this interaction, we have Jesus going to a nearby house and kind of fielding up follow-up questions where he answers the disciples' follow-up questions, teaching them, claiming that if anyone divorces their wife instead of, except in the case of infidelity, sexual immorality, that he commits adultery. And so, again, we see Jesus sustaining this creational standard for marriage as well as speaking to a specific group of disenfranchised people at the time. Somebody who's lower on the social totem pole at the time, in this case being a woman. A guy cannot just, for any reason, give his wife her certificate of divorce and tell her to scoot. There's a reason for divorce. and it is a very serious threshold that needs to be hit. But the woman and the man both deserve to be appreciated in the marital bond and it must not be separated. And shortly after, we have parents bringing children to the house and visiting Jesus during this time where he's answering questions. Verse 13, then they brought the little children to him that he might touch them But the disciples rebuked those who brought them. And the word for children here, it could be little children, it could be younger ones, but youngsters are being brought nonetheless. And what's happening is the disciples are saying, no, no, get those kids out of here. Children, like women, were considered low on the societal scale. You would have men, the women, and then the children down here. And the disciples must have thought, well, you know, don't bother the teacher. He's teaching on this important subject of marriage. Get the kids out of here. They're just going to be a distraction. But Jesus doesn't share that sentiment at all. Verse 14, he expresses displeasure. But when Jesus saw it, he was greatly displeased and said to them, let the little children come to me and do not forbid them for such is the kingdom of God. Jesus was angry. He tells the disciples to let the children come and do not forbid them, for such is the kingdom of God. And he continues in verse 15, I assure you that anyone who does not receive the kingdom of God as a young child will not enter it. After that, Jesus picks up the children and blesses them. If I were a disciple at this point and Jesus just got done correcting me, I would probably do this the rest of the teaching session, just stand up and hold up against the wall out of embarrassment. But to the disciples' credit, they are in a certain period of time, has certain cultural mores that they're holding to, and they're just acting in accordance with those. But Jesus, demonstrates how radical the kingdom of God is, how it operates. Instead of appreciating the way the world values individuals in positions of authority, and those in authority having the right to regulate access to God as the disciples are trying to keep certain people out, God's kingdom is made up of the little ones, like these children. And in fact, people in authority must ensure that they too arrive in the same manner as the children do, because there is no other way to arrive to Christ. Every one of us was born in sin, and we sin naturally because of our fallen nature. So we cannot come to Christ in our accomplishments, social standing. You cannot control God, you cannot hide from God, and He sees every sin that you've committed or will commit. Once you recognize this, Jesus in the Beatitudes calls you blessed. Why are you blessed? Well, it's because of God's merciful work on your heart that has revealed your heart's depravity, the poorness of your spirit that allows you to come to Him in a proper way as a child. A child fully depends on their parents for everything. I've been made keenly aware of this with my daughter. In feeding and washing and brushing, chauffeuring, playing with, keeping the crab apples from the tree out of her mouth, keeping the dirt out of her mouth, keeping the sand from the park out of her mouth, keeping the things she finds in my hobby desk out of her mouth. The pattern is explicit here. I might need to feed her more. But you can see the corollary between the trust the child displays for the physical and emotional support from their earthly parents and how we, in our needy spiritual condition, are just as dependent upon our Heavenly Father and His gracious provision of the Son. Our faith will mature. We are asked to be disciples, to learn, to grow, to trust as God, providentially forms us into mature Christians. Our faith, however, will never outgrow its childlike foundations. We are urged to abandon childlike ways of thinking and behavior, but we are never encouraged to abandon childlike trust in God. We are never to abandon our childlike reliance upon God. And this may be a temptation for individuals who have walked with Christ for some time, or for those who, like the disciples, hold positions of power in the Church leadership. Although what we learn and our experiences can inform our faith, Christ is the one who sustains it. He is the reason we keep the faith. And when we start relying on other things than Him, He calls us to repentance, to resume our position at His feet and at His arms as a child, so that He may bless us. And while we are in His arms, we must be careful not to prevent others from coming to Christ as well. Other ones who are poor in spirit, and possibly low on the societal scale, and whom we believe, you know, God's blessing should not go to those people. They are beyond the pale. I see a small little child sitting on a parent's lap and they get all the attention and here comes another brother or sister coming up and wants to hop up too and the child's keeping them back at foot length and saying, no, no, this is my time with mom or dad. We too shouldn't be like that. out in the foyer area of Exodus and one of the little babies, little baby Stuart, was there and I had him, I picked him up and I was carrying him and around the corner comes Lily and she is just so mad. Her little face is all beet red and she's crying and everything and so I quickly hand Stuart back to the mother and pick her up and she's all happy. And this is the part of childhood we ought not emulate. We ought not be jealous that God is engrafting His elect. We can feel envious for our Heavenly Father's majesty and esteem, but we must remember that God drawing in His elect is glorifying to Him. And His elect come in many different size, shapes, and ages. And our final point here brings this to bear that shows God's tender nature towards actual children. So children's souls matter to God, and so they should matter to the child's caregiver. Just as a parent or guardian is concerned about the child's health, whether they are clothed or nourished, how they're doing in school, who their friends are, and whatever accomplishments that they may achieve, how much more so should they be concerned about where that person will spend eternity? children's caregiver will be the first contact in matters of faith. And it's critical that these first contacts are not excluded from the child's experience. Some may say, well, since faith is a personal decision, I'm going to let my child decide when they're ready. And it is true that the child does, that person does need to exercise personal faith and trust in Christ and repentance. But at the same time, The Bible instructs parents and grandparents to diligently teach their children what the Lord has done. Deuteronomy 4.9 says this, Only take heed to yourself and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and your grandchildren. Therefore, Deuteronomy 11, 18, 21. Therefore, you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them, when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up. And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers to give them. like the days of heaven above the earth." And then finally, something from the New Testament. Ephesians 6, 4. Fun Fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord. The Lord has charged those who have children and those who minister to children at whatever age to teach them the things of the faith. The Lord loves children. And the verb for blessed and Mark 10, 16, it's an intensive compound verb. You don't need to know that special term, but you need to know that this term is used only here in the New Testament, and it shows this warm compassion that Christ has for children. Also in the previous chapter, chapter 9, verse 42, Jesus also demonstrates his love for children by explaining that if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in him to stumble, It's better for that person to have a large, heavy millstone hung around his neck and cast into the sea. Not only are there several instructions from God to teach children about God, but God, the God about whom they are to be taught, loves them so much that it would be folly to withhold them from Him. I was clicking through Facebook the other day and I came across a video, one of those just kind of randomly, hey, you might like this. And it was a video of a big Latin mass. I don't know how Facebook thought, oh, yeah, Andrew, Latin mass, here you go. But it was a big old Latin mass. And at the front of the church, they had a female saint statue. It wasn't Mary. She didn't have the normal garb on. But a female saint nonetheless. And what was happening was you see everybody engaged in the service and then all of a sudden the clergy at the front of the altar area by the statue start kind of going into football stances because there's this guy that's running down the main aisle towards the front. And in this day and age, I was thinking the same thing they were probably thinking of when they were getting into their ready stances like, oh man, this guy's got like a bomb, this guy's got like a gun, or he's going to go up and take a swing at something. And so they're all ready for him. And he's got something in his hands, and he's going like this, but when he gets closer to the front, they see what's in his hands. It's not a bomb. It's not a gun. But it's his three-year-old child. And he just hauls that three-year-old like a sack of potatoes up onto the base of the statue. And when the clergy realize, oh, that's what he's here for, they kind of walk off. And the father walks off, and they let him go. And this little kid is standing up in front of the statue like this. Like, what else are you going to do? And it just hit home to me. that are we willing to have such kind of devotion to our child? The father thinks that if he brings this child to the front and gets them in proximity to the statue, that this child will be blessed. And he's running down, he's making a goof of himself, risking being tackled by these people. for a statue that cannot hear, that cannot think, that does not love the child that's being thrown up on there. So how much more so should we take them before the God of the Bible, the God of the Bible that can hear, that wants to bless them, that does love them? There's absolutely no time wasted when it comes to sharing the faith with a child or ministering to them. We had this family in our church for a while. They had like six kids. Like six kids. When they finally left, the dad was in the Air Force. I think that six was the remaining number. They might have more. Well, they have now. The dad was in the Air Force, and you could tell because all of those six kids, they look like one of the little Russian dolls, you know, the oldest and then they progressively get smaller and younger, but they would all sit just as nice as the oldest one would. And I would always look at them and be like, oh man, it's so great. I wish, you know, my Lily will be able to sit all nice there in church service and listen to what's being said because what's being said is very important to them. And at times she does, she sits right In the seat is all nice, prim and proper. And then other times she gets up and when we're singing she starts dancing and moving around. One moment she's listening to what's being said and the next moment she's under the chairs. And I can remember When I was little, and I used to be in the church, I would draw on the bulletin, I'd flip through the Bible, I'd look around at other people, be that little kid that looks around at you over the pew just staring at you like they know what you did. I'd also pester my mom for mints. I still pester my mom for mints if we're in a service together. But through all these different activities that I was doing as an active child, I would still hear bits of the information through the message. I would still hear the parts of the message and they would get through. When I was taken back to Sunday school to color Bible pictures or make crafts about Noah's Ark, I would learn. I would read these Bible stories before night, before bed, and my thinking about God was being shaped. God uses these experiences in his providence to draw me to him, and to your little ones to him as well. One night I was in a gas station around 10 years ago, like 11 o'clock at night, and I was picking up a pizza for my wife. I was stopped by two teenagers, kind of got in front of me type deal. And I was thinking, man, I don't want to get into a fight in a gas station. I'm going to drop my wife's cheesy bread, and she's going to be mad and everything else like that. The night's not going to go well. But one of them says, hey, are you Andrew? And I was like, oh, good. Maybe it's like a friendly altercation type thing I'm going to have. They know my name. And I was like, yeah, yeah, it's Andrew. And it turns out they were two students of mine. I used to teach karate. And I taught all the way through little five-year-olds all the way up through adulthood. And these guys had been in my karate class when they were like five. And so here all those years later, they come up to me and they're like, man, we loved your karate class. We loved how respectful you were to little ones like us. And they're singing my phrases. And it was kind of awkward kind of sitting there with your pizza like, And so I left, and I was thinking to myself, like, you know, I'm glad that they had a good experience, but I was just doing, you know, what I would have done in that position. And you may feel the same when you minister to children, or share your faith with children, or your grandchildren, or children at the church. You may think it's just a simple Bible story that you're reading, and that you're not doing something that's special. or they may not be worth it to have them in the service if they're going to wiggle around that much. But those faithful acts you do for your children are used by God. Do not stop doing them, and do not hold them in low regard. Consider the moment you step into eternity. You will come to the Lord with childlike delight and trust. You will meet your Redeemer face to face. However, it's unlikely that His face will be the only face that you do see. Hopefully you'll see people that Christ attracted to himself through your faithful ministering and teaching of the faith. Some by children that may have learned at your feet. At least this is my hope. I intend to raise my daughter in the Lord because one, God has commanded and that he loves children. And two, that I agree with the attitude expressed at the end of the Act 3 in this book, that our time on earth is limited. The Bible describes our lives as a vapor, and I want more time with my daughter, more than just a vapor, and I can have that in eternity. Every day I pray that God will use me, my wife, my parents, and the children's ministry to lead her to himself in faith and repentance. Then we can both fall in the arms of our Heavenly Father, father and daughter, both God's children, approaching with childlike confidence the way everyone comes to Christ to receive his blessing. Because after all, Jesus even loves the little ones such as these. Pray with me, please. Heavenly Father, Lord, I hope from this passage this morning we've seen just your fervent love for children, but also that those who are born again, who are engrafted to you, are children as well. They are your children. We are your children, Lord. And Lord, you are like a father to us. You continually call us to yourself to be blessed. So Lord, help us to remember that. Help us to remind ourselves from your word in praying to you that we are children of the Most High God. I pray this in Christ Jesus' name, Amen.