Matthew 74
(Chapter 18)
I never want to grow up!
Matthew 18:1–4 (NIV)
1At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
2He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them.
3And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
4Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Kids hold a special place in Jesus' Heart! So let’s dive in and see what makes Kids so special!
Aww, the band of 12!
1At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
· Adults, we are always trying to get the advantage!
· And the band of 12 is no different!
· They are jockeying for position
· And that is a learned behavior
· As we get older, we get “smarter”, well at least we think we do
· And in Luke it tells us a little more
Luke 9:46 (ESV)
46An argument arose among them as to which of them was the greatest.
· Adults will do whatever it takes to get ahead
o Manipulate
o Lie
o Cheat
o Our hearts get hardened by the world!
Men don’t have time for kids when grown folks are talking!
2He called a little child to Him, and placed the child among them.
· Most men don’t have a lot of patience when it comes to small children
· Especially in the middle of an “Important” conversation!
· I am sure they are all irritated by this
· Because we all know that who is the greatest is about to be revealed!
· And Jesus has the audacity to call over a kid to play with!!!!!
Are we starting to see the problem with adults?? We are self-centered, ego-driven, prideful, and too smart for our own good!!!!
What makes Kids so special??
3And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
· What makes them special, what sets them apart from their grown-up counterparts??
· What traits do kids have that we all could learn from??
· And when does the kingdom of heaven start anyway??
o Is it when we die or can we enter it right now??
· This is not going to be a bible verse rich service, this is going to be a hard look in the mirror service, what can we learn from kids??
They have NO prejudice
· Black, white yellow, green, or blue doesn’t matter
· Gay or straight they don’t care
· How much money you make?
· What you drive, they don’t care (unless it’s a jeep with no top)
· If you are nice to them, they are nice to you!
· They always see the best in people and life in general
o They see past the outward, they see a human, they see the soul
· Adults on the other hand!!
Non-judgmental
· They don’t look at your sin
· They don’t compare their sin to yours
· They just look at you with innocence and love
Purity
· Perhaps one of the greatest gift’s children give to the world is their purity
· They are untainted and untroubled by worldly concerns, issues, problems
· They go about their day seeing and doing good
· Their joy, their very being, is pure, good, and true
· Their hearts have not yet been soiled by the world
Adults
· We have been wounded and jaded
· We see everything through the lens of those hurts and wounds
· And that gets in the way of our relationship with others and Jesus!
Humility
· Kids acknowledge they don't have it all together. ...
· Kids are self-confident but not prideful
· Kids want to add value to others
· Kids are grateful for what they have
· Kids always put others first
Adults are full of pride (the worst sin)
The humility of children is very evident. It's a beautiful thing to watch. Although they may compete with each other in games and such, the humility they have without even knowing it is astounding!
Teachable
· Children love discovering and learning!
· They have eyes that say, "Teach me!"
· They point at everything wanting to know what it means,
· Kids want to touch everything, to experience it for themselves.
· They are full of questions
· And they don’t know a dumb question, they won’t get embarrassed
· Kids are open to what God is telling them.
· What about us??
They focus on the NOW
· This is a big one
· Kids do not worry about tomorrow
· Or regret yesterday
· They are totally focused on the moment
· What an advantage, to only focus on what God is doing in your life RIGHT NOW!
o How many of us right now are thinking about something else??
o Most of us
· Kids LIVE IN THE MOMENT, so should we
Uninhibited Joy
· There's no better sound in the world (I may be biased) than little children laughing.
· Kids delight in the simplest of things -- a silly face, a cute little tickle, a bouncing toy.
· Kids don’t care what others think about them.
· They are simply full of joy.
· What a gift not to feel concerned about how others think of us!
· Just think about how free we feel when we express joy without limits or worries! Isn't that what God wants for us all?
Complete trust/lack of fear
We are born with only two innate fears: the fear of falling and the fear of loud sounds.
· The trust of a kid is crazy
· They will jump off the counter knowing you will catch them
· As long as they are in your arms, they have no worries
· Their lack of fear, their level of trust would be freeing
· They trust you for everything they need
o Food
o Clothes
o Diaper change
o Bath
o Shelter
We can learn a thing or two from a child
Isn't that what we need to do, be completely trusting of God? No matter what happens at home, school, work, we can trust that God is indeed taking care of us, And when we hold onto God's hand, we'll discover that no obstacle is too big. We may need to take some huge deep breaths to release all of our fears and trust, but that's what children do, They simply trust!
Forgiving Spirit
· You ever seen two kids fight, then be playing 2 min later
· But the parents may never talk again
· Kids forgive and forget
· They let things go
· They don’t hold a grudge
· THEY LOVE COMPLETELY
They would rather play than work
· In a kid’s life, there is always time to play
· Time for naps
· They make time for what’s important
o FUN
· There are never too busy for a hug and a run around the yard
· They are not bored with the simple things we take for granted
· Kids have boundless excitement and energy
· They love to laugh, they love to dance, they love to sing and they don’t care who is watching
Unrestrained imagination
· They simply believe
· They have faith in the unseen
· They always come to God expecting that He will answer
· We are so jaded
· We lose our imagination, we don’t look outside the box, we don’t simply believe, we need proof
They are open with their emotions and feelings
· Kids are honest
· They say what’s on their minds
· They show their emotions
· So many problems are caused when we are not open and honest with our selves and others
Wonder and awe
· The look on a child’s face when the Christmas lights come on
· Or the doorbell rings
· When grandpa comes walking into the room
· Or mom comes home
· They take nothing for granted
Tender hearts
· A child's heart is still soft
· And tender
· It loves deeply and cares deeply
Undying love
· And a child has an undying love
· They love with a reckless abandon
· They love completely
· They love unconditionally
· They love the way God intended us to love
· And that’s why Jesus said “become like little children”
A little piece of heaven right here
becoming like a child means that we maintain the wonderful and beautiful characteristics and qualities of children that life in this sinful world tends to beat out of us.
· As adults, we get bored with flowers, bugs, and sunsets. We lose delight in talking with others about nothing.
· We become jaded and disinterested.
· We hold grudges, harbor fears, and stay angry.
· We refuse to forgive.
· We lose hope because our hopes have been dashed and destroyed so many times.
· We do things “because they’ve always been done that way” and have trouble imagining anything different.
One of the things that attracted people to Jesus is that He was “childlike.”
Does this mean He lacked wisdom and understanding? Far from it. Jesus was “childlike” because He was full of the wonder of life, the hope for humanity, and the beauty of creation.
Jesus lived in awe of life, in awe of God, and awe of humanity.
And this awe was contagious. People who saw how Jesus lived began to see how life should be lived. Jesus revealed how God intended life to be lived. In other words, those who begin to live life like Jesus are those who begin to see heaven come down to earth.
They begin to see the rule and reign of God unfold in their own life with all its beauty, majesty, glory, and creativity. This is how Jesus Himself lived, and this is how Jesus invited others to live also. He taught that if you want to experience God’s life in this life, then you need to become like a child once again.
Do you want to enter the Kingdom like a child?
If so, then ask questions. Lots of questions.
But also have fun. Laugh. Play. Imagine. Sing. Dance. Hope. Dream. Forgive. Create. Trust. Live life to its fullest. Be excited. Be adventurous. Be tender-hearted.
And most of all, love. When you live this way, you will become like a child and will see the kingdom of heaven rise again in your life.
