Let theChildren Come to Me -- 8/9/09

Sunday, August 9, 2009

LET THE CHILDREN COME UNTO ME
Mark 10:13-16

Let’s read Mark 10:13-16…
And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them. 14. But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. 15. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. 16. And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them.

Jill is 12 years old. She has grown up in the church, and she is still in the church. Best she can tell, her parents love God with all their hearts. They aren’t perfect, but this is not one of those stories where the parents go to church on Sunday and have nothing to do with God the rest of the week. Nor is it a case of her parents preaching one thing and living another. Jill’s parents are genuine Christian people, and Jill appreciates that. She wouldn’t want to trade places with anyone else. She can honestly say that God has blessed her.

So what could be better? Jill has asked that very question. “What’s wrong with me? What more could I ask for? My parents love God and they love me. They expect a lot from me, but they don’t pressure me to be something I’m not. Why do I sometimes have all this turmoil inside me?” It isn’t like Jill is deeply depressed or anything like that, but there is an uncertainty in her. It’s like something is not quite okay.

I. Speaking to the Young

You may wonder why I’m talking about Jill this morning. Jill is just a girl I made up… sort of. But in reality, Jill is kind of a combination of many of you young people who are sitting right here this morning. She will be more like some of you than others. Most of you will find yourself identifying with Jill to some extent.

So why am I doing this? With much fear and trembling, I want to speak very directly to you young people this morning. As I speak to you, your parents are praying. How do I know, because I asked them to pray. More importantly, they pray for you on a regular basis. Why do I say that I am speaking with fear and trembling? Because it is a very serious thing to talk to people about coming into a relationship with Jesus Christ, about the need to be justified before God. Though it is not more serious to talk to you young people about that subject, it is more difficult. I will explain that a little bit later.

Young people, please understand that your parents and grandparents deal with a certain amount of difficulty because of you. Let me explain that. By the way, from time to time I might pick on some of you. Know that it’s because I love you. Most of your parents aren’t greatly concerned about you doing what millions of American kids are doing these days. Ruth, I doubt that your parents have lost any sleep because they are afraid you will sneak out the window late at night and go to a party. There are plenty of parents that are worried about that very thing. Caleb, I don’t think your parents are getting ulcers because they are worrying about you getting hold of some dangerous drugs. As a pastor, I have never run across any of you down at the police station or in juvenile court. You may laugh, but let me assure you that kids don’t have to be 16 in order to get in trouble with the law these days.

Now listen to me, most of your parents are extremely pleased that you are good kids. Yes, you bring great pleasure to your parents. Nevertheless, they are very concerned about your salvation. That’s what I want to talk to you about. What does the Bible say about sin? First of all, what is the result of sin? To put it biblically, the wages of sin is what? Death (Rom. 6:23). You all know that. Isaiah says, “Your iniquities have separated between you and your God (Is. 59:2). God can’t have anything to do with sin. You have grown up hearing that. You know these things.

And who qualifies as a sinner? Perhaps that is a little more difficult. We come to the Bible and we see all kind of sinners. Just a couple of weeks ago we read Genesis 34 and 38, those ugly chapters where violence and immorality were practiced by the actual sons of Jacob. And what could we say about the people of Noah’s day? They were so wicked that God wiped them out with a flood. But even righteous Noah got drunk after the flood. The sins of Sodom were so great that God rained down fire and brimstone on them. You know plenty about sin because you have read about it numerous times in the Bible. You also know about sin from the world in which we live. You are well aware that there are people who lie, steal, commit murder and adultery, curse their parents, and speak against God. What you don’t see firsthand you hear about from the news or somewhere else. We live in a sinful world, and you are well aware of that fact. And you know the truth of the scripture. Is there anyone who is not a sinner? Who can quote a Bible verse that answers that question? “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way…” (Is. 53:6).

So what is the problem? Or maybe I should say “problems.” Though you know deep down that you are a sinner, sometimes you don’t feel like a sinner. You know you aren’t perfect, but when you compare yourself with others, you don’t look so bad. For quite a number of you, when you compare yourself with your parents at a similar age, you stack up pretty good. When we read some of those stories from Genesis, you have a little trouble identifying because you have never even wanted to do some of the things that those people did. You aren’t eager to go out and sin, like many people are. Though you fail sometimes, you have a desire to honor your parents.

But when you get honest with yourself, you are willing to admit that you are a sinner. You realize that sin goes much deeper than just doing the ugly things that most of the world is doing. You understand that sin begins in the heart. Though your sin may not seem that bad, you have to admit that you have violated God’s law. Anyone here ever broken any of the Ten Commandments? [Give opportunity for response]. All of you have broken the commandments, just as I have. You admit that you are a sinner.

So what’s the problem? For some of you, the problem is this: What can I do about it? “I know I’m a sinner. I know that I need to be made right with God. But what can I do about it? I am learning the Bible more and more. And I don’t resent that. I like learning about God. I go to the church services, and I don’t mind that either. I even try to listen to the sermons. I try hard to do what’s right. I try to obey my parents and treat other people right. I even try to be nice to my brothers and sisters. But I’m still not sure if that is all I need to be doing.”

And then you hear your pastor, your parents, and others talk about getting saved, being made right with God, about being born again, about becoming a child of God. This is where it really gets confusing. You know that your parents would like nothing more than to see you become a Christian. And that is certainly true of your pastors – Norman and myself. But neither your parents nor your pastors are able to tell you exactly what you need to do. They tell you that you must repent and believe, but they don’t tell you when or how to do that. Because you want to please your parents, sometimes you just wish they would tell you exactly what to do. When they want you to carry out the trash, there is no question about the steps involved. You get up, grab the trash can, take it out to some container, dump it in, and then put the waste basket where it was. Somehow you wish they would give you such a definite plan for being saved.

Repent and Believe

First of all, let me reinforce the truth that you must repent and believe. That was the basic message of the Lord Jesus. Please turn to Mark 1. You know that this takes place toward the first part of Jesus’ ministry because it is in the very first chapter of Mark. It isn’t in Mark 16, but in Mark 1. Let’s read Mark 1:10-15…
And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him: 11. And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. 12. And immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness. 13. And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him. 14. Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, 15. And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

Mark covers a lot of ground in just a few verses. We find his summary of Jesus’ baptism, His temptations in the wilderness, and His basic message. The basic message is simply: Repent and believe the gospel. But what does that mean? You have heard it many, many times, but what does it mean to repent? “Repent” literally means “change your mind.” But this is no little change of mind; it is a complete change of mind. It is a change of mind that leads to a change of life. It begins with a change of mind about sin. As I said before, you are tempted to think of your sin as not too bad, since you haven’t done some of the bad things that other people have done. You know that you are a sinner, but you can live with that. When you come to repentance, your mind is changed. You know that your sin is terrible, that it is ugly to God. You can’t stand it any more. You can’t live with the knowledge that your sin separates between you and God (Is. 59:2). Your mind is changed; you hate sin.

But Jesus didn’t just say “Repent;” He said, “Repent and believe the gospel.” Repentance and belief are two sides of the same coin. If when you repent, you hate your sin and want nothing more to do with it, then what naturally follows? You believe on the only One who can do anything about your sin. And who is that? The Lord Jesus Christ. But what can Jesus do about your sin? He lived 2,000 years ago. I would like one of you young people to be brave enough to come tell us what Jesus did about your sin? If you get stuck, I will help you. Would anyone like to try?

[Lived a sinless life. Deserved nothing but the Father’s praise, but instead He went to the cross. God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him (II Cor. 5:21). Yes, He took my sins upon Himself. He took upon Himself the wrath of God, which I deserved. My sins were totally paid for when Jesus died on the cross. God doesn’t overlook our sins; He punished them when He laid on Jesus our sins.]

But now I have a question for you. How can a dead Savior do anything for you? Oh, you say that He rose from the grave. Indeed, He did. Jesus didn’t stay in that grave. On the third day He rose…

Low in the grave He lay, Jesus my Savior;
Waiting the coming day, Jesus my Lord.

Up from the grave He arose with a mighty triumph over His foes;
He arose a victor from the dark domain, and He lives forever with His saints to reign.
He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose!

Death cannot keep his prey, Jesus my Savior;
He tore the bars away, Jesus my Lord.

Up from the grave He arose with a mighty triumph over His foes;
He arose a victor from the dark domain, and He lives forever with His saints to reign.
He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose!

Young people, that is the gospel, the good news – Jesus, who had been with God the Father from the beginning, came into this world and lived a perfect, holy, sinless life. That perfect life qualified Him to be a sacrifice for sinners like I. So He went to the cross and took my sins upon Himself, enduring the wrath of God. And then He rose from the dead, where His Father declared Him to be the Son of God with power. He lives today and says to sinners like us – “Repent and believe this good news.” Yes, that is the gospel of Jesus Christ.

In the name of Jesus Christ, I urge you to repent and believe. But this is where the problem comes. How do we recognize true repentance and belief? There is a false repentance and belief. Why is that? Because man tries to do what God alone can do. No human being has the power to repent and believe on His own. Why not? Because according to Eph. 2:1 everyone of us comes into this world dead in his trespasses and sins. A dead man can’t do anything. He has to be moved by someone else. That is why Jesus called sinners to Himself but then said, "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day" (John 6:44). Repentance and belief, which are two sides of the same coin, is a gift from God.

You may say, “Then do I have to decide if I am being drawn by God.” NO. That is not your concern; that is God’s work. When you truly repent and believe, you will know that God has done the work in you. If the Father had not drawn you, you would not have repented and believed.

Now we come back to our problem – how do we recognize true repentance and belief? How do you recognize it? How do your parents recognize it in you? How is that true repentance and faith made visible to the Lord’s church? One of our difficulties is that we have a great tendency to look for the outward and the immediate. Our culture drives us toward that view. We speak of repentance and faith, and we quickly want to reduce it to some outward action, whether it be walking down an aisle or saying a prayer. God’s work cannot be reduced to such formulas. Lord willing, we are going to talk much more about that next Sunday or some time soon. As parents, it would make it so much easier if we could say, “If my child does this, I can know that he has truly come to repentance and faith.” We will look in vain for such a formula. And no one has to tell any of us that we have a great drive for the “right now.” We want our precious children to be saved and now. The Lord desires their salvation more than you do, but He is in no hurry. While repentance and faith are the urgent need, we must not try to get ahead of the God who promised Abraham a son and delivered only after 25 years.

So let me speak directly to you young people. You have heard the gospel again and again. You have heard it from me and others in this church who have spoken to you. Last week you heard it from Alex and Justin and Norman and Joe and Michelle. You hear it in your Sunday School classes. Most of you hear it from your parents. There is a sense in which you know the gospel. But it isn’t enough to know the truth, you must repent and believe. In Jesus’ name, I urge you to repent and believe. BUT don’t try to prove your repentance and belief by doing outward things. When you repent and believe, God Himself will give you assurance that you belong to Him. Katie shared that very testimony last week. One night as she listened to the same gospel that she had heard hundreds of times before, God assured her that He had given her the grace to repent and believe and she knew that she had been saved. It was the Lord Himself who gave her that assurance. Young people, cry out to God day by day. Tell Him that you need Him. Ask Him to give you grace to think about Jesus and what He did on the cross. Understand that He loves you and longs to see you become His child.

II. A Word to Parents

Now I have a word for you parents, but I urge you young people to listen in. We don’t have many secrets that we keep from you, and there is nothing secret about what I am going to say. Discerning true repentance and faith is not always an easy thing, whether it be discerning it in one’s self or in another. Why is it important to know this? Ultimately, the only thing that matters is where a person is in God’s eyes. On the other hand, the primary testimony of conversion, of salvation, of true repentance and belief, is baptism. So who should we baptize? The person whom we believe to have truly repented and believed and thereby been justified by the Lord. But the truth is that none of us can see accurately into the depths of another person. That’s why it is a challenge to discern evidences of true faith.

I remind you again of those sobering words of Jesus in Matt. 7:21-23,
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23. And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Our desire is to help ourselves and others avoid that pronouncement from Jesus. After Jesus says those words to a person, there will be no second chance. That is why we seek not to give anyone false assurance of a relationship with Jesus.

In saying all of that, I haven’t even mentioned how it applies to young people. Even with adults, this is an area to which we come with fear and trembling. The difficulty is compounded with children. Let me state it bluntly: It is more difficult to discern true repentance and belief in a child than in an adult. That is not to say it is impossible by any means, but it is more difficult and requires care and prayer. Let me give you a few reasons why this is so. I want to acknowledge that I am drawing heavily from the little book Your Child’s Profession of Faith­, by Dennis Gundersen. This brother simply draws these principles out from the Word of God.

1. The Intellectual Immaturity of Children

I Corinthians 13 is commonly known as the love chapter, because in it Paul tells us about the nature of that agape love that comes from God alone. Toward the end of the chapter as a part of an illustration, he writes these words in verse 11, "When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things." In commenting on this verse, Dennis Gundersen writes…

A child speaks less maturely than you; so you cannot assume he means what you mean by what he says. He thinks less maturely that you; so you cannot assume his thoughts are what yours are just because he uses the same words you might have used to express those thoughts. He reasons less maturely than you; his is the reasoning of a child, incomplete and partial to a greater degree than even some of the most immature adults. Can anyone doubt that taking this into account is crucial when deciding how we will respond to a child’s profession of faith?

We read these words of Paul in I Cor. 14:20, "Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men." Paul uses children as an illustration of those who think immaturely. He is not condemning children or putting them down; he is simply acknowledging that adults must not think as children, because children have not developed maturity in their thinking. While every Christian is commanded to be childlike, none of us should be childish in our thinking.

This intellectual immaturity of children makes it very difficult for them to understand some of the basic concepts of the New Testament, things like hating father and mother (Luke 14:26), being at war (I Tim. 1:18; II Tim. 2:4; II Cor. 10:3-4), and being married to Christ (II Cor. 11:2). While these may not be easy even for adults, they are far more difficult for children.

2. The Instability of Children

Let me read to you that familiar passage from Eph. 4:11-15…
And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12. For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: 13. Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: 14. That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; 15. But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

Our goal is to grow up into Christ in all things. That will not happen if we are tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine. That is the nature of children, to be tossed to and fro in this manner. When I was a kid we used to watch the Beverly Hillbillies. Jethro was the perfect example of childishness, though he was in a big body. One day he wanted to be a big Hollywood producer; the next day he was determined to be a brain surgeon. Again, this is not to demean children in any way. While there are certainly adults who are not very stable, this is the nature of children. That is why the Word of God pictures children as being unstable.

We read these words in Matthew 11:16-17…
But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows, 17. And saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented.

As a rule, a child may be excited about something one moment and care nothing about it the next. Jesus makes it clear that adults should not be like that.

Of course, we may say, “But this particular child is not like that.” True, this intellectual immaturity and inconsistency is by degrees. One child will be more mature than another. The point the scripture makes is that we must not expect children to think like adults and be consistent like adults, though we may view them to be very mature for their age.

3. The Likelihood of Deception in Children

We might immediately cry out, “But adults can be deceived as well.” That is certainly true and we must never forget that. Nevertheless, according to the Word of God, such deception is a much greater danger with children. Come back to Eph. 4:14. We read it earlier, but let’s read it again. This time I am going to read it out of the NKJV. “That we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting…” Do you see the principle here. We must not be like children, because children are especially vulnerable to the trickery of men, who with cunning craftiness plot to deceive others. If we are like children, we will be deceived.

We might say, “But no one is trying to deceive our children.” We have an enemy, who is constantly trying to deceive us and our children. Let me remind you of the way Satan operates. 2 Cor 11:2-3…
For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. 3. But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

Remember that foolishness is bound in the heart of a child (Prov. 22:15). Though there are degrees, that is true of every child. Let’s read Prov. 1:1-4…
The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel; 2. To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding; 3. To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity; 4. To give subtlety to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.

The word “simple” is used a bit differently in the Proverbs than the way we would normally use it. The simple refers to those who have not yet been taught. They are inexperienced in practical wisdom. It doesn’t mean that they are dumb, but they have not yet attained unto wisdom. Then notice that in verse 4 there is a parallel between the simple and the young. That is exactly why the young must be taught knowledge and discretion, that they may attain unto this wisdom that is so important.

While it is true that adults can be deceived, according to God’s Word, it is much more likely that children will be deceived. That is why we give special attention to children when it comes to dealing with sensitive spiritual matters. When one of our children says to us, “I believe in Jesus and I want to be baptized,” we don’t immediately take that at face value. While we are excited that this child is thinking about the Lord Jesus, we must carefully weigh all of these factors I have mentioned. We are not going to be in a hurry.

This is why there is great danger in much of the child evangelism that is practiced today. The goal is not to get our children to profess Christ. I repeat: The goal is not to get our children to profess Christ. The goal is so teach our children and model Christ before them in such a way that they will be convicted of their deep need for Him, seek Him, and come to know Him. Our focus isn’t on the outward expression, but rather upon the inward reality.

By the way, I want to encourage you parents to make an effort to think in biblical concepts and to express those biblical concepts in biblical language. Let me give you an example. It is very common for adults and children to say something like this: “I asked Jesus into my heart.” While that may sound nice because we have become so accustomed to it, it isn’t biblical. The word “heart” is used over a hundred times in the New Testament, but it is never remotely mentioned that someone should ask Jesus into his heart. Let’s say what God says, and He says in His Word that we are to repent and believe the gospel.

Let me say a word of encouragement to you parents. I am well aware that you take very seriously the spiritual welfare of your children, and I praise God for that. As a pastor, I don’t take that lightly. It is a great privilege to work with you in teaching and loving your children. You are doing well. Continue on faithfully, knowing that the God we serve can be trusted with the welfare of our children.

Children, young people, we want to keep on encouraging you to seek the Lord with all your heart. I want to remind you that the key issue is not getting baptized. The most important thing is for you to come to understand who God is, who Jesus is, and what He has done for you through His death and resurrection. Your part is to repent and believe. If you say, “I did that,” I remind you that repenting and believing is a way of life. If you have truly repented and believed, one of the ways you will know it is genuine is that you keep on repenting and believing. Concerning baptism, be patient with us who are adults. We don’t mind you asking us about baptism, but understand that while we believe baptism is important, we are even more concerned about what is happening on the inside of you.

Conclusion

Having said all that, let me reinforce what Jesus said: “Let the little children come unto me and forbid them not; for of such is the kingdom of God” (Mark 10:14). Don’t discourage even the very young. Talk to them about Jesus, who He is, and what He has done. Don’t ever take the attitude, “He’s too young to understand. There will be plenty of time for him to think about the Lord when he gets older.” God forbid that we should take that attitude.

On the other hand, Jesus is not saying, “Let the little children come to me and be saved right now.” I repeat, this is not necessarily an invitation to repent and believe. I would take it to be this kind of invitation: “Let the little children come to me and learn of me.” Of course, there may be some who have been nurtured to the point that God has brought them to repentance and faith. There will definitely be others who are not at that point.

If you question this interpretation, I want to show you something that you may not be aware of. We read this verse from Mark 10:14, but remember that there are four gospels. What are they, you young ones? Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Three of them are often called the “synoptic gospels.” That’s a fancy word that speaks of seeing the same. Three of the four gospels are more alike, while one differs. Which differs the most? John, that’s right. This is one of those instances where Matthew, Mark, and Luke all tell the same story. You find the parallel to Mark 10 in Matthew 19 and Luke 18. I have them printed out in parallel on the screen (Mark 10:13-16; Matthew 19:13-15; Luke 18:15-17). Just read them over quickly. You will notice minor differences, as a specific writer adds a detail that the others don’t mention. On the other hand, all three tell us that the disciples rebuked them for bringing these littler children.

What I want you to notice is the very significant addition by Luke. Do you see it in verse 15? Luke doesn’t say that they brought the little children. Rather, he says that they brought their infants, babes. They weren’t bringing them to be saved; they were bringing them in order that Jesus might touch them and pray for them, as Matthew and Mark bring out. When Jesus says, “Suffer the little children to come unto me,” He is including the babies. Obviously, He is not saying they are ready to repent and believe. Nevertheless, it is never too young for them to be taught about Jesus and for their parents to bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

So let’s say it with enthusiasm, “Let the little children come to Jesus.” Let them come to us and we will teach them about Jesus and urge them to long for His work in their lives. By God’s grace, we will love them, instill God’s Word in them, and pray for them until they are the children of His Father.