Several mornings this week, I stationed myself on the sidewalk in front of the church to welcome the children as they arrived for Vacation Bible School. I loved seeing them troop up the front steps, clutching their dimes and quarters for the offering. Sometimes, I would sneak up in the balcony and watch the beginning of the program – the announcements, the skits, the songs. And then throughout the morning, when I had occasion to leave my office, I would see all the other activities in progress – the games, and the crafts, and the Bible stories. Those things reminded me of how much I enjoyed VBS when I was a boy. And they reminded me of several other things. First, of just how much fun children are; what a blessing it is to have them around. I love their energy and exuberance, their joy and excitement. Especially when I’m not the one trying to corral them all into the pews. It was so good this week to hear the house of God being filled with the songs and the laughter of children.
This week also reminded me of how thankful I am for the creativity and commitment of our VBS staff. An event like this requires a huge amount of planning and preparation, and hours of hard work behind the scenes. Certainly, the quality of our program this year was a testimony to these folks’ love for children and love for the Lord. So from the bottom of my heart, thank you. Thanks also to the parents who got their kids out of bed, and dressed, and fed, and into the car, early in the morning, so that they could come and hear the word of God.
And I was reminded this week of how our Lord responded to children – how he invited them to come to him; how he welcomed them, and took them in his arms, and prayed for them. Jesus didn’t view children as merely an annoyance or an interruption; he didn’t consider them unworthy of his time and attention. On the contrary, he held them up as examples of faith; as illustrations of how we must approach God if we are going to enter the kingdom of heaven. Isn’t that interesting? Although we as adults are responsible for teaching our children, and passing on to them the Christian faith, what we discover in the gospels is that we are to learn from them as well. And that’s what I’d like to talk about this morning. What we’re going to see is that, as we grow, and develop, and deepen in our faith, we will find ourselves becoming more like little children. That’s right. In some important ways, becoming mature in Christ means becoming more childlike. In fact, unless we are willing to become like children we cannot know God. Christ said that, and it’s essential that we understand what he meant by it. Let’s begin by looking at these two passages from Matthew and Mark:
"At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: ’I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.’" – Matthew 18:1-4
"People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, ’Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.’ And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them." – Mark 10:14-16
Here Jesus rebukes the disciples and contradicts their assumptions. The disciples thought that power, and authority, and influence would be the things that mattered most in God’s kingdom. After all, that’s what everyone is striving for in this world. But Christ tells them that just the opposite is true; that those who will be greatest in the kingdom of heaven – in fact, those who can even enter the kingdom – won’t be the folks who are self-assured, and self-reliant, and self-serving. They won’t be the people who like having others under their thumb; whose goal in life is to be served and obeyed by others. They won’t be the type to push themselves forward or claim special privileges. Instead, they will be like children – humble, unpretentious, and unassuming.
Let’s examine this in a little more depth. Why do you suppose that children are held up as examples of humility? Is it because of their moral purity; the fact that they haven’t lived long enough to be polluted by this sinful world? I don’t think so. Because if that were the case, they couldn’t serve as examples, either to the disciples, or to us. We can’t return to childhood; we can’t regain that kind of innocence. No, I think Jesus views them as models of humility for a different reason. Unlike adults, children have no illusions of being in control. They don’t think of themselves as exercising much power and authority. How could they? They’re surrounded by adults; people who are taller, and bigger, and stronger than they are. Someone else tells them when to get up for school; someone else decides what they’re going to eat for dinner; someone else decides whether they can watch the new Harry Potter movie. Even though it can seem at times that our children are running the show, they really are not in control of things, and they know it.
But here’s the point: we adults are in the same position as our children, except that we don’t know it. Our control over even our own world is far from absolute. There are all kinds of social, and political, and economic forces at work in our lives, over which we have little or no influence. For example,
Alan Greenspan, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, decides what interest rate you’ll pay on a mortgage, and therefore what kind of house you can afford to buy.
Michael Eisner, the CEO of Disney / ABC, has a big say in what your entertainment options are; he and a few other Hollywood types decide what movies and television shows get made.
Your children’s education will be greatly affected by decisions made in New York by textbook publishers, and in Columbus by the state board of education.
And someday, your health may depend on federal Medicaid rules, which determine how profitable it will be for the pharmaceutical companies to develop new drugs.
The list goes on and on. Yes, we have the freedom to choose; to set our own course in life. And in America, we have opportunities and possibilities that most people around the world can only dream of. But even here, the range of options from which we can choose is largely determined by others.
Not only that, but behind all of those forces, and all of those powerful people, stands a sovereign God who is working to accomplish his purposes. And yet, in spite of all these things, we still cling to this illusion that we are in control. And so we strive after power, and authority, and influence, as if those were what really mattered. But they’re not. God will do as he pleases with the peoples of the earth. He is king of kings and lord of lords. Any power we do have is only a temporary, and a derived authority; meaning that it comes from God, and can be revoked by God whenever he pleases. As we finally come to understand and accept this, then issues like who’s in charge, and what the pecking order is, and whose opinion carries the most weight – those things don’t matter so much. Because in the end, God is the one who decides. That may sound defeatist, but it’s not. It’s profoundly hopeful. Because it means is that no one – no matter how powerful they may be – no one can thwart God’s plans. And it also means that one man on his knees, or one woman on her knees, has more real power and influence than any deacon, or mayor, or school board member, or judge, or government official. Because prayer moves God, and God moves the world. The essence of humility is simply accepting this; acknowledging that we are not, ultimately, in control. But praise God, that we can trust the one who is; that we can trust in his wisdom, and knowledge, and understanding, and love.
I know that’s a lot to absorb, so let me pause here and offer some Scripture passages to support what I’ve been saying. The first is one of my favorite episodes from the life of Christ. He’s been brought before Pilate to answer the accusations which the Jewish leaders have made against him. But when Pilate questions him, he doesn’t answer. He doesn’t defend himself. And Pilate can’t understand it.
"Where do you come from?" he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer. Do you refuse to speak to me?" Pilate said. "Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?" Jesus answered, "You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above.” – John 19:10-11
In other words, Jesus is saying, "Pilate, the power you are exercising right now, at this very moment, doesn’t come from the Roman Empire. It doesn’t come from the legions of soldiers standing at your command. It doesn’t come from your throne, or your title, or your wealth, or your ancestry. Whether you realize it or not, your power comes from the one true God, who can take it back whenever he pleases." And what was true then of Pilate’s power, is true now of the power that we, or any other human being, may possess. It’s all ultimately at God’s disposal. The prophet Daniel writes:
“His dominion is an eternal dominion; his kingdom endures from generation to generation . . . He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: ‘What have you done?’” – Daniel 4:34-35
"The LORD does whatever pleases him, in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and all their depths." – Psalm 135:6
As those passages clearly testify, God is sovereign over kings and kingdoms. He’s sovereign over all of creation. But he’s also sovereign over the affairs of our lives, over those things which we tend to view as being more or less under our control. Listen to what these Scriptures tell us:
"In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." – Proverbs 16:9
"Now listen, you who say, ’Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, ’If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.’ As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil." – James 4:13-16
Making statements about the future, as if we could personally guarantee what will happen, is the opposite of humility. It fails to recognize that we depend on God for literally everything, even our very lives. There’s nothing wrong with planning, and setting goals, and working to achieve them. But our success is ultimately in the Lord’s hands, and not ours. By the way, one means of determining whether you are in fact depending on God is simply to ask whether you are praying. Humble people pray, because they know that the end result of all their hopes and plans is up to God. And not only is prayer a barometer of our humility; it’s also an effective means of developing humility. Because when we pray, it reinforces in our minds the fact that we are dependent on God. But proud, self-reliant people don’t pray, because in their heart of hearts, they are only depending on themselves. So let me ask you: Do you regard your life as being in God’s hands, or do you think, and speak, and act as if it were entirely in your own hands? In your own mind, do you recognize and accept God’s sovereignty over your life? Or, do you proudly declare, "I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul"? [quoted from the poem "Invictus", by William Ernest Henley] Those words may sound noble, and brave, and heroic. But they’re not true. There is one Lord and Master, over all the earth and over all our lives. And that Lord and Master is Jesus Christ.
This is an important question, whether our lives reflect a heart attitude of humility. 1 Peter 5:5 tells us that, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." Think about it: do you really want to be opposed by God? Wouldn’t you rather receive his grace? And Jesus tells us in Luke 14:11 that, "everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." Wouldn’t you rather be exalted by God than be humbled by God? I certainly would.
Well, there’s another reason why children are held up as an example of humility, which is that they are weak and needy. And pride does not keep them from making their needs known. In fact, they can be quite persistent, as I’m sure our newest parents, Jim and April Ford, have learned by now. There are few things as piercing as a baby’s cry, and it is almost impossible to ignore a three-year-old saying, "mommymommymommymommymommyIwannacookie". But adults are different. We don’t like to acknowledge our needs. We don’t like to admit our weaknesses. We prefer to be seen as capable, and self-sufficient, and independent; fully able to provide for ourselves.
And perhaps you are a very capable, competent person. But humility means recognizing that there are times when our own resources are not sufficient; whether we’re talking about financial resources, or emotional resources, or spiritual resources. Humility means acknowledging that we do, in fact, need other people, and especially the people in this fellowship where God has placed us. Humility means sharing with others what our needs are, and being willing to accept from them the answer to those needs. That’s hard. Most of us prefer to be in the position of the giver; the benefactor; the one meeting the needs. We don’t much care for the role of supplicant; the role of dependent. And yet, reconciling ourselves to that condition is at the core of the Christian faith. Because Christianity isn’t about what we can give to God or do for God; it’s about what he desires to give us, and do for us.
That may sound strange to you. Aren’t we supposed to serve God? Didn’t Paul write about how hard he worked, and didn’t he tell us to give ourselves fully to the work of the Lord? (1 Cor. 15:58) Yes. But all our giving is first an act of receiving. Our strength, our health, our abilities – all of those come from God. And so, when we work, we are only giving back to him a portion of what he has already given to us. He doesn’t invite us to serve him because he needs it; he invites us to serve him because he loves us and wants to bless us. God allowing us to serve him is an act of grace. As Paul said,
"The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else."
– Acts 17:24-25
Christianity is fundamentally about receiving from God; it’s about salvation being offered to unworthy sinners, to people who cannot earn God’s favor; to people whose only hope is to receive eternal life and forgiveness of sins as a gift of free grace. Christianity, at its core, is about seeing our need of a savior; recognizing that we cannot become acceptable to God by our own efforts; admitting that we cannot save ourselves. And therefore, humility is essential to genuine faith.
" For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast." – Ephesians 2:8-9
Now, if you claim to believe in salvation by grace alone, and yet you’re unwilling ever to allow someone else to serve you, or to meet your needs, or to supply what you lack, then you need to ask yourself whether you really understand grace; whether you really comprehend that our fundamental relationship to God, as Christians, is one of receiving. Do you understand that? David did. Listen to this Psalm, and as you listen, remember that David was a mighty warrior and a powerful king.
"Hasten, O God, to save me; O Lord, come quickly to help me. . . may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation always say, "Let God be exalted!" Yet I am poor and needy; come quickly to me, O God. You are my help and my deliverer; O Lord, do not delay." – Psalm 70:1, 4-5
"I am poor and needy." Children aren’t afraid to admit that. They’re not too proud to acknowledge their need. But often we adults are too proud. How sad it would be if our pride kept us from receiving all God has for us. And how terribly tragic it would be if pride kept us from receiving salvation, especially when God has made our very own children models of humility and faith.
Let me close this morning by asking: Do you want to know God? Do you want to be blessed by God, and lifted up by God? Do you want to grow and mature in Christ? Do you want to enter the kingdom of heaven? If so, then take a lesson from children, who are not afraid to admit their need and their dependence. Learn from their example of humility, and come to God in faith. Put your trust in Jesus Christ. And you will find that he can be trusted; that he can be relied upon; that he will do in your life everything he has promised. There is no friend more faithful, and no master more compassionate, than Jesus Christ. Won’t you decide, even today, to humble yourself before God and receive Jesus Christ as your savior?
