Text: Mark 10:13-16
Title: Becoming like little children.
Introduction
There are really only two types of people in the world and I have just given you the scriptural proof.
1. There will always be people who give us less than we hope for.
As people were bringing little children to Jesus in the hope that Jesus might touch them, the disciples did what? They rebuked them.
At this particular time they disapproved of people bringing little children to Jesus and so they rebuked them and dismissed them.
2. There will always be people who give us more than we hope for.
We are going to see this morning that God gives us more than anybody else does.
“ Every good and perfect gift is from above.” (James 1:17)
May I also point out that whenever you approach people who will give you less than you hope for and people who will give more than you hope for at the same time the sparks will fly.
When Jesus saw this, he was what? indignant.
(“But Jesus was irate and let them know it.” - The Message)
Of all the wonderful things that Jesus wants to give us by far the greatest is the kingdom of God.(V14-16)
“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.” (V14-16)
Although Jesus wants to give all of us the kingdom of God there are two important points we must see.
A. There will be some people who will never enter the kingdom of God
“Anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a child will what? Will never enter it.
In fact if you are wondering just how many people will end up not entering the kingdom of God the bible says that it will be the majority.
“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14)
B. The older we are the harder it is to enter the kingdom of God.
Notice that Jesus said “ Anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a child will never enter it”. Jesus could just as easily substituted one other word after he said anyone who will not… and that is the word change.
Unless we change and become like little children we will never enter the kingdom of God.
How many of us know that the older we are the harder it is to change.
Mark Twain was right when he said the only people who like change are wet babies.
Now if we must become like little children in order to enter the kingdom of God then entering the kingdom of God must be simple to do.
Now I have already said that there are really only two types of people in the world. Those that give you less than you hope for and secondly people that give you more than you hope for.
Let me now say that there are really only two responses to everything we do. Everything we do will either help us or hinder us.
Can we therefore see from our passage what it is that either helps us or hinders us from entering the kingdom of God?
Can we see that the only thing that helps us in entering the Kingdom of God is to come to Jesus? “Let the little children come to me.”
And is Jesus not also saying here that the biggest hindrance to one not being able to enter the kingdom of God is because they did not come to him?
“Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”
We enter the kingdom of God only by coming to Jesus. Jesus said’ I am the way the truth and the life nobody comes to the Father except through me.”
But can I be honest. For most of my life I did not know this. I thought that if I were ever to get into heaven it would be because of good things I did like coming to church and coming to the assistance of others but these were never God’s qualifications for entering into the kingdom of God.
Listen to God’s qualification.
“If anyone is thirsty let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him” By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive.” (John 7:37-38)
We enter the kingdom of God only by coming to Jesus. It is so simple that even a child can understand it. And is this not the whole point that Jesus is making in our passage.Unless we become like little children we cannot enter the kingdom of God.
But Jesus wants to give us more than just entrance into the kingdom. He wants to give us all the benefits that go with it. (V16)
“And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them…”
We can often make the mistake of believing that all this talk about the kingdom of God is for come time later. That somehow the kingdom of God is for the next life.
But just like the people who brought their little children to Jesus to touch them we too want a touch from Jesus today.Don’t we too want to be taken up into the arms of Jesus? We too want to have Jesus put his hand on us and we too want God to bless us.
There is only one group that gets to be put into the arms of Jesus and blessed. Can you tell what the answer is from verse 16?…Children.
Not only must we come to Jesus as children to enter the Kingdom of God but we also must be children to receive and enjoy the benefits of the kingdom of God.
While we receive countless blessings when we come to Jesus let me just here mention one.
Just like in our passage we can experience the hand of God upon our life. The hand of God will always eventually lead us into the blessings of God.(See Ephesians 1)
Summary
Let me summarize by restating what I have tried to explain. In order for you and I to enter into the kingdom of God we need the help of God. Jesus Christ is the help of God.
And in order for us to enjoy the benefits of the kingdom of God once we are in we need the hand of God.
Both the help of God and the hand of God is freely available to us when we become like little children.
Let us pray
Dear God,
We see today that the kingdom of God is only for little children. We humble ourselves and place our trust and confidence in you alone for entrance and for all of its benefits. We ask this in the name of your son Jesus Christ. Amen.
