WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.919 Mark chapter 10 verse 13 to 16 and Alvina is going to come and read for us. 00:00:06.560 --> 00:00:07.080 Good morning. 00:00:09.700 --> 00:00:17.580 Okay. People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them 00:00:17.580 --> 00:00:27.780 but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this he was indignant. He said to them 00:00:27.780 --> 00:00:35.260 let the little children come to me and do not hinder them for the kingdom of God belongs to 00:00:35.260 --> 00:00:45.120 such as these. Truly I tell you anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child 00:00:45.120 --> 00:00:55.600 will never enter in. And he took the children in his arms placed his hands on them and blessed them. 00:00:57.780 --> 00:01:06.900 Thank you so much Alvina. Let's pray and ask for the Lord's help as we look at his word. Let's pray. 00:01:08.219 --> 00:01:13.379 Father we do want to ask just now that you might give us open hearts to understand and receive your 00:01:13.379 --> 00:01:18.700 words. There are many things that would snatch it away many things that would distract us. 00:01:19.020 --> 00:01:26.020 Please we pray help us to trust what you say and hear it carefully in Jesus name. Amen. 00:01:26.019 --> 00:01:34.439 Now I think this morning that the passage itself is really very very simple. If you're a child in 00:01:34.439 --> 00:01:39.560 the room I think even you would have understood the passage this morning unless you zoned out while 00:01:39.560 --> 00:01:44.840 Alvina was reading it. It's very simple isn't it? People are bringing children to Jesus probably 00:01:44.840 --> 00:01:50.579 parents or maybe older siblings or some of the older children might be coming themselves but the 00:01:50.579 --> 00:01:57.620 disciples stop them. They don't do that. Jesus rebukes them tells them off and say the children 00:01:57.620 --> 00:02:02.780 are allowed to come to Jesus and he blesses them. And that's it right? That's that's all there is in 00:02:02.780 --> 00:02:08.280 the story. But despite the story's simplicity what I want to suggest to us this morning is that this 00:02:08.280 --> 00:02:15.319 story in the New Testament is really really really important. It appears in all the synoptic gospels. 00:02:15.319 --> 00:02:20.479 It's there in Matthew. It's in Mark and it's in Luke. And its importance comes from the fact that 00:02:20.479 --> 00:02:27.299 what you've got in this very small very simple story is a summary of what it means to be a Christian. 00:02:27.680 --> 00:02:33.740 It is if you like a visual illustration of what it means to live the Christian life. It's an active 00:02:33.740 --> 00:02:39.299 parable of of what a Christian is how you become a Christian and then how you know that you're a 00:02:39.299 --> 00:02:43.780 Christian. And so I thought it would be good for us at the start of this new term to start 00:02:43.780 --> 00:02:50.599 here with a very simple sermon very clear sermon hopefully on what it means to be a Christian how 00:02:50.599 --> 00:02:55.900 you become a Christian and then how you know that you're a Christian. Those are three really 00:02:55.900 --> 00:03:00.599 important questions and I want to show you how this very simple story answers them. So the first 00:03:00.599 --> 00:03:06.719 one is this what is a Christian? What is a Christian? Now I want you to notice that Jesus's assumption 00:03:06.719 --> 00:03:11.979 here is made in his rebuke of the disciples. I don't know if you noticed it noticed it. 00:03:11.979 --> 00:03:17.179 I think this might be the trickiest thing this morning so if you get this you'll get it all. 00:03:17.639 --> 00:03:23.639 It's there at the end of verse 14 when Jesus says of the children the kingdom of God belongs to such 00:03:23.639 --> 00:03:31.639 as these. Notice Jesus's assumption with me. Notice that he is assuming that it is a good thing 00:03:31.639 --> 00:03:39.139 to have the kingdom of God belonging to you. The kingdom of God is the prize of the passage. It's the 00:03:39.139 --> 00:03:45.639 treasure and Jesus's rebuke of the disciples is based on the idea that these children have received 00:03:45.639 --> 00:03:52.699 something which the disciples themselves should want for themselves. They should be and should want 00:03:52.699 --> 00:03:57.459 to be recipients of the same thing that the children have. In fact in the story they think 00:03:57.459 --> 00:04:02.979 they already have it but turn out not to. Now that's worth thinking about some more. Let's just 00:04:02.979 --> 00:04:08.579 state it really simply and unpack it a bit. Jesus's definition of a Christian here is someone who has 00:04:08.579 --> 00:04:15.019 received a place in the kingdom of God. The kingdom belongs to them to use the language. 00:04:16.000 --> 00:04:20.039 Now I'm guessing that might sound strange to you this morning. Maybe you're not a Christian this 00:04:20.039 --> 00:04:25.219 morning and if someone was to ask you you know what what is a Christian or maybe you are a Christian 00:04:25.219 --> 00:04:29.420 and someone asked you tomorrow you know what does it mean for you to be a Christian? I don't think you 00:04:29.420 --> 00:04:35.480 would state it like this probably. You might say oh a Christian is someone who has faith or a Christian 00:04:35.480 --> 00:04:39.800 who is someone who who thinks in a certain way about the world or a Christian is someone who is 00:04:39.800 --> 00:04:45.600 committed to moral living. But that's not what Jesus says is it? He doesn't say to such belongs 00:04:45.600 --> 00:04:51.860 great faith or great morality or great insight. They have the kingdom of God. No he doesn't say it like 00:04:51.860 --> 00:04:57.540 that does he? Rather he says to such belongs the kingdom. Now why would he speak that way? 00:04:57.540 --> 00:05:03.560 What is the kingdom of God? Well to see that we just need to zoom out a little bit from this story 00:05:03.560 --> 00:05:08.080 and listen to what Jesus has been saying all the way through his ministry and you'll find that Jesus 00:05:08.080 --> 00:05:14.000 has been repeating this idea of the kingdom of God over and over and over again. The very first words 00:05:14.000 --> 00:05:20.900 of Jesus recorded in Mark's gospel are these, the time has come, Jesus said, the kingdom of God is near, 00:05:20.899 --> 00:05:29.759 repent and believe the good news. In other words Jesus's message is that God has a kingdom, a place, 00:05:30.579 --> 00:05:36.060 a place where God rules. It's a place of goodness, a place of grace, a place occupied by people who 00:05:36.060 --> 00:05:41.799 belong to him and Jesus says listen don't think about that place as being Jerusalem, it's not Galilee, 00:05:42.060 --> 00:05:48.879 instead that place is a place that I am bringing. You find the place where God rules, God reigns, 00:05:48.879 --> 00:05:57.579 a place of grace and mercy in me. The kingdom is near says Jesus because I am near. I have arrived 00:05:57.579 --> 00:06:03.199 so the kingdom has arrived. So Jesus follows up those words with his second words in Mark's gospel 00:06:03.199 --> 00:06:09.240 which are come and follow me. If you think about it for a moment it makes total sense doesn't it 00:06:09.240 --> 00:06:14.600 to talk about it like this way. Many of our experiences of life come don't they from the places 00:06:14.600 --> 00:06:20.540 that we live? A kingdom if you like to which we belong. It works nationally doesn't it? The citizens 00:06:20.540 --> 00:06:25.520 of certain nations face certain things because that is what is being faced by their nation. 00:06:26.300 --> 00:06:30.540 Some of them that's really difficult and hard isn't it if it's war and bombing and destruction. 00:06:31.340 --> 00:06:36.240 Others it might be great joy and great happiness. I think the survey suggests that Norway I think is 00:06:36.240 --> 00:06:42.079 is the happiest country. Citizens of Iceland face severe cold and months of darkness. 00:06:43.120 --> 00:06:47.939 It works locally as well doesn't it? The place that you live locally. If you live in London 00:06:47.939 --> 00:06:54.120 you live in a very different place to the rest of the UK. If you live in Kilburn you live in somewhere 00:06:54.120 --> 00:07:01.040 which is different to Kensington or Chelsea or Fulham. Why? Well because our experiences of life 00:07:01.040 --> 00:07:08.640 are a result of the place that we live. That's why people move around seeking a better life a better 00:07:08.640 --> 00:07:15.080 place to live. But Jesus says essentially that the earthly kingdom to which we belong is really if you 00:07:15.080 --> 00:07:23.860 like a time-limited geography tied image of a greater reality. A reality that he teaches which is in fact 00:07:23.860 --> 00:07:30.900 that there are in this world two great kingdoms. The kingdom of this world and the kingdom of God. 00:07:31.040 --> 00:07:35.200 The kingdom of this world as he calls it which is the kingdom into which we're all born. 00:07:35.819 --> 00:07:41.300 A kingdom dominated by death with a future of judgment. A kingdom where we live to please 00:07:41.300 --> 00:07:47.420 ourselves. We kind of crash into one another causing each other pain and hurt. A kingdom where we think 00:07:47.420 --> 00:07:52.040 we're in charge but really we're told we're under the power of the ruler of this kingdom. The prince of 00:07:52.040 --> 00:07:58.200 the power of the air as he's called. The devil. And where we share in his eternal destination in the 00:07:58.199 --> 00:08:04.680 judgment of hell. That's one great kingdom. The other great kingdom is the kingdom of God. 00:08:05.439 --> 00:08:11.980 The place where God rules. Where peace and justice reign. A place of eternal life. A place of healing 00:08:11.980 --> 00:08:17.300 and wholeness and flourishing. A place where there's no death. A place where there's no judgment because 00:08:17.300 --> 00:08:23.000 there is no evil. A place where the devil is banished and defeated. And Jesus's assumption is that in a 00:08:23.000 --> 00:08:28.839 in a world of two great kingdoms. The kingdom of this world and the kingdom of God. You and I the 00:08:28.839 --> 00:08:33.820 disciples and the children will want to be in the kingdom of God and not the kingdom of this world. 00:08:34.360 --> 00:08:39.679 And he says you can only get there through me. I am the gatekeeper of the kingdom of God he says. 00:08:40.120 --> 00:08:44.019 I alone are the one who brings access to this great kingdom of God. 00:08:44.019 --> 00:08:51.299 So that being a Christian is about belonging to the kingdom of God through Jesus Christ. 00:08:52.600 --> 00:08:56.879 Now let me say to you this morning if if you don't get this definition of what a Christian is 00:08:56.879 --> 00:09:03.659 then it will be impossible for you to make sense of the demands that Jesus makes of his followers 00:09:03.659 --> 00:09:10.100 or what how he even talks about living the Christian life. Now if you think for example that the 00:09:10.100 --> 00:09:14.240 Christian life like lots of preachers on the internet tell you if you think that being a 00:09:14.240 --> 00:09:21.560 Christian is really mostly about having your best life right now or being a Christian is about how to 00:09:21.560 --> 00:09:27.379 get your kids through uni without a scratch or how to get the job that you aspire to or how to get the 00:09:27.379 --> 00:09:33.180 home that you long for. If that's what you think a Christian is then you have massively reduced the 00:09:33.180 --> 00:09:39.360 Christian life compared to what Jesus says. You know nor is being a Christian about getting God on your 00:09:39.360 --> 00:09:43.680 side. I've heard some young people talk about it like this as if being a Christian is knowing that 00:09:43.680 --> 00:09:50.840 God is on my side as if he's on my team not by my side like we were singing but on my side as if God 00:09:50.840 --> 00:09:56.159 takes my commands and does what I want him to do. No the Christian life as Jesus presents it in this 00:09:56.159 --> 00:10:01.740 story is way bigger than any of that. Being a Christian according to Jesus' definition here is 00:10:01.740 --> 00:10:08.860 nothing less than moving your eternal destination from the kingdom of this world to the kingdom of God. 00:10:09.360 --> 00:10:15.539 Being a Christian says Jesus is about entering a kingdom and receiving a citizenship in the 00:10:15.539 --> 00:10:22.480 kingdom of God that will stretch through the suffering of this life and into eternity into a 00:10:22.480 --> 00:10:28.039 resurrection life in a world remade by his power and his glory when Jesus returns when what we receive 00:10:28.039 --> 00:10:35.800 spiritually now takes over even our physical lives when Jesus returns and brings the kingdom of God with him. 00:10:35.799 --> 00:10:41.139 That's why isn't it that when you become a Christian life doesn't suddenly become easy. 00:10:41.899 --> 00:10:45.439 If you become a Christian it's not that all your struggles in life get fixed. 00:10:46.139 --> 00:10:51.679 Christians still face cancer and redundancy and relationship breakdown and homelessness and 00:10:51.679 --> 00:10:56.519 depression and anxiety because the transfer of citizenship from the kingdom of this world 00:10:56.519 --> 00:11:02.620 to the kingdom of God reflects something that is still yet to come and not here and now. 00:11:02.620 --> 00:11:10.360 Jesus says the kingdom of God is at hand but it's not yet finally here. Jesus is not yet finally here. He has not yet returned. 00:11:11.919 --> 00:11:17.560 So this is the story's definition of being a Christian. It's being a citizen of the kingdom of God. 00:11:17.679 --> 00:11:25.120 Someone who has been transferred from death to life. From hell to glory. From rebellion to life with God. 00:11:25.120 --> 00:11:31.419 From seeking to live their best life now to knowing that the best is still to come when Jesus returns. 00:11:31.899 --> 00:11:37.299 That's what a Christian is. Someone who has received a place in the kingdom of God through Jesus Christ. 00:11:37.740 --> 00:11:44.220 Second point then. How do I become a Christian? How do I become a Christian? Now this is the real meat of the passage isn't it? 00:11:44.240 --> 00:11:49.060 And why it's so important for us this morning. This is what is acted out in the story in a way that you can't miss. 00:11:49.059 --> 00:11:55.019 Access to the kingdom of God as we were hearing earlier with the children is not by religious heritage. 00:11:55.019 --> 00:12:00.819 It's not by obedience. It's not even by actions that are only doable by adults. 00:12:01.059 --> 00:12:07.179 No. Citizenship of glory belonging to the kingdom of God is received as a gift. 00:12:08.119 --> 00:12:11.659 In other words the unmistakable lesson of this simple story is this. 00:12:11.659 --> 00:12:21.279 It's profound but it's very simple. You cannot through any action of your own make yourself a Christian. 00:12:22.139 --> 00:12:27.779 You can't do that because it is not an action of your own that makes you a Christian. 00:12:27.959 --> 00:12:32.120 It is receiving the action of the Lord Jesus that makes you a Christian. 00:12:32.740 --> 00:12:36.899 You receive Christian life from Jesus as a gift. 00:12:37.699 --> 00:12:39.879 That's why children are such a good example isn't it? 00:12:39.879 --> 00:12:42.600 We were learning this weren't we? It's not because children are innocent. 00:12:44.039 --> 00:12:47.799 You don't have to hang out with children for very long before that myth is busted right? 00:12:48.639 --> 00:12:50.539 Children are not perfect. 00:12:51.340 --> 00:12:55.539 Nor is it even because all of these children here would become Christians at some time in the future 00:12:55.539 --> 00:12:57.399 and Jesus was just anticipating it. No. 00:12:58.019 --> 00:13:02.519 The point is that children are brilliant at accepting gifts. 00:13:02.860 --> 00:13:04.740 So they teach us what a Christian is. 00:13:05.379 --> 00:13:06.539 Just look again at what he says. 00:13:06.539 --> 00:13:13.919 Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 00:13:14.259 --> 00:13:15.599 People like them. 00:13:16.399 --> 00:13:22.079 Truly I tell you anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it. 00:13:22.080 --> 00:13:31.300 There was a church in Oxford that one Christmas time decided that a really brilliant way of inviting people to their Christmas services 00:13:31.300 --> 00:13:37.040 was to set up a stall in town giving away chocolate and mince pies to passersby 00:13:37.039 --> 00:13:43.339 and then handing them an invitation to their carol service and Christmas services and trying to spark up a conversation with them. 00:13:43.819 --> 00:13:49.719 They discovered very quickly that it's quite difficult to give adults chocolate and mince pies and free stuff 00:13:49.719 --> 00:13:52.439 because they wouldn't take it as they walked past. 00:13:53.000 --> 00:13:57.879 But what they noticed was that a small group of children had worked out what was going on 00:13:57.879 --> 00:14:03.100 and were walking past taking chocolate, walking around the block and walking past again and taking chocolate 00:14:03.100 --> 00:14:05.639 and walking around the block again and taking chocolate 00:14:05.639 --> 00:14:08.799 and were rinsing them for all the mince pies and chocolate that they'd set out. 00:14:09.159 --> 00:14:12.179 So much so that the church members had to say to them, 00:14:12.220 --> 00:14:14.120 listen kids, on your bike, leg it. 00:14:14.559 --> 00:14:16.259 Because we don't want you stealing all our chocolate. 00:14:16.899 --> 00:14:19.559 Kids are so good at receiving things, aren't they? 00:14:19.559 --> 00:14:21.839 They know, don't they? 00:14:22.119 --> 00:14:25.399 That if they are going to receive it, they're going to have to accept it freely. 00:14:26.500 --> 00:14:27.439 They're good at receiving. 00:14:28.619 --> 00:14:33.359 The why, why kids are good at receiving gets expanded in the verses that follow 00:14:33.359 --> 00:14:37.039 in the story of the rich man who is unable to enter the kingdom of God 00:14:37.039 --> 00:14:39.739 because he is unable to give up his money. 00:14:41.219 --> 00:14:43.819 Because here's sort of the nuance of it or the twist of it. 00:14:44.159 --> 00:14:46.959 Access to the kingdom of God is available as a gift, right? 00:14:46.979 --> 00:14:48.919 You have to receive it like a little child. 00:14:48.919 --> 00:14:50.219 But here's the thing. 00:14:50.620 --> 00:14:53.779 You need an empty hand to receive it. 00:14:54.360 --> 00:14:56.299 You need an empty hand to receive it. 00:14:56.659 --> 00:15:00.839 You need to empty yourself of self-reliance, self-confidence, self-trust. 00:15:01.199 --> 00:15:03.779 That's why children are so good at receiving gifts, isn't it? 00:15:03.939 --> 00:15:06.939 Because they know unless they receive it, they won't have it. 00:15:08.439 --> 00:15:11.379 And so we need to empty ourselves of our self-confidence, 00:15:11.500 --> 00:15:14.759 of any confidence in past performance or present performance 00:15:14.759 --> 00:15:16.620 or promised performance in the future. 00:15:16.620 --> 00:15:22.060 The only hand that can receive the gift of the kingdom is an empty, childlike hand. 00:15:22.200 --> 00:15:24.139 All that I have, I need to receive. 00:15:26.039 --> 00:15:28.019 That's why, isn't it, the prayer of faith, 00:15:28.139 --> 00:15:31.340 the prayer of starting the Christian life, if you like, 00:15:31.419 --> 00:15:35.039 is not, Lord, rescue me and I'll be good in the future. 00:15:35.919 --> 00:15:39.519 It's not, Lord, have you seen all these good things that I've done, 00:15:39.580 --> 00:15:41.060 that I've started coming to church? 00:15:41.059 --> 00:15:42.839 No, it's this, isn't it? 00:15:42.839 --> 00:15:43.859 This is the prayer of faith. 00:15:44.019 --> 00:15:46.059 Lord, I have nothing. 00:15:47.299 --> 00:15:48.219 I have no credit. 00:15:48.859 --> 00:15:50.159 I have no moral merit. 00:15:50.559 --> 00:15:53.019 There are no reasons that you should add me to your kingdom. 00:15:53.559 --> 00:15:57.019 All I am asking is, will you give me what I don't deserve? 00:15:58.000 --> 00:16:01.339 A place in glory through Jesus Christ, our Lord. 00:16:01.340 --> 00:16:08.180 Let me say this, that the Bible tells you that this is the hardest thing about being a Christian. 00:16:08.879 --> 00:16:12.940 The Bible calls this the stumbling block to Christian faith. 00:16:14.320 --> 00:16:17.720 The trip hazard, if you like, that most people fall on. 00:16:18.379 --> 00:16:22.080 You might think that the trip hazard to access to the kingdom of God 00:16:22.080 --> 00:16:25.120 is because it's really difficult to prove the resurrection 00:16:25.120 --> 00:16:27.639 or it's science that's disproved God. 00:16:28.019 --> 00:16:29.460 No, it's none of those things. 00:16:29.460 --> 00:16:33.200 It's actually relatively easy to give good answers to that question. 00:16:33.940 --> 00:16:37.060 Scientists, any scientist who's really worth their science 00:16:37.060 --> 00:16:41.240 will tell you that science has significant limits, hasn't written off God. 00:16:42.200 --> 00:16:45.840 Now, the reason that most people will not contemplate becoming a Christian 00:16:45.840 --> 00:16:48.320 or won't live the Christian life seriously 00:16:48.320 --> 00:16:51.240 is because by nature we will not accept 00:16:51.240 --> 00:16:54.920 that we can bring nothing to God to save ourselves. 00:16:55.820 --> 00:16:58.139 It's so hard for us to do that. 00:16:58.139 --> 00:17:02.279 To admit that we are hopeless and helpless, sinful and wicked, 00:17:02.439 --> 00:17:05.660 devoid of any reason in ourselves why God should give us a place in glory, 00:17:06.000 --> 00:17:09.579 that we are citizens by nature of the kingdom of this world, destined for hell. 00:17:09.740 --> 00:17:11.759 That is incredibly offensive. 00:17:11.940 --> 00:17:13.639 It's called the offense of the gospel. 00:17:14.119 --> 00:17:15.759 You see it in Jesus' words. 00:17:16.119 --> 00:17:17.900 Jesus is basically saying to the disciples, 00:17:18.079 --> 00:17:22.279 listen, if you want to be a resident of the kingdom of God, 00:17:22.279 --> 00:17:26.720 you have to become like these despised little children. 00:17:28.140 --> 00:17:33.120 Like the people who in your culture no one pays any attention to, 00:17:33.200 --> 00:17:34.400 who no one really bothers with, 00:17:34.480 --> 00:17:35.840 someone who has no credit to pay, 00:17:35.920 --> 00:17:37.020 with no status to draw, 00:17:37.120 --> 00:17:39.880 nothing to lean on other than the generosity of an adult. 00:17:41.140 --> 00:17:43.720 You know, our culture kind of deifies children, don't we? 00:17:43.720 --> 00:17:44.759 We think children are brilliant. 00:17:45.560 --> 00:17:47.000 We love kids in our culture, 00:17:47.280 --> 00:17:49.759 until they turn about 14 and hang out on the street corners, 00:17:49.800 --> 00:17:50.460 and then we hate them. 00:17:50.460 --> 00:17:53.319 But before that, we kind of think that they're brilliant, don't we? 00:17:53.559 --> 00:17:56.720 But in the first century, children were the lowest of the low. 00:17:57.140 --> 00:18:00.120 They were to be ignored, to be passed over, not to be bothered with. 00:18:01.079 --> 00:18:03.579 So for Jesus to say, you know, to become a Christian, 00:18:03.700 --> 00:18:04.960 you need to become like a little child, 00:18:05.059 --> 00:18:08.420 he's in effect saying to become a Christian is to become a nobody. 00:18:09.860 --> 00:18:11.819 To become a Christian, to receive the kingdom, 00:18:11.940 --> 00:18:14.539 is to accept this truth of yourself, 00:18:14.539 --> 00:18:18.440 that you have no merits, no status, nothing. 00:18:21.960 --> 00:18:23.379 Of course, it's really important, isn't it, 00:18:23.399 --> 00:18:25.339 to say that a Christian doesn't just do that blindly. 00:18:25.879 --> 00:18:27.819 They're not doing this because they've got no self-worth, 00:18:27.879 --> 00:18:29.180 or they don't understand reality. 00:18:29.519 --> 00:18:30.339 It's not that, is it? 00:18:31.359 --> 00:18:33.220 No, becoming a Christian is actually recognizing 00:18:33.220 --> 00:18:35.299 that the evidence of all of our lives and our world 00:18:35.299 --> 00:18:37.259 points to the very truth of that statement. 00:18:38.359 --> 00:18:40.799 It's unbelief that denies reality, not belief. 00:18:41.899 --> 00:18:44.519 The sobering truth is that for all of our boasting, 00:18:44.700 --> 00:18:47.700 our lives are largely lived outside of our control. 00:18:48.539 --> 00:18:50.119 We have no say in when they start. 00:18:50.619 --> 00:18:51.920 We have no say in when they end. 00:18:52.539 --> 00:18:54.899 We have very little capacity to change the things in between. 00:18:55.420 --> 00:18:57.059 You didn't decide the gifts that you had. 00:18:57.299 --> 00:19:00.220 You didn't decide your physical capacities, 00:19:00.700 --> 00:19:01.839 your intellectual ability. 00:19:02.440 --> 00:19:04.240 You didn't decide where you were born. 00:19:05.039 --> 00:19:07.200 You can't even insist that your mind works properly. 00:19:07.680 --> 00:19:09.819 And then at the very center of history 00:19:09.819 --> 00:19:12.079 is not an action of humanity, is it? 00:19:12.440 --> 00:19:14.079 At the very center of history, 00:19:14.539 --> 00:19:17.740 a history kind of littered with, ah, screw-ups. 00:19:17.740 --> 00:19:20.960 At the center of history is a great act of a merciful God 00:19:20.960 --> 00:19:22.960 who came into this world in the person of the Son 00:19:22.960 --> 00:19:24.420 by donning human flesh, 00:19:24.960 --> 00:19:27.420 born in a manger, raised in a carpenter's workshop, 00:19:28.000 --> 00:19:29.399 killed on a Roman cross, 00:19:29.399 --> 00:19:31.740 who says in Mark chapter 10, verse 45, 00:19:31.960 --> 00:19:32.879 if you look down at it, 00:19:33.440 --> 00:19:35.059 that he did not come to be served, 00:19:35.119 --> 00:19:37.440 but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many. 00:19:37.440 --> 00:19:40.740 So the offering the gift of the kingdom 00:19:40.740 --> 00:19:43.500 is something that Jesus has the right to do 00:19:43.500 --> 00:19:46.360 because he alone has the moral obedience, 00:19:46.360 --> 00:19:48.680 the power of justice to make good on his promise. 00:19:49.140 --> 00:19:50.940 He alone is the one who can open the door 00:19:50.940 --> 00:19:52.299 to the kingdom of God and let us in. 00:19:52.940 --> 00:19:54.480 It's not blind trust, is it? 00:19:54.900 --> 00:19:55.980 This is a concrete, 00:19:56.140 --> 00:19:58.700 considering the great realities of life and God's word, 00:19:58.779 --> 00:20:00.180 that Christ has everything. 00:20:00.180 --> 00:20:01.480 I have nothing. 00:20:02.180 --> 00:20:04.400 Nothing in my hand I bring, 00:20:04.920 --> 00:20:07.720 simply to thy cross I claim. 00:20:09.019 --> 00:20:11.200 I've got a dear friend who's not a Christian 00:20:11.200 --> 00:20:12.340 but goes to church. 00:20:12.720 --> 00:20:14.200 It's a bit of a strange thing, I suppose. 00:20:15.100 --> 00:20:17.340 He basically, over a number of years, 00:20:17.400 --> 00:20:19.700 has become completely persuaded that the Bible is true. 00:20:20.700 --> 00:20:22.140 He would argue for it, even. 00:20:22.580 --> 00:20:23.400 I think the Bible's true. 00:20:23.759 --> 00:20:24.799 I think the resurrection happened. 00:20:25.759 --> 00:20:26.820 But he's not a Christian. 00:20:26.980 --> 00:20:28.220 You ask him, why are you not a Christian? 00:20:28.380 --> 00:20:28.880 He says this. 00:20:28.880 --> 00:20:30.760 He'll tell you honestly, because he's an honest kind of guy. 00:20:30.840 --> 00:20:32.240 He says, I'm not a Christian 00:20:32.240 --> 00:20:34.420 because it would cost me too much. 00:20:34.860 --> 00:20:36.160 It would cost me too much. 00:20:36.780 --> 00:20:40.700 I cannot say that I have nothing to bring. 00:20:41.360 --> 00:20:43.300 I cannot say that I'm willing to accept 00:20:43.300 --> 00:20:44.900 that I have an empty hand 00:20:44.900 --> 00:20:46.840 and need Jesus to give me everything. 00:20:46.940 --> 00:20:48.340 I can't accept that. 00:20:48.660 --> 00:20:50.540 I won't accept that about myself, he says. 00:20:51.360 --> 00:20:54.480 He refuses to become a child and accept the gift. 00:20:54.600 --> 00:20:56.000 I said to him in a conversation a while ago, 00:20:56.060 --> 00:20:56.640 I said, listen, 00:20:56.640 --> 00:21:00.340 will you go to hell for your pride? 00:21:00.900 --> 00:21:01.340 Would you? 00:21:02.920 --> 00:21:05.800 And the answer of his life is yes, he will. 00:21:06.700 --> 00:21:09.880 Unless he changes his mind, repents and turns to Christ. 00:21:10.620 --> 00:21:12.700 So let me ask you this morning, what about you? 00:21:13.680 --> 00:21:16.160 Have you accepted that all you have is an empty hand 00:21:16.160 --> 00:21:18.880 to receive the gift that Christ is offering? 00:21:18.880 --> 00:21:24.000 Have you accepted that the citizenship that you really need, 00:21:24.060 --> 00:21:25.440 you have nothing to offer for it? 00:21:25.800 --> 00:21:27.380 No people smugglers can get you there. 00:21:28.120 --> 00:21:30.080 No one can buy you a visa to that place. 00:21:30.880 --> 00:21:33.180 No birthplace can appeal to it. 00:21:33.280 --> 00:21:34.860 No heritage you can claim for it. 00:21:34.900 --> 00:21:36.400 No parents can do it for you. 00:21:36.500 --> 00:21:38.040 Instead, each of us this morning, 00:21:38.180 --> 00:21:40.020 individually and personally, 00:21:40.480 --> 00:21:42.700 need to come to Christ with the empty hand and say, 00:21:43.100 --> 00:21:44.060 Lord, I have nothing. 00:21:44.860 --> 00:21:46.560 Please give me what I really need, 00:21:46.559 --> 00:21:47.980 which is access to your kingdom. 00:21:49.799 --> 00:21:51.740 I think one of the big dangers for churches 00:21:51.740 --> 00:21:53.240 is that we assume this. 00:21:53.940 --> 00:21:54.879 We assume it of one another. 00:21:54.980 --> 00:21:57.339 We assume that just because you are in church 00:21:57.339 --> 00:21:58.359 or in around church, 00:21:58.460 --> 00:21:59.720 this must be true about you. 00:22:00.460 --> 00:22:01.819 Or because your parents come 00:22:01.819 --> 00:22:03.119 or because you used to come regularly 00:22:03.119 --> 00:22:04.859 or because you serve on a rota. 00:22:05.819 --> 00:22:07.419 But actually, we must accept 00:22:07.419 --> 00:22:09.659 we do not become a Christian by attending church 00:22:09.659 --> 00:22:10.859 or by having the right parents 00:22:10.859 --> 00:22:12.119 or by saying the right things. 00:22:12.559 --> 00:22:13.759 The only way to become a Christian 00:22:13.759 --> 00:22:16.559 is like becoming like a despised first century child. 00:22:16.919 --> 00:22:18.599 Which brings us to my final point, 00:22:18.679 --> 00:22:19.299 which is this. 00:22:19.679 --> 00:22:21.859 How do I know if I'm a Christian? 00:22:23.399 --> 00:22:25.399 This is obviously a really, really important point, 00:22:25.439 --> 00:22:25.699 isn't it? 00:22:25.739 --> 00:22:27.159 If belonging to the kingdom of God 00:22:27.159 --> 00:22:28.179 is what a Christian is, 00:22:28.539 --> 00:22:30.439 and I become a Christian by receiving it 00:22:30.439 --> 00:22:32.339 as a gift from the Lord Jesus Christ, 00:22:32.799 --> 00:22:35.119 but I live my life waiting, essentially, 00:22:35.259 --> 00:22:37.139 for the fruit of receiving that gift, 00:22:37.419 --> 00:22:38.739 how do I know today 00:22:38.739 --> 00:22:40.659 if I'm a citizen of the kingdom of heaven, 00:22:40.660 --> 00:22:41.420 the kingdom of God, 00:22:41.500 --> 00:22:43.980 which still in large part is still to come? 00:22:44.340 --> 00:22:46.120 How can I tell that I have moved 00:22:46.120 --> 00:22:47.420 from the kingdom of this world 00:22:47.420 --> 00:22:48.440 to the kingdom of God? 00:22:48.840 --> 00:22:50.800 How can I know that my sins are forgiven, 00:22:50.940 --> 00:22:53.040 that I am freed by God 00:22:53.040 --> 00:22:54.840 and I can live my life for him and his glory, 00:22:54.960 --> 00:22:56.160 waiting for Christ's return? 00:22:56.480 --> 00:22:57.759 What's the mark of that? 00:22:58.620 --> 00:22:59.340 Well, let me tell you, 00:22:59.380 --> 00:23:00.540 I think it's very surprising. 00:23:01.180 --> 00:23:02.460 Look with me closely at the passage 00:23:02.460 --> 00:23:03.300 and you'll see this. 00:23:03.680 --> 00:23:06.160 I think the biggest surprise in the passage 00:23:06.160 --> 00:23:08.360 is one word in verse 14. 00:23:08.359 --> 00:23:11.119 In fact, it's such a rare word. 00:23:11.219 --> 00:23:12.639 It hardly ever appears in the Bible. 00:23:12.759 --> 00:23:14.219 It's here when we're told 00:23:14.219 --> 00:23:17.079 that Jesus is indignant with the disciples. 00:23:17.879 --> 00:23:19.259 He's furious with them. 00:23:19.939 --> 00:23:21.939 Now, notice that is an overreaction, yeah? 00:23:22.279 --> 00:23:23.939 It seems to be an overreaction. 00:23:24.839 --> 00:23:26.179 All the disciples did 00:23:26.179 --> 00:23:27.699 was try and stop these children 00:23:27.699 --> 00:23:29.779 from coming to Jesus and hassling him. 00:23:30.939 --> 00:23:33.139 The disciples of Jesus 00:23:33.139 --> 00:23:35.159 are trying, essentially, to protect him. 00:23:35.940 --> 00:23:37.480 They're trying to give him some space, 00:23:38.100 --> 00:23:39.560 allow him a bit of me time. 00:23:39.740 --> 00:23:41.540 You know, surely, you know, 00:23:41.540 --> 00:23:42.759 Jesus has been working hard, 00:23:42.860 --> 00:23:43.600 he's been preaching 00:23:43.600 --> 00:23:44.360 and he's been going around. 00:23:44.759 --> 00:23:46.860 Look, Jesus, just have a bit of time to yourself. 00:23:47.140 --> 00:23:48.200 We'll deal with these kids. 00:23:48.259 --> 00:23:49.000 We'll stop them coming. 00:23:50.620 --> 00:23:51.460 You know, I kind of think 00:23:51.460 --> 00:23:52.100 when you see it like that, 00:23:52.240 --> 00:23:53.360 surely something more gentle 00:23:53.360 --> 00:23:54.680 is in order from Jesus, isn't it? 00:23:54.900 --> 00:23:56.160 Listen, don't worry about it, guys. 00:23:56.759 --> 00:23:57.480 I don't mind. 00:23:57.540 --> 00:23:58.200 I'm not that tired. 00:23:58.340 --> 00:23:59.540 I've got enough time for these kids. 00:23:59.960 --> 00:24:00.720 Just let them come. 00:24:00.920 --> 00:24:01.480 Let them come. 00:24:01.540 --> 00:24:02.040 It'll be all right. 00:24:02.080 --> 00:24:02.440 Just let them come. 00:24:02.500 --> 00:24:03.360 Just don't worry about it. 00:24:03.359 --> 00:24:05.359 But instead, what you're told 00:24:05.359 --> 00:24:06.839 is that Jesus is indignant. 00:24:07.159 --> 00:24:08.519 He is super cross with him. 00:24:08.599 --> 00:24:10.279 He's like angry, angry. 00:24:11.079 --> 00:24:12.439 Why would he be so cross? 00:24:12.699 --> 00:24:14.419 Well, the answer to that is in chapter 9. 00:24:15.339 --> 00:24:16.419 In the previous page, 00:24:16.500 --> 00:24:17.659 chapter 9, verse 33. 00:24:18.379 --> 00:24:19.479 Turn back a page 00:24:19.479 --> 00:24:20.459 and you'll see it in your Bible. 00:24:20.979 --> 00:24:21.740 The disciples here 00:24:21.740 --> 00:24:22.839 have been having a discussion, 00:24:23.079 --> 00:24:24.459 I suppose really an argument, 00:24:24.579 --> 00:24:25.539 about who is the greatest. 00:24:25.819 --> 00:24:26.219 They want to know 00:24:26.219 --> 00:24:27.619 who's the most important disciple. 00:24:28.079 --> 00:24:29.799 And Jesus responds to them like this. 00:24:29.799 --> 00:24:31.639 Look at verse 35. 00:24:32.599 --> 00:24:33.399 Sitting down, 00:24:34.139 --> 00:24:36.159 Jesus called the 12 and said, 00:24:36.599 --> 00:24:38.399 anyone who wants to be first 00:24:38.399 --> 00:24:39.759 must be the very last 00:24:39.759 --> 00:24:40.639 and the servant of all. 00:24:40.740 --> 00:24:41.339 Listen, this argument 00:24:41.339 --> 00:24:42.099 about who's the greatest, 00:24:42.539 --> 00:24:44.139 that is totally irrelevant 00:24:44.139 --> 00:24:46.539 because you've got things upside down. 00:24:47.259 --> 00:24:48.539 And he took a little child, 00:24:48.700 --> 00:24:49.419 verse 36, 00:24:49.539 --> 00:24:50.700 whom he placed among them. 00:24:50.819 --> 00:24:52.099 Taking the child in his arms, 00:24:52.159 --> 00:24:52.779 he said to them, 00:24:53.200 --> 00:24:54.220 whoever welcomes 00:24:54.220 --> 00:24:56.339 one of these little children 00:24:56.339 --> 00:24:58.359 in my name welcomes me. 00:24:58.359 --> 00:25:00.759 and whoever welcomes me, 00:25:00.759 --> 00:25:01.099 sorry, 00:25:01.299 --> 00:25:02.339 and whoever welcomes me 00:25:02.339 --> 00:25:04.639 does not welcome me, 00:25:04.919 --> 00:25:05.939 but the one who sent me. 00:25:06.619 --> 00:25:07.859 Sorry, my eye's doing tricks there. 00:25:08.319 --> 00:25:09.079 Whoever welcomes 00:25:09.079 --> 00:25:09.979 one of these little children 00:25:09.979 --> 00:25:11.179 in my name welcomes me 00:25:11.179 --> 00:25:12.559 and whoever welcomes me 00:25:12.559 --> 00:25:13.779 does not welcome me, 00:25:13.899 --> 00:25:15.159 but the one who sent me. 00:25:16.059 --> 00:25:16.819 Do you see this? 00:25:17.899 --> 00:25:19.879 Jesus says that welcoming the child 00:25:19.879 --> 00:25:21.019 is the sign 00:25:21.019 --> 00:25:22.579 that you've welcomed Jesus. 00:25:23.419 --> 00:25:24.559 And welcoming Jesus 00:25:24.559 --> 00:25:25.319 is the sign 00:25:25.319 --> 00:25:26.479 that you've welcomed the father. 00:25:26.879 --> 00:25:28.059 And welcoming the father, 00:25:28.059 --> 00:25:29.159 essentially is the sign 00:25:29.159 --> 00:25:29.839 that you belong 00:25:29.839 --> 00:25:31.460 to the kingdom of God, right? 00:25:32.179 --> 00:25:32.859 I'll bring that back 00:25:32.859 --> 00:25:33.480 to chapter 10. 00:25:33.559 --> 00:25:34.399 And now you can understand, 00:25:34.519 --> 00:25:34.839 can't you, 00:25:34.899 --> 00:25:36.200 why Jesus is so indignant 00:25:36.200 --> 00:25:36.859 with the disciples. 00:25:37.440 --> 00:25:38.859 Why is Jesus so indignant 00:25:38.859 --> 00:25:39.980 that the disciples 00:25:39.980 --> 00:25:41.179 are not welcoming the children? 00:25:41.980 --> 00:25:43.779 Because it's not the children 00:25:43.779 --> 00:25:44.500 they're rejecting, 00:25:44.819 --> 00:25:45.799 but him. 00:25:46.379 --> 00:25:46.960 Do you see that? 00:25:48.500 --> 00:25:50.079 They're not just rejecting Jesus, 00:25:50.200 --> 00:25:51.059 even, are they? 00:25:51.159 --> 00:25:51.899 They're rejecting 00:25:51.899 --> 00:25:53.339 his father in heaven. 00:25:54.240 --> 00:25:54.539 You see, 00:25:54.599 --> 00:25:55.500 this is the diagnostic. 00:25:55.500 --> 00:25:56.400 How do you know 00:25:56.400 --> 00:25:57.019 at this point 00:25:57.019 --> 00:25:57.660 what the disciples 00:25:57.660 --> 00:25:58.519 think about Jesus? 00:25:58.880 --> 00:25:59.700 If you'd asked the disciples, 00:25:59.839 --> 00:26:00.920 hey, what do you think 00:26:00.920 --> 00:26:01.420 about Jesus? 00:26:02.059 --> 00:26:02.759 I'm sure they'd have had 00:26:02.759 --> 00:26:03.680 a great deal of respect 00:26:03.680 --> 00:26:04.039 for Jesus. 00:26:04.380 --> 00:26:05.660 They would have even told you, 00:26:05.720 --> 00:26:06.880 because Peter's already said, 00:26:07.140 --> 00:26:08.059 that he's the Messiah. 00:26:09.160 --> 00:26:10.339 But the sign 00:26:10.339 --> 00:26:11.119 that they hadn't 00:26:11.119 --> 00:26:12.660 really understood yet, 00:26:12.880 --> 00:26:13.839 that they hadn't really 00:26:13.839 --> 00:26:15.400 empty-handedly accepted 00:26:15.400 --> 00:26:16.680 a place in the kingdom of God, 00:26:16.839 --> 00:26:17.859 was not what they said 00:26:17.859 --> 00:26:18.579 about Jesus, 00:26:18.779 --> 00:26:19.619 but how they treated 00:26:19.619 --> 00:26:20.339 the children 00:26:20.339 --> 00:26:21.839 who wanted to come to him. 00:26:22.539 --> 00:26:22.880 Children, 00:26:22.880 --> 00:26:23.560 they're inclined 00:26:23.560 --> 00:26:24.400 to despise 00:26:24.400 --> 00:26:24.880 and overlook 00:26:24.880 --> 00:26:25.560 and think aren't 00:26:25.560 --> 00:26:26.800 worthy of Jesus' attention. 00:26:27.760 --> 00:26:29.660 See, here's the Mark 10 test 00:26:29.660 --> 00:26:30.420 to see whether you're 00:26:30.420 --> 00:26:31.660 a citizen of the kingdom of God, 00:26:31.780 --> 00:26:33.020 if you're really a Christian. 00:26:33.360 --> 00:26:33.960 And notice, 00:26:34.060 --> 00:26:34.840 it's not what you say 00:26:34.840 --> 00:26:35.460 about Jesus, 00:26:36.180 --> 00:26:37.440 as important as that is. 00:26:38.260 --> 00:26:39.580 You know you're a Christian 00:26:39.580 --> 00:26:41.620 by how you treat 00:26:41.620 --> 00:26:43.360 other children 00:26:43.360 --> 00:26:44.340 of the kingdom. 00:26:45.100 --> 00:26:46.340 The empty-handed, 00:26:46.680 --> 00:26:47.060 humble, 00:26:47.540 --> 00:26:48.420 nothing to claim 00:26:48.420 --> 00:26:49.040 for themselves, 00:26:49.280 --> 00:26:50.280 ones that our culture 00:26:50.280 --> 00:26:51.080 looks down on, 00:26:51.079 --> 00:26:52.819 how you treat them 00:26:52.819 --> 00:26:55.519 exposes what's going on 00:26:55.519 --> 00:26:56.599 in your heart. 00:26:57.439 --> 00:26:58.139 So much so, 00:26:58.220 --> 00:26:58.899 the story tells me 00:26:58.899 --> 00:26:59.279 this morning, 00:26:59.359 --> 00:27:00.159 that if I call myself 00:27:00.159 --> 00:27:00.720 a Christian, 00:27:01.039 --> 00:27:02.240 but I have no time 00:27:02.240 --> 00:27:02.919 for God's people, 00:27:03.639 --> 00:27:04.659 if I call myself 00:27:04.659 --> 00:27:05.179 a Christian, 00:27:05.740 --> 00:27:06.960 but I look down my nose 00:27:06.960 --> 00:27:07.439 at the members 00:27:07.439 --> 00:27:08.419 of the church, 00:27:09.000 --> 00:27:10.019 if I call myself 00:27:10.019 --> 00:27:10.480 a Christian, 00:27:10.599 --> 00:27:11.000 but I think, 00:27:11.079 --> 00:27:11.419 do you know what, 00:27:11.659 --> 00:27:12.859 how dull to be 00:27:12.859 --> 00:27:13.659 around God's people. 00:27:13.980 --> 00:27:14.720 They're all a bunch 00:27:14.720 --> 00:27:15.419 of losers. 00:27:15.639 --> 00:27:17.879 Church is so terribly boring. 00:27:18.359 --> 00:27:19.699 I'd rather watch TV. 00:27:19.980 --> 00:27:20.720 I'd rather read a book. 00:27:20.720 --> 00:27:21.740 I'd rather even read 00:27:21.740 --> 00:27:22.460 my Bible 00:27:22.460 --> 00:27:23.960 than go to church 00:27:23.960 --> 00:27:25.160 and be around those people. 00:27:25.680 --> 00:27:27.299 If you think like that, 00:27:27.700 --> 00:27:29.940 then Mark 10 suggests to you 00:27:29.940 --> 00:27:31.779 that you are not yet 00:27:31.779 --> 00:27:32.759 a Christian. 00:27:34.059 --> 00:27:34.360 You see, 00:27:34.460 --> 00:27:35.799 it's an obvious dynamic, 00:27:36.100 --> 00:27:36.259 isn't it? 00:27:36.259 --> 00:27:37.480 You see it all over the place. 00:27:38.100 --> 00:27:39.160 Who are the best people 00:27:39.160 --> 00:27:41.000 at helping run support groups 00:27:41.000 --> 00:27:42.460 for alcoholics? 00:27:43.620 --> 00:27:45.140 People who've been alcoholics, 00:27:45.200 --> 00:27:45.380 right? 00:27:46.039 --> 00:27:46.880 Who are the best people 00:27:46.880 --> 00:27:47.740 at encouraging those 00:27:47.740 --> 00:27:48.640 with wayward children? 00:27:49.600 --> 00:27:50.680 Those who've experienced 00:27:50.680 --> 00:27:51.400 wayward children. 00:27:52.100 --> 00:27:52.620 Who are the best 00:27:52.620 --> 00:27:53.860 at supporting those 00:27:53.860 --> 00:27:54.900 struggling with singleness 00:27:54.900 --> 00:27:55.920 or childishness 00:27:55.920 --> 00:27:56.540 or divorce 00:27:56.540 --> 00:27:57.320 or unemployment 00:27:57.320 --> 00:27:58.140 or grief 00:27:58.140 --> 00:27:59.040 or loss? 00:27:59.560 --> 00:28:00.100 Well, it's those 00:28:00.100 --> 00:28:00.720 who've experienced 00:28:00.720 --> 00:28:01.480 such things. 00:28:01.880 --> 00:28:03.120 And why is that the case? 00:28:03.460 --> 00:28:04.740 Why is it if you're experiencing 00:28:04.740 --> 00:28:05.400 one of those things, 00:28:05.500 --> 00:28:06.540 are you more likely 00:28:06.540 --> 00:28:07.980 to go to someone else 00:28:07.980 --> 00:28:08.820 who is struggling 00:28:08.820 --> 00:28:09.640 with those sorts of things 00:28:09.640 --> 00:28:10.420 or has struggled 00:28:10.420 --> 00:28:10.960 with those things? 00:28:11.080 --> 00:28:11.259 Why? 00:28:12.259 --> 00:28:13.059 Because you know 00:28:13.059 --> 00:28:14.160 they will not judge you. 00:28:14.359 --> 00:28:15.339 That's why, isn't it? 00:28:16.059 --> 00:28:16.960 Because they will not 00:28:16.960 --> 00:28:17.700 look down their nose 00:28:17.700 --> 00:28:18.259 at you and say, 00:28:18.319 --> 00:28:19.980 I was never like that. 00:28:20.859 --> 00:28:21.839 And that's what's going 00:28:21.839 --> 00:28:22.859 on here, isn't it? 00:28:23.259 --> 00:28:24.500 The disciples reject 00:28:24.500 --> 00:28:25.119 the children. 00:28:25.299 --> 00:28:26.180 They look down on them 00:28:26.180 --> 00:28:27.200 because they haven't yet 00:28:27.200 --> 00:28:28.160 accepted that that's 00:28:28.160 --> 00:28:29.599 exactly who they are 00:28:29.599 --> 00:28:30.279 spiritually. 00:28:31.720 --> 00:28:32.839 Oh, get those children away. 00:28:33.039 --> 00:28:33.879 Get those children away 00:28:33.879 --> 00:28:35.339 because they don't see 00:28:35.339 --> 00:28:35.940 that that's what 00:28:35.940 --> 00:28:36.759 they are like. 00:28:36.759 --> 00:28:39.259 You see, if I look down 00:28:39.259 --> 00:28:40.759 my nose at the church, 00:28:41.200 --> 00:28:42.640 if I despise the gatherings 00:28:42.640 --> 00:28:43.319 of God's people, 00:28:43.700 --> 00:28:44.500 oh, that's really dull. 00:28:44.539 --> 00:28:45.519 Those people are really boring. 00:28:45.619 --> 00:28:46.480 They're all a bunch of losers. 00:28:46.539 --> 00:28:47.420 I don't want to be around them. 00:28:47.559 --> 00:28:48.279 What am I saying? 00:28:48.859 --> 00:28:50.180 I haven't yet accepted 00:28:50.180 --> 00:28:51.700 that that's exactly who I am. 00:28:52.859 --> 00:28:54.879 I have nothing to claim of God. 00:28:56.460 --> 00:29:00.379 So if you refuse to accept 00:29:00.379 --> 00:29:01.460 the weakness of the people 00:29:01.460 --> 00:29:01.980 of the church, 00:29:01.980 --> 00:29:03.119 if you refuse to attend, 00:29:03.200 --> 00:29:03.960 if you think you can just 00:29:03.960 --> 00:29:05.500 sort of catch up online 00:29:05.500 --> 00:29:06.240 on a later date 00:29:06.240 --> 00:29:07.059 without the messiness 00:29:07.059 --> 00:29:08.000 of actually engaging 00:29:08.000 --> 00:29:09.279 with the real people in church, 00:29:09.579 --> 00:29:10.420 well, then it means 00:29:10.420 --> 00:29:11.539 you've not yet understood 00:29:11.539 --> 00:29:12.900 what it means to be a Christian. 00:29:14.700 --> 00:29:16.140 Let me try and pull all this together 00:29:16.140 --> 00:29:16.980 as we just conclude. 00:29:17.920 --> 00:29:19.779 A Christian is someone 00:29:19.779 --> 00:29:20.900 who is a citizen 00:29:20.900 --> 00:29:22.380 of the kingdom of God, 00:29:22.859 --> 00:29:24.039 someone who belongs 00:29:24.039 --> 00:29:25.859 through Jesus Christ. 00:29:26.660 --> 00:29:27.859 You become a Christian 00:29:27.859 --> 00:29:30.180 by receiving it as a gift, 00:29:30.279 --> 00:29:31.680 not by anything that you do. 00:29:31.680 --> 00:29:33.259 And you know that you have 00:29:33.259 --> 00:29:34.319 accepted that gift 00:29:34.319 --> 00:29:35.200 by your attitude 00:29:35.200 --> 00:29:36.819 to other believers. 00:29:36.960 --> 00:29:38.160 You don't look down your nose, 00:29:38.279 --> 00:29:39.559 but you recognize yourself 00:29:39.559 --> 00:29:41.500 as a sinner along with them 00:29:41.500 --> 00:29:43.059 who has an empty hand 00:29:43.059 --> 00:29:44.059 that has received 00:29:44.059 --> 00:29:44.779 everything they need 00:29:44.779 --> 00:29:45.940 from the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:29:46.620 --> 00:29:48.100 And the brilliance of this story 00:29:48.100 --> 00:29:49.519 is not only its usefulness 00:29:49.519 --> 00:29:50.400 in explaining the gospel 00:29:50.400 --> 00:29:50.799 to someone 00:29:50.799 --> 00:29:51.759 who's never heard it before, 00:29:52.240 --> 00:29:54.059 but it describes for us 00:29:54.059 --> 00:29:55.460 a dynamic with which 00:29:55.460 --> 00:29:56.539 we live our Christian lives. 00:29:56.660 --> 00:29:57.640 There is a posture 00:29:57.640 --> 00:29:58.720 in Mark 10, 00:29:59.140 --> 00:30:00.019 a way of living, 00:30:00.019 --> 00:30:01.299 a way of being a Christian. 00:30:01.940 --> 00:30:02.419 That a Christian 00:30:02.419 --> 00:30:02.960 isn't someone 00:30:02.960 --> 00:30:04.000 who starts off 00:30:04.000 --> 00:30:04.599 by accepting 00:30:04.599 --> 00:30:05.519 that they're a little child 00:30:05.519 --> 00:30:06.819 and then grows up 00:30:06.819 --> 00:30:07.299 into thinking 00:30:07.299 --> 00:30:08.139 that they don't need 00:30:08.139 --> 00:30:08.859 anything anymore. 00:30:09.359 --> 00:30:10.339 No, a Christian 00:30:10.339 --> 00:30:10.899 is someone 00:30:10.899 --> 00:30:12.720 who constantly recognizes 00:30:12.720 --> 00:30:14.099 their childlike status 00:30:14.099 --> 00:30:15.139 before a God 00:30:15.139 --> 00:30:16.299 of grace and mercy 00:30:16.299 --> 00:30:16.879 who gives them 00:30:16.879 --> 00:30:17.879 everything they need. 00:30:18.339 --> 00:30:18.819 And so if you're 00:30:18.819 --> 00:30:19.859 a Christian this morning, 00:30:20.159 --> 00:30:21.819 this story is to remind you 00:30:21.819 --> 00:30:23.079 that you are never more 00:30:23.079 --> 00:30:24.599 or never less 00:30:24.599 --> 00:30:26.379 than an empty-handed child 00:30:26.379 --> 00:30:27.099 who has received 00:30:27.099 --> 00:30:28.180 everything they need 00:30:28.180 --> 00:30:29.079 from the goodness 00:30:29.079 --> 00:30:30.299 and grace of God. 00:30:30.859 --> 00:30:31.659 So let's pray 00:30:31.659 --> 00:30:32.980 and give thanks. 00:30:42.220 --> 00:30:43.419 Loving Heavenly Father, 00:30:43.619 --> 00:30:45.619 we accept before you 00:30:45.619 --> 00:30:48.139 that we have nothing to claim, 00:30:49.019 --> 00:30:50.639 nothing to boast about, 00:30:51.399 --> 00:30:52.319 no goodness, 00:30:52.619 --> 00:30:53.199 no morality, 00:30:53.579 --> 00:30:54.179 no works, 00:30:54.279 --> 00:30:54.879 no actions, 00:30:55.039 --> 00:30:55.559 no deeds 00:30:55.559 --> 00:30:56.439 that are worthy 00:30:56.439 --> 00:30:57.980 of citizenship 00:30:57.980 --> 00:31:00.200 in the kingdom of heaven, 00:31:00.299 --> 00:31:01.700 the kingdom of glory. 00:31:02.660 --> 00:31:04.180 We deserve by nature 00:31:04.180 --> 00:31:05.000 to carry on 00:31:05.000 --> 00:31:05.420 in the kingdom 00:31:05.420 --> 00:31:06.059 of this world 00:31:06.059 --> 00:31:06.980 destined for hell 00:31:06.980 --> 00:31:07.559 and judgment. 00:31:08.799 --> 00:31:10.220 But we thank you 00:31:10.220 --> 00:31:11.779 and we receive 00:31:11.779 --> 00:31:12.539 with open, 00:31:12.759 --> 00:31:13.579 empty hands 00:31:13.579 --> 00:31:14.779 the gift 00:31:14.779 --> 00:31:16.259 of the Lord Jesus Christ, 00:31:16.420 --> 00:31:17.720 access to your kingdom 00:31:17.720 --> 00:31:18.360 through faith 00:31:18.360 --> 00:31:19.000 in him alone. 00:31:20.000 --> 00:31:20.579 Please, Lord, 00:31:20.620 --> 00:31:21.059 we pray, 00:31:21.839 --> 00:31:23.079 help each of us 00:31:23.079 --> 00:31:23.759 personally 00:31:23.759 --> 00:31:25.240 in our own hearts 00:31:25.240 --> 00:31:26.039 to receive 00:31:26.039 --> 00:31:27.180 that great gift, 00:31:27.180 --> 00:31:28.579 to accept 00:31:28.579 --> 00:31:29.259 of ourselves 00:31:29.259 --> 00:31:29.980 what you say 00:31:29.980 --> 00:31:30.480 is true 00:31:30.480 --> 00:31:31.159 in your word 00:31:31.159 --> 00:31:32.619 and help us 00:31:32.619 --> 00:31:33.399 to demonstrate 00:31:33.399 --> 00:31:34.539 that we have received 00:31:34.539 --> 00:31:35.599 that by our attitudes 00:31:35.599 --> 00:31:36.539 to one another, 00:31:37.279 --> 00:31:38.079 that we wouldn't look 00:31:38.079 --> 00:31:38.799 down our nose 00:31:38.799 --> 00:31:39.379 at each other, 00:31:39.980 --> 00:31:40.819 that we wouldn't think 00:31:40.819 --> 00:31:41.779 we don't need 00:31:41.779 --> 00:31:42.440 one another, 00:31:43.119 --> 00:31:44.099 that we wouldn't think 00:31:44.099 --> 00:31:44.839 one another 00:31:44.839 --> 00:31:47.099 are dull 00:31:47.099 --> 00:31:47.720 and boring 00:31:47.720 --> 00:31:49.259 and not to be hung out with, 00:31:49.700 --> 00:31:50.399 but that we might 00:31:50.399 --> 00:31:51.299 love one another. 00:31:51.420 --> 00:31:51.980 By this, 00:31:52.420 --> 00:31:53.480 all men will know 00:31:53.480 --> 00:31:54.880 that you are my disciples 00:31:54.880 --> 00:31:56.259 if you love 00:31:56.259 --> 00:31:57.640 one another. 00:31:58.380 --> 00:31:59.000 So help us, 00:31:59.140 --> 00:32:00.120 we pray in Jesus' name. 00:32:00.799 --> 00:32:01.079 Amen. 00:32:01.519 --> 00:32:01.819 Amen.