WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.600 I hope that you saw the theme in the music this morning. 00:00:05.600 --> 00:00:09.779 We need to learn to lean on God. 00:00:10.439 --> 00:00:14.359 God does not call us to be independent in our spiritual life. 00:00:14.459 --> 00:00:16.679 We must be dependent on him. 00:00:16.679 --> 00:00:20.719 So we're working our way through the Gospel of Luke going verse by verse. 00:00:21.219 --> 00:00:23.780 And we found our place here in chapter number 18. 00:00:24.000 --> 00:00:26.640 We're going to read verses 15 through 17. 00:00:27.259 --> 00:00:28.399 And here's what the Bible says. 00:00:28.539 --> 00:00:32.539 And they brought unto him also infants that he would touch them. 00:00:33.200 --> 00:00:36.119 But when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them. 00:00:36.119 --> 00:00:39.939 But Jesus called unto him and said, 00:00:40.679 --> 00:00:46.679 Suffer little children to come unto me and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of God. 00:00:47.439 --> 00:00:49.679 Verily or truly I say unto you, 00:00:50.320 --> 00:00:57.560 Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein. 00:00:58.459 --> 00:01:00.439 We see three short little verses here. 00:01:00.560 --> 00:01:04.400 But Jesus has been kind of last few chapters talking about the kingdom. 00:01:04.400 --> 00:01:06.060 That the kingdom is coming. 00:01:06.140 --> 00:01:08.200 That Jesus Christ came and the kingdom is here. 00:01:08.620 --> 00:01:10.800 But there is a kingdom coming where he's coming back. 00:01:11.359 --> 00:01:13.820 And the question that's been surfacing over and over is, 00:01:14.300 --> 00:01:15.080 Who gets in? 00:01:15.760 --> 00:01:16.900 How do you get in? 00:01:17.300 --> 00:01:20.840 And so Jesus is going to answer that question using some children. 00:01:21.460 --> 00:01:23.980 That in the first century they thought are just kind of a nuisance. 00:01:24.100 --> 00:01:24.900 They're kind of in the way. 00:01:25.480 --> 00:01:26.860 And Jesus points to the child and says, 00:01:26.960 --> 00:01:28.520 This is what the kingdom of heaven looks like. 00:01:28.880 --> 00:01:30.160 And so we're going to look at that this morning. 00:01:30.240 --> 00:01:33.740 Let's go to the Lord in prayer and ask him to bless our time as we open the word. 00:01:33.739 --> 00:01:36.920 Father, I'm so thankful that we can lean on you. 00:01:38.019 --> 00:01:41.859 We're reminded often in the book of Proverbs that we're to trust in you with all our heart. 00:01:42.500 --> 00:01:47.399 And we may know that verse, but sometimes our life doesn't necessarily depict it. 00:01:48.140 --> 00:01:50.899 And Lord, I pray that as we walk through this text this morning, 00:01:50.979 --> 00:01:53.479 you would remind us what the kingdom actually looks like. 00:01:54.340 --> 00:01:57.500 And Lord, if there is somebody here that maybe is trusting in something besides 00:01:57.500 --> 00:02:01.519 your finished work on the cross of Calvary for their entrance in, 00:02:01.519 --> 00:02:02.979 Lord, I pray that you would make that known. 00:02:03.780 --> 00:02:05.640 Lord, I pray for those that do know you as Savior, 00:02:05.799 --> 00:02:10.900 that sometimes it's very easy to slip into this independence in our own life, 00:02:10.939 --> 00:02:13.879 that we're thankful for salvation, but we'll handle it from here. 00:02:13.960 --> 00:02:17.620 And Lord, I pray you would help us to rid our mind and our life of that attitude. 00:02:18.539 --> 00:02:20.939 Lord, I pray that you would just bless your word as it's open. 00:02:21.019 --> 00:02:22.740 I pray you would be with the hearer, 00:02:22.780 --> 00:02:25.219 that you would help us to respond when you speak to our hearts. 00:02:25.359 --> 00:02:27.500 And Lord, I pray you'd be with me, that you would just help me. 00:02:28.039 --> 00:02:29.199 Lord, you would empty me of self. 00:02:29.280 --> 00:02:30.080 You'd cleanse me of sin. 00:02:30.139 --> 00:02:33.099 Lord, fill me with your spirit that I might be a help to the hearer this morning. 00:02:33.439 --> 00:02:34.900 And we ask this in Christ's name. 00:02:35.580 --> 00:02:35.879 Amen. 00:02:36.039 --> 00:02:36.879 Thank you so much for standing. 00:02:36.939 --> 00:02:37.439 You may be seated. 00:02:41.360 --> 00:02:44.580 I'm sure you've noticed the older that we get in life, 00:02:44.920 --> 00:02:48.479 the less dependent we want to be on other people. 00:02:49.020 --> 00:02:51.560 I mean, think about when you're first born. 00:02:51.719 --> 00:02:52.960 I mean, you can't probably remember that. 00:02:53.020 --> 00:02:53.560 Hopefully not. 00:02:53.800 --> 00:02:54.580 That'd be weird. 00:02:54.580 --> 00:02:58.340 But when you're born, you can't do anything for yourself. 00:02:59.060 --> 00:03:00.100 Somebody feeds you. 00:03:00.240 --> 00:03:01.140 Somebody dresses you. 00:03:01.280 --> 00:03:03.280 Somebody carries you everywhere you go. 00:03:03.400 --> 00:03:04.240 Somebody protects you. 00:03:04.340 --> 00:03:05.700 Somebody pays for everything. 00:03:06.200 --> 00:03:07.460 That sounds awesome. 00:03:08.220 --> 00:03:10.840 That sounds like something I want to be a part of even today. 00:03:10.980 --> 00:03:15.200 But as we continue to grow, we become less dependent. 00:03:16.220 --> 00:03:17.880 We learn to feed ourselves. 00:03:18.080 --> 00:03:19.360 We learn to dress ourselves. 00:03:19.580 --> 00:03:21.480 We learn to drive ourselves places. 00:03:21.620 --> 00:03:22.880 We provide for ourselves. 00:03:22.879 --> 00:03:28.500 And really, eventually when we become an adult, it really means that we're learning to stand on our own two feet. 00:03:29.519 --> 00:03:33.479 Because if you're here and you're 35 years old and your mom still lays your clothes out for you in the morning, 00:03:33.719 --> 00:03:35.199 we need to talk after service. 00:03:36.000 --> 00:03:38.199 That's a different issue and it's a different sermon. 00:03:38.680 --> 00:03:41.000 Now, but your wife, she just loves you and she's trying to help you. 00:03:41.079 --> 00:03:41.519 That's all that. 00:03:41.680 --> 00:03:43.199 That's what that means right there, guys. 00:03:43.199 --> 00:03:50.639 But I think we understand this truth that we value independence in our life. 00:03:51.419 --> 00:03:55.899 You know, when you get just a little bit older, I mean, you get two, three years old, you can see little kids. 00:03:56.079 --> 00:03:58.019 They want to do everything on their own. 00:03:58.439 --> 00:03:59.560 I mean, they want to dress themselves. 00:03:59.679 --> 00:04:03.500 And you notice when they dress themselves, you see them at Walmart, like, this kid definitely dressed himself. 00:04:04.039 --> 00:04:05.799 Their shoes are on the wrong feet. 00:04:05.899 --> 00:04:06.539 Nothing matches. 00:04:06.539 --> 00:04:10.719 They dress like a ballerina going to outer space and all these kind of different situations. 00:04:12.159 --> 00:04:18.659 But a lot of times that independence that we are moving towards in our physical life and as we move into adulthood 00:04:18.659 --> 00:04:22.879 is something that really kind of creeps into our spiritual life. 00:04:23.680 --> 00:04:27.819 That we want to be independent and we want to kind of set the guidelines and do that. 00:04:27.899 --> 00:04:33.639 But as we come to this passage here in Luke's gospel, Jesus kind of turns that thought completely around. 00:04:33.639 --> 00:04:41.919 He looks at a group of children that would have not necessarily been despised, but just kind of seen as a nuisance, as an inconvenience. 00:04:42.079 --> 00:04:45.539 And nobody really took thought of them until they reached a certain age. 00:04:45.579 --> 00:04:49.159 And he looks at this group of children and he tells the adults gathered around. 00:04:49.479 --> 00:04:51.039 He is teaching the disciples. 00:04:51.180 --> 00:04:53.180 He said, listen, there's something about them. 00:04:53.699 --> 00:05:00.000 There's a characteristic that they have in their life that needs to be very, very evident in yours. 00:05:00.000 --> 00:05:08.519 And where Luke places these three little verses is very important to the context of really chapter number 18. 00:05:09.500 --> 00:05:14.759 A few weeks ago when we were together in Luke's gospel, really the first 14 verses, 00:05:15.220 --> 00:05:23.560 we see that Jesus is telling a parable about our prayer life and how our prayers show how we first believe about God 00:05:23.560 --> 00:05:25.040 and also what we believe about ourselves. 00:05:25.040 --> 00:05:30.819 And it's particularly in verse 9 through 14, Jesus told us about two men who went into a temple to pray. 00:05:31.580 --> 00:05:35.540 One was a Pharisee, a religious, moral, upstanding citizen. 00:05:35.680 --> 00:05:39.980 And the other was a publican, a tax collector, despised by all that were there. 00:05:40.200 --> 00:05:43.960 And we see this Pharisee stood before God, which he thought he did. 00:05:44.460 --> 00:05:48.460 And he began to pray thus with himself and began to list off his accomplishments, 00:05:48.459 --> 00:05:53.279 his morality, his religious activity, his sterling resume. 00:05:54.779 --> 00:06:00.219 And then the Bible shows us in verse number 13 that the publican just stood afar off. 00:06:00.719 --> 00:06:02.459 And the Bible says he smote his breast. 00:06:02.620 --> 00:06:06.939 He smote his chest and said, God, be merciful unto me, a sinner. 00:06:07.939 --> 00:06:10.179 And Jesus told the crowd listening there that day, 00:06:10.179 --> 00:06:16.500 this man, this publican, this sinner, this despised tax collector, he went home justified. 00:06:17.399 --> 00:06:20.540 Why? Because he trusted in God's mercy and not in his own accomplishments. 00:06:21.579 --> 00:06:24.759 And we're going to see the next time we're together in the Gospel of Luke, 00:06:24.800 --> 00:06:26.680 we're going to meet a rich ruler. 00:06:27.439 --> 00:06:31.379 This was a man that had position, that he had all the possessions. 00:06:31.579 --> 00:06:34.439 I mean, if it was out, it was the latest and greatest, he had it. 00:06:35.019 --> 00:06:36.040 He had accomplishments. 00:06:36.379 --> 00:06:38.220 He had a spotless reputation. 00:06:38.220 --> 00:06:39.720 Jesus lists a whole bunch of things off. 00:06:39.759 --> 00:06:41.300 He said, yep, I've done all that. 00:06:41.740 --> 00:06:43.879 I've kept all those since my youth. 00:06:43.879 --> 00:06:51.420 But right between these two men, these stories of this Pharisee and this rich ruler, 00:06:51.839 --> 00:06:53.600 Luke introduces us to some children. 00:06:54.060 --> 00:06:55.379 In fact, he says infants. 00:06:56.740 --> 00:06:59.000 And I want us to see the picture that he's really painting. 00:06:59.839 --> 00:07:03.300 That this Pharisee thinks that his righteousness should count for something. 00:07:04.000 --> 00:07:06.040 Hey, at least I'm not like so-and-so. 00:07:06.480 --> 00:07:07.540 At least I tithe. 00:07:07.639 --> 00:07:08.600 At least I come to church. 00:07:08.659 --> 00:07:09.519 At least I do these things. 00:07:09.659 --> 00:07:10.519 That's what he was saying. 00:07:10.519 --> 00:07:13.939 And this rich ruler appears to have everything. 00:07:14.539 --> 00:07:16.219 So why can't he just buy his way in? 00:07:16.620 --> 00:07:20.479 Why can't he give a big donation and he's just a good, good person? 00:07:20.539 --> 00:07:21.419 He's got a good heart. 00:07:22.719 --> 00:07:27.279 And the idea that many of these first century people would have thought, 00:07:27.419 --> 00:07:29.120 if anybody's going to make it into the kingdom, 00:07:29.620 --> 00:07:31.139 if anybody's going to make it into heaven, 00:07:31.479 --> 00:07:34.079 these men are surely going to be at the top of the list. 00:07:34.079 --> 00:07:39.639 But here in these verses, Jesus teaches us that if you want to enter God's kingdom, 00:07:39.859 --> 00:07:41.719 you must learn how to come like a child. 00:07:42.680 --> 00:07:46.079 You have to realize that God's not interested in your resume. 00:07:47.000 --> 00:07:49.019 He's not looking at all your accomplishments. 00:07:49.599 --> 00:07:52.439 He's not saying, well, what do you have to impress me? 00:07:53.959 --> 00:07:54.879 No, here's what he says. 00:07:55.060 --> 00:07:55.979 Here's how you get into the kingdom. 00:07:56.099 --> 00:07:58.279 You just simply come and receive. 00:07:59.039 --> 00:08:01.060 And really, that's the big idea of these three verses, 00:08:01.060 --> 00:08:03.920 is the kingdom of God isn't something that we achieve. 00:08:04.579 --> 00:08:07.740 It is something that we humbly receive. 00:08:08.579 --> 00:08:09.780 So as we walk through these verses, 00:08:09.959 --> 00:08:11.980 I want us to answer this question this morning. 00:08:12.280 --> 00:08:15.500 What does Jesus teach us about receiving his kingdom? 00:08:15.959 --> 00:08:18.660 What does he teach about us, about receiving his kingdom? 00:08:18.740 --> 00:08:21.340 The first thing we see is this in verse 15 and 16, 00:08:21.740 --> 00:08:24.519 that Jesus welcomes those who come. 00:08:25.699 --> 00:08:28.340 That Jesus welcomes those who come. 00:08:29.040 --> 00:08:30.319 Verse 15 says again, 00:08:30.319 --> 00:08:32.639 And then they brought unto him also infants, 00:08:33.139 --> 00:08:34.740 that he would touch them. 00:08:35.679 --> 00:08:37.220 So I want us to picture, and we can see it. 00:08:37.399 --> 00:08:39.299 A bunch of parents are gathered around. 00:08:39.379 --> 00:08:41.220 They've got little ones in their arms, 00:08:41.460 --> 00:08:44.200 and they're bringing their little babies to Jesus 00:08:44.200 --> 00:08:46.279 because they wanted his blessing in their life. 00:08:46.919 --> 00:08:48.439 Now, it may sound a little weird to us, 00:08:48.519 --> 00:08:49.819 but when you started the culture 00:08:49.819 --> 00:08:52.019 and the first century Jewish life, 00:08:52.220 --> 00:08:54.519 they would have brought their young children to the synagogue. 00:08:55.059 --> 00:08:57.200 If there was a reputable rabbi, 00:08:57.279 --> 00:08:59.120 they would have been traveling through their village. 00:08:59.120 --> 00:09:01.360 They would have brought their children there 00:09:01.360 --> 00:09:02.759 just to receive a blessing, 00:09:03.399 --> 00:09:06.740 just to kind of get their children around the things of God. 00:09:06.779 --> 00:09:08.080 It was very, very common. 00:09:09.539 --> 00:09:10.620 And more than that, 00:09:10.679 --> 00:09:12.659 when we see them bringing their children to Jesus, 00:09:13.080 --> 00:09:15.399 they just wanted their children to be near Jesus. 00:09:16.259 --> 00:09:17.919 I mean, they would have heard about 00:09:17.919 --> 00:09:19.580 all the things that Jesus was doing 00:09:19.580 --> 00:09:21.620 and the miracles that were taking place 00:09:21.620 --> 00:09:22.440 and all of that stuff, 00:09:22.480 --> 00:09:22.720 and they said, 00:09:22.980 --> 00:09:25.720 Hey, well, we want to set some good examples for our kids, 00:09:25.720 --> 00:09:27.460 so let's get them around Jesus. 00:09:29.040 --> 00:09:30.340 And I think as parents, 00:09:30.460 --> 00:09:32.300 if you have children, 00:09:32.899 --> 00:09:34.960 you desire for your children to be healthy, 00:09:35.500 --> 00:09:36.720 to be happy, 00:09:37.360 --> 00:09:38.480 to be successful. 00:09:39.680 --> 00:09:42.180 Parents want their children to have a good life, 00:09:42.180 --> 00:09:43.920 and there is nothing wrong with that, 00:09:43.960 --> 00:09:46.460 and we work hard to try to provide that for our children, 00:09:46.560 --> 00:09:47.620 as you do as well. 00:09:47.840 --> 00:09:49.060 But as a Christian parent, 00:09:49.059 --> 00:09:51.079 there is nothing you should want more 00:09:51.079 --> 00:09:53.359 than for your children to know Jesus. 00:09:54.159 --> 00:09:56.279 That's the most important thing a parent has. 00:09:56.319 --> 00:09:58.079 That is our number one responsibility. 00:09:58.419 --> 00:10:00.479 Listen, raising children is kingdom work. 00:10:01.299 --> 00:10:02.819 Sometimes the world looks down on that, 00:10:02.919 --> 00:10:04.919 and children, even today in 2026, 00:10:05.159 --> 00:10:06.579 might be viewed as a nuisance, 00:10:06.699 --> 00:10:09.439 but Jesus reminds us that all children are a gift from God. 00:10:10.039 --> 00:10:12.679 Whether they're in the womb or they're out of the womb, 00:10:12.739 --> 00:10:13.939 I'll just throw that in there right now. 00:10:13.940 --> 00:10:20.800 But we know this as we study the Word of God, 00:10:20.900 --> 00:10:22.600 that you cannot save your children. 00:10:23.460 --> 00:10:25.920 You can't reserve a spot for them in heaven. 00:10:26.540 --> 00:10:28.520 You cannot believe for them. 00:10:29.540 --> 00:10:32.020 But what you can do is you can bring them near Jesus. 00:10:33.060 --> 00:10:35.660 What you can do is teach them His Word. 00:10:35.940 --> 00:10:37.160 You can pray for them. 00:10:37.360 --> 00:10:39.700 You can bring them into fellowship with God's people. 00:10:39.700 --> 00:10:41.740 And most importantly, 00:10:41.740 --> 00:10:45.600 you can let them see that Jesus is real in your life. 00:10:46.740 --> 00:10:49.000 Because children are very perceptive. 00:10:49.700 --> 00:10:50.139 You know, as parents, 00:10:50.240 --> 00:10:52.080 we sometimes try to convince ourselves, 00:10:52.200 --> 00:10:53.340 oh, they don't know what's going on. 00:10:53.539 --> 00:10:54.840 Oh, they know what's going on. 00:10:55.799 --> 00:10:57.200 When I was a children's church teacher, 00:10:57.480 --> 00:10:59.100 when I was a youth pastor, 00:10:59.139 --> 00:11:01.779 and I taught children's church in Sherman there, 00:11:02.299 --> 00:11:04.680 I knew everything about every parent in that auditorium 00:11:04.680 --> 00:11:05.639 because their kids told me. 00:11:06.720 --> 00:11:08.120 You take prayer requests 00:11:08.120 --> 00:11:09.799 in a children's Sunday school class, 00:11:10.180 --> 00:11:11.419 they'll let you know what's up. 00:11:11.740 --> 00:11:14.500 Just a reminder, 00:11:15.500 --> 00:11:16.960 thankfully we have Sunday school teachers 00:11:16.960 --> 00:11:18.840 that are praying for you as well right now this morning. 00:11:21.759 --> 00:11:23.259 But I do want to just remind us, 00:11:23.340 --> 00:11:25.180 this is not a text just for parents. 00:11:25.899 --> 00:11:26.680 And it's not really just, 00:11:26.759 --> 00:11:28.600 I'm not going to give you five steps on how to raise kids 00:11:28.600 --> 00:11:29.820 because I'm still working on that as well. 00:11:30.139 --> 00:11:31.419 Thankfully the Word of God helps us there. 00:11:32.759 --> 00:11:34.139 But I think as a church, 00:11:34.240 --> 00:11:35.519 we all have a responsibility 00:11:35.519 --> 00:11:38.399 to help the next generation see the beauty of Jesus. 00:11:38.399 --> 00:11:43.220 We live in a culture where Jesus is looked down upon, 00:11:43.299 --> 00:11:44.220 it's kind of looked on as, 00:11:44.480 --> 00:11:45.039 well, you know, 00:11:45.079 --> 00:11:47.139 it's just something you have a little bit when you're younger, 00:11:47.439 --> 00:11:49.699 and they would call it a fairy tale or a crutch. 00:11:49.899 --> 00:11:51.459 That's not what Jesus Christ is. 00:11:52.759 --> 00:11:55.319 And while we can't make the next generation love Jesus, 00:11:55.699 --> 00:11:57.799 we better be sure we can, 00:11:58.000 --> 00:11:59.199 they know how much we do. 00:11:59.200 --> 00:12:02.240 I hope when somebody comes into this church, 00:12:02.320 --> 00:12:03.240 they realize a couple things. 00:12:03.500 --> 00:12:04.300 We like each other, 00:12:04.480 --> 00:12:05.480 even though we're weird, 00:12:06.080 --> 00:12:07.340 and we love Jesus. 00:12:08.000 --> 00:12:08.259 Why? 00:12:08.320 --> 00:12:10.000 Because of what Jesus has done for us. 00:12:10.580 --> 00:12:12.180 And so they're bringing their children there. 00:12:12.420 --> 00:12:14.060 And there's nothing wrong with that. 00:12:14.320 --> 00:12:15.759 And we're going to see in a moment, 00:12:15.860 --> 00:12:16.160 you see, 00:12:16.420 --> 00:12:18.740 as this text is in other gospels, 00:12:18.879 --> 00:12:20.540 Jesus welcomes the little children. 00:12:21.840 --> 00:12:24.020 But the middle of verse number 15 00:12:24.020 --> 00:12:25.360 is kind of crazy. 00:12:25.360 --> 00:12:28.019 But when his disciples saw it, 00:12:28.740 --> 00:12:30.720 the ones that he's training for ministry, 00:12:31.180 --> 00:12:31.779 the ones that he's saying, 00:12:31.879 --> 00:12:33.240 hey, this is how we do things, guys. 00:12:33.300 --> 00:12:34.779 This is how we love people. 00:12:34.879 --> 00:12:37.500 And this is how we're going to move the kingdom forward. 00:12:37.720 --> 00:12:40.080 But when his disciples saw it, 00:12:40.820 --> 00:12:42.639 they rebuked them. 00:12:43.899 --> 00:12:44.700 I mean, when I read that, 00:12:45.120 --> 00:12:46.259 this is what my brain says. 00:12:46.340 --> 00:12:47.039 Say what? 00:12:47.759 --> 00:12:49.019 I mean, that's exactly what I thought. 00:12:50.180 --> 00:12:54.539 The parents are just trying to bring their children to Jesus, 00:12:54.539 --> 00:12:57.000 which seems like a great idea, 00:12:57.480 --> 00:12:59.500 which seems like something you would want to do 00:12:59.500 --> 00:13:00.719 with your own children. 00:13:01.079 --> 00:13:03.240 And the people standing in the way 00:13:03.240 --> 00:13:05.799 are Jesus' 12 disciples. 00:13:07.079 --> 00:13:10.159 Luke does not tell us why they rebuke them. 00:13:10.740 --> 00:13:11.599 But the thought was, 00:13:11.679 --> 00:13:12.620 and the word rebuke, 00:13:12.699 --> 00:13:14.319 it carries a very strong connotation. 00:13:14.439 --> 00:13:15.159 It wasn't like, hey, guys. 00:13:15.339 --> 00:13:16.399 No, they're like, get out. 00:13:17.059 --> 00:13:18.519 Hey, leave us alone. 00:13:19.179 --> 00:13:21.179 Maybe they thought Jesus was too busy. 00:13:22.000 --> 00:13:23.299 He's got a lot going on. 00:13:23.299 --> 00:13:25.319 And as we've studied this text, 00:13:25.500 --> 00:13:27.279 the Pharisees and all of these people, 00:13:27.379 --> 00:13:29.139 they're kind of ganging up on Jesus. 00:13:29.259 --> 00:13:30.139 He could handle his own. 00:13:30.679 --> 00:13:31.379 But the disciples, 00:13:31.500 --> 00:13:32.939 and we see Peter throughout the Gospels, 00:13:33.159 --> 00:13:35.779 he thinks his job to be Jesus' bodyguard. 00:13:36.399 --> 00:13:36.779 And so they're saying, 00:13:36.859 --> 00:13:38.079 hey, get these kids out of here. 00:13:39.319 --> 00:13:41.740 Maybe they thought it was just another interruption. 00:13:43.139 --> 00:13:44.719 Because we notice this about Jesus 00:13:44.719 --> 00:13:46.419 when you walk through Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, 00:13:46.639 --> 00:13:48.359 that he was always on the clock. 00:13:49.299 --> 00:13:50.759 Maybe this happened at 4.55. 00:13:50.759 --> 00:13:52.899 Have you ever been at a job and you get off at 5? 00:13:53.620 --> 00:13:55.399 Somebody rolls in at 4.57, 00:13:56.059 --> 00:13:56.779 and you're like, 00:13:56.819 --> 00:13:58.519 I do not want to help these people. 00:13:59.480 --> 00:13:59.819 And you're like, 00:13:59.879 --> 00:14:01.840 the store's closing in three minutes. 00:14:01.919 --> 00:14:02.939 Please make your final purchases. 00:14:03.899 --> 00:14:05.000 Maybe that's how the disciples are. 00:14:05.039 --> 00:14:05.759 We don't know. 00:14:06.639 --> 00:14:08.220 But whatever the reasoning was, 00:14:08.319 --> 00:14:09.639 the disciples saw an interruption, 00:14:10.059 --> 00:14:12.700 and Jesus saw something worth receiving. 00:14:13.279 --> 00:14:14.840 He saw someone worth receiving. 00:14:15.120 --> 00:14:16.179 And verse 16 tells us, 00:14:16.179 --> 00:14:18.819 But Jesus called unto him and said, 00:14:19.139 --> 00:14:19.859 Suffer the little children. 00:14:20.639 --> 00:14:21.859 Suffer them to come to me. 00:14:22.079 --> 00:14:23.139 And I love that, 00:14:23.179 --> 00:14:24.759 because that is the heart of Christ. 00:14:25.739 --> 00:14:27.959 Because the disciples viewed it as an interruption. 00:14:28.219 --> 00:14:30.539 They looked at children as a distraction. 00:14:30.899 --> 00:14:32.919 But Jesus shows us his heart. 00:14:34.059 --> 00:14:34.699 That song, 00:14:34.839 --> 00:14:36.339 Jesus Loves the Little Children, 00:14:36.539 --> 00:14:38.239 is not just a children's church song 00:14:38.239 --> 00:14:39.500 that somebody made up one day. 00:14:39.659 --> 00:14:41.479 No, it's a biblical principle. 00:14:42.419 --> 00:14:43.679 That you're never too young, 00:14:43.679 --> 00:14:44.899 and you're never too old. 00:14:45.079 --> 00:14:46.120 Here's the heart of Christ. 00:14:46.439 --> 00:14:47.079 Come unto me. 00:14:47.659 --> 00:14:48.359 Come unto me, 00:14:48.419 --> 00:14:49.699 all you that labor and heavy laden. 00:14:49.979 --> 00:14:50.939 Come to the cross. 00:14:51.279 --> 00:14:52.359 Come find forgiveness. 00:14:52.719 --> 00:14:53.620 Come find hope. 00:14:54.679 --> 00:14:57.159 See, the people that others might overlook 00:14:57.159 --> 00:14:59.159 still matter to Jesus. 00:15:00.120 --> 00:15:01.339 And you might not be the youngest, 00:15:01.459 --> 00:15:02.399 and you might be the oldest, 00:15:02.500 --> 00:15:03.179 but here's the reality. 00:15:03.479 --> 00:15:05.039 Jesus is still calling you to come. 00:15:05.699 --> 00:15:07.399 He still cares about you. 00:15:07.939 --> 00:15:09.019 And do you notice this? 00:15:09.339 --> 00:15:11.919 God never calls us adult children of him. 00:15:11.919 --> 00:15:16.519 You realize you never grow out of being a child of God. 00:15:17.120 --> 00:15:18.860 That we are his children. 00:15:19.159 --> 00:15:20.360 And there's a reason for it, 00:15:20.419 --> 00:15:22.759 and Jesus is explaining it in this situation. 00:15:24.079 --> 00:15:26.879 He's reminding us that if we just come, 00:15:27.360 --> 00:15:28.439 he's going to welcome us. 00:15:29.159 --> 00:15:29.979 And as a church, 00:15:30.039 --> 00:15:31.799 and as followers of Jesus Christ, 00:15:31.939 --> 00:15:33.759 we should never become a barrier 00:15:33.759 --> 00:15:36.860 between the people that Jesus is calling to himself. 00:15:36.860 --> 00:15:40.259 But the sad reality is sometimes Christians, 00:15:40.659 --> 00:15:42.200 and maybe even they think they're well-meaning, 00:15:42.440 --> 00:15:45.279 are a barrier between people and Jesus. 00:15:46.419 --> 00:15:47.320 Jesus doesn't say, 00:15:47.620 --> 00:15:49.060 clean yourself up so you can come to church. 00:15:49.279 --> 00:15:49.940 No, here's what he says. 00:15:50.159 --> 00:15:50.460 Come. 00:15:51.220 --> 00:15:51.659 He didn't say, 00:15:51.840 --> 00:15:52.639 get your life together 00:15:52.639 --> 00:15:54.320 and make sure you got your ducks in a row. 00:15:54.560 --> 00:15:55.060 I'm looking out. 00:15:55.180 --> 00:15:56.300 None of us have our ducks in a row. 00:15:57.419 --> 00:15:58.960 We all need Jesus Christ, 00:15:59.120 --> 00:16:00.600 and we cannot be a barrier. 00:16:01.039 --> 00:16:03.100 Even if we've known the Lord for a long, long time, 00:16:03.220 --> 00:16:05.360 we still are completely dependent on him. 00:16:05.360 --> 00:16:07.779 And we must come to him, 00:16:07.899 --> 00:16:09.779 and we don't need to be a hindrance. 00:16:11.840 --> 00:16:14.120 But Jesus is about to do much more 00:16:14.120 --> 00:16:15.440 than just welcome these children. 00:16:17.120 --> 00:16:20.919 See, what he's going to show us is these little babies, 00:16:21.560 --> 00:16:24.539 these infants are actually a picture 00:16:24.539 --> 00:16:28.159 of what people who enter the kingdom look like. 00:16:28.700 --> 00:16:31.340 Because there's something about these little ones 00:16:31.340 --> 00:16:33.639 that every person who enters the kingdom of God 00:16:33.639 --> 00:16:34.740 must understand. 00:16:35.360 --> 00:16:36.460 And that's what we see, number two. 00:16:36.539 --> 00:16:37.200 We see this truth, 00:16:37.460 --> 00:16:40.700 that the kingdom of God belongs to the dependent. 00:16:42.300 --> 00:16:45.180 The kingdom of God belongs to the dependent. 00:16:46.820 --> 00:16:48.080 He said there in verse 16, 00:16:48.159 --> 00:16:49.680 he calls them and suffer the little children. 00:16:50.019 --> 00:16:51.519 Allow them, is what he's saying. 00:16:52.200 --> 00:16:53.300 Don't hinder them. 00:16:53.779 --> 00:16:55.740 Stop being a barrier to them, disciples. 00:16:56.120 --> 00:16:57.159 Let them come unto me. 00:16:57.300 --> 00:16:59.000 Let their parents bring them here. 00:16:59.000 --> 00:17:00.940 And forbid them not. 00:17:01.100 --> 00:17:05.519 For of such is the kingdom of God. 00:17:06.859 --> 00:17:09.160 So not only does he invite the children in. 00:17:10.160 --> 00:17:13.259 I can just picture Jesus holding a little baby on his arm. 00:17:14.220 --> 00:17:16.160 And a little baby doesn't have a clue what's going on. 00:17:16.400 --> 00:17:18.460 He's looking all around and taking it out, 00:17:18.519 --> 00:17:20.640 and he's sticking his finger in Jesus' ear, 00:17:20.640 --> 00:17:22.660 and Jesus is talking to the disciples, 00:17:22.800 --> 00:17:23.140 and he says, 00:17:23.220 --> 00:17:25.280 hey, just see this little guy right here? 00:17:25.740 --> 00:17:27.180 This is what the kingdom of God looks like. 00:17:27.940 --> 00:17:29.480 He's pointing to them. 00:17:30.180 --> 00:17:32.420 And he's telling these adults, these disciples, 00:17:32.640 --> 00:17:34.040 I want you to see something. 00:17:34.280 --> 00:17:35.340 What does he want us to see? 00:17:35.860 --> 00:17:36.820 It's not their innocence. 00:17:37.000 --> 00:17:37.440 They are. 00:17:38.160 --> 00:17:40.180 This small baby is so innocent. 00:17:40.300 --> 00:17:41.740 It's not that children are perfect. 00:17:43.320 --> 00:17:44.220 Okay, just making sure. 00:17:44.280 --> 00:17:44.980 We're awake now. 00:17:44.980 --> 00:17:45.140 Yeah. 00:17:46.380 --> 00:17:47.860 We know that to be a fact. 00:17:48.920 --> 00:17:50.039 We also know this, 00:17:50.099 --> 00:17:52.400 that Jesus isn't telling us to be childish. 00:17:53.620 --> 00:17:54.420 You know, sometimes my wife says, 00:17:54.480 --> 00:17:55.319 you need to act your age. 00:17:56.099 --> 00:17:57.839 Well, mentally, I'm just right around 11, 00:17:58.000 --> 00:17:59.259 so that's just kind of where I'm at. 00:18:00.579 --> 00:18:02.000 That's not what Jesus is saying. 00:18:03.640 --> 00:18:04.640 No, here's what he's doing. 00:18:04.720 --> 00:18:06.120 He's pointing to their dependence. 00:18:07.380 --> 00:18:09.220 He says, this is what the kingdom of heaven looks like. 00:18:09.240 --> 00:18:10.640 This is how you enter in. 00:18:11.599 --> 00:18:13.059 And we looked at that. 00:18:13.059 --> 00:18:16.079 We look at that little word there in verse 15, infants. 00:18:16.859 --> 00:18:18.859 Luke was very detailed about that. 00:18:19.359 --> 00:18:21.960 And one of the defining characteristics of an infant 00:18:21.960 --> 00:18:23.240 is helplessness. 00:18:25.259 --> 00:18:26.539 A baby cannot feed himself. 00:18:27.059 --> 00:18:28.279 And it's good to look out here this morning. 00:18:28.359 --> 00:18:29.319 We see some babies in the crowd. 00:18:29.399 --> 00:18:30.339 We got some babies in the nursery. 00:18:30.599 --> 00:18:32.019 But a baby cannot feed themselves. 00:18:32.500 --> 00:18:33.599 They cannot clothe themselves. 00:18:33.779 --> 00:18:34.919 They cannot protect themselves. 00:18:35.000 --> 00:18:36.179 They can't provide for themselves. 00:18:36.559 --> 00:18:39.940 Everything they need, somebody else has to provide. 00:18:39.940 --> 00:18:43.420 And it's not the fact that if somebody doesn't provide it, 00:18:43.460 --> 00:18:44.500 their life's not going to be great. 00:18:44.740 --> 00:18:44.940 No, no. 00:18:45.140 --> 00:18:47.960 When we're infants, if somebody doesn't provide those things, 00:18:48.200 --> 00:18:49.700 they will not survive. 00:18:50.759 --> 00:18:51.779 There's no hope. 00:18:52.160 --> 00:18:55.620 They are completely dependent on life because of other people. 00:18:56.259 --> 00:19:00.259 What a humbling reminder as parents that it is a gift. 00:19:00.340 --> 00:19:01.320 It is a precious life. 00:19:01.620 --> 00:19:04.600 And Jesus looks at that, and he shows that kind of dependence 00:19:04.600 --> 00:19:06.840 and says, that's what it needs to look like in your life. 00:19:06.839 --> 00:19:09.939 That's where you need to be because spiritually, 00:19:10.159 --> 00:19:12.679 that's exactly where every one of us should stand before God. 00:19:13.779 --> 00:19:17.919 We saw the Pharisee, that he comes, and the Bible said he prayed thus with himself. 00:19:18.019 --> 00:19:19.639 And it's almost like he's walking around and praying like, 00:19:19.879 --> 00:19:23.899 oh, Lord, thank you that I'm so good and I'm so wonderful and I'm so awesome. 00:19:25.240 --> 00:19:27.659 But that publican said, God, I need you. 00:19:28.419 --> 00:19:31.779 See, we saw independence spiritually, independent spiritually. 00:19:32.179 --> 00:19:35.139 And Jesus says, that man went home justified. 00:19:35.140 --> 00:19:39.759 That man realized who he was, that he had nothing to offer. 00:19:40.060 --> 00:19:43.160 And if God didn't show up, and if God didn't pour mercy out on his life, 00:19:43.340 --> 00:19:45.000 there was nothing that could help him. 00:19:45.420 --> 00:19:46.680 You cannot save yourself. 00:19:46.940 --> 00:19:48.280 You cannot justify yourself. 00:19:48.520 --> 00:19:49.900 You cannot redeem yourself. 00:19:50.400 --> 00:19:52.960 Somebody needs to provide something that you can't. 00:19:53.960 --> 00:19:54.940 And his name is Jesus. 00:19:56.020 --> 00:19:57.940 He's the only one that can do it. 00:19:58.580 --> 00:20:02.400 But in order for God to work in our life, we have to come empty-handed. 00:20:03.259 --> 00:20:05.040 We have to realize our need for it. 00:20:05.800 --> 00:20:09.640 See, the Pharisee didn't think he needed it because he thought he had everything he needed already. 00:20:11.460 --> 00:20:12.440 I mean, think about a child. 00:20:13.180 --> 00:20:18.019 Everything they do, we give them a hard time, but we say, oh, man, these kids just mooching off me all the time. 00:20:19.180 --> 00:20:20.480 That's what's supposed to happen. 00:20:20.480 --> 00:20:25.120 I mean, as they grow, we teach them a little independence, and we teach them responsibility. 00:20:25.680 --> 00:20:27.420 But, I mean, a child is so empty-handed. 00:20:28.180 --> 00:20:31.620 Your three-year-old's not going to come to you at the end of the month and pull out their little piggy bank and say, 00:20:32.000 --> 00:20:34.099 what do I owe my part of the mortgage this month? 00:20:35.940 --> 00:20:36.299 No. 00:20:37.059 --> 00:20:37.980 They're just there. 00:20:38.480 --> 00:20:41.380 It's their room, their toys, their stuff. 00:20:41.460 --> 00:20:42.980 I'm like, you didn't pay for none of this. 00:20:43.779 --> 00:20:44.839 They're just there. 00:20:44.839 --> 00:20:51.559 Children live every day just receiving from something somebody else provides. 00:20:52.240 --> 00:20:56.599 And they wake up, and they're excited, and they just assume food to be there, and they assume these things. 00:20:56.859 --> 00:20:59.939 And really, what that is, it's just a picture of how grace works. 00:21:01.500 --> 00:21:02.539 Because that's our life. 00:21:03.519 --> 00:21:04.259 We wake up. 00:21:04.459 --> 00:21:05.379 You woke up this morning. 00:21:05.459 --> 00:21:07.359 You found out that his mercies are still new. 00:21:08.179 --> 00:21:09.819 You got breath in your lungs. 00:21:10.240 --> 00:21:11.359 You have all of these wonderful things. 00:21:11.539 --> 00:21:12.839 I mean, it's a beautiful sunny day. 00:21:13.099 --> 00:21:14.939 It's still going to be 100, but it's beautiful. 00:21:18.219 --> 00:21:20.599 I love how the old hymn, Rock of Ages, says it. 00:21:20.959 --> 00:21:22.639 Nothing in my hand I bring. 00:21:23.219 --> 00:21:25.659 Simply to the cross I cling. 00:21:27.359 --> 00:21:28.419 See, it's not just for children. 00:21:28.559 --> 00:21:29.659 That's for all of us. 00:21:30.219 --> 00:21:32.539 That's what it looks like to be dependent on God. 00:21:32.659 --> 00:21:34.799 That's what it looks like to be a part of his kingdom. 00:21:34.799 --> 00:21:37.439 And think about the connection that Jesus has just taught. 00:21:37.699 --> 00:21:39.039 This Pharisee had accomplishments. 00:21:39.379 --> 00:21:41.219 We're going to see this publican came for mercy. 00:21:41.500 --> 00:21:43.839 But this child comes with empty hands. 00:21:44.079 --> 00:21:46.219 And here's what God does every time you come with empty hands. 00:21:46.379 --> 00:21:47.000 He fills them. 00:21:48.059 --> 00:21:50.619 Whether it's salvation, you realize, Lord, I'm a sinner. 00:21:50.699 --> 00:21:51.379 Would you forgive me? 00:21:51.559 --> 00:21:52.619 And the Bible's pretty clear. 00:21:52.879 --> 00:21:56.559 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 00:21:56.899 --> 00:21:58.159 And he'll fill your hands. 00:21:58.359 --> 00:21:59.000 He'll help you. 00:21:59.199 --> 00:22:01.039 He'll fill that void in your life. 00:22:01.039 --> 00:22:05.759 And the picture is so clear that real dependence leaves no room for pride. 00:22:07.939 --> 00:22:10.740 Listen, if you've been forgiven, it's by grace. 00:22:11.359 --> 00:22:15.579 If you've been right with God, justified, it's by grace. 00:22:16.219 --> 00:22:19.599 If you have any hope of heaven, it's by grace. 00:22:20.419 --> 00:22:23.859 So what do I have to boast about? 00:22:24.699 --> 00:22:25.299 Nothing. 00:22:26.419 --> 00:22:29.859 See, you can't boast about something that you had to receive. 00:22:29.859 --> 00:22:32.399 It was just given to you. 00:22:33.339 --> 00:22:37.079 But I want us to understand what this kind of dependence means. 00:22:39.019 --> 00:22:41.740 I think sometimes we can imagine salvation like this. 00:22:42.599 --> 00:22:46.379 Lord, I'm going to do everything I can, and then you do what you do. 00:22:46.380 --> 00:22:49.220 That's not helpless dependence. 00:22:51.100 --> 00:22:54.540 Listen, salvation isn't Jesus plus what you do equals salvation. 00:22:55.240 --> 00:22:56.840 It's Jesus plus nothing. 00:22:57.440 --> 00:23:01.060 The only thing we bring to Jesus is our sin and our brokenness. 00:23:01.300 --> 00:23:04.700 The gospel isn't do your best and let Jesus handle the rest of it. 00:23:04.820 --> 00:23:06.100 That's not what the gospel is. 00:23:06.380 --> 00:23:08.740 Jesus didn't come to help save ourselves. 00:23:08.940 --> 00:23:10.500 No, he came to save us completely. 00:23:10.500 --> 00:23:13.940 The Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost. 00:23:14.559 --> 00:23:15.579 And that's all of us. 00:23:16.460 --> 00:23:17.940 We needed him to provide. 00:23:18.599 --> 00:23:22.420 And when that dependence is placed in Christ, here's another Bible term we use for it. 00:23:22.460 --> 00:23:23.240 It's called faith. 00:23:24.720 --> 00:23:30.240 That when we place our faith, our dependence, and what he did on the cross of Calvary, 00:23:30.400 --> 00:23:33.599 and we listen to the words that he cried out, it is finished. 00:23:33.680 --> 00:23:35.400 We realize he's done it all. 00:23:36.279 --> 00:23:39.480 There is nothing you can do to earn more favor. 00:23:39.480 --> 00:23:45.200 That's a wonderful, wonderful truth in your life that God loves you as much as he can. 00:23:46.000 --> 00:23:48.079 He's not going to love you any more than he already does. 00:23:48.319 --> 00:23:50.339 He loves you with an everlasting love. 00:23:51.079 --> 00:23:54.400 He loves you with a love that cannot be even measured in our own life. 00:23:56.400 --> 00:24:02.559 I just want to remind you today and remind myself that we should never outgrow this dependence. 00:24:02.559 --> 00:24:09.700 Listen, your Christian life doesn't begin with dependence on Jesus and then graduate to self-sufficiency. 00:24:10.619 --> 00:24:11.899 That's not where it should be heading. 00:24:12.919 --> 00:24:14.740 That's not what God wants us to do. 00:24:15.539 --> 00:24:17.859 And so maybe we need to ask ourselves this question this morning. 00:24:18.139 --> 00:24:21.980 Have I become more self-sufficient spiritually than I used to be? 00:24:21.980 --> 00:24:24.839 Because it's very easy to do that. 00:24:25.740 --> 00:24:27.240 We think, well, I'm going to handle this. 00:24:27.620 --> 00:24:29.079 Hey, Lord, I'll take it from here. 00:24:29.759 --> 00:24:32.079 We don't say that, but sometimes that's how we live our life. 00:24:32.839 --> 00:24:34.519 And then you know how we know we live that way? 00:24:34.740 --> 00:24:38.000 We go to the Lord and say, Lord, I'm sorry, but I'm going to need you to help me out here. 00:24:39.240 --> 00:24:39.620 No, no, no. 00:24:39.620 --> 00:24:40.700 We just need to live there. 00:24:41.039 --> 00:24:42.900 We need to be completely dependent on him. 00:24:42.900 --> 00:24:52.400 Because the reality is the closer we get to Christ, the more we mature in our walk with him, the more we realize how much we need him. 00:24:53.600 --> 00:24:56.620 Listen, when you realize you're a sinner, you know, man, I need the Lord. 00:24:57.500 --> 00:25:02.180 And God just speaks to your heart and you realize you're on your way to hell, but Jesus paid the debt. 00:25:02.440 --> 00:25:05.180 And so you call and say, Lord, forgive me, I'm a sinner. 00:25:05.240 --> 00:25:05.820 And he does. 00:25:06.860 --> 00:25:08.660 And you think, man, I'm glad God stepped in when he did. 00:25:09.140 --> 00:25:10.519 And you should be thankful for that. 00:25:10.519 --> 00:25:18.660 But I would imagine many in this room understand the more, the longer you've been saved, the more you realize you need him. 00:25:19.799 --> 00:25:27.019 You know, as I'm raising my own children, as I'm getting older, I look back at my parents and I'm thinking, man, I didn't realize how much I actually needed them. 00:25:27.859 --> 00:25:28.859 They kept me alive. 00:25:28.900 --> 00:25:29.859 That was a pretty big deal. 00:25:30.599 --> 00:25:32.059 I mean, that's a good goal in parenting. 00:25:32.500 --> 00:25:33.720 I needed them. 00:25:34.200 --> 00:25:36.519 But I realize this, I need the Lord more and more. 00:25:36.519 --> 00:25:40.359 I need the Lord more today than I did last week, than last year. 00:25:41.519 --> 00:25:44.379 And it shows us in our own life that truth. 00:25:45.559 --> 00:25:47.859 But Jesus takes this picture one step further. 00:25:48.779 --> 00:25:53.579 See, in verse 16, he shows us the kind of person who enters the kingdom, who it belongs to, the dependent. 00:25:54.660 --> 00:25:57.319 But in verse number 17, he shows us what dependent people do. 00:25:58.460 --> 00:26:02.879 This is the truth that we find, number three, that the kingdom of God must be received. 00:26:02.880 --> 00:26:08.020 See, dependent people inherit it, but how do they do it? 00:26:08.640 --> 00:26:09.780 They just receive it. 00:26:11.080 --> 00:26:12.500 I mean, think about a kid's birthday party. 00:26:13.280 --> 00:26:13.920 So fun. 00:26:14.380 --> 00:26:17.260 You get the invitation in the mail, Chuck E. Cheese, one to three. 00:26:17.900 --> 00:26:20.380 And as a parent, you're like, this is exactly where I want to spend my Saturday. 00:26:20.980 --> 00:26:21.820 This is going to be amazing. 00:26:21.819 --> 00:26:32.299 I mean, but you go there, and the kids start coming in, and the birthday person's there, and they're looking at those presents. 00:26:33.179 --> 00:26:35.700 And you got coins and tokens to play all the games. 00:26:35.759 --> 00:26:36.259 You got pizza. 00:26:36.460 --> 00:26:38.079 And they keep asking this question, when can I open my presents? 00:26:39.079 --> 00:26:41.619 You know, my friend just told me they want me to open the present. 00:26:42.139 --> 00:26:43.460 And they're so excited. 00:26:43.740 --> 00:26:47.460 And when the present is given to the child, they usually don't sit there and say, you know what? 00:26:47.879 --> 00:26:51.879 I don't know if I've really done enough this week or this year to deserve this present. 00:26:53.000 --> 00:26:57.059 No, it's like most birthday parties I've been to, ones that I've participated in myself, 00:26:57.519 --> 00:27:01.079 half the time they're tearing into the present before you even know it. 00:27:01.079 --> 00:27:05.519 And then you're trying to figure out who that came from so you can teach them manners to tell them thank you, 00:27:05.599 --> 00:27:06.720 and they're already on the next present. 00:27:06.720 --> 00:27:10.960 And that's just kind of how birthday parties I've been to have gone. 00:27:12.019 --> 00:27:12.900 You know why? 00:27:13.440 --> 00:27:15.339 Because they're just simply receiving what's been given. 00:27:16.380 --> 00:27:18.500 Their name's on it, so they're going to take it. 00:27:19.079 --> 00:27:19.980 They've been invited. 00:27:20.120 --> 00:27:21.539 They've had this situation. 00:27:22.039 --> 00:27:26.120 And that's really a picture that Jesus is kind of showing us in verse number 17, 00:27:26.480 --> 00:27:28.160 that that's how you enter the kingdom of heaven. 00:27:29.079 --> 00:27:30.640 There's nothing you do. 00:27:30.980 --> 00:27:32.440 You cannot earn your salvation. 00:27:32.740 --> 00:27:33.380 You receive it. 00:27:33.519 --> 00:27:34.720 You don't purchase grace. 00:27:34.900 --> 00:27:35.660 You receive it. 00:27:35.660 --> 00:27:38.620 You don't provide enough righteousness on your own. 00:27:38.800 --> 00:27:43.240 No, you just accept what Jesus gives you, and he robes us in his righteousness. 00:27:44.880 --> 00:27:49.940 Why do children just receive these gifts and receive everything their parents provide? 00:27:50.180 --> 00:27:50.660 Here's why. 00:27:50.820 --> 00:27:51.580 They trust them. 00:27:53.660 --> 00:27:55.160 And that's what saving faith does. 00:27:55.160 --> 00:27:58.000 It trusts God. 00:27:58.300 --> 00:27:59.779 It trusts his goodness. 00:28:00.540 --> 00:28:09.720 See, faith that saves, faith that changes you, faith that allows you to enter the kingdom is much more about than just knowing facts about Jesus. 00:28:09.720 --> 00:28:13.480 Listen, you can know Jesus died on a cross. 00:28:14.319 --> 00:28:16.559 You can know Jesus rose from the dead. 00:28:17.240 --> 00:28:19.880 You can know all the Christian lingo of the day. 00:28:20.440 --> 00:28:22.059 You can know the hymns by heart. 00:28:22.299 --> 00:28:23.940 You can have verses memorized. 00:28:23.940 --> 00:28:31.400 But saving faith moves beyond knowing about Jesus to completely depending on Jesus. 00:28:32.220 --> 00:28:33.620 There's a big difference there. 00:28:34.019 --> 00:28:40.440 There's a difference between believing Jesus is the Savior and trusting him as your Savior. 00:28:41.180 --> 00:28:42.320 And that's what he's showing here. 00:28:42.960 --> 00:28:44.799 That there's a lot of people that think they're saved. 00:28:44.799 --> 00:28:51.480 Listen, in no way I'm trying to get us to doubt, but we can't be riding somebody else's coattails or having dependence on other things. 00:28:51.639 --> 00:28:53.559 It's in Christ and Christ alone. 00:28:53.859 --> 00:28:55.700 And that's what Jesus is saying. 00:28:55.879 --> 00:28:57.720 He leaves no room for exception. 00:28:58.099 --> 00:28:59.500 He doesn't soften it. 00:28:59.559 --> 00:29:01.000 Look at the very end of verse number 17. 00:29:01.000 --> 00:29:08.039 That whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein. 00:29:09.319 --> 00:29:13.259 The door is narrow, but everybody's invited. 00:29:13.259 --> 00:29:15.759 All roads don't lead to heaven. 00:29:16.099 --> 00:29:18.920 Jesus is the way, and he's the truth, and he's the life. 00:29:19.099 --> 00:29:21.759 He's just reminding us there's no other entrance. 00:29:22.819 --> 00:29:26.400 There isn't an entrance for people who don't need as much grace as other people. 00:29:27.140 --> 00:29:29.420 No, we need all the grace we can get. 00:29:29.940 --> 00:29:33.039 There's no other way for people to come in. 00:29:33.539 --> 00:29:36.839 Everybody enters the kingdom of God the exact same way. 00:29:37.539 --> 00:29:41.559 Dependent, empty-handed, and simply receiving what Jesus gives. 00:29:41.559 --> 00:29:43.399 That's the only way. 00:29:45.039 --> 00:29:46.559 The Pharisee had his resume. 00:29:47.000 --> 00:29:48.319 The ruler had his resources. 00:29:48.720 --> 00:29:51.000 And this child just has empty hands. 00:29:51.879 --> 00:29:54.639 And Jesus points to that little kid and says, that's how you do it. 00:29:55.799 --> 00:29:56.919 That's how you come in. 00:29:57.960 --> 00:30:00.119 That's the kind of trust that I want you to have in me. 00:30:00.980 --> 00:30:03.919 Because everything we have is from him anyways. 00:30:04.659 --> 00:30:08.039 Everything you have today right now is because you're completely dependent on him. 00:30:08.039 --> 00:30:10.079 You're not keeping yourself alive. 00:30:10.299 --> 00:30:11.139 You're depending on God. 00:30:13.379 --> 00:30:14.740 So what has Jesus provided? 00:30:14.819 --> 00:30:16.259 What do we need to be so dependent on? 00:30:16.920 --> 00:30:21.940 We talk about receiving salvation, but we need to be clear about what he's actually offering and why we need it. 00:30:22.399 --> 00:30:23.119 Here's the problem. 00:30:23.619 --> 00:30:24.319 Romans 3.23. 00:30:24.639 --> 00:30:27.659 For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. 00:30:28.700 --> 00:30:30.859 Sin is the problem. 00:30:31.859 --> 00:30:34.079 It's not their problem or those people. 00:30:34.079 --> 00:30:35.279 It's your problem. 00:30:35.879 --> 00:30:36.720 It's my problem. 00:30:37.199 --> 00:30:38.460 Every single one of us have sinned. 00:30:38.539 --> 00:30:40.960 There's no amount of religious activity that can erase it. 00:30:41.019 --> 00:30:43.399 There's no amount of good works that can pay for it. 00:30:43.579 --> 00:30:44.639 And we've already mentioned it. 00:30:44.839 --> 00:30:46.299 We needed somebody to pay for it. 00:30:46.500 --> 00:30:47.139 Jesus did. 00:30:48.000 --> 00:30:49.279 That he shed his own blood. 00:30:49.919 --> 00:30:51.119 That he laid down his life. 00:30:51.339 --> 00:30:55.879 The Bible says on that cross he bore our sins in his body. 00:30:56.179 --> 00:30:56.439 Why? 00:30:56.599 --> 00:30:59.679 That we may be made the righteousness of God in him. 00:31:00.480 --> 00:31:02.639 See, he did what we could not do. 00:31:02.640 --> 00:31:05.240 Where Adam failed, Jesus succeeded. 00:31:05.660 --> 00:31:06.940 He lived a sinless life. 00:31:07.180 --> 00:31:08.820 He paid the judgment for our sin. 00:31:09.020 --> 00:31:10.100 He died in our place. 00:31:10.360 --> 00:31:12.120 And three days later, he rose again. 00:31:13.100 --> 00:31:16.759 And because of that, because of that truth that we find as the gospel, 00:31:17.220 --> 00:31:21.460 Jesus provided everything necessary for you to enter in. 00:31:21.700 --> 00:31:24.120 For you to walk right into the kingdom of God. 00:31:25.200 --> 00:31:28.780 Because salvation is not offered as a reward for good people. 00:31:29.440 --> 00:31:31.280 For Americans, for Christians. 00:31:31.279 --> 00:31:31.920 No, no, no. 00:31:32.819 --> 00:31:35.339 It's a gift to be received. 00:31:36.579 --> 00:31:38.039 Paul told the Ephesians, 00:31:38.519 --> 00:31:41.200 For by grace are you saved through faith. 00:31:42.119 --> 00:31:44.240 And that not of yourselves. 00:31:44.879 --> 00:31:47.240 It is a gift of God. 00:31:47.799 --> 00:31:48.819 Not of works. 00:31:49.180 --> 00:31:51.579 Lest any man should boast. 00:31:53.259 --> 00:31:54.539 That's how you enter in. 00:31:54.539 --> 00:31:57.839 That's what these little children are a picture of. 00:31:59.579 --> 00:32:05.559 And it doesn't matter if you're in the first century or we're here today in 2026. 00:32:06.319 --> 00:32:11.859 There's numerous opinions on who and how you enter God's kingdom. 00:32:11.859 --> 00:32:15.199 But there's only one opinion that actually matters. 00:32:16.679 --> 00:32:17.939 And it's Jesus's. 00:32:18.819 --> 00:32:20.079 And that's what he's showing us here. 00:32:21.000 --> 00:32:24.419 And in these three verses, he doesn't necessarily give an opinion. 00:32:24.679 --> 00:32:25.619 He gives the verdict. 00:32:26.659 --> 00:32:28.639 He says, this is how you do it. 00:32:28.779 --> 00:32:30.659 And this is who gets it. 00:32:31.379 --> 00:32:33.259 It's not exclusive for certain people. 00:32:33.900 --> 00:32:36.079 God didn't pick and choose and say, well, you're in and you're not. 00:32:36.140 --> 00:32:38.019 No, it's available to everybody. 00:32:38.799 --> 00:32:39.879 But you must be dependent. 00:32:40.559 --> 00:32:42.920 You must come humbly and receiving. 00:32:44.000 --> 00:32:47.180 See, we're hardwired to be independent in our life. 00:32:48.299 --> 00:32:49.980 I remember just like you did. 00:32:50.579 --> 00:32:52.379 Some of our teens are there right now. 00:32:52.500 --> 00:32:54.119 I couldn't wait to grow up. 00:32:55.240 --> 00:32:57.799 You know, I think to myself, ain't nobody going to tell me what to do. 00:32:58.339 --> 00:33:03.259 I can't wait until I'm the boss and I can eat ice cream whenever I want, go to bed whenever I want. 00:33:04.500 --> 00:33:05.779 Well, that's not how it works, is it? 00:33:06.899 --> 00:33:10.319 Now somebody tells me what to do and if I eat ice cream, I'm like, are you eating ice cream again? 00:33:14.019 --> 00:33:15.639 We can't wait to stand on our own. 00:33:15.700 --> 00:33:17.259 We can't wait to provide for ourselves. 00:33:19.440 --> 00:33:22.619 And we should mature in our physical life. 00:33:22.619 --> 00:33:32.459 But spiritually, real maturity, a closer walk with God begins when we realize how dependent we really are. 00:33:33.279 --> 00:33:34.979 How much we really need Him. 00:33:36.059 --> 00:33:39.199 Salvation isn't we just need Him one time and then we're good for the rest of our life. 00:33:39.479 --> 00:33:42.000 No, it's just the start of a life that is dependent on Him. 00:33:43.119 --> 00:33:49.659 And the closer we grow, the more we realize that everything we have, everything we do is all dependent on Him. 00:33:49.660 --> 00:33:57.540 But that question that we must answer is the same question we've been asking for the past few sermons here in Luke's Gospel. 00:33:58.000 --> 00:34:01.279 What am I depending on to make me right with God? 00:34:03.440 --> 00:34:04.720 Goodness, your goodness. 00:34:05.960 --> 00:34:06.560 Kindness. 00:34:07.720 --> 00:34:08.420 Your religion. 00:34:09.599 --> 00:34:10.539 Your accomplishments. 00:34:11.380 --> 00:34:12.280 Your resources. 00:34:12.280 --> 00:34:17.480 We said before, none of those are bad things, but they're not saving things. 00:34:18.540 --> 00:34:20.300 None of them can change your life. 00:34:21.400 --> 00:34:22.060 Jesus can. 00:34:23.060 --> 00:34:24.640 We have to come to Him empty-handed. 00:34:25.519 --> 00:34:26.480 And I'll leave you with this thought. 00:34:26.620 --> 00:34:27.860 Come to Him empty-handed. 00:34:28.900 --> 00:34:34.620 Depending completely on what only He can provide. 00:34:35.740 --> 00:34:36.540 Verse 17. 00:34:36.539 --> 00:34:46.940 How do you come to the kingdom? 00:34:47.619 --> 00:34:48.460 Come like a child. 00:34:49.119 --> 00:34:49.940 What do we stand with our hands?