Let the Children Come

Pray

Pray: Father, Speak to us through your word. Shape our thoughts and attitudes to your likeness. Let the Light of Christ be seen more clearly. Give us humilty to Understand and apply this passage in Mark. And Help us to see it with clear and fresh eyes through the power of Your Spirit. All this to your Glory, amen.

Read Text

English Standard Version (Chapter 10)

13 And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. 14 But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. 15 Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” 16 And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.

This is the Word of the Lord

Sermon

You know, there is a certain beauty and grace that the Lord gives to children. They experience the world with fresh eyes. Even the smallest things intrigue them for hours and hours. To be honest, I have read the same book, titled,” Little Gorilla” involving a baby gorilla who gains an enormous amount of weight before his birthday. nearly every time I’m in the nursery. Its a big hit with the kids.

The book never fails. The story is a sweet one, and the kids would hardly know what was going on if they did not have someone to read the story for them. In fact children hardly know whats going on in their own story if they did not have a parent to guide them. The children are dependant on an older person to learn about the world. Especially young children depend entirely on their parents for life. And here in Mark 10 we do not find Jesus saying “ if you do not recieve the Kingdom of heaven like a scholar with 3 Ph.Ds you shall not enter it, or whoever does not recieve the kingdom of heaven like he who writes a book titled “what is the gospel” shall not enter it. But Jesus says... “whoever does not recieve the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”

Turn with me to our text tonight, Mark 10:13-16. Mark is the shortest of all the gospels and he is often the one that is most directly to the point. It seems clear one of the key themes in marks gospel in the Kingdom of God. He chooses particular stories about Jesus that help reveal the nature of this other worldly Kingdom and who Jesus is. Mark records in chapter 9 a few other instances of Jesus’s travels. He traveled through the small town of galilee and through caperneum. And Mark 10:1 places us in Judea and beyond the jordan. Jesus would often be found with crowds following him and he would teach them as Mark 10:1 says:

Mark 10:1 “And he left there and went to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan, and crowds gathered to him again. And again, as was his custom, he taught them.”

Ill have three main Points for us tonight as we retrace our steps through the Narrative.

Point 1. You bring nothing to Chist

Point 2. You must have a childlike humilty

Point 3. Do not hinder those coming to Christ

1. You Bring nothing to Christ

“And they were bringing the Children to him”

These children are being brought to Jesus, in the same way that we are brought to Christ. We are weak and unable to do things for ourselves. Paul notes in Ephesians chapter 2 verse 1

Ephesians 2:1–2 ESV

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—

We were once dead in our sins. We have no ability to come to Christ for salvation. We are brought to him by the regenerating power of the Spirit. We are helplessly unable to save ourselves.

We often think we bring things. Especially this is a temptation for seminary students. We are often tempted to think that we are bringing something special to Christ. We are doing the work of ministry, we study the things of the Lord, and we can answer a whole slew of hard theological questions. But when we get off campus and meet people who do not know Christ, who are have hardly heard of the Bible and think they are not the right gender. We suddenly think that while the Lord can save anyone these people are so far off. We forget that, despite a christian upbringing or living on a seminary campus WE HAVE NOTHING BEFORE CHRIST! Absolutely nothing!