Let the Children Come to Me
Notes
Transcript
Opening Illustration
Opening Illustration
Many years ago, D. L. Moody was going to speak at a church.
A nine year old boy heard about the engagement and went to hear Moody.
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He got there early and went in the Church.
However, a mean man escorted him immediately out.
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“This is for adults.
Besides, you are not properly dressed and you are dirty,” he was told.
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The boy went to the curb in front of the church began crying.
A few moments later, another man...
A kind man...
Came up to him and asked him what was troubling him.
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He told the man the whole situation and this man immediately escorted the boy to the front of the church and sat him on the front row.
Then, to his surprise, the kind man proceeded to take his seat on the podium.
You see, Beloved, that kind man was non other than D. L. Moody himself!
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Now this event was very similar to another event that was recorded in Scripture...
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So, please turn your Bibles to the Gospel of Luke.
We will conduct our study in Chapter 18 and focus on verses 15 through 17.
Our message this morning is titled “Let the Children Come to Me.”
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As you are turning to our passage today, please keep in mind this fact:
Sometimes we think too highly of ourselves...
And to lowly of others...
But our Lord and Savior is no respecter of persons...
And He often see things in a very different way than how we see things...
For we are too often led by the flesh when we should instead follow the lead of our Master.
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So, this morning we will cover three main points:
1) The Rebuke
2) The Children
And...
3) The Kingdom
Opening Prayer
Opening Prayer
Before we consider our text, please join me in prayer...
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Heavenly Father...
You are the Creator of all things...
I pray that Your name is always honored...
And that You would receive all glory for Your mighty acts.
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We, as Your followers, look forward to the full consummation of Your Kingdom...
We look forward to the second coming of Your Son...
And we rejoice in His reign that will never end.
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Heavenly Father...
We pray that Your will be done in our world just as it is done done in heaven...
May we see more of your elect come into a saving knowledge of You...
And may we all remember that the chief end of man is to glorify You and enjoy You forever.
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As we live our lives, bring to our recollection that we depend on You for our needs daily...
Likewise, put it on our hearts to always and without exception to forgive others who have wronged us...
For how can we be forgiven of our great incalculable debt if we ourselves can’t forgive others...
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Heavenly Father...
We would fall into all manner of temptation if it was not for the Holy Spirit in us protecting us...
So, please, deliver us from all forms of wickedness...
For our enemy and his demons want to see us fall...
But Your power is ever greater and You always protect Your children.
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We thank You Father for the Scriptures that You gifted us...
We thank You Father for the Holy Spirit that You sent to live in us...
And we thank You Father for sending Your Son into this wicked world to save us.
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And it is in Jesus’ name we pray all these things...
Amen.
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Let’s turn to our text for today:
Reading of the Text
Reading of the Text
15 Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them.
16 But Jesus called them to him, saying, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.
17 Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”
So, let’s look at our first point...
1) The Rebuke
1) The Rebuke
Verse 15: Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them.
Now, Beloved, I like the New Living Translation (NLT) rendering of this verse which goes like this:
“One day some parents brought their little children to Jesus so he could touch and bless them.
But when the disciples saw this, they scolded the parents for bothering him.”
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Thus, in order to better understand this verse...
We need to understand the cultural context.
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So, let’s travel back 2,000 years and put on our 1st century lenses...
Let’s travel back to the world that Jesus lived in that viewed children in a very different light than how children are viewed now in the 21st century.
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Well, in the Graeco-Roman world, children were viewed as having a pretty low rank in society.
Likewise, for Jesus’ audience, a child represented someone completely reliant on others...
In fact, many would say that children at that time where viewed as a burden.
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You see, Beloved, children were truly without status in the ancient world and completely at the mercy of adults.
In the eyes of those in the 1st century, very small children just consumed resources, required constant attention, and needed to be protected...
So, they just drained adults...
It was only after they grew older that they were more respected...
For as children became older, then they could help with work, provide for the family, and even defend their town in battle.
But when they where young, they where viewed as more of a nuisance.
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The Pillar New Testament Commentary on Luke says it like this:
“The modern West generally regards the qualities of childlikeness—innocence, trustfulness, humility—as inherently praiseworthy, and hence tenderness to children as virtuous.
The ancient world did not regard children likewise.
In Judaism, women and children derived their position in society primarily in relation to adult males.
Sons were of course regarded as blessings from God, but largely because they ensured the continuance of the family for another generation.
In general, ‘childhood’ was an unavoidable and uncelebrated interim until the young were mature enough to bear children and contribute to the work force.
One will search ancient literature in vain for sympathy toward the young comparable to that shown them by Jesus.”
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Now, combine this general attitude toward children with the intention of these parents who wanted Jesus to bless their young ones...
The Pillar New Testament Commentary on Luke continues and says:
“The imperfect tense of the verb ‘to bring to’ implies that people customarily brought children to Jesus, hence they ‘were bringing babies to Jesus for him to place his hands on them.’
Jesus frequently placed hands on people to convey a blessing, and in so doing he was following an established ritual in Israel.
Noah had blessed Shem and Japheth, Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, and Jacob, his sons and grandsons.
These blessings primarily concerned the passing on of name or property.
‘A father’s blessing establishes the houses of his children.’
Laying on of hands was also a priestly rite of investiture in Israel, whereby wisdom and the spirit of office were conferred on the ordinand.
This latter rite was continued in early Christianity.
The above instances are formal and official, whereas Jesus frequently laid hands to convey personal blessings to common people, and his touch became a distinguishing mark of his ministry.
Most frequently he touched people in the process of healing, but here he blesses an especially undistinguished element of Jewish society—children.
How remarkable that the early church extolled Jesus for concerning himself with a nameless and faceless social group in the ancient world!
The touch of Jesus was a tangible expression of God’s unconditional love for the unclean, foreigners, women, and children.
It also became an essential characteristic of the movement he founded, sparing it from the incipient hierarchy and elitism, whether professional or ascetic, so common of religion.
‘Another gospel would have resulted and not that of Jesus, and another church rather than his church, had children been kept from Jesus and had Christianity been made into something for men alone.’”
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So, the people brought some of their infants and young children to Jesus to be touched by Him and to be blessed..
However, the disciples, regarded this act as an unnecessary waste of the Lord’s time and strength...
Therefore they severely reprimanded the parents to not come to Jesus with their children.
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In other words, the disciples thought that Jesus did not need to be bothered with such trivialities.
In their view, the children’s presence infringed on Jesus’ time.
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In the mind of the disciples, Jesus’ time was valuable...
And they needed to make sure that they protected Him time.
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They believed only the elite and most important individuals should receive Jesus’ attention...
They truly thought they where helping Jesus best manage His time.
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However, Jesus was not impressed...
Jesus saw things very differently and He made sure to correct His disciples and show them what really matters...
And that takes us to our next point.
2) The Children
2) The Children
Verse 16: But Jesus called them to him, saying, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.
Again, the NLT rendering of this verse is done well and I would like to share that with you:
“Then Jesus called for the children and said to the disciples,
‘Let the children come to me.
Don’t stop them!
For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children.’”
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Additionally, Mark’s Gospel account adds this detail as recorded in Mark 10:14:
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.
So, Jesus strongly reprimanded the disciples...
As Mark’s account says, He was indignant...
As the disciples used wordly thinking and did not pay close enough attention to Jesus’ teachings.
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You see, Beloved, Jesus does not bar anyone from access to Himself.
Every person is significant in His eyes...
Even little children and infants...
God is truly no respecter of persons!
It does not matter how old you are...
It does not matter your rank in society...
It does not matter your ethnicity or nationality...
It does not matter your family lineage...
Jesus does not bar anyone from access to Himself!
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In fact, only those who humble themselves like children shall enter the Kingdom of God.
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Now, to receive the Kingdom of God as a child is not to be innocent...
For no one is innocent...
But to receive the Kingdom of God is for us to be utterly dependent on God just like a child is dependent on their parents or guardian.
As Psalm 131:2 says:
2 But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me.
So, we are to depend on God’s mercy...
We are to depend on God’s grace...
And that is how Jesus characterized conversion!
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Just like in the Beatitudes...
Jesus pictures for us faith as the simple, helpless, trusting dependence of those who have no resources of their own.
And like children, we must realize that we have no achievements to offer God...
We have no accomplishments to offer God...
We are utterly dependent on Him!
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So, it is not age that is in view in this lesson by Jesus...
Instead, what is in view is the childlike qualities such as trust, openness, and the absence of holier-than-thou attitudes.
We must live our lives in obedience of God and not lean on our own wisdom and understanding...
As 1 Peter 1:14 says:
14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance,
Furthermore, we must love of God like a child loves their parent...
Or as Ephesians 5:1–2 says:
1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.
2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
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With this proper understanding in mind, we must realize that this passage does not in an way support or prove the unbiblical practice of infant baptism.
You see, Beloved, it wasn’t until the fourth century that this passage first appeared in relation to infant baptism...
As this was never it original intention...
That is why in our church, we practice what is know as believer’s baptism.
Meaning, one must first repent and believe, then they are baptised just like every instance of baptism recorded in Scripture.
Not a single infant is baptized in Scripture.
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So, if you are like me...
And your parents baptized you as an infant...
Well, to be blunt, all they did was get you wet.
That is no baptism at all.
So, if you have become a believer and never got baptized after your conversion, then what are you waiting for...
Believer's baptism is the first step in obedience for those who surrender their lives to Christ.
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In fact, just look at the author of the passage we are studying today...
It is truly impossible to believe that Luke understood this passage as a reference to children’s baptism because for him baptism was intimately associated with repentance as seen in Luke 3:8, which says:
8 Bear fruits in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.
And Acts 2:38, which says:
38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Now, an infant can’t repent...
And as we see with Luke’s own writing one must first repent before they can be baptized.
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Additionally, Luke saw baptism intimately associated with faith as in Acts 8:12–13, which says:
12 But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
13 Even Simon himself believed, and after being baptized he continued with Philip. And seeing signs and great miracles performed, he was amazed.
And Acts 16:31–33, which says:
31 And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
32 And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house.
33 And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family.
So, again, an infant can’t have faith...
And as we see with Luke’s own writing one must have saving faith before they can be baptized.
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My own parents, who recently became believers...
They struggles with this...
When you grow up in a religion filled with man-made traditions it can be very hard to rewire your mind to view things biblically...
I struggle myself in that area too!
But praise the Lord, the Lord opened my eyes years ago...
And just a few weeks ago my parents called me up and said after deep study of God’s Word...
They saw that they must in obedience follow the Word of God and submit to believer's baptism.
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So, if anyone has any questions on baptism or anything else, come see me after service.
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Now, let’s get back to our passage...
And let’s look at the words of our Savior when Jesus says, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.”
As the children of God, we must live lives rules by righteousness...
Or as 1 John 3:10 says:
10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.
Furthermore, as a child is attached to their parent, so too are we to be attached to Christ...
Or as 1 John 2:28 says:
28 And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming.
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So, we need to be clear...
When Christ tell us to be like a child...
It does not mean that we are to be ignorant of God’s truth...
And claim that we are being childlike with our simplicity...
A thousand times, no!
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We are to be like a child in our trust and dependence on God...
However, we are to understand even the difficult parts of Scripture...
Or as 1 Corinthians 3:1–3 says:
1 But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ.
2 I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready,
3 for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way?
Likewise, take a look at this rebuke by the author of Hebrews as recorded in Hebrews 5:12–6:1:
12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food,
13 for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child.
14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.
1 Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,
So, in some qualities like trust and dependence we are to be like children...
But in understanding of doctrine we are to be mature!
Paul puts in like this in 1 Corinthians 14:20:
20 Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature.
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As a new believer...
It is understandable that one would only know the basics of the faith...
However, as time passes...
We are called to grow in our understanding.
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It does not matter if you have been a Christian for years and years...
The real question is are you growing in your understanding?
Do you know more about the Bible than you did last year or the year before?
Can you explain some of the more difficult parts of the Bible to others?
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Beyond understanding, what about practice?
Are you acting more Christ-like than you did last year or the year before?
When you are in a challenging situation, do you have better self-control and biblical wisdom to deal with it?
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Keep in mind what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 13:11:
11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.
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So, now that we have looked at what Christ meant by being like a child...
We need to look at how this relates to the Kingdom of God...
And that takes us to our third and final point.
3) The Kingdom
3) The Kingdom
Verse 17: Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”
Beloved, access into the Kingdom of God is given to childlike people...
So, this is vital for us understand and apply to our lives.
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Remember the tax collector in the preceding account who boast of nothing but simply depend on God’s mercy...
That is the perfect example of being a child-like person.
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Now, we covered that account last week in Luke 18:9-14, which says:
9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt:
10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.
12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’
13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’
14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
So, like children have no achievements to boast in, so too this tax collector, does not boast in his achievements...
Unlike the Pharisee who only boasted in his accomplishments, the tax collector knew that his only “boast” is his unworthiness...
And the Pharisee, although he boasts, he too should not boast as none of his achievements can merit any right standing with God.
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So, we must be child-like...
We must be humble...
We must no approach God in a prideful manner.
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Our humility needs to be accompanied by repentance...
And our humility needs to be accompanied by faith.
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We need to get away from the thinking that our status or greatness will get us into heaven...
As Matthew 18:1-5 says:
1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
2 And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them
3 and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
4 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
5 “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me,
Likewise, take a look with me at what is recorded in passages like Mark 9:34–37, which says:
34 But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest.
35 And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.”
36 And he took a child and put him in the midst of them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them,
37 “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.”
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This is what we need to remind ourselves...
That God does not give understanding to wise and proud...
God reveals His truth to those with child-like faith...
Or as Luke 10:21 pus it:
21 In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.
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I love how Paul puts it...
Those who follow Christ...
Many where outcasts in the world’s eyes...
We where not of noble birth to the world...
We where not wise according to the world...
We where weak to the world...
We where lowly to the world...
We where despised in the world...
Just like a child in the 1st century, we are nothing special.
We have nothing to boast about...
Or as 1 Corinthians 1:26–29 says:
26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.
27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;
28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are,
29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.
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However, also like a child, if we trust in the Lord like a child trusts a parent...
And if we, like a child, depend on the Lord like a child depends on a guardian...
Then we can boast in the cross of Christ...
Or as it says in Galatians 6:14:
14 But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
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That attitude right there, Beloved...
That is the child-like attitude of someone who will enter the Kingdom of God.
Closing Illustration
Closing Illustration
So, as this message comes to a close...
I would like you to consider this:
In the 1971 film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, chocolatier Willy Wonka (played by Gene Wilder) launches a worldwide frenzy when he inserts five golden tickets into his famous Wonka Bars.
Each ticket gives the owner a chance to tour the chocolate factory and win a lifetime’s supply of chocolate.
Five children find the tickets and come to the factory for the tour.
As the day passes, each of the children falls prey to his or her own greed, except for Charlie Bucket—a poor boy who won the last ticket available.
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In this scene near the end of the movie, Wonka unveils his true plan:
To find a suitable owner to whom he could give the factory.
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Willy: How did you like the chocolate factory, Charlie?
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Charlie: I think it’s the most wonderful place in the whole world.
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Willy: I’m very pleased to hear you say that, because I’m giving it to you.
(Charlie and his grandfather are stunned.)
That’s all right, isn’t it?
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Grandpa: You’re giving Charlie the…
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Willy: I can’t go on forever, and I don’t really want to try.
So who can I trust to run the factory for me when I leave to take care of the Oomph Loompas?
Not a grownup.
A grownup would want to do everything his own way, not mine.
That’s why I decided a long time ago I had to find a child—a very honest, loving child whom I could tell all my most precious candy-making secrets.
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Charlie: And that’s why you sent out the golden tickets?
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Willy: That’s right. So the factory’s yours, Charlie.
You can move in immediately.
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Beloved, this reminds me that children respond in faith and often they do as they are told because they have no preconceived notions of how something should be done...
They are following the lead of their parents or guardians...
And if we are to be faithful to God...
We need to do things His way...
And follow His lead!
Closing Prayer
Closing Prayer
Let’s pray...
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Heavenly Father...
If anyone hearing this message right now does not know You in a saving way:
Then I ask You to give then child-like faith...
Give them a child-like heart...
And give them the desire to trust and depend on You!
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I appeal to Your Name’s sake!
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For those hearing this message who already know You:
Remind us to always approach You with child-like humility...
Remind us that we have nothing to boast in except for the cross of Christ...
And remind us that thought we are to be child-like in dependance and trust...
We are to be mature in our understanding of the truth found in Your precious Word.
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Again, I appeal to Your Name’s sake!
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It is in Jesus’ name we pray all these things...
To God be all the glory.
Amen.
