VBS and The Child's Worth
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As we kick of our week of Vacation Bible School, I thought it would be healthy for us to take time this morning to be reminded of God’s heart towards the child and our responsibility to them. We are going to be in for most of the message today, but I believe is a great launching pad for today’s message.
Read
Give ear, O my people, to my teaching;
incline your ears to the words of my mouth!
I will open my mouth in a parable;
I will utter dark sayings from of old,
things that we have heard and known,
that our fathers have told us.
We will not hide them from their children,
but tell to the coming generation
the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might,
and the wonders that he has done.
He established a testimony in Jacob
and appointed a law in Israel,
which he commanded our fathers
to teach to their children,
that the next generation might know them,
the children yet unborn,
and arise and tell them to their children,
so that they should set their hope in God
and not forget the works of God,
but keep his commandments;
and that they should not be like their fathers,
a stubborn and rebellious generation,
a generation whose heart was not steadfast,
whose spirit was not faithful to God.
If we miss what this is saying, we lose generations of children. That’s not hyperbole… This is of the upmost importance and seriousness. What tends to happen in ministry to children is that we rearrange God’s designed presentation of the Gospel, and this Psalm addresses that.
Read
We will not hide them from their children,
but tell to the coming generation
the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might,
and the wonders that he has done.
What is to be the forefront of our message to children about our God is His Actions, His Capability, and His Miracles.
Where we tend to miss the mark is our tendency to focus on morality… on their actions. We teach them how they are supposed to act without first giving them the glorious news of why. So, often our message is this is how you act now come to God instead of this is what God has done for you and therefore we respond by acting this way. This is the reversal of the Gospel order that fails them.
The Ten Commandments themselves begin this way, “I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery…. You shall have no other gods before me… don’t make yourself a carved image…” and so forth. Our message is that God has miraculously accomplished the most incredible of rescue missions and He is still powerful and capable enough to do the same for you today. Parents, grandparents, adults of Bethlehem Baptist Church—Take heart
God’s great desire is that your children and the generations after them will set their hope in Him.
This is why we do Vacation Bible School… this is us doing our part to see God’s desire fulfilled.
Now take your bibles and turn to and we are going to see this heart for children displayed in Jesus and then our responsibility to our children in helping them see their need for the Gospel.
Read
And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. 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. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.
And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them.
Mark 10:13
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.
Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”
Mark 10:
And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.
Ray Stedman calls this the Magna Carta or the Bill of Rights of Children. From the lips of Jesus, we are introduced to a biblical theology of children that says they are to be loved, valued, and learned from.
2 Things to notice in this passage—
1. The Rebuke of the Disciples
Parents obviously saw some benefit in their children being around Jesus… it was probably more superstitious than legit faith. They wanted the touch of Christ most likely believing it had some magical power to go along with it. So, most likely the disciples were aware of the parent’s motive. Jesus had had serious things to engage in, and they didn’t think that this was worthy of their Master’s time.
And this is where we see a tremendously strong rebuke. Indignant is an incredible translation here… Jesus got angry with the disciples over their lack of concern for the children no matter the parents motive. He didn’t need protection. They weren’t a nuisance. Get out of their way and make a path for them to come and fellowship with Me. These kids were not to be held back from Jesus because they in themselves were valued and loved by Him.
Church, this is so important to see as a Church because we are surrounded by kids weekly here at Bethlehem and Parents(!!)… Don’t let this pass you in the context of your own home. Many of us set up unintentional roadblocks in our children’s lives by devaluing Jesus as we, by our actions, teach that the world is more important and fulfilling. OR we believe that possibility of them being truly impacted by Him at this age is unlikely.
The rebuke that Jesus gave His disciples can easily be applied to us today… get out of the way, make a path, and present them to Jesus because He is the One they need.
Vacation Bible School is important because it is one of the ways we please God’s heart and bless a segment of His creation He immensely loves.
2. The Worth of the Child
This is significant because it teaches us about the Kingdom of God. It teaches us that not only is salvation available to children but they carry the qualities needed to experience it now. I don’t think many would argue with the thought that when Jesus says He comes so that we may have life and have it abundantly… we can look at children more often than not and see them living in a way that we are jealous of. They carry qualities, despite many having less than perfect living conditions, that allow them to have a deep rooted joy in their heart.
I believe we can see three qualities that attribute to this.
3 Qualities of a Child’s Heart that Leads to Joy
- The child goes to the heart of the issue
Children are basically uncomplicated and elemental. They don’t beat around the bush with things. They ask the tough questions that make parents grimace with discomfort. They’ll point out a big nose or a balding head without a second thought. You can avoid a subject for years with the dearest of friends but the child has no problem asking it.
But it’s this way in every facet of their lives. When their body is in need, they demand satisfaction. When they are sleepy, they can sleep anywhere. When they are hungry, they let you know what they want to eat. When they desire love, they seek out affection, when they are curious they explore. When they are adventurous, they jump.
What would change in our spiritual lives if we quit playing games with Jesus and just dove into this spiritual life He offers?
There is a need for us adults to become more like children and quit trying to play games with the Sovereign Creator of the Universe and embrace this life He offers.
- They are expressive in their sense of wonder
Lily has a My Little Pony nightlight in her room that when I turn on it shoots stars and kinds of other shapes and objects onto her ceiling. It has never failed that when she sees it her response it, “WHOA!!”
When it comes to Christianity and the story of the Bible… they still have the ability to believe the miraculous as we adults try our hardest to explain it away. They have the ability to get lost in Creation and believe God did it all. They have the ability to appreciate and take time to notice clouds and flowers and people and oceans while it’s all grown so common for us.
There is a need for us adults to slow down and get lost in the wonder of what God has created for us to enjoy and accomplished for us to believe.
- The humbly acknowledge their needs
Often this probably gets on our nerves as adults, but children have the ability to recognize when they are incapable of doing something on their own and need help. Unlike us adults who are prideful, children recognize their limitations and ask for help when it is needed.
There is a need for us adults to recognize our inability to live life wisely on our own and ask Jesus to lead us.
These qualities are essential to enter the Kingdom of God. Children not only have value intrinsically because they are created in the image of God and deeply loved by Him, but they also have value in teaching us what it means to know and believe the Gospel. Recognize the true issue is not your actions but your heart, humbly express your need for Jesus to rescue and get lost in the wonder of His love.