Childlike

Have you ever heard someone look at kids and say oh to be young again?

To be able to let go of the responsibilities - be carefree - and rely on someone else for every need

Sometimes adulting stinks! Sometimes it is filled with choices and decisions and stresses that weigh us down and leave us struggling to get through...

However many have grown accustom to being able in control and demand the ability to manipulate our futures

Lately, we are learning to walk so much more by faith than sight - the ability to manipulate our futures and lives have been removed from our control - we are having to trust what we cannot see

There is so much out of our control like never before. You see the responses, the division, the upset across our nation, we all feel the many frustrations whether it is at a virus, a governor or political party, media, or people who do things differently than we want...

Yet, when it comes to our faith in Christ - we are called to be like children...

Mark 10:13–16 NLT

13 One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could touch and bless them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him. 14 When Jesus saw what was happening, he was angry with his disciples. He said to them, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. 15 I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” 16 Then he took the children in his arms and placed his hands on their heads and blessed them.

More important in this passage than the fact that Jesus views children with great value and love, is the admonition made for us to be like the little children.

That does not mean God is calling to ride our bikes all day, and play with toys. It is dealing with the simple trust and need that is in the life of the child.

1. What does it mean to be like a child?

A child is dependent for everything they need - they have to cry out for help.

Children are POWERLESS over their lives… they have no inherent power for self protection

No ability to ensure that their lives will be safe, comfortable or fulfilling - they are reliant on a parent, guardian or adult to do this for them.

Completely reliant on another for love, care and nurture of their basic needs

The reality is that if those needs are unmet, sometimes the only thing they can do is CRY OUT to be heard, often not even knowing what they are in need of or how to ask for it -

They have no choice but to trust that someone more powerful than they will be merciful and reach out to help them

A child will cry equally as loud for something they want as for something that they need, but that child does not have the discernment to actually know the difference, and often can cry for something that is not good for them.

They are dependent on another to lead and guide them to what is right, not what is wanted!!!

Are you catching the reasoning behind what Jesus said when He said we have to become like children.

Often, even as adults we can become self centered, needy, we carry the baggage of life into our adulthood, and we are not discerning about what we need and what we want.

Yet, we hold the power and are often unrelenting to allow our Heavenly Father to assist us in discerning what is right and what is wrong for our lives.

In fact, the more powerlessness we experience - the more we often fight against what can often be the best thing for us!

A few weeks ago I preached a message on Trusting in the Lord and not leaning on our own understanding…

A child has no understanding --- a little child has not come to know what the consequences of choice really are yet in life --- therefore they are able to lean on the understanding of a parent that has shown themselves to be dependable...

An abused child will just grow in fear and insecurity - which has led to many issues for those who experience this and do not overcome when they become adults...

God is our PERFECT FATHER...

Romans 8:15 NLT

15 So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.”

Ok, this verse says that OUR HEAVENLY FATHER is our DADDY (Abba) or the kind of Dad that is perfect, caring, providing, and guiding! He can be trusted!!!

The obstacles to our being vulnerable to trust, then come from our lives

2. What are the obstacles to being vulnerable?

Let’s take a few moments to discuss some of those obstacles.

We know that there is no such thing as a perfect earthly parent!! We are all human and thus have our share of shortcomings and mistakes...

This can play out into our adult hood with insecurity and over compensation for fears we developed as children from being raised by less than perfect people, some way worse than others - but all fallible!

Painful childhood memories = Need for control !

For those who experienced neglect physically, emotionally, or spiritually...

For those who had trust betrayed in physical, emotional or sexual abuse...

For those who witnessed domestic violence against another parent or even those who experienced a traumatic event, or injury --- the ability to trust or be vulnerable can become very difficult.

Many have said I will never allow myself to be hurt, abused, taken advantage of again, and therefore refuse to let down the guards needed to allow God to truly be the author and guide of our life, because we do not trust Him to do so...

This mistrust translates into receiving the Kingdom of God and its benefits in our lives because we place walls up.

We struggle in being completely vulnerable to a loving God and surrendered to him even when we have no clue what we truly need -

We fail to believe He will meet our needs the best and only hold onto what we can actually see or manage ourselves...

This even happens with our salvation… Our God has been merciful to show us amazing grace that we cannot earn or deserve, but we refuse to be vulnerable to that grace and we either spend our lives trying to

--- EARN HIS GRACE

or

--- MAKE HIM PROVE HIS GRACE

we call the one WORKS and the other SINFUL DISOBEDIENCE

Thus - a struggle ensues in our walk with God and fully embracing the KINGDOM OF GOD as His children...

3. What is childlikeness in the Kingdom of God?

So lets bring this together.

Jesus says if you want to be in His kingdom you have to become like a child!!!

There is nothing here that presents as optional!

Faith brings vulnerability and requires dependence on God the Father!

Our independence in many ways becomes pride and a refusal to submit ourselves to the Lordship and LEADERSHIP of Christ!

We think we know what is best and insist on it...

I think one of the important factors here is that it refers to LITTLE CHILDREN — there is a big difference between a 3 year old and 10 year old...

Our dependency is called to be that of a toddler trusting Jesus!

If we never have a NEED for Jesus in our spirit, can we truly trust HIM??? and as we go on through life, are we too live in NEED of HIM???

Matthew 5:3 NLT

3 “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

The very cry of a child reaching out is a demonstration of need!

As long as we are self serving, supplying for self, resting in our own knowledge and reasoning we are not living in NEED of JESUS.

CONCLUSION

To be childlike is to have need of and dependency on another to discern and provide for us...

Vulnerability has to take us away from our own control and the effects we may have grown with in our lives that keep us from trusting...

Directing that trust and dependency toward Christ is embracing the essence of His kingdom --

Will you approach Christ with child like faith today?

Is Christ allowing the situations at hand in your life today to teach you to truly trust in Him?

Have you allowed your life events to make you EARN or ABUSE His grace in your life, or are you receiving it with a child like faith?

2 Corinthians 5:7 NLT

7 For we live by believing and not by seeing.

A child does not see his answer being met, a child sees the one who will meet the need!