Become Like Little Children

Thank you, I think. Good morning to all of you. Nice to see you this morning. I hope you had a good rest. I struggled last night for a little bit because I couldn't find my Bible. I thought, wait a minute, I remember talking to a lot of people standing in line afterwards last night, and what did I do with that Bible? Did I leave it there? Maybe I left it in Mr. Walker's car. Couldn't figure it out. I looked around. Maybe I put it here in the motel room, and I just couldn't find it. I looked around, couldn't find it. So this morning I took a Gideon Bible. I didn't steal it. I told the lady at the desk, I'm taking your Gideon Bible out of there, but I will send it back with Mr. Walker today.

So I thought maybe it got lost in my Bible, but I have a red case on it, so it's pretty easy to find. It has my name on it. So anyway, we got into the car, and I looked in the back seat where I put my things last night when we went back from here. No Bible. I thought, well, they must be over here. Somebody probably found it and maybe turned it in. And look, went to get in the front seat, and there it was, right on the floor in the front seat.

So case of the lost Bible, it's been found. So I hope you're doing well today, this wonderful day of the feast. I have enjoyed myself being here. I will have to leave fairly soon after the children sing. My flight leaves at 1.15 in order to make it over to Salt Lake City, and then down to Escondido. It gets there about 5.41 this evening. So it's been wonderful being here with you. Thank you for your friendliness. I've met so many people. I've seen so many that I've met before and known before from being up in the Northwest a few times.

But thank you for your friendliness and warmth. I have really appreciated your love and your kindness and your kind words. So I wish you a wonderful rest of the feast, really, here as you continue. And hopefully one year I'll be able to come back here for the whole time because it is a beautiful area.

And all I've seen is the motel room, the jacuzzi, and apple bees. It's the only things I've seen. And all of you, of course, next time maybe I'll be able to see something else. Children are beautiful, especially little children. I remember being on a plane flight, and I'd look back when we started out, and there were some pretty grumpy people toward the back, grumpy-looking people.

But this little child, after the flight was in the air and they took the seatbelts off and everything, and this little child would stand up on the seat and look back over at the people behind. And I watched those faces that looked to me like they were grumpy because, you know, your face tends to sag a little bit around the lips and makes you look like you're upset. Anyway, I saw those faces smile. I saw this little child melt the hearts of older people, of people who looked like they were grumpy or sore or tired or achy or whatever else.

But when they looked at that little child, if you ever see a little, see people when they see someone carrying a little baby, you just want to touch that little baby's soft, smooth skin. It's so beautiful and it's so awesome. The heart and countenance of the grumpiest person turns fresh-faced because they see these little children. Children are willing to look you in the eye. You ever notice how children look you in the eye? You ever notice how when people get older they have heard of the looks?

They don't want to look you in the eye? Children don't mind looking you in the eye. They just study you. In fact, they like it when you look them in the eye, too, because it means you are paying attention to them. Sometimes when our little daughters were little, now they are in their 40s, but when they were little they would sit on my lap and I would be distracted for a moment when they were talking to me and they would grab my head and move it by cheeks so I was looking straight at them.

Children are wonderful. Children are beautiful. Matthew 18, verse 4. Matthew 18, verse 4. On this children's day we should think about children and we most of the time want children to learn from us. But today I would ask that we would learn from children. That we would learn seven points that come to children pretty naturally. Matthew 18, verse 1, though. At the same time came the disciples to Jesus saying, who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?

Am I going to be greatest? Don't you remember I did this? Don't you remember I wanted to call down fire from heaven? Don't you remember my mom used to bake you all those wonderful pita bread?

Can I be the greatest? Who's going to sit on your right hand? Who's going to be on your left? And Jesus called a little child to him. Now what's interesting, the little child went to him because the child was socialized. Called a little child to him and he set him in the midst of them. And he said, verily, verily, I say to you, truly I say to you that except you be converted and become as little children, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven.

How important is it that we become childlike? Not childish, childlike. If you can't become childlike, you can't enter the kingdom of God. And notice he says become converted first and then become childlike. Because unless you're converted, it's hard to become childlike. But we must become childlike. We should be studying young people, studying what they're like, and become like them. That's what Jesus Christ said, become like little children. If you can't, you can't be in the kingdom. So how important is it that we become like little children? Verse 4, Whosoever therefore shall humble himself, one of the key points, as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

And while humility will be my first point, there are several other lessons that we may learn from observing children. Matthew 19, verses 13 and 14, Christ's way of resolving some difficulties. Notice in Matthew 19, verse 13, Then there were brought to him little children, that he should put his hands on them and pray. You ever see people with new children that come?

Here, you want to hold my child? You want to hold my child? No, don't bother the master. He's too busy. He wants to preach to people. Don't bother him. He doesn't have time to hold little kids. And what did Jesus Christ say? They rebuked the people, but Jesus said, Suffer the little children. Permit the little children to come to me and don't forbid them. Jesus Christ had time for little kids. He had time for little kids because he saw in little kids a freshness. He saw in little kids no guile.

Most little kids don't know enough to be deceitful and guileful. They only learn that as they grow and watch adults. They don't know enough when they're little. That's why they blurred out things, and we'll talk about that as well. Because they don't know enough to be guileful. And Jesus Christ saw that. And He took them, and He said, For us, permit them to come to Me. For of such is the kingdom of heaven. And He laid His hands on them and departed. So becoming like a little child is really important. We may also learn from little children, just like the disciples did, and we must learn from little children if we're going to be in God's kingdom. So I have seven areas that I'll go through very quickly with you. This is not an in-depth sermon, and hopefully some of you little children will be listening and see if this is about like you. And I have some quotes from a book entitled, Children's Letters to God. It's compiled by Eric Marshall and Stuart Hample.

Children's Letters to God. I'll just illustrate each point with a little quote from one of the children. So first point is, children are humble. Children are humble. They're naturally humble. Why are they so naturally humble? Because they live in a world of kneecaps and thighs. That's all they see, kneecaps and thighs, kneecaps and thighs. And poor little kids, when they want to look at you, they've got to crack, creak their neck, strain it, and look up at you. So it's always a good idea when you talk to children to get down on your knees or to scoot down on your haunches and look them eye to eye. You save them hurting their neck and you save that superiority being over them. When you think about an adult and a little child, when that adult comes to a little child, let's say two or three years old and towers over them. And especially a man with a booming voice says, What are you doing? It's like Goliath being over them. You think, how tall are you in relationship to them? That's pretty scary and pretty frightening. Kids are just little. I remember as a child, I was little one time. I know it's hard to believe, but I was little. When I was little, the one thing I wanted to do, if I could just get to the place where I could get myself a glass of water myself, that I could reach over the sink and actually turn the faucet.

Prior to that time, I always had to ask my mother or my dad or somebody, my older brother, to get me a glass of water. It was so amazing when I was able to actually be tall enough to reach over the sink and get myself a glass of water. Children are naturally humble because that's their state. They have to look up to us. They're naturally humble. I want to read you a quote about humility and I'll read you a scripture. Here's a, I like this one. It says, Dear God, I am sending you a penny to give a kid poorer than me. Love, Donna. Now how could a kid be poorer than she when all she has to give is a penny? But poor little Donna, the humility that she had here, God, I'm giving you, ascending you a penny to give to a kid poorer than me. The humility expressed in that. But 1 Peter 5 and verse 6 were admonished by the Apostle Peter, 1 Peter 5 and verse 6. We read this, Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you in due time. Humble yourselves. In verse 5 he says, Be submissive to the older, youngers be submissive to the older. Yes, all of you be subject one to another and be clothed with humility. Clothed with humility. Because when you're humble, you can learn. When you're humble, you can be dealt with. When you're humble, you can be worked with. You're pliable. God can help shape you into the godly character that he wants you to have. So number one, one thing we learn from children, they're humble. Number two, children are open. Children are open. I have two quotes on this. Here's one quote. Dear God, my father said kids is the best time in life. Please tell me what good is it if we never get to stay up and watch anything? Pretty open, wasn't it? I think I have another one. The second one on openness, if I can find it here. Yes, here's the second one. And I like this one too. Dear God, I try to be like George Washington and never lie, but sometimes I miss. Ralph. Dear God, I try to be like George Washington and never lie, but sometimes I miss. So he's very open about himself. Kids can be open. Again, this is a wonderful thing. No guile. They're blunt. Sometimes they say things that you don't want them to say. Now be careful when you go to these people's place. Don't say this. Don't tell people about Christmas. You call it pagan and condemn it and all the rest.

Then you take them out and you expect them not to say it's pagan. Children are open.

Children are blunt. But openness is not bad because there's no guile. You know what they're thinking. You know what they're thinking. You know what's on their mind. I'm hungry.

I'm thirsty. I want something to eat because children are open. And that's a good thing.

Second Corinthians 6, verses 11 to 13. Second Corinthians 6, verses 11 to 13. The Apostle Paul really wanted to see people be open. He said in verse 11, oh, you Corinthians.

We had a hard time with the Corinthians church, the church of Corinth. Oh, you Corinthians, our mouth is open to you. Our heart is enlarged. We're open. You feel confident when you can talk to people who are open. If you're closed, nobody wants to talk to you. Why? Because you're not going to share anything with them. So why should I share anything with you? That's the feeling. Children are open. He says you're not straightened in us. We have room for you.

We're not constricted regarding you, but you're straightened in your own bowels, in your own emotions. Verse 13, now for a recompense in the same. Now, you know, let's have turnabout fair play. I speak as to my children. Be you also enlarged. God wants us as Christians to have an enlarged heart. Not physically. But He wants us to have openness where we can reach people, where we can accept people. I told them down in a meeting we had down in Escondido, you know, tolerance. Tolerance does not mean I agree with you. But I can tolerate, I can have tolerance towards you because if you have a different choice to make, a different religion as people have gone to, I may not agree with their choice, but I can respect them and respect that they have the ability to choose. I may not agree with them. Tolerance does not mean agreement. And so, again, are we open as individuals?

Are we open to others? Are we open to each other? Are we open to God? Or do we think we're covering things? God will never know about this because I didn't tell Him. You know, God knows, doesn't He? Be open. It's a wonderful trait to have. Children are open.

Lesson number three, little children are simple. Notice I didn't call them simpletons. Little children are simple. In other words, they're not complicated. What's that show they have on television? Are you as smart as a fifth grader? Is that what it is? Have you been on for years? Are you smart as a fifth grader? And sometimes you see the questions that are asked. I'm not as smart as a fifth grader. They learn. They know. Children are strong on the basics. They know their alphabet. They know they're counting one to ten and one to a hundred or whatever. Some of them go fast. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, one hundred. They get there fast. But children are simple. They're strong on the basics. I want to quote to you a quote about simplicity. Dear God, it's from Paul. Dear God, I am adopted. Is that as good as being real? Because children are simple. Is that as good as being real? I'm adopted. Second Corinthians chapter one verse twelve. Second Corinthians one and verse twelve. The Apostle Paul talking to the Corinthian church once again in chapter one and verse twelve. He says this, for our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God we have had our conduct in the world and more abundantly toward you.

This simplicity and godly sincerity. Second Corinthians eleven and verse three. Paul chided the church at Corinth and told them they needed to remember the basics and not be so complicated.

Second Corinthians eleven and verse three. Breaking into a thought, he said, but I fearless by any means as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety. Satan the devil is the one that's cagey and sly, tries to figure every angle, tries to catch you in this, that, or the other thing. That's Satan the devil's way. That's not God's way. God doesn't lay traps for you. God doesn't tempt you that way. He lets trials come your way to see what you'll do, but he doesn't tempt you. Who is the deceiver? Who's the one that's more subtle than any beast of the field? The serpent, which was emblematic of Satan the devil. But verse three says, but I fearless by any means as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your mind should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. God wants us to look at things simply. My wife and Penny Engelbart, as many of you remember Penny Engelbart from up here, we were served together in New York City. Neither one of them catches jokes, but they would laugh at them. If a joke was told and there was kind of like a little hidden meaning there, they didn't get it. And they would laugh. And somebody said to them one time, did you get it? What was the point? And they were stunned because nobody, they were just laughing to go along. They were laughing at other people laughing. And you know what my wife does now? If she doesn't understand a joke, she just looks at you.

And you know what I say to her? Way to go, because you're naive and that's good. That's you're simple. You don't catch a hidden meaning here and there. Good for you. Do you have godly simplicity? Or are you complicated? God wants us to be simple like little children.

Point number four is forgiving and loving. Do you ever notice how forgiving children are? I mean, you take them and they've done something wrong and you discipline them, whatever the means, and it doesn't always have to be spanking. And by the way, spanking does not necessarily make your kids want to love you. Okay, just thought I'd let you know that.

It doesn't make them loving human beings. You used to think, spank them. You spank them.

They're going to be really good. You're going to loving wonderful kids. Spank them. They'll be nice and kind. You know what they learn? When they get bigger, hit people! Now, I'm not saying don't spank. I spanked. But spanking should be reserved for issues that are really serious. There are plenty of ways to discipline children. They'll make them sit for a minute.

Now, you sit over here, but don't give them every benefit. Every benefit. Oh, here's serious. You can have the TV remote. You can have your books. You can have all your books.

You know what? That's fun! To be able to sit with all your toys around you, the only difference is you can't get up. If you're going to make them sit, make them sit. Sit there and hold your hands. Pull your heels. Think about what you did. You can't watch anything. You can't play with anything. You can't talk. Sit there. And when they're done, you bring them back. But they are forgiving. Because a few minutes later, they'll come back and crawl up in your lap and give you a hug. You have your children go to school. One of my daughters and they're growing up stages. They'll say, I hate this girl! You shouldn't hate them. I don't want to be around them anymore. I don't like them anymore. I don't like them. I'll never want to be with them again. Next day they come out, who'd you welcome with? Oh, that girl! I thought you said you hated her yesterday! Why, that was yesterday! They're forgiving. Boy, if only Christians could be like that. Wouldn't it be nice? Not only are they forgiving, they're also loving. They can come and hug you and love you. Let me read you a quote on forgiveness. From Teresa. Dear God, I know it says, turn the other cheek. But what if your sister hit you on the eye? Children are forgiving and they're also loving. Colossians 3. Colossians 3, verses 13 and 14. Colossians 3, we need to be forgiving and loving. Colossians 3, verses 13 and 14. Forbearing one another and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against you, even as Christ forgave you, so do you also. And verse 13, so do you, it says not also, so do you. Verse 14. And above all these things put on charity or love, which is the bond of perfection. Forgiveness and love flow together. Forgive someone. Love them. It's harder for me to tell somebody you're forgiven. Somebody comes to me and says, well, I did wrong, please forgive. It's hard to say, why me? Why are you asking me to forgive you when I need forgiveness from God? It's humbling to forgive somebody when you know that you need it from God in your life. But forgive and love we must do. That's another lesson we can learn from children.

Number five is dreaming. Dream. Dream. I want to be a cowboy. I want to be a princess. I want to be an inventor. I want to be an astronaut. I want to be a nurse. I want to be a school teacher. Or I have a lion in my backyard. You do. Don't you lie. They aren't lying. They just have magical thinking when they're little. My dad bought me a pony the other day. Or you just live in this little condo. How do you get a pony in your patio? But see, little children dream. And you know, it'd be nice for us to dream too. You need to dream about the kingdom of God. You need to dream about what God has in store for you and think about that. Let me read you one on dreaming from children's letters to God.

Dear God, I want to be an inventor, but I don't know what to invent. But I want to be one. I just don't know what to do. We need to dream. Hebrews 11. God's servants dreamed.

They thought about a future. Hebrews 11, verses 13 to 15. Hebrews 11 and verse 13.

These all died in faith, not having received the promises of all these heroes of faith, but having seen them afar off and were persuaded of them and embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth, just like we do at the Feast of Tabernacles.

We're here as strangers. We're here saying, you know what? This is temporary dwelling places. We may be inconvenienced living out of suitcases, not in our comfortable beds or whatever else. Verse 14, For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. And if truly they had been mindful of that country from where they had come out, they might not have had opportunity to return. If they kept thinking about Egypt, which they did from time to time, saying, well, the leaks and the cucumbers and all this, I wish I could have that again and at least a place that I could call home. And here I'm wandering around here, but they have the dream. But now they desire a better country.

That is a heavenly one that God's going to bring. Wherefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city, a city whose builder and maker is God. Dream. Think about the future. Dream about what God is going to do for you. Dream about what God has in store for you. Lesson number six is energetic. Energy. Children are energetic. Their motor is running all the time. You turn it off and it's still running. Right? They're just active. They're on the go. They're excited about things. They're ready to do things. They're zealous about the littlest things you give them to do. Children are energetic. Let me read you a quote about energy. I think I can find it. Here it is.

Children's letters to God. Dear God, Christmas, no, we don't keep Christmas, but listen to this little thing. Dear God, Christmas should be earlier because kids can only be good for so long.

They can only be good for so long. So the energy, they're excited. They want to get out and do things. Ecclesiastes 9 and verse 10. Ecclesiastes 9 and verse 10. We read this in the book of Ecclesiastes, this pithy, wise statement. Ecclesiastes 9 and verse 10. Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might. Look at the energy of children. Some things say, boy, if they ever have energy, they wear me out. We need to have that same type of energy spiritually in our dedication and zeal toward God. Luke chapter 10, verse 27. We read that we're to love God with all of our might and all of our being. We're to pray with all of our heart, energy toward God.

Number seven, the seventh point, my last one, is believing.

Children have an uncanny way of believing. I didn't know how to swim as a six, seven, eight-year-old, and I remember my dad who did know how to swim. He'd say, come on, Gar, lie down on your back. I'll keep my hands under you. His big electricians, at that time he was a mechanic as well, hands. And I just knew my dad would never let me go under. Sometimes he'd take his hands off my back to see if I could float instead of holding me up, but I never feared that he would let me go under. I believed him.

Children have a wonderful way of believing. They believe God. They believe what he has. They have complete trust. Why are they so devastated when they're hurt by their parents? Because they believe them, and their parents hurt them very hard for a child to recover from that.

He reads you one final quote. This is on belief.

Dear God, how do you feel about people who don't believe in you?

Somebody else wants to know. Your friend, Neil.

How do you feel about people who don't believe in you? Somebody else wants to know.

Your friend, Neil. Children have a wonderful way of believing, so must we. We must believe in God.

1 Samuel 17 verse 31. 1 Samuel 17 and verse 31.

When the words were heard, which David spoke, remember David, went down to visit his brothers, take some supplies to them, some cheese and bread, so on, care packages to his brothers in the military. And he heard this big galoot walking up and down and taunting the children of the armies of Israel and slamming their God. And he said, Who is that guy down there, anyway, saying all those things? Well, why doesn't somebody get on and fight him? Get on and clean his clock?

I can do it. David wasn't old enough to be in the military. At least he wasn't in the military, probably 16-17 years old. I could get on and do it. And then the word heard, all these mighty warriors said, David, go to Saul. Go fight him. We don't want to fight him. And David said to Saul, verse 32, Let no man's heart fail because of him. Your servant will get on and fight this Philistine. And Saul said to David, Why, you are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are but a youth. And he's a man of war from his youth. This man has been fighting since he's your age. And you're new at this. You're a novice. You're raw. You're a raw recruit.

What chance do you stand? And David said to Saul, Your servant kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion and a bear and a lamb out of the took took a lamb out of the flock.

And I went after him and I smote him, delivered him out of his mouth. And when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and I smote him and killed him. And your servant slew both the lion and the bear. And this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he has defiled the armies of the living God. And David said, Moreover, here's belief, the Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion and out of the paw of the bear, he shall deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said that David go and the Lord be with you. He believed. You and I also have to believe. Trust God. Trust God to guide us and help us through. But children have a wonderful way of believing. I know my little my daughter Jan, when she gets sick and it was a real sickness, she'd say, Dad, could you anoint me? So I would anoint her. Next day she was better. It happened so many times that she just believed God would heal. She just believed God is merciful and gracious.

And God wants us to be like little children. As I bring this to a close, let me summarize that we need to learn from little children. We need to become humble, open, simple, forgiving and loving, dreaming, energetic and believing. I'll leave you with this thought.

Saul was chosen to be the first king of Israel. And when God went to when God had his prophet go to ordain him to be king, he said, Why me? And Saul towered head and shoulders above every other Israelite. He said, Why me? I come from this small tribe of Benjamin. Why are you picking me to be king? I'm no good. I can't do this. He said, Well, God wants you. And then later on, Saul took it upon him to tread into the office of the priesthood and do those things that he thought was best and not listen to God. You know what God's statement was to him? When you were little in your own sight, God made you ruler over Israel. Brethren, if we can become like little children and stay little in our own sight, God will make us rulers in the kingdom of God.

Now, you have a wonderful rest of the feast. And to conclude my sermon, you out on the webcast, you're not going to hear this, but those here in the auditorium are going to hear Mike Hale sing just like little children. And then we'll have the announcements, or another song in the announcements.