Whoever Humbles Himself As a Little Child

I think I began by mentioning that Jewish tradition during the exile had the fact that parents would bring their little children to be blessed by the rabbis, or at that time the elders of the synagogue. It's the Talmud that teaches us that. And in Judaism, there was a special day that was set aside to do that. And the day that they set aside was the day before Yom Kippur.

Because the reasoning was that if the children received a blessing from the rabbi on the day before Yom Kippur, that the children would be included, or the atonement the next day would also apply to their children. So that was the reasoning behind it. And there is no biblical teaching regarding that, per se, but I just wanted to give you a little history of how that happened. I also mentioned how the modern history of the church, the blessing of the little children, well into the 1960s, always occurred at the Feast of Tabernacles.

So I can remember when my oldest daughter, Kelly, was born. Was it during the feast? Yeah, and I don't know why that year they had the blessing of the little children at the old big tabernacle building in Texas. But I can remember taking my daughter, Kelly, in a little carrier, little rainbow carrier, walking down, what, two weeks old or less, maybe about Luke's age.

Something like that, taking little Kelly down there, and she was blessed by an old-time minister named Selmer Havel, who died a number of years ago. And she was blessed at that time. So those of us who have been in the church have very fond memories of the blessing of the little children. We took a look at Mark's account.

Let's take a look at Matthew's account, Matthew 19 and verse 13, if you'll turn there with me. Matthew 19 and verse 13. It says, This is more of a mild definition of what Jesus said, Matthew's account. But Jesus said, Let the little children come to me, and do not forbid them. For such is the kingdom of heaven. And he laid hands on them and departed from there. Picking it up now, I'm going to read verses 13 through 15 from the translation, New Century Version.

Then the people brought their little children to Jesus, so he could put his hands on them and pray for them. His followers told them to stop. But Jesus said, Look, the little children come to me, don't stop them. Remember, Mark's account said that he was displeased. So it's a much stronger interpretation of what Jesus' reaction was in Mark. Don't stop them, because the kingdom of heaven belongs to people who are like these children.

And after Jesus put his hands on the children, he left there. So Jesus makes a profound statement here, and a spiritual truth. He said that the literal kingdom of heaven, the very one we were celebrating two weeks ago, around the world at various feast sites, belongs to people who are like these children. So what did he mean by this comment?

Well, small children have qualities that are also part, similar to that of a converted mind. For example, a small child is dependent on their parents. Little Luke was laying there. Little Luke is dependent on mom and dad for everything.

Mom and dad have to feed him, have to wipe his little bum when it gets soiled, has to keep him warm. If he gets overheated, has to take some clothes off and cool him off, has to touch him and love him and care for him.

So he doesn't have this attitude of independence. So I can do it all myself. You got to get to what? Two, three, four years old before that begins to set in. No, not me. You don't need to tie my shoes, mom and dad. I can do it. But you're at a certain stage when you're a little child where you are totally dependent, trusting in faith, that your parents are going to provide every need.

Luke has no doubt in his mind that mom and dad are going to provide a need for him. The next time he squawks for one reason or another, he's going to be taken care of, isn't he? He has faith and belief that his parents love him so much that they will take care of that need.

Balanced small children are humble. I know this doesn't last very long and children are different, but many children are humble. Humble to the point where if they're standing in a room and normally when you're a small child, everyone else is bigger than you are. The surroundings are bigger than you are. Think of how many children grab onto their dad's leg and look around. They want that security. They're just kind of neat and humble and they're kind of intimidated by the bigness of everything.

So there's a humility that is part of being a small child. Children have a natural thirst for learning. You get to a point in life where you think you know it all. But small children, their minds are like a sponge. They're just constantly trying to learn everything that they can. Every day is an exciting new adventure. Every day is an opportunity to learn something new. Children soon get over correction.

When you correct a small child, yeah, they may yelp and get upset, but usually within a few minutes they get distracted and they're on to something else. You've got to be an adult like the rest of us to hold anger and bitterness for 40-50 years.

That's an adult characteristic. My husband in 1964 told me I have a bad breath and I've never gotten over that. But that's the way we are as adults.

I mean, I say that and no one's ever said that to me. I just made it up. But the point is that's the way we are as adults. We hold on to hurts. We don't let things go.

In contrast to a child, when they get corrected, when they get something a little whacked, they complain naturally. But they get over it and they move on with life. And they don't hold bitter grudges on others. Children have an excitement about each new day and the opportunities each new day brings. I was reminded that at the Feast of Chabernacles, BJ and I were very blessed to have all six of our grandchildren at the feast site with us. And the great thing about children, grandchildren, each day is an exciting new adventure. They're going to learn something new. They're going to get to play. They're going to get to do some things that they really want to do. They have a whole different perspective on life compared to us jaded, cranky, constipated old people who are so much in a rut that if we look straight up, maybe between the walls, if we look high enough, we'll see some light. That's how deep in the rut some of us are. But for them, each day is an exciting opportunity to see and do something new and different. All of these childlike qualities are what Jesus said is important for people who belong in the kingdom of God. But did you know that the story of the disciples attempting to stop children having access to Christ is also a metaphor to a greater problem? It's a problem that has plagued churches for 2,000 years. This was the typical attitudes and conduct that they reflected of the Sadducees and the Pharisees who thought they were superior to the Great Unwashed. Once again, it reflects an arrogant attitude of entitlement. Their theology implied that for people to have a relationship with God, one had to get approval from them before that was possible. And I've seen this approach from many in my lifetime. Oftentimes, individuals start their own group. They give themselves an artificial title. Then they're creating hierarchical structures. It's God, it's them, and then everything else. And it is implied that only by serving them, only by idolizing them, you can have a relationship with God. And that's been a problem going all the way back to the Sadducees and the Pharisees and the distorted attitudes that people had in the very day of Jesus Christ. And that is what he is condemning here. Jesus Christ is saying, get out of God's way, religious leaders. You cannot get in between people, the children, and their God. You know, we have a very significant branch of Christianity today that is headquartered in Rome. I'll let you guess what it is. And its entire theology is built on the fact that if you want forgiveness, you go to the priest, and you tell the priest all of your sins. So basically what you're doing through that theology is you're basically saying that only by going through the priest do you have access to God. Or you have to go and pray to Jesus's mother or one of hundreds of saints in order to be able to have access to God, to get God's favor. And that is totally contrary to what Jesus Christ taught. What he taught his disciples, what he teaches his ministry today, is point the way. Get out of the way. Encourage. Inspire people. Point them to the Father. Tell them about the Father. Tell them about the Son. And point the way. And let them have access. Encourage them to have access to God. Don't try to manipulate them. Don't try to insert yourself in between to control them. Just point the way. Let's now go to Matthew 18 and verse 1. I think this is just a chapter or so back. Back just a few verses. And we'll see another teaching moment that the disciples didn't get because of their selfishness and their carnality that probably led to everything that we just read here in Matthew 19.

It says, at that time the disciples came to Jesus saying, who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven? Then Jesus called a little child to him and sent him in the midst of them. So this little child is a prop. He's going to make this a teaching moment. And he said, assuredly I say to you, unless you are converted, that's number one. The first thing you have to do is you have to be what you're not now. You have to be what's called converted. He says to them, that's number one. And that'll come in the day of Pentecost. And become as little children some of those qualities that we talked about earlier. Spiritual qualities. And become as little children you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one little child like this in my name receives me. Jesus says, it's just like you receive me. Some little child comes up to you with a need and you take the time and you stop and you hear them out. You try to help them if at all possible. You encourage them. Whatever it is that you do, you receive them. However, you want to define that. It's just like receiving Jesus Christ. And I hope as a congregation we can all get to the point where no matter what a child's age is, from the age of Luke to 21, because we're basically talking about children today, including young adults, that everyone is comfortable to come up and talk to us about any manner. And that we receive them. That we're approachable. That we encourage them. We're solution providers for a problem that they might have. Verse 6, But whoever causes one of these little ones to believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were drowned in the depths of the sea. Woe to the world because of offenses, for offenses must come. But woe to that man by whom the offenses go. So Jesus proclaims that we must be converted and become as a little child to enter the kingdom of heaven.

I'd like to talk about God's church and particularly some of the blessings we have, geographically, at our Cleveland congregation in God's church. I want to make it very plain. We are a family-friendly church. We love little children. Little children are just our present. Little children are our future. We have a nursery here because we love our little children. We want them to get off to a good start. We have a playroom for children. We have youth educational programs for little children. We have activities for children. We choose to have family worship, meaning even though we do youth education during the sermonette portion, we want our children in here with us worshiping as a family for the main part of our messages for our sermons.

We love children. I'm just going to give it to you from my perspective. That is, I don't get upset if a child starts squawking or making noise. How is that any worse than your cell phone going off during my sermon? Hint, hint.

If they make a little noise, that's okay. I mean, if out of love is apparent, if it gets to a point where it's distracting, then I encourage you to take them to the social hall where we have services on a TV. We have audio. We have video. You can calm them down. They can sit in a chair out there. They can be a little loud until they settle down. We provide those kinds of things here because we love children. We've moved far beyond just putting children in a little blanket in front of a seat and saying, put your head down for the next two hours.

We want our children to have positive memories of being part of God's Church.

We don't want our children to have negative memories of what worship is and what worship is all about. I want you to notice in what we just read that Jesus draws an analogy here between a small physical child and one who is new and tender in the faith. To warmly receive and love someone who is new in the faith is to receive Jesus Christ. And, you know, they may not have it all together yet. They may be struggling with something. Who knows, at home they may be smoking.

They may be doing some things that we don't agree with or believe is right.

But what Jesus Christ wants us to do is receive them and love them with unconditional love and let God work with them to help them to grow into change. But certainly not to offend them.

You know, I can remember some days in the past here.

On this day, the blessing of the little children, it would be the day of the blessing of the little children. I was just an elder at that time and grandparents would bring in their grandchildren and the pastor would become visibly upset when grandparents would bring their grandchildren in who weren't attending Sabbath services regularly. The pastors would become visibly upset. What is what are they doing here? They're not going to raise them in God's way of life.

They're not attending church services. Well, the scriptures we read, did Jesus say, before you bring those kids to me, are their parents weekly synagogue attendees?

Do they offer make offerings at the temple during three times of the year? No, Jesus didn't care about that. Human beings, carnal, selfish human beings, care about that. Jesus Christ cared about serving them. If their parents respected Jesus Christ enough as a servant, as someone who physically healed and physically encouraged people and wanted their children blessed by Him, He considered it an honor. He wasn't there to control people, to manipulate people, to decide who's good enough and who ain't good enough. He was there to serve.

Because He got what humility is all about. And I hope that we do too, brethren.

Let's go to Matthew 5 and verse 5.

I'd like to read to you what Holman's Bible dictionary says about humility.

Quote, The person with humility does not look down on others. Humility in the New Testament is closely connected with the quality of meekness.

While God resists those who are proud, He provides grace for the humble Primary in the New Testament is a conviction that one who has humility will not be overly concerned about his or her prestige. Let me read that again, the last part. Primary in the New Testament is a conviction that one who has humility will not be overly concerned about his or her prestige. Let's take a look at Matthew chapter 5 and verse 5 and see who will inherit the earth. Is it jaded adults? Know-it-alls? People who have obsessive compulsive disorders about rules? Here's what it says. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. This is from the Greek word praus and it means those who are mild, humble, and meek. I like the way that it's here in the New century version. Those who are humble are happy because the earth will belong to them.

And I might also add that those who are humble are happy because they have learned that it takes far too many emotional resources to spend all day judging everyone else who isn't just like you. It's exhausting being the ruler of the universe. It really is. Just let it go.

And if you're humble and your main focus is on becoming like your elder brother Jesus Christ, then you'll be happy because you won't be wasting all of those emotional, mental resources on things you cannot change and frankly people who don't care about what you think anyway.

Here's what the Believer's Study Bible says. Meekness never implies weakness.

In contrast to weakness, meekness is controlled strength. It's an attitude of heart in which all energies are brought into the perfect control of the Holy Spirit. Continuing again, this is the Believer's Study Bible. The meek inherit the earth not by conquering in this present dispensation, but by achieving ultimate victory during the final manifestation of the kingdom or the millennium.

Let's take a look at another example of Jesus trying to teach something to his disciples. Mark chapter 9 and verse 33. I always liked this episode because the disciples, I don't think, fully understood that Jesus Christ exactly knew what they were talking about. He just wanted to know if they had the courage to admit it. Mark chapter 9 verse 33.

I don't know the one day that I really do need vodka to give me water.

I have to talk to the maintenance crew. Mark chapter 9 verse 33. Then he came to Capernaum, but when he was in the house, and this may very well have been a house that he owned in Capernaum, by the way, he asked them, what was it? You disputed among yourselves on the road.

I heard an argument going on. Tell me, what were you guys arguing about? Verse 34.

But they kept silent. You know, he was Jesus Christ. He knew exactly what the argument was about.

And he just wanted to see who had the courage to fess up and say, oh wow, we were arguing about which one of us is greatest. But they kept silent on the road. They had disputed among themselves who would be greatest. And he sat down and called the twelve and said to them, if anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all. Then he took a little child, once again, beautiful prop, set them in the midst of him. And when he had taken him in his arms, he said to them, whoever receives one of these little children in my name receives me. His message to them is this little child represents one of the congregational members that someday you as disciples will be trustees of. And you need to receive them. And you need to love them. Because when you receive them and you love them, you receive me and you love me. When you try to insert yourself and get between me and them, then that tells me something as well. Continuing verse 37, whoever receives one of these little children in my name receives me, whoever receives me receives not me, but he who sent me. So you receive the Father as well. You have a total complete relationship with God.

Again, another teaching moment. There are so many examples of the carnality of the disciples. They were at this point in their lives carnal and selfish. Like far too many people, they were concerned with status and power and what everyone else thought of them, how important they thought they were. They didn't understand that in the kingdom greatness is defined by service. It's not defined by celebrity titles, who you know, who you think you know, where you attended. None of that means anything to God. So again, Jesus uses the child as a prop to teach a valuable lesson.

Let's now contrast this attitude of little children. We've been talking about Jesus using little children as an example of the attitude that it takes to be in the kingdom of God. Let's now go forward to Matthew chapter 21 verse 12 and see a beautiful event that occurs in the temple. And who gets the praise in this event? Is it the cynical, all-knowing religious leaders, those who have created the myriad of rules and regulations to control people, to control everyone's access to God? Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all of those who bought and sold in the temple, overturned the tables of the money changers in the seats of those who sold doves. And he said to them, it was written, My house shall be called house of prayer, but you have made it a den of Thebes. Then the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. But when the chief priest and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and I want you to pick this up, off and over-missed, the children crying out in the temple and saying, Hosanna, which in Hebrew means, oh save, there's a savior here, oh save, Hosanna to the son of David. Oh save, this was an exclamation of adoration towards the son of God, the son of David. And the children crying out in the temple and saying, Hosanna to the son of David, they were indignant and said to him, do you hear what these are saying? And Jesus said to them, yes, have you never read, he quotes out a psalm 8, out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants, you have perfected praise. Then he left them and went out to the city of Bethany and lodged there.

So who were doing the right thing here? It was the little children. The same type of attitude, the same prop, the same examples that he used in front of his disciples all the time to say, this is a kind of attitude, the kind of qualities, the kind of characteristics that you need to have to be in the kingdom of God. Who were the grouchy, complaining, cynical? It was the chief priests and the scribes. All of that wonder, people being healed, just so many, everything that's happening there is good. How could you complain about anything that Jesus Christ is doing here in the temple? Unless you were getting a little bit of a kickback from the people at the tables, right? Unless that was happening for you, how could you complain about people being healed? The blind, the lame, coming to the temple and being healed by Jesus Christ himself? Longtime personal afflictions? Gone! But it wasn't good enough for them.

I should have noticed that it was the small, humble, simple children who spontaneously began this refrain. They were exalting the Savior, who was the descendant of King David, fulfilling prophecy. Remember, it was Jesus who said that the meek shall inherit the earth.

All right, let's go to our final scripture today. I don't know what's more painful. Me giving this sermon or you listening to it? So we'll go to the final scripture today.

Micah chapter 6 and verse 6. Micah chapter 6 and verse 6.

The prophet Micah was inspired to write, With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God?

Shall I come before him with burnt offerings? That'll please God. Yeah, you know, if I just do that burnt offering thing, then God will be pleased. With calves a year old, will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams? I'll go beyond that. If I give God, with God a thousand rams, will then he be happy? If I come before his presence, will I be acceptable to him? Will he look down upon me with love as a child?

How about ten thousand rivers of oil, anointing oil or olive oil? Then God will like me.

Then God will accept me. Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression? Shall I even offer my child as a sacrifice? Think of how contrary that is to the meaning of this day. The prophet Micah writes, Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression the fruit of my body, for the sin of my soul? And here's the answer. He has shown you, O man, what is good? You don't have to guess all those things. Rituals don't cut it. Taking things and waving them and shaking it to the left and shaking it to the right and doing all, oh, well, that's the way the ancient Hebrews did it. God could care less about that. All of those rituals and ceremonies are obsolete. That means absolutely nothing to God. But here's what means everything to God. This is what the Lord requires of you to do justly, be a person of justice, fairness, kindness. Think of all of the fruits of God's Holy Spirit, to love mercy rather than sit in judgment of everything and everybody and waste all of your emotional resources being dictator of earth. In contrast to that, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. He says that's all that God asks. Don't worry about the rituals. Don't worry about duplicating things that rabbis did and all these people do because they think God will love me if I just do this. It means nothing to God. It's all human reasoning.

It's living in the wrong covenant. So today we've had a simple ceremony that reminded us of the kind of attitude that will inherit the family of God and will inherit the kingdom of God. Let us remember the positive, life-changing, childlike qualities that please God and that make it possible for us to have a deep and fulfilling relationship with Him as our spiritual Father.

Of all of them, perhaps the most essential, is humility. Have a wonderful Sabbath. I would appreciate your continued prayers this coming week and I wish all of you Godspeed and a wonderful Sabbath day.