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[540.42 --> 547.02] times in one day kids will ask for your help. One day. You sit down, mom, can you do this? |
[547.02 --> 551.70] Kids say, dad, can you do this? Like it's like endless. I mean, parents talking after the 9 a.m. |
[551.72 --> 556.66] service, this was a conversation. Like so many things. Help me brush my teeth. Help me get dressed. |
[557.00 --> 560.74] Help me get this food ready. Change my diaper. Or if they're really young, they just point. They're |
[560.74 --> 567.76] like, yeah, needs attention right here. Kids need help. And the punchline, don't miss this, |
[568.08 --> 572.18] Jesus draws attention probably to a little girl, let's say, in this group where he's teaching. |
[572.18 --> 579.08] And he says to the adults, that's what you need to be like in order to enter the kingdom of heaven. |
[580.46 --> 586.58] That's a hard teaching. Especially if you grow up in a Western society like ours that prizes |
[586.58 --> 592.88] and forms us, even in ways we don't realize, to become self-sufficient, self-dependent, |
[593.44 --> 598.06] independent people, right? The goal of most of our lives, whether it's told to us or not, |
[598.06 --> 603.16] it's like you need to take control of your life, make your own decisions, make your own leadership, |
[603.56 --> 607.74] make your own way, all the rest. And Jesus says, I want you to be like a child, |
[608.52 --> 614.02] dependent, vulnerable, and trusting. That's really hard for us. |
[615.58 --> 619.56] I read this quote a few months ago, but I'm coming back to it again this morning. It's from Tim Keller, |
[619.92 --> 624.42] and he writes in one of his books, he said, accepting Jesus requires humility |
[624.42 --> 632.14] humility because we will need to admit that we cannot save ourselves by our own means. |
[633.14 --> 639.18] And I just want to underscore how true that is. It takes humility to be part of the church. It |
[639.18 --> 644.30] takes humility to accept Jesus. And one of the things I've learned as I've been pastoring at Hope, |
[644.76 --> 648.24] as I've heard different testimonies on the stage or people coming to become Christians, |
[648.24 --> 656.74] their story always includes a season or a moment of God humbling them. You ever notice that? And |
[656.74 --> 660.16] maybe that's true of your life too. It's like God has a way of saying, you think you're something, |
[660.54 --> 664.80] you think you know how to run your life, now it's going to get tough. Now this is going to happen. |
[664.88 --> 668.42] I'm going to allow you to experience this, and it's going to humble you, and then you're going to be |
[668.42 --> 673.86] in the place where you're willing to say, I can't run my life. I don't know how to do this. |
[673.86 --> 681.66] And I'm willing to ask for help. I'm willing to ask for grace. I'm willing to allow Jesus to take |
[681.66 --> 688.60] control. It takes humility. And many of us, it takes years sometimes, we realize at some point |
[688.60 --> 695.16] or another that our looks, our finances, our job, our competency, the intelligence we have, |
[695.24 --> 701.34] the followers we have on social media, all the friends we have, none of that matters to get us |
[701.34 --> 708.92] into the kingdom of heaven. It is vulnerable, dependent trust. It's becoming like a child, |
[709.04 --> 716.66] and man is that hard. And I would add, not only does it take humility and vulnerability and trust |
[716.66 --> 722.10] to get into the kingdom, is what Jesus is saying, but as God takes hold of your life as you follow |
[722.10 --> 729.12] Jesus, the goal of God and His discipleship of our lives is to make us humble, to follow the way of |
[729.12 --> 735.64] Jesus. If we're following Jesus, the way He's going to lead us is the path of humility. Or as Pastor Sid |
[735.64 --> 739.82] has often said behind the pulpit, I think it might be one of his favorite passages, echoing the words |
[739.82 --> 745.70] of John in the Gospel of John chapter 3, where he says, as he looks at Jesus, he must become greater, |
[746.82 --> 755.08] I must become less. There's something about following Jesus that requires all of us to take a tight |
[755.08 --> 764.00] fist and slowly unclench it and allow Jesus to have control. Handing over the reins, asking for His help, |
[764.32 --> 770.06] trusting that He loves us and He leads us. That is the journey of a Christian. And by the way, if you're new |
[770.06 --> 776.66] to the faith or you're exploring the faith, this is where Jesus will take you. And guess what? It's a beautiful |
[776.66 --> 784.18] path. I mean, that vulnerability and that trust of a child is exactly what Jesus wants in us. And as we |
[784.18 --> 789.62] live with that dependence, as we live with that vulnerability, He shows up in provision, He shows |
[789.62 --> 797.66] up as a heavenly Father, and He leads us in the way of life. That's the first half of this passage, |
[798.18 --> 802.56] becoming like children. And now I want to turn to draw our attention to what I think are a very, |
[802.56 --> 808.58] great. This is a very hard teaching of Jesus, and that is in 6 and 7. Let me read it for us. |
[808.68 --> 815.16] If any one of these little ones, those who believe in me, if, sorry, if anyone causes these little ones, |
[815.24 --> 819.80] those who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung |
[819.80 --> 826.76] around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. Woe to the world because of the things |
[826.76 --> 831.50] that cause people to stumble. Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come. |
[831.50 --> 835.68] Now, that is a hard teaching. Wouldn't you agree? It's kind of teaching you're like, wow, |
[835.80 --> 843.52] why did Jesus say that? That's a strong statement. And He wants us to be struck by it. He wants to grab |
[843.52 --> 849.06] our attention. He wants us to stop and take a good hard look at the children He's entrusted to us and |
[849.06 --> 854.88] ask, how are we raising them? How are we teaching them? How are we discipling them? How are we modeling |
[854.88 --> 863.08] life in Jesus in front of them? Now, the image of being drowned by a millstone is a severe image, |
[863.64 --> 868.08] and if you read any commentary, they'll all say that Jesus is speaking in what's called hyperbole. |
[868.58 --> 875.50] He's exaggerating to make His point as forcefully and strongly as He can. There are, as Jesus is |
[875.50 --> 881.28] putting it, consequences to messing with His children. There are consequences to abusing children. |
[881.28 --> 886.64] There are consequences to taking advantage of children for one's own gain. There are consequences |
[886.64 --> 895.20] to destroying their innocence because they belong to Jesus. And there is a day when every single one of us |
[895.20 --> 901.66] has to stand before Jesus Himself and give an account not just for our own lives, but our lives |
[901.66 --> 907.04] with the kids He entrusted us to, the people He put in front of us to disciple, to train, to teach, |
[907.04 --> 914.96] to love. We will have to give an account. And it's worth teasing out even what He means by causing to |
[914.96 --> 920.36] stumble. That can take many different shapes. Causing children to stumble can be abuse, physical, |
[920.60 --> 927.52] emotional, mental abuse, manipulation of kids for our own gain. It can be neglect, allowing them to be |
[927.52 --> 931.30] raised by someone other than you, allowing them to do their own thing on their devices and allow that |
[931.30 --> 936.68] be their formation rather than you. It could be wickedly behaving in front of them and never telling |
[936.68 --> 941.80] them the way that they should live. And this week in my reading, I realized that a lot of historical |
[941.80 --> 949.08] teachers on Matthew 18 have said, a key piece is also false teaching. And our words, we have to |
[949.08 --> 952.96] remember our words and our lifestyle have so much power. And when we tell a child, this is how you |
[952.96 --> 958.30] should live, and that is not true, that is a very dangerous thing. Or when we withhold from them the |
[958.30 --> 963.32] right way to live, that is also a very dangerous thing. Our words and our influence have tremendous |
[963.32 --> 969.44] power over our children. And I learned in my reading this week that in the Jewish time of |
[969.44 --> 975.74] Jesus' day here, that one of the worst sins in the Jewish mentality was not just sin you committed, |
[975.86 --> 983.00] but it was enticing another person to sin, causing another person to stumble, being the temptation for |
[983.00 --> 988.16] another person, having sort of a responsibility in the downfall of another person, particularly |
[988.16 --> 997.72] those who are vulnerable. And now I want to pause and just recognize that most parents, as we hear |
[997.72 --> 1002.80] this, we feel that weight, right? We all know as parents that we fail our kids in one way or another. |
[1002.92 --> 1008.04] We all know that we've inherited generational sin, and we often transfer that down to our children, |
[1008.14 --> 1011.70] whether we see it or not. And often when we see it, it's too late, and our kids are grown up, and |
[1011.70 --> 1015.46] they have all the same dysfunction that we have. Anyone else had that? Where you're like, |
[1015.46 --> 1018.64] I'm never going to do this. And then you do it. You're like, how did I do that? These are my kids. |
[1018.66 --> 1023.88] I thought I knew better. But let me emphasize what Jesus Himself emphasizes in His ministry, |
[1024.60 --> 1030.32] that there is grace that is abundant for our sin. And it is never too late to repent of sin |
[1030.32 --> 1034.48] towards our kids. It's never too late to say those powerful words to our kids, which is, |
[1034.88 --> 1039.52] I'm so sorry. Will you forgive me? Whether they're still young or they've grown up and hold that |
[1039.52 --> 1043.86] resentment towards you for the way you parented. It's never too late to ask for that grace |
[1043.86 --> 1048.86] and to receive it both from our Heavenly Father, who has done all the work through Jesus Christ, |
[1049.04 --> 1054.14] and to ask that grace from those who we've hurt in one way or another as we are adults. |
[1056.22 --> 1062.52] Jesus intends for us to feel the weight of that passage, to recognize that these little people, |
[1062.66 --> 1068.68] even in our church this morning, are a gift He places under our care, and it is our task |
[1068.68 --> 1075.18] to care for them, to train them, to love them so that they know the good way of Christ. |
[1075.68 --> 1080.68] That's a heavy responsibility, not to be taken lightly, not to be done flippantly. |
[1083.50 --> 1088.04] And now, between these two verses, maybe you notice this, there's the beginning of this passage |
[1088.04 --> 1092.28] where Jesus says, you must become like a child to enter the kingdom. He says, you must do everything |
[1092.28 --> 1096.26] in your power to protect and care for these children. Right smack dab in the middle of these |
[1096.26 --> 1101.92] two passages is verse 5, which has been just drawing my attention all week, and I'll read it for us. |
[1102.24 --> 1112.26] Jesus says, and whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me. Isn't that such an intriguing |
[1112.26 --> 1119.82] little line? Anyone who welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me. Now, there's a number of people |
[1119.82 --> 1124.04] who, like, illustrate this in different ways, but the main point of what Jesus is saying is, |
[1124.36 --> 1131.48] He identifies with our children. If you go forward seven verses, you'll see that Jesus identifies |
[1131.48 --> 1136.26] with the person in prison, with the lowly, with the poor who need care and help, and now we see |
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