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MESSAGE SUMMARY
The most vulnerable among us are often children. Lacking the power and means to be anything except completely dependent on parents and society, they sometimes fall through the cracks. Today we look at how Jesus loved children and consider our mandate to care for those who are most helpless. Through this message, along with a special effort by Reload Love, we aim to bring God’s freedom to many more children around the world.
STUDY GUIDE
It's said that Charles Francis Adams, a nineteenth-century politician, once wrote in his diary, "Went fishing with son today; a day wasted." His son Brooks wrote of the same outing in his diary, "Went fishing with my father; the most wonderful day of my life." This father saw the day as a waste of time; his son saw it as an investment of time. According to Pastor Skip, the difference between wasting time and investing it is purpose. To address this, we will consider passages from Matthew 19 and James 1. Reflect on the story of Adams and his son. What was the day's purpose for each of them?
First, we consider a parent's spiritual concern (see Matthew 19:13). In the first century, it was common for parents to bring their child to a rabbi to bless them and pray for their safety and future. This practice went back to time of the patriarchs. The Greek term Matthew used for little children in this verse refers to a child from infancy to toddlerhood, when they are most vulnerable. It was normal and expected that parents would want a rabbi of Jesus' reputation and stature to "put His hands on them and pray" (Matthew 19:13), because many of them had heard of or had seen Him heal with His touch. The principle is no different for parents today: get your children to Jesus as early as possible. Never forget that parents are partners with God in making disciples of their children. How did your parents do this? As a parent, how are you partnering with God?
As Matthew recorded, the disciples rebuked these parents for bringing their children to Jesus. This behavior proves that a person can be close to Jesus in proximity but far from Him in priority. Perhaps they were influenced by the Greco-Roman view, which devalued children and led people to routinely abandon them on roadsides and at garbage dumps. Or perhaps they were more influenced by the predominant Jewish views of the day. The extremely religious, particularly the Pharisees, scorned children. They believed that salvation must be earned, and because children couldn't earn anything, they weren't worth the attention until they were of an age to do so. Then, as now, adults are often the biggest roadblocks of children coming to Jesus. Give examples of this from your life.
While that was two millennia ago, the world is seeing a resurgence in the exploitation, cruelty, and butchery of children. Reports of terrorism around the world confirm that children today are being crucified, beheaded, raped, and buried alive.
In stark contrast, consider Jesus' special care for children (see Matthew 19:14-15). In one translation of verse 14, Jesus said, "Let the children alone, and don't prevent them from coming to Me." This verse is so important that it is recorded in three of the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), giving insight into how God loves children. In fact, Jesus said that adults should be like children: "Unless you...become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 18:3). Children have enormous spiritual capacity, and their default setting is belief in God. You have to plant a lie in their hearts in order to turn them from Him. Read Matthew 18:1-6. What does it mean to "become as little children"?
This brings us to our sacred calling as described in James 1:26-27: to show genuine love. The word religious in this passage refers to an outward expression of worship. To put James' point another way, our entire religious liturgy is worthless unless we show it by our lips and our life. A religion that is limited to the sanctuary and does not go into the street is not real! Lip service without life service is simply empty religion, but lip service combined with life service is true devotion. God has always shown a special concern for orphans and widows. His heart has always been for groups on society's perimeters. Are there any widows or orphans you know—a relative or neighbor—who you can help in some small way? Discuss a plan.
In these days when ISIS makes regular headlines for its terrorism and barbarity, God's devotion to the least of these highlights a major difference between radical Islam and authentic Christianity. In radical Islam, religious zealots target children for death, whereas the Bible targets them for care and love. We are to visit them, to look in on them and look after themto shepherd them. One of the best things you can do for yourself when you're in trouble is to help someone else in worse trouble. Can you share an example of this from your life? In a pain-filled world, don't just wrestle with the issue of why God allows children to suffer. Instead, wrestle with this: Now that you know about their suffering, what will you do to help?
Adapted from Pastor Skip’s teaching
The BIG IdeaDETAILED NOTES
Figures referenced: Charles Francis Adams, C.H. Spurgeon, Hilarion, George MacDonald, D.L. Moody, Josephus
Greek words: thréskeia, eusebeia, episkeptomai, episkopos
Cross references: Exodus 22:22; Deuteronomy 14:28-29; 27:19; Psalm 68:5; Isaiah 1:11, 15, 17; Matthew 18:1-5; 19:13-15; Mark 10:13-16; Luke 18:15-17; John 8:36; James 1:26-27
Topic: Children
Keywords: children, kids, love, Jesus Christ, salvation, Christianity, true religion, service, widows, orphans, suffering, terrorism, freedom
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