SERIES: Topical
MESSAGE: Jesus Loves Children
SPEAKER: Skip Heitzig
SCRIPTURE: Matthew 19:13-15; James 1:26-27

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 Idea
Learn to do good…defend the fatherless, plead for the widow" (Isaiah 1:17).

DETAILED NOTES

  1. Introduction
    1. "Jesus Loves the Little Children"; "Jesus Loves Me"
      1. Help children know that they are loved
      2. But we live in a world where not everyone loves children
    2. Charles Francis Adams and son
    3. What's the difference between time wasted and time invested? Purpose
      1. Every human being has purpose
      2. The two greatest days of your life: the day you were born and the day you discover what you were born for
      3. Sadly, lots of people don't get to make that discovery
    4. Matthew 19 is about the demonstration of love; James 1 is about the admonition to love
    5. Matthew 19 is about an encounter Jesus had with children; James 1 is a summary statement about the nature of true Christian faith
  2. Parents' Spiritual Concern (Matthew 19:13)
    1. This text has nothing to do with bringing children into main service; it has everything to do with how Jesus views and cares for children
    2. Desire for Present Safety
      1. Mark 10:13-16; Luke 18:15-17
        1. Over a period of time, these parents were bringing their children to Him
        2. Matthew 18:1-5
      2. Jewish people often found an esteemed rabbi to lay hands on their child
        1. The Talmud instructs parents to do so
        2. Why was it important that Jesus did this? Because they had seen what those hands could do
    3. Desire for Future Salvation
      1. Get your kids to Jesus as early as possible
      2. "Ere your boy has reached to seven, teach him well the way to heaven; better still the work will thrive if he learns before he's five" —C.H. Spurgeon
      3. A parent is a partner with God in making disciples of children
    4. Display of Disciples' Insensitivity
      1. The disciples had been with Jesus for two years; they obviously didn't share His heart
      2. You can be close to the Lord in proximity and yet far from Him in priority
      3. Why the disciples' reaction?
        1. They were tainted by the Greco-Roman culture
          1. Childhood was an insignificant phase of life
          2. Young children who were not wanted were abandoned, especially girls
          3. "If it is a male child, let it live. If it is a female, cast it out" —Hilarion
        2. More than likely, they were influenced by religious thinking
          1. Pharisees scorned children
          2. You earn your salvation; a toddler cannot; therefore, salvation does not belong to children
      4. Adults can become the biggest roadblocks of children coming to Jesus
    5. We live in a world that is seeing an increase, not a decrease, in the exploitation of children
  3. Jesus' Special Care (Matthew 19:14-15)
    1. Reveals God's Tender Love
      1. Verse 14 is so important, it's included in the Bible three times: Matthew, Mark, and Luke
      2. Matthew 18:1-5
      3. "I doubt a man's Christianity unless I can find kids playing at his doorstep" —George MacDonald
    2. Reveals Child's Special Access
      1. Children have an enormous capacity for spiritual things
      2. It seems you have to put a lie into a child's heart to get them not to believe in God
      3. God has wired it into the heart of children to be close to Him
      4. "I have more confidence in the spiritual life of the children that I have received into this church than I have in the spiritual condition of the adults thus received.... I have usually found a clearer knowledge of the gospel and a warmer love to Christ in the child-converts than in the man-converts.... I have sometimes met with a deeper spiritual experience in children of ten and twelve than I have in certain persons of fifty or sixty" —C.H. Spurgeon
      5. "If I could relive my life, I would devote my entire ministry to reaching children for God" —D.L. Moody
  4. Our Sacred Calling (James 1:26-27)
    1. This is a summary statement made by the half brother of Jesus, James
    2. True Christianity Is Heard from Our Lips
      1. Religion in these verses is the Greek word thréskeia
        1. Describes the outward ritual ceremonies of worship, outward expression
        2. Josephus used it to describe worship in the temple you could see
        3. Paul used it to describe his life as a Pharisee before he came to Christ
      2. Not the typical New Testament word, eusebeia, which describes a sincere, God-fearing, authentic adoration and worship
    3. True Christianity Is Seen from Our Lives
      1. All of your religious liturgy is worthless unless you show it by your lips and by your life
        1. A religion that is limited to the sanctuary and doesn't go out to the streets is not real
        2. Isaiah 1:11, 15, 17
      2. Lip service without life service is empty religion; but lip service combined with life service is true devotion
      3. Why widows and orphans?
        1. They represented the most vulnerable of the ancient culture
        2. The Bible places a special emphasis on loving and caring for these groups
          1. Psalm 68:5
          2. Exodus 22:22
          3. Deuteronomy 14:28-29
          4. Deuteronomy 27:19
      4. The difference between radical Islam and genuine Christianity: the ones the religious zealots target for death are the very ones God targets for care and love
      5. Visit (v. 27)
        1. Means to look in on, to look after, to care for
        2. Greek episkeptomai; same root as episkopos, which is a bishop or overseer
        3. Just like a shepherd cares for the souls of a congregation, to visit means to shepherd the souls of and care for widows and orphans
      6. James' audience was poor, persecuted, and had their own troubles
        1. But he said, "Don't stop having compassion for people who are worse off than you are"
        2. One of the best things to do when you're in trouble is to help somebody who's in more trouble
  5. Closing
    1. We tend to wrestle with suffering academically: "How could a God of love allow that to happen?"
    2. Put yourself into the issue: "Now that I know about what is happening, why would I allow it to happen?"
      1. Who knows the way to freedom better than one who knows the Lord?
      2. John 8:36

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


Jesus Loves Children - Matthew 19:13-15; James 1:26-27 | SkipHeitzig.com/3158
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