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Mark 10:13-16 · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

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We have been continuing our verse-by-verse journey together through the Gospel according to Mark.
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! We have come to chapter 10.
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And Jesus has, about halfway through chapter 8, summed up his Galilean ministry, which was largely his public ministry.
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There are certainly some other public things he does as we continue through the Gospel account.
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But in large part, he's ceased this public ministry, and he's now narrowed his scope to the teaching of the disciples.
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We see that in chapter 9, verse 30 and 31.
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He passes through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know, for he was teaching his disciples.
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He has about six months left now before his death.
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He is summing up his earthly ministry, and he wants to be sure that the disciples understand the things they're going to need to know before he leaves them.
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And we've seen in this sort of second act a number of lessons taught, beginning with a blind man healed at Bethsaida in varying degrees,
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to show us that Jesus is in fact the Lord, both over physical blindness, but more importantly, as we see these samplings, these paracopes, these different stories,
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that he's also the Lord over spiritual blindness.
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This section is summed up at the end of chapter 10 with the healing of blind Bartimaeus in an instant.
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And so we see that Jesus reigns over these things, and he's teaching the disciples all of these various lessons.
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We come now to a very short paracope, one that seems a bit insignificant and could be easily read past,
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but let's be sure that we don't do that this morning.
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Mark chapter 10, beginning in verse 13.
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And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them.
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But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them,
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Let the children come to me. Do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.
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Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.
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And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.
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This is God's word to us. It was written for his glory and for our good.
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We would all do well this morning to listen to it in order to believe its promises and obey its commands.
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Let's pray together.
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Father God, we do thank you for your word to us this morning.
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Father, I admit, and I admit on behalf of this congregation that we are not sufficient for such things.
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That we can, in no way, under our own power, understand your word rightly.
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And so, Father, I would ask that your spirit would be active in me to preach it well.
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To speak with clarity and with conviction.
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And that we would all hear it.
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That it would saturate our hearts and it would change us for your glory.
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And we pray this in Christ's name. Amen.
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Now, as I mentioned, it's kind of an easy little four verses to read right past.
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To maybe make some improper assumptions about and move on.
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The next story is the rich young man, which I'm massively looking forward to getting to preach through.
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But this little story is contained in all three of the synoptic gospels.
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Matthew, Mark, and Luke.
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Much with the same detail.
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And they all three contain the phrase,
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To such belongs the kingdom of God.
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We need to wrestle with this.
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We need to really understand what it means.
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These three gospel writers, under inspiration,
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thought it was important to include this teaching in the scriptures.
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In fact, we ought to pay attention any time Jesus talks about the kingdom of God.
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Mark 1, verse 15.
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This was the message he was bringing.
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He said the time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand.
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Repent and believe in the gospel.
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What is this kingdom of God?
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And how is it that we get to be a part of the kingdom of God?
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And once we are a part of the kingdom of God,
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how do we operate properly underneath the rule of the king?
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This is the great question,
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the thing that ought to captivate all human minds.
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How do we live in subject, proper subjection to the king?
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And here we see a story that teaches us that what it looks like to be part of the kingdom of God
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is to have faith like a child.
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God, to have faith like a child.
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Now let's understand some of the aspects of this.
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This would be called the exegesis.
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What does it mean as we're reading through this story?
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What are some of the details involved here?
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And we see at the very beginning that there are people, it says,
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and they, a larger crowd, it's safe to assume that they were children.
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I would hope that these are not people who have kidnapped children
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and for the sake of the children and bring them to Jesus,
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but they are their parents.
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So that he could do what?
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That he would touch them.
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That he would touch them.
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And this was the way that Jesus' ministry was largely being carried out.
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All of the healings that he was doing, he was doing by touch.
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He wanted to be sure that people knew that the power to heal was coming from him,
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that he was Lord over this.
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And so it made sense that they were bringing them to him to touch them.
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And we see a sharp rebuke.
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The disciples rebuked him, this incredibly strong verb here,
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which means in the noun form to punish them.
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They reprimanded them when they came.
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Now in Luke's account, Luke 18, 15, it says,
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now they were bringing even infants to him.
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Luke uses a different Greek noun here.
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And so they were very small children, likely even infants.
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In the verse 16, we see the summation.
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He gives us a teaching, but in the summation of this,
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he then rebukes the disciples and then he takes them in his arms
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and he blesses them, laying his hands on them.
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Now what the parents were asking of him was something that was consistent in this culture.
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It was a tradition of the elders that when somebody had a new child,
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fathers would come to the elders and they would lay their hands on the child
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and the elders would join in laying their hands on the child
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and they would pray for them.
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Similar in a lot of ways to the way we do dedications
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when a family would like to do that in our church.
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We come together and we collectively pray for the child.
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They would pray specifically for three things.
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They pray that they would be famous in law.
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They would know it well and expound upon it well.
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That they would be faithful in marriage.
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And that they would do good works.
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These were the things that were asked of a Jewish child
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to be responsible by their understanding to their God.
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They also, in asking these things, were asking for salvation for the child.
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The Jewish people had an understanding
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that to be saved, they had to walk in the ways of God.
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They had to be saved from the condemnation of the law.
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The unfortunate thing is that it was misguided.
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It was just simply misguided
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because they thought it was works that brought them to that point
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and not their faith.
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They were asking, as they came to Jesus,
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that Jesus would bless them,
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that He would lay His hands on them
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and set them on the right path
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that they might merit their salvation by works.
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Now, maybe this is why the disciples rebuked them,
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although I think Jesus' response gives us a clue
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that this is not the reason why.
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This sharp reprimand that they give to them.
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Likely, Jesus' sharp response back to them
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is that they've already forgotten the lesson we observed
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from chapter 9
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concerning the excellence of service.
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Turn back to verse 33.
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And they came to Capernaum.
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They're traveling back through Galilee.
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They came to Capernaum.
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And when He was in the house, He asked them,
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what were you discussing on the way?
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But they kept silent.
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They were ashamed.
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For on the way, they had argued with one another
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about who was the greatest.
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Which of us is going to be best in the kingdom of God?
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And He sat down and called the twelve
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and He said to them,
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if anyone would be first,
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he must be last of all
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and servant of all.
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And then in verse 36, what does He do?
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He brings a child into the situation.
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He brings a child into the situation.
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He says,
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whoever receives,
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verse 37,
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one such child in My name receives Me.
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Whoever receives what would have been perceived
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as the lowest human subject.
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Children have very little,
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no worth in society in this day.
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If anyone would be first,
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he must be last of all
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and servant of all.
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And here we see now a group of parents
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who want to bring children
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to the midst of Jesus
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and the disciples have already forgotten
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this important lesson.
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And so Jesus is indignant with them.
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Angry would be a synonymous word here.
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He was angry with them.
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And then says to them,
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let the children come to Me.
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Do not hinder them,
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for to such belongs the kingdom of God.
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To such belongs the kingdom of God.
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And then He goes beyond.
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He goes a little further in verse 15.
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He says,
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truly I say to you,
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whoever does not receive the kingdom of God
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like a child shall not enter it.
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I want to show you four things
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from the text this morning.
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First, I want to show you two things
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that the text does not mean.
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Those common things
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that we might misunderstand about it
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and would cause us to read right past us.
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Two things that this text does not mean.
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And then secondly,
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two things that this text does mean.
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So firstly,
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it does not build a case
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for some sort of special salvific category
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for children
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or for the baptizing of infants.
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It's not some special category
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that we see here.
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Jesus says,
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verse 14,
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not that the kingdom of God
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belongs to these children
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or these children belong
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to the kingdom of God,
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but that to such belongs
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the kingdom of God.
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To people like this
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belongs the people,
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the kingdom of God.
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He reinforces that in verse 15.
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Right?
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Not saying that there's a special
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salvific category.
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In fact,
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the Bible speaks very little
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to what happens to children,
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young children,
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babies in the womb.
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What happens to these children's souls
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when they die?
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They haven't been able to receive
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and respond to the gospel.
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What happens to them?
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What happens to mentally handicapped
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children and adults
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who don't seem to be able
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to comprehend
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or to understand the gospel?
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The Bible doesn't speak
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explicitly to it.
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I do believe
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that a case can be made
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implicitly
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that children
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and mentally handicapped people
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have an eternal dwelling with God.
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I do believe that.
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For another day
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and another time.
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But I cannot
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in good conscience
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make this text
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mean that.
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Again,
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the reinforcement.
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Whoever does not receive
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the kingdom of God
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like a child
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shall not enter it.
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This is not some
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special salvific category
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he's talking about.
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He's talking about
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those who will be part
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of the kingdom
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and what characterizes
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their faith.
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What their faith
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must look like
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to be included.
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in that kingdom.
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It follows then
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that this also
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is not a case
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for infant baptism.
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Interestingly,
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on Friday,
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in fact,
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I picked up a commentary
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by J.C. Ryle
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who's a 19th century
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Anglican bishop.
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On this text,
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he says,
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I respect J.C. Ryle
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so you're clear.
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Of course,
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it is not pretended
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that there is any
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mention of baptism
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or even any reference
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to it in the verses
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before us.
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All we,
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meaning Anglicans
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who practice
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infant baptism,
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all we mean to say
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is that the expressions
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and gestures
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of our Lord
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in this passage
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are a strong
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indirect argument
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in favor
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of infant baptism.
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It is on this account
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that the passage
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occupies a prominent
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place
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in the baptismal
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service
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of the Church
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of England.
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This text
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from Mark
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chapter 10,
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13 through 16
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has a prominent place
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in the baptism service
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of the Church
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of England
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and I discovered
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in many other
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denominations
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that celebrate
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infant baptism.
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It is certainly
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not taught here.
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By J.C. Ryle's
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own admission,
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it's not taught here.
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And,
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for that matter,
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anywhere else
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in the pages
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of Scripture.
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It is a troubling
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thing to me
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that so many
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people who we love
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and respect,
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people who we love
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to partner with
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in advancing
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the Gospel,
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who we agree with
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on so many
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finer points
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of Gospel truth,
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embrace
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the false doctrine
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of infant baptism.
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It's not taught
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anywhere
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in the Scriptures.
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I read to you
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before this
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wonderful quote
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from A.T. Pearson's
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biography of George Mueller.
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I think it would be
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well read again here.
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George Mueller,
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19th century
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pastor,
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operated children's home
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as well as
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a missionary society.
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If you hang around
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here long,
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you'll know he's
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one of my spiritual heroes.
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While at Sidmouth
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preaching in April,
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1830,
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three believing sisters
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held in his presence
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a conversation
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about believer's
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baptism,
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which proved
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the suggestion
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of another important
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step in his life
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which has a wider
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bearing than at first
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as a parent.
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They naturally
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asked his opinion
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on the subject
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about which they
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were talking,
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and he replied that,
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having been baptized
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as a child,
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he saw no need
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of being baptized
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again.
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Being further asked
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if he had ever yet
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prayerfully searched
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the Word of God
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as to its testimony
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in this matter,
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he frankly confessed
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that he had not.
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Now catch here,
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he's the guest speaker,
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right?
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He's the visiting pastor
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come to speak,
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and these three women
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asked this question
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of him.
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At once,
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with unmistakable
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plainness of speech
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and with rare fidelity,
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one of these sisters
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in Christ promptly said,
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I entreat you then
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never again to speak
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any more about it
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till you have done so.
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We would do well
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to take a lesson
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from this rather embarrassing
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moment in Mueller's life,
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and A.T. Pearson
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goes on to say
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that Mueller
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not willing to back down
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such a challenge did.
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He read the Bible
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cover to cover
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with the topic
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of infant
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and what we would call
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credo-baptism
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in mind
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and was promptly
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on his completion
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of that study
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baptized as a believer.
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Now there is so much
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to be said
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on this topic,
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and I know that I've made
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some incredibly strong
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statements that
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potentially have offended
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some of you.
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In fact,
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I set out this week
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to talk a lot about this
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because it would seem
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that the text
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is so grossly misused
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that that needs
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to be set straight.
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However,
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in my work on that,
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I realized that I was
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going to neglect
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what the text
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actually does mean,
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and that would be
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a shame as well.
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So we're going to leave
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it at that
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this Sunday.
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But next Sunday,
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I'm going to expound
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upon this.
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Right?
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Part two of this text.
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We're going to step away
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from it,
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and we're going to look
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more holistically
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at the Scriptures
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at what they have
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to teach about
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infant baptism
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or paedo-baptism
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versus credo-baptism.
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Beloved,
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this is something
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we should set straight
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in our minds.
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It's important
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to what we believe.
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So it doesn't mean that.
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It's not some special
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salvific category.
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It's certainly not a case
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for infant baptism.
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It also
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does not mean
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that we are to have
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ignorant,
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uninformed,
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blind faith.
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This is sometimes
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the way people teach this
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or understand it,
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that to have faith
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like a child
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is this simple,
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naive type of faith.
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Many people use it
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to make an excuse
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for their lack
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of knowledge.
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Right?
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Well, I just think
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it's enough to have faith
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like a child.
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There's a great
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jars of clay song
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that I no longer like
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after studying this
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as a result of this.
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Now, recall
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in 1 Corinthians 14,
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Paul exhorts Christians
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not to be like children
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in our thinking.
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And we so quickly
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want to divorce
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our heads
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from our hearts.
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It's enough that
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I feel a certain way.
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It's not.
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It's not.
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God calls all of us
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into the worship of Him.
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Our head and our heart
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and in fact,
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our head is a conduit
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for our heart.
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The way you think
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affects the way you feel
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and therefore act.
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1 Corinthians 14,
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20,
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Brothers,
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do not be children
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in your thinking.
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Be infants in evil,
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innocent in that way,
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but in your thinking
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be mature.
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He exhorts us
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in 1 Thessalonians 5,
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21,
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to test everything
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so that,
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in order that,
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we can hold fast
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to what is good.
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2 Corinthians 1,
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20 states
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that all the promises
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of God
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find their yes
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in Jesus Christ.
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You must know
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these promises
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in order to live
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by them.
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That's the thing
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I've been saying
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week after week now,
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and I intend to say it
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every single Sunday,
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why the Word of God
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was written.
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God's glory
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and our good.
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We would do well
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to listen to it,
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to believe its promises,
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and obey its commands.
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We are meant
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to be a thinking people,
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a people of the book.
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C.S. Lewis famously said
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in Mere Christianity,
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it needs no special education
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to be a Christian.
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Christianity is an education
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itself.
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This is not a call
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to high-minded Christianity
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that has no action at all.
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Head and heart.
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The two must be combined
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together.
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We must delve in.
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We must know.
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Have you ever heard
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somebody say,
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oh, I don't really like
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being theological.
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Well, then you don't like God.
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If you love God,
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you want to know God.
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The great evidence
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of the love for my wife
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is that I want to know
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who she is.
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I want to know
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what she experiences.
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I want to know
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what hurts her,
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what makes her happy.
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I want to spend time
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with her.
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The same is true
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of our God,
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that we want to know Him
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because we love Him.
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We delve deep.
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This isn't a naive,
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a blind type of faith
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that God is calling us to.
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Now remember,
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God doesn't require
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of us perfect faith,
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but rather sufficient faith.
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So I'm not suggesting
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that you have to know everything
20:41
and learn everything
20:43
and you have to be
20:43
so deep and theological
20:45
and be able to expound
20:46
upon anything
20:47
that God might accept you.
20:48
That is not what I'm saying
20:49
right now.
20:50
He requires of us
20:51
sufficient faith.
20:52
Remember the story
20:53
back in chapter 9,
20:54
verses 14 through 29,
20:55
when Jesus heals
20:56
the demon-possessed boy?
20:57
It's in response
20:58
to the faith
20:59
of the Father.
21:00
Remember verse 24,
21:01
He says,
21:02
I believe.
21:03
Help.
21:03
My unbelief.
21:05
This expression
21:06
of imperfect faith.
21:08
I think you can do it.
21:09
I'm pretty sure
21:10
you can do it.
21:10
Please help me believe
21:12
is the response of faith
21:14
of this Father.
21:15
This is the type of faith
21:18
God requires of us.
21:19
A sufficient faith.
21:20
But then we are
21:21
to go deep.
21:23
To know God.
21:25
I appreciated
21:26
what Stan had to read
21:27
this morning.
21:28
It was not planned
21:28
on our part.
21:30
This is the most important thing
21:31
about who we are.
21:32
What we think
21:33
and therefore how we act
21:35
concerning God.
21:37
So read.
21:38
Beloved, we have a book.
21:41
We have a book.
21:42
A book that's been given to us
21:43
that we might know our God.
21:45
What a phenomenal,
21:46
phenomenal thing.
21:48
Right?
21:48
Written by men
21:50
under the inspiration
21:51
of the Spirit,
21:52
the words of God
21:53
to us.
21:55
The Almighty
21:55
condescended
21:57
to become an author.
21:59
We should read that book.
22:00
That's an important,
22:01
important book.
22:05
Now here's some fun stats
22:06
for you.
22:07
I love statistics.
22:09
In another life,
22:10
I should be a statistician.
22:12
The average person reads
22:13
250 to 300 words per minute.
22:16
Okay?
22:17
Average.
22:17
You guys are all above average.
22:18
I'm sure of that.
22:20
The average person reads
22:21
250 to 300 words per minute.
22:22
The average page of my Bible,
22:24
not necessarily yours,
22:25
but the average page
22:26
of my Bible
22:27
contains 750 words.
22:29
Right?
22:30
My copy has just over
22:31
1,000 pages.
22:32
1,042 pages
22:34
to be exact.
22:35
Okay?
22:36
Now catch this.
22:38
If you read for 30 minutes
22:39
per day,
22:40
and I'm talking about
22:41
sitting down,
22:41
distraction-free,
22:42
actually reading.
22:44
Right?
22:44
If you read for 30 minutes
22:45
per day,
22:46
five days a week,
22:48
just five,
22:49
I'm going to give you
22:49
two off in my example,
22:51
for the entire year,
22:52
you could read
22:53
the entire Bible
22:54
two and a half times
22:56
per year.
22:58
30 minutes a day.
22:59
Five days a week.
23:00
Two and a half hours
23:01
a week.
23:01
Two and a half hours
23:02
a week.
23:03
You could read
23:03
the entire scriptures
23:04
through two and a half times.
23:06
That's apart from
23:07
meditation on it.
23:08
I'm not suggesting
23:09
that everybody needs
23:09
to read the Bible
23:09
two and a half times
23:10
a year.
23:10
Please don't hear me
23:11
saying that.
23:12
Right?
23:13
Soak in it.
23:14
Spend a day on a verse.
23:15
That's okay.
23:16
Spend a day on a word
23:17
in the scriptures.
23:18
It'll affect your life.
23:20
But just to give you
23:20
an idea of the capacity
23:22
that we have
23:23
as a people,
23:25
how about this?
23:26
Same example.
23:28
If you read
23:28
for 30 minutes a day,
23:29
five days a week,
23:30
for the 52 weeks
23:31
of the year,
23:31
the average book
23:32
contains 300 pages,
23:33
which means you can
23:34
read 26 books
23:35
in a year.
23:37
26 books
23:38
in a year.
23:39
Right?
23:40
Now catch this.
23:40
The average college student,
23:42
and again,
23:42
you guys are all
23:43
above average.
23:43
I am sure this is
23:44
not true of you,
23:45
but the average college
23:46
student spends
23:46
106 minutes per day
23:48
on social media.
23:52
106 minutes per day
23:54
on social media.
23:54
Now,
23:55
social media itself
23:56
is not evil.
23:57
I'm not suggesting
23:58
that at all.
24:00
However,
24:01
if you devoted
24:02
five days a week,
24:03
52 weeks out of the year,
24:04
that 106 minutes
24:05
instead to reading,
24:08
you could read
24:08
92 books.
24:10
Average books
24:11
in a year.
24:12
92 books
24:14
in a year.
24:16
Or,
24:17
and I would encourage
24:18
the Bible
24:18
8.8 times.
24:22
That's a worthy trade.
24:24
It's a worthy trade.
24:26
Set aside Facebook
24:27
and Twitter
24:28
and Instagram.
24:30
I don't know what else
24:30
is happening out there
24:31
these days.
24:33
And read.
24:35
Get to know
24:36
our God
24:37
through the wealth
24:38
of knowledge
24:39
that is out there
24:40
concerning Him.
24:43
In 1 Corinthians,
24:44
as Paul is exhorting
24:45
the Corinthians,
24:46
as they're putting
24:47
themselves under
24:48
the leadership,
24:49
I belong to Paul,
24:50
I belong to Apollos,
24:51
he flips that around
24:52
on them to say
24:53
that Paul and Apollos
24:54
belong to you.
24:56
Right?
24:56
That they are in service
24:57
to you because we are
24:58
Christ and Christ
24:59
is God's.
25:01
Right?
25:02
Which means
25:02
that all the saints,
25:05
all the people
25:06
in the present
25:06
and in the past
25:07
belong to us
25:08
for our benefit
25:09
because we belong
25:10
to Christ
25:10
and Christ belongs
25:11
to God.
25:12
As do they
25:13
to our service,
25:15
to our sanctification,
25:16
to our holiness.
25:17
holiness.
25:19
Which means
25:20
we should access
25:21
these things
25:22
that I know of.
25:24
No one in this church
25:24
writes deep theological books.
25:27
Please let me know
25:27
if you do.
25:28
I don't think
25:28
that's the case
25:29
but men throughout history
25:31
have written
25:32
wonderful reads.
25:33
You can sit down
25:34
at dinner
25:35
with some of these
25:36
phenomenal men
25:37
and hear their mind
25:39
on a particular topic
25:40
concerning God.
25:43
I started out
25:43
making a huge list
25:45
of people you should read.
25:46
It would have been
25:47
a waste of time.
25:49
Ask me some time.
25:50
Let me just give you
25:51
the Johns.
25:52
It's sort of
25:52
really like recognizing
25:54
there are a ton
25:54
of phenomenal theologians
25:56
that are named John.
25:58
Ready?
25:59
The Johns.
25:59
Read the Johns.
26:00
Piper, MacArthur,
26:01
Edwards,
26:02
that was Jonathan,
26:03
but Edwards,
26:04
Wesley, Murray,
26:05
Flavel, Calvin,
26:06
Owen, Bunyan,
26:07
Knox, or Gill.
26:08
And there's probably
26:09
some more.
26:11
Read the Johns.
26:14
I've set it as a goal
26:15
for myself,
26:16
and I know that
26:17
I've got a little more time,
26:19
which I love and appreciate,
26:20
and I thank you all
26:21
for supporting me
26:22
so that I can do
26:23
these types of things.
26:24
As a goal for myself,
26:25
in addition to the other
26:26
reading that I do,
26:27
to my scripture reading,
26:28
in addition to that,
26:29
I'm going to try to read
26:29
50 books this year
26:31
starting this Sunday.
26:32
I'll be making a stack.
26:34
There's 50,
26:35
and I'm going to try
26:35
to go process through them.
26:37
Because we can do this.
26:39
Average.
26:40
Average.
26:40
If you're 25% of average,
26:43
25% of average,
26:45
you could easily
26:47
read through the scriptures
26:48
in a year.
26:49
You could easily
26:50
read five or more books.
26:53
Right?
26:54
The call here is not
26:55
to an ignorant faith.
26:58
Right?
26:59
Uninformed.
27:00
Blind.
27:03
I exhort you to the opposite.
27:04
You will not be disappointed.
27:06
You will not be disappointed.
27:08
All right.
27:10
Two things that this text
27:11
does mean.
27:12
Two things that it doesn't mean.
27:14
Two things that it does mean.
27:17
It does mean that Jesus
27:19
gave special attention
27:20
to children.
27:22
And so should we.
27:24
Verse 16.
27:26
He takes them in his arms
27:27
and he blesses them
27:29
laying his hands on them.
27:31
The Greek here
27:32
just paints for us
27:33
such a beautifully tender moment.
27:36
Jesus embraces the children.
27:37
The Greek word means
27:38
he enfolds his arms
27:40
around them.
27:41
He scoops them up
27:41
and it would seem
27:42
in a group
27:43
he does it with them.
27:45
All these little babies
27:46
and these little children.
27:47
He scoops them up.
27:49
Jesus loved children.
27:53
We should do the same.
27:55
Do we?
27:55
Do we love kids?
27:58
Our society doesn't really
27:59
seem to love kids.
28:01
Our society seems to think
28:02
of children more as a burden
28:04
than a blessing.
28:05
It kills me.
28:06
It absolutely just
28:08
just wrenches my heart.
28:10
When I go someplace
28:11
with somebody who owns a dog
28:12
and we've got our kids with us
28:14
and you like go to the park
28:15
and people come up to you
28:16
and they want to pay attention
28:17
to the dog
28:17
and they don't give any attention
28:18
to the kids at all.
28:19
People in our society
28:20
love animals.
28:22
Right?
28:23
Soulless beings.
28:24
Sorry to disrupt
28:25
your thinking at all.
28:26
Right?
28:27
Non-eternal beings.
28:29
There's no dogs in heaven.
28:30
I'm sorry.
28:31
Right?
28:32
Right?
28:32
More than my kids.
28:35
How dare you?
28:36
My kids are precious
28:37
and eternal.
28:39
We should love.
28:40
And dogs are fine.
28:41
I'm okay with dogs.
28:42
But we should love.
28:45
Love children.
28:46
Listen to what God
28:47
has to say about children.
28:48
Psalm 127.
28:50
Behold,
28:51
children are heard
28:52
from the Lord
28:52
the fruit of the womb
28:53
a reward.
28:54
Not a burden.
28:56
A reward.
28:56
A blessing.
28:57
A gift.
28:59
Like arrows in the hand
29:00
of a warrior
29:01
are the children
29:01
of one's youth.
29:03
Blessed.
29:04
Happy.
29:04
Joyful is what that means.
29:05
Is the man who fills
29:07
his quiver with them.
29:09
Some of us in this church
29:10
have fuller quivers
29:11
than others.
29:12
But kids are
29:14
a blessing.
29:15
They're hard.
29:16
Right?
29:17
They're sinful.
29:18
They're a challenge.
29:19
Expose our sinfulness.
29:21
I am selfish
29:22
at my core
29:23
and my kids often
29:24
show me
29:25
how really
29:26
evident that is
29:29
in my activity.
29:30
with them.
29:32
They're a blessing.
29:33
They're precious.
29:34
We ought to be
29:35
about children.
29:36
We should love them
29:37
and because we love them
29:39
we should minister
29:39
the gospel to them.
29:43
Psalm 78
29:44
verse 1-4
29:44
Give ear, O my people,
29:46
to my teaching.
29:47
Incline your ears
29:48
to the words of my mouth.
29:49
I will open my mouth
29:50
in a parable.
29:51
I will utter dark sayings
29:52
from of old.
29:54
Things that we have heard
29:55
and known
29:56
that our fathers
29:57
have told us.
29:58
We will not hide them
30:00
from children
30:00
but tell to the coming
30:02
generations
30:02
the glorious deeds
30:03
of the Lord
30:04
and His might
30:04
and the wonders
30:05
that He has done.
30:09
We as a society
30:10
spend so much time
30:11
entertaining
30:12
with the fantastical
30:14
our kids
30:15
and we don't often
30:16
give to them
30:16
the very best
30:18
possible thing
30:19
we can give to them.
30:20
The most amazing,
30:21
the most miraculous story
30:22
that we can ever tell them.
30:23
God and His redemptive work
30:25
in this world.
30:26
It is a phenomenal,
30:28
phenomenal story
30:29
that has eternal consequence,
30:32
that has the power,
30:34
the ability
30:34
to captivate their hearts
30:36
and change who they are
30:38
with eternal purpose.
30:42
We need to teach our kids.
30:45
We need to pour into our kids.
30:47
Why?
30:47
I mean, I really wasn't prepared
30:48
for this morning
30:49
but I read
30:50
Our House is Like a Little Church
30:51
for that reason.
30:52
This is the best thing
30:55
we can do for our kids,
30:56
parents.
30:57
Feed them,
30:58
clothe them,
30:59
these things matter
30:59
but they don't primarily matter.
31:02
What happens to their souls
31:04
is what matters most.
31:08
Have you ever considered
31:09
that we can fix
31:10
the problems
31:11
in the church
31:12
in just one generation?
31:15
Have you ever thought about that?
31:16
Let me just use for an example
31:17
the way that Christians
31:18
these days
31:19
tend to be so consumeristic.
31:20
They have such a poor view
31:23
of what church is.
31:24
They just want to show up,
31:25
consume the show,
31:27
entertain me,
31:29
give me a little life lesson,
31:30
let me go home.
31:31
They don't want to show up to serve.
31:32
They don't want to be transparent.
31:33
They don't want to get to know.
31:34
They don't want to be part
31:35
of a faith family.
31:36
They just want to go
31:37
to a big conference
31:38
every Sunday.
31:40
This is a disease
31:41
in our churches.
31:43
The me, me, me
31:44
kind of mentality.
31:46
If we come to realize this,
31:48
fight against it,
31:49
push out our culture
31:51
and what our culture
31:51
has to say about that
31:53
and begin to embrace
31:54
the truth of what church
31:55
really is
31:56
and how it is
31:56
we're meant to live together
31:57
in the faith,
31:59
we've got to battle
32:00
with the wrong understanding.
32:02
We've got to battle
32:02
with our history
32:04
and our upbringings,
32:05
but our kids don't.
32:07
We could teach them
32:08
what it really looks like
32:10
to be in fellowship
32:11
in a church
32:12
and in a generation
32:13
it could change.
32:15
Isn't that a phenomenal idea?
32:16
All the things
32:18
that lament us
32:20
about the way
32:21
that Christians live
32:22
in this world
32:22
could be changed
32:23
in a generation.
32:26
We should be about that work.
32:28
Jesus loved children,
32:29
do we.
32:31
We let the kids
32:32
sit in the service with us
32:33
and I know
32:35
that that's not always easy.
32:36
Some Sundays
32:37
better than others.
32:40
I'll tell you right now
32:41
that we have a group
32:41
of phenomenal kids.
32:43
There's not a lot of kids
32:44
that can handle and do
32:46
what happens
32:46
in our service together.
32:49
It serves the parents
32:50
to get to have their kids
32:51
with them.
32:52
It serves the children
32:53
to get to sit
32:54
and listen,
32:55
pay attention,
32:56
see that this matters
32:57
to their parents.
32:59
But those of you
33:00
without kids,
33:00
it serves you too.
33:02
It really does.
33:03
To not think
33:04
that you have to have
33:05
a perfect vacuum
33:06
of silence
33:07
to be able to pay attention,
33:09
to learn to pay attention
33:11
regardless,
33:11
and it teaches you
33:13
to love children.
33:15
Do you love kids
33:17
even when they're
33:18
a little bit disruptive?
33:19
And let's be clear,
33:20
it's always a little bit disruptive.
33:21
It's never a lot disruptive
33:22
in here.
33:23
A little bit disruptive.
33:24
Do you love the children?
33:27
Went to a graduation
33:27
yesterday at North Georgia
33:29
to see Daniel Swanson
33:31
and Ash Harris
33:32
who were both here
33:32
this morning with us
33:33
as well as Cody Klinker.
33:35
Klink?
33:35
Is it Klinker?
33:36
Okay.
33:37
Sorry.
33:37
Sorry, Cody,
33:38
if you hear this recording.
33:39
I don't know your last name.
33:41
I love you though.
33:43
Graduate.
33:44
And, you know,
33:44
and it's silent-ish
33:46
in the gymnasium
33:47
if you've been to
33:47
the graduations there
33:48
and they're calling the names
33:49
and there's these kids
33:50
crying out
33:51
and you know
33:51
it's just the most miserable
33:52
place they could possibly be
33:53
and parents trying to hush them
33:55
and deal with that kind of a thing
33:56
and it was not a distraction
33:58
to me at all.
33:59
Praise God
33:59
that we do this here.
34:01
It didn't bother me a bit.
34:02
In fact,
34:02
I wanted to go hang out
34:03
with the kids.
34:04
Ah, that kid just needs
34:05
somebody to have fun with them.
34:06
Let's go do it.
34:08
Was the cry of my heart
34:09
in that setting.
34:10
Plus, it was really long
34:11
and boring.
34:13
it would have been better.
34:15
Right?
34:16
So, it's good.
34:17
It's good.
34:17
I think it's good for everybody.
34:18
I think it's good for all of us.
34:19
Not that it's the only way
34:20
that church can be done.
34:21
I would not argue that.
34:22
I wouldn't draw that kind of
34:23
a line in the sand
34:24
but I do think
34:25
it's the best way
34:26
for us.
34:28
If you don't have kids,
34:29
what can you do?
34:29
You can help us love our kids.
34:31
Right?
34:31
You could use your help.
34:33
You can babysit.
34:34
Healthy parents are good.
34:36
When they're good together,
34:36
they're good for kids
34:37
and we need time away
34:39
from our kids sometimes
34:40
to be good together.
34:41
Offer your services
34:42
and that whether you're
34:43
a young person
34:43
or an older person.
34:44
Your kids are out of the house.
34:46
Spend some time
34:47
with the kids.
34:48
It'll help you appreciate
34:49
not having kids in the house.
34:50
Spend time with some
34:54
of the older kids
34:55
in our church as well.
34:56
Young people,
34:57
college students.
34:58
We've got upcoming
34:59
young people
35:00
who would love
35:01
to spend time with you.
35:03
The young adults.
35:04
Right?
35:05
I'm losing cool.
35:06
I'm trying.
35:07
I'm really working at it.
35:08
You guys are cool
35:09
and you can spend time with them
35:10
and you can point them to God.
35:11
You can reinforce the things
35:13
that their parents are doing
35:13
at home with them.
35:16
Right?
35:17
Keep the distractions down
35:18
in the service
35:19
the way that you can love kids
35:21
and love parents.
35:24
Show the children
35:25
how they're supposed to act
35:27
in the service.
35:28
That could be helpful.
35:30
Talk to each other.
35:31
Pass notes.
35:33
Draw.
35:34
Right?
35:34
Sit.
35:35
Pay attention.
35:36
Be an example for them.
35:38
Right?
35:39
You've got to go to the bathroom.
35:40
Go to the bathroom.
35:40
Please don't suffer.
35:42
But if you don't have to go,
35:43
don't go.
35:43
Stay.
35:44
Stick around.
35:45
I do it every Sunday.
35:46
I think you can too.
35:48
Right?
35:49
What we do in the service together
35:52
is important.
35:52
It matters.
35:54
It matters.
35:54
It matters to Jesus.
35:55
He enfolded his arms around them.
35:59
Right?
36:01
Secondly,
36:01
what it does mean.
36:02
Right?
36:03
And here's the primary point
36:05
of the text.
36:05
It took us a while to get to it.
36:06
But here is the primary point.
36:08
Right?
36:08
If you don't hear anything else
36:10
I said,
36:10
if you don't take anything else
36:11
away from this,
36:12
this is the primary point
36:13
of the text.
36:13
That we must come to the kingdom
36:15
with humility.
36:17
Right?
36:18
What does childlike faith
36:19
look like?
36:21
Right?
36:21
It means that we come to the kingdom
36:23
with nothing to offer.
36:25
We recognize that we have
36:26
nothing of ourselves
36:28
to offer
36:29
to the kingdom.
36:30
Again,
36:31
remember all the misconception
36:32
about what the kingdom even meant.
36:33
They thought that Jesus,
36:34
that the Christ,
36:35
was going to come
36:35
and he was going to reign
36:36
militarily.
36:37
I think that the disciples
36:38
are still getting this understanding
36:40
out of their heads.
36:41
Jesus is continually giving them
36:42
passion predictions
36:43
and they keep misunderstanding
36:44
what that's going to mean.
36:45
We're going to see that again
36:46
in a couple of weeks.
36:47
About halfway through chapter 10.
36:49
Again,
36:49
he foretells his death.
36:50
Again,
36:51
they don't get it.
36:53
It's common misconception.
36:54
What does a child
36:55
have to offer
36:57
to the army of God
36:59
who's going to come
36:59
and set them free
37:00
from Roman rule?
37:02
Nothing.
37:04
Nothing.
37:04
Luke says that they're infants.
37:06
Whether or not they're infants,
37:07
they're little
37:08
and the parents are the ones
37:09
that bring them to Jesus.
37:11
They didn't come under
37:12
their own volition.
37:13
They were brought to him
37:15
that he might pray for them,
37:17
that he might bless them.
37:19
This is the way
37:20
we come to the kingdom
37:22
as well,
37:23
with humility.
37:24
Knowing that we have
37:25
nothing to offer.
37:27
Knowing that we're insignificant.
37:29
That our sin has totally wrecked
37:31
our image-bearing capacity.
37:33
Destroyed it.
37:35
We come to Christ
37:37
by grace alone,
37:39
through faith alone.
37:40
no merit
37:42
of our own.
37:44
Ephesians 2,
37:45
8 and 9.
37:46
For by grace
37:46
you have been saved.
37:48
Through faith.
37:48
And this is not your own doing.
37:50
It is the gift of God.
37:51
Not a result of works
37:52
so that no one
37:53
may boast.
37:55
We cannot be proud
37:57
of what we have done.
37:59
We do not trust ourselves
38:01
for salvation.
38:03
Oh,
38:04
if that was the call
38:04
of the gospel,
38:05
I would be lost
38:06
again
38:07
and again
38:08
and again.
38:10
We rather trust
38:11
in Him,
38:12
in Jesus Christ.
38:13
We recognize
38:14
that there's no thing
38:15
or massive things,
38:17
massive pile of things
38:18
that we could possibly do
38:20
to merit our own salvation.
38:22
We see that
38:23
Jesus' perfection,
38:26
His holiness,
38:27
His righteousness
38:28
can be ours
38:29
through faith.
38:31
We simply believe
38:32
that that is the case.
38:33
this gift
38:35
of faith
38:36
that is given to us.
38:38
This is what Jesus
38:39
is communicating
38:40
in this text.
38:41
This is what He means
38:42
when He says,
38:43
whoever does not receive
38:44
the kingdom of God
38:45
like a child,
38:47
a little one,
38:47
an insignificant one,
38:49
one who has nothing
38:50
to offer
38:50
shall not
38:52
enter it.
38:56
Children,
38:57
perk your ears.
38:59
I wholeheartedly
39:00
agree
39:00
with the words
39:02
of Jesus loves me.
39:05
Jesus loves me.
39:07
This I know.
39:09
For the Bible
39:10
tells me so.
39:11
Little ones
39:12
to Him belong.
39:13
They are weak.
39:15
The point of this text.
39:16
But He
39:16
is strong.
39:19
Let's pray together.