Mark 10:13-16

And he took them in his arms and bless them laying his hands on them.

Yeah. My hope this morning that as we dig into this passage and as we continue to walk in worship and close out our time of worship today again being led by students that we would see the value that Jesus places on students' roles, children's roles in the Kingdom of God and that we would foster that with them here at central as we always have and we looked to do so even more in the future. So pray with me as we get into the message this morning.

Father we do thank you again if all we praise you for the opportunity to be led by students fall. We thank you for that. We thank you that you have worked in tremendous ways in each of their lives for a long time. If are we thank you that you have confirmed within them again and again how much you love them and that you have a plan for their lives and father, we pray that we this morning as the rest of the congregation at Central Church would get on board with that plan, that fall.

We would recognize what it is that you mean to do with children specifically. Those that are here at central father. We would understand the mighty ways that you desire to use them here and fought to use them in their schools to use them in their workplaces. Follow as they proclaim your greatness file. We thank you for that this morning. We pray that as we open your word, God would you teach us and if I continue to mold us in the people who look less like ourselves and more like your son.

If all we pray all of this in the name of your son, the name that is above all of their names. Amen. Well, open back up with me if you will, to mark 10 13 through 16 where joy just read. If you remember if you were here at the last student led service. This is actually the passage that we preached through.

Now. We didn't just come back to this passage because we didn't have anything else to say or we didn't feel like the Lord was, you know, not guiding us in a different direction but the last student led service as we sat down to pray about what to speak about during the or sermon portion of the the program.

The Lord led us to this passage and then God in his providence made it so that as we arrived today, this Sunday morning, June 2nd to the student led service as we have been working through mark, we just so happen to get to this exact same section again. There was nothing in that that was intentional. That was purely a happy coincidence that the Lord was working all along. So we are going to dig into this passage today.

But what I want to do for you is if you are not at the student led service the last time or if you have not been with us over the past couple weeks as Dan has been working through, the first portions of mark 10 is give you a little bit of a background so you can situate this passage, our passage this morning within its appropriate context.

And so if you remember mark 10 it begins with Jesus and his disciples going to the Trans Jordan region, which is way down south in Israel and it's to the east of the Jordan River. And so they're passing through and all of a sudden they encounter a group of Pharisees. If you remember, these pharisees come to Jesus ready to challenge him.

They'd heard about the things that he had been saying and doing, and they viewed Jesus as one who was trying to up end everything that they loved and cared about. And so they desired to see him and slaved and even killed regardless. They just wanted him to stop preaching what he had been preaching. So they come to him and they challenge him. On this point of divorce. And if you hear the past two weeks, you've heard Dan talking about everything that takes place in those passages.

But the reason that I want to put this before you today is because the reason they pointed out this issue of divorce to Jesus was very intentional. If you go back to Matthew 14 and if you will turn with me, actually Matthew 14 one through 12 keep your finger in mark 10 cause we're going to come back to that.

But Matthew 14 one through 12 and we're going to see the story where John the Baptist was confronted with Herod, who, if you remember anything about that story, Herod had been trying to take his brother's wife Herodias for himself and so asks John the Baptist about this, and John the Baptist tells him that this is not right. You cannot take her as your wife.

You cannot do that because what the Lord puts together, let not man separate and at that, if you remember the story here, it had John the Baptist imprisoned and then beheaded all because of this. And so as Jesus back in mark 10 as Jesus is passing through this Trans Jordan region and he encounters this group of Pharisees who began questioning him about matters of divorce, the reason that they are doing that is because they know this is our opportunity.

Look what happened to their previous leader. Look what happened to John the Baptist when he stood up against divorce. He was imprisoned and beheaded. This is our chance to see the same thing happen to Jesus. So let's ask them about divorce. And Jesus enters into this dialogue with these pharisees and he reminds them again, sure Moses allowed a certificate of divorce in certain cases, but you're missing the point of marriage from the very beginning.

What God has put together, let not man separate. God has a plan. Let us not seek to it or up into it. And the reason this is important for us as we get into mark 10 13 through 16 is because immediately after that moment, the disciples and Jesus, they go back to the house and they're asking Jesus again. All right, so tell us again, we clarify for us what about this divorce issue?

And it's in the middle of this, of this moment where they're still continuing to ask Jesus about this particular issue that we see our passage this morning begin read with me again, verse 13 if you will. It says, and they were bringing children to him that he might touch them and the disciples rebuked them. It's in this moment while they're discussing these matters, that divorce, that these people are bringing children to. Jesus says that he might touch them and the disciples rebuked them.

I want you to get a picture for what this scene must've looked like. They're in the middle of dealing with a weighty matter. And so for them, it's almost as if nothing else matters. They've got to solve this issue of divorce, forget everything else. And what we're going to see throughout the rest of this passage is that Jesus reminds them your priorities are in the wrong places. As we continue, we notice that as they bring these children to Jesus says they're looking, that he might touch them.

These children have got to have some sort of illness, some sort of sickness.

They are afflicted with something that is pushing these parents to go reach out to Jesus in faith, not knowing whether he can do anything about it or not, but knowing that they've heard stories and they've got one more shot to something maybe nothing else has worked, so they bring these children to him with the desire that he touched them in Matthew's account, which takes place in Matthew 1913 we read that these parents were also seeking prayer for their children from Jesus.

Matthew writes, then children were being brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray and the disciples rebuked the people. Similarly, Luke's account in Luke 18 it even records that infants were among those that were being brought to Jesus. Luke says now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. I want you to get a picture for what this must have looked like.

You know, in the very beginning, maybe the disciples could kind of rationalize to themselves, okay, we're dealing with something important so we can't deal with these children right now. But as you read each of these accounts, Mark's Matthews Luke's, and you see all of the different dynamics that are at play here in this circumstance, it begins to become almost a no brainer disciples. What are you doing?

You are being brought, not just children, but even infants afflicted with all sorts of diseases being brought by parents who are desperate, probably weeping as they bring them to Jesus and hear these disciples stand. No, and it doesn't just say that they turned these parents and their children away. It says that they rebuked them. Get a picture of that so you can really understand what it would have looked like in this scene and why it was that Jesus would have reacted and the way that he did.

You see these disciples and neglecting children in order to resolve a mere theological abstraction. That's not to say that these matters of of divorce or whatever it may be that the disciples were discussing is unimportant, but what it's to say is that if it comes at the cost of neglecting children are in fact neglecting anyone, then those questions are worthless to even ask in the first place, and that is why we get to verse 14 and we see this strong reaction from Jesus.

Read with me, verse 14 it says, when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, let the children come to me. Do not hinder them for to such belongs the Kingdom of God. Immediately it says that Jesus became indignant. I want to give you a picture of what this must have looked like. This isn't a word that we use in our everyday vocabulary, right? Or anybody saying by use that word often? No, I don't think so. I don't either.

So indignant, he becomes indignity and the Greek, this word, this is the same exact word that was used to describe the state of the farracies during the triumphal entry. As Jesus is riding into Jerusalem on his donkey, and people are shouting to him, Hosanna to the son of David Hosanna. It says at this, the Pharisees were indignant. They were furious with what they were seeing, furious with what was taking place as all of Jerusalem was bowing to this man.

This is the same word that is used to describe Jesus's response to these disciples as they rebuke these parents, turning these children's children away. Jesus was indignant. He was furious, and it says immediately you notice that Jesus directs these disciples attention to the children. He says, let the children come to me. Do not hinder them for to such belongs the Kingdom of God. First he gives them this affirmative command thing. Let them come to me.

Then he balances it with this negative commands. Do not hinder them. This was to to convey the absolute importance that Jesus was placing on children's right to come to him. Now the fact that he desired that they come to him by putting this affirmative with the negative commands. This is a strong command that Jesus is issuing to these disciples. Let the children come to me. Do not hinder them in First Corinthians, Paul similarly had to remind the believers in Corinth.

If you remember in First Corinthians 13 he writes, if I have prophetic powers and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains but have not love, I am nothing. This is the same thing that Jesus is saying in different words, disciples, you could have all the right arguments, but if you have not love in this particular case, love for these children you, he doesn't say have nothing.

He says, you are nothing that is indicative of a heart that has not been transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit and that is what we are going to continue to see. And you see Jesus explaining the reason for these double commands. He says that to such to children like this, it's to them that belongs the Kingdom of God. Then he clarifies verse 15 read it with me. He says, truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the Kingdom of God, like a child shall not enter it.

So you see these disciples, they're arguing about who knows what at any given moment, turning these children away. Then Jesus turns to him and says that unless you become like one of these, you're not even going to be able to the kingdom. Can you imagine what a what a a shift in thinking that must've been for them, for these disciples. Think about like the blow to the heart, that that would've been for them. But I think for them they had learned enough to listen to Jesus when he spoke.

That may be they listened to him and applied what it was that he was saying. But my heart for us as we jumped from this point into the rest of the message this morning, is that we hear that warning from Jesus that we hear his words to not hinder these children who are coming to him, the let them come to them for it's two such that belongs the Kingdom of God. May We hear that and then may we apply that to our lives living differently.

As we think about students, as we think about children, as we think about their place in the church, as we think about their place in society, regardless of whether you agree with what they're doing or not. I think the question for us as we move forward is are we doing everything that we can to allow them to come to Jesus tonight, hinder them to demonstrate to them that they really do belong to the Kingdom of God?

That's our heart as we move forward, and so we asked now what does it mean then, you know, I imagine these disciples here, this of you must receive the kingdom like a child if you even want to enter it. They've got ask themselves, well, what does that even mean? What does it mean to receive the Kingdom of God like a child?

I think there are two stories for us this morning that help us understand what that means and how we can adapt to what it is that Jesus is saying to ensure that we are living our lives in this manner. Receiving the Kingdom of God like a child, if you will. Flip football me to mark nine 33 I think to receive the Kingdom of God like a child means to receive it with humility. Not none of us liked that word humility, right? Because we are all proud. For the most part, my myself included.

I think if we were to be honest with ourselves, we like things the way that we like them. We like to be served, not to serve. We like things to line up with our preferences even if they don't necessarily conform to other people's preferences. That's just who we are as people, right? We are selfish people, myself included, and so I want you to take a, an internal survey for a minute. Kind of asking yourself, where do I rank on this scale of humility? What you say?

Probably we'll say a lot about where you actually rank on the scale of humility to it for being honest. I know that does for if I'm honest with myself, I know I'm prideful. I begged the Lord everyday to strip my pride from me, to create in me a heart of humility because I know without that I'm useless to his kingdom and I have no true understanding of what real faith is. Anyways, and I think that's why we're all gathered here today. Anyways, right?

To understand what this whole faith thing is, to understand how it is that we relate to Jesus. How do we live a life that has been transformed by him? While I think what we learned here is that humility is integral. Humility is even maybe at a deeper level fundamental. So that's what we're going to read about mark nine this is our first story where we see the importance of humility. Beginning in verse 33 Mark Rights and they came to Capernaum.

That's Jesus and the disciples, and when he was in the house, he asked them, what were you discussing on the way? But they kept silent for on the way. They had argued with one another about who was the greatest perfect picture of humility, right? And he sat down and called the 12 and he said to them, if anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all. And he took a child and put him in the midst of him and taking him in his arms.

He said to them, whoever receives one such child in my name receives me and whoever receives me receives not me, but him who sent me. Here are these words. Let them fall on you with all of their weight. And now reflect back to mark 10 to this scene where you see Jesus indignantly rebuking these disciples as they do what? To these children. Turn them away and rebuke the parents who have been bringing them to them in the first place.

This lesson and mark nine was who knows how long before that moment in mark 10 but it wasn't very long and it seems as if they had already forgotten. We are quick to forget so many times what it is that the Lord teaches us. Couple observations. What do you notice about these disciples? Where does their heart seem to be as they are on the way to capernum arguing with themselves? And this is after the transfiguration had taken place.

So it could be, you know that they, for those who are present at the transfiguration, began to believe that they in some way were more deserving of this ministry because of what the Lord had allowed them to see. Who knows what it was that was prompting. They're arguing, but regardless, they were arguing about who was the greatest. They get to the house. Jesus questions, I'm on it. And immediately what do you notice? They're convicted.

They know that what they were doing was not, they knew that what they were arguing about they should not have been arguing about. And so Jesus, what does he do? He sits down, draws these 12 to him and that's in essence what I want us to, to feel today. I want to imagine that that Jesus is here sitting down with us, drawing us to himself. And then taking a child, putting them in the, in the midst of us issuing to us this very same challenge.

Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me and whoever receives me receives not me but him who sent me. But more than that, if any of you want to be first, you gotta be last, last of all, servant of all. That is what it, what Jesus deems the greatest in his, um, assessment of kingdom value. That the one who is humble and seeking to serve is the greatest.

Whereas the one who is prideful like me, many times, not the greatest, my prayer is that the Lord would use this moment for us today to, to in essence, make us feel as if he is drawing us to himself, presenting us with these students, leading us in worship, demonstrating the value of a child, the importance of a child, and using that to humble us and, and redirect our priorities. You see, Jesus gives them this, this reminder even from from mark eight.

So Jesus in this, you know, if anyone would be first language, this is reflective of his challenge to these disciples back when he called them. If anyone would follow me, let him take up his cross. If anyone would come after me, let him take up his cross a die to himself and follow me. It's the same sort of language and he's, he's reflecting back on this moment where he reminded them when I called you in the first place, I called you to deny yourself, not elevate yourself to deny yourself.

And here they are arguing about who is the greatest. And if you remember in that scene, Jesus rebuked Peter when Peter tried to usurp Jesus his own authority. Tell them no, that's not going to be like this. You're not going to the cross. You can't do that. I'm going to prevent you from doing that. Jesus reminded, Peter says, get behind me, Satan. You do not come before me. You rank behind me. Get back in your place.

This is the same sort of thing that Jesus is telling these disciples at this moment. Remember your place. Get back in line. In essence, these are hard words, but I think it's the same sort of thing that he is saying to us. Also, remember your place. Remember the I'm the one is who is leading you. Allow me to lead you. That's our heart this morning.

May We let the Lord lead us and as we move on, you see that Jesus, um, continues to reflect with these disciples on what it means to approach him with a humble heart. First we see the importance of humility by him telling him, whoever humbles himself like these children is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.

But then we see in Matthew 18 flip there with me, if you will, in verses one through four, we're going to see Matthew's version of this event where Matthew writing about what he had seen Jesus do and say ads in this little element that the others left out. That I think for us is the key. Jesus tells the disciples in Matthew 18 which is in the same story, but just a different picture of it. Unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the Kingdom of heaven.

Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven. It was for Jesus, this child like humility that he sought to elevate for everyone else to use as this example of what it truly meant to receive the Kingdom of God like a child. I think about this for a minute. Think about the humility of a child. Now I think about this often now that I've got a one and a half year old, well almost two year old, his name is Levi.

As I think about him and him being a child at him, really not caring about his status in the world, he doesn't care what other people think of him. He doesn't care if he is viewed as important or not. He cares simply about whether or not he is having fun and being loved in any given moment. That's it. That's all he cares about. He is dependent.

I want you to think about that in terms of humility and specifically what it means for us as followers of Christ to be dependent and as much as that is a an aspect of humility. I'm going to teach you a word real quick. Strobies can you say that with me? Strawberries, it's real easy. Str. Oh, BB. Ies strobies for us strawberries. That's what that means. That's what Levi calls them. He calls them strawberries. Levi is even as a child.

So while most children are dependent in almost every facet of their lives, Levi seems to be the least dependent. He wants to do everything on his own. Even putting on the little cap to the water bottle, he does not want you to help them with that. Even if it's at the cost of dumping it all out everywhere and all of her shirt, he wants to do it himself. So as far as the child goes, he doesn't really fit within this within this example, except for strawberries.

So he knows when there are strawberries around. It is like his sixth sense of somehow and anytime they were strawberries around, he forgets about his independence and he knows I want strawberries and I've learned enough to know I can't get them by myself. So I'm going to depend on mom and dad to get him for me. So he'll just come up to us, strawberries, strawberries, strawberries and on until we give him some strawberries.

But I've thought about that numerous times as I think about what it means to be dependent and what a perfect picture that is. Our dependence on the father. We are dependent on him in as much as we recognize we have a need and he can give it to us like that, but how dependent are we upon him and all those other moments where we feel like we got this and we can do it ourself.

Maybe I'm fumbling around with this top on a water, spilling it out everywhere, but no, I'm so, I'm so capable and independent that I'm going to do it myself regardless of what that means. I think that's a perfect picture of what it looks like for us. Trying a little, maybe trying a lot to be dependent, but my prayer for us this morning is that we truly become dependent on our father and what it is that he did for us.

Not just when he has something we need, but in every single moment of our lives. Recognizing that he is our very source of life. Being dependent I think is a very key aspect to this idea of being humble and so as we ask ourselves, what does it look like for us to humble ourselves like a child? I think beginning point is remember that you're dependent. I remember maybe that you're not dependent but you need to be deficient. You know that's at least what it is.

In my case, let us remember that we are dependent on him, that without him we can do absolutely nothing and respond in kind by approaching him with that mentality. Second aspect of this idea of humility that I want you to see that really demonstrates why humility is important for us is in mark seven this is another story where we see Jesus having taught these disciples something and them so quickly having forgotten as is the case with us. Many times.

Mark Seven 24 through 30 mark writes, and from there he arose and went away to the region of Tyre and site on which is way up to the West on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. And he entered the house and did not want anyone to know yet he could not be hidden, but immediately a woman who's little daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him and came and fell down at his feet.

Now the woman was a gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth, and she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter and he said to her, let the children be fed first four it is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs. But she answered him. Yes Lord. Yet even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs. And he said to her, for this statement, you may go your way. The demon has left your daughter and she went home and found the child lying in bed and the demon had gone.

I want you to get a picture for this scene, which again, if you remember, Dan has already walked through this scene with us before, but you get this picture of this woman in desperation seeking for someone to help her daughter who is laying ill in bed possessed by a demon. And if you remember from the other scenes that we've seen in mark where people have been possessed by a demon, the demon has sought to destroy that person.

So you know, things like that must have taken place in the life of this young girl. And so this mother, this desperate mother comes to Jesus and testing her. He first says what? It is not right to take the children's bread. What does he mean by this? If you remember what Dan spoke about, what he was doing was reminding her that he had first come for the Jews, the people who had covenanted with God. And then later for the gentiles.

He's telling her, don't you remember I have come first for the Jews. It's not right for me to give you what is due them at this moment. But then look at her response. What did she say? She says, yes, Lord. Yet even the dogs under the table eat the crumbs that fall. She says, I know I deserve nothing. I do not approach you presuming to be an heir. I simply approach you as someone in need and I'm begging you. Would you help me with my neediness? Would you heal my daughter?

And how does Jesus respond? He says, for this statement, you may go your way and her daughter was healed instantly. Matthew's version of this event is a little more detailed as to Jesus's response and Matthew 1528 Jesus Response, Oh woman, great is your faith, be it done for you as you desire in her, you recognize nothing but humility and humility specifically that approaches Jesus, not out of entitlement, but simply out of a need.

Recognizing that he can fill it and just asking him to do what he's done for so many others, Jesus, would you heal my daughter? What about us this morning when we approach, do we approach out of a sense of entitlement? When we view the children in our midst, do we feel as if they are in some way, um, impeding on our thing, impeding on our church or do we recognize the way that Jesus has re situated our priorities?

Approaching him out of every single moment with the humility that recognizes we are all needy, but God, you are great and you desire to heal. I think that's our challenge for us this morning. We see humility is important because it is not entitled. It is a dependency upon grace and mercy. Paul wrote about this in Ephesians two eight through nine where you said, it is by grace that you have been saved through faith and this is not your own doing. It is the gift of God so that no one may boast.

My prayer for myself and for all of us is that we would have that heart that recognizes the gift of God for what it is, namely a gift. And that we approach him in humility, recognizing who we are as needy centers, but recognizing him for who he is, a holy and righteous God who came and dwelt among us to take our sin on the head, to defeat sin and death. And in doing so, to buy forgiveness for us, that is who we are.

And that is exactly what we find these disciples not doing as these people bring their children to him, they don't see these children as similarly needy people who need the grace and mercy of Jesus. They see them as a nuisance. And Verse 16 back in Mark 10 we see how Jesus wraps up. This section says he took them in his arms and blessed them laying his hands on them and other versions.

And in Matthew and Luke, we see that it says he'd pray for them, laid his hands on them, and even then he went away. Regardless, what we see is this intimate picture where after rebuking these disciples who just rebuke these parents, turning these children away, Jesus grabs these children, takes them in his arms, blesses them, and then he leaves simultaneously. He is granting these parents wish, which was that the Jesus might touch their children and pray for them and heal them.

Even the infants. We don't just see him granting these parents wish, but we also see them setting an example for these disciples as to what it means to receive the Kingdom of God and what it means to take advantage of every opportunity that we have to model lives that have been transformed by His grace and mercy.

And so as we close in prayer this morning, would you pray with me even for yourselves that the Lord would remind you today and in every moment leaving today of our dependence on him and then becoming people who are more humble and more reliant upon him rather than people who believe that they're self sufficient, that we would look at all of those around us and in every single person see an opportunity to display the love of Christ and see specifically here at central our children, our students

as people to be invested in and built up and two disciples who are making disciples rather than a nuisance or or loud or whatever it is that that they may be perceived to be. That is my prayer for us and for all of us as we move forward out of today. Continuing to apply the scripture that we are reading in mark to our lives. So let me pray for us. Father, we thank you for this morning and father, we pray that as you continue to conform us to the image of the sun. Follow, would you humble us?

How would you humble me? And Paul, would you make me aware of those moments when I am seeking to live in a self sufficient way, refusing you fall? Would you help me to be more dependent on you fall? Would you create in me a great awareness of everything that you have done for me? The while I was still still a sinner. You died for me in my place. Nothing that I could've done remind me of that. Father, humble me, make me dependent on you for our pray that for our congregation as well.

Would you humble us and make us dependent on you if I know that as we are turned into people who are more humble and more dependent on you father, there is nothing that you can't do with that sort of church file. We believe that and we pray that for central fill operate that you continue to use central in the mighty way that you have fought to reach this community that people would come to know you and fall in love with you through ministry here. That lives will be transformed.

That hearts would be changed, that people would fall in love with you and father, I pray that we would see our children and see our students and follow would we rejoice at the, that they are here, that they are loved by you, that they have been created by you, that you know them by name and that you have a plan for their lives and follow. You have privileged us to be a part of it. I thank you for that.

Father, I pray today that as we are even being allowed by some of them follow, would you encourage them this morning? How would you remind them of the plans that you have for them in your great kingdom? Work followed. Let no one looked down on them because they were, they are young, but help them to set an example. It's all we pray all of these things in your name so thankful for this opportunity to be here, to be loved by you and to be known by you and fall.

We just respond in worship out of gratitude for all you've done today and we pray all these things