Children and the Kingdom

It truly is great to have you with us today as you worship the Lord together. You know, we find ourselves in Luke's Gospel, the 18th chapter, and so if you have your Bible, Turn there with me, if you would, please, as we examine once again what the Lord Jesus has to say concerning the kingdom of God. I don't know about you, but when I was growing up as a child, I don't think there was ever a time I didn't go to church, even before my parents were even born again. I can recall at a very early age going to Sunday school.

And I remember not because I remembered necessarily as I had pictures of it, and that was, I was baptized as an infant in a Lutheran church. My parents believed that I should be baptized as an infant, so I was. And then we went to an American Baptist church after that, and I was baptized as a young child. And then, as I grew older, I realized maybe I better come to Christ because my parents want me to, and so I was baptized a third time.

And then, when I really finally gave my life to Christ because I realized that I was a sinner and needed to be born again, I was baptized for a fourth time.

In fact, by the time I was baptized the fourth time, I was so waterlogged, I wasn't sure I'd ever dry out. It's not that baptism saved you, it's just the fact that my parents always took me to church. They did everything they possibly could to make sure I understood the pathway to heaven, although they did not know. The pathway to heaven. They were concerned about me as their son, that somehow I would come to know. God, and I would end up one day in heaven. And then the Lord saved my parents, and they realized that What they were doing as I was young had nothing to do with my salvation, and they were concerned about my eternal destiny.

And so they taught me the truth of God, they taught me the word of God. They did what most parents do. They are concerned about the eternal destiny of their children. If you're here today and you have children, you're concerned about where they will go when they die. You're concerned that they would grow up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. So you take them to church. You want them to hear the word of the Lord. You teach them at home the truth of the Lord. You're careful about who they hang out with so they're not detracted from the things of God.

You do everything you possibly can to get them on the right path because you want them to follow The Lord. I would think that most parents, I mean, that's why there are so many people involved in infant baptism. Parents take their children to the church and they baptize them when they're newborns because they want to make sure that somehow their eternal future is secure. There is that essence of our being that causes us to want to know about our children and their future. I mean, if you don't have that desire, then something's probably terribly wrong with your spiritual condition.

And what Jesus does in Luke's Gospel, the 18th chapter, is address the whole idea about children. Because that becomes the question for most people: Do children go to heaven? When they die, what happens to them? And most parents are concerned about the eternal future of their children. And so, like it was in Jesus' day, so it is today. They come to a church to teach their children about the real of eternity. Let me read to you the text.

It's a very brief text, but it is a very powerful text when it comes to the context of what Jesus is talking about. Verse 15, Luke 18, and they were bringing even their babies to him, so that he might touch them. But when the disciples saw it, they began rebuking them. But Jesus called for them, saying, Perm the children to come to me and do not hinder them. For the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly, I say to you: who does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.

At all. The passage before us is an event that takes place in the life of Christ. These children, their parents, and a great multitude of people. We know that because in Matthew's account, And in Mark's account, we have a parallel as to what is taking place in Luke's account. And in Matthew, it tells us in Matthew:, that there was a great multitude present. So there were thousands of people. Around Christ at this time. And Matthew's account tells us that he was speaking about divorce and remarriage.

Mark's account says the exact same thing. So the context dealt with parents who were around Jesus at this time, and that's why they were bringing their children to him to be blessed. Now, the context of Luke 18 tells us, way back in chapter 17, verse number 20, there was a question asked about the kingdom of God. I mean, that's all Jesus ever talked about was the kingdom. And so, inevitably, they would come to the point where they would ask, where is the kingdom? If you're the king. Where is your kingdom?

And so there began a long discourse about the kingdom of God. It began with the principles surrounding the kingdom. He talks about it being a spiritual kingdom that will one day become a literal kingdom, that will one day become an eternal kingdom. So he talks about the principles concerning the kingdom. And then he add all the perils before the kingdom, the literal kingdom upon earth. And so he talks about what's going to happen before Christ comes and sets up that kingdom. And then he addresses prayers concerning the kingdom.

Luke chapter 18, verse number 1: Men ought always to pray and not to faint. And what was their prayer about? It was about the coming kingdom of God. And then he talks about the people who ent that kingdom. That has to come up somewhere down the line. If he talks about the principles surrounding the kingdom, he is the king, he has a kingdom, and he talks about all the perils that take place before that kingdom is established on earth, and then he talks about people who pray for that kingdom. Who are the ones who enter the k?

And we know from his discussion in Luke 18, verse number 9: those who won't get into the kingdom or who are not a part of the kingdom. And that's those who trust in themselves and not in God. In fact, the way he addresses it is that those who think they're in the kingdom. Are not in the kingdom. And those who know they don't deserve the kingdom are the ones who get into the kingdom. That's how he addresses it. And he deals with the most religious people of the day, the Pharisees, because they were the ones who believed they were in the kingdom of God.

And Christ made it clearly evident. That they are not in the kingdom because they believed in a works-based system that somehow they can gain God's grace. By their works, they can gain God's acceptance by all the things they do morally, all the things they do religiously. That's why the man said, I thank you, Lord, that I am not like that guy over there. I'm better than he is. I pray, I fast, I give tithes. He begins to list the things that he does, and he gives praise more to himself than he does to God.

And then there was this tax collector who would stand afar off from the presence of God. Who would beat upon his breast and say, God, be merciful unto me, a sinner. And Christ said, That's the one. Who went down justified. That's the one who was made right before me. Not the religious guy. The one who believed he was in the kingdom, but the one who knew he did not deserve any part of the kingdom and begged for mercy. That one Was justified. And so Christ would talk to them about the people in the kingdom.

Well, the context tells us. That because of Luke, I mean, Mark and Matthew's account, Christ had talked about divorce and remarriage somewhere in this context. And so there were parents pres. Who had their children, and they would come and bring their children to the Lord to bless them. As most people would do in those days, because that was the habit of parents. Now, Christ does say very clearly in verse number 17, who does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it at all. He wants them to understand that the religious man who believed he was in the kingdom was not.

The sinner, the tax gatherer, who knew he didn't deserve heaven, was in. And then he says, I want to let you know, all children. Are in. And then they become the illustration of what it means to enter the kingdom. That unless you become like these children, not child, but child-likeness, unless you too become like these children, totally dependent. Upon me, completely helpless with anything that you accomplish, you too will not enter the kingdom of heaven. You must become like a little. Child, they become the perfect illustration of what it means to enter the kingdom of God.

And so you begin to understand that these new were infants. Luke uses the word briph that speaks of infant children. These children have no knowledge at all of God. They have no understanding of God. They have no commitment to God. They have no dedication to the truth of God. Because they know nothing. But Jesus does say they are in the kingdom of God. He makes a monumental statement because in that day, it was all about work. And if there's anybody who can't work their way to heaven, it's an infant.

It's a child. And so it becomes the perfect illustration against the works-based system. Now understand, the disciples had a hard time with this. Because when the children are coming, because the parents are bringing them, they want to stop that from happening. Because what has happened in the life of the disciples is that they have grown accustomed to all that takes place in Judaism. So they are of the belief that children have no part in the kingdom of God. You will notice that in the next story about the rich man And how Christ tells him that he's not far from the kingdom, but yet he's not in the kingdom.

The disciples ask the question: then who can be saved? Because everything about their religion was so ingrained in the disciples that they could not see and understand the real of what Christ was saying. It's a lot like people in the church today. We go to churches and we become so ingrained in the things that we're taught, we can't see the truth because we are so taken by religion. That's where the disciples were. They couldn't understand the thing about children because rich men, when it came to rich men, rich men were blessed by God.

If anybody was blessed by God, it was the rich people. They understood that, at least that's what they thought. And if rich men don't get in the kingdom because they don't have favor with God, then who can be saved? That was their question. And Jesus would have to clarify that with them as well. This goes to tell you that we can become so enamored with religion and all that religion teaches that we don't see the truth of what it means to really be saved. And that's where the disciples were. And yet, Christ had to rebuke them.

He became absolutely, as Mark tells us, infuriated. A right indign toward his disciples because he tells us that truly the kingdom belongs. to those such as these. The passage confronts the system of religion that was taught By the Pharisees in the days of Jesus. It confronts the same religious lifestyle that most people live today. That somehow I can earn my way to heaven, that somehow I can gain God's grace, I can gain God's acceptance, I can gain God's forgiveness based on all that I do. And so what was true in Jesus' day is even true today.

And so the passage becomes absolutely paramount. when it comes to understanding how it is one truly is born again and one truly enters the kingdom of heaven. Now, the Bible says in verse number 15.

And they were bringing even their b to him. Those would be the parents that were listening to Christ. And they would bring the babies to be blessed by Christ, that he would somehow pray over them. Now, they did this on a regular basis. They would take their children to the synagogue and have one of the elders pray over their children. In fact, the Talmud teaches That the day before the day of at, the offering that covered the sins of Israel for the year, they would bring their children. To the temple to be blessed.

And rabbis would pray over them that the atonement on the next day. Would somehow be applied to the child. This is part of what they did. It's all taken from the book of Genesis, 48th chapter, 14th verse, where Israel would lay his hands on Ephraim and Manasseh. And he would bless them, the children of Joseph. And that tradition was passed down from generation to gener to gener. And parents wanted their children to be blessed in a works-based system. A religious system so dominated by works, children can't work their way to heaven.

So somehow we must pray a special blessing upon them. So that somehow the atonement will be applied to them. That was their thinking. Because there's no way they would ever understand the law of God. There was no way they would ever understand the truth of God. There was no way they could ever work their way into favor with God. So they would ask the elder or the rabbi to pray over them. The child was not in a position to know God or His law. Let alone obey that law. Now, Mark's account and Matthew's account tells us They were bringing little children.

The word there is paide. Here it's briph, infant children. So It applies to both infant children and toddlers, little children. Christ would not use the word briph when he says, Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child, he uses the word paid because he wants you to understand the essence of what it means. To be a part of the kingdom of God. Nothing in the text is said about the faith of the parents. Nothing is. And so we know it's all about what's happening to the lives of the ch.

And so these parents are bringing their children, their infants, to the Lord that somehow he might bless them. And the disciples did not want that to happen. They didn't understand what Christ was doing. They didn't really truly understand the essence of the kingdom. They thought they did, but they really didn't get and grasp entry-level. at the kingdom. And so Christ rebuked them. He became, as Mark says, infuriated because the disciples were hindering the children from coming to him. The L did so much with children in His ministry.

He healed so many children. On the triumphal entry, there were the children there that were singing praises to Him and blessing Him. He did a lot for children during his earthly min. But notice what Jesus says.

Jesus called for them, saying, Perm the children to come to me and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God bel to such as these. He doesn't say that the kingdom of God belongs to these who are here. He says the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. In other words, The kingdom of God belongs to a category of people called children. Now, this is very important to understand. Because you need to grasp what Christ is saying concerning the kingdom of God when it comes to children. So many times we ask ourselves when a child dies, did they go to heaven?

If there's been a tragedy, do those children who die in the tragedy, do they go to heaven? How do we know? Well, the Bible tells us. We don't have to wonder what happens. We can know what happens to them when they die. The answer is they go directly into the kingdom of heaven or the kingdom of God. Because the kingdom belongs to those in this category, children. These children are not sinless. They are sinners. They're born sinners. All of us are born sinners. These children. Are sinful. These children are not morally neutral.

They're not. Because they're born sinners. These children are not free from the disposition to sin. How do we know that? Because the wages of sin is what? Death. There are a lot of children who die in the womb. When children are born, they begin to decay, just like we're decaying. And so that's the result of sin. They're born sinners. In sin, Psalm 51, did my mother conceive me. The soul that sins, it shall die. There is no doubt the Bible teaches that everyone is born a sinner. You don't. Become a sinner because you sin.

No, you're born into sin. You are born a sinner because you are a descendant of Adam. And so these children are not sinless, but there's something unique about children that you need to understand, and that is this. In a child, sin has not developed to the degree that it produces a conscious Resistance to the will and to the law of God. Willful sin has not developed. The law of God has not Been written on their conscience so that it pricks the conscience when the law is violated. That's very important to understand.

You see, children do what they do because, yes, they are sinners. But they have no concept of God. They have no concept of the law of God. They have no concept of what it means to be dedicated to the truth of God. They have no idea. As D says, the difference between good and evil. Deuteronomy 1:3, Deuteronomy 1:3. In fact, in the book of Jeremiah, Jeremiah chapter 2, verse number 34, in Jeremiah chapter 19, the Lord God calls them. innocent. Innocent. Not because they're sinless, but simply because they have no understanding of good or evil.

Jonah said it this way, Jonah 4, verse 11. Those who have no understand of their right hand from their left hand. Now, that would encompass more than just children. It would encompass everyone who is mentally unable to discern their right hand from their left hand. And then understand that in Ezekiel chapter 16, Christ says, the children you bear are born.

To me, not you. They're born to me, and he calls them my children. So it's no wonder that Christ says in Luke chapter 18: Perm the children to come to me and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to these in this category.

These who don't understand their left hand from their right hand, those who don't understand good from evil, those that I have called innocent, those that I have called my children. Those that belong specifically to me because you bore them to me. We don't understand that. We think that our children are our children. But Psalm 127 makes it very clear that you only possess them for a very brief time. They're a gift from the Lord. They're a gift from the Lord. Children were never yours forever. They're a gift from the Lord.

And that's why we are to raise them as if they are God's children. We are to take care of them as if they are God's possession because they're gifts from Him. He calls them my children. And so you need to understand that what Jesus teaches is that these children have a special gracious divine protection until they reach the condition of reason. Some would call it the age of accountability. Others would call it the age of moral culpability. But it's the age in which they are able to understand and discern good from evil.

They are able to comprehend God and His law. You see, it's the adult Romans 1:18 that suppresses the truth. Children don't suppress the truth because they don't know the truth. But it's the adult that suppress the truth. This becomes very important. Because as adults, we are to engage in training and teaching our children the truth about God. Because when children are born, they are so moldable. They are so impressionable. That they don't have this rebellious resistance against God. When you put your children in Sunday school, they don't come home from Sunday school saying, you know what, I'm not sure about this whole God thing.

I'm not sure about this whole thing about God and his redemptive process. I'm not sure I get all that stuff. I'm not sure I believe all that stuff. No, they come saying to, No, guess what I learned in Sunday school today? Let me tell you what my teacher told me today about Jesus and what he did and how he accomplished it.

Because they're very impressionable. They're not at that place where they are able to consciously rebel against the truth because they don't know the truth. They only understand what you and I teach them. That's why when you say, hey, you know what? Let's pray. What do they do? They fold their hands, they bow their heads, and they pray. Because that's where they're at. And that's why it's so important for you to be involved in teaching children. In fact, probably the greatest impactful ministry in the church is happening in the rooms around this auditorium in children's ministry.

Because those children are so impressionable. And those teachers who have committed Sundays and Wednesdays to impart the truth of God to the minds of children. Have just an incredible ministry. An incredible ministry. Because those children are very ripe to understand the truth. You begin to plant seeds. Seeds that help them understand God and His Word. Boy, that becomes so important. And so that's why the Bible says in Matthew chapter 5.

These words Matthew chapter 5 verse number 19 Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments and so teaches others shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Greatness in the kingdom of heaven centers around those who keep the Word of God and teach the Word of God. See, we forget about what God says about greatness in his kingdom.

It's all about his word and how it's imparted to others. And so when you come to Matthew chapter 18, Christ says these words: Matthew chapter 18.

He says, Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever then humbles himself as his child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one such child in my name receives me. But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, It is better for him that a heavy millstone be hung around his neck and that he be drowned in the depth of the sea. He says, Listen, these little children are a part of my kingdom.

And because they are, be careful how you treat them. Be careful how you deal with them. If you caused one of them to stumble, It would be better for you to die a horrible death than to do that. Because in God's mind, Children have a very special place. Let me illustrate to you this way.

Two ways. We have told you in Matthew chapter 7 that straight is the way and narrow is the gate, and few there be that find it. Isn't that what Jesus said? So we tell you that, no, there's not thousands of people coming to Christ in locations, millions of people coming to Christ. Why? The Bible says, few there be that find it.

That's what the Bible says. I'm not so concerned about what you hear on TV or what some magazine tells you. I'm just only concerned about what Jesus says.

And so now you have to understand that in the context of the book of Revelation. When it says that there are m around the throne of God, how did all those multitudes get there? If there's only a few being saved, because Christ was asked, are there only a few being saved? Remember that? Matthew chapter, I mean, Luke chapter 13, are there just a few being saved? How come there's not a multitude of people being saved? Because there never is. So, how do you reconcile that with the fact that there are millions around the throne of grace?

That's because every child that dies goes to heaven. That's why. Think of the millions of babies that have been aborted over the years. Where are they? They're in heaven. Think about the millions of children who have died in disasters and all kinds of calamities over the years. Where do they go? Heaven. Heaven. That's why heaven's populated with millions of people. It's because children who die go to heaven. Let me illustrate to you this way.

We've been studying the life of David. If you've been with us on Wednesday night, you have been richly blessed by understanding his life. And you know that his sin with Bathsheba, Bathsheba became pregnant with a child. And Nathan tells David: this child born to you is going to die. What did David do? David be to fast and to pray and not bathe. He was prostrate on the ground before God, praying that somehow God would intervene. He realizes there's a discussion around him by those in his palace. And he rises and says, Is the child dead?

They said, Yes, the child is dead. What does David do? He gets up. He washes himself, and then he immediately does what? He worships. He worships. And the people are confounded. They don't stand. How is it the king can sit there and pray and not eat and not do anything? And then, when the baby finally dies, he immediately gets up.

He bathes, he goes and worships. He said, very simply, the baby, the child, will not come back to me. But I will go to him. Remember that whole story? Very familiar story. Now, what you contrast that with his older son, Absalom. Absalom rebelled against his authority. Absalom tried to take his kingdom. Absalom set himself up as king. Forced his father out of Jerusalem. His father had to run and hide, and they went to battle together. He says, Whatever you do, spare my son Absalom. Whatever you do, don't kill him.

They went to battle, and what did they do? They killed him. David's response. To Absalom's death and David's response to the child's death tells you everything about children going to heaven. And adults not going, such as Absalom. What did David do? Oh, my son, Absalom, Absalom, my son, my son! He began to weep profusely when Absalom died, but he did not weep when the child died. Why? Because he knew where the child was and he knew where Absalom was. He knew he wasn't going to go to Absalom, but he knew he was going to go to the child.

Absom rebelled against the law of God. Absom beyond the condition of reason. He understood. He understood the truth of God. See? And so he wept. One of the reasons David wept so much was because, why not kill my son? Because he knows his son doesn't know the Lord. If you kill him, he's going to hell. Don't kill him. They killed him. He went to hell. And David. Mourned the death of Absalom. And we're thinking, why would you mourn his death? I mean, after all, he rebelled against your authority, he rebelled against your king.

Kingdom. 20,000 people rebelled and died because of Absalom. Are you kidding me? You should be rejoicing that Absalom's death. But David knew that Absalom was in hell. He knew that his younger son, the child, Was in heaven. That's why he didn't weep when the child died, because he knew he would see him again one day, but he knew he'd never see Absalom again. Folks, that's important because you deal with people all the time whose children die in infancy. Whose children die at two and three and four and five and six and seven years of age.

You say, What is that condition of reason? What is that age of moral culpability? Only God knows that. Only God knows that. Some would say, well, you know, maybe it's because there is an incident in Scripture. With Christ at 12, where Christ at 12 fully understands at that point who he is, what he's doing, and what's happening as to how he's able to converse with the Pharisees. And the Sadducees there in the temple when his parents leave him behind, and three days later they come back and get him.

Remember that story? Way back earlier in Luke, that was about seven years ago. But it's still there, it's still in Luke's gospel. And it was at that time he knew. And that's the only recorded incident we have of Christ outside of his birth and outside of his ministry. In his childhood. That's it. And some would say, well, maybe age 12 is that age. Maybe that's why that Jewish children at 12 have their bar mitzvah and their bat mitzvah. They become sons or daughters of the law. I don't know that. I don't know that.

All I know is that the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. These infants, these children that were coming and being brought by their parents to be blessed by God. And God wants to set the parents at ease to help them understand: these are my children, they're mine. And when they reach that age, if God allows them the grace to continue, and they reach that age of reason. Then they must come to a place of repentance. And that's why he says, unless you become like one of these children, Totally helpless, totally dependent upon me, you'll never enter the kingdom of heaven.

But that's so rich, that's so important. Because we forget that kingdom entry happ because we are helpless. Kingdom entry happens because we are not independent of God. We are dependent upon God. We need God as children. We can't do anything ourselves. We can't get to heaven by ourselves. We need God to take us there. Like your children can't do anything by themselves. They must be led. They must be taken. They must be cared for. They must be watched for because they can't do it themselves. And so Christ uses this as a unique illustration to help us understand how important it is that we realize that children are a part of his kingdom.

That also tells us that we should be going overboard to teach our children. The truth of God's Word. Because as you begin to plant those seeds at a very early age, we are trusting that they will take up root in their lives and they will follow that for the rest of their lives. Folks, that's crucial. So crucial. A number of years ago, a guy came to me and said, You know, I'm leaving your church. I said, Really? Where are you going? He says, Well, my family and I decided to leave. I said, Oh, I'm sorry to hear that.

How come? He says, you know, my son's not having any fun in Sunday school anymore. I said, oh, really? He said, yeah, he's not really having any fun there anymore. So we want to go to a place where he'll have fun in Sunday school. So I said to him, as nicely as I could, I said, We don't really care whether or not your kid has fun in Sunday school or not. It's not what we're about. We're not concerned about your kid's fun. We're concerned about your kid's future. That's it. And evidently, you're not.

Now, he never came back to the church, obviously. But that wasn't his concern. His concern was not his son's future. His concern was his kids' fun. Is he having fun in Sunday school? If you want to have fun, go to Disney. When have fun, go to Raging Waters. Go to Knottsbury Farm. Go to the beach. You know? Do something fun. The church is about helping people understand their future. Helping them understand what it means to be a part of the kingdom of God. Let me tell you something.

That's fun. Why? Because you have security. You understand where you're going when you die. That's fun. I have fun every week. Are you kidding me? I love to do what I do because I know that there are questions people ask about the future. There are questions people ask about eternity. I got the answers. You have the answers. See? And so we can direct them into the ways of God that they would understand the truth of God. So, all these parents who are coming, bringing their children, hearing about divorce and remarriage, and hearing about the kingdom of God, and wondering, is my kid going to get in the kingdom?

He can't work his way in there. How's he going to get in? Maybe if you bless him, Jesus, he'll get in. And the disciples say, Don't bring those kids up. What do those kids know? They don't belong in adult conversations. They don't belong in this system. And Christ says, Perm the children to come to me, I want them here.

Mark's account, Matthew's account, he takes them into his arms and he blesses them. Because, as the prophet of old said, these are my children. You know, wouldn it be great to know that you're raising God's children? You're not raising your kids. You're raising God's kids, they're His. You possess them briefly, only for a short period of time, and then you let them go that they might serve their true Father in heaven and honor him. And Jesus says, permit these children to come to me because the kingdom of heaven is set aside for such.

As these, these in this category, these who don't understand my law, they don't even understand who I am. They don't understand. They have no idea about what it is I'm here for or what it is I'm going to do. You do, by the way, but they don't. They're mine. And I will take them into my kingdom. And if they get beyond that age of moral culpability, that age where what we look at as the condition of reason, the ability to discern between good and And evil, the right hand from the left hand, then they have to make a conscious choice about whether or not they will follow the true King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

God is so good. God is so good. And then he says, Look, you've got to become like this little child. You've got to become helpless. You want to be a part of my kingdom? You want to get into the kingdom? You can't get in here because you work your way in. You can't get in here because you gained my approval. You must come and humbly bow before me, almost like crawl up into my arms. Beg me for mercy. Cry unto me as a child would cry unto me, and then you'll understand kingdom injury. You must come totally dependent upon me as your only Savior, as your only God, as your only Lord.

I'm it. And unless you come like one of these little children, you'll never see the kingdom of God. That's how he leaves them. That's how we leave some. That's how we leave you this morning. Is that the way you've entered the kingdom of heaven? Have you come like a little child? Totally trusting in God alone for everything? Dependent upon Him for your eternal welfare? Trusting in his provision of grace and mercy, in love, and forgiveness, that his finished work at Calvary was all you needed. Is that the way you have come into the kingdom?

Because that's the only way you get in. There is no other way. You come dependent upon the true and living God of the universe. Let me pray with you.

Father, we thank you for today and the truth of your word. We thank you, Lord, for how it is you help us understand you. Truly, Lord, you are a great God, and you alone are worthy of praise. So many times, Father, we believe we deserve heaven, but we don't. It's granted to us by your grace, your mercy, and we are grateful. And I would pray that there would not be one person here today that believes that they can make it on their own. They would come as a little child. Dependent upon you, helpless before you, crying out to you, ask that you be merciful unto them, a sinner.

We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.