(6/11) Welcome everybody, thank you for joining us. I want to talk to you today about becoming "Like a Child" when it comes to our faith. Most of you know that we have been studying Romans on Wednesday nights, learning some of the great doctrines of the faith, but as I mentioned the other day, you never hear about people doing Bible studies on becoming like a child. However, Jesus said that was necessary, and so we can’t overlook the importance of becoming like little children.

Today we are going to begin a brand-new four-week series on this foundational passage found in Matthew’s Gospel, chapter 18, because if Jesus thought this was necessary, I think it’s crucially important that we get this. And just like Jesus declared to Nicodemus in John’s Gospel, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again" (John 3:3). Here in Matthew chapter 18, we have another one of those "I tell you the truth" statements, verse one begins telling us,

"At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" He called a little child and had him stand among them" (Matthew 18:1-2).

And then, Jesus said something that would have been shocking in their Jewish religious culture. He said,

"I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 18:3).

In other words, he took them to the ground level, down to the foundation, to consider the Building Blocks of our faith.

And so, this is critically important, because we want to be those who hear Jesus words and put them into practice. We want to be like those who dig down deep laying the foundation on rock (Luke 6:47-48). And here in Matthew chapter 18 Jesus said that we should have a very childlike faith, having the characteristics of little children, and then he says in verse 4,

"Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 18:4).

And so, for the next few weeks, we’re going to look at different attributes of God from the perspective of a child. Because until we fully understand the goodness of God, the presence of God, the grace of God, and the power of God through the eyes of a child, we won’t be able to experience all that God wants us to experience in his kingdom.

That’s why we need to go back to the basics, because if you’ve ever known a child that was raised in a strong Christian home, you’re going to see a child with a very simple faith in the goodness of God. In other words, they’ve grown up singing songs like, "Jesus loves the little children" and "Jesus loves me this I know." Why? "For the Bible tells me so! Little ones to him belong; they are weak, but he is strong. Yes, Jesus loves me!"

And so, they have this simple childlike faith, believing that God is good, God loves me, God is for me, and they hold onto this faith for years and years. That is until the trauma, trials, and tragedies of life weigh down on them and cause them to begin to question their faith. And that’s why the Bible says,

"You need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food" (Hebrews 5:12).

You see, I don’t know what it might have been for you, but for many little children, they believed in the goodness of God and then one day their family fell apart. Or maybe someone they loved got sick and went to the hospital, and so they prayed and prayed knowing that God was going to heal them, but they never came home. Suddenly, the child’s world is wrecked, and they start to question, "I thought God was good, I thought God was for me," and they wonder "Why are all these things happening?"

Unfortunately, many times we come to the conclusion that God really isn’t for me, he isn’t good, or maybe he’s just not paying attention? And the truth is, that may be where some of you are today, because you grew up and all of these things happened and suddenly, you’re not really sure what you believe. And so, what we learn here in Matthew chapter 18 is that God wants you to believe again, to get your faith back, and like the Bible says,

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding" (Proverbs 3:5).

And yet, some of you are filled with uncertainty because of the pain of your past. And now that you’ve grown up, you try to keep from getting too close, because you just don’t know who to trust or what to believe.

In fact, that’s exactly the situation where we find Adam and Eve in Genesis chapter one. God created Adam and Eve, he blessed them and said to them,

"Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it" (Genesis 1:28).

And so, everything was good, what could go wrong, because the Lord had said, "Enjoy yourselves, have lots of babies, be fruitful and multiply." And there was evening, and there was morning, the sixth day.

Genesis chapter 2 tells us, "The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the Lord God commanded the man,

"You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil" (Genesis 2:15-17).

And sure enough, as soon as there was a boundary, a wall of protection, something off-limits, Satan came slithering up to Eve and said,

"Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden" (Genesis 3:1)?

And the temptation was just too much and they gave in. Adam and Eve sinned and their eyes were opened, they realized they were naked, and the Bible says, when they heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day,

"They hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden" (Genesis 3:8).

They hid because for the first time they knew guilt and shame, they had this feeling of betrayal, not that God had betrayed them, but that they had betrayed God.

The intimacy of their relationship had been destroyed, but the Lord God called to the man,

"Where are you?"

Adam answered, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid" (Genesis 3:9-10).

Their eyes had been opened to the knowledge of good and evil and when you don’t trust the goodness of God your instinct is to run and hide just like Adam did in the garden.

Some of you here today, if you’re really honest, you’ve got questions about the goodness of God too. You’re not really sure where you stand with all this Bible stuff, because you’re wondering why these different things are happening? And the truth is that this is where many people live, wondering if God is for me? You know, after what I’ve done how could he even love me?

And so, what I want to do in the remainder of our time is show you what God says and encouraging you to believe again. Because when you trust that God is for you it makes a big difference in how you live and how you interpret the things in your life. And so, one of the greatest verses in Scripture that shows that God is for us came through the prophet Jeremiah. This is a baseline, a building block to having faith like a child. God said,

"I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" (Jeremiah 29:11).

I hope that you understand that God is for you, and if you’re going through something difficult right now, he wants to give you hope because he has a good future planned for you. God has plans for every single one of you, plans to prosper you and bless you, plans to give you a hope and a future, and when you realize that God is for you it changes the way you look at your life.

The apostle Paul recognized that no matter what we are going through,

"If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31).

In other words, if the all-powerful, ever-present, all-knowing God is for us, who can be against us? And then he goes even deeper saying,

"He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all — how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things" (Romans 8:32)?

In other words, the Spirit of the living God tells us that he loves us so much, that he is so much for us, that he sent his own Son to give his life for us. And so, if he would do all of that, wouldn’t he also bless you and prosper you, giving you a hope and a future?

You see, when you realize that, when you believe that truth like a child, it changes the way you see and do life. When we realize that God is for us, we don’t hide like Adam and Eve, but we run to God, as the apostle Paul said,

"Run in such a way as to get the prize" (1 Corinthians 9:24).

You see, as a follower of Jesus, a disciple of Jesus, you’ve been adopted into the family of God, you are God’s son or daughter, and whether you realize it or not he is for you. When you receive that truth like a child, realizing that God is for you, you are finally able to do what the Bible says and,

"Throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame…" (Hebrews 12:1-2).

I believe there are some of you here today who are going to stop hiding and you are going to run to him, because you’re going to realize just how much God is for you. In fact, long before we did anything right or wrong, when we were just continually sinning against God, the Bible tells us in Romans chapter five,

"God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).

In other words, he is so much for us, even when we didn’t deserve anything from him, he showed us his love by offering his Son Jesus Christ as a sacrifice for our sin. That means his love for you is based upon who you are as his son or his daughter and not on what you do. And so, when you understand the depth of his love, you won’t hide from him, but you’re going to pursue him, because the Bible says,

"The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe" (Proverbs 18:10).

You see, when you understand that God is for you, you won’t fear what is going on around you, because you know you are safe with him.

You won’t fear what is happening, what you don’t understand, because what you do know is that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28). In other words, God is working in the good things, the bad things, the things we’re happy about, and the things that we wish never happened. But the Bible tells us,

"It is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose" (Philippians 2:13).

And so, you don’t need to freak out when something bad happens, because you realize that God is actually working in you so he can do something through you.

That is a game changer, because when you realize that God is that good you won’t worry about what might happen, what somebody said, or what somebody thinks about you, because you know that God is working in you and in all things. And so, I hope you understand that there is nobody or nothing that can stop the purposes and promises of God. And that’s why having faith like a child is such an important thing, because faith is the building block, faith is the gateway to everything promised to you.

And so, it’s a faith thing, but how do we get faith? Well, primarily the Bible says,

"Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit" (Zechariah 4:6).

Now, some people think that faith is like willpower, and so they confess that, they declare it, they believe that, but the Bible doesn’t say to have faith in faith. Jesus said,

"Have faith in God" (Mark 11:22).

And so, he was breaking it down to the lowest common denominator. God brings it down so low that you can be illiterate and still believe. He chose the foolish things of the world, the weak things, the lowly and despised things, the things that are not, to nullify the things that are…

"So that no one may boast before him" (1 Corinthians 1:29).

Because when it comes to the grace of God, it is activated by faith. God has equalized the playing field. And that’s why Jesus says,

"Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 18:3).

And so, it’s not like saying I’m going to hit the lottery and I just believe it because faith is useless without hope. Where there is no hope, faith has nothing to do. You can have faith all you want, but if you don’t have hope, you can’t do anything. That’s why Jesus said have faith in God because our hope is in him.

"The righteous will live by faith" (Romans 1:17).

It’s by faith. Unless you change and become like little children. Faith like a child, I know it doesn’t make sense, because it is received like a child.

In fact, what God is getting ready to do in your life doesn’t make any sense, there is no foundation, no background for it, it’s just a faith thing. I don’t know who is getting this, but somebody is getting ready to receive the promise of God, because the Bible simply says,

"Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see" (Hebrews 11:1).

That’s why the enemy is after your hope, hope is the anchor for the soul, if you lose your hope, you lost your faith. Hope that you could be better, hope that you could rebuild, hope that the best is yet to come, hope that God has more, hope that God has plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" (Jeremiah 29:11).

Remember how when you were a child, you had imagination, you believed you could fly. What took away your hope? When did you stop dreaming, because when you stopped dreaming, you stopped hoping, because faith is being sure of what we hope for.

You see, the enemy is after your hope. He’s doing everything he can to destroy your hope. He wants to quench your hope, putting out the spark, making sure there is always somebody to bring you some bad news. But the good news is that.

"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him" (1 Corinthians 2:9).

You see, we have a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" (1 Peter 1:3). And when he died and rose again, before he ascended to heaven, he gathered all of his disciples up on a mountain and gave them their life assignment. Jesus came to them and his final words to them in Matthew chapter 28 was,

"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you…" (Matthew 28:18-20).

And so, we’re talking about faith like a child, how do we get faith like a child? We know that we can’t do it, we can’t force it, but here in this passage Jesus gives us the key. It could be translated as you go, or as you do life, go because "faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead" (James 2:17, ESV). And so, he tells his disciples, "go and make disciples," go and reproduce yourselves.

Now, you may say, what is a disciple? Well, a disciple is more than a believer, more than someone who attends church, a disciple is literally a follower, a student who is trying to be just like their teacher. It’s like Naomi said to Ruth, "Wherever you go, I will go." Or like Timothy said to Paul, "I want to be under your teaching."

You see, Jesus said to all of his followers, to this crowd of people,

"He said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me" (Luke 9:23).

Jesus disciples understood this, he was their Rabbi, their teacher, their master, and they wanted to be just like him. They wanted to memorize what he said, they wanted to do life like he did, they wanted to do the works that he did, they wanted to be like him in every way. It was just like Elisha said to Elijah, "I want to be just like you. I want a double portion of what you have."

Therein lies the key to faith, if you’re a believer in Jesus, you are a disciple of Jesus. You are following Jesus, learning from him, imitating him, trying to absorb everything from him you can because, "faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ" (Romans 10:17). And so, if you’re a believer, a follower of Jesus, a disciple of Jesus, which are all terms that are synonymous to being a Christian. You will be growing in your faith and as you go through life you will be making disciples. You will be sharing the love of Jesus with people who do not know him. You are always looking for opportunities to make disciples.

Now, for many people today, they have delegated this responsibility to the pastor, but it really begins with the disciples, the followers of Jesus. Because you are the church as you go to the gym, as you work at your job, or wherever life leads you. If you are a Christian, you are called by God to make disciples. Jesus said,

"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations."

In other words, he’s given you the authority, you have been called, equipped, and empowered by the Holy Spirit to make disciples. You have the life experience, the gifts, the word of God, and you are called to be ambassadors of God and ministers of reconciliation. And so, there are people that God has put in your life that you are meant to disciple, to lift up, building up in their faith, and pointing them to Jesus. Jesus said it this way,

"Baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:19).

Some of you are here and you’ve been baptized, but you are not growing in discipleship. You are not maturing in the grace of God. Jesus doesn’t want you just to be baptized, but also be discipled, growing in a disciplined, spirit empowered life for the glory of God. And so, where do you need to grow? Jesus said,

"Anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:27).

Some of you are not making disciples and so the question I would ask myself, am I really a disciple of Jesus? Because when you truly know him, you can’t keep him to yourself. When he has really changed your life, and you’ve been born again, when you’re his disciple, you’ll be baptized and you will make disciples as you go.

Others of you, you haven’t been baptized, and so you need some spiritual mentoring, because you’ve been disobedient. You know Jesus, you know he loves you, you understand what I’m talking about, but you’ve never been baptized. I want to encourage you to obey Jesus, obey the clear teaching of Scripture, which is to repent of your sin, put your trust in Jesus, and be baptized.

Or maybe you are someone who was baptized long before you knew Jesus and you didn’t have anything to do with it. Today would be a good day for you to present yourself to God in baptism, making your own public testimony about your relationship with Jesus. And so, if you’d like to be baptized, I would like to talk to you after we worship, because we can do that if you’re a disciple of Jesus. Like a child let’s take it to the next level, let’s follow Jesus, let’s make disciples, and let’s be better disciples. Because Jesus said,

"Surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matthew 28:20).

Read Part 2

Read past sermons by Pastor John Talcott