I’d like to ask the pathfinders a question. Pathfinders, who’s the greatest: boys or girls? O.K. I’ll ask the sports fanatics a question. Who’s the greatest, Colts or the Bears? Miracle Whip or Mayo? WalMart or Bi-Lo?
We humans are preoccupied with who is the greatest. We have Super Bowls, honor students, employee of the month, Oscars, Grammys, beauty contests, Nobel Peace prizes. We want to know who the best teams are, the best students, the best employees, the best products, the best companies, the best churches. Who’s the best? Who’s the greatest?
We do this with spiritual things. Do we? Yes, let’s confess. Sometimes we sit in the pew and we look side-long at our neighbor, and we wonder. Do they have longer devotions than I do? Are they having more victory than I am? Are they reaching out to their neighbors more? When I was a student Literature Evangelist we sold Magabooks. Have you heard of those? A magazine/book. And this was a real problem with my group anyway, and I think a lot of Literature Evangelists. I’d wake up every morning and I would pray for three hours. And then as I walked from house to house I would quote scripture and when we got in the car we’d sing songs and I’d be the leader of the songs, and it frustrated me because there was this girl who I’m sure she didn’t have devotions. She was materialistic, and all she ever did at the door was flirt with people. And she always sold more books than I did. I couldn’t stand it. I said, “God, why is she selling more books? I’m more spiritual.”
So who really is the greatest. At this point I must say that Pastor Gettys really stole my thunder last week. If you remember, he started talking about what I’m going to preach about this week. That’s fine, he’s the senior pastor, he can do that. And I was worried as he started because it sounded like we were going to conflict. He was going to say that old people were the greatest and I was going to say that somebody else was the greatest. And as I listened I just couldn’t believe how the Holy Spirit works because our sermons seemed to go like hand in glove. And you’ll see in a few minutes how.
But I believe that kid’s are the greatest in God’s Kingdom. Don’t get too proud. Today I want to look at three reasons kids are the greatest in God’s kingdom. Kid’s are the greatest The 1st is because of who they belong to, the 2nd is because they are needy, and the 3rd is because kids own the kingdom.
Let’s look at the first reason Kid’s are the greatest.
Please open your Bibles to Mark 9:33-37.
The first reason that kids are the greatest is because of Who they belong to. Jesus and his disciples were headed back to Capernaum one last time. Jesus had been preaching and teaching in Galilee, and Capernaum was his home base and they were going back and then they’d leave from there to Jerusalem where Jesus would eventually be crucified. As Jesus walked and His disciples followed he was a little ahead of everyone else. He was quiet and seemed to have a lot on his mind. The disciples held back and began to do what they did best. Fight. They began to argue amongst each other. You see, Jesus had taken Peter, James and John to the top of a mountain. And something amazing had happened. They’d come back and Jesus had seemed different, and the three disciples that went with him were thrilled about something, but they wouldn’t tell the others what had happened. The others were jealous and the couldn’t figure out what was going on. And they began to argue, who’s going to be the greatest in the kingdom.
Finally, when they reached the house in Capernaum, Jesus turned to them in verse 33 He says, “What were you discussing on the way?” And the next verse says that they kept silent, for on the way they had discussed with one another which of them was the greatest. Jesus sat down and said, (verse 35) “If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.”
And then, to illustrate his point, he called one of the kids in the room and put him in his lap. Then he said, (Verse 37) “Whoever receives one child like this in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me does not receive Me, but Him who sent Me.”
You see, Jesus equates the value of that child with Himself. He said this kid is worth something because he belongs to Me. And I belong to the Father, and so, let’s do some math here. A + B = C. This kid is worth something because he belongs to God. And that is what makes kids so great. Kids take their value from whom they belong to. Kids take their value from their parents. Have you kids ever this before? I’m sure you have. I’m sure you’ve done this. Well, my dad’s stronger than your dad. Well, my dad is smarter than your dad. Kids take their value from their parents. They’re not worried about their dad being that strong. What they care about is that if their dad is strong then I’m strong, I’m important.
I had a friend who went to Academy when he was a teenager in Hawaii. He lived in Hawaii, poor person. and one day he and his family want shopping in the mall, and as they’re walking through the mall, he sees kind of a commotion happening and he notices that it’s surrounding one of his best friends. It’s this girl that had become a friend of his in Academy and he thought she was pretty neat. It wasn’t like boy-friend/girl-friend, but they were really close. And she saw him and she said “Ryan, come here, come here, I want you to meet my friend”. And he comes over and there are lots of people around and she has this friend of hers and she introduces her. Apparently this girl’s dad and her dad were work associates and this man had come and flown in with his daughter and her dad had said please take his daughter with you shopping. And they went shopping, and so she says “Ryan, come and meet my friend Chelsea”. Chelsea Clinton. Her dad just happened to be the governor of Hawaii, and he was hosting the Governor of Arkansas. Now her value went up, right? Or maybe it went down, I don’t know, depending on how you feel. That’s the whole point. We take our value from our parents. It would have gone up maybe 15 years ago or so, or a little bit less. But now since her dad did some things that weren’t so good it’s gone down a bit.
Our kids take their value from who we are, and parents, this is a scary thing. Your self-worth equals your kids self-worth. Your reputation equals your kids reputation. And this is what Jesus loves about kids. Kids are great because they take their value from Who they belong to. And if kids belong to God, then kids have a lot of value. Kids are the greatest in the Kingdom because they belong to God. Thankfully, this message is for all of us, because anybody can be a kid. Anybody can put their value in Jesus and not on their things. There’s a theologian who says that we as humans take our value from three things. What we have, what we do and what people say about us. And he says what we need to do is put our value in Who we belong to. In our heavenly Father who made us and in Jesus who purchased us. Kids are great because of Who they belong to.
Well, the story continues in Mark 9. Apparently it really struck home and one of the worst offenders, John, he immediately changes the subject. Whoa, wait a second, I don’t like this. John says, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we tried to prevent him because he was not following us.” Well, Jesus kindly answers the question in verse 39 then he gets right back to the kids. He says I’m not done with this yet.
He says in Mark 9:42, “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe to stumble, it would be better for him if, with a heavy millstone hung around his neck, he had been cast into the sea.”
This brings us to our second point. Kids are great because they’re needy. Jesus is the lover of all things vulnerable. Reminds me of my sister. When we were missionaries in the Marshall Islands, the people there didn’t always take care of animals like we’re used to here, and we would often find kids taking kittens by their tails and smashing them on the ground. It was terrible. My sister was always fighting to protect these animals. And she’d come in with these half broken creatures. And we’d do CPR on them, and whatever we could to try to save their lives, and it usually didn’t work. But sometimes it did. And my sister always used to say I’m going to grow up and I’m going to be a veterinarian. And a few weeks ago my sister had a baby. She was 30 weeks pregnant, and all the mothers go oooohhh. My sister had a two pound, two ounce baby. Premature .
The good news is, mama is healthy, baby is healthy. I saw the video of when she was first handed that baby and I laughed. There was this little tiny baby, all attached to tubes and everything and they’re handing it to her and my sister’s eyes are just so tender and she takes her and I said of course. It’s perfect. The lover of all things vulnerable gets this vulnerable little premature baby. And my sister has been so dedicated. She’s been down there at the hospital. She holds that baby for hours. And I am certain that the value of that baby, of my niece Isabella, is far more in her eyes since she was premature than if she’d just been a normal baby.
And it’s the same thing with Jesus. Jesus loves helpless things, and creatures and people. He loves helpless animals and you better not mess with his helpless creatures. He says don’t mess with them. They have value to him. Because they’re helpless. Kids are valuable to Jesus. They’re great because they’re needy. And we can be great as well.
Adults, we just need to be vulnerable. Sometimes we’re just too big for our britches. Too tough. Too strong. Sometimes we just need to say, Daddy, I need your help. Like a kid does. Kids are great because they are needy.
So kids are great because of Who they belong to. Kids are great because they’re needy.
The third reason they’re great is because the Kingdom belongs to them. The story continues in Mark and passes on into Mark 10. Jesus stays there in Capernaum for a little bit and then they head off toward Jerusalem. And they head down towards Judea. Buy this time the Pharisees are really concerned about Jesus. They just don’t know what they’re going to do about this Guy. So they bring up their best Pharisees, their smartest and they begin to question him. Jesus is having this committee with the very important Pharisees and they’re talking and they’re asking questions back and forth. While this is happening, some women come with their children. They want Jesus to bless their children.
And the disciples, I can imagine, they’re sort of like bodyguards, they’re standing around all tough. Peter has his sword. And they kind of block Jesus a little bit and stand close. And the ladies bring their kids, “Can Jesus bless our children?” “I’m sorry ma’am, but Jesus is in a very important meeting right now. You will have to come back tomorrow.”
And Jesus overheard it. And the Bible says in verse 14, “But when Jesus saw this he was indignant.” He was upset, He was furious. Didn’t they get it? He just said that kids were the greatest. He says, “Permit the children to come to Me; do not hinder them; for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” He said it. “The Kingdom belongs to kids.”
Does that make you feel proud guys? Feel good? It should. The Kingdom belongs to kids.
Have you heard of Anna Nicole Smith? You won’t admit it? OK. In case you don’t know, Anna Nicole Smith is a lady who has a bad reputation. Who got a lot of money by marrying an old man. And now she has died. It’s a very sad story of a life poorly lived, I believe. Someone trying to find security in this world. Anna Nicole Smith died and she left a little baby name Daniellyne. And the most amazing thing happened when she died. All these fathers popped up claiming to be the dad. This is very unusual. Most people try to hide this. I mean, there are men who have exposed themselves as adulterers. Their wives know now. This is a bad thing. What is going on. I hate to say this but we men aren’t good with commitment sometimes. And the idea of a man who isn’t very faithful suddenly having this desire to take a little baby and raise it just doesn’t make sense to me. Why does this baby have so much value to them? Because of five, or how many, billion reasons. She’s worth billions, this little baby. Everyone wants her.
It’s a bad illustration because of the situation, but it’s a good illustration because it makes the point that kids take their value, sometimes, by what they own. This little baby is worth something because she owns billions of dollars.
And every kid in here is worth something because you are an heir to the Kingdom. You own the Kingdom. Jesus has paid a high price for the Kingdom. He died, He shed His blood to purchase it for you. If you’re ever worried that you don’t have a value, that you don’t have enough self-worth, well here’s a reason. Jesus bought you. You are worth eternity, you are worth the universe. You are worth the blood of the Son of God. You have value.
Kids are great because they own the Kingdom.
Adults, this gives us a heavy responsibility. You are raising a prince and a princess. Take care of them. Take care of His kids.
The good news is, us adults, we too can own the Kingdom.
Jesus continues in that verse. He says, “Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.” Sounds like a warning, but it’s really a promise. If you want to enter the Kingdom, be like a kid. Be like a kid. Take your value from Jesus. Be vulnerable and trust that you are an heir to the Kingdom. Adults, you can be a kid to. You can have the kingdom.
So, kids are the greatest because of Who they belong to, because they are vulnerable, and because they own the Kingdom. Why? Because Jesus’ kids are the greatest in the Kingdom.
Pathfinder Sabbath Opening Song - We Are the Reason Scripture: Mark 10:14,15 Closing Song It is Well With My Soul
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McDonald Road Sermon transcribed by Steve Foster 2/25/07.