As A Little Child - Cullen Smith 6/19/10

It's great to see everyone that's here tonight.

I'm glad to be here. I consider it a privilege to

stand before you as I have the throughout this short series of

gospel meetings. And tonight, I'm excited about

what I'm going to preach to you. I'm excited because it's a

message from Jesus. If you're visiting with us, I

invite you to turn in the gospel of Matthew.

This inspired man wrote this down for us.

The Bible says, beginning in verse one, at that time, the

disciples came to Jesus saying, who then is the greatest in the

Kingdom of Heaven. Now, that's a big deal.

Who is the greatest? We all want to be the greatest

that we sing songs. People have songs about the

greatest. We like to think about our stars

and stripes and 50 stars are, maybe 51 now that they like to

fly. But 50 stripes are 50.

Stars represent a great nation, a powerful Nation.

The greatest army in the world people would like to say So, who

is the greatest? Do you ever wonder whether or

not? You're great.

Not if your mom or your grandma says, you're great.

That's a given take that out. I'm talking about when you look

in the mirror and you think about your life?

And you look at yourself and say am I really great?

I'm not just talking about being great at a job.

Lots of people can be great at making money, but they're not

great in life. I'm talking about being great in

the epitome of the word, a great human being a person that God

would look down on and say this is great.

That's exactly what they did. They got an answer from God, the

son. Rarely, do you have an

opportunity? Rarely, would you ever have the

opportunity to have such a conversation and yet Jesus gave

it to us. Who is the greatest?

They said, and Jesus called a little child to them, verse to a

little child to him, set him in the midst of them.

And said, assuredly I say to you unless you are converted and

become as Little Children, You Will by no means enter the

kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles

himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of

heaven. And whoever receives one little

child like this, in my name, receives me.

Now you think Jesus doesn't care about children?

And I believe spiritual children to hear.

Verse 6 says, but whoever causes one of these little ones who

believe in me to sin. It would be better for him if a

millstone were hung around his neck and he were drowned in the

depth of the sea, woe to the world because of offenses for

offenses, must come, but woe to that, man, by whom the offense

has come. I worry about people who don't

like little children. Jesus upon this occasion used a

little child to draw a wonderful, big, spiritual

principle. And tonight I want to talk to

you about becoming like a child. And there will be a clear

distinction in what I have to say tonight, there is a

difference between being child ish and like a child.

And we have to make that distinction.

Becoming a child of God. Almighty is a big deal.

It involves our choice. Becoming a spiritual child

involves our choice. I did not decide who my physical

parents were. They are Jimmy and Cindy's Smith

that DNA. Don't Lie.

The lungs are there? The look is there.

It just is there but I have a choice as to whether or not I

will make God Almighty my spiritual father.

I love prayers is our brother prayed where we address Our

Father in Heaven as almighty God because literally It is a great

thing to think of your father, as the greatest.

The greatest. You last night on the way home.

Frankie. And I were talking about family,

we're talking about love language, and he gave me the

distinct privilege of listening to a birthday.

Present, his 40th birthday present from his kids.

It's one of the sweetest things I've ever heard.

And I want to tell you and when I think about what it means to

be a good dad, when I think about what it means to be a good

father, I see a lot of men here that have been some really great

dads. you know, a lot of that sometimes is subjective We have

the greatest father on the top side of this Earth as we often

say, but that didn't really catch.

It does it? We have the greatest opportunity

to have a relationship with almighty.

God, literally to make him our father.

We created in His image as human beings.

But what he allows us to do is to have a spiritual a real

relationship where somebody like me that had a problem with a

three-letter word of sin can have a relationship with someone

that is infinitely, good and pure and holy.

And someone that literally poured out, the very Express

reflection of his love, when he had to make a choice about what

to do with me. And in order to make that

choice, it required him to shed the blood of Jesus.

Your father may have given up a lot for you.

I heard the little squeaky voices of Taylor and Tanner as

they said, Dad, I think you're the greatest.

Those are some of the sweetest words.

I have pictures of my wallet now and I hope and I pray and I beg

God, for two healthy babies and I hope that they will utter

those words. I pray that.

But I want to tell you something.

When you approach, God, and when you deal with the reality, that

God is who he said he was, he is real, he is a real being he

created this world, he is the star breather.

We're in a little cul-de-sac in this little Milky Way.

Galaxy and he created all that is seen to get my attention and

to get your attention and you're nothing but a speck of dust.

This Earth is nothing, but a speck of dust in the great

telescopes that magnify all of this wonderful universe and

those things were breathe out of his mouth.

And when he saw a need in me and a need in you and a need and

every man on the face of the Earth, he allowed his only

begotten son to walk down the stair, e, The Starry staircase

of Heaven. And die, a cruel and awful death

for us. And so, when I say that it

involves a choice, it involves me making a choice as to whether

or not. I want to be a child of God.

Yeah, I can say that. And it's true.

But it is a no brainer. It's a no-brainer.

Are absolutely shutter sometimes thinking about people's lives

and what must be going through their head.

When I know, they know and they say I'm not interested in God.

I'm not interested in anything to do with God.

We talk to a guy yesterday that has some serious physical

problems. Nice guy greeted both Frank it

just nice. But when you invite somebody,

what do you do? You have a relationship with

God? He says you know I'm not really,

I'm not really, I'm not really into that.

I said what do you mean? You're not into that?

He was a very nice guy, just had a conversation with him.

What do you mean? You're not into?

They say you know, I just never been into that.

I don't know. I can't explain it, I'm just not

Well, I want to tell you, I don't know.

It was a great way to explain that because I can't imagine it

literally violates my mindset almost to conceive of the

privilege and the honor of being a child of God and then know

that it's an invitation to everybody.

And then someone say, I'm just not that into that.

I'm just not that into that. Becoming a child of God involves

my choice. It involves my choice of saying,

yes, to the great Almighty creator of the universe.

Who made a way for me to have a relationship with him?

In John 1 verse 12, notice what the Bible says, but as many as

John 1:12

received him to them, he gave the right to become children of

God. Who did they have to receive?

Who are they going to have to receive, who's everyone going to

have to receive? They're going to have to receive

Jesus Christ. There is no salvation in any

other. Acts 4:12 says there is no other

Acts 4:12

name given among men whereby we must be saved.

So if I'm to be a child of God and it absolutely must be

through Jesus Jesus clarified it.

When he said I am the way, the truth and the life.

No man cometh unto the father. But by me That's a big deal.

That's a big deal. He went on to say, who were born

not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of

man. But of God.

Now I want to trace this really quickly.

I am not in the physical bloodline today.

I'm not a Jew back way back there in Genesis chapter 12,

Genesis 12 · chapter mention

about chapter 17 and 18, a few other places, God bless this guy

named Abraham and he told Abraham.

Hey, I'm going to bless you and out of your seat out of your

bloodline, all the nations of the Earth are going to be

blessed through you. That's a big deal.

And I'm going to come back to how this relates to it.

How this is involved in it. He said though, we are born not

of the will of the flesh. We are not born of physical

blood lines. Per se were born of spiritual

Bloodlines so you can imagine as we get closer to this passage

how it is that the blood of Jesus Christ, relates to me

being a child. And I intend to tie that in I

want to invite your attention to John chapter 3 in John chapter

John 3 · chapter mention John 3 · chapter mention

3. There's a great case this guy

named Nicodemus. Now some people, some people

don't think this guy was scared, but here's what the Bible says,

there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the

Jews. Now, what you need to know about

the Jews, give you some cliff notes of what's going on in the

Bible. Here, the Jews were not

particularly crazy about Jesus. He stole their Thunder.

They got real upset about it. They were just Plus, they were

envious and they ended up delivering him to pilate to kill

him because they were envious. Have you ever heard the term

Green With Envy? They were Green With Envy, they

hated him and that's in that internal sin had.

So captured, their mind, they threw off all the Miracles.

They did not even regard the reality that he could raise the

dead, they just hated his guts. So dick, adiemus comes and says

This man came to Jesus by night and said to him.

Rabbi we know you are a teacher. Come from God for no one.

Can do these signs or Miracles that you do unless God is with

him. And let me just make a little

aside here and I'll challenge you to this.

You may think that those guys on TV, n are performing miracles on

stages across the country. If you believe that you've been

deceived, I'm here to tell you tonight, I'll Stand in 2010 and

tell you you've been deceived. You believe the one of the

greatest lies and one of the greatest facades on the face of

the Earth. let me tell you about a miracle, a miracle was when

you literally had instantaneous healing Instantaneous.

You would go in and someone had never walked before.

They literally had never taken steps.

Have you ever seen Benny Hinn? Do that?

When I watch these guys on TV, they'll go up and in some great

spectacle, hit people on the forehead and they fall back in

some form of ecstasy. And let me tell you, the

difference in that the difference in that.

And what Jesus did is when people when Jesus touched

people, they stood up, They didn't fall down.

That right there is a huge deal. That's a big deal.

Jesus could raise the dead if you ever seen anybody, empty out

some graveyards. If you could start with Paul

supposed gray, please. Raise people from the dead.

That's what Jesus would do. Have you ever seen them cure

some inexplicable disease? Know, you'll find let me tell

you something, these great shows like Dateline who catch more

than predators and MSNBC and all these guys will do shows and

they send people undercover and you come in and you act like

you're down and out and everything else and you're

hobbling, I need some help. I need him to heal him, guess

what? They won't deal with you.

You can get on YouTube tonight and you can find people right

now. I'll tell you this right now.

You can find a clip on there where a man is acting like the

Lord's revealing to me that God said to say to you and there is

an earpiece in his mouth and it got caught over radio channel

and they recorded it and they expose the man and it shut his

church down. When Nicodemus said we know,

Thou Art the ruler come from God.

He knew without it beyond a shadow of any doubt, these

things were not done in the corner.

Jesus did not play favorites. He went in every city and

Village healed people that had problems that no one else has

been able to heal. Doctors had worked on them for

years. A woman with an issue of blood

for years. He healed But it been mutilated

by doctors, literally, and the great physician in the form of

Jesus comes, she touches his garments made whole Nicodemus

new this. Now let's move on.

Jesus answered and said to him, most assuredly, I say to you.

Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

He can't see the kingdom of God. Well, Nicodemus was no man's

fool. How's that going to happen?

He knew the natural order of reproduction.

How's a person? Going to be born again.

Notice what he says, Nicodemus said to him, how can a man be

born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into

his mother's womb and be born? So Jesus clarified it and so he

said in verse 5 most assuredly I say to you unless one is born of

water. And of the spirit, he cannot

enter the kingdom of God water, and of the spirit.

So if I'm to become a child of God and it's through Jesus, I

have to be born again. And Jesus said, I have to do it

by water and the spirit, now, what does that sound like to

you? Give an example go into all the

world preach the gospel to every creature?

He who believes and is baptized, what is baptism?

It's in water. It's a burial, he who believes

and is baptized shall be saved. So, I know Jesus said, I've got

to be born of water and of the spirit, but yet Jesus gave the

marching orders of go and preach faith and preach, baptism those

who believe and are baptized, that's in water are saved.

And Jesus told Nicodemus, that's what has to happen in order for

you to see the kingdom of God. God wanted us to find out about

the New Birth through his word, the gospel, it's good news.

You've got to find out about it Nicodemus, wanted to find out

about it, so he came and asked about it.

And so tonight, if you wanted to know how to be a child of God,

this is where it's at. It's in the word of God.

It's not my plan. It's no other man's plan.

It is God's plan. In First Peter chapter 1 and

1 Peter 1 · chapter mention

verse 22. wrote this, since you have purified, your souls Since

you have purified your souls, he said in obeying the truth

through the spirit in sincere. Love of the Brethren.

Love one. Another fervently with a pure

Harper's 23 having been born again not of corruptible seed

but Incorruptible through the word of God which lives and

abides forever. Now, The Incorruptible word not

corruptible seed. It'll die.

It'll Fade Away Incorruptible seed.

When Jesus gave his great parable of the soils.

He talked about the Wayside, the rocky, the thorny, and the good

Grant. And he said, the seed is the

word of God. Peter said, the seed, the word

of God is Incorruptible. And when you obey it, you purify

your souls. Now, that gives me some insight

into what James said, he said receive with meekness the

engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.

Now, the actual Edwards itself. Is that what you're saying?

Preacher? I'm talking about the

outpouring, the Revelation, the will of the Father in heaven.

And When God says your savior saved, if I tell you, you're

safe, that doesn't mean anything.

If God tells you you're saved, let me tell you, you're saved.

That's where the powers that. When Paul said I'm not ashamed

of the gospel of Christ for it is the power of God and the

Salvation. It was not in Paul to save it

was in the message of the death burial and resurrection of

Jesus. And I want to ask you tonight.

If you read your Bible, have you ever heard the word of God,

preached that if you over obeyed, what you read in the

Bible? Lots of men will tell you, lots

of different things. I think we've already

established, Liars are present in religion tonight.

But there is only one standard of truth that will make you

free, as Jesus said, in John, 18, verse 32.

John 18:32

If we accept the word of God, we're privileged to be the child

of God, I promise to come back to this illustration of Abraham.

And I'm going to do that right now.

If you have your Bibles, please open.

This is a great passage. It's in Galatians, chapter 3, in

Galatians 3 · chapter mention

Galatians Chapter 3, The Apostle Paul was helping these Gentiles

Galatians 3 · chapter mention

realize who they were and what they were in Christ.

And so he says this in verse 26, For you are all sons of God

through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have as

were baptized into Christ. Have put on Christ, there is

neither Jew, nor Greek. There is neither slave, nor

free. There is neither male nor female

for you are all one in Christ Jesus, and I'm going to come

back to verse 29 in just a minute.

I want to make a big splash about this and just bear with

me. Here's the splash.

I was raised in Northwest Arkansas transplanted there by

preacher and his wife. I'm not perfect.

I was raised in their home by their Rules, by their

guidelines. That's where I came from.

Where did you come from? You may have come from some

far-flung place. You may have come from across

the water or across the border are you may have come from a

home that didn't love you or care for you at all.

I didn't have one of those homes.

I want to apologize for that but I also will tell you at this

point in the game, really, it doesn't matter that much.

Because here's the reality in Jesus Christ.

In Jesus Christ. We Are All One.

In other words, God doesn't look at you any different than he

looks at you or you or you, or you or anybody else in here.

You know, parents can make a mistake and play favorites.

They sure can. Listen to some of the horror

stories of in-laws and outlaws and step this and step that and

some Wicked Witch of the West. They're all kind of stories.

You never find a story in the word of God, where God cares

about one particular race or one particular group more than he

cares about another and that ought to appeal to you.

Because listen, we're all Gentiles, and the Jews hated the

Gentiles and Paul a Jew was saying get over it.

Doesn't matter if your slave or free or male or female.

Let me tell you this to women in here.

You know what the Jews would say about women?

I thank God that I'm not as a Samaritan, a woman or a dog.

You think Jesus didn't do something for women's rights?

He did more for women than any government has ever done on the

face of God's green earth. Jesus made it where it doesn't

matter if you're male or female, you're not a second-class

citizen. You're not a person that God

choose Men first over. He doesn't think like that.

That's not who God is. God wants you to recognize that

as a child, you're a child. Now the word of God sometimes

we'll say sons of God, it's not making a gender preference

there. It's making a statement of

familiar relationship as a child.

Now. Remember back over there in

Galatians, are rather in Genesis where God told Abraham.

I'm going to bless you. Abraham had one son. and,

Abraham Isaac and Jacob. Jacob down the line had 12 boys.

They made up the 12 tribes of Israel.

Jacob's name was changed to Israel so therefore they're

getting they get called The Twelve Tribes of Israel.

God protected the bloodline over hundreds and thousands of years,

literally that brought it about a pure bloodline of the Jews and

all of a sudden we get down, how is it that?

I am going to be benefit from a relationship with God.

How is And I get to benefit from Abraham's blood lot.

How do I get to do that? Listen Cohen Smith, I'm raised

in Timbuktu, compared it to Jerusalem.

I don't have a bloodline, I can't go to the temple and get

out the roles and say, who's your Daddy, I can't do any of

that. And that's why John's going to

say. We're not born of the will of

the flesh nor of man because you know what?

The Jews did they would sit up there and say I've got Abraham's

blood in my veins and they didn't care about God.

Verse 29 says. And if you are, Christ's then

are ye Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise.

I love that. You didn't deserve it and I

didn't deserve it but it still is available and God made sure

that you understood how important Jesus was and how

important his blood is because Jesus literally physically was

he came in the flesh and lived in the lineage of that promise.

And when he died on the cross ones, blood greater than Abraham

now blesses all mankind. And now it was no longer about

the blood of one man. It was about the blood of the

very Son of God. And that's why John literally

would say, Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of

the world. That's a big deal. at the point

of being born again, we decide to turn our life over to the

father's will. And when I write these steps on

the board of how you're going to be saved, I know this is a big

deal for a lot of people because lots of preachers say, lots of

different things. So I'm going to say just what

Jesus said and if you leave here and you think you know, I'm not

sure about that. I hope you talk to me because

I'm going to open up the Bible. In fact I'm not even going to

quote it, I'm going to flip their right now in John 8 and

verse 24. I want to read this.

Quickly sometimes, when we quote, somebody thinks where'd

he get that from? Well I'm going to read it to

you. Therefore, I said to you, that

you will die in your sins. For if you do not believe that I

am, he you will die in your sins.

So in other words, absolutely the foundational step is we must

believe we must have faith in Jesus Christ.

Do you believe in Jesus Christ tonight?

If you believe in Jesus Christ, That's a big deal, but you're on

your way. That's the foundation of

everything. If you don't believe in, Jesus

Christ, whatever. I'm about to say now, doesn't

mean anything? That's why it's always listed

first. Just so, you know, if you don't

believe in God, why in the world, would you be here?

Why would you be moved to go and worship him and sing praises to

Him and listen to a prayer to him?

Why would you be compelled to do that?

So obviously, I'm going to take it that pretty much you're here

because you believe in God, and I'm also going to take it that

most people that are in our assemblies.

Many times believe in Jesus Christ.

But I'm here to tell you that in John 8, verse 24, Jesus said.

John 8:24

If you don't believe that I am he you will die in your sins.

The next thing I'll say is Jesus wanted us to change our lives

and that word is repentance. I promise to read it so I'll

read it in Luke 13:3. Here's what Jesus said.

Luke 13:3

I tell you no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise

perish. That's Luke, 13 and 3.

The next thing I'll tell you and repentance is change.

Will go over that in a second. The next thing I'll tell you is

the idea of confession. Jesus taught this in Matthew

chapter, 10 verses, 32 and 33. We've already gone over John 3

and 5 on baptism. We absolutely know that's

essential. But in Matthew, 10, 32 and 33.

This is a very Telltale Passage And let's do it very, very

carefully here, Jesus expresses Our obligation to confession.

He says therefore whoever confesses me before men him

will. I also confess before my father,

who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men him will I

also deny before my father, who is in heaven, when Jesus comes

back, he's going to say this is your child father.

Why? How because we confess the sweet

name of Jesus. Peter confessed, Thou Art the

Christ, the son of the Living God and Jesus said, blessed art

thou Simon bar-jonah for Flesh and Blood hath.

Not revealed it unto thee but my Father which art in Heaven.

That is the confession. We all must make and here's what

I'm going to tell you. If you don't believe in Jesus

Christ commit to change your life and confess him as the Son

of God and be born of water. And of the spirit, you cannot

enter the kingdom of God. I didn't say that.

I didn't say that. Jesus said that.

And tonight I want to plead with you on behalf of the Son of God

to re-evaluate, perhaps what religious experience you may

have had in your life. What you think about how it is?

You're going to be a child of God, reflect upon that and be

moved by what the word of God says, not by what I said, all of

these things. Jesus said, I'm asking you, I'm

pleading choose to be a child of God.

It's the greatest thing you'll ever do, in.

Mar in Romans 6:17, Paul said, but God be That ye were the

Romans 6:17

Servants of sin. But you have obeyed from the

heart that form of Doctrine, which was delivered.

You being then made free from sin.

Ye became the Servants of righteousness, man, comes up

with all kinds of plans, Jesus had only one.

Secondly, Jesus wanted change to happen before.

And after being born again, he said, go therefore 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 observe all things whatsoever.

I have commanded you a child. A safe person.

Is a one is one, that is learning.

Learning. What are we learning?

We're learning all things that were revealed from God, through

Christ to us. Where do we get all of that?

Where do we get all of this? The very calling card, the very

basis of who we are the very basis of what we do is in the

word of God. That's it.

That's where it is. I've got to hurry along, Paul

top plainly the Corinthians but God has revealed them to us

through the spirit that helps me understand passages, like Romans

Romans 8:14

8:14 for as many as are led by the spirit of God.

These are the sons of God in Ephesians. 5:18 Paul said, be

Ephesians 5:18

filled with the spirit in Colossians, 3:16 a sister

passed. The chief said, let the word of

Christ dwell in you richly. And I want to tell you, if you

want to fill yourself up and be led by the Holy Spirit, listen

and write the word of God on your heart.

David did that? David meditated in the word of

God day and night, Psalms 1 and 2, and he hid it in his heart to

avoid sin, Psalms 119 11, he called it the word as a lamp and

a light in Psalms 119, 105 and John wrote that we should walk

in it. The very light in 1st John 1 and

verse 7. When we keep it, we know God, if

we don't keep it, we don't know. God.

The word of God Reveals His character and Ephesians 5 in 1.

Paul wrote therefore be imitators of God as dear

children. Peter would say as God is Holy,

so be ye holy Do you know the funny part about children?

A lot of times they do this? Oh, he acts just like his dad.

That's what happens in it. Now, I'm tell you.

You can tell by the tone of my voice that wasn't necessarily

the complimentary time. That wasn't the happy birthday

time. Frank.

That's the time. Where things aren't great, isn't

it? Yeah, sure it is.

Oh, he's just like his mom. Those things happen, don't we?

Because as genetic Heritage is passed on.

WE bear some traits of our parents.

That's not a bad thing. Hate it for you?

Used to think I'd never be like my dad, how many times have I

heard it in this meeting? You sound just like Jimmy Smith.

Haven't heard Turner burn in years.

That's what I grew up on. I want to ask you this, do you

have a relationship with God where you want to be like him?

If you don't, something's wrong. If you evaluate your life and

you look in the mirror, does your life as a child of God,

reflect the character and the image of God, how do I know what

his character and image is? I know it because it's revealed

in the word of God and it was expressed in the image and

person of Jesus Christ. He said, if you've seen me,

you've seen the father And I know if I'm mean and nasty and

rude and unkind and unforgiving, and full of envy and jealousy,

those are none of the things that Jesus Christ was there for.

I'm not acting like God, I'm not acting like him.

When Jesus addressed this made this statement In this passage

in Matthew 18, some of very small points.

I want to cover in closing. Are Jesus wanted humility of a

child to be the goal of every Christian.

Are you a humble person or a proud person?

Proud people sometimes have ego problems.

Now we can ride it off and weep we can begin to rationalize it

as well. He's just an unsecure or

insecure. He's insecure.

That's a big cover for pride. Prides, a big deal.

In First Peter five and five likewise ye younger submit

yourselves unto, the Elder. Yea, all of you be subject to

one another, and be clothed with humility for God, resisteth, the

proud, and giveth grace, to the humble.

Psalms tending, for says, the wicked in, his proud countenance

will does not seek God, God is in none of his thoughts.

Pride is one of those sins that comes from the heart and mind

and defiles the man, not what you eat.

It's what comes out of you. Why did Jesus take a child and

tell them to be humble? Like a little child beautiful

thing? About two and three year olds.

Now sometimes they get possessive.

But I have never seen a child come up and say, you know what?

Look at this, she right here. This you cost $159.

That shoe is amazing, isn't it? It's got this marking on it and

that market on. It's amazing but that's what we

do. Sometimes we make status symbol

statements with our clothing and we like to look good.

And sometimes people worry about the little Insignia up on their

shirt. Let me tell you, if you're

trusting in people to think well of you, because of the Insignia

upon your shirt, grow up, But that's how it is, isn't it?

I mean I was fine with Walmart shoes up until like fourth grade

and it wasn't cool anymore. And my parents couldn't get it.

Well mainly because they couldn't get it because they

didn't want to pay for the upgrades.

But that's what we do, isn't it? We get proud, We want to wear

nice things. We want to fit in.

We want to be keeping up with the Joneses so to speak.

As a child of God, please care more about what the father

thinks than what anybody else thinks and that's a big deal to.

There's a little girl back home or name is Julianne her daddy's

Brad and Julianne is like I've never seen a kid like her one

day. I was visiting with him and she

wanted something. We were at a store and I'll

reach them out, my pocket, and gave her a dollar.

And her daddy said, give it back.

She gave it back like without even a thought.

I said, no, no, no you go on go on most kids I'm thinking about

self would say. All right, Take it and run, she

didn't she would have nothing to do with my dollar bill.

Because do you know the voice in her head?

That was the most important, her daddy's.

It was the most important voice in her head and if the most

important voice in our head says, get ahead and be this

great person based off what society and culture wants you to

be, we're not acting like a child of the god of God, we're

acting like a child of the world.

And the father of this world, and that's not a compliment.

Humility is a big deal for God. Secondly growth is another

quality of a little child when we reach stages of life we want

to grow. I remember my sister-in-law when

all of my sister-in-law's you would ask how is your first

checkup for the baby? And they would all say oh well,

he's in the 75th percentile and then you'd hear somebody say

cohesive the 95th percentile. What is that?

Some doctor gets ahead and ends. Well, he's not even percentile

for height. But 30th percentile for weight.

I'm going to have to fatten him up.

There are charts. These doctors will go in.

They'll measure them. They'll get their hide, they'll

get their weight and they'll say, your child really should be

on this plan. They really should be here.

And that's not a bad thing. They put those things in place.

So if you have a problem with your child, they can catch it

early and deal with it. Perhaps with modern medicine,

whatever it may be, God, put some controls in place to so you

can check yourself up if you're not growing spiritually, because

guess what? You can live and be an old

person and be spiritually immature.

And never grow. You be stunted.

That happens to people. And let me tell you how that

happens. The Bible says, lay apart all

filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness and receive with

meekness the engrafted word. If you keep sitting in your

life, you'll never grow. That's why you gotta get rid of

it. It's like poison.

If you put grass killer, or you put some kind of a weed B gon or

Roundup, in with fertilizer, you're in for it.

Your grass is going to die. Well, God wants us to grow

spiritually when we're born again, we need food.

Peter said, laying aside all malice, all deceit, all

hypocrisy envy and all evil. Speaking as newborn babes

desire, the sincere milk of the word that ye may grow.

Thereby, I want to tell you something, I can't help you

with. I'm going to write it down the

board. You're going to see it right

here. It's something I can't help you

with, I can't fix this. I can't do it for you.

Nobody else can. Nobody can do it for you.

This is you. And You and you alone.

This is between you and God. Let me tell you what it is.

It's this little word called desire.

Desire. Have you ever heard the old

illustration? You can take a horse to water

but you can't make him drink and I know that's old adage.

I know that's a little cheesy. But that's true.

You can't make somebody grow spiritually and if you don't

want to give up your sin and you don't want to change your life

and you don't want to grow into the person and do all the things

you need to be and grow to the person.

You need to be, you won't You won't.

Peter said again. Beloved.

Since you that know this beforehand, beware lest you also

fall from your own steadfastness being led away with the error of

the wicked, but grow in Grace and knowledge of our Lord and

Savior. Jesus Christ, second, Peter 3,

17 and 18, what'd he say, they're don't fall away.

You know, what happens to a lot of children of God, they fall in

love again with the sin of the old life, and they go do it

again. What's the answer to that?

Grow grow for all you're worth and if you're growing, that's

huge, that's great. Paul said to the Ephesian

Elders, he said take heed unto the fuck over which the Holy

Ghost? Hath made you overseers to feed

the Church of God, which he purchased with his own blood.

Why? Because there's going to be

Grievous wolves, that, enter in among you not sparing.

The flock also of your own selves.

Men shall arise speaking perverse, or distorted things to

draw away. Disciples after themselves.

What did Paul say? He said you feed them the word

of God. What happens when you feed

people? The word of God, they grow?

Now let me ask you a little self-help question.

Are you a better person than you were last year?

Are you nicer? You better husband a better

wife, you better friend? All those are all the questions

you can get on a pop psychology exam or whatever it may be.

What about this? What about the word of God?

What truths have you been able to internalize?

What have you been able to break through and break over?

What have you been able to overcome?

I know some men right now, they could cuss like Sailors when

they first came to Christ and their veins would split and

they'd go off here there. And Ian their faces would get

beat red. Lips would tremble and you would

tremble because they literally could go off But then, over

time, they begin to grow out of that.

That's what the sons of thunder. Did you ever heard cuss like a

sailor? The apostles were sailors.

They changed. They changed.

They grew a salty, West, Texas, and they mock Howard.

Good friend of mine. Kenneth, some of some in this

audience told me one time. He was quoting.

His uncle benny. Who many of, you know, he said

the two most important questions you'll ever answer in your whole

life are two simple questions. Are you saved?

And are you growing Because there is no holding your own.

There is no well I'm doing all right.

This is not a country song, we're talking about growing

succeeding conquering living the life or we're talking about

Meandering around falling back, fading away walking away.

We have to feed ourselves. You take one meal away from a

child and you're going to have a screaming fit on your hands.

Because they're hungry. The third thing I want to close

with is children trust their parents.

I was up in Manteca at Labor Day and Kip Lee was telling me about

his boy. That they built a tree house

back in Rick's yard and doesn't have really a rail around it yet

and he had been jumping off to him and he said he somehow

climbed up there and he was walking by and all of a sudden

he reached and caught him. And so this kid has been playing

where he jumped off and he just knew his that he was going to

catch him. So what'd he do climbed up and

ran and jumped off in full confidence?

Do you trust God with your life? Paul trusted him with his soul

and his life. He would say, for me to die is

gain for me to live is Christ. It was all for God.

Now, you may look at that and you may say that's a bum deal, I

don't know about that. What about me?

What about me? Let me tell you something.

You'll never have more blessings.

You'll never have more joy. You'll never be more happy and

have more peace in your life for you for me than when you give

yourself to God. That is called and inherit

blessing. It's not one of those things you

can pick up at Walmart, its inherent, you do the right

things, you live the right way, you literally do your best to

become, like, God, Like Jesus. And when you do all the sudden,

you have joy and peace, that is beyond comprehension.

But you have to trust God and his plan to do that in Matthew

6. Jesus slapped the

self-sufficient attitude down and he slapped it down hard

about how awesome God is, and how he attends to our needs, and

we should trust him. He would say, things, like, seek

first, the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, And all these

things will be added unto you. God never promised you to be

rich, but he promised to take care of your physical needs.

The problem is what we consider to be.

Our needs are really a whole lot of wants.

Trust is Central. It's Central to all life.

For example today, if you go to the doctor, generally your the

name of that doctor, you won't be able to pronounce.

He'll have degrees on the wall that you've never verified.

If you ever call him verified his degrees on the wall.

He gives you a prescription, you can't read about 17 cylinders

long, this long hardly can make a label to fit it on there.

You take it to the pharmacist that you've never seen before.

He gives you a chemical compound.

You do not understand. Do you go home and take the pill

exactly? Like he tells you to and guess

what magically you get better. Don't you?

That's how it works. God revealed himself, he's shown

himself. It's all on the table, it's all

out there. There's no hidden agenda,

there's no hidden progress. No hidden anything God saying

here I am here's my son here's what I'm offering you live for

me. I'm going to make you happier

than you've ever been and I'm going to give you Joy, you can

imagine and I want to take away all your sins and not only that

you get to live with me forever more.

Now, listen if you can't trust, God based off all the evidence

you've been given. I want to tell you, I feel Sorry

for you. Don't trust in God like the

story of a man one time who stumbled From the Path over the

edge of a cliff and as he was falling down he grabbed hold of

a small branch of a tree that grew out of the side of the

Rocks instantly. He began to scream.

Is anyone there? A voice came from the top.

That said, yes, I'm here. The man asks, who is that the

voice came back? The Lord.

Do you trust me? The man responded.

Oh thank you. Lord!

Yes I trust you completely the Lord responded.

Let go of the branch. The man said what the Lord said,

let go of the branch. There's a long pause for just a

moment. And the man yelled back up

again. Is anyone else up there?

That's how we are sometimes. That's how we are the Lord is a

person that caught our very image of distrust.

He was a person. He is the person that we can

trust and he attacked our distrust.

He attacked our anxieties James would say, but let him ask in

faith with no doubting. That's a difficult thing to do.

How many times have you gotten up?

When you got a call from some horrible disease?

That struck someone and pray to God.

Please help them. Please intervene.

Get up off your knees and say they're as good as dead.

God changes things, he hears and answers our prayers.

One writer said having no doubt God can deliver another said no

man can believe too much. Good about God.

And I want to tell you, you need to trust God when you're

tempted. And you need to know that

whatever it is. That's coming your way.

God will make sure it is not too much that you cannot still be

his child and still lived a life.

It may be difficult, it may be more than you've ever

anticipated. Family problems.

Addictions. Issues in your life.

You may even go to prison for things.

You did not do. Trust in God.

And live for him. No matter what?

Because I want to tell you something, he is in control of

what the world and men and evil men and circumstances cannot

touch. He is in control of your soul.

On the fifth floor of a burning building.

Everyone W is a little nine-year-old, girl.

Clung to the edge. They had erected a huge balloon

thing for her to fall into at the bottom.

She was trembling hanging to the side of the ledge.

She happened to be blind. They could not coax her to jump

from the ledge. They would try over and over in

the Flames, kept leaping closer and closer to her.

The building was engulfed. Finally her father frantically

arrived on the scene. He was granted a bullhorn and as

it seemed as if life would certainly be lost.

He screamed in that bullhorn as loud as he could jump.

Now, And at the sound of his voice.

She turned loose and jumped to safety.

Tonight, I'm begging you not to listen to my voice.

But to listen to the voice of the Almighty.

Through these feeble vocal cords that I have.

Please. Come unto me all ye that labor

and are heavy laden. I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me.

For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

When you're a child of God, You have special Provisions in

special protections, you have prayer, but most of all, you

know, that your father will take care of your soul.

Tonight, if you're trying to take care of your own soul, you

haven't done very well. Let God.

Let God allow you the privilege of saying yes to him.

And you being added to the very family of God almighty.

We thank you for listening to our podcast, put on by the

Church of Christ at 22:15 plans. Road in Bakersfield, if you

would like any additional information or you would like to

receive a free Bible correspondence, course by mail.

Please email us at info at True Church of Christ

Bakersfield.com. Our service times are on Sundays

at 10:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. and Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m.

Please make plans to join us. We would love for you to be our

honored guest.