Childlike or Childish?

If you have your Bible this morning, I want you to turn to Luke chapter 7.

Luke 7 · chapter mention

Luke chapter 7.

Luke 7 · chapter mention

Jesus loved children, and he lived in a day and in a society where children were best

not seen or heard, was the thought.

And Jesus wanted to see them.

And Jesus wanted to hear them.

And he wanted them to hear him.

He said in Matthew 19, verse 13, it says,

Matthew 19:13

Then children were brought to him, that he may lay his hands on them and pray, and the

disciples rebuke the people.

But Jesus said, Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs

the kingdom of heaven.

And he laid his hands on them and went away.

Jesus is serious, not just talking about it.

He's serious about receiving children, treating them right, and leading them toward Christ.

And we need to do all we can as a church of the Lord Jesus Christ to welcome and nurture and

to care for and to teach and to love children of the Lord.

On that note, did you know we had sign-ups for Awana in the foyer?

I think we have availability in the fall for children's Sunday school.

And thank God we always have an ever-growing need for a willingness to help with child care.

So if you care about children, you don't only say amen, and you don't only applaud, or you don't

only go along with what's being said but are willing to help, text R.C., Jeff, or Jennifer,

because they'd love to have it.

And I'm not just preaching, folks.

I'm telling the truth.

We put our feet into action.

We do it.

Another time when he was with the disciples, they asked him who the greatest in the kingdom

was because they were vying to be that person, that greatest in the kingdom.

And in Matthew 18, he responded and he said,

Truly I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you'll never enter the kingdom

of heaven.

Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me.

But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it'd be better for

him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the

sea.

Jesus doesn't play, folks.

He's clear.

It is important that we set a Christian example before those that are placed in front of us.

And he's telling us to be childlike.

Now listen, there's a difference in being childlike and being childish.

And today in our passage, he shares a parable about being childish.

He is referring to the Pharisees who are the church folk.

They're the religious leaders.

They're the proponents of the law.

And the scribes called here lawyers, but they are those who interpret the law.

They take the law that God established in the Old Testament and they interpret those laws

and they made new rules on top of those and pretended as if those rules were just as important

as God's law that was in Scripture.

They thought their interpretations were just as important, if not more so, than what Scripture said.

And it was in that misunderstanding that they often had conflict with Christ.

They also didn't like his popularity because it took the emphasis off of them and put it on him.

And so they had a tendency to stand in the back of the crowd and question, to look for some kind of hot point

where they could point out something and somehow criticize.

And Jesus knew their heart.

He knew what they were up to.

And so he spoke to them about it.

He speaks to the religious upper crust.

And he says, you're acting like children.

Look at what he says.

He says, it's in Luke chapter 7, verse 31, 32, it says this.

Luke 7:31

To what then shall I compare the people of this generation?

And what are they like?

They're like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another,

we play the flute for you and you didn't dance.

We sang a dirge and you didn't weep.

Folks, it's one thing to be childlike.

It's another thing to be childish.

But yet that is what God calls the people of that generation.

He calls them childish by saying they are like children that cannot play together well.

They're like children that are never satisfied.

And he goes on to explain how some people are never satisfied.

See, Jesus and John the Baptist came with two different approaches,

but they came for the same cause.

Yet most folks rejected both of them.

He goes on to say in verse 33,

for John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine.

And you say, he has a demon.

And the son of man has come eating and drinking.

And you say, look at him, a glutton and a drunkard,

a friend of tax collectors and sinners.

Yet wisdom is justified by all her children.

Now, John was quite a character.

He was ministering and preaching on the outer skirts of town.

His garments were those that reminded folks of a prophet.

When scripture says he wore a garment of camel's hair and a leather belt,

they're not exactly talking about our idea of a camel hair coat, okay?

As we would think of today.

Instead, he was wild-eyed, wild-haired, eating bugs and honey,

looking like he just came from Woodstock.

And if that personally offends some of you, well, sorry.

Man, he was drawing a crowd, though.

And he was telling them to repent of their sins.

He was telling them to be baptized.

And he was effective at it.

People were coming.

Lives were changing.

And the Pharisees and the Sadducees came out to see what was up.

And when he saw them, he called them the offspring of snakes

and told them to bear fruit in keeping with repentance.

He pulled no punches.

And he said that if they didn't change,

that God would chop them down like a tree in Matthew chapter 3.

Matthew 3 · chapter mention

Now, that may influence people, but it sure doesn't win friends.

And they didn't like him.

They didn't like him.

He also proclaimed a coming Messiah

and ushered in the way that Christ would come.

And when Christ came, John the Baptist got out of the way.

Now, it's interesting, a little side note here.

He was later imprisoned for his faith

and was soon to be beheaded because of his boldness.

And he asked his followers during that time of imprisonment

to go to Jesus and ask if he was really the Messiah.

What in the world does that mean?

Because he came to prepare the way of the Lord.

And he was so strong in his testimony.

So why later did he question that or have them question it?

And there are two possible reasons for that.

One was that after he had been so strong

and such a powerful testimony and then been imprisoned

and now his death was looming,

could be that he struggled some with that.

Could be that he wondered.

But it also could be as well

that he was taking his disciples

and turning them over to Jesus.

So in other words, what he was saying was,

and I believe this was the point,

he was telling them,

go ask Jesus who he is.

Go find out for yourself who Jesus is.

And it was in that kind of context

with the pressure of the Pharisees and the Sadducees

and their followers bearing down on Christ too,

which was just the Pharisees and the Sadducees,

just two political parties within the church.

Just two different mindsets,

some different theology,

but both of them power mongers

and both of them in the decision rooms of the church.

And they were bearing down on Christ

and that's when Christ speaks the passage

that I read this morning.

Basically what he's saying is this,

God sent two men.

One, he sent a prophet and a paver of the way for Christ.

You didn't like him.

Then he sends his only son

and you don't like him.

One is bold and brash and forceful.

One is gentle, lowly and humble.

And you want to do the opposite of either one of them,

but yet their approaches are very different.

But both are of God.

In other words, Christ is telling us

we ought to become childlike,

but instead so often we become childish.

It's like children at play.

Children often when they play

like to mimic life when they play.

Little boys play with cars

hoping one day to be able to drive.

And little girls put towels on their head

as if it was a veil

looking forward to the day

when they can be a bride.

Or they play with dolls

wanting to be like mommy.

Or the kids play house

and they pick different roles.

And as they get older,

they play school during the summer

when they're out of school.

They mimic what they see.

And the two big ceremonies

in the first century

were funerals and weddings.

And so that's what children saw.

And so that's what they played.

And Jesus speaks of children

mimicking those things when they saw.

They sang sad songs at funerals.

Or they play a flute

like the music of a wedding dance.

However, sometimes children

don't play along.

And Jesus is saying,

John took one approach

and I took another approach

and this generation

has accepted neither.

And if you accept neither,

you miss the message

of the Lord.

I wish it was just that generation.

The reality is

there's a lot of good church people

like us

that are not receptive

to the movement of God today.

We can be a lot like the world

when it comes to that sometimes.

We can be spiritually childish.

Why are we prone

to be childish?

And if you're sitting out there thinking,

I'm not childish.

Well, there you go.

Why are we prone to be childish?

One is,

it could be the expectation

that we have.

We expected something different.

I mean, sometimes people

just want it their way.

And it's not that there's

really anything wrong

with how something is happening.

It's just not acceptable

because it's not what I expected.

I didn't think

it was going to go this way.

They didn't think

John was going to continue

to go after everyone's sin.

That was his message.

And he did it boldly

and he kept on

going after people's sin.

We don't mind

when you go after

somebody else's sin.

You know?

I mean, you pounce

on somebody else's sin.

Woo-hoo!

Go at it, preacher.

You get them.

Get them.

But when you start

messing with my sin,

that's when it changes.

John's message

was to prepare

the way of Christ

by helping people

see the need of Christ

in the midst of a culture

that did not see the need

for a coming Savior.

So he was the shock jock

that came

to wake everybody up

to their need of God.

John came

to show them the dirt.

Dirt.

Jesus came

to show that

God will accept you

dirt and all.

People didn't expect

that either.

The thought was

that people need

to clean up.

You clean up your life,

then you can come to Christ.

But the message of Christ

is that you cannot

clean yourself up.

You don't have

the innate ability

to do that.

Thank God today,

I can say without reservation,

you can come to Christ

just as you are

and he will change you.

He'll empower you

for change.

He'll make the difference

in your life.

Come to Christ

as you are.

Christ will clean you up

and some people,

some good religious people,

they don't like that.

I mean,

they just don't like it.

If Christ accepts people

as they are

and changes them,

then that means

that we're supposed

to help folks

that are not like us.

And we said

we wanted to serve the Lord,

but that's not

what we had in mind.

We had an idea

about what we want to do.

And then God

puts people in our paths

that's not exactly

what we expect.

And I've learned

many times over

that when you do

what the Lord

calls you to do,

it's not always

following your expectations.

it's not always

going to pan out

like you thought it was.

God may do

a much different work

than the way

you anticipated

it to be done.

And some folks

would rather

trust their anticipation,

let's just be honest,

they'd rather trust

their anticipation

than they would

the movement of the Lord.

If you get too sold

on your anticipation,

you don't want to

follow along

with the Lord

and what He's doing.

And so we become childish

because we thought

it would be different.

Another reason

we tend to act childish

toward Christ,

excuse me,

they tend to act childish

before Christ.

It could be

the personal problems

that we endure.

For instance,

children do not

play good together

when they're tired.

we don't either.

And sometimes

we just get tired.

Sometimes we just get tired.

It's not that we're

not doing a good work.

Let me give you an example.

Elijah was like that.

Man, Elijah was

a miracle worker of God.

Did wonderful things.

And then

Elijah got tired.

He got so tired

he wanted to die

and he laid down to die

but God said,

get up.

And he gave him

exactly what he needed.

And I'm so thankful today

that he'll do the same

for us.

Say, preacher,

I'm tired.

Well, yeah.

We all get tired sometimes.

And he invites us

to come to him.

Come to me,

all you who are

weak and heavy laden.

I will give you

rest.

You'll find rest

in the Lord.

He'll take care of you.

Not only that,

children don't play good

when they're hungry.

And when they're too young

to tell us they're hungry,

they still have a way

of letting us know

they're hungry,

don't they?

Sometimes we get childish

because we're hungry.

That usually happens

to y'all about 1155.

Excuse me,

we started earlier

than that,

didn't we?

That just scared

the wooly out

of a lot of you,

didn't it?

Folks,

when we get hungry

for the things

of the world,

we're not satisfied

because the appetite

for the things

of the world

will never satisfy.

It's like eating air.

It's not going to satisfy.

And unsatisfied people

do not always go along

with what God wants to do

because they're unsatisfied.

And so sometimes

we get childish

because we like it our way.

And these kids

in this parable

did not get invited

to play a game

they wanted

so they didn't go along.

And sometimes

the course that God

has for us

is different

than our way.

it's not exactly

what we anticipated.

It's not exactly

what we feel like.

And we get childish

about it.

Another reason

people act childish

toward God

it could be

the message

that we hear.

And I want to be clear

about this

and I'll close.

The gospel

is a two-sided

message

and you better

proclaim

both sides

of that message

or you'll have

half the message

filled with

half truths.

One side

of the gospel message

is that

every one of us

are sinners.

Romans 3.23

says

for all

have sinned

and fall short

of the glory

of God.

Now

I want you

to notice

something.

It says

for all

have sinned

and fall

short

that verb

is in a different

tense

and fall

short

of the glory

of God.

The glory

of God

is that

revealing

of God.

It's when

he shows

himself

and God

has made

us to be

in relationship

with him

and to

amplify

and be a

light of

his message

and his

truth.

And the

reality is

that every

one of us

have sinned

and therefore

failed to

live up

to what

God made

us for.

We've all

messed up.

Now you don't

like to hear

that.

I don't like

to hear that.

I don't like

people pointing

out the things

I do wrong

but the reality

is it's there.

We're all

in the same

boat.

Without Christ

we're hopeless.

And that

is the

message of

John the

Baptist.

That's what

he said.

However,

many others

did not

like it.

It was a

funeral dirge

and they

didn't want

to play

funeral.

They didn't

want to hear

about the

death that

comes from

our sin.

I'm thankful

today there's

another side of

the gospel

message because

if there wasn't

I wouldn't

be here.

There'd be

no need

for me to

tell you

that you're

doomed.

Go home.

You have

no hope.

Nobody wants

to hear that.

You have

to understand

that to

get the

second half

of the

message.

And sometimes

you have to

preach that

and proclaim

that and show

that with

more emphasis

than you do

the second

half.

But you

can't preach

half the

truth.

You've

got to

preach the

whole truth.

Second

half of

the truth

is that

the wages

or the

cost or

the penalty

of our

sin is

death.

And in

the New

Testament when

it speaks

of death

it's not

talking about

the heart

stopping and

the brain

stop functioning.

It's talking

about the

separation that

comes from

death.

I lost

my dear

godly

grandmother

years ago

and when

she died

I was

sad.

Why was

I sad?

Because she

was going

to heaven

and her

faith had

become sight

and everything

that she had

looked for

now she was

being fulfilled

before her.

No, not at

all.

I was sad

because I was

going to be

separated her

for as long

as I live

on this

earth.

It was the

separation

that was

so difficult.

It was not

the destination

of the one

that believes

in Christ.

It was the

separation.

So when he

says the cost

or the

penalty

or the

wage

of sin

is death.

He says

that it's

separating us

from God.

But the

free gift

of God

how many

of you

like a

free gift?

You know

no strings

attached

you know

the free

gift of

God

is eternal

life through

Jesus Christ

our Lord.

Now the

reality is

if it's a

gift

you can't

earn it.

Just a

gift.

It's not a

payback.

That's something

different.

It's just

a gift.

Romans goes

on to tell

us that

God shows

his love

for us

that while

we were yet

sinners Christ

died for us.

Listen I

don't want to

know everything

you've done.

I'm not going

to tell you

everything I've

done.

Okay.

I mean look

if our sins

in life

were like

stones

and the

little sins

and by the

way we judge

how big the

sins are not

God because

they all

separate us

from God.

Okay.

But we have

a way of

saying what

sins big

and what

sins not.

If I

asked you

to list

what's a

big sin

and what's

a small

sin we

could all

know what

that was.

We understand

that culturally

what that

means.

But even

the little

bitty ones

sent Christ

to the

cross.

You

understand

that don't

you?

So there's

not really

a difference.

It all

separates us

from God.

But let's

just say that

the little

ones are

little stones

and that

the big

ones are

big boulders

and we

all have

a bag.

I'm going

to tell you

if you're

half my age

your bag's

too big

to fit in

this room.

We're in a

mess.

And nobody

wants to

know all

that about

you.

But God

does know

it all.

He knows

the thoughts.

He knows

the things

that you

wanted to

say.

He knows

the things

you said.

He knows

the things

that you

wanted to

do.

He knows

the things

you did.

He knows

the places

you wanted

to go.

He knows

the places

that you

went.

And He

knew all

of that.

And He

shows His

love for

us.

That even

though He

knows all

of that,

He died

for you.

He died

in your

place.

So you

would have

hope.

And not

spend eternity

apart from

God.

And the

last part

of that

second half

of the

gospel truth

is that

if you

confess

with your

mouth

that Jesus

is Lord

and believe

in your

heart that

God raised

Him from

the dead,

you will

be saved.

Now let

me explain

what that

means.

Confess

is not

just meeting

with the

preacher in

his office

and confessing

that I've

sinned before.

confession is

not just

telling somebody

else that

you know,

I believe

in Jesus.

I mean,

I'm not

going to

live it out,

I'm not

going to make

a big deal

out of it

and that

kind of

stuff.

But I

mean,

I believe,

I believe.

I'll tell

you what I

believe Paul's

talking about

because the

context of

when he

says Jesus

is Lord.

Lord.

There was

a ceremony

in the

Roman Empire

where people

would pledge

their allegiance

to the

empire.

They would

burn incense,

they would

kneel before

some icon

of Caesar

and they

would say,

Caesar is

Lord.

And when

they proclaimed

their allegiance

to the empire,

they continued

to keep their

rights and

would continue

to live and

Rome was proud

of their rights.

They were proud

of their citizenship

and they were

able to keep

that.

But when

Christians were

put on the

spot and they

burned that

incense and got

to that point,

they would say,

Kyrios Christos,

which is Greek

for Christ is

Lord.

And when they

stood in that

crucible and

said that,

they would lose

their citizenship.

They would be

imprisoned.

They would be

exiled like John

was when he wrote

the Revelation.

Nero would

take the bodies

of professed

Christians,

impale them,

dip them in

tar, and

light his

garden with

them.

The

confession of

Christ is not

a quiet,

private,

just between

you and me

matter.

It's an

open confession.

It's living

out our life

for the Lord

Jesus Christ.

And belief

is not just a

belief in a

historic Jesus

that did good

things and died

and rose again.

It is instead

a commitment

to live your

life for his

cause and for

his kingdom.

I don't know

about you,

but because he's

changed my life,

that's music to

my ears.

but some

don't like to

dance to

that tune.

So may I

ask,

to the ways

and the will

of God for

your life

today,

are you

childish?

Or are you

childlike?

are you

stubborn?

Are you

humble?

Are you

rejecting

what God's

telling you?

Are you

receiving it?

Are you

withdrawing in

your faith?

It's just

between me and

God.

Are you

outreaching?

Being a

light of the

world?

Being a

salt that

flavors the

society in

which God

has placed

us in.

And believe

me,

he knew

the status

and the

circumstances

of the

society that

he placed

us in

before we

ever got

here,

and yet

caused us

to be

salt and

light in

the midst

of it.

Jesus

wants us

to become

like children,

not act

like children,

but instead

to be

dependent,

to be

yielding,

and to

be open

to whatever

he wants

us to

do.

I've

always lived

away from

family.

Always have.

I've always

had family

that lived

a long

way away.

My daddy

was in the

Air Force

and he

retired in

the upper

peninsula of

Michigan.

You can't

get in Ohio

and the

United States

before you

hit Canada.

When he

retired, we

moved to

Greenville.

New Orleans

and

my grandmother

lived in

Grand Rapids,

Michigan.

And so on

occasion,

vacations were

commonly to

go up there

and see her.

When we

lived in the

UP, if we

had a

vacation, it

was to

come to

South Carolina

and see my

other

grandmother.

We moved

to South

Carolina.

I grew

up.

God called

me to go

to New

Orleans

Seminary.

I married

a Mississippi

girl.

Okay?

Pastored

in Mississippi,

traveled to

South Carolina.

to see my

family.

Moved to

South Carolina.

Traveled to

Mississippi to

see family.

Lived in

Mississippi.

Traveled to

South Carolina

to see family.

Now, hey, I

left a daughter

in Mississippi,

so I think I'll

probably be

traveling to

Mississippi.

But when I

was a child,

I never

questioned,

where are

we were

going?

I mean, I

might have

asked them,

but it

didn't really

matter.

I didn't

really have

a choice.

When that

68 or that

76 Buick was

full, it's

time to get

in the back.

No seat

belt, back

window down.

I threw a

G.I.

Joe out the

back window.

Greatest sin I

ever committed

as a child was

throwing a G.I.

Joe out the

back window.

But we got

him back, and

he was a war

veteran after

that, you

know?

So, I

just got in

the car and

went where my

parents were

going.

It's time for

Christians to

just get in a

place.

Quit

questioning

everything that

God stirs in

our hearts to

do.

Just go.

Hey, I

don't know

where we're

going in this

life.

I know where

I'm going when

I leave this

life.

I don't know

what God's got

in store for

us tomorrow,

but I know

I'm biting

at the bit to

be exactly where

he wants me to

be today and

tomorrow.

Let's just go

with God.

Let's quit

trying to figure

it out and

go with God.

With every

head bowed and

every eye

closed.

Maybe you're

here today and

the reality is

your sin has

separated you

from God and

you've never

surrendered your

life to follow

the Lord Jesus

Christ.

You never ask

him to come into

your life and to

change you.

There is no

personal commitment

to Christ.

You don't have a

relationship with

Christ.

You may have a

relationship with

the church.

You may have a

relationship with

good godly people,

but there's never

been a time in

your life when

you've committed

your life to

follow Christ.

I want you to

know that this

time, we'll stand

in just a moment

and we'll sing,

and this time is

created for you to

have that opportunity

to respond to

Christ.

It's not the only

time you can

respond, but what a

great time it is.

The spirit of God

is leading you to

do that.

I encourage you to

be obedient and

follow his lead.

Maybe you're here

and you are a

Christian, but the

reality is you know

that God is drawing

you to be a part of

this congregation.

We've been blessed

in recent days.

Many have come

along the way

because they've

told me, I

believe God is

calling us to

join in the

journey with this

body of believers

and to follow his

will.

If God's leading

you to do that,

you come.

We'll help you

in that process.

Maybe you're here

and you have made

a private decision

for the Lord, but

you've never made

that public.

Jesus, by example

and by teaching,

shared with us

that we make

that public

first by baptism.

We'll be baptizing

in a couple of

weeks.

If you're here

today and have

accepted the Lord

before but never

been baptized

since that time,

I encourage you

to come.

Take advantage

of that opportunity.

Or maybe you're

here and you are

a Christian and you

know that, but you

know there's some

childish things in

your life.

Sometimes you buck

in the back seat.

You're not happy

with exactly what's

going on.

And you don't

exactly do what

God wants you to

do.

Will today, will you

surrender that to

God?

Lord, I don't know

what I'm to do and I

don't know where we're

going, but I want to

get in on what you

want to do and I want

to follow your lead

today.

You can do that at

these steps and make

it a makeshift altar.

You can do it where

you are.

I'll never ask you to

do anything more or

anything less than what

God would have you to

do, but please don't

satisfy yourself with

less because you'll

never be satisfied.

Just obey God as he

speaks to your heart

and life.

Lord Jesus, I love

you.

I thank you for the

opportunity that you

give us through Christ

and I pray that you'll

help us to respond in

obedience today as you

speak to our heart and

life.

In Jesus' precious name,

amen.

Amen.