Reaching the Next Generation: God's Purpose for the Church

James H. Cosentino II

Reaching the Next Generation • Sermon • Submitted 10 months ago • Presented 10 months ago

Mark 10:13–16

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Introduction

read Mark 10:13-16

Mark 10:13–16 (ESV)

And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.

Last week, we looked at Deuteronomy 6 and how we as God’s purpose for the home is for families to raise and disciple their children to know and love God with all of their hearts.

This morning, I want to see how we as the church are called to partner with parents and families to help their children come to know and love Jesus. As VBS is here, we need to see that this is not another program, but simply one of the many ways we as a church are called to bring the children to Jesus so they can know Him and love Him.

Jesus Loves the Little Children

We are turning to a particular story that is actually recorded in the three synoptic gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. They each saw the need and importance of this incident.

Jesus has been in the middle of teaching His disciples as well as answering questions from the Pharisees and teachers of the law on the topic of divorce, a topic that should be highly important for anyone who cares about how God has set up the institution of marriage and human relationships.

However, as He is teaching, some parents decide to bring their children to Jesus to be blessed. These children, as mentioned in the Luke’s account, are infants. The parents have seen and heard of the grace and gentleness of Christ and have also heard of the greatness and authority of His teachings.

However, the disciples rebuked the parents for bringing their children to Jesus. The problem with the disciples and often the problem with all of us as people throughout history, including today, is that we place very little value on children. Its not that we don’t love our own children, but we struggle with loving them the way Jesus loves children.

We tend to love and value things that benefit us

The reason why we don’t value children the way we ought is because children do not have anything to offer back for the time, energy and love that we give.

We can be very utilitarian in our nature where we will pour out resources and time for those things that we can see a return on our investment with.

In most of the cultures throughout history, children have not been highly valued because there’s not much children can offer in return.

Children take our time, energy and resources. They cannot help pay the mortgage, buy their own food, they use things and break things, it takes time to teach them, when many times its easier to do things ourselves than trying to teach someone else how to do something. There is a huge investment of time, energy and resources in children that will never really get repaid. If we are to love children, we have to love them simply for who they are, not what they can do. And that goes against the grain in a culture that wants a profitable return on their investment.

Our sinful, selfish hearts actually keep us from loving the ones that God loves and cares about deeply because we are looking for something in return.

God loves people simply for who they are, not for what they can offer

However, Jesus is demonstrating a love that goes against what our world is used to experiencing.

Anytime our world talks about love, its talking about something where I receive something in return for the love that I give.

However, Jesus loves children simply for who they are, not for what they can do.

In fact, if seen from the world’s point of view, Jesus accepting the children like He does appears foolish, and the disciples apparently thought so too. However, right after this account of Jesus receiving the children is a story of a rich young ruler who comes to Jesus asking what it would take to earn salvation.

He thinks that all of his law keeping is enough to get him into right standing with God. Yet Jesus tells him its not enough. He knows that the rich young man’s wealth and possessions are an idol to him so he tells him to sell all he has and give it to the poor and then to come and follow him.

Perhaps his disciples were think, Jesus if we had this man as a fellow disciple, we wouldn’t ever have to do fundraisers or ask for a place to stay anywhere. We could buy whatever we want or needed for the ministry.

In fact, it’s often tempting for churches and ministries to cater and show preference to those who have a lot to offer.

And yet Jesus, after receiving the children and parents simply for who they were, ends up sending the rich young man away because he thought he could earn God’s favor instead of receiving it freely.

His love for children demonstrates true love and grace.

And it demonstrates what we as God’s people are called to do. We are called to love all people simply for who they are, not on what they can give back to us.

Bring the Children to Jesus

So we see that Jesus loves children simply because of who they are. It flies in the face of how we view love towards others.

Because of His love for children, we are called to bring them to Jesus. His disciples were trying to rebuke the parents for interrupting Jesus’ teaching with the kids. However, He tells them to not hinder the children from coming to Him.

Do Not Keep Children From Jesus

we can see children as interruptions from the important things

The disciples saw the children as an interruption from what Jesus was doing.

We can sometimes come up with programs for children so we can focus on what we consider more important things.

Jesus wanted His disciples to see that His teachings, while important, were not the main thing. His teachings were meant to help them learn how to love God and love others.

If we are not taking what we are learning to worship God and to help others worship Him, then we are not truly learning from Christ. We are simply building Bible trivia in our heads. We are fed through God’s Word so we can in turn serve others and bring them to Jesus.

Children are not the interruptions from the main thing. Children and people are the main thing.

Jesus focuses on Children because the Kingdom belongs to such people

Jesus tells us why we should not hinder the children from coming to Him.

It is because they know they need the help and love of others to make it. Yes, as children grow, they want to exercise more independence and try to do things on their own.

But the idea of being on their own can be terrifying because they know they are totally dependent upon someone else for their provision and safety.

As such, they know the need for trust and dependence. And because of this, they are also the most open and receptive to the Gospel. You don’t have to convince them of their need for help and for a Savior.

Raise your hand if you came to know Christ by the time you were 22. Keep them up if you came to Christ by the time you were 15.

This does not mean that we should not share the Gospel with everyone. But there is a sense in which throughout Scripture, we see the instructions to teach and disciple our children because it is during that time in life that we are most open and receptive to the truth of God’s Word and that the beliefs and worldviews formed during that time will have the most lasting impact on us.

This is why ministries like VBS and the Sports Camp, Awana and Youth ministries are so vital. It is also why we must not see these as ways to simply babysit kids and entertain them, but to take those ministries seriously to help train and minister to them. If we take their school and sports training seriously, how much more should we take their spiritual training seriously as we seek to bring them to Jesus.

As the church, we are called to partner with parents, to walk alongside them and to help reinforce what they are teaching at home so we can help our children encounter Jesus.

How?

Show the Love of Jesus to children and families

So how can we as a church family help to bring children to Jesus?

Pray

First, even if we can’t do anything else, the best thing we all can do is Pray

pray for the children and families within our community and church

pray for those who are working with the children within our church

pray for God to raise up more people to love and serve children and families

Welcome Children

Be an encouragement to parents to let them know their children are valued, loved and welcome within our church family

When there is a crying baby during the worship service, instead of telling parents about the nursery, tell them how glad they are here and we are so excited to get to hear the sounds of a baby here in our worship.

I just want to say, we welcome children and babies here. We do have a nursery for our babies here, but the cry of a baby does not bother me nor does it bother the God we worship. Mom and Dad, we are excited that you are bringing your children to church.

Give a smile and a high five to the children who walk or run by you. You don’t have to specifically work with kids to make an eternal impact on a child. God simply wants us to love them and bring them to Jesus.

One of the best things that I get to see is when someone like Dennis is chasing our four year old around in the courtyard.

But even something as simple as a high five or even a handshake can make a child and their family feel loved and welcomed.

Serve Children

Find a way to serve the families God has placed within our community

We always have a need for more people who are willing and able to teach children about Jesus through our Sunday School, Nursery, Sunday nights and Wednesday night Awana ministries. People who are dedicated to love and teach children who God is and how they can love Him.

But even if you do not feel called to serve in that way, there are other ways you can serve children and families.

You can send cards and letters to our families to say we miss them when they are gone or simply that we are praying for them.

You can work in the background to help get supplies that our teachers might need.

We have had, over this past week, several people come up and help decorate for VBS that’s coming up this week.

There are many different ways you can help serve and welcome children and their families and let them know that Jesus loves them.

How do we find the heart and the motivation to continue to reach out to children?

Realize Your Own Childlike Need for Jesus

A heart to see children the way God sees them requires that we see ourselves in the proper light. Again, we get caught up in our own importance and pride. But Jesus wants us to see our own need and dependence upon Him. Whether we realize it or not, we are completely and totally dependent upon Christ.

This is why Jesus says, that we must receive the kingdom of God like a child.

We are all sinners, hopeless apart from Christ. Whatever we think we can accomplish on our own will get us no closer to God or to salvation.

This is why, from the very beginning, God promised to send a Savior to rescue us from our sin. Like the infants the parents were bringing to Jesus, we are all in need of someone else to care for us and to provide all that we need. But it is not just salvation that God provides. Scripture makes it clear that everything we have comes from God.

We can either live our lives recognizing that everything from the clothes on our backs to our jobs, and even the strength and skills necessary to accomplish our jobs comes from God alone, or we can live in dependence upon ourselves.

The reason why we neglect our ministry to children and to anybody else God puts in our paths is very often due to the fact that we have forgotten that I myself am in need of God’s constant grace and provision in my life.

If we are to develop a heart for reaching out to children and to the next generation, we must remind ourselves of who we are before Jesus. We must remind ourselves of the good news of what He has done for us and remember that we are just like a child, totally and completely dependent upon the love of our Savior!