Sermon Tone Analysis

* \\ \\ Send to Printer \\ \\ SermonCentral.com \\ (use browser's print feature to print out this page) \\ \\ Honey, We’ve Shrunk The Kids by Joel Smith \\ \\ Mark 10:13-16 \\ \\ Honey, We’ve Shrunk The Kids! \\ Mark 10:13-16 \\ Wellspring Community Church \\ \\ Have you ever noticed how our culture places a huge emphasis on children, while at the same time devalues them?

For example, politicians often talk about quality schools for our children.

We’ve got to send them more money and train better teachers.

When all’s said and done, nothing changes.

Election time roles around and the same drum beats again.

If you have a cause and you need to raise money all you have to do is attach children to it and you’ll make the dough.

After all, what kind of evil adult wouldn’t give to an organization that was going to save the kids.

The idea of children seems to carry a lot of weight in our nation, yet about a million a year are sucked down the sink of abortion clinics.

Now you can even bring them to the point of birth, extract their brains and call it a medical procedure.

The lack of value for children shows through when parents give over their responsibility to raise their kids to minimum wage workers so that they can pursue a fulfilling career.

\\ \\ Oh yes, we give children lip service, but the reality is that they’re not high on the priority list.

Their importance shrinks day by day.

\\ \\ The church, by and large, has bought into this devalue system.

Children and children’s ministries are often viewed as a means to get the kids out of the way so that the main event can happen for the adults.

Let’s just be honest.

Youth and children’s ministry always takes the back seat the adult programs.

\\ \\ As we’ll see shortly, our priorities are simply out of whack.

Don’t beat yourself up too badly, this devaluing of kids has been around for a long time.

Even Jesus encountered it.

\\ \\ ADULTS TEND TO PLACE A LOW VALUE ON CHILDREN \\ \\ People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them.

Mark 10:13 (NIV) \\ \\ A common practice of the ancient Jewish people was to bring their infants and toddlers to a respected rabbi so that he could lay his hands on the children and bless them.

The rabbis would take the children and pronounce blessings of a good future upon them.

You know: long life; health; joy; prosperity, peace.

\\ \\ That’s what happened one day just prior to the time Jesus would go to the cross.

Moms, dad, grandparents, whoever, began to bring their babies and young children for the blessing of this powerful rabbi.

I imagine it was the kind of scene you’d find in a shopping mall during Christmas.

Adults line their precious ones up to sit them on Santa’s lap.

It’s an "Oooooo, ahhhhhh" moment that we just can’t resist.

\\ \\ These adults wanted a blessing for their kids and brought them to Jesus, but they were thwarted by Jesus’ disciples.

Obviously they were worried that these noisy kids and their proud parents would wear Jesus out.

I find it curious that they never had the same reaction to adults who came to Jesus for some kind of touch.

It was apparently okay for the adults to be a burden, but the kids just didn’t rate high enough for an audience with the Teacher.

\\ \\ The disciples had been with Jesus for nearly three years now.

They should have known better.

\\ \\ JESUS GIVES KIDS TOP PRIORITY \\ \\ When Jesus saw this, he was indignant.

He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them …" Mark 10:14a (NIV) \\ \\ Jesus was furious at the attitude of his own disciples.

Time and time again he’d taught on God’s care and concern for those considered "the least" by society.

The powerless were the object of Jesus’ ministry.

Now here the disciples were trying to drive them away.

\\ \\ Jesus burned with anger over this.

His followers represented him before the people.

The same is still true today.

Their callused devaluing misrepresented Jesus to the people.

So does ours.

Jesus gives kids top priority.

Any time we lessen their value by our actions or attitudes or lack of action or apathy, we’re not viewing children with the perspective of God.

I sure he still gets indignant about that.

\\ \\ Jesus commands his disciples then and his followers today to open the way for kids to come to him.

The only way we’ll do that is when we give kids top priority as Jesus did.

\\ \\ How Can We Open The Way To Jesus?

\\ \\ In these next points I’m speaking to both parents, grandparents and the church.

All of us are to be a part of the process of opening the way to Jesus.

I must tell you, though, the greatest responsibility lies with the parents.

If the ministries of the church are not reinforced at home, young children would just as well have been turned away from Jesus to begin with.

\\ \\ 1. Teach the faith.

\\ \\ Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it.

Proverbs 22:6 \\ \\ From an early age we must begin instilling the faith into our children.

It won’t happen by osmosis.

Faith won’t just mystically leak into them.

It must be taught.

Don’t think that you can just wait for it to happen.

Never make the even more foolish mistake of thinking you’ll let your kids get old enough to make their own decision.

\\ \\ British poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge once had a discussion with a man who firmly believed that children should not be given formal religious instruction, but should be free to choose their own religious faith when they reached maturity.

Coleridge did not disagree, but later invited the man into his somewhat neglected garden.

"Do you call this a garden?" the visitor exclaimed.

"There are nothing but weeds here!"

\\ "Well, you see," Coleridge replied, "I did not wish to infringe upon the liberty of the garden in any way.

I was just giving the garden a chance to express itself."

\\ \\ Daily Walk, March 28, 1992 \\ \\ God commands us to pass on the faith to our children by intentionally and consistently instructing them.

\\ \\ "And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.

You shall teach them diligently to your children …" Deut.

6: 7a \\ \\ 2. Live the faith.

\\ \\ Equally as important as teaching the faith is living it out.

Demonstration enlivens presentation.

If academic instruction were enough our job would be easy.

Send them to some classes, give them a multiple choice test and if they pass your work is done.

If teaching were enough America would be a Christian nation.

Charles Stanley is piped into most every home on Sunday morning.

As good as his teaching is, it’s not having a huge impact on our nation.

The problem is a failure to live out the faith.

Adults need an example and so do kids.

\\ \\ Be an example by your actions!

\\ \\ "… and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.

You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.

You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."

Deut.

6:7b-9 \\ \\ The implication of the Bible is that the faith should be a constant I our homes.

We teach and live it out.

\\ \\ Mom and Dad, teacher, preacher … ask yourself if your conduct is worthy of emulation.

Can you sincerely look at your kids and say "Follow me as I follow Christ."

Or do you sometimes lapse into the old "Do as I say, not as I do" cop out?

Are you living out Christ-likeness in your home, in your marriage, in your car, in the church halls, in the off handed comments you make when you think no one is listening?

\\ \\ Be an example by your attitude!

\\ \\ Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

Eph.

6:4 (NIV) \\ \\ I add this one because sometimes we forget to extend grace to our children.

\\ \\ How to exasperate: favoritism, comparison, unrealistic standards, over-indulging, rescuing, discouragement, lack of rewards, unfulfilled promises, treating them like boarders rather than children, not admitting mistakes, ridiculing, neglect, abusive words, sarcasm, physical abuse.

\\ \\ If you don’t exemplify justice and grace and love in your home, guess what they’ll think of your God? \\ \\ 3. Answer their questions.

\\ \\ This one should be a no-brainer, but it’s often overlooked by parents and teacher.

Sometimes we’re just too busy to answer little Johnny’s question about where God came from or whether pets go to heaven when they die.