Foundations Week 8: A Kid's Kingdom

Well, welcome home, everybody, to Grace. My name is Chris Absher. I'm one of the Campus Pastors here at Grace. We’ve been involved in this sermon series called “Foundations,” and we're going to be wrapping up the sermon series this weekend. We’ve been looking at a big idea, for multiple weeks now, since the beginning of the year. Here’s the big idea we've been looking at. We’ve looked at the structural systems that anchor and support the vision and ministries of Grace. The whole reason that we do these kinds of things is maybe you've been here a while, and you kind of need to be reminded about what those things are that kind of made you fall in love with Grace when you first came here. What is it that drew you here? Why do we do the things that we do?

Maybe it's also great for those of you who might be kind of new here at Grace. It's an opportunity to very quickly learn who this church is, and if this is a place you feel like you can be a part of what God is doing. So, I hope this series has been great for you, so far. We're wrapping it up this weekend. Before we go any further, I just want to take a second to ask how many of you enjoyed Chris Pedro's message last weekend? He might be back there, so I think he heard you. So that’s good. But I just wanted to appreciate him. My wife and I talked about the message all the way home. We talked about it throughout the week. It was awesome. So, when you see him, make sure you tell him how much you appreciate him and love him because, let me just tell you, that is a guy who cares about all of you so much. So, just make sure to appreciate him when you see him.

To get started in the message this weekend, I want to tell you a story. Maybe you've heard the story. Maybe not. I don't really know how well circulated it is, but it's a story about a guy named George Müller. George Müller was a guy who was just after it for the Kingdom of God. He was doing anything and everything he could to take care of those who were around him, to advance the Kingdom of God, to do all these great things. But among the things that he did, he built an orphanage. At one time, this orphanage grew so large that it was over 1,000 kids that George Müller was taking care of. He fed them, he clothed them, he housed them. It was absolutely incredible. Every single morning at the orphanage, the same thing would happen. George Müller would get up, he would wake his staff up, they would go get the kids up, and as the staff was getting breakfast ready, they'd tell the children, “Alright, everybody. Let's set the table.”

So, the kids would run, get all the bowls, plates, spoons, forks, all the things, and they would set the table. Well, the morning came where although everything else is going to seem normal for a bit, there was a problem. The problem was that there was no food, at all, left in the orphanage. That wasn't because George Müller hadn't done his job. He had done everything he possibly could to get food for the next day, but all of his resources were exhausted. So, he didn't know exactly what to do, but he did the only thing that he could think of, which was, “I guess proceed as normal, for right now. Let's get the kids up. Let's have them go set the table.”

He says, “Come on, kids. Time to get up. Let's get ready for breakfast.”

The kids go, they grab the bowls, the forks, the spoons, and all the things that they would normally do when they set the table, and then they all sit down. And as George did every single morning, he prayed a prayer for the meal. This time, his prayer sounded a little bit different. This is what he prayed: “God, I thank You for the food that You’re going to provide for us.”

That's the prayer that he prayed. Almost immediately, a knock comes on the door. He runs over to the door, excited, and it turns out it's the baker. The baker says to him, “Mr. Müller, I was struggling all night long. I was tossing and turning. I just had this sense that you weren't going to have what you needed this morning, so I've been up since 2:00 a.m., I've baked bread, I've baked pastries, and I've baked all these things. Can you use them here in the orphanage?”

Of course, George Müller says, “Bring them in. Bring them in. This is exactly what we needed.”

So, they sit down, they're eating, but they have nothing to drink. So, another knock comes on the door. This time, it's the local milkman. He says, “Mr. Müller, my cart broke down right outside your orphanage. I’ve got to get the milk off of it to lift it up so I can do some work. I'm going to have to order a part. All this milk's going to go bad because it'll be several days before I can get this up and running. Can you use this in the orphanage?”

Of course, he says, “Absolutely, we can. Bring it in. Bring it in.”

So, the kids, all of a sudden, went from nothing to having probably one of the best breakfasts they've had in a really long time. I don't tell you that story to say that if you pray the right prayer, if you just believe hard enough, or have enough faith that everything just magically happens and we get everything that we want. That is not the point of the story. Don't hear what I'm not saying. What I am saying — and this I believe down to the very core of my being — is that when God brings the next generation to a place, He always provides the resources to take care of them. God cares about His children. God cares for us, and He knows how to give us good gifts.

So, I want you to take that story and just tuck it in your pocket. Hold on to it because we're going to come back to it at the end. But now we're going to turn to a passage of scripture, and it's in Mark 10. In this passage of scripture, it's actually a story about children coming to Jesus. It’s this really interesting story, but we have a little bit of work to do.

As you probably know, if you've been at Grace, we try to do some really good Bible teaching. You can't just run to a passage, dive in, and kind of hope that you figure it out. There's some work. We’ve got some setting of the table to do, ourselves. What's been going on in Mark 1-9? What’s been happening? What is the scene that we have here in Mark 10? We’ve got a little context work to do. So, what I want us to realize is as we get to Mark 10, there is an electric atmosphere around this guy named Jesus. Everybody is abuzz about Jesus. There are several reasons for that. People are whispering in the streets. People are talking.

“Who this guy? What's going on?”

There are some reasons that they're very excited. In Mark 1-9, we learn about them. But the first one is that there are miracles that Jesus has been doing. Right? He’s healed people. He's raised people from the dead. The deaf are hearing. The blind, all of a sudden, see. Demons are cast out. People are excited. I would imagine — I mean, listen, if you were there, if I was there, we'd probably ask some of these same questions, I think. This is one of the questions that I think they were probably asking: “Is there anything this guy can’t do? Is there anything? Every problem we have in our lives, this guy comes, touches, speaks a word and, all of a sudden, it's all healed, better, and different. What’s going on with this guy? Is there anything He can't do?”

I think a lot of them would've asked a further question that was a little more targeted. This is the question I think they asked: “If He can beat disease, if He can beat demonic oppression, what about Rome? What about that big kahuna of a government that's been oppressing us, that's been putting us down? Is this going to be the guy? We know a messiah is coming, and we know this messiah is supposed to do all these great things for us. Is this the guy who can take down Rome? He can beat disease, demonic oppression, and all these other things. What about Rome?”

So, the anticipation is building about who this guy named Jesus is. It started with the miracles, but not only that, we're just fresh off the story of the transfiguration. I don't know if you remember that story, but Jesus takes Peter, James, and John up on a mountain, and Jesus is transfigured in front of their eyes. He's glowing. Then, all of a sudden, you have Moses and Elijah. They’re standing there, and the whole point of the story, among other points, is just to say that Jesus is greater than Moses and Jesus is greater than Elijah. So, I'm just imagining that as Peter, James, and John are walking down the mountain, whispering among themselves, like, “What does all this mean? What's happening?”

I think this is the question they asked: “If Jesus is greater than Moses, if He’s greater than Elijah, will Israel now be greater than in Moses’ and Elijah's day? Are we going to be even greater? Moses led us out of Egypt? He’s the guy. Elijah went toe-to-toe with the Prophets of Baal. If this guy, Jesus, is greater than both of them, how great is Israel now going to be?”

I think there was a lot of buzz around Jesus over this very issue.

“How great might it be? How much of the kingdom will we get? How much ruling power and authority will we have as His disciples?”

So, the anticipation is just churning. As we're reading through the Gospel of Mark — we have our miracles, we have our transfiguration, but as we read through Mark, there's a third thing happening that's contributing to all this electricity that's in the air. That is that Jesus is nearing Jerusalem. Every single chapter you read in Mark, there are these signposts. He goes from here and He goes here. He goes from there, and He goes there. Every single one, He is getting closer and closer to Jerusalem. So, the disciples were thinking something like this: “We’re almost to Jerusalem where, after hundreds of years of waiting, it's all about to go down. It's all going to happen.”

They know the scriptures. They know Jerusalem is the place where it's all going to happen. They know Jerusalem's the place where the throne of David's going to be set up, and this messiah's going to start a kingdom.

I think there was a lot of buzz around Jesus over this very issue.

“How great might it be? How much of the kingdom will we get? How much ruling power and authority will we have as His disciples?”

“We're going to kick some Roman butt once we get to Jerusalem. That's where it all goes down.”

To put it in perspective, do you all know the feeling — maybe you do, maybe you don't. Do you know when you go to Disney World, and you're most of the way there, all of a sudden everything starts to look Disney-ish? Do you know what I'm talking about? You stop at the gas station, and the pump is like Mickey ears. You go to another place, and it's just all Disney. The you're driving, and you see the big power line that looks like Mickey. Do you know what I'm talking about? You're going to the place where the magic happens. You're going to the place where dreams all come true. If you've been there with kids, maybe someone else's kids, or maybe, as a family, you've gone, you know the feeling of this anticipation.

“There's Mickey again. There's this thing. There's Donald Duck. We're getting close to the place where dreams come true.”

That's how the disciples felt about Jerusalem. That's the place where it's all going to go down. And they’re probably asking some other questions.

“I wonder how much of the kingdom He’ll put me in charge of.”

James and John asked that question. Remember?

“Hey, put me at Your right hand. Put me at your left. How much of the kingdom am I going to be in charge of?”

Or maybe another question: “Will we have the most powerful kingdom on earth? We've read about the Messiah. We know what He’s supposed to do. When we get to Jerusalem, are we going to set up the most powerful kingdom on Planet Earth? Are we going to sit on twelve thrones? Are we going to be all these amazing things? I've just been a fisherman my whole life, and now I'm going to the place where all my dreams are going to come true. If Jesus can just get there, I'm going to sit on my throne, I'm going to have power, I'm going to have authority.”

So, as you can imagine, all the disciples want is for Jesus to take one foot and put it in front of the other.

“Jesus, just get to Jerusalem.”

The whole Gospel’s been building the progress to Jerusalem, and all of a sudden, we pick up in Mark 10 where the progress has stopped completely. Something happens on the road as Jesus is on His way to Jerusalem. So, that's the story we're going to read in Mark 10, but now you know the setup. You know what's going on. The atmosphere is electric around this.

“Jesus, just get to Jerusalem. It’s all going to go down.”

Now the progress to Jerusalem comes to a halt. This is what Mark 10 says.

“And they [the crowd] were bringing children to him that he might touch them,”

All of a sudden, everything stops, and the children are brought to Jesus. The disciples had been totally fine with people bringing children to Jesus in Mark 1-9. Jesus had healed children, He had cast out demons, He had done all of these things. He had blessed children, He had held children, and the disciples said, “All good. All good.”

What has changed? What's going to happen now? Will the disciples do what they should do, which is to welcome the children? That's what they've done in Mark 1-9. But that's not what they do. The scripture goes on.

“And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them.”

The disciples said, “Although it was fine that you came for a while, listen, guys, we need Jesus to get to Jerusalem. That's where the magic's going to happen. That's where my dreams are going to come true. That's where the Kingdom of God is going to be set up. You guys are preventing that from happening. You're an obstacle. You're a roadblock on the way to Jesus making my dreams about the Kingdom of God come true.”

So, I wanted to take this verse and put it in my own translation to help us understand. This is how the disciples are feeling. Again, what I'm about to read to you is totally my translation. Okay? This is just what I think these verses are talking about, but I'm calling it the Disciples Standard Version because that just felt right.

I thought that'd be kind of funny. But note to self, it's not. So, here we go. This is what I think the disciples are thinking, okay?

“During the biggest moment of our lives, everyone was slowing Jesus down, they were getting in the way, and these little kids were preventing Him from moving on to Jerusalem, to Disney World, where He was going to make everything we ever dreamed of come true. These kids are a roadblock on our way to the Kingdom of God.”

Or here's another way to sum it up. I'm calling this one the Disciples International Version.

“We're on the way to Jerusalem. When we get there, we're going to sit on 12 thrones, and you kids are getting in our way.”

That's how the disciples are feeling in this verse.

“You kids are just a roadblock. We know what the Kingdom of God is all about. When we get to Jerusalem, we're going to set it up. We're going to kick some Roman butt. We're going to be there with Jesus. We know what the Kingdom of God is all about, and you guys are preventing it from happening.”

So, how does Jesus respond?

In the next verse: “But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant…”

Now, we don't use that word very often. All that word means is “to be angry over a perceived wrong.” Jesus is piping hot at the disciples, that they would treat children this way. He's piping hot over it.

“I can't believe you guys are doing this.

He said to them, “‘Let the children come to me; do not hinder them,’”

And then He says something, really, that would've blown the disciples minds.

“‘…for to such belongs the kingdom of God.’”

There's our phrase. The Kingdom of God. The disciples say, “Whoa, whoa, whoa. We know about the Kingdom of God. It's all going to happen in Jerusalem. We're going to do all these things. We're going to be these great soldiers in Your army, and then we'll get to be part of the Kingdom of God. I'll sit on my throne. I'll have all this power and authority. We know what the Kingdom of God is all about.”

And Jesus says, “No, no, no. The Kingdom, actually, is about these little ones, right here.”

And the disciples are like, “Wait a minute. They can't help us take Jerusalem. They're just in the way.”

And Jesus says, “No, this is who the Kingdom of God really belongs to,” which would've just blown the disciples minds that that might even be possible, that that's how it worked. Then Jesus hammers it home in the next verse.

He says, “‘Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.’”

Because the disciples thought, “We don't receive the kingdom of God. We go out and get it ourselves. We march into Jerusalem, we knock over some Roman soldiers, and we plant the flag. That's how we get the Kingdom of God.”

And Jesus says, “No. You don't get the Kingdom of God. You have to actually receive the Kingdom of God. You can't do anything to get it. You have to receive it. And not only do you receive the Kingdom of God, but you have to receive it like a child, like one of these little ones.”

And what does that mean? It means that we have to receive it with total dependence on God.

“You disciples, you can't go get it yourself. You can't build an army big enough to go set up the Kingdom of God. It's something that you have to receive like a child, in total dependence on Jesus.”

And then, now that Jesus has blown up everything the disciples thought they knew about the Kingdom of God, there's this final verse that we're going to look at. This is what Jesus does.

“And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.”

Why is this important? I'm highlighting “took them in His arms” because it's very important here. We may read a verse like this, and we say, “Aw, Jesus is so nice. He’s so nice. I love it.”

And that's so true. Jesus is doing something so beautiful and kind, but, culturally, there's so much more going on here than we first realize when we read the verse. Why is it important that He took them in His arms? Well, Jesus is the Messiah, right? This is an allusion, in this verse, to Isaiah 40. It's the same chapter about how there will be a voice in the wilderness, this guy is going to come and say, “Make straight the path. Here comes the Messiah.”

In that same chapter, which is Isaiah 40:11, it says this: “The Messiah will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.”

“You disciples, you've missed it. I'm doing exactly what I'm supposed to do as the Messiah. I'm the good shepherd. I'm the one who cares for these little sheep. You think the Kingdom of God is all about what you want, your power, and the way you want it to be, but it's actually not about that at all. It's about these little lambs that I've gathered in my arms.”

So, not only does He take them in His arms, which is this allusion to Isaiah 40, because that’s who the Messiah is supposed to be, but He also blessed them by laying His hands on them. So, what is going on there? What is this whole laying hands on them thing, blessing thing? What does all of this mean? Well, everything that's going on here, this imagery of taking someone in your arms, laying your hands on them, blessing them, all of this has happened before in Scripture. And the disciples know scripture. They know the Old Testament. They know what's going on here when they see it. Jesus is acting it out for them. In Genesis 48, all of this happened already with another person who is going to take someone in his arms, lay his hands on them, and bless them. So, I encourage you to go read Genesis 48. It's the story of Jacob, who says to Joseph, “Bring your two sons here.”

He takes them in his arms, he places his hands on them, and he blesses them. Then he says, “I'm adopting you into the kingdom of Israel. When the 12 tribes go into the land, you two are numbered among the 12 tribes.”

So, what is Jesus doing here? It's more than Jesus being nice, it’s more than Jesus just being really kind, which is also true. But Jesus is saying to the disciples, “The kingdom of God is not about all this power, just having your way in the world, and setting up this political kingdom. The Kingdom of God is about taking these little, defenseless ones, adopting them into your own family, and caring for them.”

Jesus makes that example.

“I'm adopting them into the Kingdom of God.”

Which, again, would've blown the disciples minds.

“That is not how we thought the Kingdom of God was supposed to work.”

So, that's very different than what the disciples thought. Right? Very different. But I think we often have all kinds of presuppositions about what the Kingdom of God is, what it looks like, and what it's supposed to be. I think this story has some things to teach us about what it looks like to be in the Kingdom of God. Now, if you're here this weekend, and you're a believer, this is really for you. This is what it looks like for us to be part of the Kingdom of God. But I hope if you're here this weekend, or maybe you're watching online, and you're not a believer, you'll hear some of these things and say, “Man, that is something amazing that I'd really love to be a part of.”

So, three things that I think this story teaches us about what it means to be part of the Kingdom of God. The first one is this: In the Kingdom of God, we see other people as opportunities rather than obstacles. In the Kingdom of God, we see other people as opportunities rather than obstacles. Because here's the deal: You probably feel it, I feel it, and we know this is how we are. We have a choice of how we see other people. If I'm honest, there are times in my life where I see people as, “You are just really in my way, right now. I'm trying to get somewhere. I-75. I'm trying to get something accomplished in my life, professionally, personally, or whatever it is, and you are slowing me down.”

But we have a choice to make. Are we going to see other people as obstacles or opportunities? The disciples made a mistake because they say, “Jesus, just put another foot in front of the other, and get to Jerusalem so we can get this whole Kingdom of God thing booted up. We’re ready to go.”

And what do the disciples do when the children come? They rebuke them.

“Get out of the way, guys. You’re an obstacle. You're stopping Jesus from getting where we want Him to go, because I’ve got a throne to sit on. I’ve got to get there, and you are in our way.”

And how does Jesus respond? These kids aren't an obstacle. Instead, He says, “Let the children come to me. Don't you dare hinder them because the kingdom of God belongs to these guys, right here.”

So, we have a choice to make, and it changes everything about how we see other people. Are they obstacles or are they opportunities? It changes everything for us to get that right and not to mess it up like the disciples did. Secondly, I'll tell you that in the kingdom of God, we recognize our total dependence on God for entry. In the Kingdom of God, we recognize our total dependence on God for entry. Now, here's the reality. We struggle with this one. Even though we hear that, yes, we're saved by grace through faith, and no one can boast, we still think we can boast. We think, “If I can just check this box, and do this right today, then I'll feel really good, I'll be part of the Kingdom, and I'll be saved. Oh, man, I messed up, last night, and said something I shouldn't have. I wasn't as nice as I wanted to be.”

We live in this back and forth about, “Am I in? Am I out? What's going on?”

But the reality is that in the Kingdom of God, we recognize that we're totally dependent on God for entry. That was a lesson that Jesus taught His disciples.

“Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the Kingdom of God like a child…”

You can't earn it. I can't earn it. We can't ever be good enough to get in. We live in that place where we're always striving to get it right so that we can just feel like we're in. On Saturday or Sunday, we're like, “We’re in because we went to church, and we're great,” but on Monday through Friday, we feel dry, empty, and we're like, “God, where are You?”

Let me just invite you, urge you, and plead with you to recognize something. We say it all the time, here at Grace: Christianity doesn't start with “do,” but it starts with “done.” It starts with what Jesus has already done. You just have to receive the Kingdom of God. Now, does that mean Jesus doesn't have anything He wants us to do, be, or act like once we're part of the Kingdom of God? No. There are things that we do, but we don't do good things and live how we believe God wants us to live to be made right with God. It's because God has already made us right with Himself, through His Son Jesus, that we say, “God, I'm so thankful to You for what You’ve done that I'll do anything You want. My life is Your life.”

So, let me just invite you, if that's you, this weekend, to let that go. You don't have to earn it, and that's the lesson Jesus was trying to tell His disciples. I think it's the lesson He’s trying to teach us, too. Stop the striving. The Kingdom of God is yours not because you did anything to get it, but you receive it in total dependence on Him. It all starts with what He’s done, not with what we do.

Third, and finally, I would tell you this: In the Kingdom of God, children need our presence and our blessing. In the Kingdom of God, children need our presence, and they need our blessing. I think that's the model that Jesus set for us. He took them in His arms and He blessed them by laying His hands on them. Jesus was present with these children.

“I know, guys, you want me to get on to Jerusalem, I know you want me to hurry it up, but I’ve got to be with these guys, right now, because the Kingdom of God belongs to little ones like this.”

And I believe that God is calling us to be the same kind of way. The children of God — and by “children,” I mean the literal children — need our presence and blessing in their life. Let me just tell you this: At Grace Community Church, there is an opportunity, right here at this church, to do that like you can't imagine. I can tell you this: In our kids' ministry, in our bridge ministry, which is fourth and fifth grade, in our middle school, high school, and young adults, I'm excited to tell you there are hundreds of them. Hundreds. Don't let anybody ever tell you that the next generation is not on fire for God. Don't let anybody ever tell you that the next generation wants nothing to do with Jesus, church, or any of those things, because they do. There are hundreds of them here, but it's our job to care for them.

Do you remember that story we talked about at the beginning? It should be in your pockets. Let's bring it out. I'm asking you, this weekend — the point of that story was just to say that when God brings children to a place, He always gives the resources, I believe, and the hands to set the table, to feed, to care, and to be passionate about the next generation. Well, let me tell you, there are hundreds of kids at Grace Community Church. There are hundreds of the next generation who are wondering if you all will be part of doing that. Will you use your arms and your hands? Will you take them into your arms? Will you help us, here at Grace, set the table? Will you help us lay your hands on them, bless them, and make an impact on the next generation?

I believe Jesus is calling us to do that. I think the greatest thing we can do for the Kingdom of God is to take the children who are here, the next generation who are here, at Grace, and pour into them like we never have before. Will you be a mentor? Will you teach? Will you serve? Will you hold a baby? What will you do to help us set the table for the kids that God has brought here to Grace? We’re going to sing a final song. It's called “The Blessing.” I asked the worship team to be ready with it. It’s exactly what the song title says it is. It's a blessing. I want to ask, as we sing this song, to think of the hundreds of kids, the hundreds of people, who are part of the next generation, who are here at Grace, and sing this song over them. They need you. They need your presence, and they need your blessing in their lives. So, let's sing this song together. Let's pray, and then we'll do that. Let's pray.

January 15, 2023

Foundations Week 1: We Do Jesus

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January 15, 2023

Foundations Week 2: Choose Your Foundation

Dr. Chip Bennett

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