This is a short version of what I preached at our home church sevice last night. It's different but I hope anyone that reads it enjoys it as it takes the faith only thought of a babe and compares it to the faith balanced with works aspects of a child. Those works being a type and shadow of God being a rewarder of them that diligently seek him Something a babe cannot do as all a babe can do is lay in it's mother's bosom and be fed. Kind of how a babe in Christ comes in and is just fed without knowing how to diligently seek God until it grows to be a child that can enter the kingdom of God.
If you are offended by teaching contrary ot the mainstream you may be angered. It even goes against what some of my pastors told me long ago but I would rather say let God be true and every man a liar.
May God bless.
Mark 10:13-15
[13] And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them.
[14] But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.
[15] Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.
We have all heard the sermons about coming unto the Lord with that childlike faith and knowing nothing. I wish I could say that is true but the Lord shewed me something a little different that dads and moms can relate to. The teaching about coming with a child like faith can be seen as salvation is not of works. But, the Lord did not say with a "child like faith" in the scripture above.
He said as a child!
Think back to the birth of your children. Wasn't there a difference between a child and a babe?
Remember that point where that babe had a personality and started crawling and walking. Remember how they started wanting to see how things worked? Remember how they had to find things and you had to stop them from being too inquisitive before they got hurt with a wall outlet or some other way in which they were trying to figure things out.
1Corinthians 3:1-9
[1] And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
[2] I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.
[3] For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
[4] For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?
[5] Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?
[6] I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.
[7] So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.
[8] Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.
[9] For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.
Isn't it amazing how some esteem a doctrine or denomination above the word of God and think of those who belong to other churches as lost? Isn't it sad that they bind the word of God as they esteem one teaching above all else!
It is a babe that esteems one above the other while knowing nothig.
Think about that "babe" in the mother's bosom. It really knows nothing.
If it cries it will be fed. If it cries it will get changed. If it cries it will be put down for a nap. Still in all, it doesn't know anything.
That babe doesn't crawl around looking to see how things work. It doesn't ask mommy or daddy about anything to learn. All it does is eat, sleep and go potty. Nothing else.
In like manner Paul referred to those who esteemed one man above another just babes and he couldn't even feed them with meat as they required the sincere milk of the word that babes can handle. And as long as they would stay babes he could not teach them.
The Lord did not say you must become as babes to enter the kingdom. You must be as children. Those who have reached that point where they want to know how things work. Having the Spirit to guide them to crawl and seek out more in the word of God.
Acts 17:10,11
[10] And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews.
[11] These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
In the above portion of scripture we can see an example of children.
They received the word with readiness of mind and searched the scriptures daily to see if these things were so. They received their daily bread and they gathered their daily omer of manna.
These weren't babes. They didn't just let the preacher feed them having no knowledge. They didn't just accept the word sopken as a babe accepts the milk from mother's breast.
As children what might they learned?
Isaiah 28:9-13
[9] Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.
[10] For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:
[11] For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.
[12] To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.
[13] But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.
Have you noticed that when a babe lays in your bosom it really doesn't inquire about anything but a child will start to learn things little by little? That's how Christians should be.
We come to the Lord by faith and we are as a babe upon receiving salvation.
As we grow we learn line upon line and precept upon precept. Here a little and there a little.
Just as that babe becomes a child and learns to crawl.
When he find that needle nose pliers in the wall outlet shock him and the house gets dark he knows not to do that again. When he crawls to the cabinet and sees that a butter knife will remove the doors he is learning. Here a little and there a little.
Even King David knew.
Psalm 131:1-3
[1] LORD, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty: neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me.
[2] Surely I have behaved and quieted myself, as a child that is weaned of his mother: my soul is even as a weaned child.
[3] Let Israel hope in the LORD from henceforth and for ever.
Even King David, a man after God's own heart knew not to excercise himself in things too great for him. He said he was as a child weened from his mother's breast. He wasn't a babe but still knew there were some things he shouldn't do. If only others would realize it isn't good enough to be a child to deal in matters too great for us.
What might David have meant in the above scripture? Remember that he was King of Israel and had all say in the kingdom!
Dueteronomy 32:1-3
[1] Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.
[2] My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass:
[3] Because I will publish the name of the LORD: ascribe ye greatness unto our God.
The kings always had the word of God by their side and read it at all times. David knew the scriptures and knew not to excercize himself in matters too great, or of God since we ascribe greatness unto God!
He knew that he was of the tribe of Judah and the priesthood was of the house of Levi!
When Nathan the Prophet called him out on the matter of Bathsheba he could have had Nathan killed but he didn't! I think he feared the man of God because he was a Prophet of God! He knew better! Saints today could learn a lesson in humility from David!
He wouldn't dare go behind that veil with a haughty "I'm king of Israel" attitude! Christians should learn that today! Just as David would not try to do the priesthood duties because they were of God and too great for him Christians today should learn to sit on the pew and learn! And by that I mean most preachers as well!
So, we see that a babe will lay in it's mother's bosom and do nothing but be fed. A babe in Christ should come unto salvation the same way. Sit on the pew and be fed.
We see that children will have a desire to learn as they crawl and eventually walk.
When a babe in Christ is fed enought to be a child of God they should have the Spirit that drew them to God move in their life and give them a desire to learn. It should guide them to be as the saints of Berea. It should give them a readiness of mind to receive the word and the drive to search the scriptures daily to see if that which they are fed from the pulpit is truly the rightly divided word of truth as brought forth from the Spirit.
Children can't wait to walk and run. In like manner a child that has grown from that babe status should have a desire to walk in faith and run this race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.
In closing, there is a big difference between a child and a babe.
A babe only knows that denomination that they are in and really as Paul said knows nothing.
A child has started to crawl and walk and have that Spirit based desire to learn and go on unto being an adult in the Lord that can handle the meat, or deeper things of God.
I just can't agree with the teaching of coming to Jesus as a child meaning being slothful and staying in sin.
I see it as someone who has grown from a babe and is desiring adulthood.
May God bless,
Frank
If you are offended by teaching contrary ot the mainstream you may be angered. It even goes against what some of my pastors told me long ago but I would rather say let God be true and every man a liar.
May God bless.
Mark 10:13-15
[13] And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them.
[14] But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.
[15] Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.
We have all heard the sermons about coming unto the Lord with that childlike faith and knowing nothing. I wish I could say that is true but the Lord shewed me something a little different that dads and moms can relate to. The teaching about coming with a child like faith can be seen as salvation is not of works. But, the Lord did not say with a "child like faith" in the scripture above.
He said as a child!
Think back to the birth of your children. Wasn't there a difference between a child and a babe?
Remember that point where that babe had a personality and started crawling and walking. Remember how they started wanting to see how things worked? Remember how they had to find things and you had to stop them from being too inquisitive before they got hurt with a wall outlet or some other way in which they were trying to figure things out.
1Corinthians 3:1-9
[1] And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
[2] I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.
[3] For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
[4] For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?
[5] Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?
[6] I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.
[7] So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.
[8] Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.
[9] For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.
Isn't it amazing how some esteem a doctrine or denomination above the word of God and think of those who belong to other churches as lost? Isn't it sad that they bind the word of God as they esteem one teaching above all else!
It is a babe that esteems one above the other while knowing nothig.
Think about that "babe" in the mother's bosom. It really knows nothing.
If it cries it will be fed. If it cries it will get changed. If it cries it will be put down for a nap. Still in all, it doesn't know anything.
That babe doesn't crawl around looking to see how things work. It doesn't ask mommy or daddy about anything to learn. All it does is eat, sleep and go potty. Nothing else.
In like manner Paul referred to those who esteemed one man above another just babes and he couldn't even feed them with meat as they required the sincere milk of the word that babes can handle. And as long as they would stay babes he could not teach them.
The Lord did not say you must become as babes to enter the kingdom. You must be as children. Those who have reached that point where they want to know how things work. Having the Spirit to guide them to crawl and seek out more in the word of God.
Acts 17:10,11
[10] And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews.
[11] These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
In the above portion of scripture we can see an example of children.
They received the word with readiness of mind and searched the scriptures daily to see if these things were so. They received their daily bread and they gathered their daily omer of manna.
These weren't babes. They didn't just let the preacher feed them having no knowledge. They didn't just accept the word sopken as a babe accepts the milk from mother's breast.
As children what might they learned?
Isaiah 28:9-13
[9] Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.
[10] For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:
[11] For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.
[12] To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.
[13] But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.
Have you noticed that when a babe lays in your bosom it really doesn't inquire about anything but a child will start to learn things little by little? That's how Christians should be.
We come to the Lord by faith and we are as a babe upon receiving salvation.
As we grow we learn line upon line and precept upon precept. Here a little and there a little.
Just as that babe becomes a child and learns to crawl.
When he find that needle nose pliers in the wall outlet shock him and the house gets dark he knows not to do that again. When he crawls to the cabinet and sees that a butter knife will remove the doors he is learning. Here a little and there a little.
Even King David knew.
Psalm 131:1-3
[1] LORD, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty: neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me.
[2] Surely I have behaved and quieted myself, as a child that is weaned of his mother: my soul is even as a weaned child.
[3] Let Israel hope in the LORD from henceforth and for ever.
Even King David, a man after God's own heart knew not to excercise himself in things too great for him. He said he was as a child weened from his mother's breast. He wasn't a babe but still knew there were some things he shouldn't do. If only others would realize it isn't good enough to be a child to deal in matters too great for us.
What might David have meant in the above scripture? Remember that he was King of Israel and had all say in the kingdom!
Dueteronomy 32:1-3
[1] Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.
[2] My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass:
[3] Because I will publish the name of the LORD: ascribe ye greatness unto our God.
The kings always had the word of God by their side and read it at all times. David knew the scriptures and knew not to excercize himself in matters too great, or of God since we ascribe greatness unto God!
He knew that he was of the tribe of Judah and the priesthood was of the house of Levi!
When Nathan the Prophet called him out on the matter of Bathsheba he could have had Nathan killed but he didn't! I think he feared the man of God because he was a Prophet of God! He knew better! Saints today could learn a lesson in humility from David!
He wouldn't dare go behind that veil with a haughty "I'm king of Israel" attitude! Christians should learn that today! Just as David would not try to do the priesthood duties because they were of God and too great for him Christians today should learn to sit on the pew and learn! And by that I mean most preachers as well!
So, we see that a babe will lay in it's mother's bosom and do nothing but be fed. A babe in Christ should come unto salvation the same way. Sit on the pew and be fed.
We see that children will have a desire to learn as they crawl and eventually walk.
When a babe in Christ is fed enought to be a child of God they should have the Spirit that drew them to God move in their life and give them a desire to learn. It should guide them to be as the saints of Berea. It should give them a readiness of mind to receive the word and the drive to search the scriptures daily to see if that which they are fed from the pulpit is truly the rightly divided word of truth as brought forth from the Spirit.
Children can't wait to walk and run. In like manner a child that has grown from that babe status should have a desire to walk in faith and run this race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.
In closing, there is a big difference between a child and a babe.
A babe only knows that denomination that they are in and really as Paul said knows nothing.
A child has started to crawl and walk and have that Spirit based desire to learn and go on unto being an adult in the Lord that can handle the meat, or deeper things of God.
I just can't agree with the teaching of coming to Jesus as a child meaning being slothful and staying in sin.
I see it as someone who has grown from a babe and is desiring adulthood.
May God bless,
Frank
