Mark 10:13-15
Stopping the Stoppers
We consider the third request Mark recorded in this chapter: Bless my
child. Just three simple thoughts:
Mark 10:13 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.
16 And he took them up in his arms, put his
hands upon them, and blessed them.
I. Someone wanted their children touched by Jesus.
A. Neither this text nor any other tells us who the "they" of
\\#13\\ was.
Mt 19:13 Then were there brought unto him little
children, that he should put his hands on them,
and pray…
Lu 18:15 And they brought unto him also infants,
that he would touch them…
B. Since the Bible does not say, my guess would be it was the
children’s parents.
1. At this time in Jesus’ ministry, it certainly would not
have been the religious or political leaders of Israel.
They were planning to kill Jesus.
2. There were no day cares or public schools for children.
3. To my knowledge, there were no orphanages at this time.
4. No, this was a time period when if you had a child, you
took care of your child, so it was likely that either a
parent, a set of parents, or a group of parents decided,
"We need to get our kids to Jesus."
C. Someone needs to start a group like that today, especially
inside of churches.
1. For the same reason that Jesus had to intervene on this
day.
2. Because bringing children to Jesus has its critics.
II. Someone stopped the children from coming.
A. We don’t have to guess at the identity of these people.
1. It was the disciples, Jesus’ own.
Mark 10:13 …and his disciples rebuked those
that brought them.
2. Notice the italicized word in the king James, "HIS."
3. The translators wanted to be sure we understand this was
Jesus’ own who stopped the children from coming.
4. Why?
B. Because child evangelism has always faced criticism FROM
WITHIN THE CHURCH.
1. Some say the kids are too loud, too noisy, too disruptive
and too destructive.
2. Others say reaching children is too costly.
3. Still other say the results just don’t last. I heard of
of a church a few years ago that decided to stop having
VBS altogether. This church always had a very large and
successful VBS. Their reason? The kids that prayed to
be saved during VBS just didn’t "stick."
C. To be honest, every one of those objections is mostly true;
however….
III. Jesus stopped the stoppers.
Mark 10:14 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.
A. You can say it several different ways:
1. Jesus stopped the stoppers.
2. Jesus rebuked the rebukers.
3. Jesus discipled the disciples.
B. The bottom line is still the same.
1. Jesus was not happy with what the disciples did.
2. In fact, to illustrate how unhappy He was, Jesus stopped
whatever He was doing, picked up a child or two, and
prayed and blessed them right then.
C. Now, I could stop right there, and we could all go home; but
I am n0t.
2. Instead, let’s do what I often do.
3. Let’s ask why?
a. Why did Jesus stop the stoppers?
b. Why did and why does Jesus want children to come to
Him?
4. Of course the Bible, at least not in this text, gives us
that answer; but I believe we can figure out at least a
few reasons.
D. Why did Jesus stop the stoppers?
1. Because children have eternal souls, too.
Romans 3:10 As it is written, There is none
righteous, no, not one:
Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short
of the glory of God;
a. The same truths apply to children as adults.
(1) All have sinned.
(2) All children have a choice.
(3) All children who reject Jesus go to hell.
(4) All children must be told the truth in order to
make the right choice.
b. I think many Christians may rest too much in what some
call the "doctrine of accountability."
(1) We need to remember that is a comfort we draw
from the Bible not a doctrine.
(a) We cannot prove an age of accountability
from the scriptures.
(b) Why? Because there is no Scripture that
teaches it.
(c) There are some passages that "hint" at it,
but none that actually teach it.
(d) I do believe it is true for comfort, but it
is NOT taught as a doctrine in the Bible.
(2) Even if true, the comfort of accountability does
make a child "saved" but "safe."
(a) The only way anyone is saved is by trusting
Jesus as your Savior.
(b) We believe they are safe because they cannot
do that yet.
(3) And even if children are "safe" until the age of
accountability, you and I have no idea at what
age or time in a child’s life that stops.
(a) A child understands things a lot sooner than
you and I know it.
(b) Some have begun to teach their infants sign
language for communication.
i. Now they aren’t going to recite the
Gettysburg Address with sign language
at 12 months, but they can sign things
like please, thank you, more.
ii. Why? Because a child’s understanding
increases every day.
(c) On the birthday cards I send our
grandchildren, the first message I start
writing to them is, "If you will love
Jesus, He will love you back" because I
believe that if that is all they understand
about Jesus, it is enough for God to give
them heaven.
c. Our goal toward children should be the same as it is
toward adults, get them to Jesus!
2. Because to stop ministries to children is to stop children
from being saved.
a. No matter how you dress it up or justify it, if you
stop creating ministries to tell children how to be
saved, you close the door to their salvation.
b. We become guilty of what the disciples did that day.
c. All the ministries that we have, have had, or could
have need to be used to bring children to Jesus: VBS,
bus ministry, Sunday School, Children’s Church, HHH,
Saturday Church, Fall Festival, and whatever else we
can do to captivate the spirits of our children and
to attract children from the community.
d. By the way, the same criticisms used to stop child
evangelism, can be said of adult evangelism as well.
(1) They are noisy, messy, disruptive, and
destructive.
(2) It cost money and time to knock on doors, to
host revivals, to do mail outs.
(3) Sadly, we see very little results in any
evangelistic effort today.
(4) But it is the work of the church to tell people
about Jesus.
(a) All people, regardless of their race, creed,
color, gender, or their current sexual
orientation.
(b) We don’t want to biased.
(c) Everyone needs to know!
e. The day churches stop these activities is the day they
cease to have a reason to exist.
3. Because stopping children violates the Great Commission.
Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto
them, saying, All power is given unto me in
heaven and in earth.
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of
the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
a. Part of the power and beauty of the Great Commission
is it’s all-inclusive directive.
b. All AGES of all PEOPLE of all ETHNIC GROUPS of all
NATIONS on all CONTINENTS in all the WORLD.
c. That command was intended to remove both the
barriers and prejudices from the church.
d. You cannot obey that command be limited by color,
race, gender, language, age, or location.
e. What church could claim obedience to Jesus’ command
and not work to win children to Jesus?
4. Because all children who are taught the Bible will make
better adults.
a. Children won to Christ make the best adults, but even
children who are not won will make better adults.
b. You cannot go wrong by teaching children about God, the
Bible, sin, salvation, and the Savior.
(1) The greatest resource of any nation is it’s
children, and those exposed to the Bible will
make the best adults.
(2) Twigs are easier bent than branches, and branches
are easier bent that tree trunks.
(3) Not only the children who hear and are saved but
even the children who hear but remain lost will
benefit from their time under the gospel.
(4) I can’t prove it, but my guess is that one thing
most liberals have in common is a lack of
exposure to the SOUND preaching and teaching of
the Word of God.
Isaiah 55:10 For as the rain cometh down, and
the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither,
but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring
forth and bud…
11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of
my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but
it shall accomplish that which I please, and it
shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
5. Because not only can children be saved, they were Jesus’
example of salvation.
Mark 10:15 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever
shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little
child, he shall not enter therein.
a. There are two qualifications for being saved:
(1) Be a sinner.
(2) Have a child-like faith.
b. The Lord’s admonition is not for us to wait until a
child becomes more like is to win them, but for us
to become more like a child to be won.
c. A child has naturally what an adult must work to find:
faith; so the best time to win a person to Jesus and
for them to submit to Jesus is in their childhood.
d. It is sad that a child’s faith is so often abused and
misdirected.
(1) By that, I mean they are taught that things which
are not are and things that are important are not.
(2) I am not against you as a parent.
(a) Children need to dream big dreams, and
fantasy is part of that.
(b) But when we leave them thinking the fantasy
is real and the real is fantasy, we have
likely damned their souls.
(c) I am about to say something tough here: We
should be teaching our children the
reality of Christ so strongly that they
COULD go to a STATE, SECULAR UNIVERSITY
and come out with a stronger faith in the
Bible and not a weaker one.
(d) Instead, most Christians send their
children into the devil’s universities
thinking their football team is great and
their Bible is iffy at best.
6. Because children make the best missionaries to their homes.
a. I was the first saved in my home.
(1) Not because of me but after me, my mother and her
husband made professions of faith. Their faith
made a noticeable change in their lives.
(2) Both of my brothers made professions of faith.
Their professions have not made as much of a
change in lives as I would have liked.
(3) There was some evidence that even my father may
have turned to Jesus as his Savior.
b. Saved children make long-term missionaries, but even
unsaved children can make short-term missionaries.
(1) If an unsaved child only attends a vacation Bible
school for a few nights, if we can send him home
with a song he will sing, or a Bible verse he
will get help in memorizing, or a story from
the Bible that he can retell, he will have
served in the mission field to his home.
(2) That is called being a "short-term" missionary.
(3) It helps you to be a better missionary if you
are saved, but you can still be one even if you
are unsaved.
Php 1:18 …whether in pretence, or in truth,
Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice,
yea, and will rejoice.
7. Because concentrated work brings concentrated results.
a. We all understand that concept.
(1) Housewives straighten the house every day, but
there still has to be the day when the house
gets cleaned.
(2) Men piddle in the yard, on the house, and on
their automobiles, but there still must be a
day of earnest maintenance.
(3) Ministries geared to the children are not wasted.
(4) They are investments.
b. Perhaps nothing more happens to all of the children of
that even than a single seed is planted, but God may
take that seed and grow a vineyard at some point the
future.
c. But even if that single seed is not planted, a
concentrated work can work wonders for the
congregation.
(1) Child evangelism requires many adults to work
together in order to accomplish the ministry.
(2) In an adult service, one person can do it all.
(a) I am listening to a preacher up north who
must pastor a small congregation that meets
in a home or store front.
(b) The pastor records and posts the messages,
does the singing, gives the announcements,
and even turns on whatever machine or
device they have to play their hymns.
(c) I can hear the people in the background. It
is the same voices giving the prayer
requests and making comments.
(d) But the preaching is good and the church
seems alive.
(e) Yet just one man seems to do it all.
(3) You can’t do that with a children’s ministry.
(4) It takes almost as many adults to operate a
children’s as children in attendance.
(5) The church must pull together to host such an
event and even if no child ever gets saved, that
is still good for the church.
d. Besides all of that, concentrated efforts are fun.
(1) You can hear people laughing, telling jokes,
playing tricks, and having fun.
(2) And nothing feels as good as the feeling of
serving the Lord.
8. Because some children will not become adults.
a. Death
b. Rapture
And so Jesus said, "Leave them alone. Let them come." May God help
us to be the bringers that brought them and not the stoppers that
stopped the children from coming.
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