Life Lessons We Learn from Children, Part 1

Today from Chuck Swindoll. Will you please work hard at not forgetting the value of a child of any age? Not one is a mistake. Every one comes designed by God, put together exactly as he would have the child put together. Altogether different from every other one.

So each child is unique. The disciples were spiritual pioneers, to be sure. But lest we become enamored with their religious status, these 12 men were no different from anyone else. For instance, they struggled with their ego. In the passage we're looking at today, we find the disciples baiting Jesus for an answer. They wanted Jesus to rank them in order of their prominence over the others. Who was the greatest in the kingdom, they wondered.

His answer surprises us all. Today on Insight for Living, Chuck Swindoll presents a message titled, Life Lessons We Learn from Children. In the days that are hours, as a people of God, as someone has said so well, you really don't realise what you have until you no longer have it. And then looking back, you acknowledge what a treasure it was.

It was. It occurred to me while I was away that there is a great value in the one day of the week that we set aside to do what we're doing right now. This is the corporate part of worship. The only time in all our lives when under one roof we are in the majority as children of God. The only time when we blend our voices with other voices and express our praises in song. When we as a gathering bow our heads to pray or look into the scriptures as a group and there's something magnificent about a day of rest. Our souls need it. I was reading from Albert Schweitzer this past week, this magnificent line that I pass along to you, if your soul has no Sunday it becomes an orphan.

Think about that. If your soul has no Sunday it becomes an orphan. Don't let anyone ever discount the value of the church and its role in all of our lives. It is a, not only a place, but it is a statement in our lives that represents so much nothing else can represent. We open our Bibles today to Matthew chapter 18 as we continue our time in the study of Matthew's gospel and we go from one week to the next taking segments of the story as Matthew wrote it.

And along the way have you noticed how each segment speaks volumes to the 21st century world in which we live. Without a great deal of effort on my part or anyone's part who ties in the scriptures with life, there it is. I'm not here to make the Bible relevant, I'm here to help you realize how relevant it already is and that's true even when Jesus brought a little child in the midst of a group of 13 grown men and 12 of them are to learn in that experience some life lessons and those life lessons are as true today as they were back in the day in which he first brought the child among them. So allow me to read for you from the New Living Translation these first 14 verses of Matthew 18. About that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven? Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them then he said, I tell you the truth unless you turn from your sins and become like little children you will never get into the kingdom of heaven. So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven and anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me but if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin it would be better for you to have a large millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea. What sorrow awaits the world because it tempts people to sin. Temptations are inevitable but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting. So if your hand or foot causes you to sin cut it off throw it away it's better to enter eternal life with only one hand or one foot than be thrown into eternal fire with both your hands and feet if your eye causes you to sin gouge it out and throw it away better to enter eternal life with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell beware that you don't look down on any of these little ones for I tell you that in heaven their angels are always in the presence of my heavenly father if a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away what will he do won't he leave the 99 others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost and if he finds it I tell you the truth he will rejoice over it more than over the 99 that didn't wander away in the same way it is not my heavenly father's will that even one of these little ones should perish so much here so much to learn may we be attuned to the Spirit of God who wishes to teach these things to us. You're listening to Insight for Living. To study the book of Matthew with Chuck Swindoll be sure to download his Searching the Scripture Studies by going to insightworld.org slash studies.

And now the message from Chuck that he titled Life Lessons We Learn from Children. It is so easy to exaggerate the spirituality of the original 12 disciples. Their names are famous. Many of us could name them one after the other. And since our earliest years in church we have been taught that they are the ones who walked closest to Jesus and therefore they deserve special respect. In fact early on in my years in church we were we were taught to add the word saint to their names. Peter wasn't just Simon Peter he was St. Peter and the gospel by Matthew wasn't just the gospel of Matthew was the gospel of St. Matthew. And John wasn't simply St. John some circles St. John the Divine. And on and on we could go when we were small and and my dad used our only car to to drive to work as he worked seven days a week during the Second World War and we were left to walk to church if we went to church and knowing my mother we went to church. So we walked to the end of the block where there was a little church named St. Andrew's Methodist Church where we went every Sunday. And you were not in the church very long before you met St. Andrew in the form of a white marble statue.

I remember standing in front of the statue as a little boy thinking could I hold my hands like that and maybe that would make me a better little boy if I would do that. And why is it they always look like that? And as the ancient artists always paint them they have halos. And they glow because they're saint whoever.

And then something unusual happens. You start reading the Bible and you discover they're just plain guys. Don't mean to ruin your images but that's all they are. They're just men. In fact they're just Galileans.

We were traveling in Israel as we do every other year and we were there on one occasion and I remember looking outside our bus I was sitting near the front so I could see the through the large front windshield. Three or four of the drivers were I mean they were they were like faces were like this close to each other and I mean they were getting at it and I said to our guide there's going to be a fight before long he goes what and I said look he says them they're just talking. Remember he said they're Galileans. Well Galileans not only talk like that but according to what the scriptures teach there were times they argued with each other. As a matter of fact you wouldn't know it when you read from Matthew chapter 8 correction Saint Matthew chapter 18 beginning at verse 1 you would think it's the most pious kind of question in the world who's the greatest in the kingdom of heaven they ask Jesus see about that time the disciples said wait wait wait when you read that about that time you need to find out what that refers to Matthew doesn't tell us Mark does so turn to Mark chapter 9 please turn and you will see what caused them to ask that great sounding question and when you see it it won't sound so great Mark 9 33 they're making their way from where they had been to the town of Capernaum sort of a evangelistic headquarters if you will for their ministry it's where Peter lived where Andrew lived but on their way to Capernaum they finally arrive at verse 33 Jesus turns read it for yourself look at his disciples I'm in the wrong chapter let me get over to 933 that was not going to go in a good direction here we are I'm not even in the right book so it'll take me a moment I don't I've been away for two weeks okay here we are 933 got it after they arrived at Capernaum and settled in a house Jesus asked his disciples what were you discussing out on the road look at the response they didn't answer now why wouldn't they answer keep reading because they had been arguing about which of them was the greatest that's what Saint Matthew and Saint Andrew and Saint Peter and Saint Judas and Saint who doesn't fit Judas does it and and the others were arguing over what's going to be Peter said to them I'm the only one that walked on water Andrew says I'm the one that brought you to Jesus Peter James and John said we're the three who were taken up on Mount Transfiguration you nine were not we're the greatest I'm the greatest I'm the greatest chapter 18 of Matthew verse 1 so they come to Jesus and say who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven now you see where the background is in other words which one of us which of us would be the greatest of course that is not what Jesus was interested in addressing because they were arguing about the wrong thing by the way if you go back far enough in the context of mark nine you will see that shortly before all of this Jesus had just told them about his being arrested taken to the cross and killed on the heels of that significant subject they're on their way back to Capernaum arguing over which one of them is the greatest it's easy to exaggerate the piety of the of the 12 disciples let's not do that let's leave them to be men but as they were just men if you want an analogy think of them as a group of NFL veterans arguing over who ought to be on the all-pro team and then you've got a picture in your mind of a normal setting of proud athletes thinking their record is such that they deserve to be on the all-pro team but that kind of argument has no place among disciples that's why they were silent when Jesus says to them what were you talking about on the way back to Capernaum they couldn't admit it they were ashamed interestingly when they ask who is the greatest in the kingdom Jesus doesn't point out one or several of them look at verse two I love this he called a little child to him and he put the child among them now please I know you're familiar many of you who were born and reared in Christian homes and and raised up in the church let's act like we've never seen the story before because I would grant that most of you when you think of the little child brought in their midst thinks of a little boy why doesn't ever say a little boy it says Pidion is neutral could be boy or girl and in the Middle East to this day girls are not seen as valuable as little boys in fact they are often the objects of abuse they're often not even valued but by the father who want a little boy so let's make this a little girl I've never seen an artist's rendering of a little girl standing and I don't know why let's make it all the more diminutive in the eyes of adults though she certainly was not to be overlooked as valuable as any little boy and they bring her probably by the hand and they stand this little bewildered child in the midst of 13 grown men who were looking at her and she must have wondered what did I do what is this about now when you allow the setting to be that realistic your mind has room to think outside the borders because the passage is all about this little child do you realize that in 14 verses a little one is mentioned eight times I'll show you verse 2 he called a little child verse 2 he put the child among them verse 3 unless you become like little children there's a third reference verse 4 so anyone who becomes as humble as this little child mark that beginning of verse 5 anyone who welcomes a little child fifth reference verse 6 if you cause one of these little ones there's another reference 6 look at verse 10 beware that you don't look down on any one of these little ones still has the little child in their midst and at the very end of the passage at the end of verse 14 it's not my heavenly father's will that even one of these little ones should perish over and over and over and over it's about the little child why do I make a thing of that because the very one everybody would have overlooked is in fact the object lesson from whom we can learn so much about life will you please remember that as an adult will you please work hard at not forgetting the value of a child of any age not one is a mistake everyone comes designed by God put together exactly as he would have the child put together altogether different from every other one so each child is unique and maybe you were raised in a home where you were not valued I'm sorry if that's true because you were valuable maybe you weren't even wanted or planned you're still as valuable as the child that is longed for by the couple who has him or has her and whether a little boy or a little girl I want you to see the value so valuable that Jesus teaches twelve men arguing over which one of them is the greatest some lessons about life that they needed to have learned early on but didn't by the way by now they have traveled with Jesus three years and they're still arguing over which one of them is the most significant so he brings up the little child we're gonna we're gonna have her be a little girl and he stands her in their midst they're all wondering what is this about I thought when I was talking with Cynthia about this passage what we discussed I wonder what her parents thought when they brought the child from them to the midst of the this group and they put her in the middle and she's standing there not knowing what to think I love that about children they're they're just terrific children just do and say the most wonderful things I have a friend whose little child he just could not get her to go to bed go to sleep he tried everything he could try gave her three drinks of water read to her left the light on turned the light off talked to her sang to her finally he said that's it that's it it's time to go to sleep and he closed the door and he walked out he sat down his chair opened up his magazine to read and she screams at the top of her voice he runs down the hall and opens the door and she says I lick my nightlight I think that's one of the greatest stories is a little who would have ever thought to lick a nightlight a child does she didn't know it was hot here's a little here's a little girl looking at these grown men wondering what are they going to do that's not what's important it's what are they going to learn when normally you and I have to admit we don't learn a lot from anybody because we're so preoccupied with ourselves without a doubt when this little child appeared the disciples received the point Jesus was making and there's much more from this emotion filled scene we need to absorb you're listening to insight for living and a message from Chuck swindoll titled life lessons we learn from children to learn more about this ministry or to see what resources are available for today's topic please visit us online at insight world dot org well what's next how do we begin cultivating a life of genuine humility the kind we witnessed today well if there's one book in Chuck's collection that's been known to help readers see the value of an unpretentious life it's the one I want to recommend to you right now it's called the grace awakening and now this is not an academic tome it's a practical and refreshing course on how to receive grace and how to express it as Chuck often says believing in God's grace is one thing but living it is another in his book Chuck celebrates the biblical wonder of God's inexhaustible grace and he shows us how to weave this beautiful gift in every aspect of our lives to purchase a copy of the grace awakening go to insight dot org slash offer or give us a call if you're listening in the us dial 1-800-772-8888 many of our friends have been listening to insight for living for 10 20 30 even more than 40 years over this period we've cultivated countless friendships and we're especially grateful for the partnership of generous people who've been transformed by grace because they provided the resources necessary to bring this program your way perhaps today's the day when you'll step forward and do the same as God moves you to come alongside this nonprofit ministry we encourage you to give us a call again if you're listening in the us dial 1-800-772-8888 maybe you're in a far better position to give today than you were many years ago when you first started listening it's also easy to give a donation online at insight dot org i'm dave spiker tuesday chuck swindoll continues to describe life lessons we learn from children tune in right here on insight for living the preceding message life lessons we learned from children was copyrighted in 2017 and 2021 and the sound recording was copyrighted in 2021 by charles r swindoll inc all rights are reserved worldwide duplication of copyrighted material for commercial use is strictly prohibited