Title: Inclining our ears
1Inclining our ears
- My dog Puggles knows when to incline her ears
- eat treat meat
- To her, these phrases suggest that something good
is about to come
- More seriously, we are to incline our ears to all
of Gods word (Proverbs 22) - However, there are some phrases in the Bible that
should really catch our attention
2Keys to the Kingdom
- Except you do _______, you shall not enter the
kingdom of heaven - Matthew 520
- Luke 133
- John 33
- This leads us to the core text of this lesson
- Matthew 183
3ReconsideringAs a Little Child
4Matthew 181-4 (NASB)
- 1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and
said, "Who then is greatest in the kingdom of
heaven?" -
- 2 And He called a child to Himself and set him
before them, -
- 3 and said, "Truly I say to you, unless you are
converted and become like children, you will not
enter the kingdom of heaven. -
- 4 "Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he
is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
5What did Jesus mean?
- Given the importance of this statement(i.e.,
you will not enter the kingdom of heaven), it
behooves us to understand what is meant! - Many different views and interpretation of this
from many commentators, including brethren
(almost as many as 1 Corinthians 1529) - From Voices from the Past that Still Speak
- The innocent trust of a little child, the
willingness to believe completely and without
question that which is told him, is one quality
essential to true discipleship. - As a Little Child Christianity Magazine,
September 1998
6What others have said (be skeptical)
- Matthew Poole
- Little children know not what dominion meansThey
are not ambitious, they are not given to boast
and glory, and to prefer themselves before
others. - Bishop Ryle
- Children think humble of their own strength and
wisdom They do not seek great things in this
world! - Charles Simeon
- A child has no solicitude about earthly
distinctions. He leaves others to contend for
power and pre-eminence.
7What others have said (still skeptical)
- Dr. John Gill
- Children have a humble and modest opinion of
themselves and are not envious of one another. - Albert Barnes
- Children are to a great extent destitute of
pride, ambition, and haughtiness. - B.C. Caffin (from Pulpit Commentary)
- A child has no hypocrisy no desire to seem other
than he isa child is modest and does not aim at
display and show.
8Thesis of this talk
- A challenge to the views of these commentators
- Do the commentaries of men contradict the
observed nature of children? - Do the commentaries of men contradict other
passages of Scripture? - What age is the child under consideration in this
passage? - Is there a universal principle being taught that
all could agree is essential? - Two conclusions
- Important universal principle (coming up soon)
- These must have been single men with no children!
9An experiment to try at home
- During the next birthday party or holiday event,
assemble several toddlers in a circle with a
popular toy in the middle - Step back and observe.
- Did/were they
- prefer themselves before others
- leave others to contend for power and
pre-eminence - not envious of one another
- Even among the best behaved children, it is most
likely that someone will be crying before this
experiment is over!
10Look familiar?
- The artwork on this refrigerator may be quite
modest compared to yours at home! - Our children love for us to prominently display
all things that they have created and do - Do you have a photo scrapbook with newspapers and
other accomplishments? - Mommy, look at me
- I can see to the beach
- Does this match the commentators view
- a child is modest and does not aim at display
and show - destitute of pride, ambition, and haughtiness.
11The Verdict
- The observed nature of children does not support
the statements made by these commentators
12A clarification
- The Bible does say
- We should prefer others to ourselves
- 1 Corinthians 1024 Matthew 2026-27
- We should not focus primarily on great things of
the world - 1 John 215-16 Philippians 220-21
- We are not to be envious
- Galatians 521
- We are to be humble and modest
- Colossians 312-13
- The argument here, however, is that perhaps
children are not the best representatives of
these qualities - Hence, our Lord may have been referring to some
higher principle
13Children in the Scriptures
- Children are not mature to handle meat
- Hebrews 513-14 1 Corinthians 31-21
Corinthians 1311 - Children will believe a lie
- Ephesians 414
- Not Noble Searchers (Acts 1711)
- believe completely and without question that
which is told him - An embarrassing story
14What about the age of the child?
- Does the age matter?
- What are the differentiating characteristics of
an 8 year old, 5 year old, toddler, and infant? - Strong suggestion that Matthew 182 refers to an
infant - Parallel passage (Luke 1815) babies /
infants - Greek word paidion, as used in these verses,
often refers to an infant - Matthew 28 uses same word Herod searches for
the Child - If this is so, the previous commentators seem
even more off of the mark
15What do you see here?
I see helpless dependence!
16The things that can steal our dependence
- Misplaced pride can lead us to an overwhelming
false sense of security (Proverbs 617 1618) - Too big for his britches
- Edging
God Out - Lets observe a few examples (1 Corinthians 106)
- Now these things happened as examples for us, so
that we would not crave evil things as they also
craved.
17The things that can steal our dependence
- Money
- A mans life does not consist in the abundance of
his possessions (Luke 1215) - Safety and comfort in some of the things riches
can buy - Rich Young Ruler
- Luke 1819-24
- 1 Timothy 617-18
- Dont look down your nose but be generous
18Disclaimer
- I tell the following story with some reservation.
The purpose is not for "piling on" the poor
fellow, but to encourage us all to refocus our
priorities.
19An American Dream (?)
- December 26, 2002 -315M (113)
- Largest lottery winner in history of USA
- Andrew Jackson Jack Whittaker Jr. is a fine
man, people say, who can doubt it? He devotes
himself to work, family and God. - Associated Press, December 2002
- Gave 7M to local preachers and built a 4M
building for the Church of God - Gave 20M to charity to feed the poor of West
Virginia
20Two years latera life in shambles
- Multiple cars stolen
- Robbed of 545,000 while at a topless bar
- Ordered to rehab after two drunk driving charges
- Charged with attacking a nightclub manager and is
the subject of two lawsuits for fracases at a
racetrack and bar. but it gets worse
21The spoiling effect of riches
- September 2004
- 18 year-old friend of grand-daughter found dead
in Jacks home when he was out of town - December 2004
- This December, same grand-daughter found dead
after a drug overdose - Police found her body two-weeks after death under
an old red van turning to rust in an overgrown
yard. - Buried Christmas Eve
My old hometown newspaperthe Wheeling News
Register
22A recent assessment
- From USA Today (December 26, 2004)
- And everyone agrees on his problem too much
money. - Whitaker said Brandi had lost most of her old
friends. They want her for her money and not for
her good personality, he complained. She's the
most bitter 16-year-old I know. - What a strange reversal of circumstances this
story compels us to have sympathy on a
multi-millionaire - The next time you are tempted to think money
would fix everything for you, remember Jack
Whittaker. And focus your dependence again on the
Lord.
23The things that can steal our dependence
- Money
- Remember Jack Whitaker
- Popularity, good looks and athletic prowess
- Cliques and circles dependent on maintaining
position within peer group, regardless of
consequences - Younger people a great blessing you have with
this church family - James 44
- Proverbs 3130
- 1 Peter 43-4
24Tragedy of a Young Athlete
- June 17, 1986
- Picked 2 in NBA Draft by Celtics
- June 19, 1986
- Died of a cocaine overdose several reports state
a first time use - And we wonder how Len Bias can become a
born-again Christian one month, then, the next
month, drop dead of a heart attack with cocaine
in his system. Washington Post, June 21, 1986
25The things that can steal our dependence
- Money and Power
- Remember Jack Whitaker
- Popularity, good looks and athletic prowess
- Remember Len Bias
- Education and Intelligence
- Intellectual snobbery and elitism
- What I learned from my parents/grandparents
- 1 Corinthians 118-31 (v20, 27)
- 1 Timothy 620
26The Wisdom of Bertrand Russell
- Nobel Prize Winner in 1950
- Considered the greatest logician of the 20th
century - Debater of this age (1 Cor. 120)
- By the worlds standards, one of the most
accomplished scholars of our time
- Staunch atheist
- we humans are just an accident in a backwater."
- Pioneer of Secular Humanism
- In 1957, wrote Why I am Not a Christian
27Russells Mistaken Conception of the
KingdomCommentary on Matthew 1628
- For one thing, He certainly thought that His
second coming would occur in clouds of glory
before the death of all the people who were
living at that time. There are a great many texts
that prove thatHe says, There are some standing
here which shall not taste death till the Son of
Man comes into His kingdom and there are a lot
of places where it is quite clear where He
believed that His second coming would happen
during the lifetime of many then living. - Bertrand Russell, Why I am Not a Christian,
pg. 16 - Matthew 1125
- you have hidden these things from the wise and
learned, and revealed them to little children.
28The things that can steal our dependence
- Money and Power
- Remember Jack Whitaker
- Popularity, good looks and athletic prowess
- Remember Len Bias
- Education and Intelligence
- Remember Bertrand Russell
- Misplaced pride can lead us to an overwhelming
false sense of security
29Daily Application
- How to deal with success?
- Humbling ourselves
- James 410
- Holding our thoughts captive
- 2 Corinthians 105
- Preferring others to ourselves
- Philippians 23,5
- How to become/stay dependent?
- Hit Rock-bottom
- Prodigal son (Luke 1516-20)
- Have a prayerful and thankful heart
- 1 Thessalonians 517-18
30Summary
- Some questions to ask when considering Matthew
183 - Do the commentaries of men contradict other
passages of Scripture? - Do the commentaries of men contradict the
observed nature of children? - What age is the child under consideration in this
passage? - Is there a universal principle being taught that
all could agree is essential? - More information
- Slides and a corresponding paper are available
at - www.gray-area.org/bible-lessons
31Wont you come?
- Now is the time of salvation (2 Corinthians 62)
- Wont you come?
- The water is warm
- Wont you come?
- The Father has been waiting for you (Luke 1520)
- Wont you come?
- Submit to obedience to walk in newness of life
(Rom. 64) and clothe yourself in Christ (Gal.
327) - Wont you come?
- With a pierced heart, come as a little child
32Acknowledgement
- The core idea for this talk came from a related
sermon that I heard by Ed Miller (from Rhode
Island) on November 21, 1998. Eds comments at
that time prompted me to look further into this
key principle taught in Matthew 181-4.