Little animals (Pro.30; S.Sol.2:15)

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• Little animals (Pro.30 S.Sol.215)
• The discipline of little children
• Today good things about little people
• Not only do parents teach their children, but
  children teach their parents
• Nu.13 . . . 141-3 v.31 Dt.139

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I Jesus Used Little Children To Teach Object
Lessons

• Mt.182,3,4,5, little children (6-7)
• Mt.1913-14, little children
• Jn.1333, little children
• 1 Jn.21, little children
• Nine times in 1 John

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II We Must Become Little Children

• Jn.112
• Jn.33-5
• Water baptism. Ga.326-27
• Spirit revelation. Ac.237-41

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III We Must Not Become Little Children In

1. Spiritual immaturity and its consequences, 1
   Co.31-3
2. Childish behavior, 1 Co.1311
3. Gullibility, Ep.414
4. Ignorance, Hb.512

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IV We Must Become Little Children In

• 1. Humility, Mk.933-37
• 33, Jesus asks them a question!
• 34, when they thought He wasnt listening, they
  talked freely
• 35, competition w. brethren is sinful, and
  unwise. The way up is down
• 36-37, a little child was a non-citizen, the
  lowest of the lowly, yet . . .

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2. Malice, evil, maliciousness ill-will

• 1 Co.58
• Malice is a vicious disposition of mind, a
  hateful feeling
• Wickedness is the active exercise of malice
• 1 Co.1420, a father (415) to children
• Go ahead and act like babies, if you want to, in
  freedom from malice, but in common sense, try to
  act like grownups!

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3. Purity, 1 Co.714

• Paradox an unbeliever who is sanctified
• Husband or wife becomes a Christian must s/he
  leave the unbelieving mate? No!
• The unbeliever may be influenced by the believer
  (he is in daily contact w. saintly conduct)

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If anyone denies this conclusion

• Paul argues from children to parents
• The child of this union is holy
• If holy, then it is produced from a marriage that
  is holy
• If the marriage is holy, it must not be dissolved
  
• 2 Co.71
• Bringing holiness to completion in the fear of
  God (ESV)
• Salvation depends on it (Hb.1214)

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4. Imitation, Ep.51

• Imitate His love, Mt.543-48
• Sonship implies likeness
• No likeness no sonship
• Imitate His light, Ph.215
• Our words and our actions attract people to the
  light of God
• 3 Jn.11
• Do not imitate Diotrephes
• Avoid some examples

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5. Obedience, Ep.61-3

• Children obey and honor (revere, respect)
• Children of God also obey and honor
• Not as Pharisees (Mt. 158)
• Not as some citizens (1 Pt. 217)

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6. Dependence. 1 Tim.58

• Mt.1825
• Mt.1526
• The faith of a child
• No passage says it

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Mk.1015 comes close

• We usually think the babe must receive kingdom as
  an adult
• Jesus reverses it the child sets the pattern
  for the man!
• Mt.1125
• Babies are teachable, humble free of prejudice
  and stubborn-ness
• Babies trust, hope

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7. Growth, 2 Tim.13 314-15

• Timothy, a little boy, learned his letters,
  words, sentences, para-graphs in Bible
• Look at him now! (Ac.13-1416)

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From birth to maturity

• 1. Birth, 1 Pt.122-23 ( v.3)
• Instrument Word of God
• 2. Bond, 1 Pt.122-23
• Physical babies bond w. mother, then father and
  siblings
• Some spiritual babies do not bond with
• Father
• Brothers

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3. Elimination, 1 Pt.21

• Therefore . . .
• Laying aside . . . repeats the point
• True love does not act unseemly
• 4. Nourishment, 1 Pt.22-3 (milk)
• In 1 Co.32 and Hb.512-14, milk rebukes those
  who remained babies
• Corinthians had not eliminated bad attitudes that
  Peter describes (v.1)

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The new birth produces changes

• Even the mature crave spiritual milk (the word,
  123, 25) like a baby craves milk eagerly and
  frequently
• Desire to have a strong desire for, w.
  implication of need. Ps.421 119131
• Our spiritual appetite should be as strong as a
  babys natural appetite!
• Hungry babies dont have to be told to drink
  their milk
• Tasted To hear Word is to hear Lord