Life Lessons We Learn from Children, Part 1

Today from Chuck Swindoll. Will you please work hard and not forgetting the value of a child of any age.

Not one is a mistake. Everyone designed by God put together exactly as you would have the trial put together altogether different from every other one. So each child is unique.

Lest we become enamored with their religious status.

These 12 men were no different from anyone else.

For instance, they struggled with her ego in the passage were looking at today we find the disciples beating Jesus for an answer they wanted Jesus to rank them in order of their prominence over the others.

Who is the greatest in the kingdom. They wonder. This answer surprises us all today on Insight for living.

Chuck Swindoll presents a message titled life lessons we learn from take granted the privileges that are ours as the people of God, is someone to sit so well. You really don't realize what you have until you no longer have it and then looking back you acknowledge what a treasure it it it was it occurred to me while I was away that there is great value in the one day of the week that we set aside to do what were 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 and song. When we as a gathering bow our heads to pray or look into the Scriptures as a group or 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 heard 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 represent so much nothing else to 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 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 and that experience some life lessons and those life lessons work 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 the 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 that 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 People to sin temptations are inevitable but but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting true 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 then 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 brought tell you that in heaven their angels are always in the presence of my heavenly father. If a man has 100 sheep, and one of them wanders away, what will he do what he leave the 99 others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost and if he finds it a 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 study the book of Matthew with Chuck Swindoll. Be sure to download his searching the Scriptures. Studies going to Insight world.org/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, but they are the ones who walked closest to Jesus and therefore they deserve special respect. In fact, early on, and in my years in church.

We were we were taught to add the word St. to their names. Peter wasn't just Simon Peter.

He was say to Peter and the gospel of Matthew wasn't just the gospel of Matthew, with 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 by dad use our only card to to drive to work as he works 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. Andrews Methodist Church. For we went every Sunday and you were not in the church long before you met St. Andrew in the form of a white marble statue I member 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 looked like that as the Asian artists always treat them them halos in the global because their St. whoever and then something unusual happens, you start reading the Bible and you discover they're just plain guidance no means good ruin your images but that's all they are there just men. In fact, there just Galileans.

We were traveling in Israel.

As we do every other year and we were there on one occasion I member looking outside our bus I was sitting near the front so I could see the large front windshield thrill for the drivers were not on the current. I mean they were up there were like faces were like this close to each other and I mean they were get netted.

I said though our guide is going to be a fight. Before long, he goes what and I said look, uses them when just talking remember you said there Galileans will go only as lovely 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 St. Matthew chapter 18 beginning in verse one.

You would think is the most pious kind of question in the world who's the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. They asked Jesus. See about the time the disciples that way way way when you read that about the 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 933 they're making their way from where they had been to the town of Capernaum, sort of evangelistic headquarters if you will for their ministry for Peter Litt, Edward Andrew lived, but on their waiting to God. Capernaum finally arrived at verse 33 Jesus turns read for yourself, looked at his disciples. I'm in the wrong chapters let me get over 933 that was just not going to go in a good direction. Here we are.

I'm not even the right book so go take me a moment.

I don't been away for two weeks. Okay, here we are 933 after they arrived at Capernaum and settled in the house, Jesus asked his disciples whatever you discussing out on the road. Look at the response. They didn't answer why would Mansour keep reading because they had been arguing about which of them was the greatest.

That's what St. Matthew and St. Andrew and St. Peter and say Judas and saints throughout doesn't fit Judas doesn't and and the others were arguing the Lord's coming, Peter said to them on the old one. I walked on water and worse as I watch you to Jesus piercing the Johnson were the three were taken up on Mount Transfiguration. You know I'm not really greatest on the greatest on the greatest chapter 18 of Matthew. Verse one. So they come to Jesus and said, who is the greatest of the date of of Evan. Now you see where the background is in other words, which one of us which of us would be the greatest 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 him about his being arrested and 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 great is easy to exaggerate the piety of the feet 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 analogy, think of them as a group of NFL veterans arguing over who want to be on the All-Pro team and then you 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 shady. Interestingly, when they asked 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 were born, reared in Christian homes and and it raised up in the church. Let's act like we never seen the story before because I would grant that most of you will you think a below child brought in their midst thanks of a little boy why does never see a little boy it says by Dion PA ID IAO in by Dion 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 there often not even valued by by the father who want a little boy so let's make this a little girl I've never seen an artists 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 were looking at her and she must've wondered what it I do what is this about now. Will 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, you realize that in 14 versus a little one is mentioned not eight times will show you. Verse two he called a little child verse two he put the child among them.

Verse three unless you become like little children. There's 1/3 reference verse four. So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child, Mark, that beginning of verse five. Anyone who welcomes a little child for reference verse six. If you cause one of these little ones. There's another reference six. Look at verse 10. Beware that you don't look down on anyone of these little ones still has the little child in their midst.

At the very end of the passage of the universe.

14 is 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 what it will make a figure that because the very one everybody would have overlooked is in fact the object lesson from whom we can learn so much about life, would you please remember that as an adult, would 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 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 are even wanted or planned, you're still as valuable as the child that is long before but the couple who has or has her mother little boy or girl I want you to see the value so valuable that Jesus teaches 12 man 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 are still arguing over which one of them is the most significant celebrities of the little child burglars were going to ever be a little girl and he stands her in their midst.

The role wondering what is this about III thought when I was talking with Cynthia about this passage 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, there are 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. Turn the light off talk to her saying to her. Finally he said that it that's it. It's time to go to sleep and to close the door and he walked out and set on his chair opened up his magazine to read and she's Clay at the top of her voice, he was down the hall and opened the door and she says I like nightlight I think is one of the greatest stories is a little ever thought to lick nightlight a child knows a lot as well. Looking at these grown men wondering what to do.

That's not what's important is what you learn when normally you and I have to admit we don't learn a lot from anybody because were so preoccupied with her cell. Without a doubt, when this little child appeared. The disciples received the point Jesus was making.

There's much more from this emotion filled scene. We need to absorb your 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@insightworld.org. Well what's next.

How do we begin cultivating a life of genuine humility, the kind we witness 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 is the one I want to recommend to you right now.

It's called the grace awakening. Now this is not an academic tome. It's a practical and refreshing course on how to receive grace 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 and every aspect of our lives to purchase a copy of the grace awakening go to Insight.org/offer or give us a call listening in the US dial 1-800-772-8888.

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The preceding message life lessons we learn 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