Jesus Blesses Little Children, Part 3

Driving home: Verily I say unto you, whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, that is, whoever is not prepared to take the posture of dependant-ness, of vulnerability, of weakness, and in that posture to recei…

Martin quotes Spurgeon to assert that there is 'nothing of infant baptism in this passage,' using it to counter arguments for infant baptism from Mark 10.

And it is not as if we have been waiting for the world to move in at all. Josiah and Peter were ignorant, and we never knew what the world was going to be like, and I think that quite clearly we do not know what the world was going to be going in as a whole. says he shall in no wise enter therein and then this morning in our second study of the passage we came back to this portion concerned to take up some secondary matters of teaching and application and the one to which we addressed ourselves this morning was the relationship of this passage to the practice of infant baptism and in opening u...

2:30 - 3:12 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Verily I say unto you, whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, that is, whoever is not prepared to take the posture of dependant-ness, of vulnerability, of weakness, and in that posture to recei…

Martin commends Pastor Nichols' adult Sunday school tapes on baptism for those desiring an extensive study, providing a resource for further learning.

intending to give a broad and comprehensive polemic against infant baptism I am preaching through mark and I only introduced the subject because others have pressed it upon the text and if there are any among us who desire to have an extensive study of the subject of baptism including what I regard in in my exposure to the writing on the subject the most convincing treatment of the subject I commend to you the series of adult Sunday school school tapes by Pastor Nichols given several years ago on the subject of baptism now we come tonight to take up two other...

3:54 - 4:35 Read in full sermon

The point: The church should reflect Christ's heart, attitude, disposition, and imitate His actions with respect to little ones.

Martin references the disciples' forbidding an unnamed miracle worker in Mark 9 to illustrate their narrow, sectarian spirit, contrasting it with Jesus' large-heartedness, setting up a parallel with their attitude toward children.

And it's interesting that in this passage in Mark, there's such an honesty in the gospel writers because there is a contrast between the original disposition of the disciples and that of Jesus, just as there was with regard to that unnamed disciple and miracle worker in chapter 9. You remember the contrast there in verse 38. John said unto him, Mark 9, 38, Teacher, we saw one casting out demons in your name, and we forbade him, because he didn't follow us. But Jesus said, Do not forbid him.

12:23 - 13:00 Read in full sermon

The point: We must reflect the attitude and disposition of Jesus towards little ones, cultivating a disposition that blesses them and demonstrates Jesus' open heart.

Jesus' prayer 'Father, forgive them for they know not what they do' is used as a supreme example of blessing, even towards His murderers, defining the disposition believers should have.

Being reviled, having people speak, ill of us, and to us, we bless. We speak well of them, we wish well towards them, we invoke the gracious favor of God upon them. You see, our Lord was a great example of this. Even when he hung upon the cross and prayed, Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.

17:01 - 17:25 Read in full sermon

The point: We must reflect the attitude and disposition of Jesus towards little ones, cultivating a disposition that blesses them and demonstrates Jesus' open heart.

Martin quotes J.C. Ryle extensively on the importance of the church's attention to children's souls, emphasizing their capacity for religious impressions and the church's duty to train them.

I can do no better than to quote the second head of Ryle's comments on this passage. The third head is the one in which he says, how much encouragement there is in this passage to bring children to be baptized. I didn't quote that section this morning, but the second head of his comments is excellent. Let us learn from this passage how much attention the souls of children should receive from the church of Christ.

19:25 - 19:53 Read in full sermon

The point: Children, you can come to Jesus now with your sinful heart and guilt; He welcomes you and is the Savior you need.

Martin shares his experience of hearing grown men cry in prayer meetings when praying for children, illustrating the deep, Spirit-wrought compassion for little ones that reflects Jesus' heart.

I've heard that with my ears right in that building a few feet away where we meet for prayer on Wednesday and Saturday morning, children, there are grown men, and doesn't it kind of get you upset when you see a grown man crying? I remember when I was a little kid, I could take a woman crying, but when I saw a man crying, you know, it's not a man, strong, see a man crying, it always caught me kind of unstrung. Remember the first time I saw my father cry, he was in such physical pain with a back problem. It's vivid in my mind.

28:06 - 28:35 Read in full sermon

The point: Abound yet more and more in reflecting Christ's image, gazing upon Him in His Word, and praying for conformity to His image, overcoming personal quirks or past experiences that hinder ease with children.

Martin shares a personal anecdote about being the second oldest of 10 children and his experience with changing diapers and caring for younger siblings, explaining why he feels at ease around children.

There'd be something unusually dense and thick if I didn't love to be around kids and feel at ease. I'm the second oldest of 10 children. I was like second. Father in the changing of their diapers.

31:29 - 31:40 Read in full sermon

The point: Abound yet more and more in reflecting Christ's image, gazing upon Him in His Word, and praying for conformity to His image, overcoming personal quirks or past experiences that hinder ease with children.

Martin explains his 'antsy' demeanor when engaged in conversation at the door after services, revealing it's because he prioritizes greeting and interacting with children to show them his heart is towards them.

Some of you at times may have wondered, Pastor, why is it that you seem very antsy if I engage you in conversation at the door? Lord's Day morning or? Lord's Day night. Any other time I engage you in congregation, in conversation, your eyes are right on my eyes.

32:30 - 32:46 Read in full sermon

The point: Bring children to Christ supremely in the arms of fervent intercessory prayer, determining never to pillow your head without pleading for their salvation.

Martin shares a powerful personal testimony of his mother's fervent, travailing prayer for his salvation, even throwing herself on the bathroom floor, to illustrate the kind of earnest intercession parents should offer.

You have not, the scripture says, because you ask not. How I thank God tonight that I stand as a monument of God's faithfulness to parents who are determined to pray for their children. Particularly for a mother who was taken perhaps deeper into the school of prayer earlier in her experience than was my father, though I believe God in later years has taken him into that school of prayer.

38:59 - 39:28 Read in full sermon

Driving home: She said, look, God's committed them to me and he has given me solemn responsibilities and one of them is to wrestle with him for their salvation. How I thank God there was no glib committing us to God. There was in the …

Martin recounts his mother's statement that she experienced travail for each of her eleven children's physical birth and expected no less travail for their spiritual birth into the kingdom, emphasizing the cost of earnest prayer.

And I've heard her say, on more than one occasion, I've brought eleven children into the world. One died in infancy. Ten of us are alive today. She said, and I didn't bring one into the world without travail on a birthing table.

42:31 - 42:44 Read in full sermon

The point: Bring children to Christ by loving, pointed instruction and exhortation, teaching them the plan of salvation and the truths of God's Word.

Martin quotes Spurgeon's testimony about his mother's custom of reading and explaining Scripture to her children on Sunday evenings, followed by pointed exhortation and prayer, as an example of loving, pointed instruction.

Now this touching personal testimony of Spurgeon's. I cannot tell you how much I owe to the solemn words of my good mother. It was the custom on Sunday evenings, listen to this children, Spurgeon wouldn't have been found here the age of some of you.

50:11 - 50:27 Read in full sermon