Everybody’s interested in the Kingdom of Heaven.
Yesterday when I got back from Washington, I was standing at the curb at L A X waiting for my ride to come and I’m standing there and there’s a tap on my shoulder.
I kid you not, I’m gonna tell you exactly how it came down. Tap on my shoulder.
I turned and I looked and this guy with a big smiley face and a very well shaved head.
I might add young guy. He said hi.
I’m from Alaska and I’m a monk and I said, hi, I’m from here and I’m a pastor and he said great and he starts reaching for some material.
And he said, I want to tell you how you can experience bliss for the rest of your life.
And I said, listen, before I take your, your hand out, how much is it a donation of any amount?
And I said, I tell you what, keep it. But let me give you something.
I want to tell you about Jesus Christ who died on the cross for your sins and mine.
He’s the creator of the universe. He’s the Lord and savior.
He is God and there is no other God but Him, it’s the Lord in the Bible, Jesus from Genesis to revelation it.
And he goes, I got to go and he started to walk away and I said, listen, you need Jesus and I need Jesus and we need Jesus.
And I figured I had the liberty to do that because number one, my ride hadn’t come yet.
I was still waiting and he tapped on my shoulder and I was introducing him to no eternal life and it’s free through Jesus Christ.
You don’t have to buy it. You don’t have to plead bargain for it.
It was, it’s offered by the Lord.
Well, Jesus is gonna make a wonderful Picture in a way, come live to the disciples and they needed to hear it.
Luke chapter 9: verse 46 says, then a dispute arose among them that is the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest.
And Jesus perceiving the thought of their heart, took a little child and set him by him that has put the child by Jesus.
And he said to them, the disciples, whoever receives this little child in my name receives me and whoever receives me, receives him, who sent me for he who is least among you all with will be great.
Three things we want to see this morning, three points and they’re vital because they all come together in this invitation that Jesus says to receive a little child, Jesus sets before the disciples.
A living breathing standard, a child, a living parable before the disciples.
Now, before we get into it, keep this in mind, do you remember in our previous studies, they had gone up to the mount of transfiguration who did Peter James and John remember was not Jesus transfigured in front of them and all of his splendor and glory, who saw it?
Peter James and John, while that was going on on that wonderful mountain, do you remember what was going on down at the base of the mountain?
The rest of the disciples were trying to wrestle with a demon possessed man. Remember that?
And remember how the Pharisees were mocking them because they could not cast the demon out of the poor boy and all of this dynamic is going on and they came together and Jesus makes an announcement to them.
We studied that last time and then turns to them and says, I’m going now to Jerusalem.
Do you remember this? I’m going to be sacrificed. I’m going to be betrayed.
I’m going to be crucified and they begin to walk on their way, heading down from the mountain top in northern Israel, from Mount Herman down through Capper, heading to Jerusalem, heading south.
What was going on? What was the dynamic?
Peter James and John, remember who they were, they always got in on the super stuff while the other disciples had to sit and wait it out Peter James and John with Jesus.
What happens here is a dispute that means it was a hot dispute. It was an angry dispute.
This is not a Christian debate. This is not a Christian, you know, apologetics gathering.
They’re not being polite. This is a nasty thing and they’re arguing with each other about who’s going to be the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven.
And we’ll see in a moment that the word implies individually, every one of them without exception, argued their reason why they should be the top dog in the Kingdom of Heaven.
Is this not bizarre? We’re talking about the apostles.
You guys don’t we see them in Rembrandt’s painting or maybe Raphael and the paintings, don’t we see them walking through this incredibly looking Yosemite scene with a little glow all over their heads, huh?
Always standing like this with the glow.
We began to think that they were so perfect that they were so amazing that as Jesus led them along that they, you know, him hummed hymns and sang songs and were just so spiritual.
They’re arguing, who’s going to be the greatest?
What it means is Peter was saying, I’m going to be the greatest, I’m Peter, you know, Peter James and John, it’s always Peter.
I’m first Peter get that in your head.
You guys, I’m Peter James might say, listen, but I’m James.
Each one argued from their position. Why they would be the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven. Yikes.
And Jesus is going to interrupt this first thing we want to keep in mind is this number one found in verses 47-40 or 46-47.
Is this step one to heaven, step one to the heart of God is to be open to the Lord, to be open to him.
It says that then a dispute arose among them as to which of them would be greatest.
The first thing I want you to realize and this is something that we need to put ourselves into the sandals of the apostles is that we could be wrong like they were wrong.
We can be wrong wrong about what wrong about not being open to the ways of God, not being open to the Lord.
When it says here that the dispute arose among them, he had just announced to them that he was going to go to Jerusalem and die instead of them lamenting that and being concerned and caring about that, they get into an argument about who’s going to be great self centeredness.
It’s possible that even in our lives, that what we think about God and what we view about God, our opinions about God could be absolutely wrong.
That’s why we need the Bible. We don’t tell God how to be God. We don’t instruct Him.
He’s given us the Bible to find out what he’s like to find out about His nature.
What does God say about this and about that and about this issue and about this thing.
That’s what the Bible is for, to reveal his very heart to us.
And what Jesus is saying to the disciples in the midst of all of this is that you’re wrong.
You guys are wrong by being these men of quote God who have been ministering.
You’ve become heady and proud a dispute.
Maybe it was because maybe some of them were jealous, maybe they were jealous at Peter or at Peter James and John, maybe, maybe Peter James and John came down and they were questioning the disciples as to why couldn’t you do this?
How come we have to trouble the master with this? Why can’t you cast out that demon?
We don’t know what went on. But there was a dispute among them. It could have been because of jealousy.
You know, the human heart is prone to jealousy. Maybe that’s what caused it.
Maybe it was the failure of not being able to deal with the poor demoniac that they felt challenged, trying to do it in their own power.
We learned last time but in verse 46 it says as to which of them would be the greatest.
The word greatest here is a word that you actually know the Greek word is mega.
It’s where we get the word mega. It’s Greek.
When you say mega mega big mega powerful, it’s gigantic. It’s the biggest of power.
It’s the biggest of strength. It’s the biggest of big.
They want to be the biggest, they want to be the best each of them as individual.
In Matthew chapter 18 verse one, the same account of this event recorded by Matthew Levi, it says at the same time came the disciples under Jesus saying, who is the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven?
Amazing. What, what does that same time mean?
When Jesus had announced that it was going to Jerusalem to die?
It’s like it went right past their ears and they want to talk about greatness.
Boy, you ever been out of? You ever had bad timing? That was bad timing.
I’m going to die. I’m going to Jerusalem.
I’m going to be betrayed and sold into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and it’s almost like they were nodding their heads and then they said, ok, yeah.
Right. Anyway, who’s going to be the greatest? They were wrong?
And I’m often wrong and Jesus will correct that in our lives by giving us an example In Mark Chapter nine, Mark’s account, verse 33 says that when they had come to capper, that’s down from the mountain, they had come to capper, which is on the sea of galilee and being in the house.
Listen to this. Jesus asked them, what was it that you disputed among yourselves? On the way?
The Bible already told us right here that he knew what they were thinking in their hearts.
He’s looking for a confession.
And if it’s funny, another place in scripture, Mark 934 says that when Jesus asked them, they said nothing to him.
These guys, they’re standing there, they’ve been talking about who’s going to be the greatest.
And Jesus says, what was it?
You guys were talking about a little moment ago and they’re all silent looking at each other busted.
You’re listening to Real Life with Pastor Jack Hibbs.
You know, to hear more episodes and maybe catch up in the series. Just go to Jack Hibbs dot com.
That’s Jack Hibbs dot com. And for now let’s get back to our teaching. Once again, here’s Pastor Jack.
I gotta tell you moms, you’re amazing because I grew up thinking my mom, my mom said that she had eyes in the back of her head.
I thought like you thought maybe some of you still think that mom has eyes in the back of her head.
How, how can that be? Because you can go, you can go from your mother’s presence down the hallway and go grab the cookie jar and start and she’ll say, don’t touch the cookies.
How do moms know? How do they know this? How can they discern that?
Do they have eyes in the back of their?
Jesus says, what was it you’re thinking about and talking him out on the road and they’re quiet like it’s going to go away.
Can you imagine they’re looking at each other. These are grown men.
Jesus knows we could be wrong about our stance in position and place with God in judges chapter two verse seven, it says, so the people serve the Lord all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the Lord that he had done for Israel.
Why do I bring that up? Because the disciples had seen the works that Jesus had done church?
Honestly, had they done any of the works? Really? Was it not done by the power of God?
But here they are talking about who’s going to be the greatest. Did they not lose track?
Lose sense of, of where, where greatness comes from and how it’s actually worked out in our lives.
The Bible says that God can do anything he wants to through us if we’re willing to open.
But the Bible also says that we can do nothing without God. Here they are disputing about greatness.
Listen for all of us, our family, our marriage, our lives, this nation.
If we are dependent upon God, we will do well in judges chapter two, whenever Israel was dependent upon God, they did great.
When did Israel become captive to its Babylonian invaders or Egyptian invaders or as Syrian invaders?
When did they become vulnerable? When they left off being dependent upon God?
Whenever we look to the Lord independence, we are in a good place.
The Bible says for us as Christians that we hold this treasure of the Gospel in earthen vessels, our life, our very being.
But when you forget that and you don’t look to what God’s greatness is, you begin to think thoughts as I will be great.
I’m going to do this. Oh, look what I’ve done.
And of course, that feeds pride and when we’re proud, we’re not thinking thoughts toward God.
Here are the disciples right in front of Jesus Christ, exhibiting this.
And I want to suggest this morning, you and I struggle with that same thing.
It’s not easily detected because whenever you and I can say I can take it from here, I got it.
I’ll do that or we don’t pray, we get launched off on something and we take it on our own.
We don’t consult God, ask him for help. We’re in a dangerous place.
Psalm 1 26 verses one, two and three.
Psalm 1 26 says when the Lord brought back the captivity of Zion, we were like those who dream, then our mouths were filled with laughter and our tongues with singing.
Then they said among the nations, the Lord has done great things for them.
The Lord has done great things for us and we are glad is that your heart today?
You say, well, Jack, that’s kind of, you know, kind of radical, isn’t it?
No, this is the whole point of what I’m talking about, Jesus is going to set a child in the midst of them that he’s going to say this is how I want you to be like not listen, church, not childish adults act childish child like big difference.
Jesus wants us to be childlike and we’re going to talk about what being childlike means without being childish.
So watch what he does here.
Verse 47, we learn that it’s one step to be open unto the lord and his lead in our lives by being open to the fact that God is always right.
We need to square with that right now this morning, God is always right.
He knows God is always right.
It says here that Jesus perceiving, look at it, the thought of their heart that he took a little child and set him by him.
The word, the thought is singular. It means that they had one thought in their heart.
They were all unified by the way on what that thought was.
It was just a bad thought and the word here to perceive is amazing.
Jesus knew what they were thinking and what was the nature of their heart before it was ever verbally expressed.
He knew inside of them that of course is an attribute of God and Jesus had that because the Bible teaches, he was God in flesh, come to earth, the son of God.
He knew what they were thinking by the way, God knows what you’re thinking right now.
He always knows what you and I are thinking, he sees our imagination.
Jesus knows and so knowing what he knows, he took a child and I wonder what they were thinking.
Look, he’s reaching for a kid and he brings this child into the midst of them.
He knows this. Look at also verse 47 to be open to the fact that we need to listen to what Jesus has to say.
It is that Jesus took a little child and set him by him.
This is a very sweet thing because you see Jesus Christ picking up a child, not this, the child doesn’t kick the child’s not crying, he’s not freaking out.
Jesus picks up the kid, the child and sets him right alongside him.
But apparently from other scriptures, we know that the child was with Jesus in the midst of the disciples right in the middle of them.
And so there’s going to be this amazing show and tell here in a second, he’s going to show them by the way, this word child is a great word.
It means that it’s probably someone between somewhere around the ages of 2 to 5 ish, young child, not an infant as we know infants.
This is, and it’s not exactly a toddler.
Is it exactly kind of a kind of a late toddler to a young child? And that’s very key.
I know people talk about the terrible twos. We raised girls.
Maybe that’s why we didn’t know about the terrible twos. I don’t know if it’s genetically put into girls.
I don’t know that. Um, but terrible twos, we never had terrible twos, twos.
They were, they were great at two years of, of age. It’s like 13.
But remember when they were little and when they were two years old, you could say, hey, sweetie, can you get daddy’s book?
Can you get daddy’s book? And they just go and they get the book, they can’t write, they can’t type, they hit the buck.
I tell you, they’re amazing. They’re so compliant in those ages.
And that’s the age that Jesus want you to have in your mind.
When you put a child on the wall, a young child of that age, you set him in the wall, jump.
You better be looking because they’re gonna jump.
It’s when they get older, I’m not getting on that wall. No. Get up on the wall.
You get up on the wall. They don’t trust anybody. They become cynical, diabolical.
That’s when they get to the age. Did you just have some cookies? No, no.
Uh uh, they lie. That’s not the age we’re talking about.
Jesus is saying you’re going to need to become like a child like this. God is always right.
We don’t dictate to him and we need to listen to Jesus.
He knows what’s best and watch what he does here. He sets a child in the midst of them.
I wonder if these big disciples you got to remember? Remember who these guys are?
Remember, James and John, remember last time in our study they were the sons of thunder. You got Big Peter.
He was a gigantic guy, big guy. We got all the disciples.
He’s a grown man and Jesus sets a little kid up there and this is the example, this is what you need to graduate from.
My school. Jesus would say this is how you need to be usually.
And you know what, when you’re too, when you’re too big for your self and you’re too impressed with yourself.
And you’re a legend in your own mind, kind of self.
You don’t have time for kids when you’re such a mover and shaker, kids are often left and you’re awake, you got better things to do bigger things to do.
There’s nothing bigger to do than kids. They’re the future.
If we live for the now, listen, if we live for the now and that’s all we’re concerned about is what’s in it for me.
What is it for my comfort, then we’ve lost the future.
But if we are willing as parents to be uncomfortable for the welfare of our Children and the installation of righteousness and goodness and justice and mercy and love into their lives for the future, then we have a future as a nation or as a family or as a people.
That’s what’s so amazing about moms on this Mother’s day.
It’s amazing that you’re not going to get a thanks maybe till your child has a, has a baby and then they’re gonna call you and say, hey, you know what?
I should think you’re crazy. But now I see why you did that. Thank you so much.
Now I’m doing it the junior year.
It’s funny, Mark Twain said, is the older, the older we get, the smarter our parents become, man.
I remember my dad saying that we need to listen to Jesus.
Kids can do amazing things. We just need to let them.