Luke 18:15-18

Luke 18:15-18 People were also bringing babies to Jesus to have him touch them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them. But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”

Anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God with complete faith, trust, and rest, will not enter it. Babies do not question whether they have a father or mother, they just rest in the fact they do. They do not work to be members of a family; they just know they are in a family. Many Christians function outside of that place of rest without understanding we are legitimate members of God's family. We tend to strive to belong. We seldom simply lean back and relax in God's arm, knowing we are safe and secure there. So often, we worry about what we are doing or not doing, and we look to the praise of people for our security instead of God. Wondering if we are fully accepted by God, we fear that Jesus Christ and his sacrifice is not enough. Instead, we try to be like God, doing good works to earn his favor and acceptance as legitimate members of his family, thinking surely He will accept us if our actions show we are like him.

But Jesus says, unless you become as a little child, a baby, you cannot enter into my kingdom, into me. It is not our good works but our faith that is important. Faith leads to confidence that God has done it all for us to be adopted into the family. Parents do everything for their baby to be in the family. Because of the parents, a baby does not have to do anything to earn a position in the family with all the rights of an heir to what the family has. Will we have that kind of faith in God's plan of salvation, or will we be like the Children of Israel when God brought them out of the bondage of slavery and took them directly to the Promised Land, a place of rest, and they failed to enter into the land because of unbelief. They could not walk by faith because they did not believe God had an appropriate plan for their security and rest. They could not believe God could take care of them, actually provide a place of safety and rest in a land full of enemies. They failed to enter into his rest because they failed to trust God as a little baby would trust his parents; they failed to believe God would care for them as a parent takes care of a little child. They failed to believe God was a GOOD FATHER who loved them with an everlasting love as He promised in his covenant with Abraham.

Christians must realize that God takes care of everything for them just as good parents take care of everything for their children. When God sent Jesus to Earth as the propitiation for our sins, He took care of everything for us to become his children. By dealing with our sins and our waywardness, his divine plan is sufficient for us to be children, joint heirs with Christ. No other plan is needed: no addendums, no adjuncts, no amendments are necessary. On the cross, Jesus said, "IT IS FINISHED" (COMPLETED); no other page needs to be turned. Cults with their agendas add to or skew the gospel message. They do not accept Christ's finished work by faith. Even within some Christian circles, people conjure up what they think are better or new ways to be acceptable to God. But I have "good news" for you: Jesus pleases God, his sacrifice pleases God, his PERFECT life, death, and resurrection pleased God. Any other plan, agenda, or way to God places us under the auspices of sin, which brings death. As the creator of life, Jesus alone brings life; consequently, only in him can we rest and find peace in our new life.

Jesus says, unless we trust in him and his works with childlike faith, we will never enter into the kingdom of God and escape judgment. God expects us to stop working and striving to be accepted as children and simply BE CHILDREN OF FAITH. He asks us to stop seeking another way, a fleshly way, to please God; instead, we must rely on God's plan: Jesus Christ and him crucified. We are God's little ones, new creations in him: HE WILL TAKE CARE OF US. Yes, good works should flow from our lives, but they are the result of a love relationship with our Father through Christ. Can we believe that or, as with the Pharisees of old, are we replacing God's plan with our religious activities and our fleshly thoughts and actions? God has bad news for those who depend on the flesh: fleshly exploits and discipline will never garner his favor or bring salvation and peace. Flesh will never understand that faith alone pleases God, and new life comes through Jesus Christ and his death and resurrection. Jesus says, rest in me, my little child; rest in my works, my beautiful one. He has made provision, and IT IS FINISHED.