Matthew 18, let's read these first six verses one more time. At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus saying, who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus called a little child unto him and set him in the midst of them and said, verily I say unto you, except you be converted and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me. It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

Even though a major storm was coming, I felt led to travel out to California last weekend. And I did, I really strongly felt led to do that because I believed in my heart that the Lord had given me a message for them. I was going there and I had them on my mind and the Lord gave me a message and two actually. But I believed that I had a message to tell, a message to deliver. And Hannah and I were both so thankful that the Lord enabled us to go because it truly was a blessing being there.

But I knew that it could possibly be tricky getting back home. With the way the weather was coming in and everything they were saying. So before we left, I changed our. Return flight from Monday to Tuesday. Just to, you know, give it a little bit more time for the. Chaos of the lingering ice in the. Lights being canceled to kind of, you know. Do its thing. And And it helped because there was a lot of ice Monday and there was a lot of canceled flights. And so I was glad I did that.

But when we got up Tuesday morning there was still a lot of ice and a lot of canceled flights. And our flight was canceled. Coming back home as soon as I woke up I checked my phone it said on time. So we got up. We had to get up at 445 that time. We got dressed, loaded our stuff up, headed to the airport. On the way to the airport, Hannah said, let me just check it one more time. Canceled. And our hearts sunk. I thought I had beat the system. And our flight was canceled and practically everybody else's flight was canceled. There was pretty much nothing but panic and scrambling for changed flights and changed cities and changed airlines and available seats. You can only imagine.

And Hannah's the brains behind the outfit. She does all the dirty work and I just, you know, do what she tells me to do. And so I was trying to contribute. I was thinking and I was on my phone and all those things, but I was really kind of waiting for her and I was watching people. They were you know, the car would pull up at departing flights, and somebody's driving the car for the people about to fly, and everybody gets out, and they get the luggage out, and they hug each other, and, so good seeing you, you know, they kiss each other, and, okay, bye-bye, see you later, and they walk in with this expectation smile, and then their face would just, ah, canceled, canceled, canceled, canceled, canceled. Crushed spirits, shocked disappointment.

Hannah and I thought for a minute, it appeared as though that we were gonna have to take two separate flights back, one arriving here on Wednesday, one arriving here on Thursday. And we were stressed, okay? We were stressed, everybody was stressed. We were both saying to each other, I don't know what to do. I don't know what to do. And then Hannah, at one point, tapped me and she said, look at this. She said, that's a good illustration. She said, look at all these little children. One tiny little girl, she was so cute, had this frilly outfit on and her tiny little pink suitcase, roller suitcase. And she was just rolling that suitcase around and just dancing with it. And her parents are, you know, talking on the phone and doing, and she's just loving life, just wheeling it up and wheeling it back and so proud of it. One little boy was being pushed in a travel wagon, like a canvas fold-up wagon. He was in it. His toys were in it. And that dude was just as calm as a cucumber, just enjoying the ride.

And Hannah said, look at all these kids. They don't have a care in the world. And it's because they're with their parents. That's the reason why. They are following their parents. They are believing in their parents. They're believing on their parents. They're unknowingly waiting on their parents and trusting in their parents while their parents are handling things and taking care of things that they don't know anything about and cannot do anything about. When she said that, I thought, now that is a good illustration. That's a good illustration. And I immediately thought of this scripture. Verse three says, except you be converted and become as little children. And I thought, that's what I want to be. I want to be converted. I want to be converted.

Now obviously we made it home. It's a big story. Supposed to go to Dallas. We didn't. Ended up in Denver. Supposed to fly American. We didn't. Ended up flying United. It was a big old day. We got to our house at 1215 this morning. But we made it home. And I know that little incident is nothing and we were, the whole time we were healthy and fine and that's something people have to go through all day, every day. That's just something people have to do. But it was just enough to make me realize that I want to be a child in the loving, caring hands of my father. I want to know, I want to realize, whether I realize it or not really, I want to just be aware of the fact that He is handling things. He is taking care of things that I know nothing about and can do nothing about. And our Lord said that faith, that's what that is, that faith and that peace and that rest comes from being converted. That's what he said right here. It comes from being converted. And if that's the case, that's what I want to be converted. I want to be converted.

Now turn with me to Psalm 51, and while you're turning, let me give you the definition of this word converted. Psalm 51. This word converted means, you know, everybody's heard the word. People talk about, you know, being converted, getting converted. Well, this particular word converted means to turn. To turn one's self. Specifically to turn the back to one. Of one who no longer cares for another. Does that register? is to turn your back on someone who you no longer care for. Are you reading between the lines? Are you with me here? That's exactly what happens to every child of God when the truth concerning salvation comes. God's people turn their backs on themselves. They turn their backs on their own selves. The first conversion that takes place is a conversion from man to God. Man naturally in his own nature, he looks to himself, he looks to his works, he looks to his ability. That's what everybody is naturally doing. Man looks to himself to be his own savior. He thinks he can make his own way and pay his own redemption price and earn his own justification and entrance into the heavenly skies. But at some point, and this is, and I understand I'm using this little illustration, I got this whole little airport illustration, but I'm telling you, this is so, I'm telling you, this is so.

At some point, every soul on this earth, and it's either going to be right now in mercy or it's going to be then in judgment. But every soul on this earth is going to see his or her natural condition before God. Cancelled. Cancelled. because of sin. It's either going to be right now in mercy or it's going to be in that day, ushered in with those expectant smiles, heading on in, only to see canceled.

I don't know what to do. canceled. Tuesday morning, yesterday morning, our flight was canceled, but not everyone's flight was canceled. They were still traveling to places that was not affected by the storm. And those were the seats that everybody was buying for. But I was sitting there watching, you know, we were in our little moment there, just trying to gather our thoughts, and I was watching planes take off. You know, cancel, cancel, cancel. No flight for me. I was watching these planes take off, and I would watch one just full of people take off, and I was thinking, I wish I would have made it on that flight.

And I couldn't help but think about the fact that in that day, two are going to be standing in a field. The one's going to be taken. The other one's going to be left. And if God in mercy will reveal this truth to us right now, if he will convert us from our own selves where there is no salvation, Liars stand up in pulpits telling people if you'll just be good, you can be saved. It's not true. That leads to a cancelization.

If God will reveal to us right now that there is no salvation in ourselves, if he will turn us from ourselves to the blood of Jesus Christ, where the only hope of salvation actually is. If he'll cause us to turn our backs on ourselves and cause us to no longer care for ourselves and only turn all the hope of our care to Jesus Christ. There will be so much peace and there will be so much rest and there will be so much comfort and there will be so much happiness for that little soul.

Right here at Psalm 51 verse 1 says, Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy loving kindness, according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. I need you to do this. Wash me throughly from mine iniquity and cleanse me from my sin, for I acknowledge my transgressions and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight, that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest."

What he's saying is, I turn my back on me. My care is no longer for me. I judge me. I condemn me. That's why I'm crying out to you for mercy. I'm looking to you. I'm hoping in you. I'm trusting in you.

Verse five, behold, I was shapen in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts and in the hidden part. Thou shalt make me to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean. Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence, and take not thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation, and uphold me with thy free spirit. What he's saying is, you, you, not me, you.

Verse 13, then will I teach transgressors thy ways and sinners shall be converted unto thee. That's what conversion is unto Christ. Converted unto Christ. Conversion is completely, totally turning my back on me. That's what I, I don't encourage you to do it. That's a commandment from God. Turn your back on you. Face only. Turn your back here and face only. Look to only. Hope in only our Lord and Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ.

Turn over to Isaiah 6. Isaiah 6 verse 1, it says, In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims, each one had six wings. With twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another and said, holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of his glory. And the post of the door moved at the voice of him that cried and the house was filled with smoke. Then said I, woe is me for I am undone because I'm a man of unclean lips and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips for mine eyes have seen the king, the Lord of hosts. Then flew one of the seraphims unto me having a live coal in his hand which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar. And he laid it upon my mouth and said, lo, this hath touched thy lips and thine iniquity is taken away and thy sin purged. A sacrifice was made for you, that's what he's saying.

Also I heard the voice of the Lord saying, whom shall I send and who will go for us? Then said I, here am I, send me. And he said, go and tell this people, hear ye indeed, but understand not. And see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat and make their ears heavy and shut their eyes, lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and convert and be healed. He said, if they were converted, they would be healed. They would stop looking to themselves. They would look to me and they would be healed. That's what happened to Isaiah. He stopped looking to himself. He stopped looking to Uzziah. And he looked to Christ.

To be converted is to turn our backs on everything and everyone and look to Jesus Christ. Look to the Lord Jesus Christ. In Isaiah, don't turn to this, but in Isaiah 60 verse five, God the father said to Jesus Christ, the son, he said, all of your people are going to be converted to you and they're going to come to you. And that's what I want. I want that for me, I want that for you, I want that for all of God's people. Lord, convert us to Christ in every way, shape and form, beginning to end. Give us the peace and the rest and the comfort of being converted to Christ.

We flew into Knoxville, we made it back, flew into Knoxville, we were driving back. last night and I passed a billboard that said, anxious? You've seen it, haven't you? Anxious? Jesus offers rest. And I thought, no, the Lord Jesus Christ is rest. He secured rest. for his people. Our Lord Jesus Christ secured rest for his people. And this is how he did it.

All right, hang in here with me one more moment. I'm almost done. Go back to Matthew 18. This is how he did it. Matthew 18 verse 1, it says, At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And can you imagine? I can imagine me doing that, but can you imagine us coming to the Lord and who's the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?

Verse 2, And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, and said, Verily I say unto you, Except you be converted and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, The same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Now let me tell you this, there's not a soul on this earth that has humbled himself except for one, only one. You want to know who the greatest in the kingdom of heaven is? Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. You think about the fact that this is God, we're talking about God. We're talking about the sovereign of the throne of glory and he humbled himself from glory all the way to the grave. He did not humble himself as a little child. He humbled himself to be a little child. That's amazing.

And he lived a life on this earth for us and he willingly became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross, to put away all the pride of his people's sin and to kill all of their enmity against God and to redeem their life from destruction. And us being turned to that. To that realization and that knowledge, that is what humbles us. That realization of what He did, that's what humbles us. We don't humble ourselves, we must be humbled. And all of God's people are humbled by their conversion to Christ. It's a wonderful conversion. They turn their backs on themselves, Because they find all their peace and rest and comfort in him. It's all in him.

And because we have found our eternal peace and rest and comfort in him, we can find our daily peace and rest and comfort in him. And that's what I want. For us, that's what I want for me. That's what I want for you. I want to go through this cancelled life. Let me tell you what life is cancelled. You know, you start out with all these big ambitions. You ask these little kids, what do you want to be when you grow up? I want to be an astronaut. And then life happens. And you know what you find out it is really? Cancelled. The whole thing is cancelled.

And I want to go through this cancelled life. And I mean what I'm saying. I want to go through this canceled life like those little children went through that airport yesterday. Next time you want some encouragement, go find you an airport somewhere and watch the kids. The adults are stressed to the max. But that's how I would love it if the Lord would allow me, if he would convert me, Lord convert me from me, from man, from I, me, my, convert me. Let me lose whatever wisdom I think I have and make me to be as a little child.

If I could just go through this life like those little children went through that airport yesterday, I don't necessarily need a little pink suitcase. One I got's fine, but I want the joy. That little girl was happy. I want the joy of going through this life trusting in the one whose hands I'm in. Lord, convert me. Humble me down, humble me down. I want to go through this life trusting in the one who's in charge of me and has absolute control of everything concerning me. So in that sense, I want to be converted every single day. I want to be converted every single day. I want to turn my back on me and no longer care for me every day. Our Lord told Peter, Satan has desired to have you that he may sift you as wheat. And what that mean is you're going to get a little full of yourself. He said, but after you're converted, you go strengthen your brethren. You go tell all your brethren, stop looking to yourself, turn to Christ. And that's what I pray the Lord will do for me.

Lord, convert me every day. Convert me, convert me, convert me, because that total reliance on Christ, that's the evidence of belonging to him. That is the evidence of belonging to him. I'm done.

Verse three, our Lord said, Verily I say unto you, except you be converted and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. That's the evidence. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same as greatest in the kingdom of heaven, and whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck and that he were drowned in the depths of the sea.

What that means is jump in the wagon and enjoy the ride. The Lord's in control. That's what it means. Lord, convert me to that. Amen.