Let's be turning to Luke chapter
9. Luke 9. This is a passage where
our Lord instructs his disciples who had been arguing with one
another about who should be the greatest in the kingdom. Who should be the greatest in
the kingdom? Now we're told in Luke 9.46, this is where we begin,
Luke 9.46, that there arose a reasoning among them which of them should
be greatest. And Mark and Matthew, of course,
also write about this. And Mark in Mark 9 verse 33 and
34 he tells us that the disciples and our Lord were now come to
Capernaum. Capernaum is where Peter and
Andrew lived. And being in the house, probably
Peter's house, he asked them, what was it that ye disputed
among yourselves by the way? but they held their peace. They
didn't want to say what they were talking about in the way.
For by the way, they had disputed among themselves who should be
the greatest. And we can read this. When you hear it out loud, just
as they did, when the Lord said, what were you guys disputing
about? You realize, oh, I can hear it now, just how awful,
how ugly, how proud and arrogant I sounded. And that's what they're
realizing here, and it is. It's a proud and arrogant thing.
that we do in this flesh, that this flesh is prone to do. It was pride that bit the apple. It was pride that overthrew the
Lord's reigns or tried to overthrow the Lord's reigns from us. And another thing to consider
here is that the disciples at this time had in view, they thought
that the Lord was going to set up an earthly kingdom. And so they imagined that when
the Lord sets this kingdom up, there's going to be positions
of power. And who's going to do what? Who's going to have the most
preeminent position of power? Perhaps they were looking at
other kingdoms and other administrations of government. They saw different
things with Pilate and Herod and how things were run. And
maybe they thought that there would be something like that
set up in the kingdom. And so the Lord begins to instruct
them. He begins to address them in
this. And amazingly, this is not the
last time that this will come up. This comes up multiple times. in the lives of the disciples
here before our Savior accomplished their redemption. Turn over to
Luke 22, just so you know that it's in the same exact gospel.
This is definitely a different time. Luke 22, and let's go to
verse 24. We're told, and there was also
a strife among them. Which of them should be accounted
the greatest? And so this is something that
seemed to come up around the subject of our Lord's death,
if you can believe that. It seems that every time that
the subject of our Lord's death comes up, this conflict, this
argument would arise. Verse 25, he said unto them,
our Lord said unto them, the kings of the Gentiles exercise
lordship over them. And they that exercise authority
upon them are called benefactors. And the sense there is that if
I choose to lift, if I hear you, if I hear your complaint and
I choose to lift a finger and do something to alleviate your
burden, I'm benefactor I'm doing a good work for you that I don't
have to do so if I do it good for you because I don't need
to do it that's the sense there of the kings of the Gentiles
we see that in in our day that's still going on but the Lord says
you shall not be so but he that is greatest among you let him
be as though the younger the younger right and how do you
think of the younger how do you treat the younger And he that
is chief as he that doth serve. And then he gives us an example
to show us what he means. For whether is greater he that
sitteth at meat or he that serveth, is not he that sitteth at meat? But I am among you as he that
serveth. And what a beautiful picture,
a powerful picture, that the Lord of glory here in the flesh
is serving the people. He worked tirelessly for the
people. He went nonstop ministering the
gospel and healing them that were sick and diseased. Even
when he was tired and worn out, if someone came, he healed them. But what he's really speaking
of here more than anything is his sacrificial death. That's
the thing that the lowest servant would do. If there was a risky
situation, he would send the lowest servant out to risk his
life to do it. But Christ is the one who gave
his life willingly for the lives of his people. He came among
us as one that serveth. And so this is in direct conflict. This opposes what we are in the
flesh. Man looks to his works in the
flesh. We look to what we're doing and
our abilities and our talents in the kingdom, so to speak,
at least we think so. And we think this is how we gain
reward. Either under the law, we turn
to the law of Moses, saying, I fulfill the Ten Commandments,
although there's 600 some odd commandments under the law that
we don't do. Or we turn to religion. We turn
to our religion, whatever suits our fancy, and we do that thinking,
this is how God will reward me. But the scriptures show us that
we are sinners and have nothing to boast in. Every one of us
has nothing to boast in. I'm talking about myself here.
Even though I'm here preaching the gospel, I'm nothing. I'm
like you, brethren. We're brethren. here and and
and i need to hear this gospel this word is for me just as much
as it's for you we need to be instructed just like the disciples
the apostles were instructed of the lord because they need
to hear it we all need to hear it and here's just a sampling
of what the scriptures say to us about man's works and about
man We're told that the scripture hath concluded all under sin. That's the assessment of this
scripture. When you read, you can see, if
you're honest, the Lord showing us that every one of his people
are sinners. Every one of them. He doesn't
hide that. He doesn't try to make an excuse for it. We see
that all are sinners. Here's another one. All have
sinned and come short of the glory of God. All have sinned
and come short of the glory of God. Here's another. No flesh
should glory in his presence. Now, why does the Lord tell us
this? Because if we're going to hear
salvation, if we're going to hear the gospel and the good
news of the gospel, we've got to know what we are. that we
don't obtain our own salvation, that we don't work our own righteousness. And so if we go back to those
scriptures I just quoted to you, if we go back to them, let's
look at them in context and see that our glory is the Lord and
not ourselves. Galatians 3, 22, but the scripture hath concluded, all under sin,
why? That the promise by faith of
Jesus Christ might be given to them, that belief. It's for that
purpose. Here's another. For all have
sinned, this is Romans 3.23, for all have sinned and come
short of the glory of God, And in order that, we should hear
that we are justified freely. God is not paying us. He's not
rewarding us for something we've done to earn His favor, to earn
our salvation. But we are justified freely by
His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. 1 Corinthians
1 29-31 That no flesh should glory in his presence, then what
do we glory him? But of God are ye in Christ Jesus,
who has made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification,
and redemption, that according as it is written, He that glorieth
let him glory in the Lord. So the Lord shows us what we
are, bringing us low in ourselves, that we should hear the glory
of Christ, that we should hear the salvation of God. And so man hears that and left
to himself. He just ignores it and goes on
his way and doesn't care about his sin and condemnation. Or
he thinks God is saying, you're coming up short and you've got
to work harder. You better work harder. You better really put
your back into it. You better do better because
you're not living up. to my standards. And the reality
is, none of us are living up to the truth and glory of God. We're all coming up short. And that's good. We need to hear
that. That we should not think more highly of ourselves than
we ought to think, but find our all and glory in the Lord Jesus
Christ. And so the problem isn't a lack
of religion. These guys didn't have a lack
of zeal or fervor in what they were doing. That wasn't the issue
at all. It's that they were thinking
too highly of themselves. And so the Lord is making us
to know Him. As Christ said to the Jews, and
this is for us to hear it, if you believe not that I am He,
you shall die in your sins." Meaning if we don't see Him as
all our salvation, as providing everything we need, then we'll
die in our sins because we're going to keep putting our hand
to the work thinking this is what makes the difference. Our
Lord tells us in His Word that salvation is of the Lord. You want to meditate on something?
You want to carry something with you through the week? Think on
that. Salvation is of the Lord. Lord, save me with your salvation. Don't leave me to myself, because
if I'm being honest, I see what a corrupt wretch I am, and how
I am an idolater by nature, and would rob you of your glory and
take it to myself. Yeah, our God has saved us, plucked
us from the path of destruction that we're on by nature, going
the course of this world under the prince of the power of the
air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.
He's delivered us from that. And where I quoted from Ephesians
2 there, we're told, but God. Paul lists, we were all corrupt
sinners, but God. But Paul, you were a Pharisee
of the Pharisees, doing all the works that you were told to do
under the law. Paul says, I too was corrupt.
I too was gone astray. I too was under the condemnation
of God. But God, who is rich in mercy
for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were
dead in sins hath quickened us, given us life together with Christ,
by grace are ye saved. The Apostles of Christ, they
were arguing with each other about which of them was greatest. And from the Scriptures we just
looked at, we see, what are they boasting about? There's nothing
for us to boast in save Jesus Christ and Him crucified. And so from what I can gather,
because it doesn't tell us the words they were using, it doesn't
say exactly what they were speaking of, but it seems like they were
arguing about who would be something like the prime minister. If Christ
is king, if he's the highest of the highest, well, the next
most powerful position is the prime minister. He's the exalted
minister, the one who serves the king, serves the kingdom,
and does all these things. And he sits closest to the king
on the throne. He has his ear. He's right up
there with him in his inner circle, if you will. In fact, there was
a time where James and John went to the Lord asking to be seated
on either side of him. And Matthew tells us they actually
brought their mother to do the work. So that the mother came
up and said, Lord, would you do whatever I ask of you? And
he said, well, what are you asking for? That my sons, James and
John, might be seated, one on your right and one on your left,
when you're seated in your glory. They got their mother involved.
This is some tricky shenanigans going on here as they're vying
for power. They're incorporating their mother
to do it. And you know what it says that
the disciples thought about that, the other 10? It says they were
displeased. It broke their heart. Like, wow,
they're breaking out all the guns. They're breaking out the
cannons here to try and get this position. And it really hurt
them. And so this continues to come
up. And at this time, they wouldn't answer the Lord when he brought
it up to them. And Mark tells us he brought
this up in the house. He gathered them in the house. And that's a picture of what
the Lord does for his body. Whenever there's trouble in his
body, whenever there's difficulties in the body, what does he do?
he gathers his people into his house. This building is not the
house, it's the assembly of the sheep and there he ministers
the gospel to us because that's how he instructs all of us. That's
how he takes his word severally as he will and ministers to each
one as we have need of hearing. So that one hears what they need
to hear and this This area where they're dealing with and another
one hears it in that area where they're struggling or dealing
with and that's the picture here and Luke 9 47 it says in Jesus
perceiving the thought of their heart That's a sweet picture
there. There's a sink. There's one heart
because there is one body and And they were all struggling
with this, the thought of their heart. One body that needed instruction,
it says, he took a child and set him by him. That had to be a powerful picture
based on what we know the disciples were desiring. They wanted to
sit next to Christ. And here's this child set right
next to the Lord in their midst. They see this object lesson,
this picture of the Lord with a child, a little child sitting
right next to Him and not one of them. The very place where
they wanted to be, there's this child sitting next to Him. So
what's the Lord teaching us by this child? Well first, there's
two things that are recorded in the Gospels that our Lord
says to instruct the disciples about this. Both of these things
counter or oppose to what we are by nature in our pride and
our arrogance. Both of them. First, let's see
it in Luke 9.48. verse 48 and he said unto them
whosoever shall receive this child in my name receiveth me
and whosoever shall receive me receiveth him that sent me for
he that is least among you all the same shall be great and so
You can imagine, whatever their reasonings were, because again,
we're not told exactly the arguments that they were using, but anything
that they would have come up with on that road would have
naturally excluded this child. If anybody had the right to sit
next to Christ, they were looking at their strengths, their gifts,
their talents, and the things that they had done in following
Christ to have the preeminence over their brethren. But that
child hadn't done anything. Nothing. What did he do? What
did that child do to deserve to sit next to Christ? Nothing,
but Christ put him there. He sat him next to him. And so
you can imagine the various fleshly arguments that they had. John
will say in a few verses here, he says, verse 49, and John answered
in verse 49, and said, Master, we saw one casting out devils
in thy name, and we forbade him. We told him to stop because he
followeth not with us. John's saying, I'm an enforcer.
You don't have anybody there. I'll take people to task if they
oppose you. I'll tell them what's what. I'm
loyal to you, Lord. I'm loyal. And Peter, he doesn't
have a shot. You just rebuked him. Told him,
get behind me, Satan. He just rebuked Peter. Not to
mention, Peter's always opening his mouth and anything's going
to come out of his mouth. So it can't be Peter. Lord, me. I'm the man that you want. I'm
the most loyal here. And just in saying that, they're
tearing one another down just to gain the preeminence. And
so we can see the filth in it, just how By nature, if we're
building ourselves up in the flesh, it's always at the expense
of our brethren. We're always putting somebody
down to make ourselves look better. That's why we just keep our mouths
shut and not say anything. because automatically we're hurting
our brethren. We've already turned to the works
of the flesh rather than the fruits of the spirit being made
evident in gentleness, kindness, love, faith, patience, long-suffering,
meekness, trusting the Lord, trusting him. So how could a
child, how would a child, someone who's the newest and the lowest,
have any place next to Christ? and yet there he sits. That's
the picture there. This one who did nothing to deserve
it, that's who Christ sat next to him. This child has no authority. Who would listen to this child?
No one. The child says, well, Daddy says
you shouldn't do that. Well, Daddy ain't around here,
so I'm gonna do it. That's how adults usually are if a kid tells
them what they've been told to do. No one listens to the child
because they have no authority. And so Christ instructs us to
receive his children that he brings. And the picture there
is that we're not to despise anyone. He brings someone into
the body, into the congregation, we're not to despise them. and
to treat them as, well, who are you? Who are you with an idea? And who are you to think that
you can have anything to do here? And so what we look at, what
we tend to look at is the outward appearance. Oh, they have gifts.
Oh, they have money. Oh, they have clothes. Oh, they
have some prominence. Or they have some influence.
And those are the things that man generally looks at are those
things on the outside. When Samuel went to anoint David
king, he didn't know who he was going to anoint. And he looked
at the seven brothers before David, and he thought, each one,
that's it. This is the Lord's anointed.
Because he was looking on the outward. And the Lord said, don't
look on his countenance. Don't look at how he looks or
on the height of his stature, because I have refused him. Meaning, that's not the king
I've chosen. For the Lord seeth not as man seeth, for man looketh
on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.
And that's just so. That's just how we naturally
do things. We automatically, very easily,
look on the outward. We look at things that we think,
the Lord's working in that one, the Lord's moving in that one,
the Lord's teaching that one, and the one who is quiet or out
of the way, we tend to despise them and not think highly of
them. But in receiving them, we're
receiving Him that chose to bring them here, right? We're receiving
Him that sent them. And in receiving Christ who sent
them, we're receiving His Father who sent the Lord Jesus Christ. And so we're trusting, Lord,
I don't understand it. I don't see what you're doing
here. I don't see how that could be of any help or benefit. And
yet we're trusting the Lord and giving Him the preeminence and
trusting the Lord and waiting upon him to do what he will. And I think the wheat and tares is relevant here,
right? Because again, we see what we
think grows up fast. The tares grow up fast and they
look like they're the fruit that we want. And so we'd start ripping
out the wheat because it doesn't conform to what we think. And
all we've done is remove the wheat and we have the tares.
in the field, and that's it. The second thing, I have to quote
from Matthew 18, because Luke doesn't mention it, but in Matthew
18, verse three and four, it says that our Lord said, verily
I say unto you, except ye be converted and become as little
children, ye 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 the reality is that
the Lord is showing us is everything we do in his kingdom is as little
children. Everything we do is as children. If we spend any time in the Lord's
kingdom, it will not be long before we are humbled and brought
low before the Lord for our good. Just as we see the disciples
here, how the Lord rebuked them. He taught them and they were
constantly being put, or I should say corrected. They were constantly
being corrected by the Lord. And we know in our hearts, in
seeking the Lord, we know how the Lord has corrected us. how
we've been made ashamed by his spirit, by his grace, ministering
his word to our hearts in secret to know, Lord, you're right,
I'm wrong, and I see, I think I see what you're teaching me,
right? And that's what the Lord does, and we seek him to make
it known more and more to us. We're directed by the Lord, just
as you that are parents with children, We're the children
of the Lord and He directs us, He speaks to us, He tells us
what to do, He leads us and guides us as we have need, and thankfully
He gives us a heart to do it. Though sometimes we don't always
have that heart right away, but by His grace He turns our heart
and makes us to see more and more why He does what He does.
grace because again we're always looking on the outward and we're
always thinking this is how it should work and yet the Lord
does what he will do and we would never do it but we see Lord I
wouldn't have done it that way but I'm thankful you did do it
that way because it's all of his grace and power remember
what Paul said to the Corinthians he said who maketh thee to differ
from another. And what hast thou that thou
didst not receive? Now if thou didst receive it,
why dost thou glory as if thou hadst not received it? And so
our Lord teaches us as children to see I'm ignorant of those
things but Lord you're the one who makes them known unto me
and we're always learning just the way children are sponges
and soak up things and are always learning so it is in the kingdom
by his word we're always learning we're always being instructed
we're always being taught we're always being corrected for our
good and the Lord is growing us in the body that he's assembled
and put together and so more and more the Lord makes us more
simple less complicated and more simple like children that were
not taken up with the charms of this world. And I say all
that to say, what gospel must we preach if we are to receive
those whom the Lord receives? When we break it down and look
at all those that came to Christ, and were happy to be around Christ,
not afraid to be near Him, but went to the table where He was
and wanted to talk to Him. What must our Gospel be if we
are to receive those whom the Lord received? Who did the Lord
receive? The poor, the naked, the blind,
the weak, the ones that were rejected and despised, the base,
the lowly, nothings, and nobodies. That's who he received. That's
who we see coming to him is people like that. And so if we're going
to declare that word that they need, it's a gospel for the blind,
the poor, and the needy. those who don't have anything
to give to the Lord. It's for us who are sinners and
we're to remember that we must be instructed. We're the hard-headed,
hard-hearted sinner that needs to hear his word over and over
again. And so that's what he brings
us to see because those are descriptions of sinners. Those are descriptions
of people separated from God by their works, by their choices,
by the things they've done in life and messed up. and the problems
they've created for themselves. And so this gospel is not for
the haughty and self-righteous, not for those that are perfect
and have everything figured out. It's for us who don't have everything
figured out. It's for us who need his grace
because we keep messing up and sinning and offending and doing
things that we ought not to do, just like children in your house
do. I told you this time and time
again and yet here we are. That's how it is when the Lord
shows us, especially in the face of our own children, when we
see us disciplining our children and we're the ones doing the
same thing and we're reminded in the mirror that I'm the one
doing that too and what the Lord is showing me. And so it's a
gospel for sinners, Brethren. And that's who the Pharisees
despised. This man receiveth sinners and
eateth with them. Yes, he does. When I was going
through this, I remembered something. I think it fits this illustration.
When I was a young boy, about five, I was about five years
old, and I was the baby. And so everywhere my mom went,
I went. When she went shopping, I was
in tow with her. And it was late. We went to the
mall, of all things. I don't know why, but it was
late and it was busy. And I was tired, and I was holding
onto her hand, walking through the mall. And it was so many
people there for a little child to see coming and going. And
something happened, and I got distracted and broke away. Only
for a second and then I went back and I grabbed her hand and
we're walking for a little while and I realized Something's different. I don't know if the coat color
was different or what But I look up the arm and I see this woman
with brown hair like my mom And she's smiling at me, but not,
she didn't pull away, she didn't push me away, she didn't even
say a word, actually. And I look on her other hand,
and there's this fella, and he's holding her other arm, and they're
both looking at me smiling, wondering what I'm doing there. And I realize
suddenly, I'm lost. I'm lost. Where's my mom? And
I'm seeing all these people coming and going, and I was terrified
then. And then through the crowd, suddenly
I see my mom's face. I recognize that face, and I
ran to her, and I hung on tight. And what I see in that is that
we're to preach the Lord Jesus Christ to all whom he brings
until he makes them to know they're lost. And then they'll look for
him whom we've preached and declared of that faithful, Father, our
Heavenly Father, they'll look for Him and when they see His
face, they'll run to Him and cling on to Him by His grace
and power. Just as Paul said, for God who
commanded the light to shine out of darkness hath shined in
our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory
of God in the face of Jesus Christ." And so he makes, that's our gospel
brethren. We're to be patient and kind,
just like that woman, she didn't push me away or do anything,
she was just patient. And then the Lord did the rest.
Thankfully, I found my mom, or my mom found me, but we're to
preach this gospel, trusting that the Lord is bringing in
his people, instructing them, and that he'll reveal himself
to them and put them in the body as he wills, as he purposes. So the next question for us then
is, how, Lord? How can I, who am a sinner, a
vile, wretched sinner, how can I walk in faith, trusting you,
loving my brethren, being patient and kind with them? How is it,
Lord, that I can be converted and become as a little child?
How can I be converted as a little child? Well, if you think about
it, who's the Lord talking to right now? His disciples. These
are grown men. These are not little kids. I
mean, John was probably the youngest, but these are men. These are
now men who are grown up, and he's talking about them becoming
as children, as a child. Verse 47, when it says, Jesus,
perceiving the thought of their heart, took a child and set him
by him. That's the same word child that's
used for a newborn child. Just like we say, oh, these are
your children, we say of little newborn babies. Let me see your
child. Let me see the little child.
That's the same word for a newborn child. And here's how he said
it in Matthew 18, 3 again. Verily I say unto you, now listen
to these words, except ye be converted and become as little
children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. I've heard those words before.
I know those words, they're very familiar. Where did I see those
words before? John chapter three. John chapter
three, when our Lord is speaking to Nicodemus. John 3.3, Jesus
answered and said unto Nicodemus, verily, verily, I say unto thee,
except a man be born again. Except you become as a newborn
child, he cannot see the kingdom of God. He can't even see the
kingdom of God, he says. Nicodemus saith unto him, How?
How can a man who's old be born again, become a child? Shall
I enter into my mother's womb and be born again? No, verse
five, Jesus answered, verily, verily, I say unto thee, except
a man be born of water and of the spirit, he cannot enter into
the kingdom of God. And so our Lord is telling us,
you must be born again. That's how you're going to receive
my people. That's how you're going to receive
me. That's how you're going to receive the Father. You must
be born again. as a little child, born of the
incorruptible seed. That's how we're going to be
led of our Savior. That's how we're going to hear
His voice. That's how we have the Spirit. It's by His grace, giving it
to us. He makes us new, born again. We don't make ourselves born
again. There's no work we can do. There's nothing we desire
to do of ourselves. He gives us a new birth with
the giving of his spirit. And then we're able to see his
kingdom. Then we're able to hear his word. Then we receive his
word. Then we believe him who speaks his word of grace to us.
And so the reason our Lord says this is because by nature, These
are the works of the flesh that we see here in the disciples.
That's what we are by nature. And we're born of Adam's corrupt
seed. When Adam sinned in the garden,
he and all his seed in him was defiled, corrupted, ruined, fallen
in the fall. And we're born of that corrupt
seed. And so we come forth sinners, speaking lies from the womb.
And yet by His grace, He saves His people. By His grace, He
sent the Son. And by His seed, His incorruptible
seed, we're born again. born again to hear Him, to be
born of His grace and given faith in the Spirit of God. And so
these disciples, they were relying on the works of the flesh to
vie for positions in the kingdom, but those who are born of the
Spirit, the Lord teaches us, don't turn to to what you do
in the flesh, trust me, and he brings forth fruits of his spirit
unto the praise, honor, and glory of his name. Paul said it this
way, for in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything
nor uncircumcision. It's not what you do, what you've
got, what you're bringing to the table for God, but a new
creature. It's the work of God in you.
It's the work of Jesus Christ and what He does. And that's
how we're going to hear and walk by faith in Him. The Lord wills, we'll look at
the other verses we can look at, but I pray the Lord bless
your hearts to trust Him. To trust Him, be thankful for
one another. I'm thankful for every one of
you here. And I rejoice in His grace and
mercy and assembling His people and making me to hear this and
to grow with you, brethren, because it's His body and I'm thankful
for it. Amen.