The Gospel For Children And Babes

Q: What does the Bible say about mourning in relation to the gospel?

The Bible teaches that mourning over sin is essential for spiritual life, as it leads us to recognize our need for Christ and His grace. The scriptures emphasize that mourning serves a significant purpose in the life of a believer. In Matthew 11, Jesus mentions that those who mourn are blessed and will eventually be comforted. Mourning reflects a deep awareness of our sinfulness and our broken state before a holy God. This acknowledgment leads to genuine repentance and a heartfelt need for Christ's redemptive work. Without mourning, it is difficult to truly appreciate the depth of God's grace and the joy of salvation that follows. The living, those who are spiritually aware, will lay this to heart, realizing that their comfort comes from God alone, who comforts the brokenhearted.

Q: How do we know that God reveals Himself to the humble?

God reveals His truth to the humble, as He has hidden it from the wise and prudent, showcasing His sovereign grace. In Matthew 11:25-26, Jesus rejoices that the Father has hidden these truths from the wise and revealed them unto babes. This declaration underscores the principle that humility is crucial for spiritual understanding. In God’s sovereign grace, He chooses to reveal Himself to those who exhibit childlike faith and humility, rather than to those who are self-sufficient and prideful. This truth points to the nature of the gospel—it is not dependent on human wisdom or merit but on divine grace. When individuals come before God with a posture of humility, they are in a position to receive the glorious revelations of His character and redemptive plan.

Q: Why is understanding our sin important for Christians?

Understanding our sin is vital as it cultivates true repentance, enabling us to grasp the significance of Christ's atoning sacrifice. Acknowledging our sin is foundational to the Christian faith because it aligns us with the reality of our fallen condition and our desperate need for Christ. Scripture repeatedly reminds us that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). This awareness produces a healthy mourning over sin, which is crucial because it leads to repentance. Only when we understand the gravity of our sins can we truly appreciate the magnitude of Christ’s sacrifice. The gospel, which is good news, makes no sense without the bad news of our sinful state; thus, recognizing our sin drives us towards the grace and mercy offered through Jesus Christ, creating a deeper sense of joy and gratitude for salvation.

Q: What does it mean that the gospel is for children and babes?

The gospel is meant for children and babes, indicating that it is accessible to those who exhibit faith and humility. In discussing the gospel's appeal to children and babes, we recognize that Jesus states in Matthew 11:25, 'I thank Thee, O Father, for Thou hast hidden these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.' This speaks to the truth that the gospel is designed for those who approach it with childlike faith—a faith that is trusting, humble, and eager to receive. Children are often quick to respond with joy, and this reflects the appropriate response to the gospel message. When believers become 'like children', they engage with the message of Christ not merely as abstract truth but as personal and life-giving. That God manifests His truth to the humble serves to remind us that spiritual understanding and acceptance are not rooted in human intellect but in a heart that is open to His grace.

That was taken from Habakkuk
3, verse 2, which says, O Lord, wilt thou not revive us, revive
thy work in the midst of the years? In the midst of years,
make known in wrath, remember mercy, our great need. Revive us again. Very scriptural. Very needful. Matthew 11. Turn over there. Matthew 11.
We continue our studies through the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew
11. Let's read verse 16. Our Lord is speaking. He says, Whereunto shall I liken
this generation? Whereunto? And I liken this generation unto,
compare it to. And the Lord began to denounce
this generation that he was speaking of. And he began to upbraid the
cities, it says. Upbraid means to reproach or
accuse them of something disgraceful. That's what upbraid means, to
accuse of disgrace. He began to upbraid the cities
which he had visited, in which he had preached and done many
wonderful works for their unbelief. and their disinterest. They weren't interested. And
the very same things which our Lord said then can be said now
in our generation. If you'll know it, this is the
generation he was speaking of, this generation. Now in verse sixteen he said,
it is like what it is like, this generation is like children.
like unto children sitting in the markets, calling unto their
fellows, their friends, children sitting around the marketplace
talking to or speaking with, calling unto their friends, verse
seventeen, saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced. We have mourned unto you, and
ye have not lamented. children sitting around the marketplace
and they began playing a tune. And some of their friends who
are there are not responding. They're not. It's a joyful tune
they're playing. They're not responding. They're
not. The tune meant to inspire them to dance with joy and happiness
as they were. And they didn't respond at all. And then they played a mournful
tune, a sad Melancholy tune and there's no reaction there also
no tears no. Sorrow and sadness. No response. No reaction. No joy. No sadness. Our Lord said over in Lamentations
one he said verse twelve is it nothing to you. All you that
pass by. The Lord has been saying this
for a long time to many, to every generation actually, because
there are many to whom this is nothing. And they show that by
their apparent disinterest or no reaction, no reaction. It's obvious, you know, there
are many who pass by out there this morning. If you listen,
you hear the cars going by. They're going everywhere to do
everything. To many, it is nothing to them. is not interested in
Christ most folks are not interested in God. Peter said that willingly
ignorant. Playing things are clearly saying
of God clearly saying men are without excuse but they're not
interested. Don't care that's obvious. But incredibly, this can be said
of some who sit in God's house and hear God's word. Those who
make a profession at being interested in God, having an interest in
God, the preaching of the word and the gospel really has no
effect on them. Now, the preaching of the word
and We're dealing with the word as
it comes. I'm dealing with this this morning
because this is what came up and it's necessary. The preaching
of the word, the preaching of the gospel is at the same time
a joyful sign. It is good news. It's also, the
reason it's good news is because you hear some bad news. Good news always follows bad
news. That's what makes it good. The
preaching of the Word of God. God's Word is filled with joy
and rejoicing. And yet, it should cause us to
mourn. As much in here should cause
us to weep and howl. James talked about that, didn't
he? Didn't he, Gabe? You've been studying that. Weep
and howl for the miseries that come upon you. Now, if someone is alive. If
someone is alive, let's take physically speaking, the material
world. If someone is alive, they respond
to life-giving sounds or the sounds of life. If someone is
really alive, they will respond. These reactions, these responses
are characteristic of life. Laughter. You can't live very
long without laughing at some point, can you? Laughter. Oh,
it makes it merry in the heart. It does the heart good. Laughter.
It's a good thing. Laughter. Weeping. You've got
an ounce of emotion in you. Something's going to make you
weep. You're alive. Joy. Joy. These are things that prove that there's life.
Sorrow. Joy. Sorrow. Happiness. Right? Right. And Paul talked
about the savor of life. How the gospel is a savor of
life. It's full of life. The old Puritans
used to call the gospel the pregnant gospel. Meaning it was full of
life. Full of Christ, who is our Lord.
Full of life. Paul said it's a savor of life.
unto life. It causes, the one who is alive
causes laughter. I told you about old brother
Henry Breedlove who's no longer with us, he's with the Lord.
He used to laugh when he heard the gospel Oh, and that's what the psalm
says, doesn't it? When the Lord turned again our captivity, we
were like them that dreamed. Our mouths were filled with laughter. There's going to be a lot of
laughing in heaven. Nothing foolish, no foolish joke
or something, but holy laughter. And my heart filled with joy.
Laughter. No sorrow, no sadness, no tears. God wiped all that away. Nothing
but laughter and joy and happiness. No sin which causes sorrow in
mourning. No mourning, only praise. Joyful sound. These things are
proof of life, savor of life under light. Now, the Lord had
just talked about, in this same chapter, had just talked about
the blind receiving their sight. He just talked about the lame
walking. He just talked about the deaf
hearing. Can you imagine the joy that a blind man would have? I mean a blind man who'd never
seen before. Can you imagine the joy that
Bartimaeus experienced when he finally could see? No one can imagine the joy that
he had. He went to bed that night after
the Lord healed and he woke up to the sunset, a sunrise he'd
never seen before. Oh, look, look, look, look! And
those who'd seen it time and time and time again say, yeah,
yeah, we've seen it before. Imagine the joy that he had.
You imagine the joy that a deaf woman, some woman, who'd never
heard a thing in her life. All of a sudden, the Lord gave
her hearing ears and somebody was playing a beautiful melody. She has ears to hear now. Well, it says this. There was
a lame man. The Lord healed him. He had never walked on his legs. He had lain around. He had somebody
carry him all the day of his life. And the Lord strengthened
him. And what does it say? He leaped up and danced. I'm not getting charismatic,
but this is what this man did. He said, joy, for the joy I can
walk. And he danced. He didn't just
walk. He danced. And our Lord said, we piped unto
you, and you haven't danced. Man, this gospel is great news! Good news! Joyful sound! Like
David who danced before what? The ark! God is merciful! God is gracious! God is good! God has forgiven us all our sins!
God has done all these things! Let's dance! And Micah, his wife,
said, you're making a fool out of yourself. She didn't know
God. That's why she said that. Settle down, David. You're making
a... He said, I'll be more vile. If that's being vile, I'll dance
all the more, you godless woman. If you knew God, you'd dance. We don't have to leap and all
this that carries on out there. I'm not talking... You know I'm
not talking about that, but this gospel makes the heart leap and
dance. You can be sitting there right
now dancing. But some don't. Some don't. Most of our children don't. The
gospel hasn't touched them yet. If God doesn't do something for
them when they grow up, they're goners. It doesn't matter that
they're our children. It doesn't matter. It doesn't
matter who the daddy is or who the granddaddy was. If God doesn't
have mercy on their soul and reveal Christ to them and in
them, they're goners. If God doesn't save them from
this untoward generation, if God doesn't have mercy upon them,
they will leave this church, they will leave the gospel and
never come back again with no interest in God whatsoever, and
God will damn them for it. Every one of our children. If God doesn't save them from
the pride of their little hearts, They're full of pride. Yes, they
are. As beautiful as they are, if
God does not do something about this wicked thing within them
called pride, called self, they're goners. How do I know? Because I was one of them. I sat right there and heard my
pastor say the same thing. And God had mercy on me. We have mourned unto you and
you haven't lamented. Would you turn with me to Ecclesiastes
7, the book of Ecclesiastes, right after Proverbs. Luke Ecclesiastes chapter 7.
Word of God. Word of God. You know, the only
reason a person wouldn't dance is they must not be a sinner.
You know, that's it. Must not be a sinner. Must be
self-righteous. Must just be a doctrine. Must
have doctrine in the head, not joy in the heart. No response,
but you know the gospel, the word of God says this also. It
says, be afflicted and mourn and weep. James said this, he said, let
your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to heaviness. Why? See the gospel, we're not
all the time happy. We're not all the time dancing.
That's not the way life is, is it? And that's not the way the
spiritual life is. There's a great deal of mourning.
When we hear the word of God, if there's life there, it will
cause us to mourn, greatly mourn. Mourn what? What's the chief
cause for our mourning? What is it that makes us saddest? Our sin. Our sin. Ever before. And we mourn over it. We look at who God is. You know,
we keep coming and keep coming and look at who God is. Oh, goodness
of God. How good our God's been to us.
Everybody in here, God's been good to you and me. So good. Hadn't he? Abundant in goodness. Merciful. He hath not dealt with us for
mercy. Has he? He hath not rewarded
us, according to our enigma. The grace of God just gives,
just gives, just gives, just gives, just keeps giving, keeps
giving. Upbraids not, gives more if anybody lack. He doesn't upbraid. He doesn't reproach us for this
grace that we've done. His grace keeps giving, keeps
giving, keeps giving. And what have we done in return? That ought to make us mourn,
Jim. Who wouldn't mourn? And you know,
since last year, there's some people who've left this congregation. And they're not coming back,
apparently. I just met one the other day,
her and her children. She not only is not interested
in God, but has removed her children, telling them they don't need
God either. Could that happen to us? Could that happen to us? Well,
absolutely. We're no different. What should
that cause us to do? More. Oh, more. Take not thy Holy Spirit
from me. Don't let me leave. Don't let
me take my children out from under the Word. And then I'm
not only guilty of my soul, but theirs, too. Huh? Oh, please. Look at this. Oh, this is great. Verse 2, it says, It's better
to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting.
That's the end of all men, what's that? Mourning. This is all dying. Did you read the article by Brother
Scott Richardson in the Bulletin? Two persons already said to me
what an impression that made upon them. Now that all this
stuff in this world is going to amount to nothing. All relationships,
all persons that we hold so dear, all things, all relationships
are going to be gone. Every single relationship, husband,
wife, children, parent, except those in Christ, brothers and
sisters in Christ. It remaineth that those that
be married be as though they weren't married. That's what's
going to happen. These things that we hold so
dear are going to be refuge in the streets. Brother Greg Young
was told the story of over in what was formerly the U.S.S.R.
It was a country that declared its independent. And they had
their own currency. I forget what it was. But they
established this currency, this paper money that they used. And they had, like we do, dollars
and five dollars and ten dollars. And it could buy things and so
forth. Well, in the space of a couple of years, everything you know, escalated the price
of cost of living went way up and the currency devaluated.
It was worthless. And it became absolutely worthless.
Do you know what they began to use it for? You would go into public restrooms
and this money would be all over the floor. They'd be using it
for toilet paper. And the United States of America,
Worthless paper. Worthless paper. It's all going
to end. That's the end. Verse 2. That
is the end of all men. The living will lay it to heart. The living. This word is a saver. It's a word of mourning. It says
mourn, John. It says mourn. And the living, those alive to
the Word of God, quickened by the Word of God, will lay it
to heart. Oh, Lord. I have sought after these things,
dead things. How could I have my heart set
on dead things, worthless things, and ignore the priceless one? It causes mourning, wouldn't
it? It should cause mourning in us.
It does in God's people. It does. Verse three, sorrow
is better than laughter. For by the sadness of the countenance
the heart is made better. You know who's going to hear
the good news? Those that mourn. You know who's going to? Those that mourn. Those that weep. This is going
to be joy in the morning. Joy in the morning. The heart
of the wise, verse four, it goes on, the heart of the wise is
in the house of mourning. The heart of fools is in the
house of murder. It's better to hear the rebuke
of the wise. Who's rebuking us right now?
Not me. I didn't plan this. The Lord,
Jesus Christ, said these words, and he wrote this. And there
were people standing around listening to him as he said these things.
We piped unto him. And now here we are, saying this
to us. We're hearing the rebuke of the
wise, the wise one. He who is wisdom. Better to hear
the rebuke of a wise son here at the rebuke of his father.
Lord, rebuke me. Make me mourn. Than to hear the
song of fools. People out there today that are
hearing this song. Thousands of people all over
this planet sitting and listening to. Give them all this foolish notion.
Of a foolish God foolish. Blessed are your ears. Go back
to our text in Matthew 11. Matthew 11, go back there. God's
house is a place of mourning. You know that? It's a place of
mourning. As I've said so many times, what
I'm endeavoring to do is prepare us to die. And to die is a place of mourning
for those who mourn now. He said, Blessed are they that
mourn. They shall be comforted. And the comfort he gives, no
man can take away. Nothing and no one. And then
the Lord condemns his generation for their rejection of his prophet,
John. Go back there in verse 18. He said, John came neither eating
nor drinking, and they say he hath a devil. John apparently
was a secluded man, A reclusive type man who did not join in
with them in their. Weddings and feasts and all that
apparently he did not attend. Go to their homes and all that
sort of thing lived in a world that are. A secluded man, a reclusive
man. And they said, he's got a devil.
He's too serious. He's too strict. He's too morose.
He's too demanding. He's too separate. He's too this,
too that. Verse 19, the son of man, our Lord said, the son of
man, that's himself, God who became a man, came eating and
drinking. He joined in with them. He joined with them. And they
said, he's a gluttonous man. He's a winebibber. Why, he's
a friend of publicans and sinners. Oh my. What they said in their approach
of him was actually his glory wasn't it, and our salvation.
A friend of publicans and sinners. He joined with them. In us, he
was not of us, though he was with us, he was above us. Though
he joined with us, joined himself to us, he's separate from sinners,
yet he could do it. And they wouldn't hear John.
They wouldn't hear John, wouldn't listen to him. See, it didn't
matter. It didn't matter. Here John was, a very solemn
man, very secluded, very just totally Everybody knew that,
yet they said, well, he's crazy. And here our Lord was, mingling
with the people, and they said, well, he's just an unwinding,
he's no different than we are, no better than we are. They wouldn't
hear a cry. He's not pious enough. But our Lord said this. He made
this great statement, verse 19. Wisdom is justified of our children. That there's so much right there.
And I've always marveled at that. I don't think I've ever heard
anyone preach a whole message on. I'm not going to. But. And he says too much to
even be able to comprehend what he said, but. That what the Lord
is saying that children, her children, those children of wisdom,
those who come from wisdom, those who are given this wisdom from
above. Though children, yet they justify,
they see the glory, they see the wisdom, they see the, they're amazed by who and what
and how and why and so forth that God did what he did. Why
John came as he did. Why, John was as he was, who
he was, where he came from. He's the forerunner, remember?
He's Elijah. He was to come, written of in
Malachi, the glory in Christ as he was, a man among us. Why he did that? They see the
wisdom and glory of God, and they justify him in all that
he did. They say it's right. The key
here, and what all we're going to look at now. The key here
is children, the word children. The bulletin, the title of this
message is The Gospel for Children and Babes. The key here is children,
and this is the key to what he's talking about, piping and dancing,
children. It doesn't take much to make
children dance. The older you get, I don't know,
maybe the debtor you give. That shouldn't be that way, should
it? I gave one of our brethren a birthday card recently. It really struck me. It showed
two old dogs on the front cover playing, just romping and playing,
two old dogs. And it said, you don't quit playing
because you grow old. He'd grow old because he quit
playing. My old dog Abner, he's still
as lively as he was with a puppy. He loved to chase a stick all
day long, that fella. It's keeping him young looking. This gospel is good news. It
ought to make us dance. It ought to keep us from growing
old and dead. lifeless, you know, this gospel
would be. He said, except our Lord said
that he's the one that said this, except you receive the word,
the kingdom as a little child. Would the God that we come every
time and this is the way to do it before we come, Lord, I've
heard this many times. Would you keep it from becoming
common to me? Lord, I've heard this over and
over again. I have to ask this. I'm saying the same thing to
say every Sunday, every Wednesday. I have to ask the Lord, Lord,
make it brand new. Let this thrill my heart as if
it were the first time I ever heard it. Would you let me hear
the gospel? Do you remember the first time
the Lord really, you heard the gospel? Do you remember that?
You'd punch in somebody beside you, you know, you hear that?
And you'd tell somebody later on, I had the greatest message
I've ever heard. You know, every message, if it's
full of Christ and glorifying the God and good news to send,
it ought to be the greatest message you've ever heard. Gospels for children. Children. Our Lord said, Come, children.
He said, Of such is the kingdom of heaven. Children. Sitting
in the marketplace. Children. Young. Children are
full of life, aren't they? Children are youthful. You know
if you talk about the view of you being on the ground is the
first twenty five days he said they were revealed this on the
base of gospel for children and babies. Can Kelly get enough to eat and
she ever seem to be really. Abigail always hungry and what
is it that you want. So what one thing is it that
they desire as a baby? Milk. You put lobster and all
that in front of them, that looks pretty good, but I want milk. Oh, Peter said, desire the sincere
milk of the world that you may grow thereby. Milk is for babies. I still love milk to this day.
We go through a lot of milk, don't we? And I'm going to let
the cat out of the bag. I put Nestle's Quick in it. Yeah,
I do. Davis, I fill it full of Nestle's
Quick. I drink it nearly every night.
They told me years ago my teeth were going to rot out. I don't
have a cavity. Never have. But I love milk. Milk and honey. Paradise, God's heaven is a place,
a land flowing with what? Milk. I've been preaching for
a little while now, and I haven't told the half of it, and I'm
embarrassed by what I've left out and what I haven't said and
how I've said it, and this and that and the other. Someday,
I'm going to hear the Lord Jesus Christ stand up, and Deborah,
he's going to start dealing with the tabernacle. And I've never heard that before.
It's like I did not know that. I spoke things too wonderful
for me. Well, would you listen to that? Deborah and I are going
to stand beside each other and say, can you believe that? That's
amazing. Milk, land flowing with milk
and honey. It'll be sweeter. Oh, sweet.
Don't stop. No watches, no clocks. Don't
stop. We'll be able to bear it. Mary
will be able to bear the things now. Then you'll be able to,
you'll be telling us and we'll just be absorbing it all. Can't wait. Land flowing, milk
and honey. This gospel is for the hungry. Thirsty. Thirsty. You ladies, who do you like to
cook for? I know why Irene cooks like she
does. She's married to a man who just
loves to eat. That's why. He's hungry. Has he ever turned away from
the table? He's hungry. Are you going to keep cooking
for him? Does it give you joy to cook for him? Oh, I've seen
him eat. Oh, man, this gospel's for the
hungry. Hungry. Our Lord said, come unto
me, all you that labor hunger and thirst. Hungry. Open your
mouth. Feel it. Thirsty. You know, if you're really hungry
and you get bit into something great, what are you going to
do? Respond. I know it gets old to my wife,
but I tell her all the time. This is the best thing I've ever
eaten. This is wonderful. You don't get tired of hearing
that, do you? It makes you keep cooking. And many of you tell
me that all the time. I preach that. It's just wonderful.
And I say, yes, it is. Because I'm eating it, too. This
is great. It's for the hungry. As long
as there's somebody hungry, we're going to keep on feeding. Keep
on feeding. Oh, man, my dad told me he confided
in me once and now he's life's gone and I can save him. He said there have been folks
who he preached to for over 40 years that never made one comment
about one message ever. He said if everybody was like
that I'd have quit preaching 35 years ago. Unimaginable, isn't it? That's
not what life does. That's not what the hungry do.
That's not what the thirsty do. We were working the other day,
Gabe and I, and I got so thirsty, like I am now. And I sat down in the chair and
I said, Gabe, would you do me a favor? I said, would you go
get me a drink? I was sharpening my pencil as
well. I had to sharpen my pencil and do something, figure something.
I said, would you go get me a cup of water? And he went and got
that cup of water with ice in it and brought it back to me. You ever been thirsty? Sure you
have. You know what I did after I drank this? Wow. That's good. Thank you. It's life. Response. Response. Well, the Lord said it's going
to be more tolerable. Verses 20 through 24, he began
to upbraid the cities where most of his mighty works were done
because they repented not. And lo, Rocky Mountain has had
more undone in it than New York City. He compares Chorazin and
Bethsaida to Tyre and Sidon. Tyre and Sidon was one of the
greatest cities, metropolitan cities on earth at the time.
Huge, huge city. These were little towns. These
were the little towns where the apostles lived. Remember, he
went into their cities and began to preach. Vermont, Rocky Mountain,
Crossville, Franklin, on and on. Little towns, right? Little
places. He said, Woe unto Chorazin and
Bethsaida, if the mighty works had been done, and you had been
done in San Francisco or New York or Los Angeles, they would have repented long
ago and sacked cloth and ashes. I say unto you, it shall be more
tolerable, tire and siding, at the day of judgment than for
you. Now Capernaum, exalted unto heaven. Rocky Mount has been exalted
to heaven, has it not? It has. The Tabernacle is sitting
in the middle of Rocky Mount, of all places, of all places
on earth. Back in 1985, the first time
I came here, I remember somebody, well, Jim Byrd called me and
asked me if I could come down and preach. He was out of town.
I said, Rocky Mount, where is that? Everybody I say Rocky Mountain,
they say North Carolina. They say that's you. I said,
where is that? It says below Roanoke. Where? And I remember coming here. And
oh, it's really changed. And it's 20 years ago. Oh, that's changed. And I remember
coming here thinking, this is a strange little place. You know,
winding through town. I actually got lost. One road. When you went through that, you know,
forty tell people to stay on forty. Well, how do you stay
on it? Go by the post office. Strange little town. Boy, is
this a wonderful town now for me. Exalted to heaven. The tabernacle's here. But he says it's going to be
more tolerable in the jail of judgment. Thieves and murderers
and homosexuals. God's going to have more mercy
on than gospel-hardened churchgoers. And then the Lord's harsh reproach
turns to praise, and he doesn't dwell on the dead. He begins
to rejoice in the living. And I've been too long dwelling
on the dead. He rejoices. After all, verse 25, the Lord
at that time, it says, Jesus answered. You know, answer. When we think
of answer, we think somebody says something, you answer. Well, no. Who said anything that
he answered? God is always speaking, is he
not? The Lord's listening. Tammy,
she's listening all the time. God reminded him, you know, oh,
I have yet 7,000, if not bowed to me, to bail. And he answered. He looked around and saw all
the disinterested people. There was nothing to it. He looked
around and saw nobody dancing, nobody more. And God said, I
have some. And he answered. Luke's account
says he rejoiced in spirit. At that time he rejoiced in spirit.
I believe he looked heavenward. He looked toward heaven and laughed.
One of the few times it says he rejoiced in spirit. He rejoiced
in spirit. He laughed. He looked toward
heaven and laughed and said, I thank Thee. Oh, I thank Thee. Oh, Father, Lord of heaven and
earth, because Thou hast hid these things from the wise and
the prudent and revealed, hast revealed them unto babes. Had not these babies in our midst
just revived us? Have they not? We went for a
long time without any babies. And it's there. We want some
more. We need some boys. Ladies, we need boys. These children, though, have
they not just taken up with these babies? That's what the kingdom's for,
babies. When God adds a new believer,
a babe, it just enlivens us, doesn't it? We hear and see the
gospel through their eyes every time that God adds somebody.
And I bring a message and it's something about years ago, and
I thought, oh, but so-and-so hadn't heard this. Oh, wait till
he hears this. Wait till she hears this. And
you know what? I hear it. Through them, I think. Do you
hear that? Or they might not have heard.
This is wonderful. Babies. Babies. Oh, Lord, thou hast revealed
these things unto babes. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Oh, Lord. Thank you. You know, I'm so thankful to
be right here in this little place. the low rocking mat with
who is here. I'm so thankful that there are
no doctors and lawyers in this congregation. I don't expect they'd want to
hear me too much. A fellow with a Kentucky twang and no education.
Not many wise men have to pledge, not many mighty are called. You
see your calling, don't you brethren? God has chosen the weak thing.
Things that are not. Truck drivers and mechanics and
mail carriers and service station owners and carpenters and you
know. Bank tellers and housewives and. Railroaders. Common old folk. Common hear the word gladly.
I'm so glad to be right here. I'm not seeking great things
for myself. This is great. It's the greatest place on earth
for me. It really is. Kings and priests, that's who
I am among. God hath chosen. He's hid these
things from the wise and the prudent. Hid them. Hid these
things. But God is sovereignly... Isn't
this sovereign grace right here he's talking about? Sovereign
electing grace right here? He's hid these things. Why don't
they see it? He said he saw it. Why do we
see it? He's revealed it unto them. Thank
God. Thank God. Even so, why? Because it seemed good in his
sight. It seemed good. Why do I know the gospel and
my wise brother who has a doctorate, a professor of history, does
not know it, is not interested in one with? Because it seemed
good in God's sight. He made me to differ. Thank you,
Father. Thank you. That ought to elicit
thanks from us about every five minutes. And then he confirms,
in closing, he confirms how that all things are in his hand for
our comfort. All things, he said, are delivered
unto me of my Father. And no man knoweth the Son. Oh,
this is why we Brother Stan, this is why we do what we do.
We're trying to grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord
Jesus Christ. We don't know him yet, as we
should, as we ought, as we want. So we study him. We're disciples. It's what we do. We're students
of the Lord Jesus Christ. We've come to hear about him
and learn of him and learn from him. It's Wednesday night, Lord Willem.
We're going to look at his yoke and his heart. Next few verses
learn of him. But he says all thing nobody
knows the son. No really knows. But the father. Neither knoweth
any man the father save the son. Now what is eternal life? What did our Lord say in John
seventeen three? He said, this is life eternal
that they might know thee, the only true God and Jesus Christ
whom thou hast sent. Well, how do we? He to whom the Son reveals Him. He said, Peter, who do you say
that I am? I know who you are. Did he? Well, yes and no. He believed
with all his heart, Kelly, he believed with all his heart that
he was the Christ. His hope, his salvation. But
how much did he know him? Like a dog knows a human. But
he believed her. He said, Blessed are you, Simon.
I believe he smiled then. Blessed are you, Sherry. Bless
your blood and reveal the secret. But my father had seen good in
his sight. That's you, Sherry Anderson. This is a wonderful thing. It's
just too wonderful for us. How could everybody ever hear
this gospel without either laughing or crying? It's beyond me. OK. Let's sing something happy. What about old Happy Day? You
know that? That fixed my choice. I. Can't say. What number. You said OK. Let's say. You. Oh, happy days that fixed my
joys on Thee, my Savior and my God. Well, may this glowing heart
rejoice until its rapture's all abroad. Happy day, happy day,
when Jesus washed my sins away. He taught me how to watch and
pray, and live rejoicing every day. Happy day, happy day, when
Jesus washed my sins away. Third verse is the last. He's
done the great transactions done. I am my Lord's and He is mine. In the end I followed on Charmed
to confess the voice divine Happy day, happy day When Jesus washed
my sins away He taught me how to watch and pray And live rejoicing
every day Happy day, happy day, when Jesus washed my sins away. So, I'm going to go ahead and
get started. I'm going to go ahead and get started.

The Gospel For Children And Babes

What does the Bible say about mourning in relation to the gospel?

How do we know that God reveals Himself to the humble?

Why is understanding our sin important for Christians?

What does it mean that the gospel is for children and babes?

Sermon Transcript

About Paul Mahan

Comments

Joshua

Articles

Featured Authors

Podcast

Sermons

Featured Preachers

Books

Browse by Format

Music

Recent Comments

About

Legal

Subscribe

Account

Articles

Featured Authors

Podcast

Recent Comments

Sermons

Featured Preachers

Books

Browse by Format

Collections

Music

About

Legal

Subscribe

The Gospel For Children And Babes

What does the Bible say about mourning in relation to the gospel?

How do we know that God reveals Himself to the humble?

Why is understanding our sin important for Christians?

What does it mean that the gospel is for children and babes?

Sermon Transcript

About Paul Mahan

Comments

More from Paul Mahan

Related Sermons

Same Scripture

Articles by Paul Mahan

Joshua

Where this book stands in the tradition

Plato

Augustine

The Western Christian Tradition

This Book