Have we heard that before? That
was a blessing. I really like that. Well, obviously you can see that
this passage of scripture does not teach infant baptism. It's
not as much as mentioned. But I've entitled this message
prerequisites, true and false. prerequisites, true and false. Verse 13, and they brought young
children to him that he should touch them. Can anyone blame
these parents for this? What would you want to do with
your kids? What would you want to do with
your grandchildren? You'd want them to bring, you'd want to
bring them to the Lord Jesus Christ and you would want him
to touch them and bless them, wouldn't you? No one can blame
these parents. This is what I hope I would do.
This is what I hope you would do. And his disciples, rebuked those
that brought them. Once again, they demonstrated
how stupid they could be. I tell you, you can't read through
the Gospels and not see how stupid the disciples were and how stupid
we are. Isn't that so? But verse 14, when Jesus saw,
he was much displeased. Not just a little bit displeased.
He was much displeased by this action of the disciples. because
HE SAW EXACTLY WHAT THEY WERE DOING. THEY WERE RECIRCULATING
THE OLD, OLD SIN OF TRYING TO MAKE PREREQUISITES TO COME TO
CHRIST. NOW THESE CHILDREN DON'T KNOW
ENOUGH. THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND ENOUGH.
They've not had enough experience. They've not had sufficient confession
of sin. There's just so many areas in
which they're lacking. They cannot come to Christ. They're children. They need to
have more experience. They need to have more knowledge.
They need something in order to come to Christ. And the Lord
was much displeased. He was angry over this. And he said, suffer the little
children to come unto me and forbid them not. For of such is the kingdom of
God. Verily I say unto you, whosoever
shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he
shall not enter therein. And he took them up in his arms,
put his hands on them, and blessed them. Now, any prerequisite anybody
gives for anybody coming to Christ is wrong. It's just wrong. You first have
to turn from your sin before you can come to Christ. You first
have to have a proper view and sense of sin. You first have
to have a deeper experience. You first have to fill in the
blank, whatever it is. It's as wrong as it can be. And that's why the Lord was much
displeased. Now, if you put anything that
the sinner needs to do before they can come to Christ, you
cease to preach the gospel. You've taken the gospel away.
You're left with a message of salvation by works. how you need
to get yourself fixed up before you can come to Christ. Why, free will even is a, you
gotta make a decision to come to Christ. That's a prerequisite. Any prerequisite is wrong. Coming to Christ is not a long
journey. They're not steps you take to
get there. You're there as soon as you come.
The disciples were rebuking the parents because they didn't have
what is required to come to Christ, these little children. You can't
come to Christ until you feel your sin more or have more godly
sorrow, more sincerity, showing you mean business by how you
turn from your sin and perform works that prove the sincerity
of what you're doing. You know all that is? That's
a bunch of garbage. That's all it is. It's a bunch
of garbage. It's a subtle way of trying to
keep people away from Christ and trying to keep people from
hearing the gospel. It's just another form of salvation
by works. Suffer the little children to
what? Come to me. Forbid them not. For of such is the kingdom of
God. Now, suffer the little children
to come to me. Now, coming to Christ is the
act of spiritual life. It's what people who have life
do. All that the Father giveth me
shall come to me. Not come to religion, not come
to a new leaf, come to me. Him that cometh to me I'll in
no wise cast out. You will not come to me that
you might have life. What does it mean to come to
Christ? I don't want to overcomplicate it. Turn to John chapter six. Verse 35, if you want to know
what it means to come to Christ, here we go. The Lord said in
verse 35, I am the bread of life. He that cometh to me shall never
hunger and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. Coming to Christ and believing
on Christ are the precise same thing. When you come to Christ,
you know what that means? You're relying on Him to save
you. Now, when you're relying on Him
to save you, you know what that means? That means you're coming
to Him. This is the act of spiritual
life. Now, I want to give you Five
reasons why I come to Christ. Five reasons, and if you come,
you're gonna find these five reasons are true with you as
well. The first reason I come to Christ, I've gotta begin with
the Lord himself. Look in verse 44, you're in chapter
six of John. No man can come to me, except
the Father which has sent me draw him. Now here's the first reason I
come to Christ. I'm drawn by the Father. It didn't begin with me. It began
with Him. I'm drawn to the Father. And you know what happens when
you come by the Father? You know what happens when you
come to Christ? When you're drawn to Christ, you find Him to be
irresistible. You must have him. You must be
found in him. Here's the first reason a man
comes to Christ. It's because he's drawn by the Father to come
to Christ. Second reason I come to Christ
is because I'm commanded to. My right comes here, not because
of any rightness in me, but he said, come unto me. That's a
command. It's on good advice. It's a command,
and the right that you have to come to Christ is because he
commands you to. If he commands you to, you've
got a right to come. Come unto me, all ye that labor
and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. I come to Christ
because I'm drawn, because I'm commanded to, but I come to Christ
because I have such a need of him. I wish I could express sufficiently
how much I need to be found in him, how much I need for him
to draw me. How much I need for him to receive
me. How much I need for him to forgive
me of my sins. How much I need for him to give
me his righteousness. How much I need to be united
to him. I need the Lord Jesus Christ. I love that hymn. I need thee
precious Jesus for I am full of sin. My soul is dark and guilty. My heart is dead within. I need
the cleansing fountain where I can always flee the blood of
Christ, most precious, the sinner's perfect plea. I come to Him because I'm afraid
not to. I'm just flat out afraid not
to. And I come to Him because I really don't have any options.
I mean, it's not like there's a choice involved. No. The Lord looked at his disciples
and said, will you also go away? And they said, Peter said, Lord,
to whom shall we go? It's not like there are somewhere
else to go. It's not like there's another option. It's not like
there's another direction we can take. Thou hast the words
of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that
thou art that Christ. the son of the living God. You believe that? Back to our text in Mark chapter
nine, or Mark chapter 10, I'm sorry. Verse 14, but when Jesus saw
he was much displeased that the disciples were saying, these
people aren't ready. Are you saying you should try
to exhort two and three year old kids to believe on Christ? I'm saying I'm preaching the
gospel to every creature. And two or 200, I don't know. I'm
not gonna sit there and make a, well, they're too young. Who
am I to say what the age is? You know, I don't know. The Lord
said, suffer the little children to come to me and forbid them
not For of such is the kingdom of God. Now, a little child here
means either, and it's used in both cases, either an infant
or a young child that has some faculties and knows how to get
to him and come to him. And both of those things are
actually very instructive. Suffer the infants to come to
me for of such are the kingdom of God." Now, let's talk about
infants, newborns. Let's just talk about kids that
are under two weeks a month. I don't know, but let's talk
about infants. There are scriptures that seem
to imply that at least some infants, maybe all infants, are saved. I think of David. He said with
regard to his child, he can't come back to me, but I'll go
to him. Now that sounds to me like he's
going to go to his kid in heaven. That's what it sounds like. Now,
are there any definitive scriptures that says infants are saved?
No. No. There are no definitive. I've said this before. You can
see the Lord's wisdom in that because if he said infants are
saved, a lot of infants would be killed before they got a chance
to grow up. People said this is the best thing we can do for
them. And if infants are not saved, if you've lost a child
in infancy, how much despair would that create if you thought,
well, they're burning in hell now. That'd be an awful thing
to experience. So you see the Lord's wisdom
in leaving this Implications but not strong statements. And
I'll tell you another thing. It irritates the life out of
me when I hear a preacher make a dogmatic statement about this.
I know all infants are saved. I just don't like hearing that.
The Bible doesn't say that. And I don't like that dogmatic statement
and stance on it for this reason. It's like this. They ought to
be saved. God wouldn't pass them by. They ought to be saved. Infants
should be saved. You can use that same reason
and say infants shouldn't die. Same reasoning. Infants shouldn't
die. Why do infants die? Because they're
sinners. That's why they die. They die because they're sinners.
And you can't make dogmatic statements like that. I do not like it when
preachers do that. I think they're wrong. All of
a sudden, they're becoming God's judge. Almost like saying he'd
be wrong if he didn't. Whatever the Lord does is right.
I might not understand it. Doesn't matter whether I understand
it or not. Whatever the Lord does is right. By his grace, I bow to
that. But if an infant is saved, you
know why the infant's saved? Because it was elect. Because
Jesus Christ died for him. Because God the Holy Spirit gave
them a new nature. They couldn't come into heaven
with the old nature they're born with. They'd have to be given
a new nature, a holy nature. As far as that goes, Charles
Spurgeon has a message entitled Infant Salvation, and he can't
explain this, he's just giving his, I can't either, but he thinks
all infants were saved, and maybe they are, but he did say this,
if an infant's saved, he has to believe on Christ, and somehow
that infant is enabled through supernatural divine grace to
believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, or they won't enter heaven, because
there's no entering heaven apart from faith. I wouldn't disagree with that. If an infant saved, though, of
such are the kingdom of heaven. How's an infant saved? By the
electing grace of God. By the redeeming blood of Christ. By the life-giving, regenerating
work of the Holy Spirit. That's the way I'm saved. That's the way you're saved. Suffer the infants to come to
me, for of such is the kingdom of God." He says, whosoever shall
not receive, look at that word receive, receive the kingdom
of God as an infant. How does an infant receive? Well,
it happens to him and he receives what happens. Of such are the kingdom Now,
let's consider this as a little child. Not as an infant right now, but
as a little child that can understand language, can respond to language,
can hear what's being said. Maybe a three or four or five
year old child, maybe a seven or eight year old child, but
a little child. What is the meaning of receiving the kingdom of God
as a little child? It is the capacity to believe
what you're told. It's childlike faith. You believe what you're told. You haven't become old enough
to become cynical, and you haven't had enough experience to think,
well, they're probably lying. You just believe what you are
told. Childlike faith. Now, Abraham.
God spoke to him. He said, see the stars? Can you
count them? No. So shall thy seed be. He believed what God said. Because God said it. He didn't
have to have evidence. He didn't have to say prove how
that could be. He believed what God said. That is receiving the kingdom
of God as a little child. Now, if you put any prerequisite
to that, you have taken away the truth. You've taken it away. And that is exactly what the
Lord is angry with his disciples about. They're just kids. They don't have what it takes
to believe. They don't have enough experience. They don't have enough
understanding. They don't have enough knowledge.
They don't have enough conviction of sin. They're just kids. They
need something more is what they were saying. They need something
more. And the Lord rebuked them for
it. He was much displeased. And he said, suffer the little
children to come to me, for of such is the kingdom of heaven. Now, those are false prerequisites. But did not the Lord say in Matthew
chapter 18, verse three and four, except you be converted and become as little children,
you shall in no case under no circumstances enter the kingdom
of heaven. And the Bible does give some
prerequisites for entering the kingdom of heaven. Now, these
prerequisites men come up with to come to Christ are all false.
They're all garbage. All they do is muddy the waters
and they keep people from Christ. But there are prerequisites the
Lord speaks of, of entering the kingdom of heaven. In Matthew
chapter five, verse 20, the Lord said, accept your righteousness,
your righteousness, exceed, surpass the righteousness of the scribes
and the Pharisees. You shall in no case in no wise
enter the kingdom of heaven. Now, We're there in Mark 10,
look in verse 20. This is the rich young ruler
speaking to the Lord after the Lord gives him the commandments.
And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I
observed from my youth. He thought he'd kept every commandment.
Reminds me of Paul, what he said about himself, touching the righteousness
which is in the law, I was blameless. You better have a better righteousness
than that. That's not enough. Your righteousness must exceed
the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees. You know that
Pharisee in the temple that said, I thank thee that I'm not as
other men are. And he started talking about
what he did and what he didn't do. You know, all he was talking
about was filthy rags. That's what the scripture says.
Our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. You know, I suppose the
greatest oxymoron there is, is self-righteousness. What makes a little more or less
sense than that? We don't have any. I must have the righteousness
of Jesus Christ as my personal righteousness. Oh, that I may
win Christ and be found in him, not having my own righteousness,
which is of the law, but that which is through the faithfulness
of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by Have I understood
what Paul meant when he said, but now the righteousness of
God without the law, without my law keeping, without something
done in my flesh. But now the righteousness of
God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and
prophets. This is what the Old Testament scriptures have always
taught. Even the righteousness of God which is by the faith
of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe. Now, we are told to enter into
the kingdom of heaven, we're to enter in at the straight gate,
very narrow. And you know, it doesn't get
any easier once we pass through the gate. We still have to stay
on the narrow way. Many, those are the words of
the Lord, many take the wide gate and the broad way that leads
to destruction, but only few take the straight gate. Now this
gate is so narrow that if you have anything other than Christ,
you can't get through. I hope you hear that. And you
know, it doesn't change after you get on the road. The road
stays so narrow that if you have anything other than Christ, you're
not going to make it. Straight is the gate. Narrow
is the way that leads to life. No entrance with any additions. straight gate and narrow way
to enter the kingdom of heaven. And then in Matthew chapter seven,
verses 21 and 23, I'm sure we're all familiar with this, but the
Lord said, beginning in verse 21, not everyone that saith to me,
Lord, Lord shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth
the will of my Father, which is in heaven. There's no entering
the kingdom of heaven without doing his will. Many, there he uses that word
again. Many shall say unto me in that
day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name? Why
in your name? We cast out demons. And in your
name, we've done many wonderful works. Then will I say unto them,
depart from me, ye that work iniquity, I never knew you. Now he knew that they'd never
done the one thing. They'd never done the will of
God. What is the will of God? To believe on Christ. To look
to him only. Not one time in their life did
they ever look to Christ alone. This is the work of God, that
you believe on Him whom He has sent. You believe God sent Him,
you believe He did what God sent Him to do, and you rely only
on Him. That's doing the will of God.
But what about all this other stuff we preached? We cast out
demons. We had many wonderful works to
part. That's all he has to say. The
one thing is to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, to him that
worketh not, but believeth on him that justifies the ungodly. His faith is counted for righteousness. And then we have The parable
of the wise and foolish virgins, you can know about that. Matthew
chapter 25, you have five wise, five foolish. Well, they looked
alike. They all had lamps. Couldn't
see anything from the outside. One wasn't prettier than the
other, I don't suppose. It doesn't point that out. And they all
did the same thing. They all slumbered and slept.
None of them looked good. It doesn't say the five wise
stayed awake. It says they slumbered and slept
too. But when the king came, the bridegroom came, who was
admitted in? The people with the oil in their
lamps. To everybody else, the door was
shut. The oil is His grace. The grace of the Holy Spirit.
What was the difference between the five wise and the five foolish?
The oil. That's it. That's all that's
pointed out. The grace of God, the Holy Spirit. Then in John chapter three, verse
five, we read, except a man be born of water and of the spirit,
he cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. Now here's another one
of those entrance requirements. This is a prerequisite to entering
in to the actual kingdom of heaven. You have to be born of water.
hand of the Spirit. Now, that's not water baptism.
You know that from the rest of the scripture. Ephesians chapter
5, Paul talked of the washing of water by the word. The water
is the word, the word of God, the gospel that God the Holy
Spirit takes and begets life. And that's what happens when
God saves somebody. They're birthed. They're fathered
by God. They're given a new nature. They're
given a holy nature. They're given something that
was not there before. They're birthed by God. And without that,
there is no entering the kingdom of heaven. A new creation. That's who believes. It's not your old man that believes,
it's the new man. You know, the new man actually
owns the sins of the old. He's the one who confesses the
sins. The old man doesn't even know how to do that. It's the
new man, the new creature in Christ Jesus. And the Lord said
in John chapter 10, verse nine, I am the door by me, if any man
enter in, he shall be saved. Now Christ is the door. Now by
me, if any man enter in, not alongside me, not behind me,
but by me. I am the way, the truth, the
life, no man cometh to the Father but by me. Now what that means
is when Christ came into the Father's presence, ascended back
into the Father's presence and sat down in his right hand, you
know who went with him? Every single one of his people.
I entered the kingdom of heaven by him, by him. A couple more scriptures found
in the book of Revelation. Turn with me to Revelation 21, verse 27. And there shall in no wise enter
in, enter into it, heaven, anything. that defileth, neither whatsoever
worketh abomination, or maketh a lie, but they which are written
in the Lamb's book of life." You know, to enter into heaven
Your name is gonna have to already be written. There was a reservation
made for you. And your name is written in the
Lamb's Book of Life. Now, you don't have to wait and
see until then if your name's written. If you believe on Christ
right now, there's one reason, your name. has already been written
in the Lamb's Book of Life. And this thing was taken care
of before the foundation of the world. The only people that are
gonna enter in are the people whose names are written in the
Lamb's Book of Life. And look in verse 14 of chapter
22. Blessed are they that do his
commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life and
may enter in through the gates into the city. Now, how are they
described? They do his commandments. Now, if that's talking about
the 10 commandments, Every believer has done them. When Christ kept the law, I kept
the law. And I don't need to worry about
the law of God. The law of God demands my salvation because
I've kept it perfectly in the Lord Jesus Christ. I don't think that's what he's
talking about though. In 1 John chapter 3, you're familiar with
this passage of scripture. 1 John chapter 3, it's very close. Verse 23, this is his commandment. Verse 22 says, and whatsoever
we ask, we receive of him because we keep his commandments and
do those things that are pleasing in his sight. This is his commandment
that we should believe on the name of his son, Jesus Christ. Now, when it speaks of believing
on his name, That means we're believing that we're saved because
of His name, because of His righteousness, because of His sovereignty, because
of His power, because of His holiness, because of His immutability,
because of His faithfulness, because of His love, because
of His grace. We're believing on His name and loving one another
as He gave us commandments. Prerequisites, good and bad. Well, they're bad if there's
something I need to do in order to make me able to come to Christ. The gospel goes out the window.
It's not there. But all these prerequisites of
entering into the kingdom of heaven, every believer has. because their names were written
in the Lamb's Book of Life. And they enter the door. They
enter the straight gate. They walk along the narrow way.
They're born of God. All these pre-wakes, they do
the will of God. It's all because of His grace. Let's pray. Lord, we give thanks that you
call upon us to come to your son. Give each one of us the grace
to come to him. And we ask that you would cause
us to have these prerequisites of entering the kingdom of heaven,
that we might believe on your son. enter through the door,
enter by him. We ask that you would give us
this childlike faith that simply believes what you say. And Lord,
we confess we're saved the way an infant is saved, because salvation
really is of the Lord, and we give thanks. Lord, bless this
message for your glory and our good. In Christ's name we pray,
amen.