A Simple Trust

A Simple Trust

Matthew 18:1–14

1 At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? 2 And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, 3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. 6 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. 

7 Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh! 8 Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire. 9 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire. 10 Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven. 11 For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost. 12 How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? 13 And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray. 14 Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.

“Who is the greatest…?”. It is the trust of a child that is the greatest.

A simple trust, a simple faith. One that believes simply that which is being told them by he who is true and good.

It is interesting in the contrast of what God values compare to man. Man things that some great act will glorify them in heaven and yet God lifts up those who a simple faith, a simple trust. 

They who will believe him at his word are they who are lifted up, not they to attend to any great act.

Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Not just greatness, entry itself is barred to the man or woman who presumes a prideful right to heaven. It is the humility of a child that measures qualification. 

We are to “become as little children” else “ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven”. 

Jesus makes it plain in verse 4;

4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

What we see here is the infinite value in which God places a child like faith, a simple trust in his words. For some reason this is valued above all else, nothing else seems to matter more. In fact, mankind is BARRED FROM HEAVEN without such a simple trust.

No its not a perfect life that he values. For “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23).

It is not any goodness in us that he would honour to life eternal, for “there is none good, no not one” “They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable” (Rom 3:12).

We have ALL thought that heaven is gained by goodness and its fascinating to see that Jesus, the one who’s very purpose statement is found in verse 11 of our text here in Matthew 18, believes that the man is found ONLY when he knows he is lost…and becomes like a child before God.

The thought shines an interesting light on that famous passage in Matthew 10:39

39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

1 For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.

The purpose statement of Christ as seen in verse 11, is effectual ONLY when the realisation comes to our minds and we KNOW that we are lost.

It is only then that we become like children seeking to be found.

PRAY.

Childlike Trust

Matthew 18:1–14

1 At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? 2 And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, 3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Small children are the most vulnerable people on earth. 

They have built within them from the very begining the most natural inclination to trust that all are good and all are well intentioned to do good.

Innocence is bound up in a child. They have no capacity within them to think that any adult would ever do them harm, and so they TRUST.

Its not a complicated trust, its not a proven trust, they wont ask you twenty questions, they wont ask you to prove yourself qualified to answer any question, they simply trust. That is how they begin life and, until anything contrary comes their way, they go on trusting, simply trusting, its natural, its “childlike”.

It is this faith and this trust that God loves more than any other.

As stated earlier, it is what qualifies us for heaven.

The parent of a Child loves that child and desires to care for it, to love it, to nurture it and to bring up the child well, to stand upon his one feet, to feed himself and the child simply trusts.

God desired that from the very beginning. He gave to man all that was nessessary for life and happiness for ever. He set him in the garden, called him by name and walked with him in the cool of the day. He gave him tasks that may encourage him greatly, to name the entirety of the animal kingdom and all that God asked for in return is that he would trust him at his word.

A SIMPLE TRUST. Nothing complicated, no high calling, simply to believe him when he spoke and never to think perversely of God, his father… for God made him from the dust of the earth.

No, he was not fationed in his mothers womb like you and I are. No cord was cut to sever him from his mother, he had no belly button, God simply created man from the 17 elements of the earth, the same 17 elements that remains in you and I to this day.

From dust…to dust when we die.

But there was no death when Adam was fashioned. It was a relationship with God that would not be separated by death….until….

 Well, until that SIMPLE TRUST was turned into DOUBT.

This is the fall of man, “ORIGINAL SIN” is what it is called today.

Adam went from believing God to thinking God not worthy of his trust in a matter of moments it would seem.

No, it was not his wife’s fault and no, it was not even the fault of the Serpent entirely, yet it was that devil that caused the offence, that caused the doubt to creep in. It was subtle but it was there,

Genesis 3:1

1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

That is all it took, a snow flake of doubt to set in motion an avalanche of destruction and man would never be the same again…well at least not until the second Adam came, Jesus Christ.

A Devilike Doubt.

Matthew 18:6

 6 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.

Its not difficult to offend a child like the devil offended Adam. 

Children are by nature VULNERABLE, they have never had any cause to doubt mum or dad, from the beginning they had been cared for and loved and nourished, never had they had cause to doubt and so it was always a SIMPLE TRUST.

JUST LIKE ADAM.

PERSONAL ANECDOTE

Many years ago when my son was but two years of age, we lost him in a shopping centre, either Highpoint or Watergardens, I cant recall which. 

He was not gone long and it truly didn’t take long, we simply turned and he wasn’t there. Nothing more frightening for a parent.

I walked out of the shop, looked to my right and a man had my boy by the hand and leading him back to me.

My son had no fear whatever but to trust that this man, just like everyone in his life to that point, cared for his well-being.

Whether it was this SIMPLE TRUST that Adam had respecting the entrance of this third individual in his life that had him led astray, we don’t know. 

Certain it would have been better for the devil that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea, than to have so offended man kind as he did.

Man still shows a semblance of this childlike faith in those who claim to care for us don’t we? We still like to think that there are people who have our best interest at heart and are offended by any who would take away that SIMPLE TRUST in authority.

It is as if we LONG to trust implicitly and so, when it comes to opportunities extended to us that seem good, even too good to be true, we SIMPLY TRUST.

ANECDOTE CASTRO 1965

After Fidel Castro’s Communist takeover of Cuba in 1959, in September of 1965 an offer was granted to the people for any who wished to leave the country, were free to do so.

Over 900,000 people registered to leave.

With only two planes of 190 people per plane leaving daily, it was going to take years to have then all leave.  

Between 1965 and 1973 only a third of the people were finally evacuated before the so-called “Freedom Flights” were called off.

Almost all of those registered were persecuted at one extreme or another, multitudes had their goods confiscated.

They had a SIMPLE TRUST in the goodness of the government, but another plan was in the mind of the wicked who announced the “OPPORTUNITY”.

China in the 1980’s gave the impression of religious freedom. It had Bible book shops in large cities, but after almost 40 years of Communist rule discerning people did not purchase their Bibles from registered book shops, for their would be a record of their own names together with links directly to the registered churches. 

And if the if there were no affirmative links to registered churches, inquiry would be made as to where they attend services.

Throughout history such were the methods of the malevolent.

Hitler respecting how he led the Jews to slaughter, from trains to freedom which led them  to concentration camps to, “showers” where water was expected, but poison Gas was found.

There is a remnant of this SIMPLE TRUST we all love to exercise, most particularly when we are enduring trials.

We all experienced a level of this a few years ago all around the world. 

Sometimes we exercise this SIMPLE TRUST when we are helping people. 

Last week a “good samaritan” stopped to help a person who rolled their 4wd, only to find that the person who did so was a thief and escaped with THEIR OWN CAR left running.

TRUST is broken.

We live in times of great betrayal and the most tragic of all is inflicted by those we trusted loved and care for us. 

Its a CHILDLIKE TRUST that has turned to a DEVILIKE DOUBT. 

Matthew 18:6

 6 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.

But the text goes on in verse 7;

7 Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh! 8 Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire. 9 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.

The greatest of all doubt is not that which aflicts our temporal life, it is that which afflicts ETERNITY.

We live in a day and age when the very reality of God is doubted. We send our Children (who simply trust us) to government schools completely unaware of what they are being taught there.

It is not until they are returned to us slowly doubting OUR CARE FOR THEM that we begin to wonder if the school system is not deliberately geared to deceive them.

QUOTE: Paul Bleecher Blanchard, Leading Secular Humanist Author: The Humanist 1976

“It think the most important factor leading us to a secular society has been the educational factor . Our schools may not teach Johnny to read properly, but the fact that Johnny is in school until he is 16 tends to lead toward the elimination of religious superstition.”

But this is not a “removal” my friends. It is a REPLACEMENT. 

Quote: Charles Francis Potter: Signatory of Humanist Manifesto  I

HVMANISM A NEW RELIGION. 1930

“Humanism is a new type of religion altogether” …. “Education is the most powerful ally of humanism, and every American public school is a school of humanism”

Mr Potter continues in the same book, saying:

“What can the theistic Sunday- schools, meeting for an hour once a week, and teaching only a fraction of the children, do to stem the tide of a five-day program of humanistic teaching?”

And so enters the Godless FATHER of the Modern Education system of the western world.

John Dewey: A Common Faith 1934

                  “Here are all the elements for a religious faith that shall not be confined to sect, class or race. Such a faith has always been implicitly the common faith of mankind. It remains to make it explicit and militant”

It is the SIMPLE TRUST that those who sow DEVILIKE DOUBT take the advantage of, that JESUS CHRIST sought to turn on its head.

And he did so by his death for those who might trust him.

A Simple Trust

Matthew 18:11–14

11 For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.

It is ONLY Jesus Christ who can restore the condition that began so long ago. It is why he is referred to in the Bible as the “second Adam”.

Turn to;

1 Corinthians 15:20–22

20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. 21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

Jesus is indeed come to save that which is lost.

He came to bring life to them who are spiritually dead. That is all of us, you, me, all who before were separated from God. All who before trusted in our own selves, beleived that were are “good enough” to earn heaven.

It was not a Childlike faith, not a SIMPLE TRUST, but WORK that now claims God is indebted to us! Like, he OWES us…Wages if you will.

But there is only ONE wage that we all earned;

Romans 6:23

23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 4:1–5

1 What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? 2 For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. 3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. 4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. 5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

Almost all people beleive that it is by their own efforts, or by their own goodness that heaven is hoped for, but the Bible makes it plain from the Old testament to the new testament, that our own righteousness will not save us.

Isaiah 64:6

6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

From the time he came into the world, Jesus came for one purpose, it was to save that which was lost.

The Gospel of Luke includes the efforts of Christ to also be on the look out, to “seek” after those who are lost.

Luke 19:10

10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

John 3:14–19

14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

Matthew 28:18–20

18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Mark 16:14–16

14 Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen. 15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.