Remaining Childlike Limits God
Jesus told Nicodemus in John chapter 3:3 that you must be born again “Jesus
answered and said to him, verily, verily, I say to you; except a man be born
again, he cannot see the kingdom of God”.
Regardless to what your natural age is when you come to Jesus, we are not to
stay that way (II Corinthians 5:17) “therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new
creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new”. Our
goal from that point is to grow up, just as a newborn baby has to be fed natural
food to develop and grow. We as spiritual babes, need to grow by the word of
God (I Peter 2:2) “as newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that
you may grow thereby”.
We are told to hear the word of God (Psalms 34:11-14) “come, you children,
hearken to me; I will teach you the reverence of the Lord Yahweh. What man is
he that desires life, and loves many days, that he may see good? Keep your
tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking guile. Depart from evil, and do
good; seek peace, and pursue it”.
Proverbs 4:1-2, 20-23 says “hear, you children, the instruction of a father, and
attend to know understanding. For I give you good doctrine, forsake you not
my law. My son, attend to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Let them
not depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart. For they are
life to those that find them, and health to all their flesh. Keep your heart with all
diligence; for out of it are the issues of life”.
In Galatians 3:29 we learned that “if you be Christ’s, then are you Abraham’s
seed, and heirs according to the promise”. We are then warned that we are to
grow up, and tells us the consequences of what happens as long as we are a
child (Galatians 4:1-7) “now I say, that the heir, as long as he is a child, differs
nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all. But is under tutors and
governors until the time appointed of the father. Even so we, when we were
children, were in bondage under the elements of the world. But when the
fullness of time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made
under the law. To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive
the adoption of sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit
of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore you are no more
a servant; but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ”. Many
people in the natural make a will and leave an inheritance to their children, and
put a condition that they must be of a certain age in order to receive it, God is
not going to give babes their full inheritance; you must grow up.
God’s plan for mankind is to grow into the image of Christ (Romans 8:29-30)
“for whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the
image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Moreover, whom He did predestinate, them He also called; and whom He called,
them He also justified and whom He justified, them He also glorified”.
Ephesians 2:10 amp says “for we are God’s (own) handiwork; (His
workmanship) recreated in Christ Jesus, (born anew) that we may do those
good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us (taking paths
which He prepared ahead of time), that we should walk in them (living the good
life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live)”.
God predestined this for us and He didn’t leave us to figure it out on our own,
He gave us help; Jesus told us that He was sending the Holy Spirit to be our
helper (John 16:12-13) “I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot
bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide
you into all truth; for He shall not speak of Himself, but whatsoever He shall
hear, that shall He speak; and He will show you things to come”. And then in
(Ephesians 4:11-15) the Bible says “and He gave some apostles, and some
prophets, and some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers. For the
perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body
of Christ. Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the
Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of
Christ. That we hereafter be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried
about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness,
whereby they lie in wait to deceive. But speaking the truth in love, may grow up
into Him in all things, which is the head, even Christ”.
The apostle Paul says in Galatians 4:19 “my little children, of whom I travail in
birth again until Christ be formed in you”. He says in I Corinthians 13:11 “when I
was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but
when I became a man, I put away childish things”. He goes on to tell us in I
Corinthians 14:20a “brethren, be not children in understanding”.
Proverbs 4:5-10 says “get wisdom, get understanding; forget it not; neither
decline from the words of my mouth. Forsake her not, and she shall preserve
you; love her, and she shall keep you. Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore
get wisdom, and with all your getting get understanding. Exalt her, and she
shall promote you, she shall bring you to honor, when you do embrace her.
She shall give to your head an ornament of grace; a crown of glory shall she
deliver to you. Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of your
life shall be many”.
The apostle Paul rebukes the Corinthians about remaining childlike (I
Corinthians 3:1-3) “and I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual, but as
to carnal, even as to babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with
meat; for before you were not able to bear it; neither yet now are you able. For
you are yet carnal; for whereas there is among you envying and strife and
divisions, are you not carnal, and walk as men”?
Let’s examine ourselves and see if we are growing into Christ’s likeness; and be
real with yourself.
Sermon by: Harriet Bond
Date: September 2, 2011
Jesus told Nicodemus in John chapter 3:3 that you must be born again “Jesus
answered and said to him, verily, verily, I say to you; except a man be born
again, he cannot see the kingdom of God”.
Regardless to what your natural age is when you come to Jesus, we are not to
stay that way (II Corinthians 5:17) “therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new
creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new”. Our
goal from that point is to grow up, just as a newborn baby has to be fed natural
food to develop and grow. We as spiritual babes, need to grow by the word of
God (I Peter 2:2) “as newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that
you may grow thereby”.
We are told to hear the word of God (Psalms 34:11-14) “come, you children,
hearken to me; I will teach you the reverence of the Lord Yahweh. What man is
he that desires life, and loves many days, that he may see good? Keep your
tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking guile. Depart from evil, and do
good; seek peace, and pursue it”.
Proverbs 4:1-2, 20-23 says “hear, you children, the instruction of a father, and
attend to know understanding. For I give you good doctrine, forsake you not
my law. My son, attend to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Let them
not depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart. For they are
life to those that find them, and health to all their flesh. Keep your heart with all
diligence; for out of it are the issues of life”.
In Galatians 3:29 we learned that “if you be Christ’s, then are you Abraham’s
seed, and heirs according to the promise”. We are then warned that we are to
grow up, and tells us the consequences of what happens as long as we are a
child (Galatians 4:1-7) “now I say, that the heir, as long as he is a child, differs
nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all. But is under tutors and
governors until the time appointed of the father. Even so we, when we were
children, were in bondage under the elements of the world. But when the
fullness of time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made
under the law. To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive
the adoption of sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit
of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore you are no more
a servant; but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ”. Many
people in the natural make a will and leave an inheritance to their children, and
put a condition that they must be of a certain age in order to receive it, God is
not going to give babes their full inheritance; you must grow up.
God’s plan for mankind is to grow into the image of Christ (Romans 8:29-30)
“for whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the
image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Moreover, whom He did predestinate, them He also called; and whom He called,
them He also justified and whom He justified, them He also glorified”.
Ephesians 2:10 amp says “for we are God’s (own) handiwork; (His
workmanship) recreated in Christ Jesus, (born anew) that we may do those
good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us (taking paths
which He prepared ahead of time), that we should walk in them (living the good
life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live)”.
God predestined this for us and He didn’t leave us to figure it out on our own,
He gave us help; Jesus told us that He was sending the Holy Spirit to be our
helper (John 16:12-13) “I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot
bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide
you into all truth; for He shall not speak of Himself, but whatsoever He shall
hear, that shall He speak; and He will show you things to come”. And then in
(Ephesians 4:11-15) the Bible says “and He gave some apostles, and some
prophets, and some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers. For the
perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body
of Christ. Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the
Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of
Christ. That we hereafter be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried
about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness,
whereby they lie in wait to deceive. But speaking the truth in love, may grow up
into Him in all things, which is the head, even Christ”.
The apostle Paul says in Galatians 4:19 “my little children, of whom I travail in
birth again until Christ be formed in you”. He says in I Corinthians 13:11 “when I
was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but
when I became a man, I put away childish things”. He goes on to tell us in I
Corinthians 14:20a “brethren, be not children in understanding”.
Proverbs 4:5-10 says “get wisdom, get understanding; forget it not; neither
decline from the words of my mouth. Forsake her not, and she shall preserve
you; love her, and she shall keep you. Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore
get wisdom, and with all your getting get understanding. Exalt her, and she
shall promote you, she shall bring you to honor, when you do embrace her.
She shall give to your head an ornament of grace; a crown of glory shall she
deliver to you. Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of your
life shall be many”.
The apostle Paul rebukes the Corinthians about remaining childlike (I
Corinthians 3:1-3) “and I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual, but as
to carnal, even as to babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with
meat; for before you were not able to bear it; neither yet now are you able. For
you are yet carnal; for whereas there is among you envying and strife and
divisions, are you not carnal, and walk as men”?
Let’s examine ourselves and see if we are growing into Christ’s likeness; and be
real with yourself.
Sermon by: Harriet Bond
Date: September 2, 2011
