RUSSELL SANDERS

2-22-2024

LITTLE CHILDREN

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In Matthew 18:1-14 Jesus talks about how precious little children are to the Lord. In Verse 2 it tells us to be unto Him as little children if we wish to enter to kingdom of heaven. That would set us up as the greatest in heaven according to verse 4.

Jesus warns us not to offend [cause to stumble] a child [vs. 6] for the penalty would be great. We are not to despise [think against, or disesteem] even one of them.

How special are they? Verse 10 tells us that every child has an angel which always stands before [in front of] the Father’s face in heaven.

Verse 14 says the Father does not wish that any child should perish or be lost. This was the true meaning of verses 12 and 13 which speak about the 99 sheep where one was lost. The shepherd [Jesus] sought out the lost one to restore the 100. The one lost one is about a lost little child whom God will restore. The whole context of these scriptures is about the children.

John Stallings, a gospel song writer, wrote about the children in a song. The chorus went like this:

“The children ran to Him, every mother’s little child.

They want just to be in His presence for a while.

They knew that He would love them and would not condemn.

And that’s why all the children ran to Him.”

Matthew 19:13-15 was the inspiration for the song. Jesus commanded the disciples [against their will] to bring the children to Him so he could lay hands upon them.

We need those qualities found in little children. What qualities might they be?

Faith. They will believe what the parent [or an adult] tells them.

Trust. They are trusting, so we must trust the Lord.

A simple approach. Children are unlike adults who like to complicate things.

There are many other characteristics that children have that are too numerous to count.

Be as a child in the hands of Jesus.

HELEN SANDERS

2-22-2024

GODLY SORROW

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Many times, people respond to their sin, and say they are “sorry” for what they have done. They then might even go to church and sing in the choir. But there are many problems in these people’s lives because they never had godly sorrow over their sin. They were “sorry” but not sorrowful. Sorry is the world’s way of trying to make things right, but never gets us right with God. Godly sorrow brings us to eternal life through repentance.

In 2 Corinthians 7:10 it says, “For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.”

Godly sorrow means you have grieved over your sin, because you realize when you sin, you have sinned against God. It causes an inner turmoil that causes you discomfort if you think of it. You realize that your sin has separated you from God, and that brings you to repentance. Godly sorrow is the first step to salvation. Then comes repentance. 

True repentance acknowledges the fact that if you stood trial for your sin,  that you would be judged for your sin and would be found guilty. You grieve over the fact that you have sinned. Then because of that sorrow and grief you come to salvation.

A person that has had godly sorrow over their sin and then repented, which means to turn away from their sin, will be a forever-changed life. They see things differently than they did because they realize the only way to change was with God’s help. They come to the realization that God gave them the gift of their sins being paid by Jesus’ shed blood. One that is in this condition no longer willfully sins. They are repelled at sin and grieve when they do sin.

Without godly sorrow over sin there is no true repentance and no salvation. 

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