This text shows us of the faith of the parents in those days, who recognized that Christ had the power to give blessings from God, and also the love of the parents to have their children blessed by the Lord.

The children would not have been aware of the blessing that could proceed from this act. It was done on the faith of the parents, and although the disciples tried to stop it, we see Christ’s response was that they should not be held back but He virtually commanded them to allow them to come, because of such is the kingdom of heaven.

God has always shown clearly that children are a gift of God and esteemed highly in His sight. Psalm 127:3 sums it up in these wonderful words “Lo, children are a heritage of the Lord; and the fruit of the womb is his reward.” Today because of this teaching, parents express their faith before the Lord and bring forth the little children to be baptized and also to have hands laid upon them in sealing.

Like those children in our text, the children of today are not aware of what is being done for them, but we must obey the Lord’s words to forbid them not. The parents of that day no doubt as time went by, explained to their children, of that great event in their life and so today, all parents must explain to their children the great blessings that can flow from the acts done for them, if they continue in that same faith in Christ. “This call of our Lord also extends to the natural lives of our children. We can read in the newspapers of the great concern of the Health Authorities, in the out-break amongst children of diseases, virtually eliminated through vaccination of little children. Some of these out-breaks have even led to deaths. Upon investigation it is being found that many parents are not availing themselves of this service, purely to exercise and prove that they have the right to choose. Others say they will leave it for their children to come of age and decide for themselves, and others just do not know.

Most of us today, have never lived through those reported plagues of those childhood diseases, that swept the world and caused so much heartbreak and concern. We can only imagine how the parents like those in our text, must have turned to the Lord in prayer to seek a blessing on the children. How all people would have prayed so earnestly all round the world, to the Lord that He would extend His hand of blessing. We know that He did answer those prayers by pouring out His Spirit to Medical Science to allow the way for these vaccines to be used so that future children could receive this blessing. All these blessings, along with the spiritual side of life, all fall in the same category of our Lord’s words, “Suffer little children and forbid them not to come unto me.” All the good things in this life come from God through His love.

I am reminded of the sermon of a visiting overseas Priest to our Church Service some years ago, when he saw all the little children sitting in Church. He was overcome because in his community there were only a few children. He preached that children were a gift of God, only sent to us parents on loan. As with any loan, the lender requires to receive the amount back, plus interest. It is the same with the loan from the Lord of these His treasures. How true these words are. The greatest gift we can give our children during this care period, is faith in our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. This faith begins as with the parents in our text, we must have the desire in all things to bring our children to the Lord and His blessings.

We see a very clear picture of how the Lord will judge righteously. We see a clear picture before us of a world; a spiritual world and a natural world. The natural world is very easy for us to picture for we see the hungry, we see those who are thirsty, we see those who are sick, we see those who have no clothes, we see those who are in prisons, and we see that we can help them, but this help must not come according to the Lord as a compulsory thing on us. It must not come as something we are seeking a reward for, but it must be done from a heart where we do not even realise that we are doing it.

For those who are on the right side said – “When did we see all this happen?” They did not recognise or know that they had done it. We can see in the earthly a very clear picture. The same applies in the spiritual, more so now than ever in our period of time where the world is lying in darkness. Many are hungry, hungry for the word of God. Many are thirsty, thirsty for the righteousness of Christ. Remember He said, ‘Blessed are they who thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled.’ We can see a thirsting for righteousness in the world, as this righteous judgment is disappearing out of the world and we see the judgment of man taking its place. We do not in the spirit see too many who are not clothed, but we acknowledge and know that this is the raiment of righteousness.

Many are seeking. They feel they are naked, they feel they cannot stand before God. They feel they cannot even stand before mankind. We see suicide rates at such a high level because people feel ashamed in their lives, they are hungering and they need to be clothed with the word of God and the righteousness of Christ. We see many in prison who have imprisoned themselves by the ways of this world. They see no way out and they need to be told of this wonderful gospel message and there is a way that will lead to the Kingdom of God. There is a way!

We see the sick are not being visited. Spiritually sick people everywhere who need an uplift, they need a visit from the greatest physician of all times. They need a simple prayer to be made for them. The need to understand that they do not have to think that it is the end because of this sickness, that there is a brightness and a way before them if they will come unto the Lord.

We see all of these things that are needed. They will be the things that we will be judged righteously by the Lord with, and we must be alerted that we must not only bring thanksgiving in voice, we must not only bring praise on our lips, we must allow it to enter deep within our hearts and be serious about the great blessing that we have been given by being part of the church, and then we must look and see those who have not yet received this blessing and we must make a determined effort through prayer and offering, and physical work where it is possible, to allow them also to be judged righteously on the day when our Lord returns.

These words of God heralded a new way on earth after the great sin flood of Noah. A major change was to take
place in the ecology of how the earth functioned prior to the flood. Prior to this period, the scripture tells us that
rain did not fall on the earth and the whole earth enjoyed a uniform global climate which encouraged rapid
growth of the vegetation. Genesis 2:5-6 “For the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there
was not a man to till the ground, but there went up a mist from the earth and watered the whole face of the
ground.” At a recent Youth Camp the question was asked. ‘Why are there no dinosaurs left on the earth?’
This question is being asked more and more especially by the children. The key to the answer of course, is that
God knew that the new type of world climate He was about to begin after the flood, as described in our text
word, would not allow for sufficient food supplies to be available to support those huge creatures. The great
quantities of vegetation that grew in that first period on the whole face of the earth, must have been enormous as
science today records that this vegetation was compacted and today is found underground and we call it our
“Coal fields”. Anyone who has visited an open-cut mine in central Queensland and observed the depth of the
coal seams, can well imagine how dense that vegetation must have been before it was compacted. Science is
now reporting that oil appears to be formed from the trapped remains of all animals and tropical trees and fruit.
We see today how a way has now been found to convert coconut oil to a fuel that will run diesel motors and
ethanol has been used as a fuel for some time. The new way on earth was to be a time of seasons, a planting
time, rain time, growing time, harvest, cold, heat etc. to be controlled by God.
There are those that say that Noah must have been disobedient in not preserving all animals. This of course is
not correct, as we read his instructions in Genesis 6: 19- 20. “And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every
sort shalt thou bring into the Ark.” We read further God used the words after their kind. He was not instructed to
take every variety but only every kind, and we know the meaning of Dinosaur is Terrible Lizard. Noah
obediently only took the smaller sorts of these animals with him under God’s guidance, as he knew the world
after would not support the larger varieties. From these of every sort of living creatures have evolved with time
the different varieties of many kinds of animals we see in the world today. We see this still happening today
even in our short span as a nation, the many different varieties or breeds of cattle, all originating from those few
bought to this land by the first settlers. If we put trust into a time span of almost 4,000 years, we can only begin
to see the answers.
Our text really teaches us to never doubt the word of God, as it is always true, never be caught up with the
religion of man called evolution, because ultimately the end test is one of faith. We either believe in evolution
and not in God or we believe in God, and His special creation, His word and do not believe in evolution. There
is no middle ground. Unfortunately we today are being pressed from all areas to worship the creation, which is
claimed to be at risk, and not the Creator.
The Apostle Paul warned the Romans of this in chapter 1: 25. “And changed the truth of God into a lie, and
worshiped and served the creature more than the creator, who is blessed for ever.”

We find that our armour in life is for the casting down the imaginations of the world, the imaginations that man thinks he can rule the world instead of God, and if we don God’s armour then we are not fighting in the flesh but we are fighting in the spirit and we need to do that. The Apostle no doubt, when he wrote those words, had in mind the great example that was shown to the prophet Elisha, on how God will provide us with His assistance if we are prepared to stand up and fight for Him. In those days the king of Syria was going to invade Israel and the King of Syria plotted and planned on how he would do it and it was a master plan that no man could unravel. The prophet Elisha in a vision, saw what the king had in mind, and so we see the Holy Spirit within us if we are concerned about what is happening in the world, we need only ask for that spirit to guide us and tell us what the plan of attack is, and the prophet saw where the king of Syria was going to put his armies, and it would have been a great victory for it was a clever plan and he went to the king of Israel and told him of the plan, and the king withdrew his men to a place where they were safe. The king of Syria was wrath and he called his servants together and he said that he wants to know who had betrayed them, for one amongst them must have went and told of these plans because the plans were so good, that no man would have sorted them out.  That is what the evil in the world is doing today, it is planning and plotting and it is doing it in such a conniving way that it is difficult for the mind of man to see what is happening. But his servants said to him, it is a prophet called Elisha, he had the vision and he has warned the king of Israel. We can see therein that we too, have this vision within us, this power of the Holy Spirit, which is part of God and God is over all, providing we do not worship or burn incense to any other god, this inspiration will be given unto us. And the king of Syria said to capture this man and bring him to me because I can use him, I can use him in my plan to control many nations, and we see that Babylon today is trying to take captive of the Christian church, we see all the false things creeping in, we see the realisation that they have to put this Holy Spirit into subjection, otherwise this church of God, guided by the Holy Spirit, will see through their plan. That is why it is being infiltrated today with all kinds of things, trying to turn us to worship other gods, to tell us that we no longer need the sacraments wherein the Holy Spirit is built up within us, to tell us that the children no longer need to be baptized, for they have minds of their own and they will be converted at the appropriate time and in that way, to say marriage that is instituted by God should be changed.  It breaks down continuance of the church. The king of Syria sent forth his chariots and they surrounded the city where Elisha was living and his servant came running to him and said, Master, we are surrounded, we will perish! He said unto him that they will not perish, for those that are on our side, are greater in number than the enemy, and the servant of Elisha looked to himself and to Elisha and saw only two men and he wondered what his master was saying. The prophet asked the Almighty God to open the eyes of his servant so that he can witness the strength and the power that is available for those who declare that those who are on our side, are mightier than those against us, and his eyes were opened and he saw in the hills and the mountains and all around them, chariots of fire, filled with men of war, all coming down around and standing around the prophet and going around the enemy, and he marveled and could see the great strength that God has.
We too, have a great army that will help us, the Apostle Paul wrote that we have the innumerable number of angels and we can call on those and we can ask those around us to open their eyes and see, and they too, will be enlightened to see the great protection and blessing that is afforded those who put their trust and faith, only in our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.  The prophet asked God that he will perform a miracle and to blind all those that had come to take him captive, and they were all made blind. As we look into the world today, we see so many following blindly along, blindly along with what is happening in the world, they cannot find their way, they are lost, and the prophet said unto the leader of these men, that they have come to the wrong place but he will lead them to this prophet. And he lead them many miles to the land of Samaria and took them into a desert place and then he asked God to show them and allow them to see where they were and their eyes were opened and they were in a desert place and they feared. The king of Israel said, I will send in my armies and destroy them, but the prophet said “No!” And we in the Christian Church must never have this in mind that we must destroy these with vengeance that are working against us, for they have been blinded and we must pray that they will have the scales fall off their eyes, the same as we have and the prophet said to the king, “Do not destroy them, but show them kindness, feed them water, feed them bread!” And the king brought forth a feast and fed those of the enemy and their eyes were truly opened and they witnessed and saw the love of God, manifesting itself through these people, and we too, must have that same desire. That our light will shine and bring all out of darkness to the love of God.

Luke, as an historian, begins his gospel account with its purpose, indicating he had done much research, spoken to eyewitnesses, and tried to set everything in order so that we may ‘know the certainty of those things.’ Luke 1:3-4, “It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.”

At the start of Chapter 3, he uses the current local and political situation to place John the Baptist in an historical place and time. Having set John as a real person in real history, Luke then goes on to identify him as the one to prepare the way for the Messiah, as foretold by Malachi 4:5, “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:” Jesus confirmed this was John the Baptist, Matthew 11:14, : And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come.”

Together these events help to confirm the historicity of the Bible. Tiberius Caesar was born in Rome on 16th of November 42 BC, and historical records indicate he was the Roman emperor from AD14 – 37. This confirms the time period for the work of John the Baptist. Tiberias was still the emperor at the time of Jesus crucifixion, although it was Pontius Pilate as governor who gave the order in response to the High Priest’s request.

Luke nominates the more local rulers or ‘tetrarchs’ and even the Jewish high priests of the day to strengthen the evidence. In a robust and logical way Luke uses this research into the recent events of his time to confirm that Jesus is the Christ, the son of the living God.

Sometimes we make the error of thinking that faith does not require evidence. In reality, as Luke demonstrates, we are not meant to leave our brain outside the church door, but use existing knowledge to convert our faith to trust. Hebrews Chapter 11 dialogue on faith confirms that faith ‘is the evidence of things not seen’.

Evidence of the truth of God’s word will always be found by those who search with their eyes and heart open to God. Jeremiah 29:13, “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.”

Heart, soul, mind, and strength mentioned above signify emotions, will, thinking, and doing which, we see, encapsulates the very essence of being human.

Humankind is made in the image and likeness of God, Genesis 1:26 “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them”. God is the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost and these three are one. V29, “And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:”1 John 5:7 “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word (Christ), and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one”. Similarly, mankind is body, soul and spirit and God made a ‘being’ who operates in thoughts, words, and deeds. The threefold aspect of our identity provides us with a uniqueness.

Animals experience a variety of basic emotions (grief, anger, happiness) but come nowhere near the complexity of human feelings and oft times mixed emotions. Likewise, animals communicate with each other, but they do not have a formal system of language. Many animals and mammals in particular, can learn specific tasks but they do not have a prefrontal cortex which enables reasoning or the ability to think as humans can. Finally, non-domesticated animals act mainly on instinct and follow a path destined for their kind whereas humankind has the Godlikeness of free will.

This capacity for us to choose against God’s intent is, at the same time, magnificent and yet catastrophically scary. What if we choose our will over Gods?

For this reason, when one of the clever scribes asked Jesus, the Word of God, “What is the first commandment?” – and He responds as quoted by Mark above – we should listen and take note.

Let us hear it again to help us make the right choice for our thoughts, words and actions.

Mark 12:30 “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.”

The mocking revilings of these groups of people around the cross seem nothing compared to Apostle Peter’s earlier three denials of Christ in public, at a time and place when humanly He would have welcomed moral support. “I don’t even know Him!”

All the other disciples, except Apostle John, had also forsaken Jesus. They fled and followed Him at a distance after He was arrested in the garden. Annas, the former high priest, designed a sadistic way of tormenting Jesus, questioning Him about His teaching and His disciples in John 18:19 “The high Priest then asked Jesus of his disciples, and of his doctrine.” The inquiry and interrogation concerning His supposedly faithful followers were far more excruciating than lashes inflicted upon His bare back. “Tell me about your disciples. Why aren’t they here? What are they doing now?   Where are they hiding? Tell me about Judas, Peter, James, Bartholomew, Matthew, Simon and the others.” Jesus chose painful silence for His answer. Such a toughening process prepared Him for more emotional insults and physical tortures yet to come at the cross.

God’s wisest saints often choose to endure pain rather than escape it. Someone penned these lines; “To be released from sorrow, from sickness, weariness and pain. To be released from sin’s enslavement, from Satan’s enslavement, from Satan’s influence and domain. Could this be death?”

Our Lord Jesus Christ paid the full price with His own precious Blood to save all. We cannot add to the sacrifice made by our Lord Jesus. We cannot earn our right to be in His presence. Yet there is a sense in which we may be able to share in His suffering – bearing the cost of following Him.  Luke 9:23 “And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”
And let us pray with the repentant sinner who was saved – who spoke vital words; “Jesus, Lord remember me when you comest into thy Kingdom.” Let us learn from the Lamb and hold fast to the promise of our Lord – 2 Corinthians 12:9 “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee:  for my strength is made perfect in weakness.”