2819 Church - WISDOM & WONDER | Placed in Good Hands | Matthew 19:13-15 | Arik Hayes

Episode Date: January 4, 2025

In SZN8 EP2 of "WISDOM & WONDER," Arik Hayes shares the Lord’s profound perspective on children, drawn from Matthew 19:13-15. Welcome to the official Youtube channel for 2819 Church. This channel features powerful and life-impacting messages from Philip Anthony Mitchell and guest communicators. As you listen to these sound biblical messages you can expect to be challenged, stirred, matured and inspired in your faith and walk with God. For more information about us visit 2819Church.org.

My name is Eric Hayes. I'm one of the elders here. I have the honor and privilege. Thank you. God bless you. God bless you. We are a church that is a house of prayer, presence, and proclamation. I just wanted to shout out to those that are in the overflow. We see you. Thank you for coming and hanging out with us. You're still in the house. Amen. I want to welcome our online community, the Digital Disciples. Literally from all over the world, all over the country. Just want to give you a shout out there. And last but not least, especially in this house, we want to welcome the Unbeliever. Yeah.

Okay? If you're still wrestling with the claims of Christ, man, no shame here. No shame. Right? Just keep coming around. Let the Holy Spirit do the work that he did in the rest of us to prick the heart and unveil the mystery by the power of the Holy Spirit, as Trey was just talking about. Amen? And I just want to give a couple honorable mentions, man.

I just want to honor our pastor, Philip Anthony Mitchell. I was saying at 8 o'clock, you know, usually I say something else, but I've been watching him on podcasts and on screens and whatnot, like some of you have. And I just thank him for having a hand in changing the climate in the kingdom when it comes to godly masculinity. Because we have a problem. Amen? We have a problem. Amen? We have a problem. We have a problem.

Men still need to be men. And before you think I'm being just a certain type of way in the culture, it actually says in the scriptures, it says act like men and acts. That's what it said. I just love the fact that we have a pastor that is godly and masculine, has a backbone, has ambition for the Lord, for the kingdom, what the scriptures, I believe, will call godly ambition. I just thank him call godly ambition. I just thank him for that, man.

And actually, we got another shout-out, man. Somebody told me, they put up on screen, that our leading lady, Lena, today is her birthday. So we want to wish her a happy birthday. Happy birthday. And let me tell you something. If you got a family, you're not doing ministry without your wife. She may not be standing right here, but she's standing occupying a place that, was that not handled, you would not be on the podium, or at least without a divided mind.

Shout out Nia Hayes real quick as well. Back to the lady in the room. Listen, listen, listen. I also teach premarital. Okay, so if you want to get married here, you want us to marry you, you got to go through premarital. You're going to come holler at me, right?

One of the things I tell you is, and you can start this before you get to me, all right? You need to be sure that the person that you're marrying is a kingdom companion. I'm going to tell you something. There are many people that really want to be on fire and go for the Lord, but they did not vet well. And they have, honestly, a spouse that is being used by the devil. To pull them aside, to give them aggravation, to just make their life just crazy. I've heard some stories. All right, so leading lady Lena, thank you.

Thank you. Thank you. And we've been walking through the book of Matthew for almost two years in a series called Wisdom and Wonder. Pastor kicked us off with season eight last week, so I'll be preaching episode two to you in season eight this week with a sermon titled Placed in Good Hands. Have a seat. Bow your head and let me pray for us. Holy Father, I thank you for being God. I thank you for being holy and using broken men and broken women.

For using the vessels that you chose that nobody else had to qualify. For your holy purposes and your holy design for the kingdom of God and the local body. Thank you for this particular gathering, for those that gather around and in 2819 to worship Jesus and to love you fully. Have your way in this message, oh God. Take my brokenness and use it as you must, oh God. So that we would see Jesus high and lifted up and honor you. In the name of Jesus we pray, amen and amen.

Okay. All right, family. So before we started to have three services and overflows and overflows, I remember what was the first time that this particular room, the auditorium, was packed out. And it was beautiful, man, because not so much now, man, we're able to see people with gray in their hair and beards. Listen, if you're looking, and especially if you're local to Atlanta, come. I know you see a lot of young people, but we value you and honor you, and we need the wisdom that you've gained in the Lord. Amen? And if you hear, listen, there's, I think it's Dr. Alex. He works in formations. Every time I see him, I'm like, sir, thank you. We need you. Right? We saw grandmothers, grandfathers, aunts, uncles, best friends. I believe we even saw couples that weren't even married just come together. And the reason it was so packed out, because at that time we only had like 173 people, right?

But it was packed out because we actually had baby dedications. Right? And it was packed out. Right? And I got to be honest with you. I want to say the next Sunday, or even while I was on stage because I was a part of the baby dedication, I was like, this is how it's supposed to be every Sunday. Multi-generational church, caring about the child, committing them to the Father through the Son, making an effort, inconveniencing yourself to come and do so. But if I'm honest, and if I were to poll those, not just that baby dedication, even those

that have ever had a child dedication, if I po pulled you and I was like, hey, well, how many verses have you read to the child since? Have you submitted to the Lord to reflect his character since in your house? I'm talking about when you got cold in your eye. Do you make sure that you shower them with the love of God on a daily basis to make sure that this just wasn't just a religious event? But we really want to dedicate the child to the Lord and foster their spiritual development all the way up until and through by the power of the Holy Spirit, they commit to the Lord and become saved themselves. And I think if I polled you, you may not want to give that report. And that's okay. That's okay. Right?

But I think partially it's due to the backdrop in America where we're really starting to disdain kids. Right? Some people say, yo, man, I ain't ready for marriage and family right now. I'm going to go get the bag and go get everything. Really what you're saying is you don't want to be inconvenienced sometimes.

Or you'd rather be inconvenienced after another goal. You'll be inconvenienced for a career. You'll be inconvenienced for a career. You'll be inconvenienced for six figures. You'll be inconvenienced for things that will prop up your self-esteem. When it comes to kids, a lot of times we just want to, especially when they get out in the cute and cuddly phase. When they start talking and you actually got to teach them. When they say, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, mommy, mommy, you ready to give them back to the Lord?

Like, for real, give them back to the Lord. Right? That's funny, man, but actually, that same backdrop has caused, I'm not trying to be political, man, has caused people actually to discard their kids before they get here. If you dig what I'm saying, please read between the lines. Right? That backdrop, and I'm coming for home there, right? Like, when your girlfriend gets pregnant, how do you advise her? What do you say when she tells you? Are you looking at them as blessings?

Yo, man, maybe the circumstances ain't it, but yo, man, you about to bring a bundle of joy into the world. That's amazing. Are you saying, yo, man, you know, you ain't really got time for that. By the way, when you celebrated the girl, the girl or guy that they were dating, and you knew what they were doing,

then when the natural circumstances, I'm going to get the preacher, but when the natural circumstances come, now we don't want to be inconvenienced. Come on, sir. Even you see, man, like, you know, different places, like when you're on a, not an elevator, but on like an airplane, right? And people talking about the baby screaming. What is the baby supposed to do? What are they supposed to do? You can barely handle your

ears popping. You're 35 years old. What is the baby supposed to do? Like they can chew gum. But you got to see this growing darkness. I want to say even 13 years ago, it was in Seattle. I heard a preacher. He was like, in Seattle, they have more dogs than children. And it looks cute. We call them fur babies. They're not.

They're dogs. No, they're getting real crazy. This is my grand dog. Stop it. Stop it. Stop it. They got strollers for the dogs. Cut it out. Cut it out. And it's subtle, but I believe it's undermining the value of actual children. And while we're here, we just came from there last week. We're also talking about the institution that God designed to birth and love them in. But we're talking about children today. Hey, it's going dark in that regard. Okay? But not so to Jesus. All right? So I'm going to drop you into the scriptures in Matthew 19 chapter 13th verse.

It's only three verses are the main verses of today, right? What I really can say as I analyze the text for all intents and purposes, I would say is a form of a baby dedication. Okay? All right, verse 13. It says, then children were bought to him, meaning Jesus, that he might lay hands on them and pray, but it says the disciples rebuked the people. Take that down. Okay, so we have mother and father, right, at least guardian, maybe whatever, right? They're seeing Jesus, they're hearing of his fame, they're hearing of who he is, the Messiah, they're hearing the stories,

and they, much like most of us, want to bring their children to Jesus. I know we say a lot about, you know, prayer lines, and if you get in them for the wrong reason, like, cut it out, but if there is a prayer line I'm trying to get in, it's the one where I get to see Jesus I wait it's Jesus not the man of God the the God-man. Bring snacks and everything, because we're waiting for Jesus. So they have the right idea. But, I mean, and this actually should be a little comforting,

because as disciples, sometimes we get it wrong. Amen? Right? And in this story, in that verse, we have the disciples getting it wrong. They rebuke the people. Hey, yo, yo, chill out. No, no, no. No, no, no. And I was looking and doing my study. It said it was likely because they did not have a high view of children that they were thinking it's going to take up too much time. Perhaps the word is going to get out and everybody's going to bring every child and we can't have that. Verse 14. It said, but Jesus said, let the little children

come to me and do not hinder them for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven. All right? I want to point out to you, this is the second time that Jesus has beckoned a child to come. Right? So I put this under the label of when Jesus says, verily, verily, I say unto you, like he really means it. Okay? He says this twice here. Right?

In Matthew 18, chapter 1 and 2, it's not on the screen. Hear me read it. It says, at that time, the disciples came to Jesus saying, who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? You probably remember a pastor preaching on this. And calling to him a child, he put in the midst of you will situate yourself as one of these. So this is twice where Jesus is saying, bid them to come. Bid them to come. Bid them to come. Bid them to come. Bid them to come.

All right? Now in verse 15, let me put that on the screen. And it says, and he laid hands on them and went away. So Jesus is bringing children to him. And not only is he elevating women, like last time the pastor preached and he was talking about divorce, he's elevating women. He's elevating children now. And now he's saying, we were just talking about children. Now he's saying, you can't get into the kingdom of heaven unless you situate yourself as one of these. Now he brings all of us into play.

And I'm saying, what does that look like? Some of you actually know, I actually have four children. I have a six-year-old son. I have a two-and-a-half-year-old baby girl. Has me wrapped around her finger. And I also have two one-and-a old twins, right? Somebody, he whistled. That is a lot of work. Amen. Okay. One of the things that we know about kids, and I know I'm very, very experienced in, they are dependent. Right?

So we're as adults, we're trying to do all of our stuff by ourselves and trying to figure it out and do everything and then kind of consider the Lord last. Not children. Not children. They'll ask you to do stuff they already know how to do just to get into your presence. I got a six-year-old. And some of you, like check yourself here, you ever had a six year old or five year old just say something

that don't even make no sense? Just like, daddy, you like the way peanut butter tastes? Like, I like the way peanut butter tastes, what about you? Right, and if you're not sensitive to this, you'll brush it off, right? You know what they're trying to do? They're just trying to interact with you and be in your presence.

They're not interested in other things. They're interested in you. Or if you have little children, right? And you probably miss it if you're honest, right? So right now, because I've got like three under three right now, and when I come, and I could be, I could have went and like, not like taking out the trash, like check the mail or something like that, five minutes, and I come back, and I come into the front door, and I turn the key, and I hear, Daddy, Daddy. It's almost in slow motion. They turn the corner. They're like, Daddy, Daddy. It's

like it gets a little louder and louder. Daddy, they're trying to get, who's going to get to me first? Like, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy. Listen, I love it. I love it. You know why? This is one of the few times on the planet there are people who love you for you. They don't want nothing from you. They just want to get into your arms and celebrate your presence. It's the way we're supposed to treat the Father. Can I tell you something? 44 years old, saved since I was like 17, maybe 26 years.

I used to ask people, and many of you may find yourself there, how do you really get really spiritual? How do you get deep into time with the Lord? And I did the same thing, and I give them the same answer. Elder gives them a similar answer. We talk about it all the time. We say a level of or a version of, yeah, man, read the Bible and pray and try to walk it out. And it don't sound sensational enough. They're just kind of, yeah, that's nice. I know you're going to read the Bible and pray. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Nobody who really knows him has skipped those steps.

Nah, nah. I know what you want. You want a burning bush experience. Listen, I'd like one too. Guess what? After the bush stopped burning, or you leave the vicinity, you what you don't need to do slide right over here back in front of the Bible and read about the rest of its attributes and pray and talk to him and try to walk it out and you need to be around him, around his stories, around his accounts, excuse me, around his people, around his family to get to know him.

You don't get to skip that step, family. Guess what? And did you know what's beautiful skip that step family guess what you know what's beautiful about that everybody can do that it's not reserved for a select few no no no any given time you can slide up on the book of Isaiah and just open it and just read

and learn of him and you don't have to listen. God, bless the praise team. They are amazing. But don't wait for them to get into his presence. Sometimes you just need to crawl into a corner in your prayer closet and just sing with your not good voice, and read his Bible, and cry out to him, and talk to him, and talk to him, and talk to him, and cry out, and read the Bible some more, and cry, and be confused, and figure it out, and get up, and then walk it out.

Knowing that when you do that, the same Holy Spirit that Trey was talking about will lead you into all truth. I love you, and I preach, obviously. Don't make us preach the whole Bible to you. Check me out. We've been in Matthew for almost two years. I was just reading. I was studying a couple weeks back. There was a preacher I know, John Piper.

He went through Romans. I want to say it was like 10 or 12 years to teach through all of Romans. You see how long it is to teach through all of Matthew. Y'all could have read the Bible 14 times over by then. But in American Christianity, we want to wait and hear the word here. Don't you know they had that in the Old Testament with the priests? They had to wait till a man of God spoke, but not

now. We have the indwelling power and presence of the Holy Spirit with us at all times. We have the Holy Scriptures that have been inspired by the Holy Ghost there. And you can commune with him. This is good to me. You can commune with him.

Anytime you get ready, you can commune with him. It's the thing, family. We're waiting for a real, real, real high experience with the Lord. Let me tell you something. Let me tell you something. Let me tell you something. Before sin entered the world, it said that Adam and God walked together in the cool of the day.

This is pre-sin. That was the design. To walk with him in the cool of the day. Getting to know him. Talking with the Father. The one who created the dust and the birds and the mountains and everything just walking with him no other objective just to walk with him and enjoy him and him talk to me and i talk to him and enjoy him in his presence

you've been tricked if you think there's a higher experience than that. And guess what? When we go to heaven, guess what? We're going to see him face to face. My God. I'm going to get to walk with him and talk with him. The one who saved my soul. I'm going to see him. Face to face. That's what heaven is.

I'm going to get to see him. We can enjoy him now much like my babies turn that corner and they have glee on their face we can run into his presence and you can make a tabernacle anywhere children are humble enough to come to you and throw their arms up and say I need help

no ego can I tell you one of the best things and throw their arms up and say, I need help. No ego. Can I tell you one of the best things I ever hear during the week? Daddy, can you help me? You know what it shows? It shows faith in my power to do something about it. And why would I not want to do something about it? And why would I not want to do something about something that's on the heart of my children?

The scripture says he's a very present help in the time of trouble. It didn't mean good enough that he said he's a help in the time of trouble. Or a present help in the time of trouble. But it said he's very present. Very present help. David said if I went to the mountain, you are there. If I went to the very depths of hell, your spirit would still be there. He is present wherever you are,

wherever you find yourself. There is a Father that is ready to encounter you. Our problem is it don't look like what we want it to look like a lot of times. And there was other accounts, right? It talks about this in Mark 10, chapter 13 through 16, and Luke chapter 18. Don't turn there. I'm just giving you where there are the accounts, right? So the Bibles, they combine together to give you the full story of what happened, right?

So some person's account is a little different, right? But you put them together, and you get the full story, right? So some person's account is a little different, right? But you put them together and you get the full story, okay? But in the 16th chapter, it said he blessed the children. And the definition of that, it says to praise, to celebrate with praise is to invoke blessings, to consecrate a thing with solemn prayers, to ask God's blessing on a thing, pray to God to bless

it to one's use, and pronounce a consecratory blessing upon. Right? I wasn't there, but I have, I have, and by the way, those children that they're talking about there, I did some study, more than likely they're between like one and a half and two and a half years old. Okay? All right? So it talks about him gathering them in his arms. More than likely, it was one by one. And it talks about praying and blessing and laying hands. Yes.

That's a precious time, right? And actually, in Isaiah 6, it talks about Jesus being the everlasting father, which says Prince of Peace, wonderful counselor. One of his attributes there in Isaiah, which is a prophecy about him, it says everlasting father. I believe he's embodying that characteristic or that name there, right? And I can tell you, I'm 44 years old, and my two-and-a-half-year-old baby girl, she was just like a mom. She's beautiful, and I pick her up sometimes.

And what I love about it is I can't make this happen, right? I can't make this happen. I can't make this happen. I don't want to because it's so precious. Sometimes she just takes her little hands when I get her in my arms and she just places them right here. And it's one of the most precious things every time it happens. Every time it happens, every time it happens. Right? God is a God that can give each one of us individual attention, attention, and it won't be watered down. Does that make sense? Right? So you can go to him. You can go to him. You can go to him. You can go to

him. You can go to him. You can go to him. You can be with him and talk all day long, and you can stop it. He can pick it up. And guess what? You still have his attention. Thank you, Lord. Why do we sacrifice that for such cheap alternatives? Yeah, you do. You tempt it to scroll all day Not knowing that those companies actually hired many of them in Silicon Valley

They hire social psychologists to actually design it in a way So that you are addicted to it And by the way, some of them, the actual creators, they don't let their children use it so that you are addicted to it. And by the way, some of them, the actual creators, they don't let their children use it. So what they do, they say doom scroll. You're just scrolling. You're scrolling.

Or you go drink. Or you pop pills. Or you go drink, or you pop pills, or you go have sex. As cheap alternatives to digging in and learning about him in his presence. And I'm going to give you a little tip. One of the problems is we want it to come, the glory of the Lord, to hit our souls so quickly. You want to go in and read half of a verse and have the glory, the Shekinah glory just fall on you.

We laughing, but you know some truth to that joke. I read two verses. I ain't fell on my face yet. God don't love me. I'll go do something else. When he gave his son to die on a cross for us. Right? It may not come as quickly as you want to, but stay steadfast there.

Stay steadfast. Most of us can tell you we went in and we read and we read and we read and we didn't feel a thing. And then out of the blue, out of the blue one day, God just shows up. And I'm talking about at home. He just shows up with his glory. That's another thing you can't plan. You just got to respect him at his word, respect the fact that what he said is true. He's always with us, and just honor him. And then you may get a special experience, but even if you don't, the special experience is he's still there. And actually, Greg, just throw Hebrews up for me, and this is important because

some of you, anytime I talk about the Father, I've been up here multiple times, and I talk about fatherly interactions that I have with my children, and like me, you didn't have a great experience with your father. I love my father, but he wasn't there. Like, I got to know him when I was like me, you didn't have a great experience with your father. I love my father, but he wasn't there. Like, I got to know him when I was like 20, and I loved him, but like, those were absolutely some formative years that he just wasn't around. And me and my stepfather, we're cool now, but it was a little bit of oil, or a lot of bit of oil and water.

Because he came when I was 13, and I'm like, I'm not looking for a father figure right now. Through no fault of his. So I don't have those ooey-gooey, you know, sit on this. I don't have those experiences. Right? So when the Bible gave me the gospel, and then I find out that I get a father, just not a God, I was in love. Oh, my God. God, I was in love. Wait a minute. You're telling me that the God of the universe wanted to adopt me?

I don't want to do this. Maybe it's my first time doing this. Give me the camera. Check me out. If you're a minister of the gospel and you're not going through Ephesians and Romans and Corinthians and Colossians with your people, you're not giving them the chance

to see who the New Testament revelation of God, not a new God, the New Testament revelation of God, you're not giving them a chance to see that in your experiences, and they're not going to see the gospel. And by that note, sometimes, a lot of times, they don't have a real reverence for Christ because Christ is the one that brought us to us. Christ brought the name Father. Jehovah Rapha, Jehovah Sid Canu, all of those Old Testament, he's still that. But Christ came and brought the name Father.

You know, you can't even get into the kingdom as a servant no more. He's only accepting sons. Right? So, check me out. In Hebrews, I actually read this during worship last week, right? It says, he, speaking of Jesus, is the radiance, it's Hebrews 1.3, he is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature. And he, being Jesus, upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high. That's a whole sermon right there.

But I want to land very hard on, he's the exact imprint of the nature of the father. So when he's gathering these children and he's blessing them, he's showing you the intent of your heavenly father for you. That precious time when he picks them up and he blessed them, you've been re-fathered in the gospel. And some of y'all got to press into that. Here, look at me. Look at me. Whether he was absent, whether he was there, whether he was a good father, all of them pale in comparison to our heavenly father.

And we need to come to him as children and taste and see that the Lord is good. I'm pressing through because I know some of you have a hard time connecting to that. And don't you see why the enemy is after Christian nuclear marriages? Because it disrupts your view of the Father. So that when we give you truth like that, you have nothing to compare it to,

or even worse, you have a bad example. And Jesus gave us a great example of masculinity there, as the Father, right? He gave us three things, right? Right there is an example, and I look at those texts, right? He was tough, right? As a man, as a father, as a parent, sometimes you're like, no, that's not it. He looked at the disciples. He was going to still carry on with them.

One of the accounts said he was actually very displeased that they actually stopped the children. He said, no, cut that out. Bring them to me. There's a standard there. No, that's not my design. I want them over here. They are with me. And I'm going to use them as an example.

Another thing we do as parents with children, we are supposed to spend time with them. You know, look at these things. There's like studies that say like because we're so glued to our phones that our children don't even develop mentally like they could. Because like before 2010 when everybody was going to their phone, anybody remember before that when nobody had a cell phone, right? Didn't it seem like we had more time then too? I'll come back to that, right? Or maybe some other time, right? So instead of time, one-on-one time, one-on-one time. We're distracted.

But the Father is not distracted. He delights in you. Okay? So there's no one to be tough, time, and then there's tender.

Some of you, maybe a lot of you, need to encounter the tenderness of God. Even men, you need to encounter the tenderness of God. Now, before you bristle at that, hold on. Let me talk to you for a second. There are things that build up in your soul. There are pressures of life. There are things that come at you, and you seek for a release. Again, it could be drugs.

It could be success at work. It could be anything. A lot of times, it is idolatry, but your soul is shaped to go after God. And a lot of times, as men, we're trying to shoulder it all, which is a bad idea, right? That's when you end up crashing out. But where you can access the tenderness of God and go into his presence and have your soul restored. Ask me how I know about it. So I'm speaking to men, ladies too, but I'm speaking to men because some of you have not developed a relationship with God because you haven't developed the trust where you can cast all your care on him.

And the scriptures say, for he cares for you. So trust me, godly masculinity is also encountering God in a place, really, maybe the only place you feel safe being weak. Because he knows how to keep things to himself. So when you see Jesus do this the same way we're supposed to come into the kingdom as little children, you can access that too, and you're designed to access that. Family, don't let the distrust of men stop you from a real relationship with God the Father. Don't do it. Don't let bad examples, don't let bad circumstances, don't let abuse. I'm not trying to trivialize anything, family.

What you went through, you went through. Not trying to make light of that. But to let that keep you from the father of lights. I'm done, Frank. That's the plan of the enemy. Right now, if you haven't spoken to him, if he just like, he just kind of, you can rekindle it now. He's been waiting the whole time. And the story of the prodigal son is that he went and he was far off and he came back into the land it said the father was looking and came and fell upon his neck

he seeks such intimacy with us male and female he seeks that intimacy with us. So much so, give me John 10. I'll be closing here. It's 22nd through 30th verse. It says, at the time the feast of dedication took place at Jerusalem, it was winter. And Jesus was walking in the temple in the colonnade of Solomon. So the Jews gathered around him and said, how long will you keep us in suspense?

If you are the Christ, just tell us plainly. Jesus answered them. He said, I told you and you do not believe. He says, the works that I do in my father's name bear witness about me. But you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. He says, my sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me. He said, I give them eternal life and they will never perish. I just want to stop there. A lot of times when you think eternal life, I was reading another passage at the eighth, you think heaven. No, no, no. Eternal life says the scriptures. It says, I want to say in John 17, it's to know the true and living God. You don't have to wait until we fall asleep because we don't die as Christians.

We fall asleep in Christ. You don't have to wait. You don't have to wait until you pass on to get eternal life. You get it now because of what Jesus did on the cross and gave you access to know the true and living God. 28 again, he says, I give them eternal life and they will never perish. Say never. Never perish. And no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father who has given them to me is greater than all.

Say greater. Greater. And no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. And he says in verse 30, I'll end here. He says, I and the Father are one. So let me tell you something, family. I was aware, and I had in my memory where, I want to say Jesus says, no one can snatch me out of my hand. I never put together.

He also says, we're in the Father's hand, and you can't snatch me out of my hand. I never put together. He also says, we're in the Father's hand, and you can't snatch me out of that one either. Family, you're in good hands. As a disciple, as a child of God. Guess what, family? With these children, usher them into good hands. Treat them well. Reflect the love of the Father in grace and discipline and love. As a body of Christ, treat your brother and your sister well and point them back to the Father that has us all in good hands. And check me out. Sometimes it don't look or feel like we're in good hands. Because we're saying if I was in good hands, it wouldn't look like this. The truth is the truth. And I can empathize with you there,

much like Christ, our high priest. But the truth says you're in good hands and nobody can snatch you out. So what does that look like for some of you? Some of you just need to realize that you're a child. I mean, look at yourself as like a one and a half year old. Barely waddling around and depend on God again. And turn the corner and run towards intimacy with him. Some of you need to call your nephew and call your niece, and don't just ask them about school.

Ask them about their spiritual life. Ask them like, hey, man, how can I pray for you, nephew? How can I pray for you, niece? Some of y'all need to adopt somebody in the neighborhood and bring them to church right and some of you guys you may say hey man actually I hear you

I may want to work in formations our children's ministry and you can sign up there but Christ has elevated children because we're all children of God and he has dealt with us with love and grace amen beloved but Christ has elevated children because we're all children of God. And he has dealt with us with love and grace. Amen, beloved?

All right, bow your head. Let me pray for you. You're a good God, a good father. Thank you for giving the elevation of our most precious disciples. Help us deal with them according to your grace and your goodness. And thank you for loving us through the cross, oh God. Help the men and women run towards your intimacy because you are the safe place. You told us to go into our secret closet and pray.

And help develop that intimacy. Have your way in us as children. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.