Mat 18:1  At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?
Mat 18:2  And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them,
Mat 18:3  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.
Mat 18:4  Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 

Luke 9 says the disciples were arguing amongst themselves about who will be the greatest.  

The disciples were filled with the cares that pertain to the life that is born from this world.  The cares of this world are a stumbling block to becoming as little children. You’re not feeling very childlike when you are filled with the cares of the world.  

Example of movie big Tom hanks 

The cares of the world are all the cares that come along with the life that is of the world.  The life that is of this world is earthy and but dust, and it can be corrupted by moth and rust.  Well there’s a lot of cares that come along with a life like that.  

The disciples thoughts were filled with the care of their own lives, and because of that they were thinking of how they can gain the best position in the kingdom of Heaven.  They were jockeying for position.  

Its like when people are waiting to board a plane.  There are some who are trying to get the best spot in line so they can get the best spot on the plane.  And there are some who aren’t thinking of when they get on the plane or in what order they get on the plane.  The people who want the best spot, the reason they want the best spot, is because they are taking thought to care for their own lives.

Jesus says in Luke 9 the least among you shall be the greatest.  And in Matthew 20 He says the last shall be first.  The context of Jesus saying those things is connected to being converted and becoming as little children.

The word convert means for your mind to be changed.  It means to go back to the way it was before.  Jesus says unless your mind be changed and go back to that of a little child you shall not experience the kingdom of heaven.  

How is it that a little child lives?  

A little child isnt filled with the cares of the world.  They aren’t carrying the burden of bringing forth their own life.  They arent taking thought of their life.  Their thoughts arent bogged down with their lives and the care their lives need to flourish.  They are just enjoying life.

Something interesting about little children is they have no consciousness of mortality, and because of that they have no fear, and their mind isnt filled with the care of their life.  All the cares of the world come from trying to perfect and uphold a life that is perishable.  Little children dwell in innocence, free from the cares of the world, because they aren’t aware of their mortality.  Its like with nakedness.  Little children aren’t aware of their nakedness and so they don’t see it as needing to be taken care of.  Something interesting is that nakedness in the scriptures is used symbolically to talk about mortality.  

The world wants to steal your innocence.  It wants to steal your childhood.  The world wants you to take up your own life.  It wants to uncover your nakedness.  It wants to fill your thoughts with the care of your own life, and the way it does that is by filling your conscience with mortality.  The world even has cliche’s like life is fragile, or life is short, all with the intent to stain your conscience with mortality.  Can you imagine God saying life is fragile or life is short?  

In Matthew 18 when Jesus says unless you become as little children, what he’s getting at is unless your mind be turned away from carrying the burden of bringing forth your own life, you wont be able to experience the kingdom of Heaven.  The parable of the sower sowing the seed says the cares of this world works as a weed to choke out the ability of the word of life to bring forth the fruit of the Spirit in you.  Unless your mind be turned from the cares that come along with the life that is earthy and but dust.  Unless your life be born from the thought God has taken to care for your life, you shall not experience the Kingdom of Heaven.  You will struggle to experience the fruit of the Spirit.   Those whose minds aren’t filled with the care of their own lives are the ones who shall experience the kingdom of Heaven.  They shall be the greatest, they shall be first.

When I talk about carrying the burden of caring for your own life, I’m not talking about things like grocery shopping or going to work or going to the gym.  I’m talking about carrying the burden of bringing forth peace and love and joy and rest in your life.  I’m talking about living in the world, looking to the world around you, and your ability to shape the world around you, to try and nurture yourself with the peace and the love and the joy and the rest your life needs. 

When Jesus tells the disciples they must be converted and become as little children.  He isnt telling the disciples they must make themselves little children.  

A little child is not just a little child but they are able to be a little child because someone else has taken thought of them and taken thought to care for their life.  The moment they must take thought for their own life their innocence is lost.  Adam’s innocence was stolen when his conscience was filled with mortality.  Once Adam’s conscience was stained with mortality his mind was filled with the care of his life.  

God doesn’t tell you that you must make yourself a little child.  What happens is He comes and makes Himself known to you as Father; He comes to show you the thought He has taken to give your life the kind of care it needs in the resurrection of Jesus; so you become as a little child through the revelation that He is Father.  

1Pe 5:6  Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
1Pe 5:7  Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

These verses can be understood by looking at the last part of the verse that says “for He cares for you”.  Casting your cares upon God isnt so much about I’m going to give God all the things I’m worried about and pray He fixes them.  Although you can certainly talk with God about the things that concern you.  

What casting your cares upon God is primarily talking about is your conscience being cleansed from taking thought of your life and the care it needs because you see the thought God has taken to care for your life in the resurrection of Jesus.  When your mind is filled with the care God has taken to exalt you to life you will no longer be thinking of what you need to be exalted. 

Human beings were created to experience a certain kind of life.  We are specific type of beings.  Beings made in the image of God.  There are things that are contrary to us and things that are consistent with our design.  So we require a specific kind of care.  

We are in need of being nurtured with peace, and love, and joy, and meekness, and patience.  We are in need of rest for our flesh.  The kind that isnt fickle.  The kind that isnt at the mercy of what’s happening in the world around us.  The kind that passes understanding, which means it confounds the wisdom of the world.  You know like Jesus being filled with peace even as he was being crucified on the cross.  

The kind of care you need can only come from a life that is able to overcome death in the flesh and death in the world.  In order for you to be properly cared for, you are in need of an incorruptible life that can be a well of living water for you, watering you so you are as a tree that is unceasing in its fruitfulness even should there be a drought in the earth. 

That’s the root of all your cares.  When you are taking thought for your life, thats what you are wanting.  You are wanting a life that can’t be touched by death and weakness, and you are wanting to be filled with peace and love and joy and patience and meekness.  

We have these cliches about kids … we say they grow up so quickly, you blink and they're gone.  I’ve heard many parents say they wish their kids could be as little children again.  

It’s the same way with God.  GOD wants you to be able to live as little children again.  God sees you grew up too fast.  He sees your innocence was stolen by your conscience being filled with a life that is perishable.  He sees your thoughts have become filled with the cares that pertain to trying to uphold the life in the world that is but dust.  He wants you to be able to live as little children again.  He wants to restore your innocence, where your mind isnt filled with mortality, and you are able to enjoy life free from fear, and free from the heavy yoke of caring for your own life.  

God sees the care you need.  He knows He is the only one who can give you the care you need.  God wants more than anything to be your God.  He wants more than anything to serve you with life.  His heart is consumed with nurturing your life with the fruit of His Spirit.   

In Hebrews 8:10 God says I will write my laws on their hearts and in their minds, and I will be to them a God and they shall be to me a people.  

I will write the work I’ve done to care for their life in their hearts and in their minds.  I will write the work I’ve done to sanctify them from death, and serve them with my indestructible life, in their hearts and in their minds, so they can see that I am their God, and they are able to live as my people.

I know the thought I’ve taken to care for their life … I will write on their hearts the thought I’ve taken to care for their life.  I will persuade them there’s no stone I’ve left unturned in caring for their life; that I’ve even removed the tombstone from the grave.  So they can see I am their Father, and they are able to be as little children.  

Great is the mystery of godliness.  God was manifest in the flesh.  God made Himself manifest, and He made the thought He’s taken to care for your life manifest, in the body of Jesus’ resurrection.  He manifested Himself to you so He can fill your hearts and your minds with the thought He’s taken to care for your life, and your conscience can be purged from death and your innocence be restored, and you be made as little children again. 

Even Jesus had to become as a little child to enter into the kingdom of heaven.  Well you might be thinking when did Jesus become as a little child?  Jesus became as a little child on the cross.  The Father made Jesus as a little child by revealing to Jesus the thought He took to care for his life.  

Mat 6:25  Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on.  Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
Mat 6:26  Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
Mat 6:27  Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
Mat 6:28  And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
Mat 6:29  And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
Mat 6:30  Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
Mat 6:31  Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
Mat 6:32  (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

When Jesus was on the cross he didnt take thought for his own life.  His heart and his mind were filled with the thought the Father took to care for his life.  He saw the Father loved him; he saw the Father would sanctify him from death; He saw the Father would glorify his mortal body with immortality.  Jesus saw the Father took such careful thought for his life that there was no room left for him to need take thought of his own life, and that kept the cares of this world from choking out the word the Father sowed into His heart. 

Becoming as a little child is something that happens to you when you see God manifested Himself in the resurrection to bring your life forth from His incorruptible seed, and give you the care you need.  You will be made as a little child when you see God has begat your life again from above; from the incorruptible seed that is Christs life.  Your conscience will be purged from the death and corruption in the earth when you see that your life has been born from the work of God to abolish death.  And you will live as a little child ….

Prayer …..