Let's turn in God's word. Our Bible reading tonight is
taken from Matthew chapter 18 and we want to read together the
1st 11 verses. Matthew chapter 18 verses 1 to
11. Let's hear the word of God for
those online. The words will come up on
screen. As I've said many times, we
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Matthew chapter 18, verse one. At the same time came the
disciples unto Jesus saying, who is the greatest in the Kingdom
of heaven? And Jesus called a little child
unto him, and set him in the midst of them, 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.
Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child the
same is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven, and whoso
shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.
But whose social offend one of these little ones which believe
in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged
about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
Woe 1 to the world because of offences, For it must needs be
that offences come, but woe to that man by whom the offence
cometh. Wherefore, if thy hand or thy
foot offend thee, cut them off and cast them from thee.
It is better for thee to enter into life, halt or maimed,
rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into
everlasting fire. And if thine eye offend thee,
pluck it out and cast it from thee.
It is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather
than having two eyes to be cast into Hellfire.
Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones.
For I say unto you that in heaven their angels do always
behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.
For the Son of Man has come to see if that which was lost,
Amen, will end the reading there at verse 11.
And we pray the Lord will stamp with his own approval and
blessing. That's reading of his own
precious and infallible word. Now my text tonight is taken
from Matthew, chapter 18 versus 6 and seven.
It reads as follows. But who so shall offend one of
these little ones, which believe in me?
It were better for him than a millstone were hanged about his
neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
Woe on to the world because of offences, for it must needs be
that offences come but woe to that man by whom the offence
cometh. And I've entitled this message
tonight, the sentence of the millstone necklace.
Now the Lord Jesus Christ is dealing with the subject of the
importance and value of little children who believe in him, and
he's emphasising to his disciples the dreadful sentence
that will befall anyone who harms or offends one of these
little ones. Now I want you to think of four
things tonight. First of all, think of the
seriousness of this message. You see, it's obvious from the
context the Lord Jesus is speaking.
Look at Matthew chapter 18 verse one.
At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus saying, Who
is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?
That's a great question. I want you to notice that the
Lord Jesus could have answered it and answered it directly, but
he doesn't answer it directively.
He he, He answers it with an object lesson.
He calls a little child. Do you think of him calling a
child to himself? That's what verse two says.
And Jesus called a little child unto him and set him in the
midst of there. So you've got to think of this
little boy coming into the midst of the disables.
You see, the Lord Jesus loves the children.
The Lord Jesus has a special place, I believe, for what we
call. And the Bible calls the lambs of
the flock. She sets this little boy in the
medst. And this is what he said.
Listen to chapter 18, verse 3. Verily I say unto you, Except
you be converted and become as little children, you shall not
enter into the Kingdom of heaven.
Whosoever therefore shall humble himself with this little child,
the same is greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.
And who shall shall receive one such little child in my name
receiveth me. You see, there's a tremendous
lot here, except you be converted and become as little
children. You shall not enter into the
Kingdom of heaven. Preach a whole sermon or not.
But there's a lesson here of true humility.
Humbling yourself even though you're an adult as a little
child. Owning your sinnership, coming
before God, saying God be merciful to me, the Sinner.
Acknowledging the fact that you've got a soul that you need
to be saved and that only Jesus Christ can see if you cause
salvation is not in the church, it's in Christ.
Neither's are salvation in any other, for there's no other name
under heaven given among men whereby you must be saved.
In fact the Lord Jesus said in the context here, for the Son of
Man has come to sieve that which was lost.
And if sinners confess that they're lost without the
Saviour, and call upon them, Whosoever shall call upon the
name of the Lord shall be saved, then I ask tonight, is that your
testimony? Is that your experience?
There was a time in your life when you came before the Lord
and said, I am nothing, and I have nothing, and I can do
nothing to recommend myself to you.
In other words, you've humbled yourself before the Lord.
There's also a lesson here, not in true humility, but a lesson
in true certainty. Whose social received one such
little child in my name, receive with me we could open up.
That's another aspect to the sermon.
But look with me at verse 6. But who so shall offend one of
these little ones, which believe in me, were better for him than
a millstone were hanged about his neck, and they were drowned
in the depth of the sea. You see, the message that's
found here is a very serious message.
Do you know that? It's also found in Mark Chapter
9 and verse 42. Listen to the word of God in
Mark Chapter 9, verse 42. This is what it says.
And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that
believe in thee, it is better for him that a millstone were
hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea and over
there. And look chapter 17.
And in the verse two we read similar words.
It were better for him than a millstone were hanged about his
neck, and he cast into the sea than that he should have found
one of these little ones. And remember, this has been
established in the mouth of two or three witnesses, because the
Bible says, But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee
one or two more. That in the mouth of two or
three witnesses every word may be established.
So this is a powerful message. It was witness to by Matthew,
witness to by Mark, witness to by Luke.
In fact, it's a message that we must take seriously.
It's a message that we must contemplate and ponder
carefully. We're not to come to this
message glibly. We're not to treat it in a light
hearted fashion. The Lord Jesus is setting before
us the seriousness of the subject.
You see, there's a warning here. If you look at Matthew, chapter
18, verse 10, take heed that you despise not one of these little
ones. This is a take heed message.
You see, what he's saying is this.
If you're found guilty of this most serious sin of harming a
child, then the consequence of your actions, the consequence of
your sinful behaviour, are far reaching, so far reaching that
it has eternal consequences. And it were better for you to
have a millstone placed around your neck and you drowned in the
depth of the sea than to come before me in the judgment.
Look at chapter 18, verse 7. Woe onto the world because of
offenses where it must need be. That offenses come with woe to
that man by whom the offense come within.
The word woe here means judgment.
So I want to ask tonight this question.
What value do we put on the children?
Do we pay lip service to children's ministry?
You think of the Little Tots, think of the children's
meetings. The Sunday School will go as far
as the young people's fellowship.
You see, the reality is that many in the Church of Jesus
Christ have a tendency to look down in the children.
Other only children, they don't matter, and to hold them in a
spirit of contempt and and and treat them in a disdainful
fashion. What the children know.
What do the children? Well, we know better than them.
You see, here's the Lord Jesus and he has a high view and
greatly values the children. He has a tremendous interest in
the children. Listen to what the word of God
says in Sam 127, verse 3. Low Children are in heritage of
the Lord and the fruit of their womb as His reward.
In fact, we read in Sam. 139 these words, verse 13.
For thou hast possessed my reigns.
Thou was covered me in my mother's womb.
I will praise thee, for I'm fearfully and wonderfully made
marvellous of thy works, and not my soul know with right.
Well my substance was not hid from thee when I was made in
secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
Verse 16. Thine eyes to see my substance,
yet being unperfect. And then thy book all my members
are written, which in continuance were fashioned, and
as yet there was none of them. How precious are thy thoughts?
You see? Remember when the disciples came
to the Lord Jesus, and they rebuked the parents for bringing
the children to the Lord Jesus? How did he react?
We read in March, chapter 10, verse 14.
But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto
them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them
not, for a such is the Kingdom of God.
Verily I say unto you, Whoever shall not receive the Kingdom of
God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.
And he took them up on his arms, put his hands upon them, and
blessed. And remember, after Peter was
restored at the sea of Tiberius, and brought back into fellowship
with Christ, and Christ asked him, Love us thy me more than
these Peter. And Peter said, Yes, I do.
To the first question, What did the Lord Jesus tell him today?
Feed my lambs. That's a reference to the
children. John 21, verse 15.
And when we read the epistles, here's the emphasis the apostle
Paul put in the children. He he included the children, and
he feeds in six children. Obey your parents and the Lord,
for this is right, he said to them, Honour thy father and
mother, which is the first commandment with promise that it
may be well with thee. And they mayst live long in the
earth. And also in Colossians chapter 3
and in the verse 20. We haven't got to Colossians 3
verse 20 in our studies yet, but it's coming.
Listen to the word of God. Children obey our parents and
all for things. But this is well pleasing unto
the Lord. It's in the context of living
out the Christian life in the home.
And if the Lord Jesus used a boy's lunch to he at the feeding
of 5000 men and women and children, here he is again using
a child to teach a lesson through humility and a lesson of
true certainty and a lesson of testimony.
And all of these things that I've mentioned under score 1
fact the importance of the children.
And I believe that we as a church, not only this
congregation, but every free Presbyterian congregation and
all those who are part of the Church of the first board in
Northern Ireland and beyond. We should be doing all that we
can to assist and help the children's ministry grow and
expand. The first point, the seriousness
of this message. Think secondly the substance of
this message. Now I want you to notice if you
look at our text, you've got the offence that is caused.
It says in our text, but who so shall offend?
So we'll pause there. What does the word offend mean?
Well, the word offend means to stumble or or to ensnare.
The the idea is to cause or aid the little child to sin.
You see, the root meaning of the word is scandalous, which from
which we get the word scandalous.
You think of a little child being caused to sin, to draw
that little child away from the one that they're following, the
one that they believe and the one that they trust.
And, and that's the context here.
Take heed. Unless you be guilty of drawing
a child away from Christ and so cause them to stumble and cause
them to become ensnared so much that they're in the grip and
face of sin. That's the offense that's being
caused. Notice the object that is
considered if you look at the text.
But whose social offend? One of these little ones
underline that you see? What does that mean, One of
these little ones? When I'm going to broaden it
out, listen to me carefully. You've got to think of the
babies that are born. You've got to think of small
children who are toddlers 2 and three.
You've got to think of children that are moving on from being a
toddler. They're becoming 4:00 and 5:00
and 6:00 and 7:00. I believe it even includes those
that are 7 right up to 12. And these words, in the wider
context, can be used to bring in the young convert.
It includes those who are young in the faith and the individual,
the man or woman that causes one of these little ones to stumble.
That's the context. Can you get the picture?
The little ones, from the babies to those that are 12 and those
who are young converts. In the wider context, that's the
object that is being considered. I want you to notice something
else. The offender that is cursed, the
man or woman that offends, harms, hinders.
One such little one. The Lord Jesus says it were
better that a millstone were put around their neck and they were
drowned in the depths of the sea.
Woe unto the man by whom the offense cometh, and that woe
means judgment. And remember, the Bible talks
here. Then everyone of us shall give
an account of himself to God. Because I believe that that
individual, there's none to help, there's none to rescue.
There's no mercy going to be shown for that individual that
harms our hinders. A little child.
There's a place we'd call it the lowest hell that's reserved for
them, the Lord Jesus. In the context, it talks here
about being cast into Hellfire. He talks here being cast into
everlasting fire. That's why he says woo to that
man or that person by whom the offense cometh.
That's the substance of the message.
There's an offense that is caused to draw the little
children away from Christ, that they might sin and stumble, the
little ones babies up to 12 and beyond, and the offender that's
cursed. Now you now think also here the
solemnity of this message. It says this.
But who so shall offend one of these little ones, which believe
in me, were better for him than a milled stone were hanged about
his neck. Think of the ways that adults
can offend little children. Think of ways that adults have,
of harming the children and not helping them.
Think of ways that adults have of abusing children and not
adoring the children. You see, one of the ways that
adults have of causing offence to these little ones and
bringing this curse upon themselves is by abusing
children. Listen to me carefully tonight.
I believe that one of the most heinous crimes that can be
committed is a crime against the children.
I believe tonight that there's no greater crime than to hurt
the child. Now, of course we can go back
not only recently in the news, but in the distant past.
The news media have reported on sexual abuse cases found within,
for example, the Roman Catholic institution.
Now, I'm not just going to pick on the Roman Catholic Church
tonight. We denounce and it's dogmas and
doctrine, but we have a love for its people.
Pray for the Roman Catholic community, but you're well aware
of many. We'll call them infamous cases.
Think, for example, of Brendan Smith.
Over a 40 year period, 100 children that we know of were
abused. When that Rebus was reported, he
was moved from one parish to another.
Parish bishops knew, archbishops knew, but nothing was done.
Let me tell you this in a recent report. 216,000 children in
France were abused between 1950 and 2020.
Many of them were abused by so-called Roman Catholic
priests. If we add in to the other
employees, total rises to 330,080% of the victims were
boys. Physical, psychological and
sexual abuse. You see, this is not a minor
issue. This is something that's major,
this is something that's global. We could talk about Australia
tonight and in towns in the rural Outback we could mention
the name of George Pele. We, we we we we could, we could
come to schools and colleges and and and and and and parishes in
the Republic of Ireland. And we can write it across
America and Canada. We can come to the UK,
Argentina, Austria, Mexico. I want to tell you, there's an
avalanche of child abuse cases that have all been reported and
accusations have been made against the church to which
these children belonged. And how did the church respond?
Well, they covered it up. They didn't do enough.
They sought to hinder the truth coming out.
They lay the blame in the children.
And when they brought children in to report these cases, the,
the, the, the offender was there.
And the children have to be many of them, saying disclosure,
nondisclosure letters and inquiry after inquiry.
In the US founded 4000 United States of America, Roman
Catholic priests abused something like 10,000 boys.
And I got that information from a Spotlight program in BBC as
far back as 2015. Do you know that in Rotterdam?
Oh, we're not thinking of Europe, by the way.
We're we're thinking of South Yorkshire.
They found a child sexual exploitation ring that operated
from 1997 to 2013 that involves some 1400 children.
In the BBC, child abuse cases have been reported.
Sadly, those guilty were BBC employees.
You only have to think of one name in particular, Jimmy
Savile. We could add other names but
will not. But you know who they are.
Those working with children and tea in the 23% of all 10 to 17
year olds are exposed to pornography and vulnerable to
exploitation. Think of the crime of grooming a
child. Do you know that there's 110,000
proven sex offenders in the United Kingdom?
And that is the 23rd of July 2000. 110,000 proven sex
offenders. You you add into that the murder
of the children. You you you add into that there
that children are more at risk today than than ever they were
you you think of of child human trafficking.
Do you know I've got a report last week sent to me in a film
called Sound of Freedom and it exposes the world of child
trafficking. A former CIA operative went so
low as a private citizen to rescue 120 women and children in
October 2014. That's what that film Sound of
freedom's about. They haven't heard of it in the
local media. It's not in mainstream news.
Why? Sure, we thought the safety of
the children was paramount. Surely the safety of the
children is not meant to be divisive.
But the mainstream media is ignoring this film.
The Hollywood elite are up in the arms against this film.
Why? Because thus felons exposing the
world of human trafficking and there's no celebrity endorsement
and there's a a media blackout. It's being ignored.
Here's another way children are abused.
Think of this RSE that's coming into our school system
relationship and Sexual Education Northern Ireland.
It's been approved by Parliament Wednesday the 28th of June 2023.
It was introduced by the Secretary of State, Chris Eaton
Harris. It's the will of government to
deliver, he says, statutory obligations.
And when you want to examine what they're going to teach the
children come September and tell your parents need to be alarmed.
Teachers need to be alarmed, heads of schools need to be
alarmed, Boards of governors need to be alarmed.
Why? What are they teaching?
Cause what they're going to teach is wicked.
It's sinful, it's evil and it's heart.
It's not about the education of the children.
It's not for the children's betterment.
It's about the exploitation of the children.
Remember what I told you about the parade in New York, the
recent Pride parade? We're here, we're queer and
we're coming for your children. Why did they say that?
They said it was a joke, but I don't believe it was.
I believe that it's part of a program and at the back of it,
the United Nations have approved this so-called relationship,
sexualised education of the children, because they want to
introduce them to this alternative lifestyle.
Even the Northern Ireland Commissioner approves.
I want to tell you now listen to me carefully.
This will have a physical. This will have a mental.
This will have a spiritual impact on the children.
The children are going to be asked to draw things.
The children are going to be showing things.
The children are going to be sent home with questions to ask
their parents. I want to tell you this is
primary school children, four and five and upwards, and it's a
form of child abuse. There was a furor recently about
a drag show on Saturday night, passed the Mac building,
cancelled it. Why?
Because someone wanted to have the children present a show for
18 Plus that's vile and disgusting and degrading, and
they wanted to have the children present along with a consenting
adult. Where's the safeguard?
Where's the move to protect the children?
I haven't got to the bottom of why it was cancelled, but I'm
thankful for those that contacted Belfast City Council
and and beyond. Here's one of the ways the
children are being harmed by abusing the children.
Also by the maltreatment of children.
Gee, many children are exposed to severe maltreatment and
abuse, not only at school but at home.
There's many broken hearted children.
Children can hardly talk about the abuse that they received.
It's physical, it's psychological, it's personal and
our hearts need to go out to them and and do you think of
another way? And it's by neglect.
And there's many children neglected, especially in many
homes in Northern Ireland. And the NHPCC talks about the
highest levels of neglect ever recorded.
If we check with the PCNI figures, they'll tell you the
same thing. Children being neglected by
their parents, not providing for them for their physical and
temporal needs. Children going to school.
Hungry children going to bed. Hungry children not provided for
dress. They're cleansing.
Children can be neglected by the teacher.
Do you know that children could even be neglected by the church?
You see, I believe tonight children are special.
You believe that? I believe the children must be
supported. I believe the children must be
safeguarded. I believe tonight the children
must be saved, because Jesus said, suffer the little children
to come unto me, and forbid them not, for as such as the Kingdom
of heaven we sang in that lovely hen.
Suffer the children, Oh, hear his voice, let every heart leap
forth and rejoice, and let us freely make him our choice.
Do not delay, but come. And you see, one of the ways
that children are neglected today is this, not just their
temporal and material and physical need, but their
spiritual need, primarily parents stopping their children
coming to Christ. Let me illustrate.
Here's a young girl, lovely young girl, just coming to one
of our young people's fellowships here in Northern
Ireland for a time. And she's enjoying the meeting
and just talking about getting saved.
And you would think, well, that would throw the heart of mummy
and daddy and granny and Grandda.
Well, not in this home. Once the mother heard of it that
her daughter was thinking of getting saved, she said to her,
I don't want you to go to the Young People's Fellowship on a
Friday night. I want you to go to the
nightclub and in fact I'm going to give you the money to get in.
And here's how I want you to dress and I'm going to drive you
there and I'm going to pick you up.
Why? All because she didn't want her
to come to Christ and that mother was only bringing upon
herself the millstone necklace and she didn't know it and
didn't realise it. How many parents and adults
refused to encourage their children to come to the
children's meeting or to the Sunday school or to the youth
camps? We go to the doors and we ask
them and they say to the children, do you want to go?
There's no encouragement. They don't say do you want to go
to school? Well, of course some of them do
because that's part of the maltreatment and the abuse.
They're not at school now, such as the state of homes, many in
loyalist areas, many tonight in Roman Catholic areas, and
drunkenness and drug addiction and abuse.
It's widespread. And of course, you see, there's
no prayer for the children and there's no prayer with the
children. And maybe I'll throw out the
challenge tonight to all of us to have a family altar.
Let the children know that you love Christ, gather them around
the word of God, read abortion, pray with them, pray for them.
And I know that we all struggle with wayward children, children
who will rebel and children will rebel because that's the nature
of the child do a sin. They forget the Lord they
forsake as law, but they have a responsibility to try and reach
them. Let's not be responsible for
having a bad example. Let's not play the hypocrite.
You see, the father and mother role in the home is a powerful
role. It's influential and and it's
important because the children, they they follow in the
footsteps of mum and dad and if there's a home where there's
angry, aggressive behavior, where there's arguments, it's
kind of a detrimental impact upon the children, especially
breakups. Here's ways that children are
being treated today. They're being abused, they're
being murdered, they're being maltreated, they're being
neglected. Let's not neglect the children
spiritually tonight. Let's try our best, with the
help and grace of God, to save them for Christ.
Think about this as we finish not only the seriousness of this
message and the substance of this message, but also think
tonight of something else that's very important, the solemnity of
this message. But let's think also of the
sentence of this message. If you go back to our text, it
says it were better for him than a millstone were hanged about
his neck and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
You see there's two kinds of millstone.
There was a domestic 1A small one that woman used at home to
grin core. He turned it with a wee wheel
and it went very easily. But there was another one, a
larger 1A giant one, and it's known as an industrial
millstone. And it took a donkey to move it,
a giant millstone. And the Lord Jesus is telling us
that it were better for him that a millstone were hanging about
his day. And he's thinking about the
larger one, the one that's so large it required a donkey.
And he's saying to us it was better for that individual who
harmed one of these little ones in this way that I've described,
to have a millstone necklace put around his neck and be drowned
in the depth of the sea. Think of the kind of death that
would be. There's no hope for you if
you're thrown into the sea with a a, a large millstone necklace
around your neck. You're not going to be saved.
You're going to die by drowning you.
You're not coming back up with that weight around your neck.
And even if somebody jumped in to rescue you and thought I'll
save you, by the time they would get the millstone necklace off
your neck, you'd be drowned and they'd be drowned with you.
In other words, you're not going to be rescued.
There's no hope for you. The point is this.
If you hurt a child and hinder that child coming to Christ, or
hinder that child who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ, then
there's a place called the lowest hell that's reserved for
you for all eternity unless you repent, unless you receive
Christ as Lord and Savior. You see, here's awful crimes
that we could talk about, and I haven't really been explicit.
I haven't really named a whole pile of individual names.
And while, yes, we look at the Roman Catholic Church, we could
look at the Anglican church, we could look at pastors and
so-called Protestant churches. We can think about the actions
of elders and Sunday school teachers and youth workers and
child workers. But I want to say this,
regardless of who it is as an individual, woe to that man by
whom the offence cometh, because this is very strong language.
This language is reserved for those who are guilty of child
abuse, guilty of maltreatment of the children, guilty of
neglecting the children. And it's the Lord Jesus who's
saying this. It's not David McLaughlin, it's
not the Free Presbyterian Church, it's not the press for
the of Ulster, It's not even the government and morals committee.
It's the Lord Jesus that said this, and he said it three
times. You know, it's a privilege to
try and reach the children for Christ.
It's a privilege to tell them about Jesus the mighty, to see
if and if I finish with this, I finish with this.
Tonight in the Word of God it's written.
For God so loved the world, that he gave us only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have
everlasting life. And what do we teach the
children when we get the hold of them?
We teach them this truth, that Jesus loves them, that Jesus
died to save them. And Jesus calls the little
children, suffer the little children to come unto me and
forbid them not, for of such is the Kingdom of heaven.
And we tell those little children that if they call in
Christ and believe in Him to the saving of their soul, they can
be gloriously and wonderfully saved.
And that's a lesson of true humility, That's a lesson of
real certainty because Jesus said, who so receiveth one such
little child in my name, receiveth me.
And it's a wonder that a child is saved early in life, and not
only is the soul see, but the life is saved from a life of sin
to serve God. And we could think of many who
could save this children, and we'd only become mighty leaders
in the work of God. A real true testimony.
They bore that testimony to the saving and keeping power of
Christ. Here's the sentence of the
millstone necklace I tell you tonight as we finish This is a
serious message and the substance of it.
There's an offence here that's being caused and the object has
to be considered the little ones.
And there's an offender that's cursed.
There's reserved for hen the millstone and it's a solemn
message and I have never preached on it before.
I say that to my Shia, I haven't heard anyone else preach on it.
You've got to think of this sentence, of this message.
Imagine standing face to face with the Lord and you're in your
sin. For the Bible says if you die in
your sins where Jesus says you'll never be, you're given a
count of yourself to God, and he brings up the harm and the
hindrance that you did to the children.
And then he tells you to part for me, curse it, and
everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.