Take your Bibles with you if you would and have just a single reading from the book of Isaiah. So I did not include this in the readings. I decided to replace the second reading there with just a single verse. If you're familiar with this, Isaiah chapter 9. And I'm just going to read one verse here, Isaiah chapter 9, verse 6. I kind of alluded to the content of this sermon the last few weeks, but I thought it was worth us taking the time to see clearly both my way of prophecy and the Old Testament. And then today we're going to see Jesus and His ministry in John chapter 21. the fulfillment of some particular prophecies. And this is one of those prophecies. So, I want you to look at your Bible and note that at the end of, so we're going to read Isaiah 9, 6, but at the end of the verse there are, in most translations, four titles. Some may have wonderful, and comma, And so my understanding, by the way, because there are four titles here, each one composed of two meanings. So one is an adjective and the other is a noun. So we have, number one, wonderful counselor. Number two, mighty counselor. And so we're zeroing in on that phrase today, everlasting father. We're going to wrestle with, wait a minute, I thought the father is the father. And today I want to make the case from scripture that in fact we have ample reason as his disciples to call Jesus And the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Alright, and then let's turn over to our text for today, John Chapter 21. decided to take one more week in this first half of Revelation 1 and really we're zeroing in on verse 5 and even more specifically we're singling in on one word that Jesus uses here when this mystical figure from the shore hollers out to them children and I want to remind us So if you can imagine this, I'd like you to think about the McElroy Stadium down there at Washburn High School. Would you imagine one person standing in one end zone, another person standing in the other end zone, that's 100 yards, and one person yelling down the football that we're talking about here. So this is not the time that Jesus is going to do an extensive theology lesson, but in a single word, he is. That's the amazing part. And so, I'd like to begin at verse one, and we'll read verses one through five. So John 21, beginning at verse one. After this, Jesus revealed himself again. and He revealed Himself in this way. Simon Peter, Thomas called the twin, Nathanael of Canaan and Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, I'm going fishing. They said to him, we will go with you. They went out and got into the boat, and that night they caught I'm going to tell you a story. I'm going to tell you a story. So the single word today that we want to think about is this word, children. And so by way of application, I want to signal where I'm going here. I want you to notice that the Bible talks about children in two ways. One is in a diminishing way, or by way of foolishness. And the other is by way of profundity. And so, even as we go through today, I want you to see the theological foundation in the first couple, the first three points, the first two points, and then growing out of childishness into child-likeness. So I ask you today, have you considered Jesus? I want to make sure we're all traveling along here today. I'm assuming that you are clear on the personal distinction between God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. This is the thoroughly biblical doctrine of the Trinity. But what I want you to see today is that in Isaiah 9-6, If we only think of the Father as the Father, then we're not wrestling adequately with the Old Testament titles for Christ. We're not talking about the Father, but we're talking about Jesus as a Father. The Son is personally distinct from the Father. In Isaiah 53, we have another one of these super famous chapters that is referring to Jesus in a father-like way. It says in Isaiah 53 and verse 10, it was the will of the Lord to crush Jesus. He has put him to grief. When his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see according to Isaiah 53, is going to have offspring. Jesus was never married, he was never a physical father, and yet the Bible prophesies that he will have offspring. The use of the word children, then, in our passage today, initially is somewhat surprising. Yet I believe that Jesus, in the way that he's addressing his disciples, is in fact pointing them to the wondrous way in which God's Word is being fulfilled in the time following the resurrection. So let's think about this word, children. The Reformation Study Bible, commenting on immaturity or dependence. In fact, it's humorous, as he already knows that they've caught nothing. So he's calling to them, this shadowy figure, I imagine, the words kind of coming through the mist. I don't know why, but they don't, they're a hundred yards away, but they don't Voices, I've had the experience where voices sound differently, and people are talking through the fog, heavy, dense fog. It's one of those kind of, we're not quite sure what's going on here. And so Jesus is communicating when he calls these big, rough fishermen. Remember, these are the seven of the 12 who are the fishermen. They're going back to their old habits and patterns. to be like me going to some of the older men in this church and calling you children, it's weird. There is maybe some political sense in which this is true. And that's what we're going to dive into today, is in what sense is Jesus calling them children? Matthew, Henry, and Collins. Jesus speaks to them as His sons, with the care and tenderness of a father. Though He has now entered a one-His-exalted state, He spoke to His disciples with as much kindness and affection as ever. They were not children in age, but they were His children, the children which God has given them." This is a quote from Hebrews chapter 2. Henry's last phrase ties in to Hebrews chapter 2, which we'll read here in just a few moments, where it says that Jesus is not ashamed to call us in a single verse, I will tell of your name to my brothers. That is, Jesus is identifying with us. He is our elder brother and we are his brothers and sisters. And then in the same verse, Jesus is also fulfilling another prophecy where he says, behold I and the children whom you have given to me. So in one verse, Jesus is our brother and Jesus is also our father. So this is not out of the ordinary, this is not unexpected if you have read the Bible providentially. But if this is a new thought to you, then pay attention today because it's extremely important. So point number one, I want us to define child in the Bible. that are used just once or twice, but seven main words. This is in the New Testament. Along with frequency, how often is this used? And I decided to arrange these in roughly chronological age. Now, even as I did this, I thought, I need to be careful here, because remember that a word is always defined by the context in which it is used. And so these are the main translations. And again, sometimes if you have this chart in your mind, you might be surprised when another Greek word is used. And clearly, in the context, he means. And so what we're dealing with here is we're dealing with seven different words that, depending on their context, can mean different shades of, are we talking about a woman who's pregnant? That's the first one. Someone who's with child. This is a child in the womb. The Bible, at least, evenly regards children in the womb as being children. That is used nine times. Then we have a word for an infant, or a very small baby, a completely dependent baby, probably even a nursing infant. Then we have another word for infant that has the emphasis on the inability of the child. So there's one place where the idea of a minor, someone who's not legally able to do things for themselves, in the Book of Galatians. And we have a little one, or a baby. We have a young child. Then we have this word that's used a lot, particularly with reference to Jesus. Jesus is the son. He's the son of man, according to Luke. He's the son of God, according to John. This idea of a son, kleos, is the Greek word here that's used very often. And then we have a child in the sense of the next generation, or a descendant. So I just want you to see that the Bible is talking a lot, even in the Gospels, about children and the importance of children of various ages and stages. So now point number two, I want you to see the direction in Jesus' present use of the word children. That is, He's communicating something, and we need to wrestle with what's going on here. So again, Jesus is saying this one word, children. What is he saying? Well, number one, he's saying that he has a kindness and an affection for those whom he's addressing. But he's also very clearly implying their immaturity or naivete. Clearly, Jesus' use of children is not a reference to their inferior physical age. Probably, these men are roughly the same age as Jesus. Again, we don't know. We're speculating. But it's quite possible that some of the older apostles, such as Peter, could even be older than Jesus. And some were no doubt considerably younger. And Jesus is taking all of these people In the boat, all seven of the apostles, again, Burley, Fisherman, and the same children. I believe that what Jesus is doing here is he's employing the metaphor of a family to refer to his band of disciples. Back in John 21, verse 1, these men are the disciples. There are seven of them that also fit in, if you remember John's frequent use of the language of the seven. And so these are out fishing, and Jesus refers to them as children. So they are his brothers, Hebrews chapter 2, which we'll read in just a moment. They're his brothers because he shares, he's part of the family with them. They're his brothers in the sense that they're his peers. Jesus is the firstborn among many brothers. Yet, he is also their father. Because he is their rabbi. They are his disciples. They are his sons and daughters. Because as a rabbi, he's taken them into his, air quotes, family. So when we talk about Jesus as our father, we're not confusing categories with God as the father. But rather, what we're saying here is we're referencing the discipleship relationship. The rabbi and the disciples, the teacher and the student. And so for Jesus to call them children is to say, you guys, part of my group. I know, you've been through a lot. You're back up here in Galilee and you apparently aren't doing much by way of propagation of the gospel. Guys, I called you to be my disciples, not just to be fishermen. I called you to walk with me. Here I am! There's a lot that Jesus is communicating here. Jesus did the same thing, by the way, prior to his resurrection. It's not something unique to the post-resurrection appearances. In John 13, 33, Jesus said, little children. That's, by the way, two English words to translate one Greek word. It's one of those seven that I mentioned. little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, where I am going, you cannot call." So Jesus does use this previous sentence. He does use this prior to his resurrection. And yet, I want you to think about it. Is now here, these seven disciples, They saw him on the day of his resurrection, the first Sabbath of the new creation. And then, when Thomas was there, he saw him on the second Sabbath of the new creation. Now what I want you to think about is the nature of this third appearance. Jesus, in this context, that is Jesus in his humanity he shall see his offspring he shall prolong his days how long will Jesus prolong his days well in order to fulfill the Davidic covenant which was promised that the seed of David would reign for And so now here's Jesus, the rabbi, saying to His disciples, guys, you stubble up to me, I'm still your rabbi, I've been teaching you, I haven't given up on you, and you've given up on me. Do you see the familial language here, how this is beckoning them? Oh yeah, I do belong to Jesus, and He is my Father, that is, In the sense, he is my rabbi or my teacher. I have trusted him. I have walked with him and followed him. This appears again and again in John 14, 18. Jesus says, I will not leave you as orphans. I will come to you fulfilling that in this story. In 1 John, They're going to begin using parent-child language in their epistles. So John, for example, says no less than 14 times in the book of 1 John, by little children. By little children, I'm writing these things to you so that you may not sin. Do you see how he now is functioning as the teacher? And he's saying, I'm giving you the teaching so that you won't walk in the ways Paul says to Philemon, I, Paul, appeal to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I became in my imprisonment. I think that means all the Onesimus to Christ. In fact, that interpretation is strengthened. If you look at 1 Corinthians 4.15, this is a verse my father used to quote all the time. It caused me to wonder and to pray, Lord, will you do that first in me? Paul says, for although you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. I became your father in Jesus Christ through the gospel. That is, people were one to Christ. And of course, they have lots of teachers. What a unique relationship to say this person came to Christ. is a result of my involvement in your life. I'll say it, guys. I'm your dad. You're my kids because I love you. those things out in our lives, to come to church, not to check off the box. I was there in body. But for a congregation to grow and learn as we listen to the words of our Father. Jesus says, do not call anyone Father. Don't call me Father. But you have one Father in heaven. Now here's the irony. But who else is in Heaven? Jesus, our Father, who taught us to pray, our Father in Heaven. Do you see how Jesus is leading us to the Father? He is the fullness, He is the radiance of the glory of God. And so we see that even as encapsulated in this idea of the Father. So point number three then. And I've given you a number of verses here. I would encourage you to read through these verses and consider them together. But the main verse that I ask you to circle there if you're taking notes is 1 Corinthians 13, 11. This is really the verse that I have in mind under this point. And the point is, so develop out of childishness into maturity. There are many, I've only scratched the surface here, but it's important that we see that the Bible does diminish childhood. Oh, you're acting like a child. That's not a good thing, especially if you're an adult. Don't act childish. We have this same idea in our language. To be childish is to be immature. Oftentimes, it's to be arrogant, by the way. 1 Corinthians 13.11 says, when I was a child, I spoke like a child. I thought like a child. I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. Here's that word, childish ways, in Scripture. along the street, in the evening of the day, near the corner where all the prostitutes were, at the time of night and darkness, and all of a sudden, guess who came out of the shadows? The prostitute herself. This idea of being childish, this idea of being impetuous, that is, hastily making decisions, It's the idea of being naive, of not having everything sorted and put together. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2 verse 6, yet among the mature we do impart wisdom. With those who are immature, they're not ready to understand. It's not a wisdom of history. But the wisdom that the apostles were giving is eternal wisdom because it's grounded and based upon the Word of God. All flesh is like grass. Children can't see this. Every day the child is stronger than the day before. Every day the child is understanding more than the day before. And it's tempting to think, I've got this figured out. Colossians 1.28 says, we proclaim Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. And I love this one. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk. that you may grow up into salvation, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. We need the milk of the word to mature and to become all that God has created us to be. So, point three, really have in mind the young people in our church today. The call to you is this, look to Jesus and to his resurrection, put away childish, things, strive for faithful maturity in Jesus, build on the truth of Bible doctrine, and the relationships of those around you, your neighbors, your family, your brothers and sisters in Christ. This is the call of Jesus when he calls us children. Don't be childish. But now, he turns to a message a little bit different for the grown-ups. stayed in another way, there is a second stage of growing up which actually involved becoming more child-like. So point number four, devote yourself to child-likeness in faith and wonder. During his ministry here on earth, the disciples came to Jesus and they said, sees in their zeal or righteousness or would it be the disciples because they are now being called by Jesus. Jesus looks out at the crowd and he chooses a little child and he says, would you come up here? And I imagine Jesus holding this child. He says, he put him in the midst of them. Everyone's eyes were fixed on that child. And Jesus said, truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like a child, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 18, there's other passages there. Jesus says, let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. There is another way in which Jesus is calling us to mature, for those who are no longer children, but are living with the burdens and cares and worries and sorrows of adulthood. Listen to this verse, Psalm 131, verse 2. I have called quietly my soul, like a weaned child with his mother. A deleted child is a soul within you. Consider this verse in 1 Corinthians 14. Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature. Now he's not talking about childishness, but rather he's talking about what is maturity. It's in your thinking. other verses that we can talk about here. But I want us to see that Jesus is now calling us to disconnect, if you will, from what I would call a rigid ideology that is ultimately infantile. To view everything through a single thing, and rather To begin to realize how all of reality is connected. To become childlike is to be in wonder and awe of the world that God has made. It's to walk by faith and not by sight. It's to see that the things that are unseen are the most important. If you do not become like a child, then you cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Becoming more brainy and more smart is not the way. We have to become childlike in our faith and wonder. I was listening this week as a man by the name of Dr. Ken Boa was describing his growing awareness as a theology nerd. know about him for years, but as he was describing how he was becoming more aware every day of the material world in which we live. And he was describing, I think, that I was not childlike enough. I went blazing through life with this one thing, whatever was on my mind, and I was oblivious to the world around me. But now that I'm in my 80s, I can't, I'll get distracted from what I'm doing because I start looking at the honeybees that are flying in my backyard, or the telescopes, or the child I wonder, he actually majored in astronomy, and he was describing his telescope. I look through my telescope, and I say, who is this God that I worship? Who is this wonder and awe that came from seeing the creator God, in the creation all around you. Friends, are you a child? Some of you need to stop being children. It's time to grow up. It's time to man up or woman up. It's time to be mature in your thinking and in your living. The Bible says, act like men. Be strong. Some of you need to become more childlike. That is, you've learned lesson number one, but now you need to learn the second lesson. You need to remember that unless you become like a child, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. Go back to being a woman. Go back to being a child. who is utterly dependent on your Father, your everlasting Father, who will reign forever and ever and ever, even the Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, you're His brothers and sisters, but you're also His children in the Gospel of today. Amor, our God, how we thank you for your calling, for calling out there to see the value of your children, Lord, we pray that you would call us to yourself. We pray that you would call us to maturity in the Christian faith, and we pray also, Lord, that you would call us to this childlike faith in you, day by day, so we would live and delight to live in you, moment by moment, with tenderness on your live in a broken world. It's not just out there. It's in here. Our inclination to sin. Oh Lord, help us to be like little children. In your arms. Help us as we struggle and we labor. Lord, there's a lot of struggling and laboring going on in our church right now. I pray that you would help us. But Lord, thank you for coming to that day, leading those burly fishermen as they were going back to their docks and calling on the Lord. Amen.