“Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they pleaded with him to leave their region” (Matthew 8:34).

“Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus.” – That’s good
“They saw him…” – So far, so good.
“Then they pleaded with him to leave them” – Say what?

Why would anyone do that? Why would anyone ask Jesus to leave? What’s that about?

What makes this even crazier is that this is right after Jesus cast out two demon-possessed men who had been violently terrorizing the people in the region of the Gadarenes. Jesus casting out demons from demon-possessed men who had been terrorizing people is a good thing, right? It’s good for the demon-possessed people and it’s good for the people who had been terrorized by them, right?

So, why would the people who had seen this miracle ask Jesus to leave?

Because the cost of freeing these two demon-possessed men was their livelihood. The demons went into the town’s pigs and the entire village’s herd drowned in the Sea of Galilee.

When following Jesus hurts, costs too much, when Jesus begins to meddle, when Jesus offends…people ask Jesus to leave, when Jesus impacts our pocketbooks and bank accounts.

We say we love Jesus, but take a look at your lives and see how many things distract you from fully following and obeying him. Are you doing what Jesus asks? Does it show in your life?

Consider the cost of following Jesus.

“Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3).

Jesus declares there are two conditions to entering the kingdom of heaven. Unless we meet these two requirements, Jesus says “you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Wow. Never. Never? Yeah, never.

Ok. This means we better pay attention if we have any interest in entering the kingdom of heaven. That’s why Jesus starts with the phrase, “Truly I tell you…” Whenever Jesus wanted to emphasize something, he started his sentences with this word, “Truly.” Do you know what that word is in the Greek? What we translate as “Truly” is the Greek word amen. It literally means, “so be it,” “so it really is.”

What are the two conditions for entrance into the kingdom of heaven?

First, we must change. “Unless you change…,” Jesus tells us. It is absolutely true that Jesus loves us and dies for us, just as we are. AND Jesus loves us and dies for us, just as we are, so that we do not remain in the same condition as he found us. Knowing Jesus, loving Jesus, following Jesus changes us. Jesus loves us and dies for us, just as we are, so that he can make us more like him as we follow him.

The other thing about the Greek word for “change” is that it is written in the aorist passive voice. What that means is that change is not a one time event. We must continually change. That’s what the aorist verbs mean. The passive voice means that change does not originate with us. The ability to change lies with Jesus. We don’t become “changing” people because we try harder. We change when we follow and obey Jesus. When we follow and obey Jesus, obeying Jesus changes us.

The first requirement for entrance to the kingdom of heaven is that we must change.

Secondly, we must become like little children. This doesn’t mean that we must become childish. Jesus tells us that we are to be totally trusting like little children. Little children believe and trust their parents. They have no reason not to. And, so it is with us. We are to be like little children who believe and trust our heavenly Father. With little children, believing and trusting has little to do with understanding. They know they don’t understand. Little children believe and trust simply because their moms or dads told them so.

ONLY those who change and become like little children enter the kingdom of heaven. That’s what Jesus said.

“Let us not neglect meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:25).

“Let’s meet by zoom.”

At one time, that sounded like a gift. When the pandemic shut everything down, zoom was an absolute gift.

I remember growing up as a kid and watching sci fi movies and cartoons, and thinking how amazing and cool it would be to be able to talk with someone face to face on a screen. I imagined that talking to one another on the screen would be as good as talking in person.

Now that we’re all zoom and FaceTime experts, we know that there is still nothing like being in the presence of someone in person. It’s not even close.

I know that some watching and worshiping with us online are doing so because that’s the only way to stay connected. And if that’s you, way to go! Way to stay connected. Way to continue worshiping. Well done Christian.

Having said that, if you are choosing to worship online when you are capable of worshiping in person, I want to challenge you to reconsider. I challenge you to show up for worship. I know. It’s not nearly as convenient or comfortable. But I’m confident that God meant for his people to gather in person. That’s why God called people to gather at the Temple during the Old Testament. Some had to walk for days to get to the Temple. But even their walking was an act of worship. It was important for God’s people to gather together.

Friends, if you are able to get to worship in person, I encourage you to do so. That’s the way God meant it to be.

For those of you who are unable to get to worship in person, we will continue to offer worship online, and are thankful that you are able to stay connected with God and with us.

For those of you checking us out online, welcome. Thank you for investing time. Now that you’ve met us online, we would love to worship with you in person!