King Jesus – The Spirit of Adoption (Mark 10:15)

May 26, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Receiving the Kingdom Like a Child’s Open Hands

Jesus redefines greatness by placing a child in the disciples’ midst, rebuking their self-focused debates. Childlike faith isn’t sentimental immaturity but humble dependence, free from the need to prove worth or compete for status. It’s trusting God’s goodness more than our resume, embracing our identity as loved children rather than striving to earn a seat at the table. This posture dismantles barriers, inviting others to encounter Christ without gatekeeping. True confidence flows from resting in His approval, not securing our own. [13:34]

“Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” (Mark 10:15, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you substituted childish comparisons (pride/shame) for childlike trust? What would it look like to approach God today with open-handed dependence instead of self-reliance?

Day 2: Removing Millstones, Building Bridges

Jesus warns that causing “little ones” to stumble invites severe consequences. Stumbling blocks arise when we prioritize tribal belonging over Christ-centered unity, like John’s attempt to stop an outsider ministering in Jesus’ name. Barriers emerge when we confuse our preferences with gospel fidelity, protecting our circle instead of pointing to the cross. Bridges are built when we celebrate others’ hunger for God, even if their journey looks different. [18:55]

“John said to him, ‘Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.’ But Jesus said, ‘Do not stop him… For the one who is not against us is for us.’” (Mark 9:38–40, ESV)

Reflection: Is there someone you’ve subtly discouraged in their faith journey because they didn’t fit your mold? How can you affirm Christ’s work in them this week?

Day 3: The Cost of Clinging to Camels

The rich young ruler walked away sorrowful because his achievements were his identity. Jesus’ call to sell everything wasn’t about poverty but exposing the man’s slavery to self-sufficiency. Camels can’t squeeze through needle gates while carrying baggage; we enter the kingdom only when stripped of what we clutch for security. Childishness hoards resources to feel impressive. Childlike faith releases control to receive the Father’s provision. [35:41]

“Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, ‘How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!’ And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, ‘Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.’” (Mark 10:23–25, ESV)

Reflection: What “camel baggage” (success, reputation, comfort) are you gripping that hinders running freely after Christ? What one step can you take to loosen that grip?

Day 4: From Slavery to “Abba!” Confidence

The Spirit of adoption shatters the pride-shame cycle, replacing slave-like fear with beloved certainty. Romans 8 declares we’re no longer orphans proving our worth but children crying “Daddy!” to the One who proved His love at the cross. Maturity isn’t outgrowing dependence but deepening in the security that we’re fully known and fully loved. [46:48]

“For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.” (Romans 8:15–16, ESV)

Reflection: When have you felt God’s parental delight recently? How might living as His “beloved” (not “worker”) shift your interactions today?

Day 5: Pentecost Power in Childlike Yeses

The disciples waited in childlike dependence for the Spirit’s power, not their own eloquence. Pentecost unleashed bold witness not through human competence but surrendered availability. Like Nate praying for a nervous new believer, our small “yeses” to encourage others become conduits of kingdom power. Summer sessions aren’t about expertise but joining the Spirit’s work in ordinary obedience. [50:36]

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8, ESV)

Reflection: Who’s on your heart to invite into community or conversation this week? What simple act of obedience (text, prayer, invitation) can you take despite feeling underqualified?

Sermon Summary

Jesus sets the terms with a thunderclap: “Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” Mark’s scene keeps circling children on purpose. Jesus is not blessing sentimentality. He is naming the doorway. Childlike faith is not childishness. Childishness stares at self, trembles in insecurity, and grasps for status. Childlike faith looks up, trusts, and grows. True confidence runs on confide, faith placed in Christ, not in self.

Mark then shows the barrier. The disciples hear kingdom language and start arguing about being the greatest. Jesus sits down, pulls a child into his arms, and says receiving such a one is receiving him and the Father. He is forming servants, not an elite inner circle. So when John tries to shut down an outsider casting out demons “because he was not following us,” Jesus replies, “Do not stop him… the one who is not against us is for us.” That is freedom from insecurity. The assignment is clear: be a bridge, not a barrier. The gospel is offensive, but nothing else should be. Speak truth in love by pointing to Jesus, not to self.

The warning lands hard. With a child still in his arms, Jesus says it would be better to sink with a millstone than cause “one of these little ones who believe in me” to stumble. The cutting off of hand, foot, or eye is not spiritual posturing. It is jealous love for the young and the watching. Sin does not only corrode a soul, it scandalizes the immature. That is why Jesus links this to marriage and divorce. Covenant love is supposed to be a living parable. Relationships either help or hinder children, biological and spiritual, from seeing the gospel. Then he turns indignant when the disciples block the kids. “Let the children come to me. Do not hinder them.” The kingdom belongs to this posture.

The promise surfaces as Jesus meets a kneeling moral success story. He loves him, exposes his functional savior, and invites him to “follow me.” The man walks away, and Jesus lets him. With man it is impossible. With God all things are possible. Greatness gets redefined as serving all, because the Son of Man came to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. That ransom births a family. The Father sends the Spirit of adoption so that sons and daughters cry “Abba.” Pentecost seals it. The church does not muscle through by self help. The church receives power and moves in childlike steps, higher up and deeper in, sharing the life that the cross secured and the Spirit sustains.

Key Takeaways

1. Childlike faith is true maturity [10:40] Childlike does not mean naive. It means a humble, glad dependence that grows by looking up, not by looking inward. Childishness fixates on achievement and comparison, which breeds fear and fragility. Childlike faith rests its weight on Christ and becomes steady, teachable, and bold. [10:40]
2. Be a bridge, not a barrier [18:55] Elitism and in‑crowd policing suffocate fledgling faith. Jesus refuses that insecurity and honors even a cup of water given in his name. Truth never gets watered down, but the tone points to Jesus rather than to the gatekeepers. The gospel may offend, but a disciple should not. [18:55]
3. Do not scandalize the little ones [26:24] Jesus ties millstones to any habit that trips the young and the weak. Holiness is not performance; it is love that protects. Marriage, speech, and ordinary habits either clear a path to Christ or clutter it with stumbling blocks. Serious repentance is how love makes room for children to run to him. [26:24]
4. Lay down resumes and receive [37:59] The rich man’s confidence in goodness and wealth masked a starving heart. Jesus loved him enough to expose the idol and invite him to follow. Entrance is not earned by capacity or comparison. The kingdom is received with empty hands, because with man it is impossible, with God it is gift. [37:59]
5. The ransom births adoption and mission [41:04] The Son of Man serves and pays the ransom, then the Spirit seals sons and daughters with “Abba.” Adoption ends the slavery of self importance and self sufficiency. Pentecost power equips ordinary believers to witness from the neighborhood to the nations, moving with childlike yes, not self made strength. [41:04]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[07:42] - One verse that shocks
[10:22] - Barrier, warning, promise
[10:40] - Childlike isn’t childish
[13:34] - Jesus embraces a child
[18:55] - Do not stop him
[20:44] - The gospel offends, not you
[26:24] - Millstone warning
[30:13] - Covenant, divorce, and kids
[31:21] - Let the children come
[32:23] - Rich man’s good-enough script
[37:59] - Impossible for man, possible with God
[41:04] - Ransom births adoption and mission
[48:36] - Pentecost power for witness
[50:07] - Summer sessions: put your yes down

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Mark 10:15 (ESV)
“Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”

Observation Questions

What specific qualities of a child does Jesus highlight as essential for entering God’s kingdom (Mark 10:15)?
In Mark 9:42, Jesus warns about causing “little ones” to stumble. What severe imagery does He use to emphasize the seriousness of this?
How does Romans 8:15 contrast the “spirit of slavery” with the “Spirit of adoption”?

Interpretation Questions

Why might Jesus use a child—rather than an adult—as the model for receiving the kingdom (Mark 10:15)? How does this contrast with worldly ideas of maturity or achievement?
Jesus links causing others to stumble with drastic actions like cutting off a hand (Mark 9:43-48). What does this reveal about His priorities for relationships and community?
How does the “Spirit of adoption” (Romans 8:15) dismantle the need to prove oneself through performance or status, as seen in the rich young ruler’s story?

Application Questions

Childlike faith is described as “humble, glad dependence” rather than self-reliance. What practical step could you take this week to actively depend on God in an area where you typically try to control outcomes?
John tried to stop someone ministering in Jesus’ name because they “weren’t following us” [15:53]. Where might you unintentionally create barriers for others (e.g., preferences, assumptions) instead of pointing them to Christ?
Jesus warns that sin doesn’t just harm us but “scandalizes the immature” [26:24]. Are there habits, words, or attitudes in your life that could trip up someone new or young in faith? How might you address them?
The rich young ruler walked away because he clung to his achievements [34:14]. What “resume items” (success, reputation, possessions) do you struggle to release? How could laying them down free you to follow Jesus more fully?
The Spirit of adoption means we cry “Abba, Father” instead of striving for approval [46:48]. How would your daily life look different if you lived fully convinced of God’s love as a beloved child, not a slave?

Sermon Clips

39s

“Childlike faith isn't childish. It's the posture of true confidence and growth in Christ. Like, you you need to understand, true confidence is not childish. True confidence comes from faith in Christ. Like, even the word confidence comes from the Latin root confide, faith. But if your faith is in yourself, you're just childish. That's why childish people are constantly crying and insecure because they're focused on their ability or inability.”

from 00:10:47

#ChildlikeFaith

49s

“And Jesus called them to him, again he's just like, gather around and says to them, you know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles, meaning the godless nations, lord it over them and their great ones exercise authority over them. Pride, shame, pride, shame. Look at me. Status, power. Hoorah. but it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the son of man, referring to himself, came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

from 00:40:10

#ServantLeadership

33s

“And this desire to be a part of the impressive elite and scared to death deep down that you're not. Jesus calls him then to lay down all his achievements because he knew that they were his functional saviors. His resume was his savior. And so he says, no. Lay it down. Follow me. But this young guy walks away and here's probably the most powerful part of the entire passage here, Jesus actually lets him.”

from 00:35:08

#LayDownFollow

37s

“Instead of making me feel small, Nate removed the barrier and turned it into a bridge. He celebrated my hunger, not just knowledge and within a year, I was leading a group right beside him. Not because I was smart enough but because I was hungry for more of god and now I had friends who were also hungry for more of god. That's what it looks like to be a bridge, guys. That's childlike faith in action. Humble enough to lift someone else up instead of protecting your own status”

from 00:25:16

#BeABridge

31s

“You realize Jesus has been talking the whole time about not putting stumbling blocks in front of people who are trying to come to him including children. And so our closest relationships, especially marriage, are meant to be a picture of God's covenant love to a watching world. But how we love each other either helps or hinders people, especially children, both biological and spiritual children, young in the faith from seeing the beauty of the gospel. Our relationships are never just about us.”

from 00:30:19

#RelationshipsReflectGospel

28s

“This is what we mean here by the gospel is offensive but nothing else should be. Hear that. This is so important. We mean that we're gonna preach the word of God here. We're going to in all its offensive glory. We're gonna talk about hell, we're gonna talk about sin, we're going to look at the bible and read the bible as the bible talks about Jesus and eternity and it's all real and it's true and hear me, it's good and that's how we are called to love people well.”

from 00:20:44

#PreachTruthWithLove

30s

“This is what we have in Christ, guys. In Christ, we're no longer slaves to sinful self sufficiency, self importance, or fear. We're beloved children of god and the cross proves it. It's not about who's smarter. It's not about who's most holy. It's not about who's better. It's not about you. It's not about me. The spirit of adoption as children of god frees us from that spirit of slavery to self, self sufficiency, self importance, all the stuff. God's not even asking you to suck it up and do better by trusting him.”

from 00:47:10

#AdoptedNotSelfSufficient

31s

“Most people think this section here, you read it a lot and everybody's like, oh, this is about personal holiness and it is but you gotta understand, this isn't about you being more pious and impressive. It's about your life being a testimony and a loving witness because you love what he loves. You love whom he loves. You love the way he loves. It's why when people say things like, well, you don't have to go to church to be saved. True. You've totally missed the heart of god.”

from 00:28:38

#LivingTestimony

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King Jesus – The Spirit of Adoption (Mark 10:15)

Devotional

Day 1: Receiving the Kingdom Like a Child’s Open Hands

Day 2: Removing Millstones, Building Bridges

Day 3: The Cost of Clinging to Camels

Day 4: From Slavery to “Abba!” Confidence

Day 5: Pentecost Power in Childlike Yeses

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

King Jesus – The Spirit of Adoption (Mark 10:15)

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