Tag: Matthew 18
Heaven’s greatest!
Scripture reading for January 24: Matthew 18
“At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And calling to Him a child, He put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one such child in My Name receives Me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.” Matthew 18:1-6
Fame, fortune and beauty define the greatest people in the eyes of the world. Therefore, the world is always seeking prestige from great accomplishments, earning large amounts of money, or being especially beautiful or handsome. All these accomplishments most often come with pride and promotion and competition for the top spots. Contests are set up, lists of famous people are made, and fortunes are totaled to determine the winners.
But Jesus’ disciples asked Him who was the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Their motive was probably to have Jesus confirm one of them in that role but Jesus took this opportunity to expand their world view. He found a child and had him put in their midst and made a bold statement. “Whoever humbles himself like this child is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” This was a challenge to their current self-centered view of being the greatest disciples. Not that this desire was bad, but the path to greatness was through humility and serving and learning God’s way of the cross. They were also warned to be careful that their worldly attitudes and actions might cause the children to go astray. This would bring eternal loss and judgment.
Are you currently seeking fulfilment through the world’s path of pride and accomplishment? Have you considered the children in your life that you are influencing? What actions will you take to respond?
Prayer: Father God, I confess that I have desired ‘greatness’ in this world system. Thank You for showing me my children and my need to become like a child and learn from You and them. Lead me today in the path of true greatness and humble service. Amen.
Protect the precious children!
Scripture reading for January 26th: Matthew 18
Key Scriptures for over-comers: Matthew 18:3-6 “And He said: “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes a little child like this in My name welcomes Me. But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.” “
Jesus used a little child as an example of the kind of heart and spirit that each person must have to enter the kingdom of heaven. Becoming great in God’s eyes involves simple trust, like a little child. When we honor and welcome children, Jesus said we are in fact welcoming Him! This is a powerful statement that should cause us to have a high view of children.
On the contrary, Jesus warned that if anyone caused a child to sin that that person would be held to the highest accountability and stand in a place of severe judgment! Our culture today often exposes children to the most horrible sins. Child sexual abuse and sexual slavery is rampant and the use of drugs and alcohol have exposed countless children to sin and violence. Television and video games have opened the hearts of children to sin and rebellion and demon possession. This will bring terrible judgment on those called to protect and teach children the ways of God.
Observations for over-comers: Be especially aware of children in your life and pray for them. Keep a child-like attitude in your relationship with God. “We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, His power, and the wonders He has done. . . .Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget about His deeds but would keep His commands.” (Psalm 78:4,7)
“Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
Scripture reading for January 26th: Matthew 18
“At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” (Matthew 18:1) Jesus responded to that inquiry by calling a child to stand in their midst. “And He said, “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:3-4) Jesus went on to warn the disciples about causing one of these little ones to go astray. “But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.” (Matthew 19:6)
Jesus taught his disciples that the answer to becoming great involved humility like a child in the followers of Jesus. This humility would be expressed in their care and treatment of “little ones” in the faith, new believers in Jesus! They must welcome them, forgive them, search them out when they go astray, and work on keeping right relationships! Being forgiven has responsibility that comes with it!
Jesus concluded His answer with a story about a king that settled an account with a servant that owed him an amount of money far beyond his capacity to repay. The king forgave the man the debt. This man found a man that owed him a small amount of money and when he couldn’t pay, had him thrown into prison. When the king heard about it, he put that man in jail and threw away the key! “This is how My heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.” Matthew 18:35
Dealing with offense!
Scripture reading for January 26th: Matthew 18, Psalm 18:20-29, Proverbs 4:24-27
One of the major disruptions in our relationship with others and with God comes from human conflict. We get offended when someone says or does something that violates us or one we love. Instead of dealing with it in the biblical way outlined in Matthew 18, we often take matters into our own hands and either ignore that person, speak evil of them to others, or get revenge in some way. Today we want to remind ourselves of God’s way of resolving offenses.
“If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ But if he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuse to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.” (Matthew 18:15-17)
Jesus taught His followers the proper way to resolve sin issues with another person. The first step anyone should take is to pray and examine one’s own heart. Jesus had just gotten through dealing with the disciples on who was going to be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Pride and lording it over others often causes conflict and offense. He told them that to offend one of the little children by our actions was a very dangerous thing for us and them! (Matthew 18:5-9) The next step was to go to the brother who had sinned against you and show him his fault. This matter was to be settled with as few people involved as possible. Going in a humble attitude and appealing to the person should bring a resolution.
If this did not work, then we should enlist the help of two or three others of mature character. Another discrete meeting with these witnesses and the offenders was to establish the facts and appeal for resolution. If this did not work, the church should be brought together and the offender again appealed to. Refusal here would result in expulsion from membership. God’s desire in all this was forgiveness and restoration. The ultimate goal of expulsion would be restoration and healing! Let’s follow the Bible!
Dealing with offense!
Scripture reading for January 26th: Matthew 18, Psalm 18:20-29, Proverbs 4:24-27
One of the major disruptions in our relationship with others and with God comes from human conflict. We get offended when someone says or does something that violates us or one we love. Instead of dealing with it in the biblical way outlined in Matthew 18, we often take matters into our own hands and either ignore that person, speak evil of them to others, or get revenge in some way. Today we want to remind ourselves of God’s way of resolving offenses.
“If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ But if he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuse to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.” (Matthew 18:15-17)
Jesus taught His followers the proper way to resolve sin issues with another person. The first step anyone should take is to pray and examine one’s own heart. Jesus had just gotten through dealing with the disciples on who was going to be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Pride and lording it over others often causes conflict and offense. He told them that to offend one of the little children by our actions was a very dangerous thing for us and them! (Matthew 18:5-9) The next step was to go to the brother who had sinned against you and show him his fault. This matter was to be settled with as few people involved as possible. Going in a humble attitude and appealing to the person should bring a resolution.
If this did not work, then we should enlist the help of two or three others of mature character. Another discrete meeting with these witnesses and the offenders was to establish the facts and appeal for resolution. If this did not work, the church should be brought together and the offender again appealed to. Refusal here would result in expulsion from membership. God’s desire in all this is forgiveness and restoration. The ultimate goal of expulsion would be restoration and healing! Let’s follow the Bible!