Sermon - Matthew 18:1-5 - Who is the greatest? - Littleby Baptist Church - July 21, 2019
From Peter faltering when walking on water we learned that
we need to keep our focus on Jesus. Does not mean that our wind and waves will
stop hitting up, but it does mean that when we walk with Jesus, He will give us
the peace, strength, wisdom, courage, and more when we need it. Our focus is to
be on Jesus.
From the Transfiguration we saw that Jesus is not like anyone else. On that mountain the disciples witnessed Jesus to be Transfigured into His glorified body. If that was not enough, our Father spoke from heaven declaring Jesus as His beloved Son, whom He was well pleased with, stating that He is the Chosen one and we need to listen to Him.
Then Scripture showed us that the Almighty humbly returned to His human form and brought comfort to His disciples. Touching them and telling them to ‘Get up; don’t be afraid.’ The Chosen One of God, the King of Kings, willingly gets close and personal with those who follow Him. Talk about Love.
The disciples witnessed a lot of things, but we will see today that they still did not truly understand.
Matthew 18:1
“At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked. “So who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
I doubt this is a question that just popped into these guys heads. It was most likely something they had been pondering and debating for some time. Some of the guys had probably noticed that the inner circle, Peter, James, and John, were spending more time with Jesus than they were. They saw Jesus as a King and thought that would mean that each one of them would have a position of status. I bet some were a little irked about where they thought they were going to end up in the pecking order.
You see it in corporate America where people climb that corporate ladder and do not care who they step on as they make their way up. People like that are only interested in the authority, title, or paycheck. Politics are a lot like that. Each position is viewed as a steppingstone to the next and they will do or say anything to take those next steps. As much as I hate to say it, you see it with pastors. Some keep jumping from one church to a bigger church, hoping the numbers will give them more prestige and influence.
It is human nature to want to be successful, important, and in charge. The disciples were thinking that one of them would be Jesus’ right hand man and I could almost imagine their mouths hanging open after hearing Jesus’ response.
Matthew 18:2-3
“2 He called a child and had him stand among them. 3 “Truly I tell you,” he said, “unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
With their mouths hanging open these guys would have been wondering if Jesus even knew what He was saying. How could a little child, who has no rights, has as much value as a slave, be that important? What does Jesus mean when He says that unless I become like a little child, I will not enter the kingdom of Heaven?
These guys thought they had made it into the ground floor of a new and exciting venture that was going to make them important. What Jesus said was not even in the realm of what they were expecting. They would have been floored; they were shocked. Which is exactly what Jesus was trying to do. He was trying to wake them up, get them to think differently, He was trying to get them to see things as the Father sees them.
Greatness in the kingdom of heaven is not based on any great works, who you know, or the words you speak. It is not based on how much face time you have with Jesus. Greatness in the kingdom of heaven is not achieved in ways these guys understood. With this single statement Jesus got their attention and hopefully it gets yours to.
Matthew 18:4
“Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child-this one is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
Greatness in the kingdom of heaven is not based on the things we accomplish in this life. Words or deeds will not get us there. Humility is the key to the kingdom of heaven. To be humble does not mean we have to live with as little as possible. It does not mean we have to let people use us as doormats. It does not mean we have to have a low self-esteem.
To be humble like a child, means we need to understand who we are, accept who we are, and to be who we are. To be humble like a child, means knowing that God is God and we are not His equal. It means knowing that He loves us, especially when we do not deserve it. Being humble means knowing our limits and not thinking more of ourselves than we should. It also means we do not deny what God is doing in our lives, the gifts He has given us, and how He is using us to Love Others.
If we are being humble, we are using all that God has given us to the betterment of His kingdom. We are trusting in the Holy Spirit to guide us, we are willing to be used by God to bless others, we are giving God all the Honor and Glory He deserves for all He has done in us and through us.
If we want to enter the kingdom of heaven, we need to be humble. We cannot let the world drive our behaviors; we need to humbly submit to God. Position, power, prestige, and wealth will not get us anywhere, only service to God opens the door. We do not shun these things, if God opens the door. If He gives us a position of authority, we use it according to His will. If He gives us power or wealth, we use the gifts to serve God and serve Others.
Matthew 18:5
“And whoever welcomes one child like this in my name welcomes me.”
Whoever humbles himself and cares for a little child is allowing themselves to be used by God. If God allows you to serve a fellow believer, God is blessing you with an opportunity to meet a need of another. Each time God uses you to do bless another, you are truly being a blessing to Jesus.
Brings to life: Colossians 3:23.
“Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as something done for the Lord and not for people.”
Every time we are a blessing to others, we are truly blessing Jesus.
James 1:27
“Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”
If we are humbling ourselves to serve others in the name of God, it changes us. A change that will eventually result in a way of life. A way of life that shows all who are watching that we truly do what we say, when we care for the needs of others. Our religion, our relationship, our being a follower of Jesus will be seen by the world as we humble ourselves before Jesus and serve wherever He calls.
1 Corinthians 13:3
“And if I give away all my possessions, and if I give over my body in order to boast but do not have love, I gain nothing.”
Serving God and others will result in actions, but those actions cannot be done to build ourselves up or in effort to be seen. Our actions need to be driven solely by our willingness to be used by God, to Love Him and to Love Others.
The actions are a result, but the reason is because God’s Love for us has changed who we are. Human nature drives one set of behaviors and sometimes they look good, but they are driven by pride. We are to be humble in nature and let everything we do in this life be based on our willingness to submit to God and His ultimate Plan.
What started as a question about who was going to be the King of King’s right-hand man, ended up being a teaching moment. The world tells us that we should strive for power and influence, Jesus is telling us that we need to humbly serve.
Sadly, this concept is just as foreign today as when Jesus said it the first time. To live as Jesus has called us to, requires a radical change in our lives. A change that can only come from being a true follower of Jesus. Not some Sunday only Christian who thinks they have fire insurance. It comes from having a deep personal relationship with Jesus committing to follow Him wherever He leads.
This is a commitment that each of us need to make for ourselves. I encourage each of you to reflect on where you are at, your willingness to humbly serve, and ask God to show you how you can be a blessing to others and to Him.
My heartfelt desire is for each one of us and Littleby Baptist as a whole, to grow in this way. May we let God guide us to fill a need that we are uniquely equipped to do.
Be Humble, Love God, and Love Others.
May the Lord pour His blessings over you!
Robert
From the Transfiguration we saw that Jesus is not like anyone else. On that mountain the disciples witnessed Jesus to be Transfigured into His glorified body. If that was not enough, our Father spoke from heaven declaring Jesus as His beloved Son, whom He was well pleased with, stating that He is the Chosen one and we need to listen to Him.
Then Scripture showed us that the Almighty humbly returned to His human form and brought comfort to His disciples. Touching them and telling them to ‘Get up; don’t be afraid.’ The Chosen One of God, the King of Kings, willingly gets close and personal with those who follow Him. Talk about Love.
The disciples witnessed a lot of things, but we will see today that they still did not truly understand.
Matthew 18:1
“At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked. “So who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
I doubt this is a question that just popped into these guys heads. It was most likely something they had been pondering and debating for some time. Some of the guys had probably noticed that the inner circle, Peter, James, and John, were spending more time with Jesus than they were. They saw Jesus as a King and thought that would mean that each one of them would have a position of status. I bet some were a little irked about where they thought they were going to end up in the pecking order.
You see it in corporate America where people climb that corporate ladder and do not care who they step on as they make their way up. People like that are only interested in the authority, title, or paycheck. Politics are a lot like that. Each position is viewed as a steppingstone to the next and they will do or say anything to take those next steps. As much as I hate to say it, you see it with pastors. Some keep jumping from one church to a bigger church, hoping the numbers will give them more prestige and influence.
It is human nature to want to be successful, important, and in charge. The disciples were thinking that one of them would be Jesus’ right hand man and I could almost imagine their mouths hanging open after hearing Jesus’ response.
Matthew 18:2-3
“2 He called a child and had him stand among them. 3 “Truly I tell you,” he said, “unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
With their mouths hanging open these guys would have been wondering if Jesus even knew what He was saying. How could a little child, who has no rights, has as much value as a slave, be that important? What does Jesus mean when He says that unless I become like a little child, I will not enter the kingdom of Heaven?
These guys thought they had made it into the ground floor of a new and exciting venture that was going to make them important. What Jesus said was not even in the realm of what they were expecting. They would have been floored; they were shocked. Which is exactly what Jesus was trying to do. He was trying to wake them up, get them to think differently, He was trying to get them to see things as the Father sees them.
Greatness in the kingdom of heaven is not based on any great works, who you know, or the words you speak. It is not based on how much face time you have with Jesus. Greatness in the kingdom of heaven is not achieved in ways these guys understood. With this single statement Jesus got their attention and hopefully it gets yours to.
Matthew 18:4
“Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child-this one is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
Greatness in the kingdom of heaven is not based on the things we accomplish in this life. Words or deeds will not get us there. Humility is the key to the kingdom of heaven. To be humble does not mean we have to live with as little as possible. It does not mean we have to let people use us as doormats. It does not mean we have to have a low self-esteem.
To be humble like a child, means we need to understand who we are, accept who we are, and to be who we are. To be humble like a child, means knowing that God is God and we are not His equal. It means knowing that He loves us, especially when we do not deserve it. Being humble means knowing our limits and not thinking more of ourselves than we should. It also means we do not deny what God is doing in our lives, the gifts He has given us, and how He is using us to Love Others.
If we are being humble, we are using all that God has given us to the betterment of His kingdom. We are trusting in the Holy Spirit to guide us, we are willing to be used by God to bless others, we are giving God all the Honor and Glory He deserves for all He has done in us and through us.
If we want to enter the kingdom of heaven, we need to be humble. We cannot let the world drive our behaviors; we need to humbly submit to God. Position, power, prestige, and wealth will not get us anywhere, only service to God opens the door. We do not shun these things, if God opens the door. If He gives us a position of authority, we use it according to His will. If He gives us power or wealth, we use the gifts to serve God and serve Others.
Matthew 18:5
“And whoever welcomes one child like this in my name welcomes me.”
Whoever humbles himself and cares for a little child is allowing themselves to be used by God. If God allows you to serve a fellow believer, God is blessing you with an opportunity to meet a need of another. Each time God uses you to do bless another, you are truly being a blessing to Jesus.
Brings to life: Colossians 3:23.
“Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as something done for the Lord and not for people.”
Every time we are a blessing to others, we are truly blessing Jesus.
James 1:27
“Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”
If we are humbling ourselves to serve others in the name of God, it changes us. A change that will eventually result in a way of life. A way of life that shows all who are watching that we truly do what we say, when we care for the needs of others. Our religion, our relationship, our being a follower of Jesus will be seen by the world as we humble ourselves before Jesus and serve wherever He calls.
1 Corinthians 13:3
“And if I give away all my possessions, and if I give over my body in order to boast but do not have love, I gain nothing.”
Serving God and others will result in actions, but those actions cannot be done to build ourselves up or in effort to be seen. Our actions need to be driven solely by our willingness to be used by God, to Love Him and to Love Others.
The actions are a result, but the reason is because God’s Love for us has changed who we are. Human nature drives one set of behaviors and sometimes they look good, but they are driven by pride. We are to be humble in nature and let everything we do in this life be based on our willingness to submit to God and His ultimate Plan.
What started as a question about who was going to be the King of King’s right-hand man, ended up being a teaching moment. The world tells us that we should strive for power and influence, Jesus is telling us that we need to humbly serve.
Sadly, this concept is just as foreign today as when Jesus said it the first time. To live as Jesus has called us to, requires a radical change in our lives. A change that can only come from being a true follower of Jesus. Not some Sunday only Christian who thinks they have fire insurance. It comes from having a deep personal relationship with Jesus committing to follow Him wherever He leads.
This is a commitment that each of us need to make for ourselves. I encourage each of you to reflect on where you are at, your willingness to humbly serve, and ask God to show you how you can be a blessing to others and to Him.
My heartfelt desire is for each one of us and Littleby Baptist as a whole, to grow in this way. May we let God guide us to fill a need that we are uniquely equipped to do.
Be Humble, Love God, and Love Others.
May the Lord pour His blessings over you!
Robert
Comments
Post a Comment