Who Is The Greatest
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Greetings…
Theme: The Life of Christ.
Hope: To draw closer to Christ through what we learn of him here on earth.
In Mark 9:33-37 we find the disciples were having an ongoing conversation about “Who Is The Greatest?”
The had a warped view of the Messiah’s kingdom, thinking it to be an earthly kingdom, and as they were traveling through Galilee they were discussing this question.
Arriving at Capernaum Jesus and his disciples entered into a home, probably Peter’s, and Jesus asked them what they had been discussing.
He obviously already knew what it was.
After they explained their argument over who would be the greatest Jesus responded with one of the more well known, if ignored, passages in the bible…
Mark 9:35 (ESV)
35 …If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.
Today, we are going to focus our attention on a similar topic the disciples had but this time it appears to have been a little later than the events in Mark 9’s account, though in the same house, maybe a different day.
In Matthew we find the disciples, instead of arguing with each other, simply go to Jesus and ask…
1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
It’s Jesus’ response that I want us to consider this morning.
Jesus knew his apostles were “confused” and instead of destroying their confidence he did what he often does and explained how they “ought to be thinking.”
So, with this in mind let’s examine our lesson for this morning.
Jesus told the disciples they needed to…
Become Like Children
Become Like Children
Matthew 18:1–6 (ESV)
1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them 3 and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, 6 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.
Must Turn To Humility.
Must Turn To Humility.
Upon hearing the question from his disciples again Jesus takes the opportunity to call a toddler over to illustrate his point this time.
The word for “child” here means infant to toddler.
Some have suggested this was Peter’s child but we can’t know for certain.
The word for “turn” your translation might have “converted” means to literally turn from one direction to the opposite.
It is used by Peter in his second recorded sermon in Acts 3:19 and Acts 3:26.
The point Jesus is making is that they needed to turn from this inflated egos and become humble like a small child or they would lose out on the kingdom of heaven.
There are two attributes of children of particular importance with this illustration Jesus is making.
Little children put their full faith or trust in their parents which is exactly what we need to do.
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.
7 The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.
13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
Little children forgive easily.
14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
21 Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.
We then see Jesus explain that in order to do such one must…
Must Remove Evil.
Must Remove Evil.
Notice what Jesus taught them in Matthew 18:7-9…
Matthew 18:7–9 (ESV)
7 Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes! 8 And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire.
The phrase “causes you to sin” is a single Greek word meaning, “to cause to stumble and fall.”
The reality is we will inevitably find many “stumbling blocks” in this world and we must make sure we are not the cause of the stumbling block either.
Matthew 18:6 (ESV)
6 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.
There is no doubt that some religions have taken Jesus’ words literally instead of their intended usage as being figurative.
But the imagery that Jesus is portraying is powerful and we should listen to the magnitude of his words here.
We must remove evil from our lives, “at all cost” because “eternal fire in hell” has no ring of joy to it.
Summary
Summary
Like the disciples we must not get caught up in who is more popular or who is more well known in a community but focus on the spiritual task at hand and humbly accept our duty to serve our Savior and Master.
We must do this to the glory of God without being a hindrance to the cause of Christ.
Jesus does go on to explain what “being a stumbling block” looks like and warns his disciples to…
Despise Not God’s Children
Despise Not God’s Children
10 “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. 12 What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray?
13 And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. 14 So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.
Verse 11 in some translations seems to be an addition that is not in the original writings and therefore not supported textually.
However, the thought is clearly depicted in Luke 19:10 that Jesus came to seek and save the lost.
God Knows His Children.
God Knows His Children.
From this passage, we find two important truths, the first being “God knows his children.”
He has known us from ever before conception and moving forward through our whole life.
5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”
Why does our God “want to know us so well?”
Because…
God’s Loves His Children.
God’s Loves His Children.
I could spend hours just reading all the hundreds if not thousands of passages that express how much God loves us, his children, but I will just read a few here now.
10 fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Summary
Summary
…we better not despise those God knows so well and loves.
Conclusion
Conclusion
v
Invitation
1 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; 2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.
6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,
32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.
8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,
3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.