Kingdom Living

Kingdom Living

The greatest in the kingdom 18:1-4

Matthew 18:1–4 NIV

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Greatest = the childlike, dependency

Turn/change to become

Gift, we bring nothing to the table… power, money, status, merit, bribe, heroism, courage, bravery… nothing to enter the kingdom.

We receive the gift Jesus, the king offers.

Kingdom children are precious 18:5-14

Warning to those who cause kingdom children to stumble 5-7

Matthew 18:5–7 NIV

And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me. “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come!

The Stumbling Blocks 7-9

Matthew 18:7–9 NIV

Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come! If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.

world, the third person, you/the individual

Matthew 15:17–20 NIV

“Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.”

Protection for kingdom children 10-14

Matthew 18:10–14 NIV

“See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven. “What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.

Angelic help… 10

Genesis 48:16 (NIV)

the Angel who has delivered me from all harm —may he bless these boys. May they be called by my name and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac, and may they increase greatly on the earth.”

Psalm 34:7 (NIV)

The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.

Acts 12:11 NIV

Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I know without a doubt that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were hoping would happen.”

Acts 12:15 NIV

“You’re out of your mind,” they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, “It must be his angel.”

Hebrews 1:14 NIV

Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?

Our Father in heaven 11-14

Sin & Forgiveness in the kingdom 18:15-35

Resolving matters

Matthew 18:15–17 NIV

“If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’  If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

Deuteronomy 19:15 NIV

One witness is not enough to convict anyone accused of any crime or offense they may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.

Power of the gospel/word

Matthew 18:18 NIV

“Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

Matthew 16:18–19 NIV

And I tell you that you are Peter,  and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

Gospel divides, faith / no faith

(ESV Study Bible Notes) 18:18 whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven. Peter’s foundational authority is extended to the entire community of disciples, giving them the authority to declare the terms under which God forgives or refuses to forgive the sin of wayward disciples (see note on 16:19).

Matthew 18:19–20 NIV

“Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”

18:20 there am I among them. Jesus affirms that he will be divinely present among his disciples as they seek unity in rendering decisions, which is rightly understood also as an affirmation of omnipresence and therefore of deity.

Kingdom children are ready to forgive! 21-35

Summary

Matthew 18:32–34 NIV

“Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

Matthew 18:35 NIV

“This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”