Matthew 18:10 The ill treatment of a little...
Matthew 18:10
The ill treatment of a little child (18:6, 10–14)
1. The penalty (18:6): It is better for a person to have a large millstone hung around the neck and be cast into the sea than to mistreat a little child!
2. The protection (18:10): Angels are assigned to protect children.
3. The priority (18:11–14): In the parable of the lost sheep, Jesus says that it is the will of his Father to bring all little ones into the safety of the sheepfold.
This entire passage warns us not to offend children (v. 6), despise the children (v. 10), or allow them to perish without Christ (v. 14). He gives several reasons why the children are important: they are examples of true greatness (v. 4); they represent Christ (v. 5); the angels represent them before the Father (v. 10); Christ wants to save them (v. 11); and it is the will of the Father that they be saved (v. 14).
It is a dangerous thing for parents (or other adults) to cause children to stumble and miss the way of salvation. How important it is to have a good example at home. Many backslidden parents and worldly minded adults will have much to answer for at the judgment!
Those who nurse and rear the royal children, however humble in themselves, are allowed free entrance with their charge, and a degree of familiarity which even the highest state ministers dare not assume. Probably our Lord means that, in virtue of their charge over His disciples (Heb 1:13; Jn 1:51), the angels have errands to the throne, a welcome there, and a dear familiarity in dealing with “His Father which is in heaven,” which on their own matters they could not assume.[1]
“Look down on” (18:10–11). Caring, not contempt, is our calling.[2]
Intro: Duane Chapman alias “DOG the Bounty Hunter”
In Matthew 18:10
I. A Bounty Hunter must know who they are looking for - Vs. 10
Children are an important part of Jesus’ ministry.
We need to welcome the little children.
We need to raise godly children.
We need to rescue the children from the dangers of sin.
Some angels help human beings.
Hebrews 1:14
14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?
They are stronger than men.
Psalm 103:20
20 Bless the Lord, you His angels, Mighty in strength, who perform His word, Obeying the voice of His word!
God Called Samuel To Be A Prophet While He Was Still A Boy
1 Samuel 3:1-10
1 Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord before Eli. And word from the Lord was rare in those days, visions were infrequent. 2 It happened at that time as Eli was lying down in his place (now his eyesight had begun to grow dim and he could not see well), 3 and the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord where the ark of God was, 4 that the Lord called Samuel; and he said, “Here I am.” 5 Then he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, lie down again.” So he went and lay down. 6 The Lord called yet again, “Samuel!” So Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he answered, “I did not call, my son, lie down again.” 7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, nor had the word of the Lord yet been revealed to him. 8 So the Lord called Samuel again for the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli discerned that the Lord was calling the boy. 9 And Eli said to Samuel, “Go lie down, and it shall be if He calls you, that you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening.’ ” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. 10 Then the Lord came and stood and called as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for Your servant is listening.”
Children Should Be Brought To Christ
Mark 10:13-16
13 And they were bringing children to Him so that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked them. 14 But when Jesus saw this, He was indignant and said to them, “Permit the children to come to Me; do not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15 “Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.” 16 And He took them in His arms and began blessing them, laying His hands on them.
Father’s Horrible Will
A man by the name of Donohoe penned the following will July 1, 1935. “Unto my two daughters, Frances Marie and Denise Victoria, by reason of their unfilial attitude toward a doting father. … I leave the sum of $1 to each and a father’s curse. May their respective lives be fraught with misery, unhappiness and poignant sorrow. May their deaths be soon and of a lingering, malign and torturous nature. May their souls rest in hell and suffer the torments of the damned for eternity.”
Einstein’s Little Visitor
One of his neighbors, the mother of a ten-year-old girl, noticed that the child often visited Einstein’s house. The woman wondered at this, and the child explained: “I had trouble with my homework in arithmetic. People said that at No. 112 there lives a very big mathematician, who is also a very good man. I asked him to help me. He was very willing, and explained everything very well. He said I should come whenever I find a problem too difficult.”
Alarmed at the child’s boldness, the girl’s mother went to Einstein to apologize. Einstein said, “You don’t have to excuse yourself. I have learned more from the conversations with the child than she has from me.”
Edison: “Too Stupid”
A six-year-old came home from school one day with a note from his teacher in which it was suggested that he be taken out of school, as he was “too stupid to learn.” His name: Thomas Alva Edison.
Von Braun Flunked His Specialties
If you have a boy who just can’t learn in your class, don’t despair. He may be a late bloomer. It has now come out that Dr. Wernher von Braun, the missile and satellite expert, flunked math and physics in his early teens.
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[1]Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., Fausset, A. R., Brown, D., & Brown, D. (1997). A commentary, critical and explanatory, on the Old and New Testaments. On spine: Critical and explanatory commentary. (Mt 18:10). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
[2]Richards, L. O. (1991; Published in electronic form by Logos Research Systems, 1996). The Bible readers companion (electronic ed.) (620). Wheaton: Victor Books.