Child of the King

Jesus has been transfigured and took the core four disciples along as witnesses

Jesus also paid the temple tax by having Peter go fishing where he caught a fish with the needed money in its mouth - don’t you wish we could tell the government to go fish for our taxes…

There was an encounter with a deaf and mute demon the disciples could not cast out, but Jesus did.

Matthew 18:1–14 CSB

1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “So who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 He called a small child and had him stand among them. 3 “Truly I tell you,” he said, “unless you turn and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child—this one is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 And whoever welcomes one child like this in my name welcomes me. 6 “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to fall away—it would be better for him if a heavy millstone were hung around his neck and he were drowned in the depths of the sea. 7 Woe to the world because of offenses. For offenses will inevitably come, but woe to that person by whom the offense comes. 8 If your hand or your foot causes you to fall away, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or lame than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into the eternal fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to fall away, 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 hellfire. 10 “See to it that you don’t despise one of these little ones, because I tell you that in heaven their angels continually view the face of my Father in heaven. 12 What do you think? If someone has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, won’t he leave the ninety-nine on the hillside and go and search for the stray? 13 And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices over that sheep more than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. 14 In the same way, it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones perish.

The disciples just experienced failure in being unable to cast out a demon and now they are having an argument over who is the greatest “…on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest.” (Mark 9:34)

Humility is the key to the kingdom of heaven.

Greatness in God’s kingdom isn’t about position – it’s about posture

True greatness begins with humble surrender.

C.S. Lewis wrote: “As long as you are proud, you cannot know God. A proud man is always looking down on things and people, and as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you.”

Humility lifts our eyes from ourselves so we can finally see God.

The kingdom is full of children.

Developmental psychologists note that children are wired for trust long before they understand danger. Put a toddler on the edge of a couch, stretch out your arms, and say, “Jump!” — and most will leap before you even finish the sentence.

Researchers call this “secure attachment.” It’s the deep, foundational belief that “My parent is for me, my parent is with me, and my parent will catch me.” This kind of trust builds confidence, shapes identity, and fosters emotional resilience later in life.

But what happens as we grow older? Life wounds us, people fail us – we learn to protect ourselves. (tell story of Christy jumping in the pool)

The childlike instinct to leap disappears, replaced with adult caution, fear, and self-reliance

Must become like a child - not in lack of maturity but in full reliance on God - without this “conversion” we cannot enter heaven

We must receive all children

We must be careful what we teach because we do not want to cause someone to stumble or fall

The kingdom of God is worth suffering a little now.

Sacrifice and self-denial today prepare us for eternal joy tomorrow

Get rid of those things that cause you to sin

It’s better to lose something now than to lose everything later

Don’t protect what is killing you, cut it off

The kingdom of God seeks the lost.

You are never too lost to be loved

John Newton (1725–1807) was an English sailor who became involved in the Atlantic slave trade. He worked on slave ships and eventually became the captain of one, transporting enslaved Africans across the ocean for sale.

In 1748, during a violent storm at sea, Newton’s ship was in danger of sinking. Fearing for his life, he cried out to God for mercy. The ship survived the storm, and this event marked the beginning of his conversion to Christianity.

Over time, Newton left the slave trade entirely. He later became an Anglican minister and a prominent supporter of the abolition movement alongside figures like William Wilberforce.

In 1772, Newton wrote the hymn “Amazing Grace.” The words reflected his own experience of being rescued from a life of sin and spiritual blindness and receiving God’s grace.

Newton spent the remainder of his life preaching, writing hymns, and advocating for the end of slavery. He died in 1807, the same year the British Parliament abolished the slave trade.

The kingdom of God doesn’t write off the lost – it runs after them