The Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven

Bible Passage: Matthew 18:1-6

Introduction:

Good evening, tonight I would like for you to open your Bibles to Matthew 18 verses 1 - 6. Today we will be talking about the humility of a child. We will begin by reading the passage. Once again, we’ll be reading in Matthew 18 verses 1-6

English Standard Version Chapter 18

18 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.

A struggle that we humans constantly work through, is the desire be great among others. We view greatness as accomplishments, our status, our human efforts.

And this is simply in our sinful nature.

We want to be the greatest athlete, the best preacher, have the most knowledge, work towards leadership so we can be above others. That is what humans do and want.

When I played football in high school, I was definitely not one of the greatest on the team, but I was good enough to the point where I could potentially be a captain. Boy, did I strive to be one. I enjoyed football. It was a hobby, I enjoyed watching it, and then the ability to play it made it even more delightful.

And although, I certainly used it as an opportunity to spread the light of Christ to my team mates, I remember the moment during my senior year where I had the same question as the disciples. Who is the greatest? It came to my senior year and I longed to be a captain. I worked hard, and told my brothers to vote for me, and then my brothers friends to vote for me, and I got it. I became a captain. I thought the idea of being a captain made me something great.

The disciples as we see, were certainly no different. It is something that they always argued about. They constantly wanted to be the best disciple and the greatest. We see this in the passage we just read, we also see it in Luke’s account of the Gospel.

Lets read the passage, Luke 9 verse 46

English Standard Version Chapter 9

46 An argument arose among them as to which of them was the greatest.

We also see this at the institution of the Lord’s Supper. You would think that they would have been satisfied with Jesus response, Jesus answered them plain as day! But that desire to be the greatest disciple was still there. The pride that we all have still longs.

Let us read that passage in Luke 22:24-27

English Standard Version Chapter 22

24 A dispute also arose among them, as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest. 25 And he said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors. 26 But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. 27 For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves

Jesus was and at the time was clear. To be the greatest you must become the youngest. This reference to a child was something Jesus used in multiple occasions. The disciples, like you and I, struggled with this desire to be great. They wanted positions of honor, recognition, and importance. Yet Jesus gives an answer that completely turns their thinking upside down.

Today, I want to give two applications. The first being: Desiring the humility of a child, and receiving the humility of a child as a characteristic of the church and kingdom community.

1. The greatest is like a Child

We still start by circling back and reading verse 1. So let us open to Matthew 18 verse 1.

Matthew 18:1–3

English Standard Version Chapter 18

18 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

The disciples came to Jesus hoping that He would say one of them was the greatest. Or possibly ignore the question, knowing that he might have an answer, but does not want to tell them. But no. As I noted just now, they misunderstood greatness in terms of human accomplishment and status. Therefore, I had this question hoping that one of them did the most to be the greatest. Let us move onto verse 2.

English Standard Version Chapter 18

2 And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them

When the disciples asked, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" they were expecting Jesus to point to the most gifted disciple, maybe the strongest leader, or perhaps the one with the most knowledge. Simon could have been viewed as the greatest leader, John as the most beloved, Mathew as the most knowledgeable. But Instead, Jesus calls a little child into their midst. That is humbling.

Children, during that time held no value. They viewed them with no status or accomplishments. As we know, however, Jesus viewed children much differently. I could imagine that the disciples were confused by this. Why, is a child, who has done nothing in this world, is the greatest? Jesus’s response is that radical idea that often broke tradition to reveal humility. Let us see Jesus’s response in verse 3

English Standard Version Chapter 18

3 and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven

Jesus responds to the disciples by first saying they must turn.

If you want to enter the kingdom of heaven, if you want to be great among others, you must repent, you must turn from your ways. Repentance leads to salvation

!!And then Jesus says you must become like children.

Jesus uses the example of a child for those who want to enter heaven. Why does he do this? Because there is something about a child that is striking.

Children have a humility that consists of trust, vulnerability, and a need for direction and help. They are dependent on their parents.

That is why Jesus loves children, they are a perfect example of the innocence and dependence that we must imitate as believers.

Just like children, Christians must have an ultimate trust for Christ. We need to submit ourselves and rely on Christ.

Verse 3 is such an insightful verse because it lays out the foundation for salvation. If you want to enter the kingdom of heaven, you must first repent and turn from your ways, and then trust in Jesus like a Child. Have that dependence on Christ.

2. The Humility of a Child

Matthew 18:4

Let us move onto verse 4, where Jesus directly answers his disciples.

English Standard Version Chapter 18

4 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Instead, of choosing a disciple, or giving them the requirements to be the greatest disciple. Jesus does the opposite. He points them to a child. It is the very point that is made often in the Bible. Time and time again we see this ome fact:

The greatest must become the least.

It is vital to understand this. We want to be good Christians, we want to be great preachers, we want to be the greatest husband, and these are all amazing things to do, but we must remember to be humble like a child. A child’s trust with its parents is the trust we must have with God in order to be great at these things. There is a reason why God is called our Father. Because we are children of God. And our Father directs us in our ways.

As soon as we begin to be adults as Christians we begin to become like the pharisees, self sufficient and all knowing. These are the characteristics that children don’t have. And that is why Jesus uses them as an example. Let us move on to verse 5 and 6

3. Understanding of a Child like Humility

Matthew 18:5–6

English Standard Version Chapter 18

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.

Jesus continues to emphasize this point of child like humility by explaining that welcoming this kind of humility is welcoming Christ. We must receive these kind of people.

And an important distinction we must make is that Jesus is not directly calling us to be children. We read in verse 6 that he is referring to believers. Let us read that first part of verse 6 again

English Standard Version Chapter 18

but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin,

It is clear that Jesus refers to believers. Children are certainly selfish and impulsive. Therefore, we should not act like Children in our Faith. However, it is the dependence and humility of a child that is so vital in acting our Faith.

Then Jesus moves from speaking about the humility we must possess to the way we treat those who possess that humility. This is the type of community we must build.

This passage of the Bible is very well known. I am sure many of you understand this scripture and have heard it many times. However, I will make a second point that I think is often forgotten. Jesus in Mathew 18 is instructing his disciples on the characteristics of the Kingdom community that we must form. This is evident in the way Jesus instructs them on who is the greatest in the Kingdom, his message on a brother sinning against someone, and the third message in this chapter about forgiving your brother regardless.

This is what the church should look like. The church is not a place where people compete for status, recognition, or authority. It is a family where believers receive one another with the kind of humility that children present. If we want to have this community and be great among others, be … like.. a child...

Then we see that Jesus gives us a serious warning. Those who do not receive believers who have this kind of humility, and causes them to sin or stray away, ultimately face death. Let us read verse 6 again

English Standard Version Chapter 18

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.

Christ has a deep care for His church and community. He expects us to humble ourselves for each other. This is something that I believe we could all resonate with. Are we, believers, who come together as a community in unity as a church, representing the same kind of humility that Christ commands us here.

Are we helping our brothers and sisters? Do we put away our pride and show a love and humility for each other like children? We can know the Bible, be a leader, be a great Christian, but if you do not do this,

Jesus tells us that you are not great at all. No. Only the one who humbles himself will be great.

We must serve and encourage each other.

As I wrap up my sermon, I want to encourage those who have not taken a step for Christ. Become like a child today. Begin, as Jesus said, by repenting, turn from your sin, and then trust in the Lord. Start depending on the lord like you are a child depending on your mother. And for the church, have we humbled ourselves. Have we acted in a way that encourages each other that does the opposite of being the greatest. That is the question I have for everyone today. Let us pray that we may all have the humility like Children.

Amen.