20190113_Child-Like-Faith_Matt 18:1-6

SCRIPTURE:

[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.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Welcome - connect cards…

Foundations class… this wednesday night…

Members Meeting… Jan 27th

Not too late to become a member - hit the foundations classes…

Tutoring Interest… a way of serving our community… kids from our community that need extra help… orientation soon… in bulletin…

BABY DEDICATIONS:

Parents that are dedicating children today, come on up at this time!

Today we are celebrating Baby Dedication!

This is an exciting moment!!!

I think this is the biggest baby dedication Sunday we’ve had in the life of Veritas!! 27 babies between both gatherings!

Scripture says that Children are a blessing from the Lord and we are very blessed as a church!!

says

What we have heard and know, what our fathers have told us— We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done.

He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed the law in Israel, which He commanded the fathers to teach to their children, so the next generation would know them, even the children not yet born, and they in turn would tell their children.

Then they would put their hope in God and would not forget his works but keep his commandments.

—

In this passage, we see 2 big things -

First, we see God’s desire for every generation. God wants every generation to know and trust in Him—not forgetting what he has done to rescue and save, but remembering Him and keeping His commandments. This is God’s goal for every generation.

Secondly, we see how God gets this done – through parents committing to continue passing on to their children the gospel truth that has been entrusted to them

As parents - these children are a gift from the Lord - and parents really are “ambassadors” - tasked to love and care for these children God has entrusted to us - tasked to teach them the gospel, to demonstrate it to them in our homes, to teach them about the glory of God - so that they would grow up into a faith in Jesus and live for his glory!

We see in scripture that the home, within a gospel-centered community, is the primary place for this discipleship of our children!

This happens through planned and unplanned moments life when we have the opportunities to teach them and show them what it means to know God through Christ and to follow him in repentance and live out his mission for our lives…

It is a great responsibility. And this is what we’re recognizing and praying over today -

These children belong to God - we want to dedicate them to his glory, AND in doing so, you are recognizing and committing to the task God has given each one of your parents to train them to know Jesus, to be ambassadors of the gospel in your home.

Parenting is ONE OF THE GREATEST things in life we can do and Parenting is ONE OF THE HARDEST!!!

And, by God’s grace, this is a responsibility we share this with the entire church FAMILY.

God puts us together in the church, because we need each other - ESPECIALLY IN PARENTING.

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...In training our children, we need one another’s encouragement, one another’s accountability, and one another’s eyes to see what we can’t see. We need to serve and support each other in this difficult but amazing task!

So parents, I want to start with you and ask you to publicly commit to a few things and then we’ll ask you - the church community - to respond and commit to serve along with them…

The babies that are being dedicated today are:

9:00am

Remi Coe: Jacob and Kelsi Coe

Wesley Martin: Josh and Chelsea Martin

Molly Blum: Chris and Megan Blum

Cecelia Kapsch: Josh and Jordan Kapsch

Hank Arnold: Joe and Katie Arnold

Jesse D’Souza: Joan and Josiah D’Souza

Jesse Boulton: Blake and Esther Boulton

Jocelyn Heine: Alex and Jessica Heine

Sam Snelling: Ben and Abbey Snelling

Micah Sheeler: Scott and Arin Sheeler

Pearl Gresh: Jeff and Josie Gresh

Reagan Babcock: Devin and Melissa Babcock

Miles Babcock: Devin and Melissa Babcock

Clara Seitz: Tim and Kate Seitz

Ingrid Mae Nicol: Derek and Stephanie Nicol

Meredith Keeley: Tyler and Meaghan Keeley

Carson Seiple: Jason and Martha Seiple

11:00am

London Fliger: Clint and Krista Fliger

Azariah (A - Zar - E - ah) Watson: Dominique and Christina Watson

Leah Watson: Dominique and Christina Watson

Elleanor Spaulding: Ross and Allison Spaulding

Elliott McConaughy: Chris and Tara McConaughy

Rosaleigh Davis: Geoff and Jessica Davis

Israel Taylor: Samuel and MonaLisa Taylor

Emmett Stands: Daniel and Tabitha Stands

Rowan Eno: Caleb and Lydia Eno

Vivian Reeg: Chris and Seanna Reeg

PARENTS COMMITMENT:

Parents,

I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS FOR YOU to consider and respond to as you consider what it means to steward the gift of Children that God has given you.

[On screen]

Parents, will you commit to raising your child for the glory of God?

Will you commit to trust God’s promises made to you and your children in His Word?

Will you commit to seek God and desire gospel transformation in the way you live and parent your children?

Will you commit to study God’s Word with them and to teach them the gospel and how to live it out in your home?

Will you commit to discipline your children and to teach and show them repentance and grace?

Will you commit to pray for them and teach them to pray?

Will you commit to partner with this church community, seek their help and accountability, and lead your children to do the same?

[Not on screen] If so, say, “With God’s help, we will.” [Parents respond]

COMMUNITY’S COMMITMENT:

If you call Veritas your home, especially you members, I’d like to stand at this time as we commit ourselves to serve and support these parents and their kids!

Now parents, as you’ve made this commitment - look around you at your church community

You are not alone.

One huge myth in our society is that you just need the family to raise a child.

But the truth is, the BIBLE definitely doesn’t teach this! Church, every one of us is also responsible for these children.

Parents, this is your FAMILY of faith. YOU ARE NOT ALONE!!! We are called together to endure from the diapers, to the teenage years, to the releasing of your kids into the world on mission - this is a journey we take together as a church family.

So CHURCH FAMILY: I have some weighty questions for you!

[On screen]

Church, will you commit to seek God and seek gospel change in the way you live before these children?

Will you commit to pray for these children—that they will grow to love Jesus and trust in Him?

Will you commit to teach them the gospel through both your words and your example?

Will you commit to partner with these parents—holding them accountable and confronting their sin?

Will you commit to pray for them and encourage them as they face the trials of parenting?

Will you commit to serving and loving these parents and children through practical ways as a demonstration of the Gospel?

[Not on screen] If so, please read the following:

[On Screen]

With joy and thanksgiving, as Christ’s church, with God’s help,

dkhjaf

we commit to partner with you in teaching your child the gospel

and to love, encourage, serve and support you

as you follow Christ and train your child in the faith.

Let us pray. [Pray extemporaneously.]

[During prayer, scripture reader will come up and go right into sermon scripture...]

INTRO:

SCRIPTURE READING

We’re in the middle of the book of Matthew - taking our time to study through and understand this book and the events and teachings of Jesus...

The Gospels are significant books of the bible because they show us, in detail, the life and ministry of Jesus.

The Gospels are significant books of the bible because they show us, in detail, the life and ministry of Jesus.

And so what we’re learning here in Matthew - as we journey thought it - is who Jesus really is what it means for us to seek and follow Jesus, to be a part of his kingdom, live his way, and be transformed by his grace…

And so we’re here in Chapter 18... and for the next few chapters, we’re in a new section that we’re calling “Life together in the church” where Jesus begins to teach and show us how he desires for his followers - for us, Christians - to live life together - how we are to relate to each other, how we are to handle sin, how we are to forgive each other, how we are to live life together…

And this sections start in Verse 1 of chapter 18 with the disciples asking the question - “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

1.) What is greatness in the kingdom v.1-4

a.) Who is great?

Now with this question - I don’t think it’s fair to characterize the disciples as these 2-dimensional comic book villain type of guys… where they’re sinister in their desire for an all-consuming greatness. (evil voice)

I think they are simply struggling through a very normal human struggle of trying to find their place.

This is a very human question - what is greatness? What does it mean to be great? In each one of us, there’s a desire and striving for significance, to be valued, to be recognized and noticed.

It’s not like they are just asking Jesus an academic or strictly theological question about an “anthropologic understanding of human significance in light of the eschatological realities of his inaugurated kingdom”…

They are asking a question that each and every one of us ask and struggle through…

We all are born with a drive to find significance - we may not call it “a desire to be great”, but I think that every one of us - from the most outgoing extrovert to the quietest of introverts - are seeking to find value through achievement or by being greater than others at something, in some way…

For these disciples - Jesus had been talking a lot about a kingdom… his kingdom that he was bringing into play… and in a kingdom - there are hierarchies - there’s the king, the officials, the subjects, the servant…

And so the disciples are wondering - well, who’s going to be at the top with Jesus? And there was a desire to be at the top, to be significant - the same desire we have...

And for them and for us - this question, as natural as it may feel, came out of a place of pride and selfishness - even if they didn’t really realize it…

In - Mark tells us his account of this same interaction - and he includes more than what Matthew does here - he says that the disciples were arguing about this - who will have the top position - the highest place of honor…

Mark 9 ESV

And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power.” And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. And Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified. And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.” And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only. And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead might mean. And they asked him, “Why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” And he said to them, “Elijah does come first to restore all things. And how is it written of the Son of Man that he should suffer many things and be treated with contempt? But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written of him.” And when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them. And immediately all the crowd, when they saw him, were greatly amazed and ran up to him and greeted him. And he asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?” And someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him mute. And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able.” And he answered them, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.” And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” And Jesus said to him, “ ‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.” They went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he did not want anyone to know, for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise.” But they did not understand the saying, and were afraid to ask him. And they came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?” But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” And he took a child and put him in the midst of them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.” John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” But Jesus said, “Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. For the one who is not against us is for us. For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward. “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, ‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’ For everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”

And right away, this is very telling about how we perceive greatness in this world and how the sin of pride - which infects all of our hearts - drives us to pursue this greatness…

They were arguing over this - because for the world - for us - greatness is something you must strive for, it’s something you achieve, you win, and it’s ALWAYS accompanied by strife…

There’s an internal and external strife with it… this is true for Michael Jordan or Lebron James - whichever one of those guys is the GOAT in basketball… or for us - just trying to rise up in your company to a more esteemed position with more power and money, or find your place of significance in a friend group, or have our family respect us and see the value of life we’ve decided to live…

Pride and the pursuit of greatness always leads to an “external strife” - you against others, trying to climb over one another and get to the top…

And an “internal strive” - where inside our hearts we struggle because it will never be enough, you’ll never have enough, AND it’s what we do have will never be secure enough… the risk is that someone can always come along and take what we have away…

In the book of Daniel - there’s a great case study of earthly greatness with Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon… Ol’ Neb was at the top - king of one of the most powerful nations… But there was strife to get there - as he conquered nations and oppressed people…

...and as he was at the top - he had it all, riches and power and fame - he was deeply trouble - he had internal strife… he had dreams of it all being taken away, of his greatness toppling over… and that’s actually where Daniel enters the picture to interpret the king's dreams because he was so troubled by them…

When you achieve greatness the world’s way - it always leads to strife and insecurities - because this greatness might just go away.

And I want us to consider today how this struggle with a desire for greatness comes our in our lives…

Because you will find that this desire for greatness, the roots of pride grow and flourish.

This certainly not a new human problem - this prideful desire for greatness was the core of what drove Adam and Eve in to disobey God and eat the fruit of the forbidden tree - and it’s very evident in our culture today…

Our culture is obsessed with “moving up”, what’s next, advancing, becoming greater, more influence, more control, more power, more comfort, more entertainment, more privilege.

And I think, if we’re honest with ourselves, this same pride and desire for greatness affects our hearts and lives more than we’d like to admit…

C.S. Lewis writes in Mere Christianity -

"There is one vice of which no man in the world is free… The essential vice, the utmost evil, is Pride. Unchastity, anger, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are mere flea bites in comparison: it was through Pride that the devil became the devil: Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind."

"Pride is essentially competitive…. Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man. We say that people are proud of being rich, or clever, or good-looking, but they are not. They are proud of being richer, or cleverer, or more good-looking than others. If everyone else became equally rich, or clever, or good-looking, there would be nothing to be proud about.”

C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

And the result is ongoing strife as humanity seeks after this greatness… in our personal relationships when pride prohibits us from admitting wrong and seeking forgiveness… all the way up to nations at war or in conflict to achieve more power and control… Pride and this desire for greatness are the root of racism, the cause of hate, the reason why certain people groups are marginalized or oppressed...

And this is not how God created us to exist with each other and with him… this prideful pursuit of greatness as we climb over each other and reject God…

But what I want us to see is that it’s not just a problem out there - it’s a problem for each one of us “in here” - in our hearts…

See - there’s something significantly lacking in our pursuit of greatness…

..,what’s lacking is a satisfying result… it’s never enough… the strife - internal and external never goes away.

…more most importantly - This pursuit of greatness has separated us from God.

Lewis again writes…

"It is Pride which has been the chief cause of misery in every nation and every family since the world began. Pride always means enmity—it is enmity. And not only enmity between man and man, but enmity to God. [Because] in God you come up against something which is in every respect immeasurably superior to yourself. Unless you know God as that—and, therefore, know yourself as nothing in comparison—you do not know God at all. As long as you are proud you cannot know God. A proud man is always looking down on things and people: and, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you."

C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

b.) Enter like a child… (reframes the question)

Lewis is explaining exactly what Jesus is teaching us here…

Now - Look at how Jesus answeres his disciple's question - this would have been really shocking and odd to the disciples… Jesus calls a child who was probably playing nearby - to come over… and he set the small child in the midst of the disciples who are arguing over who will be the greatest and he says…

Verse 3…

[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.

The first Jesus does is reframes the question… He doesn’t start with answering who is the greatest IN the kingdom…

He makes a pretty strong statement - that unless you TURN away from something and become LIKE children - you will not even make it into the kingdom of heaven…

….So don’t even worry about who’s the greatest yet - to simply get into the kingdom - you need to be like a child.

….So don’t even worry about who’s the greatest yet - to simply get into the kingdom - you need to be like a child.

AND THEN he says - whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus is using an analogy here to teach us… he’s not saying we become like children in every way… literally - adults going around like children… that would just be awkward… He’s not calling us to be “childish” in our actions…

But he’s saying there’s something about the way children are - - specifically “little children” - young children - which is the Greek word means that’s used here… - We are to humble ourselves like a child…

sub 1

And it’s interesting that we’re talking about this text on the sunday that we have baby dedications…

((that was part of the object lesson for this sermon, right?))

I wish we could say we planned it this way on purpose… but I’m not that smart - it just happened. The sovereignty of God at work!

And we have to be careful with understanding Jesus’ analogies - we have to be careful that we don’t read them through our cultural lense, but rather we need to seek to understand how Jesus’ disciples would have heard this - particularly - how their culture would have perceived children.

Our culture today idolize children in many ways - we orient our lives around them… they consume us… we idolize youth and the attitudes of youth…

But in the culture during the time of Jesus, it seems children were valued but they weren’t prioritized in the same way as our culture today…

Anna Case-Winter’s says in her Commentary on Matthew

“Children in patriarchal culture had no power and no voice in their larger social world. Yet, in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus privileges children.”

Anna Case-Winter, Commentary on Matthew

For first century Israel… children had incredible value, but their value was more wrapped up in the fact that they would grow up to be come an adult and continue the family lineage and heritage…

Childhood was simply considered a training ground for adulthood because there was virtually no value at all on childhood as a stage of life. Children didn’t have anything to offer or provide that society considered to be great! They aren’t wise, they are ignorant and impulse, they don’t have wealth or power, they’re not independent… They aren’t strong, they are weak and impressionable...

And Jesus takes a child and says - you must become like this… and I think he’s pointing towards a least two things…

1.) Fully dependent

Children are fully dependent… If you’ve ever had a child - or looked after one - they are needy little things… they are fully dependent on those looking after them… Like really, they can’t do much, if anything, on their own… they can destroy a room, but they can’t put it back… they can eat and eat, but they can’t prepare their own food… or clean up after…

They are fully dependent on their parents or caregivers for EVERYTHING - provision, clothing, protection, guidance, and instruction… and they love to be fully dependent and given these things.

2.) No desire for status

And the second thing - is that kids have no desire for dignity… no concern about personal status or their individual identity.

I mean, kids will poo in the pamper and keep playing and their not concerned at all about what others think of this disastrous act.

They act foolish and give themselves entirely to their play and make-believe and games with no concern about status or power or lobbying over position…

And what Jesus is doing here is creating a contrast - the way the world defines greatness in achievement, in control and power, in high status and dignity and acknowledgment…

...he’s contrasting that with his definition of greatness which is one of humility, of dependence, of no concern for status or a self-made identity… like a child…

- To Turn - Repentance

And he says - unless you TURN and become like a child - not become childish - but TURN from the world's pursuit of greatness and become like a child - you will never enter the kingdom of heaven…

Jesus makes this a matter of life and death - unless you become like a child - you will never enter the kingdom of heaven...

Jesus is not just suggesting that we become a bit more humble… he’s saying that we have to turn from one thing - the world's pursuit of greatness defined by our pride - and pursue a different kind of greatness - kingdom greatness that is found in humility, in dependence, in becoming childlike in your posture and heart toward the father God…

And, friends, this is the essence of being a Christian -

….a turning from dependence upon yourself, a self-made person, finding your own way, doing things to build yourself up and find your own security and peace and control and comfort

...a turning from all of that, and like a child, throwing yourself upon the grace and mercy of God - Believing in Jesus and being fully dependent upon him, looking to him for your identity, not trying to create your own status or worth - but fully and completely dependent upon God and what he says about you as his redeemed and beloved child through Christ’s work!

See - it’s only when we have this posture of humility and dependence that we can truly trust in his grace for salvation rather than relying on our own greatness or ability or success…

How much better is fully and complete grace that leads to fully joy and satisfaction than this striving to make our own way and find our own joy, right??

When I was about 6 or 7, my family lived in Ontario Canada for a number of years… we lived in a really remote village way up north… and in the winter, my dad and I would go out ice fishing on the lakes… and one day we went way out on a big lake - miles and miles of drifted snow on this huge lake… white as far are you could see… and a skidoo out, snowmobile, it had a small trailer on skies for our gear…

...and we had gone miles out and now we're on our way back, i was riding in the trailer and as we were driving over the drifted snow, the pin the connected the sled to the snowmobile came disconnected… and my trail slide to stop… and my dad, hunkered down below the windshield to stay warm kept right on going and didn’t notice…

...typical winters can get down to -10 -20 degrees Fahrenheit… so here i am, running after a skidoo, and my dad is just becoming a smaller and smaller dot on the horizon… I’m helpless, I’m unable to save my self. Winters are very dangerous in Canada - people getting lost and freezing to death is a normal thing.

Now thankfully, my dad noticed i was gone after a while, and turned around and found me running in deep snow after him… my voice was completely hoarse from screaming for help… but I was totally fine…

Now - imagine if my father would have returned to pick me up - and I’d say, nope i’m fine. I want to be independent and on my own - I want the recognition of figuring this out on my own… I’m totally capable… I - as a 6-year-old, will find my way back to the house over miles of frozen lake and forest in fridge temperatures.

Ridiculous right?

But friends, that’s a picture of what we do when we pursue our own greatness… when we pursue our own way… when we fail to recognize our complete and utter dependence on God, on Christ and his grace, on the salvation the Christ has accomplished for us in light of what we simply cannot do on our own…

But Jesus says to turn and BECOME LIKE children… it’s an invitation to a journey of becoming… a journey of repentance… an invitation to turn from seeking our own greatness, to turn from pride - to turn and seek Christ in humility and need and dependence…

c.) Kingdom greatness: like a child

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

And Jesus goes on to say in verse 4 that whoever humbles himself like a child is truely great in the kingdom of God... that this humility and complete dependence upon God is what is true greatness looks like!

True greatness is found in GOD ALONE - as God is over all, creator of all, the greatest of all… and when we serve ourselves - we are seeking our own greatness… when, through faith in Christ, we humble ourselves before God, we encounter his greatness, we are humbled by it… and we see that his greatness is displayed in through humility and serving others - just as God loved the world and humbled himself through Christ to serve it…

It’s an upsidedown kingdom… shows us how Jesus displayed this greatness through humility by laying DOWN his power to serve… and in Jesus’ kingdom - we are called to see that this is what true greatness looks like!

...the way into the kingdom is humility and dependence on God - AND life in the kingdom - greatness in the kingdom - is humility and serving and living dependent upon God’s grace and your identity in him…

2.) Life Together As A Church: Living In Light Of This Greatness v.5-6

[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.

Now, in verse 5-6, Jesus goes on to give us the practical playing out of what it means for us to live life together in God’s kingdom - WITH this definition of kingdom greatness -

...specifically in the dynamics of relationships with other people…

...and the summary of what Jesus is getting at is that kingdom greatness in humility should affect how we treat one another and specifically how we are to treat and receive those that the world would consider lowly or powerless… we are to readily receive and welcome and pursue “the little ones”, those who, like children, don’t have power or social status, or who are dependent and needy…

The Greek for - “little ones” - refers to anyone who is lowly, who is of small status…

If we think about our lives and relationship - way too often we receive people based on who they are, where they stand in society and what they can do for us.

And when Jesus talks about “receiving” someone - he is talking about welcoming someone into a relationship, opening our lives to them, responding to them in a way that honors them…

Our culture is caught up in pursuing relationships for social capital out of a desire for and recognition of worldly greatness! Even in caring for the poor or marginalized, it often contains ulterior motives of recognition and praise for being a humanitarian - and so often, this same attitude is found in the church…

But Jesus brings a new kingdom and is calling each and everyone one of his followers to have a whole different value system, an entirely different measure for greatness!

The humility that marks how we come to God is the same humility that we are to show to one another…

...where we don’t decide how we will receive people based on what they bring to the table, how impressive they are, based on what they can do for us…

We humble receive people with grace because they were created in the image of God!!

...Because in God’s kingdom and economy we’re not judged by earthly greatness… people have infinite value because they are PEOPLE created in the image of God...

See - How we receiving others is radically connected to how we receive Jesus… Our vertical relationship with God, changes our horizontal relationships with one another!

And even more so - it changes our relationships in the church family -

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Notice in verse 6 how God responds when his children are sinned against or caused to sin…

Many understand this verse 6 to be talking about causing a literal child to sin - but if we understand who Jesus is comparing to children - it certainly includes children, but it’s referring to anyone who is humble and powerless and needy… which is ALL OF US…

And the SIN that Jesus is talking about here is connected to verse 5 which talks about welcoming and receiving…

...so Jesus is saying that if we reject, marginalize, hurt, ignore, oppress, abuse, are prideful towards his humble followers… if people sin against them or cause them to sin… that it would be better to have a millstone, that is a giant stone that a donkey would pull in a circle to grind grain, it would better to have that tied to your neck and to be tossed into the sea…

This is a stark and disturbing image of what happens when we pursue our own greatness…

Pastor Thabiti Anyabwile gives a description of this - as this millstone that's tied to your neck sinks to the bottom of the sea, it would drag you down headfirst, feet up...

and that is the image that Jesus leaves us with of what becomes of those who seek their own greatness by lifting themselves up and pushing others down.

They sink down to the deepest depths - while the humble - those who come dependent and needy like children - are lifted up by Jesus to be the greatest in the Kingdom!

Pastor and Author Zack Eswine says: “Almost anything in life that truly matters will require you to do small, mostly overlooked things, over a long period of time with Jesus.”

He goes on to describe life in God’s kingdom…

"To the important Christian who is always doing large and famous things... the brokenness of people actually feels like an intrusion keeping us from getting the important work for God done.”

Zack Eswine

...But what Jesus shows us there is that the big and important things in the kingdom of God are loving and welcoming and caring for and serving the people that God has put in our lives… and specifically, it about loving and serving those that the world rejects or marginalizes, those that are forgotten and unnoticed…

Veritas - lets strive to be great in what really matters in God’s kingdom…

...We can strive for this because it’s the grace and love of God that transforms and empowers us to live this out...

As we looked at last week in - as believers, we have a heart that has been transformed by God’s love, we have a heart that has been redeemed by the grace of Jesus - so now - because Christ has shown us this love and humility and service, we now are called to consider the interest of others more than our own interests, to do nothing from selfish ambition, but to count others more significant than ourselves….

Some of you here today need to repent of pride - you’ve been trying to build up your own kingdom and greatness - you know you’re not serving God, you know that you’ve not humbled yourself before him…

Repent - TURN from it - it’s a matter of life and death - of salvation and life…

...If you’re struggling in this or want to know more about following Jesus, please talk with us, with someone in you CG… the prayer team will be here through the end of the gathering…

And church - I want to challenge us to practically pray through and think about how do we live this out? This is a high call from Jesus and one we MUST pursue!

Are you even thinking about noticing and serving and welcoming those in your life that are powerless or have been forgotten by the world around you?

Are we thinking about how our community groups are welcoming and creating space to receive and love those who make come in and out unnoticed or feel very out of place there?

I think this speaks directly to how we as a church respond to those with disabilities and special needs? Are we creating spaces in our lives and in the life of the church for those forgotten by our culture? Are we removing barriers that would prohibit them from access to the gospel and gospel community…

I know that over the past months - Emma Starkey - our kid's director has been having great conversations around how to make our kid's ministry more accessible and caring for children with special needs… this is a great example of what this text leads us to do and think about…

Serving our kids by serving in the kids ministry is another example of what Jesus is calling us to here…

This speaks directly to how we engage with refugees and immigrant and the homeless in our city and neighborhoods… are we pursuing to love and care for them?

This text is challenging all of us to think about what “greatness” we are pursuing -

May we know respond to Christ’s humility and grace by humbling ourselves as children before God… ...and may we, filled with the Spirit and Power of God - be transformed to love and serve others for the glory of God!!

COMMUNION

Remember the greatness of the humility of Jesus - humbled himself for us… we humble receive him in full dependence and need…