Children in God's Kingdom

Please open your Bibles to Matthew 18:1-4

We are going spend the next 5 Sundays here.

Addressing relationships between the church.

Addressing how we function and how we view one another.

My prayer is that by looking at this one chapter of Matthew, we will develop an understanding of how Jesus Christ desires us to function as a church, especially within our relationships to each other.

Read Matthew 18:1-4.

This passage has 2 questions that are answered.

First there is a Wrong Question.

Then there is The Right Question.

This passage begins with a Wrong Question.

There were 12 disciples.

These 12 disciples were Jesus’ closest earthly relationships.

And within these 12, there clearly were different roles.

Judas was the treasurer.

If money is power, then Judas had some power among the group.

Peter, James and John were the 3 big disciples.

They were with Jesus at the transfiguration and saw HIs glory.

They saw things the other disciples did not see.

You could say they were pretty important among the group.

There was a frequent discussion among the disciples though of who was the greatest.

Out of the 12, who was the most important?

Who was the greatest?

These were the 12 disciples.

11 of them went on to become apostles.

And yet, they had this seemingly petty conversation, secretly among themselves.

Sometimes this inner debate became public.

One time, a couple of the disciples even recruited their mom into the action.

James and John, brought their mom, and she asked if her sons could be the greatest in the coming kingdom.

As we begin our text, it says, “At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying ...” then they pose their question, “who is the greatest?”

“At that time ...”

At what time?

If you look back at the end of chapter 17, you can see what that time was.

Some tax collectors had just come up to Peter asking if Jesus pays the temple tax.

Jesus then sent Peter to go fishing.

Jesus told Peter, that the first fish that he catches would have a shekel inside it’s mouth.

That would be used for the Temple Tax.

So Jesus had just sent Peter fishing.

And as Peter is walking away, the disciples come up to Jesus.

They remind me of middle schoolers or high schoolers arguing over who gets shotgun in a car.

Peter, the spokesman for the group has left.

It’s almost as if there is a vacuum for power, and the individual disciples are trying to fill that space.

I wish I could say that the disciples are unique in their quest for greatness.

But really, it’s an old tale.

The quest for greatness has spread like a plague within the hearts of God’s creation.

Satan, was a cherished angel in the Garden of Eden.

Ezekiel says that he was “full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.”

He was covered in precious jewels.

Then he desired to be great.

He desired to be recognized for his beauty.

Isaiah says that he desired worship, and wanted to ascend to heaven and take the place of God.

Satan’s desire for greatness became his fall.

Genesis 11, you have the Tower of Babel.

Do you remember what man was trying to do there?

They were aspiring to greatness.

Genesis 11:4, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, ...”

They were wanting to be great.

To be recognized by God as a force to be reckoned with.

You remember what happened?

Their tower collapsed, and mankind was thrown into confusion.

Not great at all.

And I wish I could say that those events were unique.

I wish I could say that it’s just the really wicked people that are this way.

But it’s not.

Satan was that way.

His lust for greatness has infected mankind.

The disciples were that way.

And it’s even within us.

We follow in the same paths as those before us.

We try to surpass the achievements who already came.

Like Babel, we try to make a name for ourselves.

We aspire to be great.

So the question is asked, who will be greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus doesn’t give the answer they expect.

He doesn’t point his finger at any of them.

He doesn’t tell them to go to college, climb on a mountain, or send them on a quest for some holy relic.

Instead, Jesus calls for a child.

This is the word for a young child.

A toddler.

A child just old enough to respond to his name and come.

Jesus calls for the child, and puts him in the middle of them.

The boy became the center of attention.

If you want to be great, then be like a little child.

Jesus’ response reveals that they were asking the The Wrong Question.

They are asking about a kingdom.

And within that kingdom they are asking who is the greatest in the kingdom.

Do you see what’s wrong with that question?

In order to have a kingdom, what do you have to have?

A king.

And they are asking who is the greatest in the kingdom?

The greatest in a kingdom is the king.

And they think that one of them should be the greatest.

The wrong question is asking which one of them is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus doesn’t answer it the way they expect Him to.

He speaks as king.

He speaks as the greatest one in the kingdom of heaven, after all, it’s His kingdom.

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

So if you are going to be in the kingdom of heaven then you need a king.

This is something that mainstream evangelicals have forgotten and neglected in recent years.

We emphasize the love of Christ.

We talk about the sacrifice of Christ.

We sing about Jesus.

We say that we worship Jesus.

But we largely ignore the Lordship of Christ.

One of Matthew’s main themes is that Jesus is King.

No other Gospel talks about the Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of Heaven as much as Matthew.

And that means obeying Him like a king.

That means we must take what He says seriously.

We must take His word seriously.

So we sing that Jesus is king.

That’s great.

But do your words match up to your life.

If you are going to confess Jesus as Lord, then you must live as if He is your king.

You see the great warning there in 3, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

There is a huge warning here.

“Truly”

Amen.

Jesus is emphasizing what He is about to say.

Whatever Jesus is going to say after that is of supreme importance.

He’s saying, listen closely.

Then there is the warning, if you don’t turn and become like a child, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

In the Greek, there’s a double negative.

In English, we don’t use double negatives.

But in Greek the double negative makes a point.

It’s a double no.

No not.

You will no not enter the kingdom of heaven.

If you do not listen to what Christ is about to say, there is no chance of you making it into heaven.

Why?

Because He is a king.

And kings expect to be obeyed.

Too many people have reduced Jesus to being nothing more than a king at Medieval Times.

Have you ever been to Medieval Times?

It’s a dinner theater themed after a medieval European castle.

There is jousting and sword fighting.

All the while you are pretending to be a part of some fictional king’s realm.

You cheer when you see this king.

You admire the pageantry.

But in reality this king has no power over your life.

This is how people approach Jesus.

He’s a pretend king, with little command over people’s lives.

Jesus is explaining here, that if you are going to be in His Kingdom, then you better obey Him like a king.

There are many people who call Jesus King, but have little desire to listen to Him as an actual king.

Their devotion to Him is not different, then your devotion to a Medieval Times king.

Jesus will not put up with this.

Matthew 7:21-24 Jesus restates it this way, ““Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’”

If you call Jesus Lord or King, but have little desire to obey Him like a king, He will say depart from me.

And back to Matthew 18, you will no not ever enter the kingdom of heaven.

Today, there are many who think they are Christians, they just don’t practice Christianity.

If that is you, then see the warning here.

If you call Jesus Lord, but don’t follow Him, you will never, never enter the kingdom of heaven.

The wrong question is asking about greatness, and forgetting who is the greatest.

The Real Question is how do I enter the kingdom of heaven?

Jesus only gives two instructions in this passage.

Turn and become like children.

He says turn.

This means to stop where you are going.

It’s to make a 180 degree turn, and go in the opposite direction.

It’s to go somewhere you have never been before.

Jesus is describing conversion here.

It’s not returning to the kingdom of God.

It’s not returning to your faith.

This is describing turnign to a faith that you never had.

Turning is active.

In the context of this passage it means recognizing the position and authority of Christ.

Knowing that this is His Kingdom.

Knowing that He is the King.

Notice the importance of repentance.

If you don’t repent, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

No not ever enter the kingdom of heaven.

It doesn’t matter how many songs you sing, how loud you sing, or how often you read your Bible.

Failure to repent means that you have not entered the kingdom of heaven.

The second instruction that Jesus gives us is “become like children.” And then in verse 4, “Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

This is one of those statements that people get so wrong.

This doesn’t mean children are sinless.

This does not mean that you must physically become a child.

Somehow go back in time and become a 3 year old again.

This does not mean baptize children.

This does not mean you do not pursue maturity and try to grow.

I’ve heard some people think that somehow becoming a child, means you live in ignorance.

Jesus is teaching about humility.

The disciples are pushing for greatness.

Instead of pursuing greatness, Jesus says become like a child.

And what kind of child?

A pay-deeown.

A toddler.

Still in diapers.

Drinking from a bottle.

What are children like?

They are under the supervision of someone else.

When I turned 18, was left home.

I experienced freedom.

I could eat at McDonald’s as many times a day as I wanted.

I could drive wherever I wanted.

I could stay out or up as late as I wanted.

A year and a half later, I moved back into my mom’s house.

Suddenly, she wanted to know if I was going to be home for dinner.

She wanted to know where I was going, and when I’d be home.

And I wasn’t very cooperative.

I felt like I was being treated like a child.

I was under the supervision of someone else.

The humility God is calling for is for us to go back under the authority of someone else.

Someone else making our decisions.

Someone else telling us what is good.

And that someone else is God.

It’s recognizing that His will directs the course of events in life.

It’s recognizing that His will is done.

It’s recognizing His sovereignty.

It’s recognizing that He makes the laws.

God is completely good.

Therefore, He decides and declares what is good.

What makes that hard?

We don’t like someone else making our decisions.

We don’t like thinking there is someone greater than us.

The disciples desired greatness.

We desire greatness.

Remember when Jesus summed up the Law by saying, you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, strength, soul and mind, and the second was to love your neighbor as yourself.

You know what make those commands so hard?

It’s that we love ourselves too much.

Ephesians 5 says that husbands are to love their wives like Christ loved the church.

You know what makes that so hard?

It’s that Christ gave up everything for His bride.

And men we complain if we don’t get to pick what we watch on TV tonight.

Placing yourselves under the authority of God, like a child, means you accept whatever His Word says.

I’ve seen this evangelizing.

We walk through the law with a person.

I ask the person, “The 6th commandment is thou shalt not murder.”

Then I ask the person if he’s ever murdered anyone before.

And most of the time, the person says they’ve never killed anyone.

Jesus said that if you call your brother fool, that God sees this as murder.

The proud person, fights back.

He says, “God can’t get mad because of what I think.”

Yet, God is so just, that He can judge even your secret thoughts.

God sees hate in your heart, as murder, because it’s the opposite of loving your neighbor.

Hating others is actually an attack upon God, because He made people in His own image.

It’s hatred of God to hate others.

Jesus said that if you look at a woman with lust, that this is considered adultery in God’s eyes.

The proud person says, “I can look but not touch.”

The proud person refuses to surrender to God’s Word.

Instead, thinking that we approve whether or not God’s Word is valid.

The proud person refuses to respond like a child to what God decrees.

For many years, I’d read Romans 9, or Ephesians 1, and read about predestination.

I’d read how God choose me before the foundation of the world.

I’d read about the elect.

And I’d say, there’s no way.

I didn’t have an argument against it.

I just had my pride.

And I didn’t like that God had any right to choose anything about my life.

A child though, is shaped by the parent.

A boy tries to get his father’s approval.

Loving what his dad likes.

Having the same interests.

God is looking for humility in His children, who are eager to be taught by the word of God.

I Peter 2:2 says, “Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—”

Approaching God like a child is craving His Word.

Desiring to know more about God.

Desiring to have the same affections as God.

In addition to being under the supervision of others, children are dependent on others.

Jesus has a young child in front of Him.

He’s just old enough to walk.

Fragile.

He needs someone to dress him, clean him, and prepare his food.

This is how we come to God.

We come to God dependent upon Him for everything.

We have nothing to offer Him.

Nothing that He needs.

Nothing that is of value.

Therefore, we come to God like a child, as beggars, dependent upon Him for the simplest of mercies.

Think about the Lord’s Prayer.

“Give us this day our daily bread.”

God I depend upon you for even today’s food.

We depend upon God for health to endure the day.

And anything that you have received from God, isn’t because you’ve earned it, or deserved it, but because of His kindness.

Titus 3:5 says, “he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,”

He’s the one doing all the work.

If you are counted as good or righteous, it’s not because you were good or righteous.

It’s because Jesus did the work for you.

It’s because He was good, He was righteous where you were not.

His goodness was given to you.

He’s the one doing all the saving.

Coming to God like a child, cripples our pride.

It rips it out from under us.

It removes any thoughts of greatness, or thinking that we have earned and deserved anything.

Do you see how this goes completely opposite to the attitude of the disciples, who were craving to be great in the kingdom of heaven?

God isn’t saying, “Try as hard as you can, and I’ll fill in the blanks.”

God is looking to receive all the credit and all the glory for your salvation.

Because you are like a child before Him.

Dependent upon Him for everything.

The late Martyn Lloyd-Jones once said, “I sometimes think that the very essence of the whole Christian position and the secret of a successful spiritual life is just to realize two things: I have complete absolute confidence in God and no confidence in myself.”

How are you approaching Christ?

Suddenly, how you approach matters.

Salvation isn’t a quest to see who can scale the tallest mountain, and be found worthy.

Salvation isn’t about becoming first among humanity.

Paul wrestled with this question in Philippians.

He was a man of accomplishments.

He described himself as a Hebrew of Hebrews.

A Pharisee, someone who was very strict in obeying the Law.

And yet, he threw it all out the window in his approach to Christ.

Philippians 3:7-9 says, “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—”

Here was a great man.

And yet, he became like a child.

Removing any pretense for superiority.

Claiming only Christ.

I’ve sometimes thought that the heart is the last part of a man to be converted.

Much of our hurt, anger, and frustration in life, comes from pride.

From an expectation that we deserve to be treated based on our human accomplishments.

We think God should treat us differently.

We think men should treat us differently.

And when that doesn’t happen we get angry.

But really, what do we deserve from God?

Romans 6 says that the wages of sin is death.

You may be the most moral person to have ever lived, but a single sin throws all that out the window.

Think of it this way.

You might have the cleanest, most purified glass of water.

But a single piece of fecal matter, contaminates the whole glass.

This is what sin does.

If you have sinned, the only thing you have earned is God’s anger.

It doesn’t matter how good you compare to others.

This is a hard truth to swallow, especially in a world where we try to compare ourselves to each other, and try to stand apart.

But the good news is that if you are in Christ.

If you turn -

If you humble yourself -

If you become like a child -

Then you will be declared innocent.

You will be given the righteousness of Christ.

You will be saved.

This is a sweet surrender.

Because of Christ, we are adopted.

There is an inheritance waiting for you in the presence of God.

But it’s not for the proud.

It’s for those who throw themselves upon the mercy of Christ.

Have you done this yet?