Matthew 18

Demonstrate Christ-centered love, obedience, respect in all your life roles Col 3:18 – 4:1 Stewardship MATTHEW 18:1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” MATTHEW 18:25 He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. 3 And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me. 2 MATTHEW 18:6-9 (NIV) Causing to Stumble “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me —to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. 7 Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come! 8 If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to stumble, 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 the fire of hell. 6 MATTHEW 18: 10-14 (NIV) The Parable of the Wandering Sheep “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven. [11] [a] 10 “What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? 13 And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. 14 In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish. 12 MATTHEW 18: 15-20 (NIV) Dealing With Sin in the Church “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. 16 But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’[d] 17 If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector. 15 “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be[e] bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be[f] loosed in heaven. 18 “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” 19 “We must not let trespass rankle in our bosom, by maintaining a sullen silence, nor may we go and publish the matter abroad. We must seek out the offender, and tell him his fault as if he were not aware of it; as perhaps he may not be.” ~ Charles Spurgeon MATTHEW 18: 21-35 (NIV) The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” 22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.[g] 21 “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold[h] was brought to him. 25 Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt. 23 “At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ 27 The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go. 26 “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. [i] He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded. 28 “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’ 30 “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened. 29 “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ 34 In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. 35 “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.” 32 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. 22 ~ Matt 5:22 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 28 ~ Matt 5:28 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. ~ Matt 5:44 OUTLINE – MATTHEW 13 I. The Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven A. “Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” B. Dependent upon the Father C. Seeking to be near him, to know him and be like him II. Causing to Stumble A. 1 Cor 8:9-12 B. Self-inflicted pain or mutilation is not an answer but does speak to seriousness of sin and suffering we should endure to avoid it C. Are we willing to be socially outcast or unpopular for the sake of Christ? III. The Parable of the Wandering Sheep A. We were that lost sheep that Christ left the 99 to pursue B. You are that lost sheep that he has left the 99 to find C. We need to be part of the search party to find the lost sheep IV. Dealing with Sin in the Church A. Be a long-suffering Christian in forgiving others B. 2 Corinthians 2 unrepenting sinner confronted, expelled and eventually forgiven and restored after repentence V.The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant A. Do you see or understand how your sins are unpayable by yourself? See Sermon on the Mount – Matt 5, Mark 7 B. No sins committed against us are unforgivable DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 1.Are there times when you struggle with pride, wanting recognition, status or certain position in an hierarchy? 2.Can you relate to the attributes of a child and which ones do you struggle (spending time, seeking / asking, spending time to know him) 3.What areas in your life do you feel might be “worldly” and what tough choices might you might to be unpopular socially but following Christ? 4.Can you share recall how Christ sought after you like the lost sheep and whom he used to find you? 5.Are there specific things about others that you need to work on to be a “longsuffering” Christian? 6.Do you see the unmerciful servant in yourself and how?