Jun
1
Men’s Bible Study – Matthew 18
Matthew 18
This week we took a look at Matthew 18. The chapter begins with the disciples coming to Christ and asking who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?
The rest of the chapter Jesus tells the disciples how to be great in the Kingdom of Heaven and what that means.
Humbling ourselves and seeking after the benefit of others
Jesus begins by first summoning over a child and telling the disciples they need to first change their thinking and be like a this little child before they even enter heaven. Jesus is trying to get them to realize that seeking after greatness is a worldly pursuit and that in heaven being great is measured in a different way. Jesus then goes on to explain that they should humble themselves to become great in the Kingdom, and that whoever receives these little ones receives Me. This is the beginning of greatness in the kingdom, to be humble. Children were not seen as important in this culture but those who were older were. Jesus said to receive these little ones is to receive Him, and in so saying sets this principle of doing unto the least of us as if it were for Christ Himself.
Consider the heart that Jesus is saying to have compared to that of which the disciples came to Him with, they sought their own while Christ says to seek out the benefits of others.
Jesus goes on to warn of offenses and what the result of those would be. In the Bible we often see this, where The Lord explains the benefits of following Him and the consequences of not following Him.
(As a not we should observe that Christ is using hyperbole to make his point. This chapter as a whole is talking about how one grows in relationship with God, not how to be saved.)
Cutting out the Sin
The next way Christ discusses to be great is to cut out those things in our lives that cause us to sin. Jesus uses the example of if your hand causes you to sin then it is better to cut it off then to be cut off from God. Of course hands do not make us sin nor do the eyes, and so this is an extreme example to make the point, what is more important the thing (TV, computer, alcohol, a friend, etc.) that stumbles us, or growing in the Lord? Cutting out those things that harm us help us grow towards the image of Christ that we should be transforming into.
Having a heart for the Lost
Going on Jesus describes a scenario where a Sheppard seeks after one lost sheep and leaves the flock to go find him. The message behind this is not only how much God cares about the lost, but also how we as Christians should feel about the lost as well. If God wishes that none should perish then we should have the same heart.
Dealing with a brother in the proper way
As Jesus often does, He gives us the parable of the lost sheep right before He talks about the proper way to deal with a brother in sin. Jesus talks about the whole process of approaching him one-on-one, and then with a friend, and then in front of the Church. The end result is treating the unrepentant brother as if he is an unbeliever. So how do we treat unbelievers? If we use the previous passage about the lost sheep as an example, we are to seek after them as God would. We are called to love our enemies, and our brethren who fall back just the same. The next passage ties this thought altogether as we see Peter ask how many times we should Forgive.
Forgiveness
Peter asks how many times we should forgive a brother who sins against us? Peter asks if 7 times is enough, but Jesus says 70 times 7 times forgive him. Then Jesus gives a story of a King who forgave a great debt of one of his servants. The servant did not return the favor to another servant and instead through him in jail. When the King heard it, He was mad and had the servant who He forgave thrown in jail because of the wickedness he had done. To be great in the Kingdom is not based on our wealth or stature but closeness to God and His desires. Forgiving is essential to having that Christ like nature. We forgive because we were forgiven. We were forgiven countless times and should show our brothers the same courtesy. Seeking after God hearts is how we become great in the kingdom of heaven.
Humbling ourselves, doing unto others as unto Christ, cutting out sin, seeking the lost, treating a fallen brother in the right way, and forgiving those who have wronged us are all the ways we become great in the Kingdom of Heaven.
