Jesus ministry after showing powerful outward manifestations of His power now applies some practical everyday teaching for His disciples.
Matthew 18: Who Is the Greatest?
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.
Temptations to Sin
7 "Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes!
8 And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire.
9 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire.
The Parable of the Lost Sheep
10 "See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.
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12 What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray?
13 And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray.
14 So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.
If Your Brother Sins Against You
15 "If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.
16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses.
17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.
18 Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
19 Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.
20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them."
The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant
21 Then Peter came up and said to him, "Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?"
22 Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.
23 "Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants.
24 When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.
25 And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made.
26 So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.'
27 And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt.
28 But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, 'Pay what you owe.'
29 So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you.'
30 He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt.
31 When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place.
32 Then his master summoned him and said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me.
33 And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?'
34 And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt.
35 So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart."
Things to think about…
Never be confused about the ‘faith of a child’ passage, Mt 18:1-6. Jesus means that we are to trust Him like a child with simplicity and an open heart that accepts the word of God in all things. It does not mean that we behave like children and remain in spiritual ignorance or immaturity. A good verse to address this comes from Paul “When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways”, 1Cor 13:11. I am amazed and humbled by the work of Destiny Rescue who deliver children out of child sex slavery. I always like their posts whenever children are set free from such evil. Jesus says the judgement upon their captors is worse than having a milestone tied around the neck and then to be thrown into the sea. Lord deliver our children from evil! A note to those who believe in annihilationism: - having a milestone around your neck sounds worse than being annihilated at the judgement. Jesus however says the milestone around the neck is to be preferred, rather than undergoing judgement. Hell is both certain and frightful. Both Annihilationism and Universal Salvation are doctrines of the devil, no question.
In Mt 18:7-9 Christ teaches on the temptation to sin and the requirement to cut off the offending member. While a literal disfigurement is meant the point is made. It is given in graphic detail by our Lord to magnify the seriousness of sin. We need to cut it off, to kill it at its source. If we are tempted online to sin or to stumble with our words or other form of self-control get some accountability immediately. Do not do it alone. Ask to help. Sometimes others need to help us to do the cutting.
With respect to Mt 18:10-14, who is the one lost sheep that the Lord is putting on your heart to go and seek out. Perhaps it is someone who has fallen away, a prodigal that you have been praying for, for years. Give them a call or drop around and see them and encourage them to consider Christ and the forgiveness of the cross. I am greatly encouraged by these verses. The 99 are already saved, these are in fact secure in Christ, they are in a pen, safe and secure. The one who is lost is open to the elements, wild animals and the danger of the terrane. The same for those who chosen by the Lord but either don’t know it or are in a state of rebellion. Christ’s mercy and grace brings them back, often on His shoulders. They are either too weak, diseased, or still not following as they should. He carries them and brings them back safely. Often for us this is within an environment where there are other Christians, hearing and obeying the word. Pray that the Lord draws His lost sheep back to a place of communion and spiritual safety, that they may not perish, vs 14.
Most of us know the church communication/discipline passage quite well, Mt 18:15-18. The important thing is that the church carries it out when required. The process is the important thing to be noted. Go with one, then two, then the church. Elders need to be involved at stage 2 I believe. An elder should be have knowledge of the situation and the eldership decide how it is to be brought before the church if required. Church membership is required for this process to be properly implemented. As I have reminded you many times – almost to the annoyance of some I am sure; gossip, slander, and a divisive spirit should never be a part of the body of Christ. Disagreements will come, but causing division is never an option for a follower of Christ. Never make that choice. The whole purpose of this passage is for restoration and unity which is the ultimate reflection of the gospel. Jesus corrects us and then restores us. Praise God for the unity and openness we have at CBC – let’s not take it for granted and act quickly whenever we see it potentially being undermined. The gospel involves truth, unity and discipline.
Don’t you just love Peter, Mt 18:21. He is always wanting to find where the boundary is, either for his affections or his stupidity. He reminds me a lot of myself. Earlier he wants to build a tent for the transfigured Christ and speaks out of emotion. In this case he is wanting to know how far brotherly love should go when it comes to forgiveness, Mt 18:21. Look at our Lord’s response, Mt 18:22-35. Jesus tells the parable of the unforgiving servant. The point of the parable is that we are the servant who has been forgiven a great debt. We also have a choice as to whether we hold a grudge, bitterness, anger, or envy towards another person. Let’s always keep short accounts because life is short, but eternity is long. Let’s live in the light of Christ by always showing forgiveness and grace towards others.
The parable of the unforgiving servant in Mt 18:21-35 has a very sobering conclusion. Remember it was Peter who initially asked the question regarding forgiveness. If believers act like the servant in the parable and do not forgive other servants of Christ, Jesus says we will not be forgiven by the Father. Look at the words of judgement that come to believers who do not forgive; “my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart”, Mt 18:35. The “of you” is not the world, but those who claim to have faith. Remember this parable comes after the issue of discipline within the church and so the household of faith is within the context of the parable. Forgiveness and reconciliation must be part of the church and a Christian’s hard wiring. If this isn’t the case our Lord sees it as denying the forgiveness of sin that comes from the Father. In such cases as alluded to in this parable, Jesus says prison still awaits, Mt 18:34. Such a person is therefore not saved and is still destined for eternal punishment. A fearful thought.
Vision statement for CBC
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Cell groups are encouraged to come to church on Wednesday night 6:30pm at church. Be encouraged and join us for a time of teaching, fun and food.
Prayer Points
1. Pray for the Solomon Islanders as they lead worship and for Ric Benson as he preaches on Matt 18.
2. The conflict in Israel. Thousands of people have lost their loves in the conflict thus far. When there is evil, it needs to be confronted. Pray for the families and lives that will be affected over the coming weeks. May Christ rule and reign in Israel.
3. Mathys has a prayer time at church on Monday afternoons. He would be happy for you to join him.
4. That those who are new to the church are encouraged and settle in well into the church.
5. That we be bold in our witnessing for Christ. Pray for a heart to see those around you to be saved. Pray for the blessing over the new pastoral care and hosting program.
6. Pray for our Carols program, Sun 17th Dec.
7. Pray for Rosie and the teachers at Kids@church, pray for continued growth of this ministry.
8. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to remain and increase.
Praise Points
1. Prase God for new folk on Sunday, pray they can settle into the church.
2. God is blessing the alpha course. Continue to pray for this mid-week meeting.
3. Good ministry after the service. Continue to pray for this blessing to increase.
4. Some encouraging signs of those wanting to consider who Jesus was. People asking about baptism.
5. Joy, peace and grace we see at CBC. Thankyou Lord
Announcements
1. Mid week topical teaching every Wednesday night – 6:30pm at church.
2. Annual general meeting – 26th Nov after the service.
3. Carols starting in the afternoon from 3pm Sunday 17th Dec.
4. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
5. Tune in again this week on our YouTube page. Subscribe to the CBC channel Chuwar Baptist YouTube channel.
Catechism questions for October...
Q. 13. Can God do all things? A. Yes - God can do all His holy will.
