WHAT KIND OF PERSON WILL BE CONSIDERED GREAT IN THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN? (6 OF 6)
by Tim Melton
Scripture: Matthew 18:1-4
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What Kind of Person will be Considered Great in the Kingdom of Heaven? (6 of 6)
Series: Kingdom of God
Tim Melton
Matthew 18:1-4
What person would you say will be considered great in the Kingdom of heaven? Maybe you would think back to the Bible and say Abraham, Moses, David, Esther, or the Apostle Paul. Or perhaps you would go back to church history and say Augustine, Martin Luther, John Calvin, Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Perhaps you would think of some ''spiritual giant'' who is still alive today.
Maybe you thought of a great theologian who knew all the Bible answers. Or maybe you thought about a pastor of a mega-church. Or maybe you thought of someone who was internationally famous for their religious works or good deeds. Or maybe you thought of one who gives a lot of money to charity, who knows almost all the answers in your Bible study group, or who prays eloquent prayers in public.
Our temptation is to think of someone who is well known or has a great spiritual resume. But that is not what we see in scripture. In Matthew 18 we find these words.
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.
When it says ''disciples'' it is referring to Jesus' apostles, his inner circle of closest followers. Jesus had prayerfully selected these men to be with Him. Jesus had spent three years with His apostles, displaying humility and servant leadership. Three years and yet they still weren´t getting it. We see it multiple times in the gospels where the disciples vowed for power and recognition. Comparing and competing, longing to reserve a seat in the kingdom at Christ´s right or left hand.
We see similar stories when Jesus uses a child ...
Series: Kingdom of God
Tim Melton
Matthew 18:1-4
What person would you say will be considered great in the Kingdom of heaven? Maybe you would think back to the Bible and say Abraham, Moses, David, Esther, or the Apostle Paul. Or perhaps you would go back to church history and say Augustine, Martin Luther, John Calvin, Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Perhaps you would think of some ''spiritual giant'' who is still alive today.
Maybe you thought of a great theologian who knew all the Bible answers. Or maybe you thought about a pastor of a mega-church. Or maybe you thought of someone who was internationally famous for their religious works or good deeds. Or maybe you thought of one who gives a lot of money to charity, who knows almost all the answers in your Bible study group, or who prays eloquent prayers in public.
Our temptation is to think of someone who is well known or has a great spiritual resume. But that is not what we see in scripture. In Matthew 18 we find these words.
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.
When it says ''disciples'' it is referring to Jesus' apostles, his inner circle of closest followers. Jesus had prayerfully selected these men to be with Him. Jesus had spent three years with His apostles, displaying humility and servant leadership. Three years and yet they still weren´t getting it. We see it multiple times in the gospels where the disciples vowed for power and recognition. Comparing and competing, longing to reserve a seat in the kingdom at Christ´s right or left hand.
We see similar stories when Jesus uses a child ...
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