Who is the Greatest? Matthew 18:1-14 1. Who is the Greatest? (Matthew 18:1-4, NASB) The Question of the Hour: Who is the Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven? The Parable of the Child The Greatest Disciples are Like Humble Children 2. Let the Greatest be the Greatest! (Matthew 18:5-7, NASB) Receiving Jesus’ Disciples is the Same as Receiving Jesus Himself Rejecting Jesus’ Disciples is the Same as Rejecting Jesus Himself Do you support missionaries? 3. On the Road to Personal Greatness (Matthew 18:8-9, NASB) “How-to” be Great! Disciplined for Greatness or Whole in Hell? Your choice. 4. Since the Father Protects the Greatest Ones, So Should We (Matthew 18:10-14, NASB) The Parable of the Sheep: Jesus Himself is the Shepherd The Father will is that not one perishes (v. 14) Therefore, you and I must not despise humble disciples of Christ (v. 10)
God, The Forgiving and Righteous King (Matthew 18) Purpose: To forgive as we have been forgiven The Problem is Sin! (Matthew 18:15-20) The Solution is Limitless Forgiveness (Matthew 18:21-22) Peter asks a question! Imitate Your King Who Forgave You (Matthew 18:23-35) Eternal sin forgiven requires us to forgive Now Let’s Get Real (Matthew 18:35) Peter gets his answer It’s all about God! Which Character are you in the Kingdom? Your forgiveness of others is directly tied to God’s forgiveness of you God is God and I am Not Revisiting the Disciple’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-15) Your forgiveness of others is directly tied to God’s forgiveness of you Have you been forgiven in Christ? Do you forgive others?
Love God! Love Your Neighbor! Luke 10:25-37 Purpose: To love God’s way The Question of the Hour (Luke 10:25) What shall I do to inherit eternal life? Who’s My First Love? (Luke 10:26-28) First Great Commandment – Deuteronomy 6:5 Second Great Commandment – Leviticus 19:18 Who’s My Neighbor? (Luke 10:29-37) Go and do the same!
“What Shall I Do To Inherit Eternal Life?” Mark 10:17-31 The Question of the Hour! (Mark 10:17) A Secondary Answer First (Mark 10:18-19) Look Again at the Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17) 1) You shall have no other gods before Me. 2) You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments. 3) You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain. 4) Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and made it holy. 5) Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the LORD your God gives you. 6) You shall not murder. 7) You shall not commit adultery. 8) You shall not steal. 9) You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. 10) You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor. A Bold Claim (Mark 10:20) The Primary Answer: The Rich Man’s Lacking! (Mark 10:21-22) It’s Hard to Enter the Kingdom, i.e., Only God Makes the Poor Rich (Mark 10:23-27) The Poor Rich Man & The Rich Poor Disciples (Mark 10:28-31) Conclusion: 1. How do I inherit eternal life? Salvation by God’s grace, not man’s works. Do not look to anything you can do, or to anything else you may possess. Look to Jesus Christ! 2. To have Eternal Life (Mark 10:17, 30) is to Enter the Kingdom (Mark 10:23-24) 3. You must have Christ. You must exchange all that you are for all that He is! (Eph. 1:18-23) 4. It really is an equation of gain versus loss (Mark 8:34-38) 5. You cannot serve both God and Money (Matthew 6:24) 6. Life is not in your possessions (Luke 12:15) 7. If you come to Christ, you must come to Christ all the way! 8. The Final Reality is this: Who will you serve? God or money?
True Discipleship: Building a Tower & A King Going to Battle (Luke 14:25-35) Purpose: Jesus is the true disciple’s number one priority 1. The Context: Jesus Speaks to the Multitudes (Luke 14:25) 2. The Call: Following Jesus, Carrying My Cross (Luke 14:26-27) 3. Counting the Cost: Building a Tower Parable (Luke 14:28-30) The ridicule of an incomplete Christian life 4. Considering the Conquest: Preparing for Battle Parable (Luke 14:31-32) 5. The Call Confirmed: If I Would Last, Jesus Comes First (Luke 24:33-35) What would it look like today if the Kingdom of God would come, if His will was done here? Will we be useful disciples of Jesus?
“Seek First His Kingdom” Purpose: To seek first His Kingdom because of its supreme value 1. Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will Be Done (Matthew 6) 2. What is the most valuable thing in your life? (Matthew 13:44-46) What motivates the man to sell everything to buy the field? Is this a good deal? Do you think the merchant understands the value of pearls? Is the merchant making a wise choice? Can a man have everything and end up with nothing? (Matthew 16:24-28) 3. Seek First His Kingdom (Matthew 6:33) Gain both or lose both! Which will you seek? Jesus, Eternal King of God’s Eternal Kingdom Whatever you value most, that is your treasure You won’t surpass your heart’s greatest treasure! The Kingdom’s inherent and immeasurable worth far outweighs life’s worldly treasures True righteousness is to be found by seeking first His Kingdom Would you still do the religious things you do if no one was watching? What do you need to let go of in order to obtain the Kingdom? What would it look like if His Kingdom would come and His will be done, here, among us?