"The Teaching of Christ on the Church and Kingdom." 

LESSON ON GREATNESS -- 18: 1-14

1. The disciples' question (vs 1) - This may have been caused by recent experiences of Peter, James, and John on the Mount of transfiguration, or Peter's experience with the temple tax. The other disciples may have thought that Christ was "playing favorites" and neglecting them. We do not want to commend the disciples for having faith in His Word that there would be a kingdom and that they would be in it.
2. The lesson - (2-6) A child is Christ's illustration of greatness. Honor comes from humility; we must go down before God will lift us up (1 Peter 5: 5-6). All great saints have been humble saints. While a child is not sinless or perfect, he does have the characteristics that ought to be in every Christian's life: He is teachable; he is simple in his wants; he has an expectant attitude; he depends on his father to meet his needs. We must realize that the only way we can become children is to be born again (John 3).
3. The warning - (7-10) By "these little ones" Jesus means not only children, but the children of God. It is a terrible thing to cause another believer to stumble (Rom. 14:1-23 and 1 Cor. 8:1-13). Christ is not speaking literally when He commands us to "cut off" the members of the body that cause us to sin, for sin comes from the heart, not the hands and feet. He is telling us to deal with our sins drastically, completely, and mercilessly. We must not "play with" sin, or try to get rid of it over a long period of time. We must face our sins honestly, confess them, and forsake them.
4. The parable - (11- 14) If you compare verse 11 with Luke 19:10, you will notice that the phrase "to seek" is missing. Christ is talking about the children, and children, though lost after reaching the age of accountability, are not prone to wander away as are adults. They still must be saved by the Good Shepherd. Look at this entire passage, as it warns us not to offend the children (verse 6), despise the children (verse 10), or allow them to perish without Christ (verse 14). He give several reasons why the children are important: they are examples of true greatness (verse 4); they represent Christ (verse 5); the angels represent them before the Father (verse 10); Christ wants to save them (verse 11); and it is the will of the Father that they be saved (verse 14).
   I feel that it is a dangerous thing for parents ( or other adults) to cause children to stumble and miss the way of salvation. How important it is the have a good example at home. Many backslidden parents and worldly minded adults will have much to answer for at the judgment !!!

LESSON ON FORGIVENESS - 18: 15 - 35

Christ is dealing with "family matters" and He moves now from children to the relationship between brethren. If all Christians were perfect, there would be not need for these instructions; but because we fail and sin, we need to know how to keep the church family happy and holy.


Church Disciples - ( 15-20) The thought for church discipline is LOVE:
we are seeking to help the sinning brother. But since Christ is in the midst of the church (verse 20), it is also important that the church be obedient and pure. Our attitude should not be that of a policeman out to arrest, but rather a physician seeking to heal a wound in the body of Christ, a wound that will spread sickness and death if left alone. Verse 18 indicates that "binding and loosing" has to do with applying the Word of God in matters of discipline. Paul "bound" the offending brother in Corinth in 1 Cor. 5, and "loosed him" after he had confessed in 2 Cor. 2. Verse 19 suggest that prayer is an important factor in church discipline. Certainly we want to pray for the offender and for ourselves that we might be spiritually able to assist him (Gal. 6:1). OTHER PASSAGES ON CHURCH DISCIPLINE: Rom. 16:17
2 Thess. 3:14 and also 1 Cor. 5.


Forgiving from the heart -- ( 21-35) Jesus puts no limit on forgiveness, for true forgiveness comes from a heart or love, and love keeps no records (1 Cor. 13). One of the evidences that a person is saved is that he loves the brethren (1 John 3:10-17). Christians who cannot forgive others have forgotten what Christ has done for them on the cross. The church must beware of "the leaven of malice and wickedness"
(1 Cor. 5:6-8) that will silently grow and corrupt the entire fellowship.

1. CONVERTED in 18:3 simply means to turn. Jesus told Peter he would have to turn from following Satan to follow Him (Luke 22:32).  When the sinner turns from sin to Christ, he is converted.
2. ANGELS have a special ministry for the saints of God (18:10). READ Hebrew 1:4; Psalm 34:7 and 91:11. The angels rejoice when sinners are saved (Luke 15:7-10). Matthew 18:10 along with Acts 12:15 has been used as the basis for the idea of "guardian angels." That the angels protect believers is clearly taught in the Word.