The Humility Of The Kingdom
Matthew 18:1-35
This is the fourth of five sermons which Matthew records of those which Jesus preached. The first is the Sermon on the Mount chapters 5-7; the second is in chapter 10 which is the the Commissioning of the Twelve; the third was the Parables of the Kingdom; now the fourth which is the Sermon on a Childlike faith.
There are five qualities of humility which we see in chapter eighteen:
I. TRUSTING THE LORD BECAUSE WE HAVE NO RESOURCES OF OUR OWN (vv. 1-5).
II. HARMING OR OFFENDING ONE OF THESE HUMBLED ONES IS A SERIOUS OFFENSE (vv. 6-9).
III. CARING FOR THE OFFENDED ONES AS A SHEPHERD DOES HIS SHEEP (vv. 10-14).
IV. DISCIPLINE AND RECONCILIATION OF AN OFFENDING OR OFFENDED BRETHREN (vv. 15-20).
V. THE HUMBLED CHILD; A FORGIVEN CHILD; A FORGIVING CHILD (vv. 21-35).
-Tim A. Blankenship