Word of Salvation – Vol. 25 No. 44 – July 1979

 

The Greatest In The Kingdom

 

Sermon by Rev. B. Gillard on Matthew 18:1 – 14

Scripture Reading: Matthew 18:1 – 14

Hymns: 315, 94, 251, 278, 488

 

Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ:

When the disciples came to Jesus with a question about who was the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven, they were thinking more like men of the world than followers of Jesus, and they had failed to realise that humility, and a low opinion of oneself, and not a haughty estimation of ourselves, is the great virtue of the Christian Religion.

For this you notice is what Jesus went on to tell them in answer to their question, as we see so clearly in the words of our text in verse four: “Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

We would like to ask three questions about our text today:

First of all what is true humility?

Secondly, why is this so important?, and…

Thirdly, how do you get it?

1. First of all then, what is true humility? Well if you want to know what true humility is, said Jesus, then just take a look at a little child. And that is exactly what Jesus did, he called a little child and stood him right in their midst, and said to the disciples: now this is an example of true humility, and if you want to be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven, then you will have to be like this little child.

Well you know there is only one thing wrong with this illustration. If you know anything about little children, there might be a lot of things they are, but humility is not one of them. Have you ever listened to a group of children telling their stories about what they did that day, and noticed how they try to out do one another, either by belittling what the other has said, or trying to go one better? As a matter of fact, if you stop and think about it, a group of children together are not a whole lot different to those disciples who came to Jesus wanting to know who was the biggest and the best. We might wonder then why on earth Jesus chose a child and sat him in their midst as an example of true humility and the way to greatness in the Kingdom of heaven.

Well the answer isn’t so difficult to find, it’s just a matter of seeing the exact point of the comparison that Jesus was making. And in order to see that we have to understand the position that little children occupied in the world of Jesus’ time; and the thing is they did not occupy a very important place at all. As a matter of fact they were looked upon as being rather unimportant and insignificant.

Perhaps we see a good illustration of this over in the next chapter, where we read about those who were bringing their little children to Jesus for a blessing, and the disciples were rebuking the mothers and trying to prevent them. Jesus, however, intervened and stood up for the children and said “let them come to Me.” He evidently had a different idea about their value and worth from the disciples.

Perhaps our own attitude at times is not so different from that of the disciples, so far as the children are concerned. After all they are only kids yet, not adults like us. They should be seen and not heard. Perhaps the preacher is often guilty of this attitude also, if he doesn’t try and get down to their level at least once in a while.

Well it was something like this in the Ancient World, only far worse. I’m not sure that we would have an exact parallel in our society today. The nearest thing I can think of is the position occupied by coloured people in a white dominated society, and the attitude that certain people might have towards them. That is, they would not consider them very important at all. And perhaps as a result of such an attitude the coloured people may not consider themselves of very great importance either. This certainly has been the position for some in the United States of America, and perhaps it is the same right here in Australia for quite a few also.

I rather think, if Jesus were here today, and He wanted to illustrate the kind of humility that He had in mind, He would not call a little child and set him in the midst, no He would probably call a black man and stand him in the midst and say “whoever then humbles himself as this black man, he is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven. In other words he was saying, if you really want to be great in the Kingdom of heaven, then you have to entertain the same kind of opinion and estimation of yourself that the little child was made to feel in the days of Christ,namely that they were not so great and important at all. Well I don’t think the disciples who came to Jesus with their question were really thinking along those lines do you? But that’s where they had to begin, and that’s where all of us have to begin, if we really desire to be the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.

2. Why is this so important?

Well then the second thing we want to ask is why is this so important? I think we can be fairly brief on this point. The simple answer is, we will be little use to Christ in His Kingdom without a spirit of true humility. As a matter of fact without it we may do a great deal of harm. Is this not the point that Jesus also especially draws to our attention in this passage, when He went on to speak about causing others to stumble and so on, down in verse 6? Those who are only ambitious for prominence and pride of place in the Kingdom of God are not likely to be too concerned about promoting the glory of Christ and the wellbeing of His church, because they are too busy promoting themselves; and generally speaking they don’t care if they have to trample upon a few people along the way to get what they want. Most of you have been in the church long enough to know what trouble and hurt such an attitude can cause. Well no doubt that’s why Jesus said, it’s humility and not pride which leads to being the greatest in the Kingdom of God, for only then are we in a position to deny ourselves like Christ did for us, and serve one another and promote the glory of His Kingdom for his sake and not for ours.

3. How do you get it?

Well then the third and final thing we want to ask is how do you get such humility that leads to greatness in the Kingdom of God? And I would say if we haven’t something of it already, then Jesus points us towards one possible reason for it, and that is, we may not even be truly converted! Isn’t that what Jesus said to the disciples when they put that question to Him? “Truly I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the Kingdom of heaven.” Now that might seem a hard thing that Jesus said to those who had left all to follow him. However, when Jesus saw their attitude, and the absence of that true humility which is a mark of those who have been born again, that was the first thing He reminded them of, – the need for true conversion. In order to have the kind of humility then, that leads to being great in the Kingdom of heaven, we have to be converted. And what is true conversion? Well basically it is changing our estimation and opinion about ourselves. It is seeing ourselves as that little child came to see himself in that big adult world, and know that he wasn’t very great or important at all, and that kept him very humble. This is also what we must do. But we are not to compare ourselves with one another. No, that’s what the disciples were doing. The real point of comparison for us, is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. The One Who was perfect and spotless. The only One Who is really fit to stand in the presence of God; The only One Who has ever kept the law of God perfectly and Who is without sin. He’s the One whom we should compare ourselves with, and when we do, beloved, then what do we have to be proud about? What do we have to boast about? Why should anyone listen to us and do what we say, as if we were some one great? What are we compared with Him? That’s what true conversion is all about. Comparing ourselves with Jesus Christ and seeing just how much we really need to turn completely about, and believe in Him, and trust Him with all our hearts to save us and cleanse us from all our sin with His precious blood, and to freely receive us into His Kingdom through grace and mercy because we have no merits of our own and we are unfit to enter in.

It isn’t really unrealistic for us then, to think about ourselves, and to estimate ourselves as that little child estimated himself in that big adult world. No, it is only right, when we consider what we are, and are honest enough to admit it. At best we are sinners saved by grace. And at worst we are sinners who have not yet humbled our proud hearts and asked the Lord Jesus to cleanse us from all our sin and freely receive us into His Kingdom. Well then once we have begun that way, then that is the way we are to continue in the Christian Life, And if we keep our eyes firmly fixed upon the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and what He has done for us in His wonderful grace and mercy, and not upon one another, then we will never lack for that true estimation of ourselves and our rightful position in His Kingdom. May God be pleased to grant to us this true humility of heart, which alone leads to true greatness in His Kingdom and service, and to Him be all the praise, the honour and the glory.

Amen.