Sermons on Matthew 18:1-5
The various sermons below interpret Matthew 18:1-5 by emphasizing the radical nature of Jesus' teaching on humility and greatness, using the example of children. A common theme is the contrast between societal norms of power and status and the kingdom of God's values, where humility and childlike qualities are celebrated. Many sermons highlight the cultural context of children being seen as lowly, using this to illustrate the upside-down nature of Jesus' message. The sermons also emphasize the importance of childlike faith, characterized by trust, dependence, and innocence, as essential for entering the kingdom of heaven. Additionally, the sermons explore the idea of spiritual growth as becoming more childlike, focusing on qualities such as wonder, curiosity, and imagination, which are seen as vital for experiencing God's kingdom.
While the sermons share common themes, they also present unique nuances in their interpretations. One sermon emphasizes the corporate responsibility of the church to welcome and value children, aligning with Jesus' teaching, while another focuses on the theme of "holy curiosity," encouraging believers to maintain a sense of wonder about God's work. A different sermon introduces the concept of "faith imagination," suggesting that believers should use their imagination to envision spiritual victories, linking this to Philippians 4:8. Another sermon contrasts the Greek verb for "humble" with its cultural connotations of humiliation, highlighting the radical demand to abandon self-sufficiency. One sermon uses the analogy of a new coach redefining success to illustrate Jesus' redefinition of greatness, while another advocates for a "Benjamin Button" approach to faith, where spiritual maturity involves becoming more childlike.
Matthew 18:1-5 Interpretation:
Embracing Humility: Investing in the Next Generation (Foundations Church) interprets Matthew 18:1-5 by emphasizing the cultural context of children being seen as lowly and insignificant in Jewish society. The sermon highlights that Jesus uses a child as an example of greatness because children lack egos and pretense, embodying humility. The pastor contrasts this with the disciples' expectations of greatness, which were influenced by societal norms of power and status. The sermon uses the analogy of children being seen as property to illustrate the radical nature of Jesus' teaching on humility and greatness.
Embracing Childlike Faith in God's Kingdom (Journey Church Fremont) interprets the passage by focusing on the concept of success in the kingdom of God versus the kingdom of the world. The sermon highlights that success in God's kingdom involves turning from sin and becoming like a child, characterized by trust and dependence. The pastor uses the analogy of a new coach coming in to change the way a team operates, illustrating how Jesus redefines success and greatness. The sermon also emphasizes the importance of welcoming children as a reflection of welcoming Jesus.
Embracing Humility: The True Path to Greatness (Life Community Church) interprets Matthew 18:1-5 by emphasizing the concept of the "upside-down kingdom" where greatness is equated with humility and servitude, contrasting with worldly views of power and status. The sermon highlights the Greek verb for "humble," which in Jesus' time meant to crush or humiliate, suggesting that Jesus' call to become like children was a radical demand to abandon self-sufficiency and control. The sermon uses the analogy of a child’s low social standing to illustrate the need to end the love affair with power and status.
Embracing Childlike Qualities in God's Kingdom (Atmosphere Church) interprets the passage by focusing on the qualities of a toddler, such as wonder, trust, and purity, as essential for experiencing the kingdom of heaven. The sermon uses the Greek word "paideion" to emphasize that Jesus referred to a very young child, highlighting the need for a dramatic change in thinking to become teachable and humble like a child. The sermon draws a parallel between childlike wonder and a holy curiosity about God's work in our lives.
Embracing Childlike Faith in Our Spiritual Journey (Favor Church Manila) interprets the passage by advocating for a "Benjamin Button" approach to faith, where spiritual growth involves becoming more childlike in trust and humility. The sermon emphasizes the innocence and trust of children, suggesting that spiritual maturity is not about accumulating knowledge but about becoming more like Jesus. The sermon uses the analogy of a child’s access to their parent to illustrate the believer's access to God.
Unlocking Spiritual Power Through Imagination and Faith (The Barn Church & Ministries) interprets Matthew 18:1-5 by emphasizing the importance of childlike imagination in faith. The sermon suggests that Jesus' call to become like children involves reclaiming the imaginative capacity that children naturally possess. This imagination is linked to faith, termed "faith imagination," which allows believers to envision themselves victorious in their spiritual battles. The sermon uses the analogy of a child's imaginative play, such as seeing lava around a toy ramp, to illustrate how adults can use their imagination to see themselves overcoming challenges and living in victory.
Matthew 18:1-5 Theological Themes:
Embracing Humility: Investing in the Next Generation (Foundations Church) presents the theme of God's heart for children and the next generation. The sermon emphasizes that children are not just the future but are integral to the church today. It challenges the congregation to see children as valuable and worthy of investment, reflecting God's view of greatness as humility and service.
Embracing Childlike Faith in God's Kingdom (Journey Church Fremont) introduces the theme of trust and dependence as central to childlike faith. The sermon explores how these qualities are essential for entering the kingdom of heaven and contrasts them with the world's values of power and independence. The pastor also discusses the corporate responsibility of the church to welcome and value children, aligning with Jesus' teaching.
Embracing Humility: The True Path to Greatness (Life Community Church) presents the theme of the "upside-down kingdom," where true greatness is found in humility and servitude, challenging the worldly pursuit of power and control.
Embracing Childlike Qualities in God's Kingdom (Atmosphere Church) introduces the theme of "holy curiosity," encouraging believers to maintain a sense of wonder and expectation about God's work in their lives, akin to a child's curiosity.
Embracing Childlike Faith in Our Spiritual Journey (Favor Church Manila) emphasizes the theme of spiritual growth as becoming more childlike, focusing on trust, innocence, and humility rather than mere accumulation of knowledge.
Unlocking Spiritual Power Through Imagination and Faith (The Barn Church & Ministries) presents the theme of "faith imagination," which is the idea that believers should use their imagination to envision positive outcomes and spiritual victories. This theme is distinct in its application of imagination as a tool for faith, suggesting that imagining oneself in a victorious state can lead to actual spiritual growth and transformation. The sermon also introduces the concept of using imagination to align one's thoughts with Philippians 4:8, focusing on things that are true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and worthy of praise.
Matthew 18:1-5 Historical and Contextual Insights:
Embracing Humility: Investing in the Next Generation (Foundations Church) provides historical context by explaining that children in Jewish society were viewed as lowly and insignificant, akin to property. This cultural norm makes Jesus' use of a child as an example of greatness particularly radical and countercultural.
Embracing Childlike Faith in God's Kingdom (Journey Church Fremont) discusses the cultural norms of the kingdom of the world, characterized by power, wealth, and status, and contrasts them with the kingdom of God, which values humility and childlike faith.
Embracing Humility: The True Path to Greatness (Life Community Church) provides insight into the disciples' expectation of a political kingdom, reflecting the cultural and historical context of first-century Jewish expectations of the Messiah as a political ruler who would restore Israel's prominence.
Embracing Childlike Qualities in God's Kingdom (Atmosphere Church) highlights the low social status of children and women in the first century, explaining Jesus' radical elevation of their status by using a child as an example of greatness in the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 18:1-5 Cross-References in the Bible:
Embracing Humility: Investing in the Next Generation (Foundations Church) references 1 Timothy 4:12, where Paul encourages Timothy not to let anyone look down on him because of his youth but to set an example in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity. This passage is used to support the idea that young people are valuable and can be used by God, aligning with Jesus' teaching on welcoming children.
Embracing Childlike Faith in God's Kingdom (Journey Church Fremont) references Genesis and the story of Adam and Eve to illustrate the original sin and the lie of the enemy that erodes trust in God. The sermon also references Psalm 71:18, where David expresses a desire to proclaim God's power to the next generation, emphasizing the importance of passing on faith to children.
Embracing Humility: The True Path to Greatness (Life Community Church) references Matthew 20, where the mother of James and John requests positions of power for her sons, illustrating the disciples' misunderstanding of Jesus' teaching on servitude and humility. The sermon also references Luke 22, where the disciples dispute over greatness even after Jesus' teachings, highlighting their struggle to grasp the concept of servitude.
Embracing Childlike Qualities in God's Kingdom (Atmosphere Church) references Ephesians 3:20 to emphasize God's ability to do immeasurably more than we can imagine, encouraging believers to maintain a sense of wonder and expectation.
Embracing Childlike Faith in Our Spiritual Journey (Favor Church Manila) references Mark 10:13-16, where Jesus welcomes children and emphasizes their importance in the kingdom of God, reinforcing the call to childlike faith and humility.
Unlocking Spiritual Power Through Imagination and Faith (The Barn Church & Ministries) references several Bible passages to support the interpretation of Matthew 18:1-5. Colossians 3:1-2 is used to encourage believers to use their imagination to live in the new life given by Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:3-6 is cited to emphasize the importance of using imagination to align thoughts with Christ's teachings. Philippians 4:8 is referenced to guide believers in focusing their imagination on positive and godly things. These cross-references are used to expand on the idea that imagination is a vital component of faith and spiritual growth.
Matthew 18:1-5 Christian References outside the Bible:
Embracing Childlike Faith in God's Kingdom (Journey Church Fremont) references a national survey of Americans, stating that 85% of born-again Christians became Christians between the ages of 4 and 14. This statistic is used to emphasize the importance of children's ministry and the impact of reaching young people with the gospel.
Embracing Humility: The True Path to Greatness (Life Community Church) references John Piper, who explains the Greek verb for "humble" and its implications for understanding Jesus' demand for humility as a call to abandon self-sufficiency and control.
Unlocking Spiritual Power Through Imagination and Faith (The Barn Church & Ministries) references Albert Einstein, quoting him as saying, "Your imagination is your preview of life's coming attractions" and "Imagination is more important than knowledge." These quotes are used to support the sermon's emphasis on the importance of imagination in faith, suggesting that just as imagination was crucial for Einstein's scientific discoveries, it is also essential for spiritual growth and envisioning a victorious life in Christ.
Matthew 18:1-5 Illustrations from Secular Sources:
Embracing Humility: Investing in the Next Generation (Foundations Church) uses several secular illustrations to engage the congregation, including a game comparing famous figures like the Beatles and Taylor Swift, Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, Bob Ross and Rembrandt, and LeBron James and Michael Jordan. These comparisons are used to discuss societal views of greatness and contrast them with Jesus' teaching on humility and childlike faith.
Embracing Childlike Qualities in God's Kingdom (Atmosphere Church) uses the analogy of the Toys R Us commercial "I don't want to grow up" to illustrate the call to maintain childlike qualities. The sermon also references the book "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" to draw parallels with the qualities of a toddler that believers should emulate.
Embracing Childlike Faith in Our Spiritual Journey (Favor Church Manila) uses the movie "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" as an analogy for spiritual growth, where becoming more childlike in faith and trust is likened to the character's reverse aging process.
Unlocking Spiritual Power Through Imagination and Faith (The Barn Church & Ministries) uses several secular illustrations to explain the concept of "faith imagination." The sermon references Albert Einstein's views on imagination, highlighting its importance over knowledge. It also mentions Michael Jordan, quoting him on the necessity of expecting great things of oneself before achieving them, which is linked to using imagination to envision success. Additionally, the sermon uses the example of children using their imagination in play, such as imagining lava around a toy ramp, to illustrate how adults can use their imagination in faith.