Becoming Childlike: Receiving, Seeking, Forgiving in Christ

Devotional

Day 1: Held in the Lap of the Unnoticed

Jesus calls an unnamed child to sit with Him, reframing greatness as receiving those society overlooks. This child—unknown, unremarkable, easily ignored—becomes the living illustration of God’s kingdom. To welcome the “insignificant” is to welcome Christ Himself, not through grand gestures but through childlike attentiveness to those deemed inconvenient. The kingdom belongs to those who see value where others see distraction, who pause for the person others rush past. True greatness begins when we notice who Jesus notices. [36:43]

And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me.”
(Matthew 18:2–5, ESV)

Reflection: Who in your life feels like a “bother” or distraction? How might Jesus’ act of holding that unnamed child reshape your view of their worth?

Day 2: Cutting Off Sin with Childlike Simplicity

Jesus’ jarring command to remove limbs that cause sin isn’t about self-mutilation but ruthless honesty. A child hears this and thinks, “Just stop sinning,” without adult excuses. The call is urgent: sin isn’t managed but amputated. Like a child trusting a parent’s warning about a hot stove, we’re to flee what harms our souls. Hell’s reality isn’t a threat to scare but a rescue alarm to heed. [43:38]

“And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire.”
(Matthew 18:8–9, ESV)

Reflection: What sin do you rationalize as “not that bad”? How would trusting God like a child change your response to it?

Day 3: The Absurd Shepherd Who Counts Every One

Leaving 99 sheep for one seems reckless—until you see through a child’s eyes. A four-year-old knows every stuffed animal by name and weeps if one’s missing. Jesus’ parable reveals God’s “absurd” math: every soul matters infinitely. The Shepherd’s joy isn’t complete until all are home. Our call isn’t to manage the flock but to ache for the absent. [46:31]

“What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that one sheep than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.”
(Matthew 18:12–14, ESV)

Reflection: Who’s missing from your community? What practical step can you take this week to “search” for them?

Day 4: Treating Outsiders as Jesus Treats Tax Collectors

When Jesus says to treat unrepentant sinners as “tax collectors,” He subverts expectations. He ate with tax collectors like Matthew, making them disciples. A child doesn’t write people off but keeps hoping, like Sofia begging a missing stuffed animal be found. Reconciliation isn’t about winning but relentless love. [51:03]

And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
(Matthew 9:10–13, ESV)

Reflection: Who have you labeled “too far gone”? How might Jesus’ meal with Matthew redefine your posture toward them?

Day 5: Eternal Play in the Father’s Unshakable Joy

Children play because they trust their needs are met. Baptism makes us eternal kids—never aging out of God’s delight. The kingdom isn’t a burden but a playground where we’re free to laugh, explore, and rest in being fully known. To “become like children” is to trade performance for wonder, duty for delight. [54:06]

“The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.”
(Zephaniah 3:17, ESV)

Reflection: When did you last “play” in God’s presence—joyful, unselfconscious, trusting His care? What would it look like to do that today?

Sermon Summary

Jesus answers the disciples’ question, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” by bringing an unnamed child into their midst. The child is unnoticed and insignificant until Jesus notices, calls, and receives that child. Jesus gives the disciples a humbling answer: they will not even enter the kingdom unless they turn and become like children. Childlike faith does not mean staying immature. Childlike faith means never growing out of being a child of the heavenly Father.

Jesus’ call begins in baptism, where unnoticed sinners are called by name and made eternal children of God. The child in Jesus’ lap becomes the picture for hearing all the hard words of Matthew 18. Jesus says that receiving one such child means receiving Christ himself. The unnoticed, annoying, inconvenient, and looked-over person is not a distraction from the Christian life. That person is someone Christ calls his people to receive wholeheartedly.

Jesus’ hard words about cutting off a hand, foot, or eye press sin into the open. Adult hearts can brush the command aside, use it to call Christians hypocrites, or make Jesus sound unloving. A child’s perspective hears the simple point: stop sinning. Sin is not small, harmless, or something to explain away. Jesus’ command is not easy, but it is simple, because it comes from the One who loves his children.

Jesus’ ridiculous-looking shepherd leaves the ninety-nine and goes after the one sheep that wandered away. Adult logic counts the risk, the cost, and the sheep still safely gathered. Childlike love notices that one is missing. A child knows when one stuffed animal is gone, because every one has a place and is loved. Christ’s flock is called to notice who is absent, to call, text, stop by, and let that person know they are loved, valued, and cherished.

Jesus’ words about treating an unrepentant sinner as a Gentile or tax collector do not give permission to cast people off. Jesus receives tax collectors and sinners, eats with them, and calls them into his family. Childlike faith still yearns for the sinner to come home. God has first received, forgiven, chased after, and welcomed his children through the death and resurrection of Christ. The kingdom of God is not a place for anxious grown-ups trying to prove themselves. The kingdom is the Father’s house, where forgiven children get to play.

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Key Takeaways

1. Never outgrow being God’s child. Jesus places a child before disciples who are worried about greatness. Baptism gives sinners a deeper identity than age, success, strength, or reputation: eternal children of the Father. Childlike faith receives Christ’s call rather than trying to establish its own importance. [37:40]
2. Receive the overlooked as Christ himself. Jesus identifies himself with the unnoticed and inconvenient person. Love becomes costly when another person interrupts an agenda, asks for attention, or exposes impatience. Childlike welcome does not merely tolerate people; it receives them wholeheartedly. [38:58]
3. Take sin seriously and simply. Jesus does not permit sin to remain a casual habit or a clever excuse. A child’s perspective does not need to solve every difficulty before obeying the clear command to stop. Christ’s love makes repentance possible because his commands are given by the Savior, not by an enemy. [43:38]
4. Notice when one sheep is missing. Jesus’ shepherd does not treat the wandering sheep as expendable. Love pays attention to empty seats, absent faces, and people quietly slipping away from the flock. The church’s care begins with refusing to assume that someone else will notice. [48:23]
5. Treat outsiders like Jesus treated them. Jesus turns “tax collector and Gentile” into a call for patient pursuit rather than rejection. Matthew himself stands as proof that Christ welcomes the outsider and sits at the sinner’s table. Forgiveness seeks restoration because the Father never stops desiring his children to come home.

## [51:03]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[23:16] - Matthew 18 Readings
[26:13] - Opening Matthew Chapter 18
[33:35] - Hard Readings and Childlike Faith
[34:12] - Who Is Greatest in the Kingdom?
[36:21] - Jesus Calls the Unnoticed Child
[38:27] - Receiving the Overlooked
[41:28] - Taking Sin Seriously
[44:56] - The Shepherd Seeks the One
[48:23] - Noticing Who Is Missing
[49:41] - Forgiveness and Reconciliation
[52:35] - The Father Receives and Forgives
[53:22] - The Joy of Playing in God’s Kingdom

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Matthew 18:1–5

Verse 1: At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” [34:31]

Verse 2: And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them [34:34]

Verse 3: and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” [34:40]

Verse 4: “Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

Verse 5: “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me.” [38:23]

Matthew 18:10–14

Verse 10: “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.”

Verse 12: “What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray?” [45:03]

Verse 13: “And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray.” [45:12]

Verse 14: “So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.”

Matthew 18:15–17

Verse 15: “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.”

Verse 16: “But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses.”

Verse 17: “If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.” [49:55]

Matthew 18:8–9

Verse 8: “And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire.” [41:29]

Verse 9: “And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire.” [41:46]

Observation questions

What question do the disciples ask Jesus, and how does Jesus’ answer change the conversation from being great to entering the kingdom at all? [34:55]
What details are missing about the child Jesus calls into the middle, and why does the child’s unnamed place in the crowd matter?
In verses 8–9, what images does Jesus use to show the seriousness of sin, and what outcomes does he place before his listeners?
In the lost-sheep picture, what does the shepherd do when one sheep wanders, and how does he respond when that sheep is found? [45:21]

Interpretation questions

Jesus says his disciples must turn and become like children. What does childlike faith mean here, and how is it different from refusing to grow up or act responsibly? [37:46]
Jesus says that receiving “one such child” is receiving him. How does this change the way Christians should understand people who are inconvenient, overlooked, or seen as a distraction? [38:46]
Jesus’ words about cutting off a hand or tearing out an eye are strong and uncomfortable. How do these words expose the ways people can minimize, excuse, or make peace with sin? [43:25]
Matthew 18:17 calls for treating an unrepentant person as a Gentile or tax collector. Since Jesus welcomed tax collectors and sinners, what kind of posture should remain even when someone refuses correction? [51:03]

Application questions

Where are you most tempted to measure greatness by success, recognition, influence, or being needed? What would it look like this week to rest more simply in your identity as a forgiven child of the Father? [52:35]
Who is someone in your daily life whom you tend to notice mainly as an interruption, burden, or annoyance? What could wholehearted welcome look like in one specific interaction with that person? [39:07]
Is there a sin that you have been treating as small, unavoidable, or easy to explain away? What is one concrete step of repentance that would help you stop feeding that sin rather than merely managing it? [44:01]
Think about the places where you regularly gather with God’s people—worship, Bible study, small group, or another ministry. Whose absence have you noticed recently, and what simple step could you take to let that person know they are loved and missed? [48:45]
Is there a relationship where someone has sinned against you and distance has grown between you? What might it look like to seek truth, forgiveness, and reconciliation without pretending that the sin did not matter? [50:05]
When someone seems far from church, faith, or repentance, do you tend more toward giving up on them or trying to fix them? How can Christ’s patient pursuit shape a more faithful and loving response? [52:02]
God has received, forgiven, welcomed, and pursued his children through Jesus’ death and resurrection. How could that assurance bring more joy, freedom, and childlike trust into an area of life currently ruled by worry? [52:48]

Sermon Clips

58s

#CalledByName

“The disciples themselves were also unnoticed, rather insignificant in the grand scheme of things, but Jesus noticed them, called them by name, and they heard the voice of their savior and followed him. It's the same thing with us. We also, don't take offense, were unnoticed, insignificant until Jesus called you by name. And you heard his voice, and you follow the voice of your savior. That voice of the savior that calls us happened in those waters of baptism where we are made eternal children of God, and we never grow out of that. We never stop being kids.”

52s

#ChildlikeBelonging

“A child's perspective still loves those who have sinned against them, still wants them to be a part of God's family, still cares for them, looks out for them, and yearns for them to come home. A child's perspective is not easy, but it is simple. In a similar way, we look at what our father has first done for us. We are children of the heavenly father. No matter how old you may be, whether you're nine or 90, you are still a little kid in your eternal father, god's family.”

59s

#FindTheMissingToy

“She waits until the very last moment after we've done the books and the stories and the songs and whatever else that we do before we go to bed. And when we close the door and leave her room, if there is one of those missing, if Kelsey and I accidentally put it away somewhere else as we were cleaning up in her room, she starts crying and weeping and wailing because one of them is missing. Kelsey and I didn't even know that it was there in the first place, but Sofia knows which one is gone. And we've gotta search everywhere to find it, to put it in the spot, to give it to her. And when we give it to Sofia, she knows exactly where that stuffed animal is supposed to be because it has a place. It's loved. It's valued. A child's perspective notices when one is missing and does not rest until it is exactly where it's supposed to be.”

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