Community In The Kingdom: A Community of Children//Matthew 18:1-9
May 25, 2025
1. How did the ancient world and how does our culture define “greatness”? How do you define greatness?
2. Jesus uses “child”, “children”, and “little ones” several times in Matt 18:1-14. Why would He use these terms? Who is he describing? What characteristics is He highlighting? (See also Matt 5:3 and Luke 4:18-19.)
3. Paul rebukes Peter (Gal 2:11-13) and James rebukes the church (James 2:1-7) for failing to associate with certain people and marginalizing them. Why were the rebukes warranted? Are there people you favour and people you do not want to associate with in church? How does this reflect on the Gospel?
4. John Owen wrote that we need to be killing sin or sin will be killing us. If Jesus died for our sins, why is He using this shocking metaphor in verses 7-9 to teach us to deal radically with sin in our lives? Your eye doesn’t cause you to sin - where does sin actually originate? (Matt 15:18-20.) What happens if we become indifferent to God’s holiness and fail to revere and fear Him?
5. If we find ourselves tolerating and making peace with sin in our life, if we find we are not praying and confessing regularly, and we are not seeking the presence of God and other Christians, what could these signs point to? What are the consequences of our sin for those around us, especially in church?
6. We will be struggling, failing, and sometimes having some “victories” for our entire earthly Christian lives. What are the many ways that the Gospel gives us hope and help in persevering in our struggle against sin, protecting us from discouragement? How is God transforming us and changing us through our struggles?
7. Read Hebrews 4:7 and 12:1-2. When laying these verses before God, what will you pray for?