Pride, greed, vanity, lust of the flesh, these are just some of the 7 Deadly Sins that cause us to wander away from the truth. That church looks more fun. They have better music. The preacher is funny. Or, we listen to the wrong message that tempts us away from the truth and what is right.
In Matthew 18 we have Jesus telling the story of the Lost Sheep. In my post on John 10, I told the story of my being the shepherd for a group of tourists in Venezuela, who kept wandering off. Check it out.
If you have strayed from the truth, the Good News is that Jesus wants you back. Furthermore, He’ll keep pursuing you until you repent and come back to Him. You may not even recognize the signs. Let’s dig in….
Matthew 18
About that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?”
2 Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them. 3 Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. 4 So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.
5 “And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me.
Do You Have a Child-Like Heart?
We adults tend to overthink everything — especially when it comes to matters of faith. What does it take for you to have a child-like heart?
- Lose the pride. Humble yourself.
- Repent — do a 180 degree turn in your life and stop sinning.
- Ask Jesus to expose your heart. Is is child-like?
Continuing…
6 But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to have a large millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea.
7 “What sorrow awaits the world, because it tempts people to sin. Temptations are inevitable, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting. 8 So if your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one hand or one foot than to be thrown into eternal fire with both of your hands and feet. 9 And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.
Sin is Serious!
A white lie is still a lie and it’s still a sin! Adultery — having an affair with someone other than your married spouse — is a sin. Fornication — sex outside of a marriage — one man and one woman — is a sin. Stealing is a sin — yes, even movie and song piracy is stealing and a sin. Temptation is everywhere these days. All sin gets you is a one-way ticket to hell.
Going on…
10 “Beware that you don’t look down on any of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels are always in the presence of my heavenly Father.
Parable of the Lost Sheep
12 “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost? 13 And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he will rejoice over it more than over the ninety-nine that didn’t wander away! 14 In the same way, it is not my heavenly Father’s will that even one of these little ones should perish.
Correcting Another Believer
15 “If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back. 16 But if you are unsuccessful, take one or two others with you and go back again, so that everything you say may be confirmed by two or three witnesses. 17 If the person still refuses to listen, take your case to the church. Then if he or she won’t accept the church’s decision, treat that person as a pagan or a corrupt tax collector.
18 “I tell you the truth, whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.
19 “I also tell you this: If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you. 20 For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.”
Humility, Forgiveness and Repentance
I love the last two lines here. I’ve seen this happen when I meet with my church family. Even if I’m just talking virtually with one other person, Jesus is there with us. When we pray, we agree with each other’s needs and requests. I tell you, that’s how God met my financial needs!
Again, you have to humble yourself before God. This shows Him that you are aware that you need Him. Ask for forgiveness and repent — stop sinning! Believe me! It will make a huge difference in your life!
Continuing…
Parable of the Unforgiving Debtor
21 Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?”
22 “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven!
23 “Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him. 24 In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars. 25 He couldn’t pay, so his master ordered that he be sold—along with his wife, his children, and everything he owned—to pay the debt.
26 “But the man fell down before his master and begged him, ‘Please, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.’ 27 Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt.
28 “But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars. He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment.
29 “His fellow servant fell down before him and begged for a little more time. ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it,’ he pleaded. 30 But his creditor wouldn’t wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full.
31 “When some of the other servants saw this, they were very upset. They went to the king and told him everything that had happened. 32 Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. 33 Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’ 34 Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt.
35 “That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart.”
Matthew 18 NLT
What’s Going On Here?
Back in Matthew 5 Jesus told us that we are blessed when we show mercy to others because we will be shown mercy. In Matthew 6 — as part of what we call the “Lord’s Prayer”, we pray, “Forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us.”
Our debt for our sins is greater than we could ever pay. However, Jesus, because of His Great Mercy, suffered and died on the cross carrying our debt away forever. That’s why we call Him our Redeemer. We don’t deserve His Grace and Mercy. Nothing we can do can pay that immense debt.
If we don’t honestly and humbly ask for God’s forgiveness, we don’t get into Heaven! Not forgiving others who have sinned against us is also a sin.
Jesus can change your heart, but you have to be receptive to Him.
Just like the lost sheep in today’s story, Jesus is looking for YOU! Stop hiding from Him! Stop running away! It’s time to turn your life around. Salvation time is now!
What do you have to do be saved?
Believe. Repent. Be Baptized. Receive the Holy Spirit.
- Believe — have Faith — that Jesus is the Christ and He died taking your sins away forever and that He rose from the dead 3 days later.
- Repent of your sins — stop sinning! Do a complete 180-degree turn in your life and surrender your life to Him. When you ask Jesus to forgive you He will. ALL your sins will be wiped clean — past, present, and future! And All means ALL!
- Be Baptized by water baptism — show the world and yourself that you have died to your old life and are born again in Christ.
- Receive the gift of Holy Spirit in your heart.
Invite Jesus into Your Heart and Receive the Gift of Grace, Joy, Peace, and the Confident Hope of Eternal Life…
If you’re not sure if you’re saved or not, if you truly want to be born again and have the assurance of salvation, receive the Holy Spirit, feel His Shalom — a peace that surpasses all understanding, and get a 1-way, non-stop ticket to Heaven after you die, or that you won’t be left behind at the Rapture, which can happen at any moment, this is what you have to do…
