Please go with me, church, to Matthew 18. Matthew 18. We'll pick up in verse 1. And camp out Matthew 18 1-10 this morning. Hear the Word of the Lord. At that time, the disciples came to Jesus saying, who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? 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. But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world for temptations to sin. For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes. 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. 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." Let's pray. Lord Jesus, we need Your help to see Your kingdom. Show us what it is like, what we are to be like, and what You are. Give us the power of Your Spirit to see and to hear the voice of the Son of God, to be changed, to be sanctified, that You would be glorified. And we pray it in Jesus' name, Amen. Last week, if you recall, we started a mini-series on the Christian community, and we looked at its nature and essence from Matthew chapter 16, and we saw that the Christian community in the New Covenant will be a confessional community, a revelatory community, and an apostolic community. And so this week we'll sort of take step number two, and we will look into Matthew chapter 18 and begin to see the attitudinal nature of the Christian community. In other words, how do disciples of Jesus Christ view themselves, and how do they view one another? And our big focus of this series is peace. in the Christian community. Or we could say the ongoing relational harmony in the local church. And once we've done this today, next week and the week after, we will really dive into what Jesus teaches about peacemaking and peace keeping in the local church as we finish out the series in the next two weeks. And I've made it my aim not to merely use Matthew 18 as a starting board to do sort of topical sermons on these things, but to really seek to deal faithfully with the text in its context, in the book of Matthew. And so, you know, why do a study on this? Let me give you a couple of reasons. There's a lot of reasons, but two really stand out to me. Number one, Jesus takes the peace and the reconciliation of his community extremely seriously. You know, I would just encourage you, we're going to be reading through Matthew in our churchwide summer reading plan, I think next month in August. I would just encourage you to get a pen, get a red pen and underline every time you see Jesus dealing with peace, with confrontation, with reconciliation, with ongoing harmony in His body. It's everywhere. One scholar says that Jesus' New Testament ethic that is most seen is the ethic of peace in the local church. And I agree, when we see these things, it's all over the place. Number two, another reason we need to study is because although Christ's people in the new covenant are made new, we are given a new nature, we are dead to sin, we are still sinners. I don't want to spoil this for any of you, but when you bring sinners into the same community, people sin against each other. And there will be wrong committed. There will be offense committed. And the Apostles assume this and understand this, which is why they give us much relational instruction. Listen to the Apostle Paul writing to Christians who are in the same local church. Colossians 3.13, he says, bearing with one another, and if one has a complaint against each other, forgive each other, as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Romans 12, 17-18, Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Paul assumes that there will be relational conflict in the local church. And we should assume that there will be relational conflict in this local church. And we will, at one point or another, if you are here long enough, be sinned against, and we will, you will, sin against another. That's not really the question. The question is whether or not we will deal with conflict God's way, or whether we will deal with it our way. And Christ, in His wisdom and in His mercy, has given us very clear instructions for peacemaking and for peacekeeping in His church. And I am zealous for us to latch on to this. I am zealous for us that Christ would be glorified, that that world would see a community that knows how to maintain unity and peace and deals with its sin. So I want to jump right into this text, and I want to just walk us through these 10 verses in Matthew 18. So let's begin in verse 1. It says, At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? So Jesus and His disciples are at Capernaum, which is where Jesus earlier in Matthew 8, if you remember, goes into Peter's house and heals Peter's mother-in-law, who has a fever, And it says that in the evening, people were bringing the sick and the demon oppressed to Jesus, and He healed all of them at Capernaum. So this is where we are. We're back here. And so let me just for a moment do some gospel harmonizing, because I think it will really help us get a clearer picture of what is going on here. So they're back in Capernaum, and in Mark 9, in Mark's version of this story, Mark tells us that when Jesus was in the house, he asked them, what were you discussing on the way? But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. And Luke's account of this story tells us that Jesus knew the reasoning of their hearts. And so what is going on is that as the disciples are on their way to Capernaum, to the house, an argument stirs up as they're on the way, and they're arguing about who is the greatest among them. And Jesus, not settling for superficiality, but wanting to address the desires of the heart, asks them, what were you discussing on the way? And so they ask him here in verse one, Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven? That's what they want to know. Who's the greatest? The Kingdom of Heaven, which I think is the same as the Kingdom of God, is a major theme in the Gospel of Matthew. Jesus has been preaching about the Kingdom, about what the Kingdom will be like, about who will get into the Kingdom, who will not get into the Kingdom. He's given parables about the kingdom, and so they want to know, who among us, who among your disciples will be the greatest? Is it going to be Peter? Remember, last week we saw in chapter 16, Peter is given this revelation from the Father, and he gives this confession, and Jesus says, on this rock, I will build my church. So it seems as if it would be Peter, but if you remember, The story goes on, and Jesus begins to talk about how he must suffer, and Peter rebukes Jesus. And he begins to say, no, no, no, Jesus, you're not going to be crucified. And what does Jesus say? Get behind me, Satan. For you are not concerned with the things of God, but with the things of man. So it probably seemed to the disciples that the door had been opened back up. to gain the status of the greatest, to claim the top spot. So these disciples, who are still very much confused, ask Jesus plainly, who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus' response is utterly shocking. Utterly shocking. He doesn't answer the question. Look at what he says in verse 2. and calling to Him a child to put Him in the midst of them. And He said, truly I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Jesus never compromises with His language, does He? He always speaks the unadulterated truth of God. He is never afraid of man. We may look at this and say, wow, Jesus, that just seems really harsh. I mean, yeah, these guys have had their ups and downs, but they've left everything to follow you. You're going to tell them unless they turn, they're not even going to get in. But in reality, if we look closely, we see here the utter mercy and kindness of Jesus Christ. Because Jesus knows their hearts, And He is interested in drawing out their hearts, motivations, and desires. And He's interested in exposing their idolatry. He's not interested in giving them some superficial answer that won't address the real issue. Because the real issue that the disciples are dealing with is deadly. It's deadly. There's a poison in their hearts and Jesus knows it. He knows them and He loves them so deeply. He cares for them so richly that He speaks the truth directly to their hearts. What issue am I talking about? Pride. Selfish ambition. Conceit. The primary characteristic of a fallen heart. The desire to be great. The desire to be glorified. to be made much of, to be put front and center, to be exalted. You know, Matthew 20 gives us a sobering insight into the life of the disciples. It tells us of a time when James and John and their mother come to Jesus and make a request and they say, let it be granted that one of my sons will be sitting on your left and one on your right in your kingdom. And it says that the other disciples, when they heard of it, were indignant at the brothers. And here's what's ironic about that. The disciples are having a discussion about who is the greatest, and the Great One is in their midst. The Kingdom is not about the disciples' greatness. The Kingdom is about the greatness of the King. When we take our eyes and our focus off of the greatness of the King, and put them on to our greatness, there will be dysfunction. There will be conflict. We will end up with situations just like this, where people will put themselves forward, and others will get angry at them because they want to be put forward. And they quarrel and fight. As James 4, 1 and 2 says, What causes quarrels and fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. This is why Ken Sandy, who wrote the Peacemaker material, the foundational works on Christian peacemaking, he says that the first step in peacemaking is the glory of God. When there's conflict between parties, the first thing that these parties must do is get their eyes off of themselves, off of how they've been wronged, off of how they've been accused of their material concerns, and get their eyes on to God. and be committed to the glory of God and to His greatness and not their own. The disciples want this greatness badly. And so do we. So do we. You know, as I have grown in my knowledge of the human heart, and as I have processed my own heart and my own motivations, and I've studied on the biblical teaching of the inward man, I have realized about myself that this is my great begetting sin. Pride. The desire to be worshipped and glorified, to be great, to be made much of. And this is what makes this so deadly, is because it's so deeply rooted in us. You know, it's not like something that we can just, with a little bit of help, stop doing. It's not behavior modification. It's not just some outward deviance. This is most familiar to our human condition. Jeremiah 17.9 says, The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately sick. Who can understand it? And I'm not just talking about outward arrogance or cockiness. I'm talking about a default disposition towards self-exaltation. You don't have to learn this. It doesn't have to be awakened to you. We all from birth have a commitment to self. That unless God by His divine mercy changes us, we'll supersede every other commitment. And this desire for self-exaltation, this desire for glory motivates people to great lengths. Listen to how James describes this in James 3. He says, but if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic, You know, many Christian writers and preachers and theologians have discussed, what is the essence of sin? And many have said, pride. And many have argued that whatever the sin be, you can ultimately trace it back to pride. And I agree. Others have said, no, the essence of sin is idolatry. Right? The first command, you shall have no other gods before me. So that all sin can be traced back to idolatry. So which is it? It's both. What is pride? Pride is ultimately idolatry of self. Idolatry of self. And James goes on to say, for where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder in every vile practice. So when you see sinful conflict, when you hear gossip and slander and clamor and division, you don't have to guess. Selfish desires are at play, undergirding it all, driving sinful words and actions. And Jesus, the sovereign Lord of glory, knows this. Because as John says in John 2.25, Jesus knows what is in man. And he says in essence, look disciples, you are thinking about greatness in my kingdom the way you think about greatness in the world. But my kingdom is not like this world. You're thinking in earthly, fleshly, demonic categories, and unless you forsake this way of thinking, and become like little children, you won't even get into My Kingdom. This is what we have to see. Jesus cares so deeply for these disciples, that He says what needs to be said in order to expose in them what will, if not crucified and forsaken, keep them from His Kingdom. Brothers and sisters, I long and pray for this type of love and care in this church, this type of concern for one another's souls. Do you love anyone that much to care so deeply about their soul that you will speak the truth in love? I long that relationships would be so characterized by a zeal to see all of us get to heaven. That our fellowship, our conversations would be marked by putting the Word of God before one another's hearts. Not walking around pointing the finger and being judgmental. It's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about a humble, loving, merciful, truth speaking that shows us what we really love. putting the Word of God before each other so that the Word can discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And when we allow the Word of God to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart, we find out what we really love, don't we? What we really desire. Our words and our deeds show us where our affections really lie. The disciples' argument on the way to Capernaum about who is the greatest, it betrayed them. It betrayed their ultimate affections. And in the house, their hearts laid wide open before King Jesus. And there's a dual reality here for us to think about. At one level, that should absolutely terrify us. that the Holy Son of God, who knows everything, whose moral holiness supersedes anything that we can imagine, knows us. He knows the deepest, darkest thoughts of our hearts, and will judge. But on the other hand, it's a freeing and joyful reality, because although He knows us, and although He knows the depravity within us, His primary disposition toward us is that of compassion. And He draws near to us. He comes to us and embodies flesh. He fixes us and deals with us gently. What were you discussing on the road? What were you talking about? He knew all along what they were talking about. His aim is repentance. His aim is forgiveness. His aim is restoration. And so he takes a child, probably two, three, four years old, and he uses the child as an illustration. And again, they're at Capernaum, so some scholars believe they could be in Peter's house, and that this could be Peter's child, or a relative. But at the end of the day, the child's identity does not matter, and that's the point. Jesus is using a shocking illustration to make a shocking point about His kingdom. What makes this illustration so shocking is that to say that one must become like a child to enter the kingdom is to say that one must lay aside the status and every single thing that we would trust in, all of our achievements, we must lay them aside and become totally dependent upon God. Look down at verse 4. He says, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. What does Jesus mean by humble here? I don't think it's so much humility as a character quality or a character virtue. Right? All the parents can say amen. We don't see humility as a character virtue so much in our kids. They are proud. They fight, they manipulate to get their way. I think what is in view here has to do with positional humility. Emptying oneself of status. Willfully making oneself low and depending upon the Father. It's acknowledging that you are helpless and that none of your accomplishments can get you into the kingdom. And even though much modern parenting help is more and more teaching parents to idolize their kids and to make their kids' happiness and self-esteem the focal point of their parenting, most of us get this. Right, right, we get this. We tell our kids quite often, son, sweetheart, you are not the center of the universe. The world does not revolve around your happiness. It's not about you, it's about Jesus. We understand this. Remember, some of you, when you were 5, 6, 7, 8 years old, and you came to the dinner table, and you didn't like what was put before you, and you said to your parents, I don't like this. What was the answer? Tough. Eat it or go to bed hungry. Now when you got a little bit older, you got some money in your pocket, and you have a car, and you move out, you can go eat what you want for dinner. You can do what you want, but when you are at home, when you are a child, you have no position like that. You are totally dependent on your parents, and children understand this. When there are no seats left in a room, who sits on the ground? Children. I remember this as a kid traveling, the youngest of three. Who do you think sat in the middle? Me. Because it's the most undesirable seat in the car. Children do chores and things around the house because they are told. They go to bed when they are told. They get in the car when they are told. The social position of the child is the lowest position. And Jesus is saying, if you don't turn and become like that, you won't even get in. If you don't renounce your worldly ambition to be great, you have no place in my kingdom. And we see from these verses that the Christian community will be marked by people who have rejected this world system of success. Renounced their selfish desire to be exalted and have willfully accepted a position akin to a child. This harkens back to the Beatitudes from chapter 5. Blessed are those who are poor in spirit. Blessed are the meek. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. Turn and become like children. The Greek word for turn here is not the same word in Greek that we translate into the English word repent. But I do think that the ideas are synonymous here. So when we bid people to repent, we are bidding people to forsake this world system of success to lay aside their worldly vial for success and greatness, to become like little children. It's a radical attitude change that one must adopt. Repentance does not require us to merely forsake sins, although we do forsake sin. And oftentimes, repentance will look like specific sins in a person's life that must be forsaken. But it is more than that. It is adopting an entire new philosophy of life. Jesus' philosophy of life. Now I want us to see something vital here. Jesus shifts His focus from what one must become like to enter the kingdom, to receiving those who have become like children. Verse 5, whoever receives one such child in my name receives me. So who is Jesus talking about when He says, one such child? Well, the answer I think is clearly in verse 4. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. So the one such child, the children here, are not literal children. They are disciples. They are those who have entered into the kingdom. Jesus is using a literal child as an illustration for the spiritual child-likeness that believers adopt. And we see it very clearly in verse 6. Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me. Little ones who believe in Me. So the child, the little ones from verses 5 and 6 are those who believe in Jesus. They are disciples. They are the disciples who have humbled themselves, forsaken their pride and selfish ambition, and have adopted the lowly attitude that marks the kingdom of heaven. The Beatitudes are a reality in their lives. And Jesus says, if you receive one of these children, one of these disciples, you've received me. It's astonishing how closely Jesus identifies with His people. All throughout the Gospel of Matthew and all throughout the New Testament. And notice that it's not the really mature disciples. It's not the ones who have really healthy marriages. The ones who make a lot of money. The ones who are likable. The ones who speak and lead and are out in front in public. The distinguishing mark of these people is that they believe in Jesus. And to receive them, not on the basis of worldly status, but on the basis of their belief in Jesus, is synonymous with receiving Jesus Himself. It's amazing. We see this back in Matthew 10, verses 40-42. He says, whoever receives you, receives Me. And whoever receives Me, receives Him who sent Me. The one who receives a prophet, because he is a prophet, will receive a prophet's reward. And the one who receives a righteous person, because he is a righteous person, will receive a righteous person's reward. That makes sense. But he goes on to say, and whoever gives one of these little ones, even a cup of cold water, because He is a disciple. Truly I say to you, He will by no means lose His reward. There's a digression, or at least seemingly. To receive one of God's spokesmen in the Old Testament, a prophet, was to align yourself with the prophet, who is often being rejected by Israel. And it's to receive an eschatological, an eternal reward from God. To receive the man of God, like a Samuel, is to share in His reward. But here Jesus is saying not only does receiving an Elijah or an Elisha warrant a reward, but receiving anyone who believes in me. The smallest gift, the smallest act of good that is given to one of these on the basis of the fact that they believe in me, he won't lose his reward. And the application here is endless. I don't think I need to stand up here and give all the ways that we can bless one another and store up treasure in heaven. We can do that in Citigroup this week. But what is vital for us to see is that our position in the body of Christ is not merited. It is given. We all got in because He brought us in. And our fellowship with one another is based on our common belief in Jesus. We love one another because Jesus brought us in. And we are united around Him. Around belief in Him. We receive, we bless, feed, speak truth, comfort, deny self for the good of other disciples. Little ones. Not because they deserve it. Not even because We like them very much or not, but we do these things for disciples because they have put their faith in Jesus Christ. And when we do any good to others because they believe in Jesus, we are doing it unto Christ. Matthew 25, 40, truly I say to you, as you did it to me, as you did it to one of the least of these, my brothers, you did it to me. It's amazing. And this is essential for making and keeping peace in the church. But on the contrary, rejecting these disciples is synonymous with rejecting Jesus. Look at verse 6 and 7. But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, It would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world for temptations to sin. Some of your Bibles might say for offense or for stumbling blocks. For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes. It's presupposed here that the world will reject Jesus. and will reject His people and provide stumbling blocks for disciples to sin. And I think the primary stumbling block, the primary offense is that of rejection. Rejecting Jesus' philosophy of life. Rejecting His morality. Rejecting His Word. And this rejection leads to all sorts of sin and stumbling. You see the juxtaposition that is happening here. The Christian community is characterized by humility, by becoming childlike and receiving disciples, no matter their status, on the basis of Christ. But the world will be characterized by rejecting these disciples, providing stumbling blocks for them to obey Christ, causing them temptation to sin, but justice will be served. He says, woe to the world. Not blessed are the beatitudes, but woe to the world. In verse 6, He says it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck, and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. A millstone was a hard and heavy stone that was used for grinding grain. a donkey or an ox would pull around a millstone and grind the grain. And Jesus is using a hyperbole here to show the fierceness of the eschatological judgment that is coming on the world for its rejection of Christ and His system and His people. I mean, think about how difficult it is, brothers and sisters, to obey in this world because of all the temptations. Many of you work at jobs where you're being tempted to deny Christ's morality. We can't even watch entertainment without being tempted to deny Christ. There are temptations to sin. There are stumbling blocks put before us. And imagine a world where none of that existed. Where Christ was received. Where His morality, His teaching was received. Where His lordship was bowed to. Many of the temptations to sin would go away. But because the world is such a place of temptation to sin, judgment is coming. And disciples should take comfort in that. We should take comfort in that. But they should also heed this as a warning, lest they be like the world and cause offense to believers and be swept up in that eschatological judgment. He moves into verse 8. And if your hand, so the world is going to cause temptation, that's a given, it's necessary. But 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. Christ's disciples will be rejected by this world. We should not be rejected by the Christian community. It should not be so. In the world, they will be enticed to sin, they will be pressured to renounce Christ and His teaching, but it should not be so with you. Therefore, whatever might cause you to reject a brother, whatever might cause you to put a stumbling block before a person, a child of God, get rid of it. Remove it. Crucify it, because there's going to be a judgment coming on this world for rejecting me and my disciples. And it would be better for a giant stone to be tied around your neck and thrown into the sea than to be caught up in that judgment. This isn't the first time that Jesus has used this very vivid metaphor. Is it? Remember back in Matthew 5, Jesus uses this same metaphor when dealing with adultery and lust. The same radical amputation metaphor and warning that Jesus employs regarding putting sexual sin to death is what He employs to warn His people of putting stumbling blocks before other believers. But we don't really put those two things on the same level, do we? I mean, we are quick to say, and rightly so, we are quick to say to someone living in unrepentant sexual immorality, brother, sister, if you don't turn, if you don't fight, if you don't crucify this, you are in great danger of going to hell. But despising other believers? Eh, not that big of a deal. Refusing to reconcile and make peace. Refusing to forgive and insisting on remaining in bitterness. Using my Christian freedom to lead another brother to stumble. Slandering a brother or sister and causing his reputation to be ruined. Rejecting fellowship with a brother because maybe we don't see eye to eye on something. Not receiving the forgiveness and the reconciliation of a brother who is restored and is repenting from sin. I mean, that's not good, but it's not the same as adultery, right? I'm not making this up because I want to be warm and fuzzy. This is straight out of the mouth of the Son of God. I told you at the beginning, Jesus takes the relational peace and the harmony of His body extremely seriously, brothers and sisters. And this leads us right back to where we started, doesn't it? With pride. This whole section of teaching here, these nine verses, is a call from our Lord to deny self. There's an initial call to turn from the arrogant, selfish ambition that marks us as humans and to humble ourselves like little children and enter into the kingdom. Yet there is an ongoing exhortation to put to death, to kill whatever selfish desires would cause us to possibly cause our brothers and sisters to stumble. And we do so in light of the goodness of Jesus Christ. and what He's accomplished in the Gospel and in light of the impending judgment that is coming upon this world primarily for its rejection of Christ and rejection of His people. So I want to conclude, brothers and sisters, by pointing us to 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." Some translations like the King James say, take heed. Another translation says, beware. Right? This takes us back to verses 8 and 9. Because of the remnants of my pride, and the remnants of my brother's pride, and the temptations that this world causes, there will be occasions where we will be tempted to have ought toward our brother. There will be occasions where we will be tempted to despise a child of God. So he says, do whatever is necessary not to despise one of these little ones, because their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. I don't have time to get into all the different ways that that verse is understood, but what I think is clear is this. Disciples are valuable to the Father. Despite their status or ability or giftedness, they have an immense value in His eyes. He knows them because they have believed in His Son. And He is concerned about how they are treated. Do not despise any of these little ones. So in conclusion, brothers and sisters, I want to call us to a radical corporate attitude of humility, of relational peace, of unity and love not based on our age, or similarities, or skin color, or our likings and preferences, of hobbies, but based on our common belief in the Lord Jesus Christ and our discipleship to Him. In His death, Jesus Christ destroyed the relational hostility between us and God. and restored us to God. And He also destroyed in His death the relational hostility between one another so that we can see our sins against God and against one another as crucified, nailed to the cross of Christ. And as He has forgiven us, we can lavish one another with grace, mercy, forgiveness, acceptance, on the basis of Jesus Christ. There's one last thing I want us to leave here with today and think about as we come to the table. The Son of God who gives us this teaching modeled this perfectly for us. By entering this world as a man, humbling Himself and dying for us, As Paul says in Philippians 2.5, Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men, and being found in human form, listen, he humbled himself. by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. And because of this humility, we can die with Him and enter into His kingdom and receive all of those who are entering in with us and worship the Son of God together for eternity. Amen. Let's pray. Lord Jesus, we do thank You for Your work in that You came to this earth and humbled Yourself and died in our place. Lord, none of us could ever turn from our sins without Your mercy, without Your gospel. We would gladly go our own way but You've had mercy on us, You've had grace toward us, and You have brought us into Your kingdom to serve You, to serve one another. Lord, we ask for this great childlike humility to mark this body, that we would receive one another as we receive You, and that our humility and our love would grow, and that You would be pleased. And we pray it all in Jesus' mighty name. Amen.