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Matthew 18:1-5 ESV

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

Sermon Notes
I. WHO IS THE GREATEST (1)
A. Disciples want to know who Jesus will make His VP.

II. CHILD-LIKE DEPENDENCE (2-4)
A. Like a child is dependent upon their parents for everything, we are dependent upon God for everything.
B. No one is great in the kingdom but God because none of us did anything worthy of getting us into the kingdom.
C. All the greatness in the kingdom belongs to God because He is the One who brought us all there. (Hebrews 12:2, Ephesians 2:8-9)

III. NOT NATURAL (3)
A. Having to turn to become humble like children tells us we are born going the other direction trying to force our way to God on our own.
B. To enter the kingdom we must repent, turn from our sin, and turn to God.

IV. SECRET TO SUCCESS (4)
A. Humility not just for getting in the kingdom. It is the secret to becoming somebody in the kingdom.
B. God humbled and humiliated Himself for our benefit. (Phil 2:5-8)
C. Belonging to Jesus means having His humility, where we are more concerned with doing what is best for others than what we want.

V. BECOMING GOD’S FOOL
A. We never work to become great. We selflessly give of ourselves with goal of seeing Jesus proclaimed as great by all.
B. For those who have been born again by Jesus, seeing Him exalted and hearing Him call your name, will be enough. (Matt 25:19-25)

APPLICATION
1. Ask God where you are lacking a humble spirit and to lead you to risk being called a fool for His sake.