I'm so glad you could be with us for today's Beach Talk. I always wanna help us understand every word of God that's in the word of God. And this way we can be great followers of Jesus. My objective is simple. It's disciples making disciples who plant churches that plant churches. So in this way, we can see Jesus continue to be a grassroots movement all over the world. Now in 2020, we had four churches in two countries. Now in 2021, we wanna have four churches in eight countries.
So I want you to be praying about what God might put on your heart to be a part of this. Now we have four trips this year, two trips to El Salvador in June, a trip in Indonesia with a date to be announced this summer and a trip to Bangladesh this December. God is gonna use the people involved in ocean water to help people get their water from the ocean and to start beautiful beach churches in other countries. So again, I want you to be praying about how God might use you in all of this.
So today we're in Matthew chapter 18, verse one says, at that time Jesus came to them saying, they came to Jesus saying, who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven? Now the disciples were often concerned about the question of greatness. They seemed to ask this question thinking that Jesus has already chosen one of them as the greatest, as if they wanted Jesus to decide among them who it was gonna be. And that's what we do, isn't it?
All the time we wonder who's the greatest, who has the most followers, who has the most influence. And actually Jesus isn't really cared about any of that. He's much more concerned about the character that we have on the inside of our heart. So the disciples wanted to know who would hold the highest position in the administration that Jesus was going to establish. Now a lot of them thought that it would be a political kingdom, but he points this out, this isn't the case.
Jesus called a little child to him and said in the midst of them, he said, assuredly I say to you that unless you become like a little child, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. So therefore whoever humburs himself as a little child is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Now, Jesus might've answered the question, who is the greatest by pointing to himself. He could have just said, look guys, I'm the greatest. I made all of you. But he didn't do that.
Instead, he does an object lesson where he points to a kid. Now the fact that the child came when Jesus called says something about Jesus. He was the sort of man that children wanted to be around. Children have an intuition about who's safe, about who's fun, about who's pure, because that's the way that they are. Children were regarded kind of more as property than as individuals at that time. It was understood that they were to be seen and not heard.
Now, Jesus said that we would have to take this kind of humble place to enter his kingdom. Think about that humility. Now, children aren't threatening. They weren't afraid of, no one's ever been afraid of meeting a five-year-old in a dark alley. Adults tend to want to project a tough, intimidating presence, but this isn't Jesus. Children aren't good at deceiving. They're pretty miserable failures at fooling their parents.
When we're good at hiding ourselves and deceiving others, we aren't like Jesus. One Bible commentator said that the child is held up as an ideal, not of innocence, purity, or faith, but of humility and unconcern for social status. Now think about that. An unconcern for social status is a prerequisite to wanting to enter the kingdom of God or to be a follower of Jesus. Wow. So whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom.
Now, Jesus then addressed the issue of greatness when we most fulfilled the humble place a child had in that culture. We are then on our way to greatness in God's kingdom. Now, Jesus humbles himself, does not refer to arbitrary asceticism or phony false modesty, but the acceptance of an inferior position. Now we know that one man was actually the greatest in the kingdom. It was Jesus himself. That means that Jesus himself was humble like a little child. He wasn't concerned about his own status.
He didn't have to be the center of attention. Wow. What a word for our time. Now verses five and six, whoever receives one of these little children like this 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 if the millstone were hung around his neck and he were drowned into the depths of the sea. Now the sea is very windy, high tide, and really a lot of swell today. It's acting up behind me. So this is a great illustration.
So now how we treat those who are humble like children shows that we can think about the nature of Jesus. It's easy to actually despise the humble. They're losers or they're the kind that will never make it in our competitive and aggressive get ahead culture. And he says, yet when we despise humble people, we also can despise Jesus. Now Jesus takes it seriously when one of these little ones is led into sin.
Little ones does not mean children, but those who humble themselves as children in the manner that Jesus described. Now it's a wicked thing to sin. It's a far greater evil thing to lead other people into sin. But leading one of Jesus' little ones into sin is far worse because then we initiate someone into an instance or a pattern of sin that corrupts whatever innocence they had. Jesus holds us accountable for our influence on others.
That is different than people saying, I'm just responsible for my actions. Jesus implies you're responsible for your actions and for your influence. You see nowadays, everybody wants the influence, but they don't want the responsibility that goes along with it. To a higher standard where we're responsible for both our own actions and our influence on the people around us. A much different standard.
Now look at verse seven, woe to the world because of offenses, for offenses must come, woe to the man by whom the offense comes. The first woe is a cry of pity for a world in danger of offenses. The second woe is a warning to the one who brings or introduces evil to others. We live in a fallen world and it's inevitable that sin and hurt and offenses come, yet the person who brings the offense is guilty before God and has no excuse.
This teaches us that we can let go of anger and bitterness for what people have done against us. God promised to deal with those by whom the offense comes. God will judge all men. If God promises to deal with those who offend his own, it shows that he defends and protects his own. This teaches us that in Jesus Christ, no other person can wreck our life. If they bring offenses in our life, God will deal with them, but not forsake us in time and eternity.
Now, verses eight and nine, now if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you, it is better for you to enter into life lame and maimed rather than having two hands and two feet to be cast into everlasting fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you, for it's better if you enter into life with one eye rather than having two eyes and be cast into hell, into the fire. Now, what's Jesus saying here?
Now, some people only keep from sin if it is easy or convenient to do it. Jesus warns us that we must be willing to sacrifice in fighting against sin, that nothing is worse than facing the wrath of a righteous God. It really is better to sacrifice in the battle against sin now than face the punishment of eternal life later or eternity later. Now, there's significant problems in taking these words literally.
And the problem is that cutting off your hand or a body part as a way of solving your sin problem wouldn't be going far enough. You could cut your hand off and your foot off, but you can never turn off your mind. It's why our minds need to be renewed by Jesus and his way of thinking in our life. It's why we need the Lord, his word, and the Holy Spirit working in us and through us every single day. God wants to cut off the source of sin.
It starts in our thinking and works its way out in our life. So it's a metaphor for being ruthless with dealing with sin. Now, verse 10, now take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven, their angels always see the face of my father who is in heaven. Because God's mind and eye is always on his little ones, we do well to treat them with love and respect. Now, God's humble, just like he protects us.
Now, verses 11 through 14, for the son of man has come to say that which was lost. What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the 99 and go to the mountains to see the one that is straying? And if he should find it, assuredly I say to you he rejoices more over the one sheep than the 99 who did not go astray. So even so, it is not the will of God who is in heaven that any of these little ones should perish.
Now, this story demonstrates the value that God places on individuals. Jesus exhorts us to reflect the same care. Now here, Jesus emphasized the love and care we should have for all in the Christian community. If we should find it, assuredly I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep. The shepherd was happy when he found the one sheep. He wasn't angry or bitter over his hard work or lost time. His joy was overflowing. He was excited about it.
Now this parable shows us the character of God's love. Being like the care of a shepherd gives us for a lost sheep. It's an individual love, it's a patient love, it is a seeking love, God comes after us. It's a rejoicing love, it's a protecting love. So some take this as an assurance that before an age of accountability, children are saved. This is absolutely certain only of the children of believers.
For the rest, we must trust in God's mercy and the knowledge of the judge of all the earth that he will do right when the time comes. Now look at verse 15. Moreover, if your brother's sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. Go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.
It is essential that we go to the offending brother first, not griping and gossiping to others, assuredly, especially under the guise of sharing a prayer request or seeking counsel. Instead, speak to the party directly. Now it would be wrong for anyone to take Jesus' word here as a command to confront your brother with every sin that they commit against you.
The Bible says that we should bear with one another and be patient towards each other, yet clearly there are some things that cannot suffer along with and that we must address immediately. So Jesus seems to give us two options when someone's sin against us. We can deal with them directly or we can drop it all together. This is why we need God to give us clarity and an understanding about how to proceed.
Sometimes we deal with things directly and other times in our life, we just drop things because we have the maturity to do it. Now it says, if he hears you, you've gained your brother, for you've gained him in two ways. Now, first, the problem has been cleared up. Perhaps you realize that he was right in some ways and realize that you were maybe wrong in some ways, but the problem is resolved.
Now second, you've gained him because you have not wronged your brother by going to others with gossip and the half side of a dispute. So importantly, Jesus did not say that your brother agree with you or immediately repent before you. At first, it's enough that he just hears you, that he hears you out, that he feels what you're feeling. Now, verse 16 and 18, but if he will not hear, take one or two or more of you by the mouth of two or three witnesses, every word may be established.
And if it refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be like a heathen to you and a tax collector. Surely I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Now what's happening here? Well, the circle of people in the situation only become wider as the offending party refuses to listen.
If a stubborn, unrepentant attitude remains, there to be refused fellowship, let him be like an unbeliever. It's also true that one or two more, after hearing both sides of the story, may resolve the issue by assigning responsibility differently than the first offended person had thought of. So sometimes when you include people, it can bring clarity and people can own what they need to own and the dispute can be settled.
Now the heart of Jesus is always for reconciliation, both with him and with each other. Now the unrepentant one must be treated like a heathen or a tax collector with great love, the goal of bringing a full repentance and reconciliation. So if the matter cannot be resolved, then one is to be regarded as a heathen and as a tax collector.
Now this sense of being refused full standing and participation in the body of Christ is what Paul meant when he said, deliver such a one to Satan, 1 Corinthians 5. Now there is a sense in which the unrepentant person is being chastened by their being placed outside of fellowship or outside of the church. Hopefully there is a humility that comes by not being in church, by not being around believers, that causes people to humbly come back and want to reconcile.
Now sadly, in many cases, I have seen people not be involved in church, not be involved in fellowship and have their heart pardoned. Now verses 19 and 20, it says, if any two or three of you agree with each other, my father in heaven, in my name, there will I be in the midst of them. Now there is real power in agreement and prayer and in the presence of Jesus. This is exactly what an unrepentant person misses out on, the power of agreeing with people in prayer.
In the ancient Greek, the word literally meant to symphonize. Jesus wants us to compliment one another like a great orchestra in the body of Christ in the church. It will be done for them by my father in heaven. We must take advantage of the power of agreement, which works on the principle related to Leviticus where five set a hundred enemies to flight, but a hundred set 10,000 enemies to flight. There's a difference between one defeating 20 and one defeating a hundred.
There's power, exponential power, in the power of agreement and the prayer of agreement. Jesus here indicated that meetings of his people, indeed meetings full of power and authority connected to heaven do not need to be large. They can be two or three people. A meeting of two or three is easy to gather. Someone is always close at hand and it isn't hard to find a place for the people to meet. Now this shows us that large numbers are not essential.
This shows us that the rank of the people is not essential. This shows us that among other things, the place that they meet is not essential. It could be a beach or a park or a coffee shop or a home. Now this shows us that the time, both the day or the time of day is not essential. And this shows us that the particular form is not essential. You can sit, you can stand, you can kneel. Now this shows us that meeting in Jesus' name is absolutely what is essential.
Gathering together in his name means that we are known by him and for him. Gathering together in his name means that our points of gathering that we gather around Jesus. That's what church means. Gathering together in his name means gathering according to the character and nature of Jesus and his word. Gathering together in his name means gathering in a manner that Jesus would endorse. Jesus said, I am there in the midst of them.
This means that Jesus is an upfront, closer to the minister or the worship team or the leaders. He's in their midst to be close to everybody. Now verse 21 and 22, then Peter came to him and said, Lord, how often shall my brothers sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times? Jesus said to him, I don't say to you seven times, but up to 77 times or seven times 70.
Now Peter, in light of what Jesus said about agreement and unity, hoped to sound really loving and by suggesting that he would be forgiving to people and a repentant person up to seven times or three times what was accepted to be the rabbinical limit at that time. But Jesus answered unexpectedly saying the word of forgive people in an unlimited fashion.
This was astonishing for them to hear that just in the same way that God's grace to us is unlimited, our forgiveness to others is to be the same. Now verse 23 and 24, therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with the servants and when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him 10,000 talents.
Now the king in this parable expected his servants to be faithful and honorable in the way that they conducted his business, therefore went to their work and would settle accounts with them. Commentators listed modern value of 10,000 talents as anywhere between 12 million and a billion dollars. Now this clearly represents an unpayable debt just like our sin in the past.
Verses 25 through 27, but as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, his wife and his children and all that he had and that the payment be made. The servant fell down before him saying, master have patience with me and I will pay you all. Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion and forgave him the debt.
So his master commanded that he be sold, of course this man was not able to pay, therefore the master commanded to sell the debtor, his family and all that he had, this would not satisfy the debt. Slaves were told were sold at their top price, were sold at a talent each, yet it would bring some measure of justice if he'd gotten a little bit for what he owed. But the promise of the servant made no sense.
He spoke as if he needed more patience that if he were given enough time, he would actually be able to pay his massive debt. The disciples listening to Jesus would think of this in hilarious terms or humorous terms. The master of that servant was moved with compassion, he released him and forgave him the debt. The master showed mercy prompted by compassion for giving a debt that he could obviously never repay despite whatever promises the servant had made.
Now verses 28 through 30, but the servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, pay me what you owe me. Then his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him saying, have patience with me, I will pay you all of it. And he would not, but went out and threw him into prison until he should pay the debt.
Wow. The servant who had just been forgiven an unpayable debt, went out and found the one who owed him money upon meeting him, he immediately assaulted him, took him by the throat and demanded repayment. Now a hundred denarii was roughly a day of a hundred days wages, this was not an insignificant amount, but it was almost nothing compared to the debt that he had just been forgiven of. This is how we act when we let God forgive us, but we don't want to forgive other people.
The man who owed the smaller debt used the exact same plea and promise that brought mercy to the man who had the greater debt, but it gained nothing. And the servant put the man into debtor's prison.
Now verse 31 through 34, so when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were grieved and came and told their master all that had been done then his master, after he had called him said, you wicked servant, I forgive you all that debt because you begged me should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.
There is no mention in the parable of the first servant's conscience bothering him about his conduct. And yet it was his fellow servants that recognized the wrong that was done. Sometimes we are painfully into our embarrassment, blind to our own sinful conduct. Wow, when the master heard of this, he was understandably angry. It was just wrong for a man who had been forgiven so much to then be so unforgiving. He then forgave the first servant what he deserved, justice instead of mercy.
Now verse 35, so my heavenly father also will do to you if each of you from his heart does not forgive his brother his sin. So the principle is clear. God has forgiven such a great debt that any debt owed to us is absolutely insignificant in comparison. No man can possibly offend to the extent that the God, the principle must be applied to the things done to us, but also to the great things done unto us.
If each of you from his heart does not forgive his brother's trespasses, with this, Jesus taught an important and often neglected principle regarding forgiveness. There are many sincere followers of Jesus who withhold forgiveness from others for mistaken reasons and they feel entirely justified in doing so. The reason he works something like this, we should not forgive another person who sins against us until they're properly repent.
Now this is because repentance is mentioned in the context of our commands to forgive and because our forgiveness to others is to be modeled after God's forgiveness of us. Since God does not forgive us apart from repentance, so we should not forgive others unless they properly repent to us. We even have the duty to withhold such forgiveness and judge their repentance because it is ultimately in their best interest to do so.
Well, this thinking, even if it means well, is totally incorrect and dangerous. The parable shows us why it is incorrect for us to think God doesn't forgive me without my repentance, therefore I must withhold forgiveness from others who sin against me until they properly repent. That thinking is wrong because I do not stand in the same place as God in the equation and I never can. God stands as one who has never been forgiven and never needed forgiveness.
I stand as one who's been forgiven and continually needs forgiveness. So therefore, if it were possible, we should be far quicker to forgive than God is without precondition of repentance because we stand as forgiven sinners who must also forgive. We have an even greater obligation to forgive than God does. Now since we've been forgiven so much, we have no right to withhold forgiveness from others for we are the debtor forgiven almost an infinite debt.
Will we hold on to such a small debt that others owe to us? If anyone had the right to withhold forgiveness, it is God and he forgives more freely and completely than anyone we know. What possible right do we have to hold on to unforgiveness? It is also important to understand a distinction, that a distinction can and should be made between forgiveness and reconciliation.
True reconciliation of relationship can only happen when both parties agree to it and this may require repentance on both sides, yet forgiveness can be one sided completely. So forgiveness does not necessarily shield someone from the civil or practical consequences of their sin. For example, a homeowner can personally forgive the man who robbed his house, yet it's still appropriate for the robber to be arrested and put in jail.
On a personal level, forgiveness is required on a civil and societal level, the man should be punished by the authorities. In context, the parable was given to make us more forgiving, not less forgiving. No one can reasonably read this parable and think that Jesus was trying to restrict the forgiveness of his disciples. It would be wrong to make this into the idea that unforgiveness itself is the unforgivable sin.
It is better to say that forgiveness is evidence of truly being forgiven and that habitual unforgiveness may show that a person's heart has never really been touched by the love of Jesus. Now, at every one of the close to my beach talks I like to pray, prayer's just talking to God. Maybe you need to hit reset in your life or get a fresh start. Maybe you need to stop some things. Maybe you need to start some things. Prayer is always a chance to do all of those things.
Would you pray with me right now? Would you just say, hey God, help me change my life. Help me to hit that reset button. Give me a fresh start. Help me to stop those things I know I need to stop. Help me to start those things I need to start like following you 100%. And I ask you for this help in Jesus' name. And as always, have a beautiful day.