This is not the only time these
men have asked this question. It's not the only time that they've
struggled with this issue. Who's the greatest in the kingdom
of heaven? Turn to Mark chapter 9. It's recorded several times
in the scriptures. Mark 9 verse 33. He came to Capernaum. And being
in the house, he asked them, what is it that you disputed
among yourselves by the way? He was in the house and they
were coming to the house. And he knew what they were discussing.
Of course he did. They were discussing among themselves.
He asked them, he said, what is this that you disputed among
yourselves by the way? They held their peace. For by
the way they had disputed among themselves who should be the
greatest. Turn to Matthew 20. Matthew chapter 20, verse 20
and 21. And James and John, their mother
got into this fight. It says in Matthew 20, verse
20, then came to him the mother of Zebedee's children. with her
sons. She brought them along and she's
speaking about them. Worshipped him, that's good.
And desired a certain thing of him and he said, What wilt thou?
What is it you want? She said, Grant that these my
two sons. They sit the one on thy right
hand and the other on thy left hand when you come into your
kingdom. What do you suppose led these disciples, these believers,
these are men who knew the Lord. What do you suppose led them
to entertain thoughts so completely foreign to the true spiritual
kingdom of Christ, so foreign to grace, salvation, redemption,
mercy? Several things. Number one, pride. The only reason a man would entertain
an issue like that is pride. Each one of them felt that he
was worthy of such a position. Which one of us will be the greatest
in the kingdom of heaven? All of them wanted to be. They
felt they were worthy of that position, that pride, covetousness. They were ambitious for personal
glory. Recognition. Self-righteousness. They're talking
about the kingdom of God. They felt that they should be
rewarded. Peter asked him that one time.
He said, I've left everything and followed you. What am I going
to have in the kingdom? Peter asked him that. They wanted
to be rewarded for who they were and what they'd done in this. is another reason they ask that,
envy, jealousy. There was a division among them.
That's what it says several times, there was a division among them.
What was the division? Who's going to be the greatest
in the kingdom of God? They desired to be ranked over
one another. But the key reason why they ask
a question like this was the need of conversion. And I show you that in Luke 22.
I turn to Luke 22. The need of conversion. I didn't say salvation. They
were saved. They knew God. They knew Christ.
But they needed what Christ tells Peter right here. Let's read
Luke 22, verse 24. And there was also a strife among
them. Now my friends, this is just
before the Passover season. This is before these men gather
around the table of the Lord for the Passover. This is just
before our Lord Jesus went to the cross. This is three and
a half years after He called. They've been with Christ three
and a half years. Walking with Him, loving Him,
talking with Him. That's when this happened. Luke
22. This is right at the Passover time. And there was also a strife
among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest? And
he said to them, the kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship
over them. They that exercise authority
upon them are called benefactors. But you shall not be so. But
he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger. He
that is chief, as he that doth serve. Whither is greater? He that sitteth at meat, or he
that serveth? Is not he that sitteth at meat?
Certainly. But I am among you, as he that
serveth. Can you find anybody greater
than me? He said. Among men, who is greatest? He that sitteth at me. But in
God's kingdom, who's greatest? He that serveth. Our Lord said,
I didn't come to be ministered to. I came to minister. Give
my life a ransom. So in verse 28, Year they which
have continued with me in my temptations. You've been with
me from the beginning. And I appoint unto you a kingdom.
You're saved. You know God. I appoint unto
you a kingdom as my Father has appointed to me. As my Father
sent me, I send you that you may eat and drink at my table
in my kingdom and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of
Israel." Then he turned to Simon and he said, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to
have you that he may sift you as wheat. But I prayed for you
that your faith fail not. And when you are converted, when you are what? Converted. Strengthen your breath. Way back
yonder, he asked Peter, whom do you say that I am? He said,
the art of Christ, the Son of the living God. And our Lord
said, blessed are you, Simon. Flesh and blood didn't reveal
that to you, but my Father which is in heaven." Peter knew Christ. Way back before this, people
of 5,000 he fed and they all began to leave. He turned to
Peter and the disciples. He said, will you go away? Peter
said, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal
life. And we believe and assure that you're the Son of God. On
that other occasion, he said, the earth, the Christ, the Son
of the living God, and our Lord said, Peter, upon this rock,
I'll build my church. What you just said. What you
believe. And now here, three years later, he's telling Peter that he's
going to go through the worst trial he's ever been through.
Satan has desired to sift him this week. The most tragic, trial
and tribulation and trouble Peter ever in his life endured. But
I pray for you, and when you're converted, strengthen your brethren. Verse 33, this reply will tell
you why he needed conversion, why he said, Lord, not me. I'm ready to go with thee to
prison or to death. And our Lord said, Peter, let
me tell you something. The cock will not crow this day
before three times you'll deny you even know me. Let's go back to the text. Matthew 18. Stay with the text. Now this is what had taken place
Several times, they want to know who's the greatest. And our Lord,
verse 2, called a little child unto him and set him in the midst
of them. This child was not an infant
in a mother's arms. This was a little child, I don't
know how old, but old enough to be called. Old enough to be called. Ten,
eleven, nine, somewhere in there. And old enough to respond. and
yet a simple child. And the Lord Jesus called that
child and set that child in the midst of them. These men who
were disputing among themselves about who is the greatest are
going to be the greatest. Here's Peter, the great strong
fisherman, the leader, the spokesman. Here's James and John, they're
called in Mark 3, the sons of thunder. Here's Matthew, prominent
tax collector, ex-tax collector. Here is Luke, the beloved physician. Here is Andrew, the friend, personal
comrade and friend of John the Baptist. Here is Nathanael, the
man of whom Christ said, no guile, no deceit. Here is Jude, the
courageous one, and he sets this child in the midst of them. And he said in verse 3, Verily
I say unto you, except you be converted and become as this little child,
you won't even enter the kingdom of heaven. The word I told you is more like
the word surely He hath borne our grief. The word converted,
it simply means changed. It means in the Greek, if you
look it up, it means to be changed, it means to be turned. And what
he is saying is this, now listen, Thomas Boston wrote an article
on this. Except you be changed from this
carnal notion of a worldly kingdom, changed from your pride, and
your vain views of honor, fame, and personal glory. Unless you
learn to entertain a humble and contrite opinion of yourselves,
unless you drop all these contentions and ambitions for personal preeminence
and thoughts of personal greatness and grandeur, unless you learn,
however long it takes you, that the kingdom of God is not meat
and drink. It's not fame and fortune and
personal glory. It's not of this world. The kingdom
of God is righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. Unless you are changed and become
as a little child, you shall be so far from being greatest
in the kingdom of heaven. or higher than anyone else, or
rewarded for your accomplishment, you shall not even enter the
kingdom of heaven. Verse 4, whosoever therefore
shall humble himself, whosoever is a wide word, applicable to all of us, whosoever
shall humble himself as this little child, the same as greatest
in the kingdom of heaven. What is a child? Well, a child
wears his father's name. He doesn't have any real distinction
of his own. He wears his father's name. A
child is a dependent creature. He's dependent not upon himself.
He's dependent upon his parents. He cannot care for himself. A child is obedient to the will
of his parents. A child is a learner. He's a
listener. A child can be taught and knows
it. A child has no position or prominence
which elevates him above another child. A child has no possessions
to flaunt. He doesn't own anything. Naked, he came into the world
and he's still naked. A child is content with the simplest
of things. A child is little and he knows
it. And our Lord therefore uses this
term little six times in these next few verses. Verse 3, he
says, except you be converted and become little. That's a little
child. Verse 4, whosoever there shall
humble himself is this little child. Verse 5, whosoever shall
receive such little child. Verse 10, take heed that you
despise not one of these little ones. Verse 14, even so it's
not the will of your Father which is in heaven that one of these
little The word little is not one that we just identify, with
which we identify too much, it's little. But the wisest, greatest
king other than Christ, a human being, lived on this earth. That's
how he referred to himself. Turn to 1 Kings 3. 1 Kings chapter
3. Let's listen to Solomon. 1 Kings chapter 3. Beginning with verse 7, 1 Kings
chapter 3, verse 7. Solomon is speaking to the Lord
God in 1 Kings 3. He says in verse 7, Now, O Lord
my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father,
and I am but a little child. I know not how to go out or come
in. Thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast
chosen, a great people. It cannot be numbered nor counted
for multitude. Give therefore thy servant an
understanding heart to judge thy people. I'm a little child that I may discern between good
and bad. Who's able to judge this, thy
so great a people? And that speech pleased the Lord. And the speech pleased the Lord.
Solomon asked this thing, and God said to him, because you've
asked this, you've not asked for yourself long life, haven't
asked for yourself riches, nor hast thou asked the life of thine
enemies, you don't want to kill your enemies, but you've asked
for your self-understanding. discern judgment. Behold, I've
done according to thy words. I've given thee a wise and an
understanding heart." Now, that's this little, little child. This conversion, and these men
knew Christ. These men are saved. These men
know the Lord. They know the doctrines. They
know the truth. But this change, this conversion our Lord is talking
about, it doesn't happen overnight. There are several things about
it. Number one, it's an inward change.
There are plenty of outward evidences of the change. That's why the
change is seen by others, is the outward evidence. But it's
an inward change. The outward evidences are not
the cause, the outward evidence is the result. of the church. Being pastor of this church so
long, that's one of the blessings of being a pastor for a long,
long time is I've seen the Lord bring about changes in me, in
my heart and spirit and attitude. And I've seen God bring about
great changes in some of you, growing in grace. I've seen you
converted. I've seen me converted. from
obstinate ways and harsh ways and things of that nature and
change inwardly. And the outward is evidence of
the inward change. That's conversion. That's what
he's talking to Peter about here, being convergent. And secondly,
it's a supernatural change. It's a change that God effects
in two ways, by His Spirit and by His Word. It's a change that
God defects. Turn to Galatians 1. Galatians
chapter 1 verse 15. Paul said, it pleased God who
separated me from my mother's womb and called me by His grace
to reveal His Son in me. It's an inward change. It's a
supernatural change. It's the work of God. That I
might preach Him among the heathen. Turn to Ephesians 2 and listen
to this. Ephesians chapter 2. Verse 8, For by grace are you
saved through faith, and that not of yourselves? It's the gift
of God. It's not of works, lest any man
should boast. For we are His workmanship, created
in Christ Jesus unto good work, which God hath before ordained,
that we should walk in them. It's an inward check. God working through His Word
and by His Spirit upon our hearts, on our attitudes, upon our spirits,
and the result is the outward evidence. And it's God doing
it. It's God working in us. And then
thirdly, this conversion and growth is forever. It's lasting. You see, the seed
of Christ by which He gives us life is incorruptible seed. Two
scriptures, 1 Peter chapter 1, verse 23. Being born again, not a corruptible
seed, but an incorruptible seed. Incorruptible, it can never die.
It can never decay. It's incorruptible seed by the
word of God, which liveth and abideth forever. 1 John 3, verse 9. Listen to this. 1 John 3, verse 9. Whosoever is born of God does
not commit sin, for his sin remaineth in him. He cannot sin, he is
born of God. It is incorruptible sin. This
is an inward change. This is a change, a supernatural
change, wrought by God through His Word. This is a lasting forever
change. You don't go back to infancy. You keep growing in corruptible
cities. Yet it's an imperfect change.
An imperfect change. All things become new. If any
man be in Christ Jesus, he's a new creature. All things become
new, but all things are not perfectly renewed. There's a growth. A child is born, he's a member
of the family, he has all the faculties of a man, but they're
infant faculties and they grow, they grow. Through growth he
matures. We read that all the time in
the scriptures about the maturity of believers and the growth of
believers. Let's look at that in Ephesians
chapter 2 a moment. I believe he's in Ephesians chapter
4, maybe it is. Let's find it. Ephesians chapter
4. Yeah, listen to this. In verse 11, he said that he
gave some apostles and some prophets and some evangelists and some
pastors and teachers for the perfecting of the saints, for
the maturity of the saints, for the work of the ministry. for
the edifying of the body of Christ. So we all come in the unity of
the faith of the knowledge of the Son of God into a mature
man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. We have light, but when we are
first saved, we have a lot of darkness. We have faith. But we have to cry in those beginning
days, and now too, but in those beginning days especially, Lord
help my unbelief. The will is renewed, but not
perfectly. There is still that old inclination,
that old sin remaining, that old nature. We delight in the
law of God, but Paul said, I find another law warring within me.
Bring me in captivity, the Lord said, and death. 1 Peter chapter
2, turn there, 1 Peter chapter 2, verse 1 and 2. Now this is conversion, this
is turning, this is a change. Our Lord, these disciples were
full of pride and envy and covetousness, things contrary to the glory
of God and the grace of God. And He says to them, when you're
converted, to Peter, strengthen your brother. He said, unless
you change. And this takes place in every
believer. We're born infants. We're born children. We're born
babes in Christ. We grow to young men in Christ.
We grow to elders in Christ. And there's a growth. There's
a change, an inward change, a supernatural change, a change by the work
of the Spirit of God and the Word of God, a change in us. There's a growth. We're saved,
we have all the faculties of spiritual maturity. But like
a child, they've got to grow. And that's this conversion. Conversion. Now look at chapter 2 of 1 Peter. Wherefore laying aside all malice. Who's he talking to? Believers. It's got to be laid aside. It
takes the grace of God and the power of God and the growth of
God. All guile, deceit, all hypocrisy,
all envy, all harsh words and evil speaking, lay it aside.
As soon as we hear the gospel and love Christ, well, lay all
that aside, don't kid yourself. We are enabled. There is a change
that takes place in here, a change takes place. First, cleanse that
which is within that the outer man might be cleansed. And that's
what happens. We grow. As newborn babies desire the
sincere milk of the Word, that ye may grow thereby. Let's go back to my text for
just a few more moments. What I'm saying here is is encouraging
to those who've most recently been saved. You discover things
in yourself and about yourself with which you're not happy. I think this is encouraging to
people who've been saved a while to look back and see how God
has enabled us to grow. We're not
what we want to be. We're not what we expect to be.
But we're not what we used to be. It's been a growth. It's
been a conversion. It's been a turning. It's been
a work of grace of God in our hearts to manifest the fruit
of God's Spirit. I wouldn't want to go back even
three or four years, would you? Don't want to go back. It was
grace that brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.
But now look at our text again, Matthew 18. And he talks about
these little children, these people. He says in verse 5, "...whosoever
shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.
But whoso shall offend one of these little ones..." He's talking
about believers, "...which believe in me, it was better for him
that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he would
drown in the depths of the sea." Don't make fun of a humble man
or a humble woman. Don't despise and ridicule one
that is little in his own estimation, his own thoughts, his own attitude. Less than the least of all the
saints, Paul said. Because this is exactly where
God wants us to be, as little children, without offense, quick to forgive. He said, woe unto the world because
of offenses. It must needs be that offenses
come, but woe to be that man by whom the offense comes. God's
children are going to be persecuted, harassed, and ridiculed for what
they believe and what they are and who they are. And that's
got to come, but woe to the man by whom it comes. And then he
says, verse 8, And here's what he's saying in these next verses,
whatever causes a person to offend or be offensive toward God's
children, get rid of it. No matter how much it's a part
of me or dear it is to me, dear is my right hand, dear is my,
I'd give my right arm somebody said for this, pretty dear to
you. Well, no matter what causes someone to be offensive for one
of God's little ones, one of those converted ones, one of
those who been brought down humble under the mighty hand of God.
Be careful how you treat such a one. And anything that causes
you to be offensive toward that little one, you better get rid
of it. That's what he's saying here.
If your right hand or your right foot offend thee, causes you
to be offensive or causes you to offend, just cut it off. Cast it from you. It's better
for you to enter into life halt and maim than to have two hands
and two feet and be cast into hell, into everlasting fire. If you're right, I'll offend
you, pluck it out, cast it from you. The Lord's not teaching
mutilation of a human body. He's saying whatever causes you
to be offensive, to offend one of God's little ones, get rid
of it. No matter how dear it is to you,
no matter how close it is to you, no matter how important
it is to you, you better get rid of it. Verse 10. So take
heed that you despise not one of these little ones. They're
humble on earth, but they're great in heaven. They're despised
on earth, but they're exalted in heaven. They know themselves
to be nothing. They're less than the least of
the same. They're chief of sinners. They're a humble people, but
they've got great influence in glory. Listen to this. I say
unto you that in heaven there are angels, the angels of God
do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven. If such excellent creatures are
concerned about and involved with the welfare of one of God's
little ones, how foolish is anybody to oppress
them. is anyone to cause them sorrow
whom God loves and has favored with his
work of grace, converted them in the process of converting
them, in the process And this is all based upon verse
11. The Son of Man is come to save
that which is lost. We understand what this is saying.
Conversion is the work of God. Salvation is the work of God.
The Father chose us. Christ Jesus died for us and
redeemed us. The Holy Spirit came and called
us. But the Lord says, I'll give
you a comforter and He'll teach you. He said, I have many things
to say to you that you can't bear. Now, after three and a
half years, they still couldn't bear it. But He said, nevertheless,
the Holy Spirit will take the things of mine and show them
to you, and show them to you, and show them to you, and show
them to you, and keep showing them to you, see, until you get
78 years old, and He's still showing them to you, and you
still grow, You're still eating the manna, feeding on Christ,
seeing more of Him, growing in grace, in the knowledge of Christ.
He never stops showing you. You don't ever arrive. Paul the
apostle said, I haven't arrived. I'm not perfect. But I forget those things which
are behind. And I press toward the mark for the prize of the
high calling of Christ my Lord. I'm being converted. I'm being
saved. I'm being changed. And the Lord
never stops where He starts. He came to seek Him to save the
lost. Verse 12, He said, I thank you
if a man has a hundred sheep, one of them gone astray, let
not he leave the ninety-nine, go to the mountains and seek
that which is gone astray. And it so be that he find it,
verily I say unto you, he rejoices, Moreover, that sheep and the
ninety-nine which went not astray, even so it's not the will of
your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should perish."
They're not going to perish. They're going to be converted. He didn't say to Peter, now if
you're converted, he said when you're converted. See that? Peter still had an awful lot
of me in him. And the Lord rebuked him, loved
him, but he rebuked him. But he said, now when you're
converted, when God changes you, when God
mellows you, when God crushes you, when God finishes stripping
you, when God shuts your mouth, you won't have so much to say,
Peter, next time I run into you. After you've been through this
trial, you're not going to have nearly as much to say. And what
you say will be worth hearing when I get through with you,
when you're converted. And when you're converted, you'll
become an influence instead of a problem. When you're converted,
you'll stop leading your brethren astray and you'll start strengthening
them. Not when you're saved. He didn't
say when you're saved. He said when you're converted, when you
change. There are four things, four things that are They're
involved in this conversion business. Number one, the mind is changed.
It's enlightened. It's enlightened in the knowledge
of God. That's the reason pastors are
called teachers, pastor-teachers. They don't just yell at you,
they teach you. It's enlightened in the knowledge of sin. More and more. It's enlightened
in the knowledge of self. Isaiah, long time, he'd been
ministering a long time, then he saw the Lord. He said, woe
is me. In the knowledge of Christ. In
the knowledge of this world and the next. And to get the two
where they ought to be. And then next, not only has the
mind changed, and enlightened, but the will is changed. The
will is cured of its inability to do good. He said, thy people
shall be willing. When? In the day of thy power. That's when they're willing. The will is inclined to do God's
pleasure. He has begotten in us both to
will and to do His pleasure. The will to do it, want to do
it. I delight Paul said in the Law of God, the will is made
to hate evil. The will is disposed to receive
Christ. Christ said to those people,
you will not come to Me, but you will. You'll come willingly,
you'll come lovingly, you'll come running, you'll keep coming.
To whom? Coming! The will is disposed
to keep on coming to Christ. Never leave, just keep coming.
And then the affections are changed. We love Him. The love of God
shed abroad in our hearts, we love Him. We really love Him
whom we've never seen. Love Him more than we love life
itself, more and more. We love His people. We love those
things that are identified with Him. This is not done like that. Our affection is set on suitable
objects after a time. Our affection is set on things
above, not on the things of this earth. There's not a person in this
building that can be set about totally. Totally. There's still a whole lot of
things that our affection is set on, but there's some by growth
and conversion whose affection is more set on things above.
That's right, more. The affections have changed.
And then thirdly, fourthly, the memories change. Grace has a
good memory and a good loss of memory. Grace has a good memory. Memory
gets better. about some things and it gets
poorer about other things as we are converted. The memory
gets better about the pit out of which we were digged. It's
better about that. The memory gets better about
all his benefits and forget not all his benefits. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and
forget not all his benefits. I remember more and more who
forgiveth all thine iniquities, healeth all thy diseases, satisfies
thy mouth with good things. Oh, I can give thanks better
now than I ever could in all my life. Can you? I really can. My prayers are becoming more
and more thanksgiving and less want to. Isn't that right? Asking for things. I don't know
what to ask for anymore. I really don't, except grace.
I sure need mercy and grace to help. We remember his broken
body and shed blood. I enjoyed the Lord's table December
the 31st, I guess more this week than I ever have before. You
feel that? It was a fresh experience. I remember. I remember the words
of our Lord Jesus Christ, how he said it's more blessed to
give than to receive. That takes some conversion. We
remember our spiritual leaders, those that have taught us in
the things of God. Grateful for them, more and more
grateful. We remember what the Lord said
to us about trials. He said, I told you, I told you,
in this world you'll have great tribulations. So that when these
things come to pass, you remember, I told you, I keep remembering.
He told me, told me, told me. I remember. But there's a loss
of memory. Paul said, forgetting those things
which are behind. Forgetting. Forgetting my rebellion
and my iniquity. Former things. Forget them. If the Lord has forgotten them,
I should. Don't dwell on them. Don't let
them depress me. Dwell on the coming Lord and
redemption, full redemption. Forgetting those things which
are behind. Forgetting my heritage and ancestry and professions
and experiences and works. Paul said the things which were
gained, I count but loss. Loss. I count them but done. for the knowledge of Christ Jesus,
my Lord. Forget them. You can't base anything
on them anyway. Forget what I've done in the
name of Christ. Forget it. Stop talking about
it. Stop thinking about it. It's not I but Christ. Paul said,
I labored more abundantly than all of you, but hold it, not
I, Christ in me. Forget it. That's what the people
of the judgment couldn't do. They said, Lord, we preached
in your name. They couldn't forget that. We cast out devils. We
did this great and wonderful work. That's not the believer's
language. The believer's language of the
judgment is unto him who loved me and washed me from my sins
in his own precious blood. Forget them. Forget those things which others
have said and others have done. Forget it. If God can forget
my humongous evil and sin, it looks like I can forget one little
out of words of my sin. Isn't that right? God says He
remembers our sin no more. No more. All that we said and
did and thought and imagined and acted and all in our... Even
after we were saved. Stupidity. He's forgotten it. He remembers
no more. then that's what a converted
memory does, it forgets. Isn't that right? When you're converted, when,
not if, you will be, I will be. Salvation is a work of God, I
have been saved, I'm being saved by God's grace, I will be saved.
But it will never stop. See, it's the seed of God, incorruptible.
I got incorruptible seed, incorruptible seed. It's the Spirit of God,
and it never stops. And that's one of the evidences
that you have been saved is you're being converted. That's one of the evidences of
an inward change is an outward growth, conversion. Does that help? It helped me. I just thought it was a When
I looked into this business of conversion, too many people are
connecting conversion with salvation. And salvation is conversion.
But it's not something that takes place five minutes ago. I've been around here 47 years
and I'm still being converted and you are too. I know, I know.
Some of us are easier to live with than we used to be. That's
conversion. We must have a little more grace
than we used to have. That's conversion. And I hope to have
a whole lot more, don't you? By His grace. But it will be
God that worketh in you, both to will, to want to, and to do
His good pleasure. All right. Let's sing a hymn.