Matthew 18:1-4

The Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven 1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus

and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”  2 He called a little child and had him stand among them. 3 And he said: “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Humility

“The hearts of infants being free from avarice, what care they for a handful of silver more than for a handful of dust?”

“The three greatest virtues of Christianity: humility, humility, and humility”

Being humble is a choice to credit God, not ourselves, for our abilities, and then to use those gifts in God’s service

HumilityPsalm 131    A song of ascents. Of David. 1 My heart is not proud, O LORD,

   my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters    or things too wonderful for me. 2 But I have stilled and quieted my soul;    like a weaned child with its mother,    like a weaned child is my soul within me.

 3 O Israel, put your hope in the LORD    both now and forevermore.

Dependence/Trust Psalm 62:7-8

7 My salvation and my honor depend on God[a];    he is my mighty rock, my refuge. 8 Trust in him at all times, O people;    pour out your hearts to him,    for God is our refuge.

Proverbs 3:5-65 Trust in the LORD with all your heart

   and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge him,    and he will make your paths straight.

Dependence

II Corinthians 3:4-54 Such confidence as this is ours through

Christ before God. 5 Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.

Dependence/worry free Matthew 6:25-34 Do Not Worry    25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or

drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life[a]?    28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Obedience Hebrews 5:8-10

8 Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered 9 and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him 10 and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.

1 Corinthians 10:10-1210 And do not grumble, as some of them did—and

were killed by the destroying angel. 11 These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. 12

So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!

Obedience

Philippians 2:1414 Do everything without complaining or

arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe

Growing in Christ

1 Peter 2:1-21 Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and

all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. 2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

Growing in Christ Hebrews 5:11-14

11 We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. 12 In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13 Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

1 Corinthians 3:1-3  1 Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as

worldly—mere infants in Christ. 2 I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. 3 You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men?

Drawing Close to God

James 4:6-86 But he gives us more grace. That is why

Scripture says:

   “God opposes the proud    but gives grace to the humble.”[b]

 7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded