Bonus resources:

Raising Men, Not Boys - Mike Fabarez

Equipping for Life - Andreas & Margaret Kostenberger

Shepherding a Child's Heart - Tedd Trip

Main Text: Matthew 19:13-15 (ESV) 13 Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people, 14 but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” 15 And he laid his hands on them and went away.

Preaching Point: God’s kids must value and welcome children, in part, because their humility and trust display the very qualities God expects from everyone who belongs to His Kingdom.

Teaching Points:

1. Parents: Make Jesus Your Kids’ Number One Priority (V. 13a)
2. Church: Seize Every Opportunity to Teach Our Kids More About Jesus (VV. 13b-15)
3. Grasp The Childlike Nature of Saving Faith (VV. 13b-15)

Bonus Resources:

1. Summer on the Mount: Divorce (Matthew 5:31-32) | Pastor Hayden Thomas
2. Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage in the Bible by Jay Adams

Main Text: Matthew 19:1–12 (ESV) 1 Now when Jesus had finished these sayings, he went away from Galilee and entered the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. 2 And large crowds followed him, and he healed them there. 3 And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?” 4 He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, 5 and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” 7 They said to him, “Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?” 8 He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. 9 And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.” 10 The disciples said to him, “If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” 11 But he said to them, “Not everyone can receive this saying, but only those to whom it is given. 12For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who is able to receive this receive it.”

Preaching Point: God’s kids must align their thinking with God’s Word by honoring marriage as a lifelong covenant and confronting the hardheartedness that leads to divorce, while embracing singleness as a valid calling for those who are uniquely gifted for it.

Teaching Points:

1. Focus on Marriage, not Divorce (VV. 1-6)
2. Deal with the Hard Heart Surrounding Divorce Talk (VV. 7-9)
3. Value Singleness as a Valid Biblical Option (VV. 10-12)

Main Text: Matthew 18:21–35 (ESV) 21 Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times. 23 “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. 24 When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. 25 And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26 So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ 27 And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. 28 But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ 29 So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ 30 He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. 31 When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. 32 Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ 34 And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. 35So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”

Preaching Point: As God’s kids, we must consistently reflect our Heavenly Father’s character by extending the same extravagant forgiveness toward his children that he extends to us.

Teaching Point:

1. Get Serious About Extending Abundant Forgiveness (VV. 21-22)
2. Grasp the Unpayable Debt You Were Released From (VV. 23-27)
3. Confess the Hypocrisy of Your Unforgiveness (VV. 28-30)
4. Fear the Implications of an Unforgiving Heart (VV. 31-35)

Main Text: Matthew 18:15–20 (ESV) 15 “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. 18 Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 19 Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”

Preaching Point: Prayerfully correcting God’s kids in the prescribed biblical manner is a responsibility we must administer with great care, knowing that God approves of it and Christ is in the midst of it.

Teaching Points:

1. Stick to the Biblical Pattern (VV. 15-17)

a. Go One-on-One

b. Bring One or Two Along

c. Tell the Church

2. Grasp the Church’s Divine Responsibility (V. 18)

3. Seek God’s Presence and Approval (VV. 19-20)

Galatians 5:16-26 (ESV) 16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

Preaching Point: God’s faithfulness to fulfill all of his promises for us in Christ must propel our own spirit-empowered faithfulness in everyday life.

Teaching Points:

1. Recall God’s Perfect Faithfulness
2. Respond to God’s Faithfulness
3. Exhibit Christlike Reliability

Main Text: Matthew 18:10-14 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. 12 What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? 13 And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. 14 So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

Preaching Point: We should reflect God’s heart by showing the same vigilant care for one another that God and his angels show toward us.

Teaching Points:

1. Match Heaven’s Concern for God’s Kids (V. 10)
2. Value Every Single One of God’s Kids (V. 12)
3. Eagerly Welcome Back God’s Wayward Kids (VV. 13-14)

Bonus Notes on Textual Criticism:

Video Resources:

1. Can I trust the Bible? - Dr Robert Plummer (6 min)
2. Why do the footnotes in my Bible say, "Some manuscripts say..."? - Dr Rober Plummer (5 min)
3. Is the Bible we have what the original authors even wrote? - Wes Huff (30 min)

Video/Audio Lectures:

1. Origins of the Bible - Dr. Mike Fabarez (12-part series)

Books:

Main Point: Christians must cherish one another as they cherish Christ by promoting behavior that prevents themselves and others from stumbling.

Teaching Points:

1. Treat One Another as God’s Kids (V. 5)
2. Prefer Death Over Causing God’s Kids to Stumble (V. 6)
3. Dread the Thought of Causing God’s Kids to Stumble (V. 7)
4. Do Whatever It Takes to Eliminate Opportunities for Sin (VV. 8-9)

Application Questions:

1. Write down one observation or application you found helpful from this week’s sermon.
2. Read Matthew 5:8. How do you typically treat the average Christian you know? Do you cherish them as you would if they were Jesus?
3. How can you better cherish each Christian as God’s kid?
4. Read Matthew 18:6. What does this verse reveal about how seriously God views anyone who causes a believer to stumble?
5. How does the severity of Christ’s warning sharpen your own vigilance to ensure that you will not be the reason someone else trips spiritually?
6. Read 2 Peter 3:4-7 and Romans 14:10-12. Why should the sober reminder of God’s coming judgment keep you from adding more stumbling blocks in an already sinful world?
7. Read Romans 13:10-14 and Matthew 18:8-9. What do these verses offer to help you see the necessity of taking any measure necessary to eliminate opportunities for sin in your life?
8. What are some things you can eliminate in your life that are causes for sin, either for you or others?

Main text: Matthew 18:1-4 (ESV) 1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them 3 and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Preaching Point: We must remember that in God’s House, the greatest are not ranked by their accolades or how fast they climb the ladder, but by how much they humble themselves in the name of Christ.

Teaching Points:

1. Stop Thinking You’re Better Than the Next Christian (V. 1)
2. Understand the Terms for Joining God’s Household (VV. 2-3)
3. Excel in Displaying Christlike Humility (V. 4)