1. “WHO THEN IS GREATEST IN THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN?” MATTHEW 18:1 Questions Asked of the Lord

2. Who is the Greatest? Matthew 18:1-5: “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Great: Found nearly 1,000 times in scripture; used to describe God’s creation, our reward in heaven, the power of Christ and His apostles. Only things truly great? From the hand of God. The Kingdom: Synonym for the church (Matt. 16:18-19; Acts 2; Acts 10; Luke 22:30; I Cor. 10:16, 21; Rev. 1:4, 6, 9) and also refers to heaven (Acts 14:22; II Timothy 4:18; II Peter 1:11).

3. Who is the Greatest? Matthew 18:1-5: “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” We become like children by humbling ourselves. The one characteristic every child shares— dependence on someone else for survival. We, too, need to recognize our dependence upon God (Prov. 3:5-6; Matt. 22:37; Acts 17:24-25). However, this isn’t a competition amongst ourselves (John 13:1-20; Luke 22:24).

4. Who is the Greatest? We are not competitors; we are on the same team (Romans 12:4). Greatness or being great isn’t our goal; rather, using what God has given us as best as we can is the goal (Matthew 25:14-30). Every single member of the body of Christ is valuable (Ephesians 4:1-6, 11, 16; I Cor. 12:12-26; Psalm 133:1). We are, though, competing for something (I Cor. 9:24-27; II Timothy 4:6-8). Matthew 20:1-16: Parable of the workers in the vineyard.

5. The Plan of Salvation  Hear (Romans 1:16; 10:14,17)  Believe (John 8:24; Mark 16:16; Hebrews 11:6)  Repent (Acts 2:38; 3:19; 17:30)  Confess (Romans 10:9-10; Matthew 10:32-33)  Be baptized (Acts 2:38; 22:16; Mark 16:16)  Live faithfully (Revelation 2:10; Matthew 6:33; Romans 12:1-2; I Corinthians 15:58)