Good morning. Yesterday we
talked about having to be converted and become like children to enter the
kingdom of heaven. Want to be great in the kingdom of heaven? Whoever humbles
himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. That is just
the opposite of what men try to do. Whoever receives one such a child in My
name receives Me; but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me
to stumble, it is better for him that a heavy millstone be hung around his
neck, and that he be drowned in the depths of the sea. That's pretty clear; and
yet there are a lot of people who disregard that admonition. Woe to the world
because of its stumbling blocks! (Remember Peter and the mouse trap) It is
inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to that man through whom the
stumbling block comes! Then He talks about the hand, foot, eye causing you to
stumble – get rid of it! Of course those things cannot cause you to stumble.
Stumbling comes from your heart. See that you do not despise one of these
little ones, for I say to you, that their angels in heaven continually behold
the face of My Father who is in heaven. And thus we know that little ones have
angels. God must care a lot about them for that to be true. Then a verse that
is not in most ancient manuscripts: For the Son of Man has come to save that
which was lost. While it is a true statement, you should not use this verse to
try and prove it. Father thank You that the reader humbles him/herself like a
child, and is great in the kingdom of heaven.
Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me
Good morning. Paul then gives a list of a lot of things that he has gone through as an apostle. I do not write these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For if you were to have countless tutors in Christ, yet you would not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. There could be many people that you listen to either in church or through the Internet or other means; but there was only one person (as a general rule it was a person) that lead you to Christ. Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me. He was saying that just like a child imitates his or her father, they were to imitate him. He says that again seven chapters later. Since it is easy to forget some things about people we have not seen in a while, Paul says that he sent Timothy to them to remind them of his ways which are in Christ, just as he taught everywhere in every church. Some have become arrogant, as though I were not coming to you. I shall find ou...
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