Sermon for 9/29/13 Matthew 18:1-11

Sermon: TheGreatest in the Kingdom of Heaven

Angels, mighty forces, spiritual warfare, overcoming power, greatness and glory
 all the things we want
 mighty warriors for God
 iron men
 superheroes
Who wants to be great?
 World’s Greatest ________ on a t-shirt or mug
 Supermom makes sure the kids are all perfect
 Superdad can fix anything
 We’re Americans, superior, independent, rugged, pretty much indestructible (John Wayne?)
But who is in the battle described in Daniel and in Revelation?
 The people are those who have died in the faith.
 The current combatants are spiritual beings.
 Pinch yourself. You’re not a spirit being like an angel, are you?
In Revelation 12:11 God says that his believers have overcome Satan, that they have done it by the blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ.
 in ourselves we are not able to fight
 in ourselves we cannot stand
 in ourselves we have no hope for victory, no strength against the spiritual forces of darkness.
 In Jesus we have overcome the enemy.
Wait, I thought Jesus did that. How do we overcome the enemy?
Jesus has given that to us out of his good favor.
How can this be?
I had a daughter who liked to help me with things.
 repairing the piano -  building a shed -  moving a wall at the school building -  fixing a computer -  repairing light fixtures at school
There’s a lot of “I can help by watching” that goes on.



Isn’t that like we are?
A lot of the “I can help by watching” with our Lord’s work makes u like the little children, the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.



How do we do that?  Watch what the Lord does in . . .
 Receiving eagerly from the Lord in the divine service
 Praying and watching for God’s grace
 Witnessing what the Lord does with people in the Bible
 Learning to speak biblical truth into our lives and those around us
 Visiting our shut-ins
 Serving our community - talk briefly about reaching out with Jesus’ kindness
After a while we find ourselves imitating Jesus
 loved us -  gave himself for us -  prays -  serves -  forgives



The battle is not for the strong of this world. The battle belongs to our Lord. He is the victorious one.