Sermons

The Antidote to Your Pride… How to Have Child-like Faith: Matthew 18:1-6 – 2/2/25 (Week 51)

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Sermon Series: We are currently going through a sermon series in the Gospel of Matthew. Today, we’re talking about a moment where Jesus teaches His disciples an important lesson on humility. 

Who Is the Greatest?

18 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.

5 “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, 6 but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin,[a] it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.

Have you ever heard someone talking, or read about, having a child-like faith and wondered what it meant? Today, we’re looking at a part of God’s Word where Jesus has a teaching moment with His disciples, and talks about the importance of having a child-like faith. 

How to have child-like faith

  1. Don’t be concerned with your own status

Rom. 12:3, Phil. 2:3, 1 Pet. 5:5, James 4:6, Gal. 6:3

  1. Be 100% honest

Prov. 11:3, 12:22, Ex. 20:16, John 8:32, 2 Cor. 8:21, Phil. 4:8

  1. Be full of joy

Rom. 15:13, Phil. 4:4, James 1:2-4, Ps. 16:11, John 16:24, Gal. 5:22-23

  1. Be content with what you have

Heb. 13:5, Phil. 4:11-13, 1 Tim. 6:6-11, Luke 12:15, 2 Cor. 12:10

  1. Trust the Lord radically

Prov. 22:4, Ps. 9:10, 28:7, Josh. 1:9, Matt. 28:19-20, Ps. 46:10

  1. Don’t be a “know it all”

Rom. 12:16, Micah 6:8, Prov. 11:2, 16:5, 18

  1. Love others well

Matt. 7:12, Col. 3:12, Eph. 4:2, Matt. 5:43-48, Rom. 12:14, Luke 23:34

Reflecting on God’s Word

Getting Started

  • Take some time to read over Matthew 18:1-6 and pray. 
  • Have you ever read or heard about this before? What stood out to you as we were talking about it? 
  • What surprised you as we talked about it?
  • Have you ever thought about having a child-like faith before? Have you ever fallen into some of the misconceptions about having a child-like faith that we talked about during the message? 

Diving In 

  1. Of the 7 things to do to have a child- like faith, which one is the most difficult for you to consider? Why?
  1. If you were able to do all 7 of these things, how would it change the way you live and feel everyday? Why
  1. How often do you find yourself comparing your status with that of others? What aspects of your life are affected when you compare yourself to others, and are overly focused on your own position and status?
  1. How often do you find yourself in any type of lie, even a “white” lie? What is your motivation for doing that? How can you be more honest, even in little situations? 
  1. How often do you find yourself to be completely full of joy? How does a lack of joy in your life negatively affect your relationship with the Lord? What stops you from being joyful? How can you have more joy in your life? 
  1. Read 1 Timothy 6:6-11. What are you not content with right now? How can you be more content with what you have? 
  1. What do you need to trust the Lord for during this season of your life? How would trusting God more lead you to have a more child-like faith? 
  1. How often do you find yourself being a know-it-all? Why is that? How can you humbly ask more questions? 
  1. Read Matthew 18:5-6. How do you keep yourself from leading those around into sin? How can you love those around you better?
  1. If you were able to have a more child-like faith, who around you would you be giving a better example to? 

Applying the Scripture

What are your biggest takeaways from this passage of God’s Word? 

  • What practical step(s) do you need to implement in your life to apply what God has taught you in this passage of Scripture? 
  • How would applying this affect your life and your relationship with the Lord? 
  • Who can you ask to keep you accountable to applying this to your life?





Small Group Guide:

Open with prayer.

Go around and give everyone a chance to share about how the past week has been. What’s one highlight? What’s one lowlight?

If your small group has talked about it before, feel free to use this time to hold people accountable to what they’ve asked to be held accountable for previously, and go through the “missional” part of this discussion guide.

Prayer Time:

Pray for each other in your small group to be faithful take the step(s) that you shared above. Pray for each other and the interactions that they have with those who don’t know Jesus. Pray that God would soften the people’s hearts to what He has for them. Pray that God would give everyone opportunities to share the Gospel.

Staying Missional:

Share spiritual/missional conversations you’ve had where you live, work, and play:

Who did you have a conversation with that took a spiritual/missional turn this week?
What questions did you ask to discover where God is at work in their life, even if they are not aware?
How were you able to share your story of life change or how you have experienced Jesus?
How can you be intentional this week with people where you live, work, and play to have spiritual/missional conversations if the opportunity arises?
Who in your life do you think could be discipleable or open to spiritual/missional conversations?

What’s next?

Discuss the next step for your small group. When will we gather again and what purpose will it fulfill?