Sermons

How to Change the Way You See Other People: Matthew 18:10-14 – 2/16/25 (Week 53)

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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 the Father’s heart towards all people. 

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

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.[a]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[b] Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

God’s Word makes it clear that we are to love God, and love others. So many times though, there can be a person, or a group of people, who we can have a difficult time loving. In this part of God’s Word, Jesus is teaching His disciples not to despise a group of people who are lowly in society. When you find yourself having a difficult time loving someone, or a group of people,…

Remember:

  1. God created that person in His image

Matt. 18:10, Heb. 1:14, Gen. 1:26-31, Jer. 1:5, Ps. 139:13, Eph. 2:10

  1. God knows that person inside and out

Matt. 18:10, Ps. 139:1-12, Heb. 4:13, 10:13, Rom. 12:19, Prov. 20:22

  1. God cares deeply for that person

Matt. 18:12, 6:30, 11:28, 1 Pet. 5:7, Ps. 8:4, Rom. 8:32

  1. God is actively pursuing that person

Matt. 18:12-13, Rom. 3:23, 1 John 4:19, Ez. 43:11, 1 Pet. 2:9, Luke 13:34

  1. God can redeem that person

Matt. 18:13, Mark 10:25, Eph. 1:7, Titus 2:14, 1 Tim. 1:15

  1. God wants to celebrate that person’s salvation

Matt. 18:14, 2 Pet. 3:9, John 6:39-40, Luke 15:9-10, 22-24, 32

  1. God views us these ways as well

Matt. 18:10-14, Ps. 52:12, Rom. 5:6-8

Reflecting on God’s Word

Getting Started

  • Take some time to read over Matthew 18:10-14 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?
  • As you think about what we discussed during the message, who did the Lord bring to your mind? Why do you think that is? Has He ever brought that person, or those people, to your mind before? If so, how, and why do you think that is? 
  • Be honest with yourself, and spend some time in prayer, asking the Lord about any prejudices you may have. If you have any, spend some time seeking the Lord’s forgiveness (Read 1 John 1:9) and think through where those prejudices come from. 

 

Diving In 

  1. Oftentimes, we can have a difficult time loving someone because they, or someone similar to them, have hurt us in the past. Have you ever experienced that? If so, what happened? Who, or what group of people, hurt you? 

 

  • When this is the case, we can be tempted to take revenge, or treat that person (or people) in a way that isn’t loving. Read Heb. 10:13, Rom. 12:19, and Prov. 20:22. How can these verses help you when you find yourself in this type of situation? 

 

  1. How does thinking through how the Lord views other people help you to love them better? Spend some time reading through the entire chapter of Luke 15. How do the 3 parables in this chapter help you to love others? How can you avoid the mistake that the older brother made in Luke 15:25-30?  

 

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?