Don't Despise Even One
Well, just a big thank you to all of you who came to support at the first service here at the Church of the Nazarene in Boksburg. What a special time we had yesterday. Thank you to those who prayed and fasted with us leading up to it as well. For me, it's a great joy to be back in the church community.
Understanding the Wandering Sheep
Let's turn this week to Matthew chapter 18. We'll look at verses 10 to 14, which is the parable of the wandering sheep. At the start of this chapter, Jesus puts a little child among Him and the disciples and says to them, if you don't receive the Kingdom of God like a child, you won't get in.
And in verse 10 He says this, "See that you do not despise one of these little ones." Don't despise even a single child of God. This was not the way it was done in biblical times. Children were thought of as less than nothing. They had no standing at all in the world. It's changed somewhat in our culture. The child does have rights and is looked after generally. But when Jesus said that, that must have confused the people. But that's how He was. He was countercultural. He changed things. He changed the way people thought about children. Not one child deserves anybody's hatred in this world.
Guarding Against Bitterness
But there's another angle to this. We have to go back a few verses to verse 6, where Jesus says this: "If anyone causes one of these little ones, those who believe in Me, to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea." It's a serious call to each of us to remember that we need to lead people in the truth. But did you catch there that when He was talking about little ones, He was not only talking about children, but anybody who believes in Jesus? Then He said, don't despise one of these little ones, one person who believes in Me.
Do you despise anybody today? Bitterness and hatred has a way of eating up at you like nothing else. Despising a person has a way of destroying your own soul like very little else in the world. And maybe somebody's face has come into mind when you think of despising somebody.
Would you come to God today and release that hatred to Him? Would you go to God and earnestly ask Him to forgive your bitterness and unforgiveness? And to fill you instead with His love, even for the people that you don't particularly like.
Friends, Jesus said it: "See to it that you do not despise one of these little ones." Take your despising thoughts to God. Let Him take them away from you. Believe that He can kill that feeling inside of you and give it to God. Because the way of Jesus is not to despise, it's to love even our enemies.
