Our Heavenly Father Does Not Want Anyone To Perish

Matthew 18:1-20 This section of Matthew’s Gospel is divided into four different headings:  Who is the Greatest in the Kingdom, Temptations to Sin, the Parable of the Lost Sheep, and If Your Brother Sins Against You.  In other words, the editor views these twenty verses as four different topics—and you could certainly study them separately. 

But there is a common theme that binds them together and it’s found in verse 14:  Our heavenly Father does not want anyone to perish.  That is the theme of these verses and that is the theme of the whole Bible:  For God so loved the WORLD that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him SHOULD NOT PERISH but have eternal life.

From the very beginning, when God promised Adam and Eve that he would send a Savior to destroy the works of Satan, our heavenly Father has done everything necessary for every person in the world to go to heaven rather than to perish in hell. 

The Bible says that Jesus is the atoning sacrifice for our sins but not for our sins, but for the sins of the WORLD.  The Bible says that God was in Christ, reconciling the WORLD to himself, not counting men’s sins against them.

God loves every person in this world.  Each of us are his creation.  And he earnestly desires that everyone would be saved and spend eternity with him in heaven rather than perish in hell.

The illustration that Jesus used in these verses to make this point is familiar:  a shepherd with a flock of one hundred sheep- and yet such is his concern for each of them that he seeks even one who wanders away—99 percent not being good enough for the shepherd. 

Of course the real wonder is that this same principle is true even if the flock numbers a thousand or a million or a billion.  Our heavenly Father’s love extends even to the one and he wants each of us to be a part of his kingdom.  And so how does that happen, that we take our place in the kingdom of heaven?  The Bible says that:

The disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”  And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.   Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

            This is the way that we gain a place in the kingdom of heaven:  we are called into it and placed there by Jesus.  That is the only way!  The disciples were so concerned about whether or not they were important to the kingdom that they never thought to ask themselves:  am I even a member of the kingdom? 

Such is the spiritual danger of self- importance because life in the kingdom is not based upon what we do, not by our status, not be what others think of us—but that we are called there and placed there by Jesus.

That call goes out every time the Gospel is preached.  When the old, old story of Jesus’ death and resurrection is told, when his presence in Holy Communion is proclaimed, when we hear the Good News that in Baptism we have been buried and raised with Christ, there in those words God is graciously calling us to come and take our place in his kingdom as his children.

Insisting on a place based on who we are or what we have done will not work.  Demanding that we be acknowledged because we are better than others will fall on deaf, divine ears.  Putting ourselves forward will make us last. 

Can you imagine anything more absurd than the little child in the Gospel pushing past all those grown men demanding to be treated as an equal?  It’s laughable.  And yet when called there and placed there by Jesus that little child had an honored place in the kingdom with Jesus—a place and relationship that must not be destroyed by our sins.  Jesus says that:

Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, 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.  “Woe to the world for temptations to sin!  For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes! 

            When we understand the love that God has for every person in the world, when we consider what Jesus has done to make it possible for us to have a place in his kingdom—the thought of hurting the faith of a fellow believer, of causing them to stumble and perish and lose their salvation ought to make us very thoughtful about how we live our lives. 

Just imagine one of the disciples laying his hands on the little child that Jesus had just welcomed into his presence and throwing him out of the circle.  Who would do such a thing?!  And yet that is exactly what happens when we lead those around us into sin. 

So that we might understand this warning, what are some examples or situations where this happens?  Jesus is talking about:

Heads of homes who do not lead their family to worship and bible study and so cause their loved ones to break the Third Commandment.  Spouses who speak ill of one another and fight with one another so that marriage is not held in honor by their children and the Sixth Commandment is broken.  Church members who gossip and church members who listen to gossip so that the Eighth Commandment is broken.  Citizens who publicly tear down their leaders so that the Fourth Commandment is broken.  And so on.

The sinful world around us is full enough of temptations that entice the child of God away from the fold without Christians tempting other Christians to sin.  We have a responsibility to lead our lives in such a way that the faith of those around us is strengthened rather than harmed.  That begins with us repenting of the sin in our own life and being done with it and amending our lives accordingly.  Jesus says:

If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire.  And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire.

            If all this talk about cutting of hands and feet and plucking out eyes seems a little extreme it is only because we do not really understand: the holiness of God- or his expectations for our lives as his people- or what is at stake eternally when it comes to sin.  Now then…

Jesus knows full well that cutting off our arms and legs and plucking out our eyes will not fix our sin problem (which lies in our heart and mind) but he wants us to understand just how serious the problem is.  Eternity is at stake.  Eternity in the unending, tormenting fires of hell. 

The point Jesus makes here is the same as he made last week:  what good does it do to gain the world and lose your soul?  In other words, what is your soul worth?  At what cost will your eternal salvation be sold away?

Is it worth going to hell to gossip?  Of course not!  Is it worth going to hell to lust?  No!  Is it worth going to hell to do what I want to do on the Lord’s Day rather than worship God?  Never!  Is it worth going to hell to nourish the petty hatred I have in my heart?  God forbid!  And yet those are the kind of trade-offs that people sitting in pews make all the time, counting their life with God a small thing --when God has done everything for our salvation.

God has known us and loved us for eternity.  Jesus has died for us on the cross.  The Holy Spirit has called us to take our place in the kingdom.  Our heavenly Father does not want anyone to perish which is why Jesus tells us to not lead others astray-- and take the sin in our life seriously—and help our fellow Christians when they fall into sin.  Jesus says:

“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.  

            Our heavenly Father does not want anyone to perish.  That is why we are careful about how we live our life so that others are not led into sin.  That is why we are serious about amending our own live when we fall into sin.  But our life in the kingdom does not end with us only being concerned about our sin.  It is also includes being concerned for our fellow believer when they sin.

            When this happens, and when it affects us, we are to care for our brother’s soul by going to him privately, talking with him about, and doing all that we can to restore him to God through the same repentance that we exercise in our own life.  Accusation.  Gloating.  Judgment.  These have no part because that’s not how God deals with us when we sin. 

Rather, in times when our brother sins against us, we have the same spirit and love and care and concern as the Shepherd who sought us out—not to condemn us or judge us—but to see us returned to the flock.  The same desire that our heavenly Father has (that no one would perish) is what we desire for our brother who has fallen into sin.

If need be, it may involve others, so that the one who has fallen can see his sin for it is and repent.  And if there is no repentance, then we recognize they are no longer part of the kingdom and must once again be called and claimed by Jesus.  This is ultimately God’s work and he promises to work with us.  Jesus says:

Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.  For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”

            When we tell our brother that they are on the wrong track and they need to repent, that is not just our opinion—that is God’s judgment too.  When we tell our sister that they are forgiven and that God loves them, that is not just our opinion—that’s God’s judgment too. 

Every time we deal with one another according to God’s Word we can be confident that it is God’s voice that is heard:  speaking words of warning and forgiveness- because it is his will that we repent and believe so that we do not perish.

None of this is easy to do!  None of it!  It’s not easy living a life so that those around us are not wounded by our sins.  It’s not easy to repent of our sins and amend our ways.  And it’s certainly not easy to say to a fellow believer:  you’ve done wrong. 

But we have a wonderful promise from Jesus that we are not alone in this.  We have brothers and sisters to share in our life our life of discipleship and help us along the way.  And we have Jesus’ promise that wherever his people are found—even if they are but a few, he will be right there with them, strengthening them and lifting them up to bring them safely to their heavenly home.  Amen.