Matthew 18

The Greatest in the Kingdom

18About that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?"G1722G1565G5610G4334G3101G2424G3004G5101G686G2076G3187G1722G932G37722Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them.G2532G2424G4341G3813G4341G2476G846G1722G3319G8463Then he said, "I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven.G2532G2036G281G3004G5213G3362G4762G2532G1096G5613G3813G1525G3364G1525G1519G932G37724So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.G3748G3767G5013G1438G5613G5124G3813G3778G2076G3187G1722G932G37725"And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf

is welcoming me.G2532G3739G1437G1209G1520G5108G3813G1909G3450G3686G1209G16916But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to have a large millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea.G1161G3739G302G4624G1520G5130G3398G3588G4100G1519G1691G4851G846G2443G3458G3684G2910G1909G846G5137G2532G2670G1722G3989G22817"What sorrow awaits the world, because it tempts people to sin. Temptations are inevitable, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting.G3759G2889G575G4625G1063G318G2076G4625G2064G4133G3759G444G1565G1223G3739G4625G20648So if your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It's better to enter eternal life with only one hand or one foot than to be thrown into eternal fire with both of your hands and feet.G1161G1487G4675G5495G2228G4675G4228G4624G1581G846G1581G2532G906G575G4571G4675G2076G2570G4671G1525G1519G2222G5560G2228G2948G2228G2192G1417G5495G2228G1417G4228G906G1519G166G44429And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It's better to enter eternal life with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell

.G2532G1487G4675G3788G4624G4571G1807G846G1807G2532G906G575G4675G2076G2570G4671G1525G1519G2222G3442G2228G2192G1417G3788G906G1519G1067G444210"Beware that you don't look down on any of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels are always in the presence of my heavenly Father.G3708G2706G3361G1520G5130G3398G1063G3004G5213G3754G1722G3772G846G32G1223G3956G991G4383G3450G3962G3588G1722G377211

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Parable of the Lost Sheep

12"If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, what will he do? Won't he leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost?G5101G1380G5213G1437G5100G444G1096G1540G4263G2532G1520G1537G846G4105G863G3780G863G1768G4198G1909G3735G2212G3588G410513And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he will rejoice over it more than over the ninety-nine that didn't wander away!G2532G1437G1096G2147G846G281G3004G5213G3754G5463G3123G1909G846G2228G1909G1768G3588G4105G3361G410514In the same way, it is not my heavenly Father's will that even one of these little ones should perish.G3779G2076G3756G2307G1715G5216G3962G3588G1722G3772G2443G1520G5130G3398G622

Correcting Another Believer

15"If another believer

sins against you, go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back.G1161G1437G4675G80G264G1519G4571G5217G2532G1651G846G1651G3342G4675G2532G846G3441G1437G191G4675G2770G4675G8016But if you are unsuccessful, take one or two others with you and go back again, so that everything you say may be confirmed by two or three witnesses.G1161G3362G191G3362G191G3880G3326G4675G1520G2228G1417G2089G2443G1909G4750G1417G2228G5140G3144G3956G4487G247617If the person still refuses to listen, take your case to the church. Then if he or she won't accept the church's decision, treat that person as a pagan or a corrupt tax collector.G1161G1437G3878G846G2036G1577G1161G2532G1437G3878G1577G2077G4671G5618G1482G2532G505718"I tell you the truth, whatever you forbid

on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.G281G3004G5213G3745G1437G1210G1909G1093G2071G1210G1722G3772G2532G3745G1437G3089G1909G1093G2071G3089G1722G377219"I also tell you this: If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you.G3825G3004G5213G3754G1437G1417G5216G4856G1909G1093G4012G3956G4229G3739G1437G154G1096G846G3844G3450G3962G3588G1722G377220For where two or three gather together as my followers

, I am there among them."G1063G3757G1417G2228G5140G1526G4863G1519G1699G3686G1563G1510G1722G3319G846

Parable of the Unforgiving Debtor

21Then Peter came to him and asked, "Lord, how often should I forgive someone

who sins against me? Seven times?"G5119G4334G4074G846G2036G2962G4212G3450G80G264G1519G1691G2532G863G846G2193G203422"No, not seven times," Jesus replied, "but seventy times seven!

G2424G3004G846G3004G3756G4671G2193G2034G235G2193G1441G203323"Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him.G1223G5124G932G3772G3666G444G935G3739G2309G4868G3056G3326G846G140124In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars

.G1161G846G756G4868G1520G4374G846G3781G846G3463G500725He couldn't pay, so his master ordered that he be sold—along with his wife, his children, and everything he owned—to pay the debt.G1161G846G2192G3361G591G846G2962G2753G846G4097G2532G846G1135G2532G5043G2532G3956G3745G2192G2532G59126"But the man fell down before his master and begged him, 'Please, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.'G1401G3767G4098G4352G846G3004G2962G3114G1909G1698G2532G591G4671G395627Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt.G1161G2962G1565G1401G4697G630G846G2532G863G846G115628"But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars

. He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment.G1161G1565G1401G1831G2147G1520G846G4889G3739G3784G846G1540G1220G2532G2902G846G4155G3004G591G3427G3748G378429"His fellow servant fell down before him and begged for a little more time. 'Be patient with me, and I will pay it,' he pleaded.G3767G846G4889G4098G1519G846G4228G3870G846G3004G3114G1909G1698G2532G591G4671G395630But his creditor wouldn't wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full.G1161G2309G3756G235G565G906G846G1519G5438G2193G3739G591G378431"When some of the other servants saw this, they were very upset. They went to the king and told him everything that had happened.G1161G846G4889G1492G1096G4970G3076G2532G2064G1285G846G2962G3956G109632Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, 'You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me.G5119G846G2962G4341G846G3004G846G4190G1401G863G4671G3956G1565G3782G1893G3870G316533Shouldn't you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?'G1163G3756G4571G2532G1653G4675G4889G2532G5613G1473G1653G457134Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt.G2532G846G2962G3710G3860G846G930G2193G3739G591G3956G3784G84635"That's what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters

from your heart."G3779G3450G2032G3962G4160G2532G5213G3362G575G5216G2588G863G3362G1538G846G80G846G3900