Matthew 18:15 (Seeking Sheep That Have Gone Astray, Part 1)

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Recall the context of these verses in Mat 18:1-14, Mar 9:33-50, and Luk 9:46-50.  While a number of Jesus’ followers had ceased to follow Him (Joh 6:66), His closest disciples had become even more convinced that He was the Messiah and that the establishment of His kingdom was imminent (cf. Peter’s confession and Jesus’ response…

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Matthew 18:11-14 (The Father’s Great Love For the Lost)

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Recall the context of these verses: The disciples had come to believe that Jesus was the promised Messiah and that the establishment of His kingdom was imminent.  As His closest followers they supposed they would occupy positions of importance in that kingdom, so that on their way back from Caesarea Philippi they had argued over…

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Matthew 18:8-9 (Eternal Fire and the Fiery Hell, Part 2)

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How is Gehenna or “the fiery hell” different from Hades or Sheol, the place of the dead?  Note: Gehenna was understood to be in Hades (NT Greek) or Sheol (OT Hebrew), where the departed spirits of all men went when their physical bodies died (cf. Num 16:29-33, 1Sa 28:8-19, Isa 14:9-15, Mat 11:23, Act 2:27). …

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Matthew 18:8-9 (Eternal Fire and the Fiery Hell, Part 1)

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Consider again the context of the words in this passage that were spoken by Jesus to His closest disciples.  They assumed that because they had continued to follow Jesus when others had fallen away (see Joh 6:66-69) that they would occupy positions of importance in His kingdom.  Would we not think the same?  And yet…

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Mark 9:38-42 (“Little Ones” in Christ Who Don’t Follow Us)

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Read Mark 9:33-37 where Mark describes the conversation that took place in the context of the argument (Luk 9:46) that had arisen among the disciples as to which of them was the greatest (Mar 9:34).  What did John say in response to Jesus’ correcting their faulty understanding of what it means to be great in…

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