Spoken at SGBC

6-21-98

Luke 117

17:1-4

Your sin, My sin, be on guard against both! Be forgiving! 

Listen as I read a series of scriptures which will introduce our lesson today. Matthew 16:23 But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are a STUMBLING BLOCK to Me; (Peter was trying to keep Jesus from doing what Jesus knew God wanted Him to do.) for you are not setting your mind on God's interests, but man's." Romans 14:7 "For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself; {8} for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord's. . . {12} So then each one of us shall give account of himself to God. {13} Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this-- not to put AN OBSTACLE OR A STUMBLING BLOCK in a brother's way." Romans 14:21 "It is good not to eat meat or to drink wine, or to do ANYTHING by which your brother STUMBLES." I Corinthians 8:13 "Therefore, if food causes my brother to STUMBLE, I will never eat meat again, that I might not cause my brother to STUMBLE." I Corinthians 10:32 "GIVE NO OFFENSE (no cause for stumbling) either to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God."

In these texts we are warned against becoming an "offense, stumbling block, or an obstacle to our brother or sister." It is important we know the meaning of these terms in order to understand the lesson in our text this morning.

The word offense means to cause a stumbling block. The word obstacle speaks of a stumbling block as well. So, the definition of all three words depends on the one. What is a stumbling block? A stumbling block is a baited trap or a snare which captures a person and leads them into some kind of spiritual difficulty. It is anything done by another that hinders one from doing that which is pleasing to the Lord and spiritually profitable for himself. It is anything that impedes a brother's walk or progress as a Christian. It is that which causes him to sin. Today we will hear what Jesus has to say about being a stumbling block to a fellow believer.

Look with me at Luke 17:1-4 NASB. And He said to His disciples, "It is inevitable (certain) that stumbling blocks should come, but WOE TO HIM THROUGH WHOM THEY COME! {2} "It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should cause one of these little ones to stumble. (or be led into sin, fall away or be hindered in their walk with Me) {3} "Be on your guard! (give attention or take care) If your brother sins, (against you) rebuke him; (sternly warn him) and if he repents, (changes his mind and purpose) forgive him. {4} "And if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times, saying, 'I repent,' forgive him." (Forget the offense and reestablish the relationship as many times as he repents.)

The first thing Christ says is that there will be offenses or stumbling blocks in the family of God. This is a sure thing. Considering the decree and sovereignty of God, the temptations and interference of Satan along with the wickedness of man we know that we are going to sin one against another. We know that we will be a stumbling block to someone and they to us at some point in time. This is a certainty. But, says our Lord, "Woe to him thorough whom these offenses come!" Judgement or discipline will be brought upon such a person by God! Woe to the one who becomes a hindrance to the progress of a brother or sister. Woe to the one who becomes the cause of another Christian's sin. Woe to such people!

We get a clue as to how serious God is about not causing a brother to stumble when we look at the next phrase. {2} "It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should cause one of these little ones to stumble." The "little ones" are God's children, believers in Christ for salvation. It is a serious thing for one Christian to hinder another's spiritual progress.

The millstone was a large round grinding stone with a hole in the middle. The picture drawn is one of putting the stone over one's head and then throwing them into the sea. It is certain that this person would die by drowning. What an awful and inescapable fate! Yet, by comparison, says Jesus, it would be nothing to what God will do to those who lead His children into sin or hinder them from making progress in the faith. Our Lord declares that it is better to endure the most severe temporal punishment than to expose yourself to the disciplines reserved for those who cause His children to stumble! Pretty serious stuff I would say.

The punishment for non-Christians who cause God's people to stumble will, of course, be eternal death. This person will experience woes to the tenth degree! The context, however, has to do with believer to believer relationships. We know that no true believer can be sent to hell. However, the stern and fearful warning stands, {2} "It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should cause one of these little ones to stumble." Brothers and sisters, causing our brother or sister to sin or hindering them in their walk with the Lord is a most serious matter. Woe to the one takes this teaching lightly! Whatever the discipline is that God will bring upon a careless, offending, brother or sister it is worse than drowning in the sea with a rock tied to your neck! This is important instruction! Take heed, therefore!

Luke 17:3 "Be on your guard! Take heed, watch your speech, your actions, your spirit, your doctrine, your walk! "Determine this, not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother's way." Be on your guard! Make it your goal not to become a stumbling block to others. Likewise, you must guard against others becoming a stumbling block to you. Don't allow the behavior or speech of another to hinder your walk with the Lord. Watch each others backs in other words. Guard yourself and your brothers and sisters from this most serious sin. How? By speaking the truth to yourself and to one another. Jesus continues in verse three.

"If your brother sins, (against you) rebuke him; (sternly warn him of his sin) and if he repents, (confesses his fault and seeks your forgiveness) forgive him. {4} "And if he sins (offends you) against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times, saying, 'I repent,' forgive him."

Here is where the lesson gets very difficult. Most people will do anything to avoid confrontation. It is natural for us to belief that his business is his business my business is my business and my business is none of his business. There is a sense in which this is true. In the every day issues of life we are to tend to our own business and let our brothers and sisters do the same. We are not to pick at them or try to manage their lives for them. But we are not speaking of the day to day routine of life wherein our brother is working out his own salvation with fear and trembling. We are talking about sinning one against the other. Jesus is speaking of one Christian becoming, in some way, a stumbling block, obstacle or hindrance to another. This cannot be tolerated or ignored. We must personally be on guard so that we do not sin in this way against a brother or sister. In addition we are told not to ignore the sin of a brother against us. We must rebuke him. We must tell him that he has done or is doing what Christ forbids. He has sinned against a fellow believer. He has done something to hinder my walk with the Lord. He has put an obstacle in my way. He has done something to discourage me or lead me off into sin. We must rebuke him for this. We must do this for three reasons. First, we do so for our own sake. We must get the issue settled so we can have peace in our hearts and continue on our way with the Lord. Second, we must do this for the offending brother's sake. Remember the warning Jesus gave, "It is better to have a millstone put around your neck and be thrown into the sea than to offend a fellow believer." It would not be in accord with love to allow a brother or sister to continue in this serious sin for which God has promised serious consequences. We must rebuke him or her. We must bring it to their attention giving them opportunity to repent. The offense between me and my brother or sister must be removed. We must be reconciled, there must be peace between us. Third, we must deal with sin between believers for the sake and glory of God. The prophet Nathan told David that his sin had given occasion for the enemies of God to blaspheme against Him. Dissension in the church gives the world reason to speak in a blasphemous way about our great and Holy God. We must deal with sin in the church lest God be spoken ill of because of us.

Let me be the first to acknowledge the difficulty of obeying this commandment. There have been many times that I have failed to follow our Lord's instructions because I was afraid of the result. How will they respond when I bring their fault to their attention? Will they be hurt or angry? Will they reject me or leave the church? Or, if it was my sin that needed to be confessed. I might ask, what will they think of me if I tell them the truth? Will they still love me? Will I lose their respect? These are all possibilities but they must not deter us from obeying the Savior. For when one Christian has sinned against another they become a hindrance to their walk and they stand guilty of defying the Savior who forbids us to sin against each other. The whole matter is dishonoring to God. Such sin must be dealt with and resolved.

Notice please that we are told to rebuke HIM, not to discuss the problem with several other people. For instance. If I have hurt your feelings or in some other way sinned against you please come to ME and tell ME what I have done. By God's grace I will apologize and try to make it right between us. Do not get on the phone to discuss the problem with someone else. Private violations must be kept private. Look with me to (Matthew 18:15 NASB) "And if your brother sins, go and REPROVE HIM IN PRIVATE; if he listens to you, you have won your brother." This reproving is not to be a yelling or finger pointing event. The purpose of the whole