All about sin! Luke 17:1-6.

good morning everybody it's uh nice to

see you here please do um open up your

Bibles at Luke chapter 17 be good to

Luke 17 · chapter mention

have that um in front of you as we we go

through

this there's something

about

fire which can be quite exciting really

if you're that way inclined it's quite

intriguing quite exciting especially if

your young young children often like to

play with fire I'm not recommending you

do that it's dangerous but there's

something about fire that can be quite

nice warming comforting picture the

campfire you're sitting around there you

know singing songs or whatever toasting

marshmallows it's nice isn't it but yet

we all know that fire can be dangerous

too it can quickly get out of

control and it's destru destructive

and even if the Flames don't get you the

smoke

can and that's a bit like Sin Sin can

look fun at

first but actually it can be it is

destructive and whereas you can have a

controlled fire you can never have a

controlled sin it's always growing it

will always consume and ultimately it

will kill

last week we looked at the terrible

consequences of living with no regard to

God and His word the consequences of sin

was Everlasting death so that rich man

ended up in hell it was a place of

Torment perhaps our trouble is we just

don't see

sin as bad as it

is but God sees sin for what it is and

sin always ends up in pain and so since

Jesus loves

us he warns us he warns us about Sin and

In this passage he warns us not to lead

other people into

sin he warns us to rebuke our brother if

they're in sin and he tells us that we

need to forgive people for their sin so

let's look at Jesus's first warning

about leading others into

sin I shared this story um possibly a

number of times before but it's worth

retelling so some years ago we were on

our way to Holiday we were going to

France uh before we left England I

hurriedly programmed the SAT naav and as

we um got off the uh ferry in France we

just followed the satav assuming

everything would be fine and all was

well it was a blisteringly hot day

unfortunately the air conditioning we

just had mended failed and spewed stuff

all over our feet but that was was okay

cuz we were on our way to Holiday and

when the satav said you have reached

your

destination we looked around a bit

bemused we weren't at our lovely

campsite but there was this French

farmer I could you not sort of cheer on

a piece of hay looking at us thinking

what are you doing near my Fields I had

programmed us to go 100 miles in the

wrong

direction needless to say that didn't

set our holiday off to a good start

it went very quiet in the

car now that was just an

inconvenience but how much more

serious it is when we lead

others away from God and into

sin verse one and Jesus said to his

disciples Temptations to sin are sure to

come but woe to the one through whom

they

come we live in a sinful World we're

surrounded by Temptations and Jesus is

is under no Illusions the dangers are

real once when I was um running with CLA

through some sort of Woody Fields um I

tripped on a concealed tree stump very

small didn't see it under some leaves

maybe and I just tripped and fell flat

thankfully I landed up in the Press up

position it was like whoa that was

fortunate um it could have ended very

differently but life is like that isn't

it you're just going along comfortably

everything seems to be smooth and then

suddenly out of nowhere something trips

you up and bang you're on the floor

feeling days wondering what happened

Jesus recognizes Temptations they will

come in and so if you are sitting there

thinking well it's not going to affect

me I'm standing firm I'm going to be all

right be careful

beware it really doesn't take much to

trip us up especially when we're not

expecting it the Greek word translated

as tempt to ser in it means a a

stumbling block a hindrance a trap even

the thing that triggers the Trap so it's

anything which causes someone to stumble

into sin Jesus is warning us to make

sure we're not the ones causing others

to trip and fall so verse one but woe to

the one through whom they

come and this is to the disciples he

says in verse three pay

attention to yourselves

pay

attention to

yourselves so we as followers of Jesus

need to pay attention to ensure that we

are not causing other people to stumble

as they follow Jesus you see Jesus loves

his disciples he loves us and he knows

how dangerous sin is and how easily

we're tripped up I me don't you know

that if we're honest don't you know

that do there just going about your

business and there's some image that

just you weren't expecting to see and

it's there or you're in a stressful

situation at work or at home or someone

makes a careless comment to you and it

just gets your backup or the there's

peer pressure in in your friendship

group to do something to be like that

and in a moment we can go from walking

well with the

Lord just suddenly falling into

lust or having a bout of impatience with

someone or being angry about something

that we shouldn't be angry about or we

fall into some other sin we weren't

expecting it we didn't plann for it but

suddenly it was there and there we are

sinning look at the affection that g

language Jesus uses verse two one of

these little

ones one of these little ones notice the

word these you can almost imagine as

Jesus says that sort of opening his arms

pointing to the crowds around the

disciples one of these these these

little ones who's he talking about well

we're still in the discourse that

started in chapter 15 and if we go back

there the beginning is that the Sinners

and the tax collectors were gathering

around

Jesus those were the Sinners that the

Pharisees look down on the these are the

little ones that they're probably just

those who are starting to understand

what following Jesus

means and we do have to be especially

careful in the way that we treat those

who are young in age be that physically

or spiritually

they're just starting out they're babes

they're they've got the spiritual milk

and they got that first taste of God's

grace but they haven't got that Firm

Foundation that 10 five years of

learning behind them perhaps they

haven't got the discernment that the

older Believers going to

have to understand the context there

in so I'm sure that Jesus has in Minds

these little ones were just starting out

but perhaps it's not just those little

ones perhaps Jesus isn't just speaking

about the young in Luke 10: 211 Jesus

Praises God that he's revealed the truth

to little children and there in Luke

Luke 10 · chapter mention

chapter 10 he's speaking about the

disciples so when Jesus says these

little ones he may have especially those

who in mind who are who are young in the

faith but it certainly doesn't

um exclude all of the children of God

everyone all of us as disciples we are

all he little ones in that

sense so what does Jesus say about those

who do calls his little ones or other

believers to

stumble he says woe to you it's a

serious warning woe to

you now interestingly Jesus doesn't

actually tell us what happens to those

who cause others to

stumble but it can't be

good he tells us in verse two it would

be better for

you if this happened to you so verse two

it would be better for him if a

millstone if the one who caused someone

to stumble it'd be better for him if a

millstone were hung around his neck and

he was cast into the sea then that he

should cause one of these little ones to

stumble to sin

the millstone um Jesus refers to it

would have been very heavy it would have

been something that that not one person

could hold on their own it would be in a

mill it would have been the sort of

stone that was dragged around with a

donkey so no one could lift this on

their own that it had a hole in the top

that you pour the grain through and goes

in and then gets ground and so you can

imagine this big stone with a hole in

the top going over someone's head can't

you do

ically so if you had this stone that you

couldn't lift put around your head and

you were thrown into the sea you are

certainly going to drown you're going to

be crushed and you're going to drown

it's a horrible way to

die but Jesus is saying dying this

horrible death that's not the punishment

dying the horrible death is

better than tripping up another

disciple do you see how

seriously God views sin

so if it's that serious well let's think

about in what ways we might risk doing

this so that we can be on our

guard John Don John

dun uh the 17th uh century English poet

and Church of England cleric wrote no

man is an island entire of himself every

man is a piece of the continent

a part of the

main and every disciple is a part of the

body of Christ aren't we you might not

realize but your

attitude your actions your behavior it

affects

others so when you don't go to the

church

meeting that has an effect on others

maybe it's a blessing no I shouldn't say

that but your because you're not there

you're missed and it's just a subtle

effect whatever priorities you establish

in your life the way you

live that's actually going to influence

others when we're rude to someone when

we gossip about someone when we slander

someone we are drawing other people into

our sin causing them to

stumble when we're impatient with people

when we're

aggressive in the way we deal with

people that

catches as just

grumbling and complaining now I'm not

saying there can't be discussion when

things aren't going as as they should be

of course we have to talk about things

if things aren't going well um but it

can so easily slip into

moaning and that's

deadly how else can we trip people up

well perhaps

sexually so the way unmarried boyfriends

and girlfriends behave towards each

other that can be really unhelpful and

cause others to fall into sin perhaps

dare I say it by the things that we

wear might be really unhelpful and cause

people to sin the things we joke about

the things we share the things we say

and of course a a big

area that this

this is speaking about is

teaching it's

teaching what teaches what churches

endorse or bless it

matters the church should be a beacon of

Truth not capitulating to the imoral

demands of our culture and just trying

to fit in and make itself inoffensive

people need to know Sin is Sin and it's

not okay otherwise we're subtly leading

them into

sin if you are a teacher a Christian

teacher of any kind teaching the kids or

you know James 3:1 gives us a warning we

James 3:1

are to teach the truth it's serious

we're not to lead people

asay I guess not many of us are actually

teachers quite a few but not many what

about parents though how does this

affect us because if anyone's got little

ones it's parents isn't

it your children look to you to learn

what is right and wrong whether you like

it or not they are

tremendously shaped by what you say by

what you do and how you do it so if you

don't care about

something why should they

if you don't

pray why should

they if you don't treasure

god do you think they're going to

treasure

god if meeting with God's people is just

low

priority don't be surprised when your

children just think I can't really be

bothered to go to

church if you shout at your children all

the time and don't show them any respect

don't be surprised when they shout at

you and don't respect

you I'm sure you get the

idea parents be careful with your little

ones I love the directness of verse

three pay attention to

yourselves it's kind of right there

isn't it come on don't think about other

people point the finger at other people

pay

attention to

yourselves Jesus is warning us here

we're not an island you might want to

pull up the draw bridge and pretend that

you're not affecting anyone else but you

you are we always are what we we do

affects and impacts other

people perhaps it would be instructive

if we could have an eanes a scrooge

moment you know where you get a vision

of of how your past things have affected

other people in your life maybe you

could just sit a sort of ghost in the

wall just sort of watching how you were

how how you behaved this week how you

what you said how that impacted people

was it kind was it helpful it would be

very interesting to see from an outside

perspective

how you impacted other people was it

helpful was it hurtful Jesus says watch

yourselves because it' be better for you

to be crushed and drowned than to trip

one of his little children

up well if we fear that an ebener

Scrooge Vision uh would be rather

damning for

us then

surely we need to learn from the master

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 11:1 follow

1 Corinthians 11:1

my example as I follow the example of

Christ so when we look to Jesus when we

listen to his word when we apply it to

our lives when we Delight in and rely on

God and live out our faith we ourselves

then become a good

example a good example so negatively we

need to watch that we don't trip others

up but positively we are to model Jesus

to others that's the best way to make

sure we're not tripping other people up

isn't it to be someone who is who's been

transformed to be more like Christ and

then instead of tripping them up and

sending them off down a really unhelpful

Direction we'll be helping them in the

right direction and that is towards

Christ but what about when your brother

or sister does

sin they

stumbled they've gone astray and they've

hurt you in some way what do we do do

then but again sin is so serious that

God's children and God's children are so

precious that Jesus commands us to take

action and that's our second Point

rebuking those who

sin my girls used to play a game called

would you

rather and perhaps you played it the

idea is you you give uh people two

choices they would be equally horrible

or equally equally wonderful um so for

example would you rather sleep in a bath

full of spine spiders or would you

rather eat mashed up slugs put your hand

up if You' prefer the

spiders hand up if you like to eat the

Slugs okay right some of you didn't vote

that's cheating you have to make a

choice but you get the idea

right here's another one would you

rather be

rebuked or would you rather be the one

doing the

rebuking I think both are quite

difficult aren't they

now if we're Disciples of Jesus our aim

is to be conformed to the likeness of

Jesus we've realized that God knows what

he's talking about and we've realized

that God's way is always the best way

and if he's done a work in our hearts we

want to please him we want to live for

him it's our joy I want to become more

like him but the trouble is that's in

theory and it doesn't always translate

into practice does it because perhaps

sometimes we just love a certain sin too

much and we won't let go of it or

perhaps there's some area of our lives

and we're blind to it we can't see

what's going on there the blinkers are

on perhaps we just don't see the

insensitive way we act or the way we

speak we haven't realized that our

laziness hurts

others that's a nice tune isn't it

perhaps we're tempted in life to make

everything about us something happens

and we just thinking about me how that

imp impacts me we don't think about

others it hasn't occurred to us that

actually I need to think about the needs

of others in this situation not not just

me it's a hard thing to do sometimes

isn't

it but maybe that's what we need to do

there's all sorts of ways we fall into

sin some sometimes it's obvious

sometimes it's really quite subtle but

when a brother sins against us notice

Jesus isn't talking about unbelievers

sinning is when a brother or sister sins

against us what do we do well it is

really uncomfortable what Jesus says we

have to do we have to rebuke

them now some of you might be just

really up for that and and you love that

idea you have no trouble pointing out

other people's problems and errors in

fact it makes you feel rather good about

yourself because you can say well look

brother I've just noticed you know You'

got this sin and I'm going to tell you

how to sort that out because I've got it

all you know

sorted you know if if you enjoy rebuking

people it's probably that you've got the

wrong attitude and you probably

shouldn't say

anything if you've ever tried to rebuke

someone to make them

feel um humiliated or to make yourself

feel better or

good we need to remember that the these

people are pre precious to Jesus they

are his little ones if a rebuke is

needed it is always with the aim of

restoring them to help them recognize

and rectify their wrongdoing to help

them come to repentance and to turn back

to God elsewhere we're told how to

rebuke people so 1 Timothy uh 1 Timothy

chter 5:1 do not rebuke an older man

harshly but exalt him as if he were your

father Galatians chapter 6 verse one

Galatians 6 · chapter mention

Brothers if someone is caught in a sin

you who live by the spirit should

restore that

person

gently gently do you

see 2 Timothy chapter 2:2 opponents must

be gently instructed in the hope that

God will grant them repentance Ephesians

4 tells us we are to speak the truth in

love so when we rebuke our brother or

sister we need to remember that's what

they are they are a a beloved brother

and sister in the

Lord so we rebuke them gently and and

lovingly and kindly out of hearts that

want to win that person back to the Lord

the hearts that want to do that person

good treating them in the way that we

would like to be treated if we were

caught in that particular sin that

doesn't mean we're not truthful or firm

or direct but it it means it's always in

the context of genuine Christian love

now not only is it hard to rebuke

someone in the right

way it

takes it takes courage it takes a heart

of love it takes a real dose of tact but

I'm sure as we all know it's very hard

to graciously receive a rebuke too

doesn't it it takes humility it takes

teachability it's really

hard sometimes I think the harder the

older you are the harder it is is to

receive a

rebuke but but surely we can learn from

this the idea that Jesus is is

commanding us to rebuke each other

surely that that should tell us actually

when someone corrects Us in some

way this is a good thing maybe there's

something we can learn from this so the

next time someone tries to correct you

or rebuke you perhaps they do it

clumsily perhaps they don't do it quite

in the manner that they should because

they're going to be feeling a about the

whole thing as well but before we jump

on the defense and say oh well what

about her or me or it wasn't my fault

whatever it was because that's what we

do it's always worth pausing for a

moment and considering well

maybe they've got a

point maybe they haven't maybe they are

completely wrong but maybe they do have

a

point maybe there's something in my life

I can't

see maybe I just wasn't aware that there

the way I was acting to that person

wasn't right

actually and even if they're not fully

right maybe there is some truth in

there so when someone corrects you

rebukes you perhaps the thing to do is

to take it prayerfully before the

Lord could this help me grow could this

help me become more like Jesus could

this be good for me could this be good

for those around me me if I listen to

this

correction so Jesus commands us to do it

it's one of the ways to help encourage

each other towards Christian maturity

it's not a way to get at each other it's

a way to encourage each other towards

Jesus so as disciples we to watch

ourselves taking care not to put

stumbling blocks in the paths of others

and if we do see our our brothers

sinning rather than joining them in

their sin we should prayerfully gently

lovingly help them to see what their sin

is in the hopes that it leads them to

repentance and

reconciliation but notice there's a an

if there not everyone will listen not

everyone will turn back not everyone

will repent but if they do then we're to

forgive and that's our final point this

morning forgiving those who

repent some things are easy to forget

aren't they so if someone forgets your

birthday yeah okay okay you know it's

not a big deal um if someone forgets

your coffee order or doesn't make you a

coffee or whatever it's just like w you

know I'll get over that hopefully um but

some things are quite hard to forgive so

when someone I don't know maybe spread

some gossip about you and it did you

harm or maybe someone really hurts you

or

hurts um someone you care

about and is not a li of easy thing and

and that suddenly becomes really hard to

forgive someone doesn't that because you

you don't want to forgive you want to

get your renge

actually then this command to forgive

gets hard verse four Jesus says You

must forgive

them in fact he says even if they sin

seven times in a day and come back to

you seven times in

Repentance we must forgive

now we may have cause to question their

sincerity but Jesus says we must forgive

now is Jesus saying well you forgive

seven times and then on the eighth time

boy you can let them have it you know

that's it I've been counting oh final go

there you go that's not what Jesus is

saying is it it's about being willing

and ready to forgive again and again and

again after all aren't we

glad that God is willing to forgive us

again and again and again and

again well as you can imagine when the

disciples heard this teaching that they

were able to they were having to forgive

someone even if they sinned seven times

against them in the same day was like

what they were flabbergasted they were

thinking I just this is Bonkers Jesus

how can you expect us to do this and so

they they say in verse 5 increase our

faith we need some help with this and we

can understand stand that mean how is

this possible I might be able to forgive

someone once might be able to forgive

them twice but ongoing seriously Jesus I

think you've lost tons of reality

here and we're probably already coming

up with all sorts of Clauses and reasons

as to why this doesn't actually apply to

us why I don't need to forgive that

person for what they did to

me and so we need to to cry out increase

our faith don't we I can't do this this

is

crazy but Jesus knows what he commanding

in human terms is almost

impossible especially if you've been

deeply wounded by their

sin and so I think the disciples have

responded quite well actually they know

they don't have the resources within

themselves to do this so they're asking

for divine help increase our

faith they just haven't quite understood

what they need to ask for so Jesus

corrects them he moves them

on it's not so much more faith you need

it's just you need some Faith even a

little bit of Faith here will

help even Faith as small as a mustard

seed the smallest seed they knew in that

area see he says even with this titchy

small little piece of Faith even with

that minute Speck of Faith amazing

amazing things are

possible because as long as you have

faith in

God something can happen it's not just

about having faith randomly Faith I've

got faith that's not it Faith isn't like

some magical little thing that makes

things happen it's where the faith is

that matters faith in

God because God is great and all through

him all things are possible God can

enable you to do things you never

thought you ever could do

that includes

forgiving the

unforgivable and then Jesus gives them

this wonderful little illustration to

help them understand even with small

Faith he says you can command this

mulbery tree to be uprooted and planted

into the sea notice he says this mbery

tree probably pointing to one nearby

he's like well you can command this you

know this this tree here to be uprooted

and thrown into the sea

perhaps some listening in would push

forward and think oh maybe he's going to

do it maybe we're going to see a miracle

here but Jesus isn't promising us Divine

gardening

Powers though that could come in handy

I'm sure we'd all like to be able to say

a few words and clear our Gardens of

weeds that'd be great wouldn't

it but that's not what Jesus is on about

you see the M tree was um thought or

said to have roots that lasted about 600

years so the the Pharisees claimed um

the idea being this was a deeply rooted

tree or bush you you couldn't just come

along with your little Trel and just get

it out this was like this was a full

day's work to get rid of this thing this

was serious you couldn't pluck this

little thing up like a weed it was solid

and so Jesus is saying moving this mury

tree by word alone that's impossible you

can't do it everyone knows you can't do

it

it's a bit like me saying right um I'm

just going to Moo the the roof of this

this this building with my word and you

go Matt you're Bonkers you can't do it

it's

impossible but Jesus is

saying with small Faith even small Faith

even the impossible is possible so faith

in God can release the spiritual power

to enable you to forgive even the most

deeply

rooted of things of hurts and so when

God calls us to The Impossible it's not

that we have to grit our teeth and

somehow find the resources in me I must

forgive them I really really struggle to

try and forgive them we look in faith to

God asking him to enable us to forgive

what is impossible for us to do on

ourselves by ourselves that's the key I

can't do it but by my faith in God I

can well some of you might still be

struggling with

this and you wonder can God really know

how hurt I felt about

that I don't think I can

ever forgive that person for what they

did to

me and yet God does know what it is to

forgive extreme

sin as the greatest miscarriage of

Justice unfolded on the

cross as the only ever totally innocent

man was put to death God's son was put

to death he didn't deserve that he was

the only person in all of creation that

did not deserve to be put to death and

there he was being put to death and as

God's precious son hung on the cross

Jesus said father forgive them for they

do not know what they are doing and so

Jesus knows what he is talking about he

knows what it is to be betrayed he knows

what it is to be hurt

deeply he knows what it is to be

humiliated to be forsaken to be

painfully and cruy murdered on the cross

Jesus adopted a posture of

forgiveness even towards his enemies as

they crucified him if anyone knew the

cost of

forgiveness surely it's

Jesus as he hung on the cross dying for

our sin that he didn't

commit and it's good that he did that

it's good that he was willing to forgive

us because we are all were all counted

amongst his

enemies but Jesus says father forgive

them Jesus is willing to forgive us how

many times have we sinned can you

remember can you count it up on your

hand

do you know how many times you've sinned

even

today is it seven times will it be seven

by the time you go to

bed Jesus holds out his arms on the

cross in forgiveness beckoning us to

come to be fully pardoned to be restored

to no peace to no reconciliation to no

friendship and for all those whom God

has forgiven we are called to extend the

Forgiveness that we have in Jesus to

those who sin against

us and so in faith we ask God to do the

miracle to change our hearts to give us

the strength to

forgive even if that seems impossible to

us with God's help we can

forgive even the

unforgivable so in

conclusion sin is offensive to

God it's

dangerous it's like fire it consumes it

destroys

so we to watch ourselves making sure

we're not going to cause other people to

stumble into sin but if your brother or

sister if they sin against you what do

you do where you rebuke them gently in

love and if they repent we to to look to

to Jesus on the cross and in faith place

our rights our hurts our Justice

everything else into his hands and say I

entrust it all with you God I give it

all to you and in faith we make the

conscious decision to forgive

again and again and

again sounds

impossible but With God all things are

possible so let's avoid causing sin

let's call for change when someone does

sin and by faith let's seek God's help

so that we are ready to forgive others

who sin against

us well let's be quiet before the Lord

perhaps we ourselves need to repent of

our sin today