The Life of Jesus - His Care for His Own
Notes
Transcript
ILLUST: Father loving children (READ illustration)
ILLUST: Father loving children (READ illustration)
READ: Matthew 18: 5-9 passage;
Stumbling block in front of the blind - MEAN
Jesus Cares For His Own - Three Main Issues Behind Jesus’ Teaching
Jesus Cares For His Own - Three Main Issues Behind Jesus’ Teaching
but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.
(SLIDE ONLY - No comment)
1) External Temptation - Others causing you to stumble
1) External Temptation - Others causing you to stumble
“causing to sin” - yes, sin is a choice, yet we are surrounded by influences
Children are the example, but He is speaking of His disciples, speaking of Christians
Some focus here on people seeming insignificant
(partial context is the question of who is greatest in the Kingdom)
Anyone can stumble, but special attention drawn to bad influences
God loved the world - even though many rejected Him, so His message here is to disciples
“Causing to stumble” = Rejection, ignoring
The world, people we love, reject us, and in so doing, show that they reject Jesus
This can cause disciples, “little ones” to stumble, sin
This can cause US to stumble, to sin
Stumbling also means to keep someone from believing, trusting the LORD
HEAVY MILLSTONE - Image
This is what Jesus says to tie around a neck and toss into the sea
1000-2000 lbs
Intense - wait…God is love, right?
Yeah, He loves you so much He doesn’t want you to trip up
God is JEALOUS (good thing)
Better for a person to have this millstone and drown than cause you to stumble
The world’s animosity is a constant pressure
When the wicked entice disciples into sin
Rejecting Jesus AND enticing sin
ASIDE: When Jesus tells the Pharisees they are wrong and teaching others wrong - Matt 23:15
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.
But God is love, right? He is just, and He loves His own
This is a horrible judgment - rather drastic
2) Internal Temptation - Ourselves causing the stumbling
2) Internal Temptation - Ourselves causing the stumbling
We can be our own worst enemy
But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.
Disciples need to be just as drastic when it comes to keeping themselves from sinning
Radically reject anything that leads to evil - Radical behavior
It is “inevitable” that temptation comes, that the world’s ways are evil and lead to sin
ILLUST: Cutting off own hand or foot; plucking out your eye
Think of 1 John - lust of flesh, eyes, pride of life
Hyperbole - “this box weighs a ton,” “this is taking forever”
Very strong warning to keep people from sin
Some have habitual sin that actually keeps them from salvation
Must deny the flesh, put aside pride, in order to keep from sinning
When it comes to salvation, NOTHING is worth going to hell for
Might need to take radical action - you know you, especially when alone
If you don’t know you, ask the LORD (Psalm 139)...
But we deceive ourselves, we pamper ourselves, tell ourselves we deserve what we want
I mean, we really deserve to feel good
We deserve to be treated right
We gloss over sin, we excuse it and justify it
We need (according to Jesus) to treat sin radically
3) Takes Humility to Be “His Own”
3) Takes Humility to Be “His Own”
Humble = reliance on parent/God (children/disciples in play here)
Dealing with the world and those opposing Jesus, rejecting Him - we need humility, learned and proven trust in Him, dependence on Him
Dealing with our own sin, our own habits - takes humility, that same dependence on the LORD
See Matt 18:4
“Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
The church, THIS church, He wants to be “His own”
SO HOW DOES THIS HELP ME?
1) Realize no matter what you go through, you are HIS, and He cares for you - see 1 Peter 5:7
casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.
2) he will punish those who cause you to sin (reject Jesus); meanwhile, He gives you the strength to endure their antagonism
3) He will (He promises) to help you when you are tempted, see 1 Cor 10:13
No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.
All you have to do?
Humble yourself
Tell Him you depend on Him, above all other sources of help
Then keep going...
God told Moses to be still in Ex 14:14
“The Lord will fight for you while you keep silent.”
Then He tells them to go, Ex 14:15
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the sons of Israel to go forward.
POINTS in Closing
Know God and His Word well enough to resist temptation
Know yourself to know what your weaknesses are
Realize the ultimate battle is the LORD’s
Be still, and keep going, Ps 46:10
“Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
Trusting in the WORD to keep you from stumbling - Psalm 119:105
Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.
The path is lit, follow Him, and keep from stumbling
Jesus is also willing to die for us to make us His own. We’ll get there...
When you realize just how much God loves you, how can you not love Him back, and desire to surrender to Him?