Rebuke and Forgive

Stumbling Blocks

Jesus is now teaching His disciples

lessons that are important to the christian life

so He starts by telling them about these stumbling blocks of temptations and sin

V 1a

it is not an if, but when

this fallen nature is still a part of our life

we are prone to sin

so we need to be on our guard

to always have on the full armor of God

Ephesians 6:10–18 LSB

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the might of His strength. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace. In addition to all, having taken up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one, also receive the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times with all prayer and petition in the Spirit, and to this end, being on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,

we need to bo ever vigilant of these stumbling blocks that are in your way

If someone is walking with their phone in their face they will stumble into a …

christians are the same way

if we are not vigilant against temptations we will fall

temptations are not a sin But

let’s see what Jesus says about someone who is doing the tempting

V 1-2

Imagine this

you are in a boat

there is a 500lb rock tied to a rope

the other end is tied around tour neck

the rock is dumped into the ocean

the rock sinks very fast and pulls you head first after it

you fight will all your strength

before long you go below 100 feet

your lungs are burning and you cant fight it any longer

and you exhale the air in your lungs and you inhale seawater

you are now going past 150 feet

and at that point you die

this is the severity that Jesus puts onto the crime of leading one to stumble

leading a child, or child in faith

to stumble in their faith by teaching wrongly God’s word

by leading them into sin

or teaching them un-forgiveness

Jesus takes it very seriously the abuse and leading astray of a young christian

Jesus goes on to tell us to be

On Guard

V 3

Rebuke your brother

this is especially if he sins against you

this is uncomfortable

against the grain

we would rather seethe inside and say “I’m Fine”

and have a slow smolder that over time gets hotter

I’m fine

but that is not what Jesus tells us to do

Rebuke your brother

but this a delicate thing to accomplish

the Idea of the rebuke is not to put the other down but to restore them to a good relationship

to you and to God

Rod Mattoon has some helpful advice for all of us

• 1. Appeal to the Lord in Prayer: Pray and ask the Lord for help in getting your concern across without creating antagonism or defensiveness.

• 2. Approach: Approach the other person as a friend, not an adversary.

• 3. Assume: Imagine the most innocent possible reason for the other's fault, not the most insidious or repulsive reason.

• 4. Agreement: Make your approach a series of gradual and mutual agreements: "Could I speak to you? I'm having trouble with something. May I ask you about it?" Notice these statement are questions, not accusations.

• 5. Abridge Your Words: State your case and concerns once, very clearly. Repetition becomes the pounding of a jack hammer.

• 6. Appreciation: Express gratitude for the conversation, confidence in the friendship, and cordial expectations for the future. Show that you harbor no doubt that the matter has been solved. The person may not get matters right in their life after you have spoken with them. They will, however, be aware that others are watching. They may curb what they are doing, and it is possible, they may also become defensive and lash out at you. No matter how they respond, the rest is up to the Lord.

the wanted result of the rebuke is not to put them where they belong

but to bring about repentance

and subsequently your forgiveness

V 3-4

Rebuke and forgive

Impossible it goes against everything

7 times a day

the contemporary rule is 3 times

to forgive someone is not something our nature is best at doing

so we need the help of the Holy Spirit to help us with this

we also need to think and remember who forgives us unconditionally

Jesus died for us to be forgiven

Colossians 3:12–13 LSB

So, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience; bearing with one another, and graciously forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone, just as the Lord graciously forgave you, so also should you.

so the disciples thinking this can be only done by God said

Increase Our Faith

V 5-6

Faith = what can believed, what can be trusted

why would the disciples after hearing Jesus tell them to forgive up to 7 times a day for the same thing

ask for their faith to be increased?

then Jesus responds tell a tree to be uprooted and plant itself in the bottom of the ocean

something that is unnatural

because what Jesus is telling them to do is unnatural

and only God can change us

and the other person

we need something marvelous to happen

something that only God can do

something that the Holy Spirit can make happen in our hearts

we are trusting in the Holy Spirit to work in our heart and their heart to bring about reconciliation

is there someone who has something against you ?

is there someone who you need to lovingly rebuke?

is there someone you nee to forgive?

it’s time to pray about it and put the result into the hands of God

and do what he says to do