Practical Living

What we see God direct us to do and to be in scripture is simply put basic. Given the instructions at face value even a child can understand… in fact children often follow His instructions better. It is not that His instructions are difficult to understand… but to to our sin natures they are difficult to implement into our lives!

Consider this… God’s first command to Adam and Eve in the garden was simple… “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat”.

Our passage today is simple… straight forward… no excuses type of instruction. BUT in order to help make it simpler I will even define some words for us, in case you think they mean something they don’t mean...

SIN: an act contrary to the will and law of God. “Disobedience”

REBUKE: strong disapproval of a sinful act. “Correction”

REPENT: sorrow over sin & a change in thought & attitude toward that sin. “180”

FORGIVE: the removal of guilt related to the sin, understanding the event cannot be undone.

Now let’s look at the first part of our passage knowing the definitions better… Luke 17:1-4

Luke 17:1–4 NASB95

He said to His disciples, “It is inevitable that stumbling blocks come, but woe to him through whom they come! “It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea, than that he would cause one of these little ones to stumble. “Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. “And if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ forgive him.”

Obedience in Forgiveness

Christianity is not a privatized experience of faith. Christianity is not a private affair, but a family one. -BOCK

Our passages are dealing with our interactions as His disciples with one another.

Luke is recording for us some important yet basic instructions and begins by warning them of stumbling blocks...

All of us have those within the family of God that we lead (whether or not you like this idea)

Christ is warning us that we should not be the cause of stumbling… false teaching!

False teaching will always be around us BUT...

WOE to him who… the one who through serious sin causes one to fall away from faith or stumble themselves

This is serious! Jesus says it is better for one to suffer death mafia style than to cause these little ones to stumble

“Little ones” children of God, yet we also see in ch 18 He desires the young children too!

As a spiritual leader to someone in the family of God you are responsible… those you lead are His children!

Be careful… avoid sin… Yet as Christ stated it is inevitable! verse 3 “Be on your guard” So what do we do when we see it?

We identify SIN = disobedience to God’s will and law… ONCE IDENTIFIED we have a responsibility.

We need to REBUKE the sin. We are so scared these days to call sin what it is…SIN!

The problem with this rebuke part is our hearts… remember Jesus instruction about the splinter and the log in our eyes...

Rebuke with a heart to forgive... seeking the one spoken to in a loving & caring manner to seek repentance.

These first two I feel the church does and often with the wrong heart… the next two cannot occur without a HUMBLE HEART!

REPENTANCE occurs when we see the sin in our life. Sorrow over the sin.

Does sin cause sorrow in your heart?

Has your heart grown calloused to sin?

Repentance is demonstrated in a changed mind and attitude toward that sin!

Jesus speaks to the one who is unrepentant in Matthew 18.

Now we FORGIVE him. The statement Jesus makes here is an imperative… you will forgive.

Seven times a day! Complete forgiveness

In Matthew 18 Peter tries to impress Jesus with forgiving others stating He would forgive them seven times (Pharisees taught 3 times, double plus 1!!!) No Peter 7x70!

“Nothing is more Christian than forgiveness” - Chuck Colson

“Forgiveness is surrendering my right to hurt you for hurting me.” - Archibald Hart

“We are most like beasts when we kill. We are most like men when we judge. We are most like God when we forgive.” - William Arthur Ward

A cartoon in the New Yorker magazine showed an exasperated father saying to his prodigal son, “This is the fourth time we’ve killed the fatted calf.” God does that over and over in our lifetime.

Just the same as giving, we forgive because we are made in His image, AND He has shown greater grace and forgiveness than we will ever have to extend!

Church forgiveness should be a part of our lives as the Family of God!

The apostles response is priceless… Luke 17:5-10

Luke 17:5–10 NASB95

The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and be planted in the sea’; and it would obey you. “Which of you, having a slave plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come immediately and sit down to eat’? “But will he not say to him, ‘Prepare something for me to eat, and properly clothe yourself and serve me while I eat and drink; and afterward you may eat and drink’? “He does not thank the slave because he did the things which were commanded, does he? “So you too, when you do all the things which are commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done.’ ”

Obedience in Serving

INCREASE OUR FAITH! … Why is something so easy to understand met with a cry for more faith?

You need to obey! The size or amount of faith is not important. It is the One who we have faith in!

We do this great work in the family of God because of the One we have faith in!

We can do great things if we obey Him!

Jesus uses rhetorical questions to further His point...

Does a servant come in from the field to have his master serve him? NO!

He comes in and prepares a meal for the master!

Does the master thank the slave for doing as he is commanded? NO!

He does as commanded because he is supposed to do this.

We confuse our roles with God all too often. We get upset when He does not do as we wish or even command Him to do!

We forget our place, God calls us to obedience! He does NOT owe you and I anything!

Robert Stein states it well when he says: “Believers are unworthy in the sense that at their very best all they have done is what they should have done, i.e., what the commandments teach. They have not done more than that. On the contrary, usually they have done much less.”

We are saved by faith, and by faith we walk/serve in the Spirit obeying His Word. God’s will is not complicated for the believer to know or understand. We don’t need more faith, we need more obedience to His will and commands. Luke 17:11-19 draws out another area we need to learn...

Luke 17:11–19 NASB95

While He was on the way to Jerusalem, He was passing between Samaria and Galilee. As He entered a village, ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him; and they raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” When He saw them, He said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they were going, they were cleansed. Now one of them, when he saw that he had been healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice, and he fell on his face at His feet, giving thanks to Him. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But the nine—where are they? “Was no one found who returned to give glory to God, except this foreigner?” And He said to him, “Stand up and go; your faith has made you well.”

Obedience With Gratitude

Luke continues to point out that Jesus is on His way to Jerusalem… Jesus focus of what He came to do has not shifted.

Yet we see our Savior continue to have compassion on the outcast, sick, and poor.

Has it ever occured to you, God has a plan and yet He pauses to notice your needs and desires?

10 men calling from a distance and Jesus hears them!

Instructions are given and followed by the men

The healing comes in their obedience! “as they were going”

All are healed, one returns to thank Him

9 healed physically, 1 healed from sin

What a sad picture of Israel… wanting the healing, signs, miracles, just not the Messiah

What is God doing in your life that deserves Glory given to HIM!?

When we switch roles thinking He owes us He serves us… we begin to live entitled… He ALWAYS deserves the glory.

How We Look at Obedience

This last portion of the chapter deals with end times / the return of the Lord. The pharisees ask a question which Jesus answers but then goes into greater detail with His disciples Luke 17:20-25

Luke 17:20–25 NASB95

Now having been questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God was coming, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or, ‘There it is!’ For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst.” And He said to the disciples, “The days will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. “They will say to you, ‘Look there! Look here!’ Do not go away, and do not run after them. “For just like the lightning, when it flashes out of one part of the sky, shines to the other part of the sky, so will the Son of Man be in His day. “But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.

There were popular ideas among religious leaders of how the kingdom would come...

Grandeur with signs trumpets

Crowds cheering for the king… rather the king was in their midst and they had missed it!

How could they expect to enter the kingdom if they were rejecting their King? “The Pharisees were preoccupied with the great events of the future but were ignoring the opportunities of the present.” -BKC

There is a danger of coming to the scriptures with your own preconceived ideas and making scripture fit it...

Many have come to the following verses in chapter 17 thinking it was speaking of the rapture!

Rather these verses are speaking to the return of Christ to establish the Kingdom on earth!

Sadly, Jesus must suffer first and be rejected by that generation of Israel...

Jesus takes time to explain to His disciple their correct perspective of this life in light of His return and the coming kingdom...

Those who follow Christ will long for His return (things get bad)

There will be false messiahs… anti-christ’s

It will come when least expected, life will be going as usual… Noah and Sodom & Gomorrah

Have an eternal mindset… be willing to leave the things of this world behind without looking back (LOOK FORWARD!)

It will be global, all people, some it will be night others day…

Share Christ with those BY YOU!!!

Some are taken away others stay

At that time it is too late!

Where do they go??? Verse 37

Judgement a place of torment and suffering

The others left go into His kingdom the millennial reign

Church, this will occur one day, we see else where in scripture that Christ will come for His church prior to this time of His return, BUT…

Are you living with an eternal perspective?

If so live it in obedience…Deal with sin, Repent, Forgive, Serve Him faithfully with a heart full of gratitude...

This kind of life is NOT common place in our day and age… be ready to give an answer

That answer is your Savior and King Jesus Christ… We live for Him and what eternity has in store for us not for today.

Let’s draw people to Jesus Christ by our lives and testimony! Let’s live it!