Sermon Tone Analysis

“A Spiritual Check-Up”

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Jesus says in, V:3-“take heed to yourselves…

Pay attention to yourselves, watch yourselves; do a check-up on your spiritual life.

Be concerned about your spiritual condition!

Jesus told his disciples back in -“Watch out for the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy”.

In -“Jesus says watch out for the scribes; they are hypocrites.

The disciples were to watch out for the sin and hypocrisy in the Pharisees, and scribes.

Not everybody who says they know Jesus really does.

Watch out for hypocrites, and don’t become one!

Today we need discernment, to spot what is genuine, and what is fake.

Watch out there are hypocrites!

But here in , Jesus tells his disciples that they need to watch themselves, and pay attention to how they’re living.

Check yourself, before you wreck yourself.

When you were a kid; did your parents ever say to you, take care of yourself?

Eddie, leave your sister alone and take care of yourself!

In school, I would turn around and start talking to someone, and my teacher would say, Eddie, turnaround and mind your own business.

Jesus said to his disciples, take the log out of your eye; then you can see clearly to help your brother get the splinter out of his eye.

It is a lot easier to see the failures, and sins in someone else life; than to see the ones in your own life.

I say to Tess, look at that terrible driver!

They didn’t even turn on their blinker; is it going take them an eternity to turn this corner!

One day not too long ago, Tess said to me; you are a terrible driver!

You didn’t even turn on your blinker!

Don’t you think you should watch yourself, and not the other drivers!

Jesus says to his disciples watch yourself, pay attention to your own spiritual life!

When you get on an airplane, they say: put on your own oxygen mask before you try to help others.

Why?

They don’t want you to suffocate in 12-D, while you’re messing with someone else’s oxygen mask.

Jesus tells us in these verses, we are to watch our spiritual life first and continually.

In these verses Jesus speaks to his disciples about four areas that were critical to their spiritual life.

He tells his disciples to “watch themselves” in these areas.

I want us to look at these four areas and do a spiritual checkup.

Question number one on the spiritual checkup:

1. Am I Causing Others to Sin?

V:1-2.

Jesus reminds us that we live in a fallen, sinful world, and temptation to sin will come.

It is impossible to live in this world without experiencing temptations, and stumbling blocks in your path.

We will face temptations from this world, and from our on sinful nature.

We live in a world where temptation is everywhere.

This world is under the control of the tempter; and he has gotten real good at tempting man.

The advertising industry, the movie industry, the clothing industry, you name it… Survives and prospers by tempting us to give into greed, envy, gluttony and lust.

Movie stars, athletes, politicians, lure multitudes of people away from God by their wicked lifestyles.

They make others stumble into sin, desiring to be like them.

Temptations to sin are everywhere; Jesus tells us that we live in a world of temptations.

We know this is true, we all experience temptation in different ways, every day.

Every day Satan comes after you with temptations, and digs pits for you to fall into, and puts stumbling blocks in the path of discipleship.

Do not be ignorant of his devices!

What is in this world?

The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.

Temptations to sin are a part of this world!

By the way, being tempted is not a sin; it is giving in to the temptation that is a sin!

Martin Luther said, you can’t keep a bird from flying over your head; but you can keep it from building a nest in your hair”.

Temptation, and stumbling blocks will come…

V:1-“but woe unto him, through whom they come”.

Jesus goes on to say in, V:2, it would be better for you that a grinding stone be tied around your neck and you be cast into the sea and die a horrible death by drowning than for you to cause someone else to stumble into sin.

This is a very strong warning to not be a stumbling block, to not cause others to stumble over you into sin!

Do not cause other people to sin!

Jesus says it would be better to die a horrible death, than to cause a little one to stumble into sin!

Jesus said something similar to this in:

-“Offences will come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!

If your hand or foot offend you, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for you to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire.

Jesus is telling us to be serious about removing from our life’s anything that is causing other people to sin.

Watch yourself, look closely at your life and asked yourself; am I causing others to sin?

Are you causing your girlfriend to sin, by putting pressure on her?

Is your cold heart, of indifference toward Jesus and his church; causing others, especially new believers to say if that’s his attitude, why should I care?

Is your attitude and disposition, and anger causing your spouse to sin?

Are you provoking your children to wrath, by the way that you discipline them?

We can cause others to sin when our actions, and attitudes, by setting a bad example for them.

We cause others to sin when our complaining spirits cause them to be discontent as well.

We cause others to sin when we gossip about someone to them.

Jesus said woe to you if you lead someone into sin, and cause them to stumble in their spiritual walk!

You would be better off dead, than be leading people away from God!

The way you act, dress, talk, respond, and live your life should not cause other people to sin!

Yes, of course people have to take responsibility for their own actions, no one sins for you!

But Jesus says woe to you who entice, tempt, and introduce some little one to sin!

Tempting people is a very great sin!

It is a great sin to lead children into sin!

It is going be a horrible day; on judgment day for those who lead children and youth into a lifestyle of sin.

We also must be careful not to lead those who have just begun to follow Jesus astray.

New believers are the most vulnerable; and more mature believers need to be very careful not to lead them astray, by their actions and attitudes.

There have been a lot of people turn their back on God, and the church, because of the moral, financial, and sexual scandals that have corrupted the church and dishonor the name of Jesus!

There are preachers, deacons, Christians who have caused people to stumble into sin.

Jesus said it would been better for you to die than to cause others to stumble.

Jesus said watch yourself, pay attention, don’t lead others into sin!

Watch yourself; am I Causing others to sin?

Question number two on the spiritual checkup:

1. Am I a Person of Forgiveness?

V:3-4-Read.

Christians are to be concerned about their relationship with each other.

As a part of God’s family, God’s church we have a responsibility to hold each other accountable.

Jesus says when your brother/sister sins you are to rebuke them.

This is a sin that has been committed against you; notice the personal pronouns.

This is not something that we enjoyed doing; you should never find joy in rebuking your brother sister in Christ for their sin against you.

But at the same time, we are not to choose to do nothing, and leave them in their sin!

If your brother sins against you, rebuked him.

This is something that Jesus wants you to do!

We have the spiritual responsibility to show them their sin and fault.

For the glory of God and the good of that brother or sister we need to confront them with their sin; so they can repent and we can forgive them, and reconciliation can happen.

This reminds us that we do not live our spiritual life in isolation; but in a community of believers, the church.

Jesus tells us exactly how to do this in:

-“If your brother shall trespass against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone: if he shall hear you, you have gained your brother.