Wednesday
Evening Bible Study
November 21, 2001
Introduction
It seems that we are still in the same historical setting that started back
in Luke 14:1. Jesus is at the home of a
Pharisee having supper.
:1-2 Stumbling others
:1 Then said he unto the disciples,
It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom
they come!
impossible – anendektos –
that cannot be admitted, inadmissible, unallowable, improper
offences – skandalon –
the movable stick or trigger of a trap, a trap stick; any impediment placed in
the way and causing one to stumble or fall, (a stumbling block, occasion of
stumbling) i.e. a rock which is a cause of stumbling; any person or thing by
which one is (entrapped) drawn into error or sin
The idea here is that of things that will tempt a person to sin. These are inevitable. There will always be temptations.
:2 It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and
he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.
It were better – lusitelei
– to pay the taxes; to return expenses; to be useful, advantageous, it
profits
We might say, “it would be more profitable to you if …”
a millstone – mulos – a
mill stone
millstone – made up of two words:
mulos – a mill stone; a large
mill consisted of two stones, an upper and an under one; the "nether"
stone was stationary, but the upper one was turned by an ass
onikos – of or for an ass, turned
by an ass; these beasts were often employed to turn millstones
Hence, this must be the “upper” millstone, the one that is turned by a
donkey.
hanged – perikeimai – to
lie around; to be compassed with, have round one
neck – trachelos – neck,
to be ready to incur the most imminent peril to life
cast – rhipto – to cast,
throw; throw down; to cast forward or before
should offend – skandalizo –
to put a stumbling block or impediment in the way, upon which another may trip
and fall, metaph. to offend; to entice to sin
these little ones – Who is Jesus talking about? Children?
His disciples?
In Matthew, Jesus was talking about children:
(Mat 18:1-7 KJV) At the same time came the disciples unto
Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? {2} And Jesus
called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, {3} And said,
Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children,
ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. {4} Whosoever therefore shall
humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of
heaven. {5} And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth
me. {6} But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it
were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he
were drowned in the depth of the sea. {7} Woe unto the world because of
offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom
the offence cometh!
Jesus uses the term “babes” to describe His own followers (Luke 10:21).
Lesson
Causing others to stumble
We might think this simply means to not tempt others to out and out
sin. But there’s more to it.
In Romans 14, Paul is talking about what we might call “gray areas”. For the Romans, the issue of eating meat
sacrificed to idols was a “gray area”.
Some people thought it was horrible to eat meat that had been dedicated
to an idol such as Aphrodite. Others
knew that Aphrodite wasn’t a real person, so it didn’t bother them. Paul wrote,
(Rom 14:13-15 KJV) Let us not therefore judge one another any
more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to
fall in his brother's way. {14} I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus,
that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to
be unclean, to him it is unclean. {15} But if thy brother be grieved with thy
meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom
Christ died.
The idea is that if you were to cause a person to do
something that went against their own conscience, you were causing them to
stumble. And this wasn’t loving them.
For example, the subject of drinking alcoholic beverages is actually a
“gray” area. The Bible doesn’t prohibit
drinking alcohol, it prohibits being drunk.
But some people have a real trouble at the thought of drinking anything
alcoholic. If you go out and ask them
to have a beer with you, you could be causing them to stumble.
It’s all about learning to love others.
(1 John 2:10 KJV) He that loveth his brother abideth in the
light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.
:3-4 Forgiveness
:3 Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke
him; and if he repent, forgive him.
Take heed – prosecho – to
bring to, bring near; to turn the mind to, attend to be attentive; to attend to
one’s self, i.e. to give heed to one’s self; give attention to, take heed; to
apply one’s self to, attach one’s self to, hold or cleave to a person or a
thing
“pay attention”
trespass – hamartano – to
be without a share in; to miss the mark; to err, be mistaken; to miss or wander
from the path of uprightness and honour, to do or go wrong; to wander from the
law of God, violate God’s law, sin
rebuke – epitimao – to
show honour to, to honour; to raise the price of; to adjudge, award, in the
sense of merited penalty; to tax with fault, rate, chide, rebuke, reprove,
censure severely; to admonish or charge sharply
Lesson
Confronting problems
Personally, I don’t think we need to “confront” every person who rubs us
the wrong way.
I think there is a place for being gracious and patient with others.
(Eph 4:1-2
NLT) Therefore I, a prisoner for
serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have
been called by God. {2} Be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making
allowance for each other's faults because of your love.
(Col
3:12-13 NLT) Since God chose you to be
the holy people whom he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted
mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. {13} You must make allowance
for each other's faults and forgive the person who offends you. Remember, the
Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.
When you can, just let it go.
But if we can’t “let it go”, we need to learn to confront with a goal of
restoring and forgiving.
(Mat 18:15-17 KJV) Moreover if thy brother shall trespass
against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall
hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. {16} But if he will not hear thee,
then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three
witnesses every word may be established. {17} And if he shall neglect to hear
them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be
unto thee as a heathen man and a publican.
It’s not uncommon for us to have a problem with a person,
and rather than confront them, we go and talk to others about it.
I understand how that happens. I understand that confronting others is difficult. I understand that confrontations with some
persons are easier than with others.
But the goal should always be that we learn to go to that person to
confront them. As a pastor, it is not
uncommon for people to come to me and talk about a problem they are having with
another person in the church. I used to
be upset when this happened, but now I am kind of resigned to the fact that
none of us are good at confronting people.
As a general rule, I will tell the person that they need to go to the
offending party and confront them. I
think this is how we all ought to respond when someone comes to us with a
problem about someone else.
Paul dealt with a discipline situation within the Corinthian church that
resulted with Paul “disfellowshipping” the individual, even turning them over
to Satan for the destruction of their flesh (1Cor. 5).
But there came a time when the discipline was over and it was time to
restore the individual back to the church.
(2 Cor 2:4-11 NLT) How painful it was to write that letter!
Heartbroken, I cried over it. I didn't want to hurt you, but I wanted you to
know how very much I love you. {5} I am not overstating it when I say that the
man who caused all the trouble hurt your entire church more than he hurt me.
{6} He was punished enough when most of you were united in your judgment
against him. {7} Now it is time to forgive him and comfort him. Otherwise he
may become so discouraged that he won't be able to recover. {8} Now show him
that you still love him. {9} I wrote to you as I did to find out how far you
would go in obeying me. {10} When you forgive this man, I forgive him, too. And
when I forgive him (for whatever is to be forgiven), I do so with Christ's
authority for your benefit, {11} so that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are
very familiar with his evil schemes.
The goal should always be to see a person change and be restored.
(Gal 6:1 KJV) Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault,
ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness;
considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.
repent – metanoeo – to
change one’s mind, i.e. to repent; to change one’s mind for better, heartily to
amend with abhorrence of one’s past sins
forgive – aphiemi – to
send away; to let go, let alone, let be; to let go, give up a debt, forgive, to
remit
:4 And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in
a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.
turn again – epistrepho –
to turn to; to cause to return, to bring back; to turn one’s self about, turn
back; to return, turn back, come back
Lesson
Dealing with abuse
Is there a limit to this?
What about the abusive husband who batters his wife, then apologizes?
What about the person who has learned to quickly say “I’m sorry”, but whose
behavior never changes?
First, I’m not sure that forgiveness means we ought to be naďve.
If a person shoots you and says they’re sorry, I don’t think it means we
need to hand them another gun.
I think there are times when it’s wise to put distance between yourself and
another person. At least until the time
comes that we are convinced just how sincere and deep their repentance is.
Second, is the repentance real or not?
I think that a common mistake we make is when a person says “I’m sorry”,
that we must automatically and fully forgive them.
God is the only one who knows their heart. We can’t tell how sincere a person is.
In talking to the Corinthians about their discipline problem, Paul wrote,
(2 Cor
7:8-11 NLT) I am no longer sorry
that I sent that letter to you, though I was sorry for a time, for I know that
it was painful to you for a little while. {9} Now I am glad I sent it, not
because it hurt you, but because the pain caused you to have remorse and change
your ways. It was the kind of sorrow God wants his people to have, so you were
not harmed by us in any way. {10} For God can use sorrow in our lives to help
us turn away from sin and seek salvation. We will never regret that kind of
sorrow. But sorrow without repentance is the kind that results in death. {11}
Just see what this godly sorrow produced in you! Such earnestness, such concern
to clear yourselves, such indignation, such alarm, such longing to see me, such
zeal, and such a readiness to punish the wrongdoer. You showed that you have
done everything you could to make things right.
I want to be careful that we don’t decide to set up our
own “repentance police” who will determine whether or not a person meets our
criteria of “sincere repentance” or not.
But the fact is that saying you’re “sorry” doesn’t prove
anything. The kind of “sorrow” that God
is looking for is a sorrow that is proven by a person’s actions.
A person who is truly sorry will demonstrate it by the way
they act.
Lesson
Don’t grow tired of forgiving others
Though it may sound as if I’m dancing around this issue by giving some
caution towards abuse with forgiveness, don’t miss the point that Jesus is
telling us that we need to forgive others.
God is patient with us, we need to be patient with others.
Forgiveness is not an option.
(Mat 18:21-35 KJV) Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how
oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? {22}
Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until
seventy times seven. {23} Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a
certain king, which would take account of his servants. {24} And when he had
begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents.
{25} But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and
his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. {26} The
servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience
with me, and I will pay thee all. {27} Then the lord of that servant was moved
with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. {28} But the same
servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an
hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying,
Pay me that thou owest. {29} And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and
besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. {30} And
he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.
{31} So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and
came and told unto their lord all that was done. {32} Then his lord, after that
he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all
that debt, because thou desiredst me: {33} Shouldest not thou also have had
compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? {34} And his lord
was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was
due unto him. {35} So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye
from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.
God has forgiven us such a huge debt, we have no right to hold anything
against anyone.
:5-6 More faith
:5 And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.
increase – prostithemi –
to put to; to add; i.e. to join to, gather with any company, the number of
one’s followers or companions
Why are the apostles asking Jesus to increase their faith?
I wonder if it isn’t because they are having a difficult time with Jesus’
teaching about forgiveness.
Lesson
Defining faith
I think it’s important that we understand this word we call “faith”. There has been much abuse of this word over
the years. There are some “teachers”
who would lead you to believe that “faith” is some kind of magical power, like
fairy dust in Peter Pan. If you have
enough of this sparkly dust and you think “happy thoughts”, you can fly. This is incorrect. Faith is not some kind of “force”.
The Bible defines faith for us:
(Heb 11:1 KJV) Now faith is the substance of things hoped
for, the evidence of things not seen.
(Heb 11:1 NLT) What is faith? It is the confident assurance
that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we
cannot yet see.
(Heb 11:1 NIV) Now faith is being sure of what we hope for
and certain of what we do not see.
(Heb 11:1 NASB) Now faith is the assurance of things hoped
for, the conviction of things not seen.
Summary: Faith is trusting
in something (or someone) you don’t see.
I think what the disciples are saying is, “Jesus, we don’t see how in the
world we could forgive like that! Could
you help us learn how to trust you and forgive like this?”
:6 And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might
say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou
planted in the sea; and it should obey you.
If ye had – this is what’s called a “condition of the first
class”, meaning that it is assumed to be true.
In other words, “If you had faith like a mustard seed, AND YOU DO …”
a grain – kokkos – a grain
mustard seed – sinapi –
mustard, the name of a plant which in oriental countries grows from a very
small seed and attains to the height of a tree, 10 feet (3 m) and more; hence a
very small quantity of a thing is likened to a mustard seed, and also a thing
which grows to a remarkable size
If you pay attention here, Jesus doesn’t really say anything about the
“size” of the mustard seed. He only
says that we ought to have “faith as a grain of mustard seed”. Some have suggested that size isn’t the only
issue, but rather life. If you have a
living faith, even if it’s small, you can do much.
sycamine – sukaminos –
sycamine tree, having the form and foliage of the mulberry, but fruit
resembling the fig
be thou plucked up by the root – ekrizoo
– to root out, pluck up by the roots
be thou planted – phuteuo –
to plant
obey – hupakouo – to
listen, to harken; to harken to a command; to obey, be obedient to, submit to
Lesson
Forgive by faith
I think that sometimes we can find ourselves in a situation where
forgiveness is a very, very hard thing to do.
Illustration
The Anglican pastor and poet George Herbert wrote, “He who cannot
forgive breaks the bridge over which he himself must pass.”
Illustration
A long time ago a troubled gal used to come to a home Bible Study that I
led. Over time, this gal opened up to
my wife and I and told us about growing up in an incredibly abusive home. She was abused regularly by her own father
for something like eight years.
Whenever we would sing songs about the “Father”, she would cringe and
sometimes leave the house because the word “Father” was not a wholesome, loving
term. She would ask me, “Do I have to
forgive him?” Frankly, there were times
I didn’t know how to answer. I thought
it was more appropriate that she shoot him rather than forgive him. But then we were faced with the Scriptures
that command us to forgive. The only
thing I could tell her was to encourage her to “move toward” forgiveness. All I could do was to encourage her to pray
and ask God to help her one day be able to forgive her father. She made that her prayer for several years. Finally, the day came when she was in a
small group of gals at Calvary Costa Mesa where God was able to break through
to her heart and she was able to let go of her bitterness and forgive her
father. I think that sometimes
forgiveness needs to start with our taking the step of asking God to “increase
our faith”, to help us move towards forgiveness.
Illustration
Corrie Ten Boom shares this true story in her book, The Hiding Place: It was a church service in Munich that I saw him,
the former S.S. man who had stood guard at the shower room door in the
processing center at Ravensbruck. He was the first of our actual jailers that I
had seen since that time. And suddenly it was all there—the roomful of mocking
men, the heaps of clothing, Betsie’s pain-blanched face. He came up to me as
the church was emptying, beaming and bowing. “How grateful I am for your
message, Fraulein,” he said. “To think that, as you say, He has washed my sins
away!” His hand was thrust out to shake mine. And I, who had preached so often
to the people in Bloemendaal the need to forgive, kept my hand at my side. Even
as the angry, vengeful thoughts boiled through me, I saw the sin of them. Jesus
Christ had died for this man; was I going to ask for more? Lord Jesus, I
prayed, forgive me and help me to forgive him. I tried to smile, I struggled to
raise my hand. I could not. I felt nothing, not the slightest spark of warmth
or charity. And so again I breathed a silent prayer. Jesus, I cannot forgive
him. Give me Your forgiveness. As I took his hand the most incredible thing
happened. From my shoulder along my arm and through my hand a current seemed to
pass from me to him, while into my heart sprang a love for this stranger that
almost overwhelmed me. And so I discovered that it is not on our forgiveness
any more than on our goodness that the world’s healing hinges, but on His. When
He tells us to love our enemies, He gives, along with the command, the love
itself.