#143 Lu. 17:1-6 OFFENCES, FORGIVENESS AND INCREASED FAITH

Introduction:

    In our previous text Jesus spoke about the rich man and
Lazarus.  When Lazarus died he was carried by angels to heaven
where he was embraced to the bosom of Abraham.  The rich man also
died and was carried to hell where he was in torments.
    In our text today Jesus speaks to His disciples about the
coming of offences upon them.  It appears that He is talking first
about the coming of offenses committed against Himself and against
the Christians by the unsaved.  He then speaks about offenses
committed by the disciples against one another and points out the
great need of forgiveness.  The apostles speak up and point out
their own need for increased faith.

I.  Offenses that will come from the unsaved

    V. 1, "Then said he unto the disciples..."  This appears to be
the same disciples that He spoke to back in Luke 16:1.  The group
included not only His twelve apostles, but it included a large
number of publicans who had recently been converted.  The
Pharisees were present back in chapter 16 to hear what He said to
his disciples and they sharply criticized Him for saying that man
cannot serve God and mammon.
    Jesus then turned to the Pharisees and addressed them.  He was
still talking to the Pharisees in our text last Sunday when He
spoke about the rich man and Lazarus.  He now turns back to
address only the disciples and I get the impression that the
Pharisees are no longer present to hear what He has to say.
    (V. 1), "...It is impossible but that offences will come..."
This statement was apparently in response to the severe criticism
He had received from the Pharisees.  Jesus wanted them to know
that more was yet to come.  In fact, the worst was yet to come.
The Pharisees would join forces with the Sadducees who also hated
Him.  Together they would plot His crucifixion.  Judas Iscariot
would betray Him into their hands so that they would be able to
arrest Him away from the crowds who might interfere.  The
Pharisees and Sadducees would then bring about His crucifixion and
His death.  After that His followers would catch the brunt of
the persecutions.  Not only would the Jewish leaders persecute
them, but the Gentiles would also persecute them severely.
    Jesus told His disciples that it was impossible for them to
avoid such offences.  Offences would surely come.  It is
impossible for Christian people to live in a world that hates the
Christ without suffering persecution at their hands.
    Jesus said that offences would surely come, but He also
pronounced severe judgment on anyone by whom the offences come.
(V.  1), "...but woe unto him, through whom they come!"  He goes
on to describe just how severe that judgment will be.  V. 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."  The little ones that He was talking about
were His followers, the Christians.
    Note that Jesus said that it would be better for that
individual to have a millstone hanged about his neck and that be
cast into the sea.  In that case, if a millstone were hanged about
his neck and he were cast into the sea, he would not only drown,
but his body would likely never be found.  Yet even that would be
easier on him than the judgment that God will bring on him for
doing harm to the followers of Jesus.  Let me tell you it is a
dangerous thing for the unsaved to persecute the saved.

II.  Offences that will come from fellow Christians

    V. 3, "Take heed to yourselves..."  The disciples were to take
heed to themselves.  They were to take heed not only concerning
the offences which the ungodly will bring upon them, but they are
to take heed concerning offenses which would arise among
themselves with Christians doing offense against fellow
Christians.
    The word, offense, here is not talking about mere petty
feelings.  It is not talking about doing something which somebody
disapproves.  It is talking about actually doing another person
wrong.  In this case, it is talking about doing a fellow Christian
wrong.
    First of all each of the Lord's disciples was to take heed
concerning himself so as to try to avoid wronging a fellow
Christian.  As for that matter, a Christian is not to wrong
anybody.  But he is especially admonished in Scripture to do good
unto his fellow Christians.  He is to take heed to himself---he is
to be extra careful---lest he do a Christian wrong.
    Secondly, each of the Lord's disciples was to take heed how he
reacted when some other Christian wrongs him.  (3), "...If thy
brother trespass against thee..."  Take notice that Jesus here is
not talking about a trespass that comes from the unsaved.  Rather,
He is talking about a trespass that comes from a fellow Christian
brother.
    This brings up a question:  Will a Christian brother actually
do another Christian brother wrong?  The answer to that question
is "Yes."  Now it is true that many times when a Christian feels
that someone has done him wrong that he is mistaken.  There are
times when he thinks he was wronged that he wasn't.  But it is
true that one real genuine Christian brother will actually wrong
another.  I dare say that all of us, at one time or another, have
been guilty.  I dare say also that all of us have been guilty
many times.
    Yet most of the time when one Christian does another Christian
wrong he did not do so deliberately.  I really believe that.  I
believe that most of the time when one Christian wrongs another it
was unintentional.  He did not mean to hurt him.
    Jesus tells us what to do in the event we happen to be the
party who is wronged.  (V. 3), "...rebuke him..."  Can you imagine
that?  Jesus said, "Rebuke him!  Rebuke the one who wronged you!"
Go to him and tell him.  The chances are that he doesn't even know
that he has done you wrong.  The chances are that he will be
greatly surprised.  He will be shocked.  He will surely regret
that he has wronged you and he will gladly set things right if he
can.  So rebuke him.
    Now I know that this is not our nature.  When we have been
wronged, when we are hurt, the last thing we want to do is to go
to our brother and tell him what he has done wrong and make peace
with him.  I don't know of anybody who would be inclined to do
that.  It was because we would not otherwise so such a thing that
Jesus told us to go to him and tell him.  He knew that unless He
told us to rebuke him, we would never do so.  Therefore Jesus
said, "Go tell him!"
    The next thing Jesus told the wronged party to do was to
forgive him.  (V. 3),  "...and if he repent, forgive him."  You
say, but what if he does not repent?  Well in Matthew 18:15-18
Jesus tells us what to do in that case.  If he does not show
remorse for the wrong that he has done you, go and get two or
three Christian brothers and take them with you and try again to
make peace with him.  Then if he still shows no remorse, then take
the matter to the church.  The church will then have the
responsibility of recommending a fair and equitable solution to
the problem.  If even that does not succeed in bringing peace then
church will have to discipline somebody.
    But in our text Jesus does not assume that the brother will
not repent.  Cross that bridge only if you have to.  Rather, Jesus
assumes that he will probably repent and He says, "If he repent,
forgive him."
    On an earlier occasion the Apostle Peter asked Jesus, "How
many times shall I forgive my brother?  Till seven times?"  Jesus
answered Peter that he should forgive his brother till seventy
times seven, meaning an unlimited number of times.  In effect
Jesus said the same thing in this passage, only He said it in a
different way.  V. 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."  In the other passage, Jesus when
Jesus said, "Seventy times seven" Jesus was talking about an
extended number of times.  In this passage when He talks about
"seven times in a day" He is talking about an extended number of
times.  In other words, Jesus is saying, You just keep on
forgiving him.  Just keep on forgiving him no matter how many
times he trespasses against you and no matter how often he
trespasses against you."

III. A request for increased faith

    Let me ask you this:  What would be your response to this kind
of instruction from Jesus?  What would be your response if Jesus
were to tell you to forgive your brother no matter how many times
he does you wrong and no matter how often?"  Listen to the
response of the twelve apostles:  V. 5, "And the apostles said
unto the Lord, Increase our faith." Jesus said, "Forgive without
number" and the apostles said, "Lord, increase our faith!"
    The apostles already had faith in the Lord, but they did not
have the kind of faith that would enable them to do what the Lord
was here asking them to do.  In effect what the apostles said was,
"Lord, if we are going to be able to forgive seven times in one
day---if we are going to be able to forgive without limit, you are
going to have to increase our faith."  You see, these apostles
knew that they did not have that kind of faith---not as yet.  They
knew that in their own hearts right at that time they were
carrying grudges.  Some of the apostles were carrying grudges
against other apostles.  They had tried to forgive and keep on
forgiving, but they had been unable to do it.  They knew that they
never would be able to forgive without limit unless the Lord
should give them special grace to do it.
    Let me repeat something I have said to you a number of times:
"The most difficult task that Jesus ever assigned to His disciples
is to forgive."  This is a hard thing to do and it is beyond the
ability of any human being without special help from the Lord.  It
was beyond the abilities of even the twelve apostles without the
help of God.
    How then can we expect to succeed without the help of God?  If
we are going to be able to forgive anybody anything even one time,
we need the special grace of God.  If we are going to forgive and
keep on forgiving we most certainly need the special grace of God.
I will tell you what we can do.  We can say along with the
apostles, "Lord, increase our faith.  We don't have that kind of
faith, Lord, ---not within ourselves.  You are going to have to
help us." But we also need to be able to say, "But, Lord, I am
willing and if you will help me, I will do it."

IV.  A lesson about faith

    Notice now the Lord's answer to the twelve.  V. 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."  A lot of
people think the Lord was talking here about the kind of faith
that is necessary to move mountains and trees.  He wasn't.  He was
talking about the kind of faith that is necessary to forgive and
keep on forgiving.  He merely used the faith to do miracles to
illustrate His point.  But His point was not the ability to do
miracles.  His point was the faith to forgive without limit.
    By the way, on the subject of miracles, God gave them the
ability to do real genuine miracles.  God has not given us, in
this day, the ability to do miracles.  No matter how great your
faith is, you are not going to be able to miracles.  Do not feel
badly about being unable to do miracles.  Not many people even in
Old Testament times were given the ability to do miracles.  In the
days of the twelve apostles, Jesus gave the ability to do miracles
to only a limited number of people.  But since the apostles did
have the ability to work miracles, Jesus could say to them that if
any of them had the faith as a grain of mustard seed, he could say
to the tree, "Be thou planted in the sea" and the tree would be
planted in the sea.  Somebody may say, "But how do you know they
could have done that?" The answer is, "Because Jesus said they
could."
  But now get the point that Jesus was making.  If one had the
gift of miracles, it did not take a big faith to uproot a tree and
plant it in the sea.  A little faith would go a long way.  It was
not a matter of how big their faith was.  It was matter of whom
they had faith in.  If they were depending on themselves, they
could not perform such a miracle.  But if their faith was in
Jesus, then the faith as of a grain of mustard seed would get the
job done.
    This same thing is true in the matter of forgiveness.  A
little faith goes a long way when that faith is placed in Jesus
Christ.  A huge grudge with long roots that run deep can be
uprooted and completely moved away.  But we cannot do it as long
as we depend on ourselves any more than we can cause the tree to
move off into the sea by our own power.  We must trust the Lord
and He will help us.  He is the One who told us to forgive.  He is
also the One who will help us to forgive if we are just willing to
do what he says.

Conclusion:

    May the Lord give us the faith that we need.  May the Lord
give us the grace that we need.  May the Lord give us the
spiritual strength that we need.  May the Lord make spiritual
giants out of each of one of us.  May the Lord make of this church
a lighthouse that will shine out to our surrounding community and
to all the world.
    May each of you who is lost repent of your sins and trust in
Jesus Christ so that your own sins will be forgiven and you will
go to heaven.