TEXT: Luke 17:1-10

SUBJECT: Blessings

Our meditation this week will be drawn from Luke's Gospel, chapter 17, verses 1-10. I invite you to open your Bible and follow along. The subject is one we all need to learn, "a Lesson in Forgiveness".

A Christian is the happiest man in the world. His joy comes from knowing that his sins are forgiven. "Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity and in whose spirit there is no guile."

Being so freely forgiven by God makes forgiving others an easy thing for the Christian. Or is it? If your Master forgave you 10,000 talents, surely you wouldn't resent your brother's little debt, would you? The Savior's prayer from the cross, "Father forgive them for they know not what they do" melts your heart, and makes you eager to forgive others, doesn't it?

No it doesn't. Forgiving others is hard; perhaps the hardest duty to which the Christian soldier is called. But, of course, I don't have to prove this to you, you know how hard it is to forgive others.

Especially those who are close to you. The bitterest feuds are not waged between long-time enemies, but between one-time friends or members of the same family. Yet they, too, must be forgiven. The abusive husband must be forgiven; the unfaithful wife must be forgiven; the heartbreaking children must be forgiven; the negligent parents must be forgiven.

This is not optional. God will not forgive you of your trespasses unless you are willing to forgive men of their's. And conformity to Jesus Christ calls you to forgive. Shall He forgive His murderers, while you retain your petty grudges?

Thus, you need to learn the lesson of forgiveness.

Coming to the Scripture itself, you first discover why you need to learn this lesson. "It is impossible that no offenses should come" says Jesus Christ. "Impossible".

Satan is an enemy who sows discord among the brethren. There is nothing he prefers to interpersonal conflict. It brings out the worst in men. Anger, bad attitudes, ugly words, gossip, even violence at times. He is behind it all, pleased that we have so readily "given place to the devil".

Indwelling sin also contributes to the "coming of offenses". The holiest man in the world is yet imperfect. The lusts that linger in him are the cause of "wars and fightings among us". Who among is wholly free from selfishness, pride, covetousness, and so on? As long as these things remain, you had better expect "offenses to come".

Innocent human weakness also ushers in the "coming of offenses". How often do we offend without knowing it...without meaning to. Some time ago, a friend came to me and told me that I deeply insulted her. "How?" I asked. "Well, what you said about three years ago hurt my feelings". "But I meant it as a joke", I told her. She didn't take it that way. No sin on my part, just weakness, yet it caused great offense. As long as we remain less than all-knowing and perfectly sensitive, "offenses must come".

But there is one other reason that "offenses must come", a reason, perhaps, that you have not thought of. The will of God. God wills "the coming of offenses". Not maliciously, but for our good. Yet what possible good could come from inter-personal conflict?

When offended, you have the opportunity to "imitate God". For He bears long with sinners; He forgives them; He loves them in spite of their trespasses. You can do the same.

When offended, you have the opportunity to help a needy person. Offensive talk, for example, is a token of a deeper spiritual problem. The offender is unwittingly asking for your help. Which you, in turn, should give.

Offenses develop graces in the offended. "Tribulation works patience" Paul tells us.

Offenses patiently borne witness powerfully to our religion. "By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, that you love one another".

The skeptics mock at many of our Lord's prophecies. But here's one even they acknowledge: "Offenses must come". Therefore you need to learn the lesson of forgiveness. It'll be needed till we occupy that "world wherein dwells righteousness".

May God teach it to us, for Christ's sake. Amen.

Our meditation this week is taken from Luke 17:1-10. The subject is an important one, "a Lesson in Forgiveness". You need to learn this lesson--our Lord reminds--because "offenses must come". How should you respond to them?

There are three steps involved in forgiving others. V.3a gives the first: "Take heed to yourselves".

"Take heed" comes from a single Greek word which is not ideally translated. The idea is "beware". Or "Be on guard". Thus, when offended, the Lord tells you to "Be suspicious...of yourself".

But how do you do this? Let me illustrate. A policeman sees a man running down the street with a television set under each arm. This, of course, looks suspicious. What does the officer do? He puts the suspect under surveillance; he interrogates him; he arrests him.

If you apply these rules to yourself the next time that you are offended, you will be well on your way to forgiveness.

And so, when offended, don't "take heed" to the offender--but to yourself.

It is admittedly hard to "take heed to yourself". Much easier to "take heed" to the offender. But to help you in your duty, remember these things:

And so, when someone does you wrong, "Take heed to yourselves".

May God grant such grace, for Christ's sake. Amen.

Our meditation this week is from Luke 17:1-10. The theme? "A Lesson in Forgiveness". In this one place, our Lord lays out all of the principles for getting along with others, especially those who have done you wrong.

"Offenses must come". Make no mistake about that. No one can live in this world without being offended from time to time. Some are offended rarely; others every day. But whatever the frequency, "offenses must come".

But how do you respond to them? Christ begins with a call to self-examination. "Take heed to yourselves". But He doesn't stop there. He goes on to add "If your brother offends you, rebuke him".

The believer who permits a hurt to go unchallenged is not brave, but foolish. If you have been hurt--seriously hurt--by another, it is your Christian duty to do something about it. And "something about it" is not wallow in self-pity or talk behind his back.

What you must do is "rebuke him".

Thus, the obligation is not on the offender to "make things right", but on the innocent party. This is how it must be. After all, the offender may be honestly unaware of his sin. Or, it may have been intentional, but has since been forgotten.

"Rebuke him", you must. But how?

Have you done this much? Are there festering sores on your soul? Old resentments? Bitter memories? If so, take the Lord's advice. "If your brother sins against you, rebuke him".

This is a "Lesson in forgiveness". May God teach it to us, for Christ's sake. Amen.

Our meditation this week is drawn from Luke 17:1-10. There, our Savior teaches us a lesson we need to learn--and re-learn--"A Lesson in forgiveness".

"Offenses must come". And so they do. Often. They hurt us, sometimes deeply. Sometimes so deeply that we can't even give voice to the pain. The hurts may last a lifetime. Thus, we need to learn how to forgive others. A husband, a wife, a church member, a neighbor, a classmate; someone in your life needs forgiving. And you need to forgive. May God teach you how.

The passage before us offers a remarkably concise, yet full account of how to forgive others. It begins with "taking heed to yourself"--lest you make matters worse. It proceeds to a rebuke. But it mustn't end there. You must go beyond reproving others to actually forgiving them.

But how? When? And why?

The Lord leaves no doubt. "If your brother offends you, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him".

The word "forgive" is translated from a Greek word which means "to let go of". When called to become "fishers of men", for example, Peter and Andrew "forsook their nets". It is the same word.

The meaning is the same in a moral context. The parable of the two debtors is helpful. The master held an overdue bill in his hand in the amount of 10,000 talents. "Pay up" was the demand. The debtor begged for patience. The master, though, did more; he "let go of" his demand. He "freely forgave him his debt".

Thus, when Christ urges you to "forgive", he means to "let go of the offense". This rules out any sort of revenge, talebearing, and bitterness. It also demands a restored relationship, and a renewed love for the offender.

This "forgiveness", however, is contingent upon the wrongdoer's repentance. "If your brother sins against you, rebuke him. And if he repents, forgive him."

Now, what does "repentance" mean? Technically, the word means "to change your mind". It carries with it the idea of radical change. When a sinner repents, he becomes "a new creature".

But this is not the meaning here. Our Lord uses it is a much looser sense. "If he sins against you seven times a day, and returns saying, `I repent', you shall forgive him". Now, surely, if a man commits the same sin seven times a day, and "repents", his repentance is not as deep as it should be. It is less than thorough. Yet, Christ commands you to "forgive him" on the slimmest evidence of true repentance.

To do less is to contribute to his impenitence. Some people believe that being offended gives them the right to extreme self-righteousness and unlimited demands. Until the wrongdoer grovels and begs and proves his sincerity, he cannot be forgiven. But this only frustrates. It is nothing less than "blackmail". Take others back on more lenient terms. Be eager to forgive. If the problem cannot be resolved, be sure it's due to nothing on your part.

Help others to repent by loving them. And being ready to receive them on easy terms. For God does this, doesn't He? "Do you despise His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, knowing not that the goodness of God leads you to repentance".

And so, "If your brother sins against you, rebuke him. And if he repents, forgive him". May God give such grace. For Christ's sake. Amen.

Our meditation this week is from Luke's Gospel, chapter 17, verses 1-10. The subject is "A Lesson in Forgiveness". From it we have now learned the basics: (1) people will do you wrong; (2) when they do, you must "take heed to yourself"; (3) After controlling your emotions, you must "rebuke" the offender; (4) if he apologizes, you must "let go of" the offense; its pain and the animosity it fosters.

Then we come to the least understood part of the teaching, v.5: "And the Apostles said to the Lord, `Increase our faith'". At first glance, this seems to be a humble plea for grace. It is not. It is an excuse for not forgiving others. They thought that colossal faith is needed to forgive others.

But Jesus says otherwise. He tells them that a little will do. "If you have faith as a mustard seed..." It is not impossible to forgive others; it is not as hard as you think it is.

Let me prove this by citing some examples of men who have forgiven grave wrongs.

But I can hear the objections. "These men were supremely gifted, but you and I aren't". That may be true. Yet a lesser man could forgive, too. When cheated of his birthright and his blessing, Esau plotted the murder of Jacob. But he didn't hold a grudge. When he next saw his brother, he fell on his neck and kissed him! And Esau wasn't a man of superior faith; he wasn't a man of faith at all! Yet he forgave. And so can you...if only you have "faith as a grain of mustard seed".

How do you do it? Vv.7ff make it plain: in a workmanlike fashion. READ. This means:

And so, forgive others. Forgive the deepest hurt; forgive the oldest hurt; forgive every hurt.

Learn the "Lesson in forgiveness". May God teach us all, for Christ's sake. Amen.