Being an Authentic Follower of Jesus:
The Nature of Temptation, Sin, and a Rebuke
Luke 17:1-10
November 8, 2009
Jesus turns his attention from the crowd to his disciples and teaches them two things: temptation and sin are inevitable and as a community, they are to confront that sin in each other’s lives so that transformation, healing, and reconciliation occurs.
1. Temptation and Sin are Inevitable (vs. 1-2)
Temptation and sin are inevitable. Temptation is like a lure that leads one from shelter to trap them with a deadly hook. No matter how spiritual you are; how much read your bible, fast, pray in tongues, go to church, temptation to sin will come. Even if you lived in a spiritually sterile environment there would be temptation because the heart is still sinful (James 2:14-15).
All sin arises from two sources: pride and idolatry. This is how it pride works. We do not like the God of the bible so we make a god into our own mold. We say God would not do that or God would not want that in my life, that He would not let that happen, so we do what we want. We say, God would not want me to be lonely so we start dating non Christians and reject the command not to be unequally yoked because God wants me to be happy. That is rejecting Gods word as ultimate and making your word ultimate. In effect, you have made yourself your own god. Do you see that? When you reject any command of God and do what you want instead, you are making yourself your own god.
The second source of sin is idolatry. Idolatry is worshipping, treasuring anything above God and looking for it to meet our need instead of God. Our gods are not little idols we worship behind closed doors; our gods are money, girlfriends or boyfriend, entertainment, a job, or even really good things like a family that we make ultimate. Everything revolves around the family or every thing revolves around our jobs, or everything revolves around money, or everything revolves around entertaining ourselves. It boils down to what we value. Let me show you how deceptive this can be.
The reason why so many of us struggle with long term sin because we don’t deal with the root, pride or idolatry. They are tethered by these two deeper sins.
Jesus goes on to say, ‘temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin.’ Death would be better than what they will face.’ He is talking about the Pharisees here, leading people away from Jesus. Stumbling from others comes from both within the community and outside the community. It comes from outside, ‘Bad company corrupts good morals (1 Cor. 15:33).’ It could be friends being bad influences listening, watching or doing things which are destructive to our faith. There are also those within the community that lead us astray, leaders. They are teaching anything from the social gospel; religious moralism; and self help gospel. They are pastoring, writing books, on television, etc. That is why Jesus says to watch yourselves. The threat to lead us astray is real and ruthless:
Acts 20:29 I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30 and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them.
2 Corinthians 11:1 I wish you would bear with me in a little foolishness. Do bear with me! 2 I feel a divine jealousy for you, for I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. 3 But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 4 For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough.
Paul is worried about members of the body of Christ because these false teachers are coming in teaching a different gospel, leading life groups, teaching the body, and they are not doing anything about it.
1 Timothy 1:5 The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. 6 Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion, 7 desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.
Elders, teaching a different gospel, leading life groups, teaching heresy, and Timothy sent in as an apostolic delegate to confront these false teachers. So we are to watch ourselves. But we are also to watch ourselves when confronting others sin. That leads us to me next point.
2. Rebuking Well (vs. 3-4)
Rebuking is one beggar going to another beggar and showing him a source of bread. It is one sick person giving another sick person an antidote. Somewhere along the way rebuke got a bad rap, probably by someone who got rebuked and didn’t like it. It is viewed as something negative and should be avoided. The Pharisees shunned people who were ‘sinners.’ Religious moralists shun and look down on others caught up in sin because they think they are better than they are. They are blind to their own sinfulness and are pretty proud of their ability to look good. But Jesus came to rescue sinners; came to set the captives free. That’s why sinners loved him. Jesus is setting a precedence for us. We rebuke each other because we love each other enough to do the uncomfortable thing; because we know when full blown, sin leads to spiritual decay and death. We must understand that a rebuke paves the way for healing, forgiveness, and reconciliation. Rebuking works in the context of community because we are responsible for each other. It is interesting that the first sin in the bible is someone leading another into sin; the second is someone not taking reasonability for his brother. So in community we sit down with one another and say hey, I am concerned about this, this is not biblical, the way you are teaching is not right, the way you are living is not right, this situation is not being handled correctly, you are not leading your family. That’s how life works in community. Community says I am committed to you and your spiritual growth. I will not abandon you because I get upset or frustrated or don’t like something you said or did that offended me. But that is not how life works in community because there is a real enemy who is very good at how he attacks and seeks to disrupt community, relationships, and the work of the Sprit. The front line of defense we have is the Holy Spirit sealed in us, who works through us, and the weapon he uses is the community of saints. Lets look at Mat 18:15-20. Jesus is saying that when we do community together, when we Treasure Christ Together, in a way that we can sit down together and engage each other, Christ is with us, pleading with us, to move from the darkness and into the light. When we are gathered in His name (context of rebuking) Jesus is there working. So I have a responsibility to engage you and you have a responsibility to engage me. Because temptation is sure to come, but when it comes and takes root, it grows into sin and leads to a lot of pain, a lot of suffering and a lot of hurt that is lurking in the background. So we rebuke each other and live in community because we don’t want that.
Now he says that if we engage each other that way and there is repentance we are to forgive. Repentance is more than just saying I am sorry and feeling bad about it. That’s just worldly sorrow but not repentance. The difference is that repentance almost always leads to movement. Repentance says I am sorry that I hurt you, sinned against you, I will do whatever God tells me, and I will change with Gods help. Repentance is changing of the mind (heart) and changing of direction (will) because grieved by your sin (affections). So when somebody says I am sorry but that is not there it’s not repentance.
He goes on to say that if they repent seven times in a day then you are to forgive them. Why does he mention seven times? Because change is a process. So we are patient, gracious with each other. We don’t pound on them, beat them and make them pay for their sin. You forgive because you have experienced Gods grace and mercy, who put up with your sin and forgives you.
What if he does not repent? You get a group together and talk about how bad he is and then a bunch of people take up your offence. No; you get someone else and alone go to him.
