Luke 17:1-4 The Message Bible
1 He said to his disciples, "Hard trials and temptations are bound to come, but too bad for whoever brings them on! 2 Better to wear a millstone necklace and take a swim in the deep blue sea than give even one of these dear little ones a hard time! 3 "Be alert. If you see your friend going wrong, correct him. If he responds, forgive him. 4 Even if it’s personal against you and repeated seven times through the day, and seven times he says, ’I’m sorry, I won’t do it again,’ forgive him." 5 The apostles came up and said to the Master, "Give us more faith." 6 But the Master said, "You don’t need more faith. There is no ’more’ or ’less’ in faith. If you have a bare kernel of faith, say the size of a poppy seed, you could say to this sycamore tree, ’Go jump in the lake,’ and it would do it. 7 "Suppose one of you has a servant who comes in from plowing the field or tending the sheep. Would you take his coat, set the table, and say, ’Sit down and eat’? 8 Wouldn’t you be more likely to say, ’Prepare dinner; change your clothes and wait table for me until I’ve finished my coffee; then go to the kitchen and have your supper’? 9 Does the servant get special thanks for doing what’s expected of him? 10 It’s the same with you. When you’ve done everything expected of you, be matter-of-fact and say, ’The work is done. What we were told to do, we did.’"
Forgiveness is a powerful thing as well as Unforgiveness.We live today in a pious society it is unfortunate that this piousness has creeped in the church.There are religious people like the Pharisees who are at this present time trusting in their own self righteousness and yet despising or looking down on others.I know that the Bible talks about offences will come:but woe unto him or her,through whom they come!Luke 17:1(KJV) When we cause someone to sin because of our own self righteousness,our attitudes,or neglect we will bring such a severe punishment upon us that the Bible say’s in Matthew 18:6 in the Holman Standard Bible that " whoever causes the downfall of one of these little ones(or anyone) who believe in Me--it would be better for him if a heavy millstone were hung around his neck and he were drowned in the depths of the sea! Thats right people DEATH!
Before you commit this sin this is what Jesus say’s would be preferable in dealing with you.We need to be careful how we carry ourselves because if you are unaproachable and have attitudes all the time if I am not careful you could cause me to play that same game and sin can enter my heart through unforgiveness and then I’m acting a fool just like you.This is where verse 3 in this same chapter comes into play because Jesus say’s,"Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. Jesus said "Rebuke him or her" i.e show them their faults,rate them based upon their attitude because you wouldn’t do it in the first place if it wasn’t offensive,chide them correct them,rebuke,reprove,censure them severly and then Jesus said,"If he or she repent,forgive them.There is no need in walking around someone who is offensive and not saying something because if i don’t say anything they will continue to think that how they are walking is right.No! I need to say something because I’m not going to be walking around here and act like i’m walking on egg shells trying to please you only for you to keep walking on my heart by you doing that to me I could be walking around here with bitterness,hatred, and even the thoughts of murder in my heart. You aint gone send me or take me to hell.If that’s how you want to act then go ahead but it’s my right as a born again believer to come to you and tell you that you hurt me and you are suppose to repent if you don’t that’s between you and your god because my God say’s in Ephesians 5:8 Now that we are light in the Lord we are to walk as children of light because we were once in darkness.This rebuking thing can be a blessing in disquise because when we are corrected and see where we are in error it should cause mr to walk in His Light.The same definition given for rebuke here in the greek also says that I am honouring the both of us by doing this because in doing this we both are raisng the price in our commitment and dedication to the Lord.So we both come out of that situation better.
v.4 say’s 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. i.e. Now that this thing has been dealt with and forgiven if they come back to you again and ask for forgiveness the Bible say’s i am obligated to forgive you but here is the clencher.You don’t have to keep bringing it up! I know this is helping somebody right now. The enemy likes to play on our emotions.This is why I know that when a person is truly sorry for what they have done it will show.As the old saying goes "actions speak louder than words." 2 Corinthians 7:10(KJV) say’s "For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death." The greek word here for sorrow is LUPE it means to sorrow, have pain,be in grief, to have an annoyance, to be in affliction and it speaks generally of persons who are in mourning.
Our english word annoyance defined means - The act of annoying or the state of being annoyed. 2. A cause of irritation or vexation; a nuisance.
This should be my attitude toward the thing that I did.It should make me annoyed,I should be irritaed,vexed in my spirit but now that I’ve been forgiven I should not become an annoyance or a nuisance to others.Now that I have repented I should have a change of mind because by my walking in forgivenss and being forgiven I am being saved all over again.
The Greek word for repentance here is SOTERIA which means deliverance, preservation, safety, salvation ;a.)deliverance from the molestation of enemies,b.)in an ethical sense: that which concludes to the souls safety or salvation ;1..of Messianic salvation.2.Salvation as the present possession of all true Christians.3.Future salvation, the sum of benefits and blessings which the Christians, redeemed from all earthly ills, will enjoy after the visible return of Christ from heaven in the consummated and eternal kingdom of God. I can’t go to heaven if i haven’t got it right down here.I think we need to take the words of Jesus serious and start speaking to this thing so that we can stay saved.The Message Bible in v.10 say’s, "When you’ve done everything expected of you, be matter-of-fact and say, ’The work is done. What we were told to do, we did.’" I don’t know about you but I want to be able to say Lord I did what you told me to do I forgave and it feels good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Here’s more Word on this subject:
Leviticus 19:17
Proverbs 17:10
James 5:19,20
Even So Come Lord Jesus !
