"prepping Us For The Road Ahead" Series

"Prepping Us for the Road Ahead"

Luke 17:1-10

A sermon for 5/14/23 – Sixth Sunday of Easter

Pastor John Bright

Luke 17 “1 Jesus said to his disciples, “Stumbling blocks are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come! 2 It would be better for him to have a millstone tied around his neck and be thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. 3 Watch yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him. If he repents, forgive him. 4 Even if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times returns to you saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”

5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” 6 So the Lord replied, “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this black mulberry tree, ‘Be pulled out by the roots and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.

7 “Would any one of you say to your slave who comes in from the field after plowing or shepherding sheep, ‘Come at once and sit down for a meal’? 8 Won’t the master instead say to him, ‘Get my dinner ready, and make yourself ready to serve me while I eat and drink. Then you may eat and drink’? 9 He won’t thank the slave because he did what he was told, will he? 10 So you too, when you have done everything you were commanded to do, should say, ‘We are slaves undeserving of special praise; we have only done what was our duty.” New English Translation

Pause right there. Why are you listening to this? Do you want to become more like Jesus? The power of the Holy Spirit is available to you right now – right here! Do you want to become more like Jesus? It’s a question only you can answer.

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Today, we are celebrating Mothers, not because every woman is a mother, but because every one of us has a mother. Some are still living and others have gone on to glory. In the Bible, mothers were very important. John Piper wrote this – “There is that wonderful story of Lois and Eunice in 2 Timothy where Paul says to this young man, “Continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it” (2 Timothy 3:14). And who is that? Paul already mentioned this in 2 Timothy 1:5 when he said, “I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well” (2 Timothy 1:5).”

“We know from Acts that his father wasn’t converted. He was a Greek, and he wasn’t a Christian. It appears that Paul chose as part of his missionary band a young, and I think we would say timid man, who had been almost entirely schooled by his mother and his grandmother. I think that should raise the stakes of a mom, a single mom or grandmother in particular.” https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/a-mothers-role-in-raising-boys

I have to agree. The very things that mothers give to their children to prepare them for the future are the building blocks of discipleship. Mothers are in the business of making future adults. The church is in the business of making disciples that, in the future, continue to make disciples.

Teaching right from wrong, v. 1-3a

“1 Jesus said to his disciples, “Stumbling blocks are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come! 2 It would be better for him to have a millstone tied around his neck and be thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. 3 Watch yourselves!”

Jesus’ teaching on discipleship begins with a warning – do not lead others into sin. In the church, we teach the Word of God because it is the path to righteous living. This is what we call holiness of heart and life. Parent’s need the same teaching in the house.

As a mother, you start off with a little baby that is completely dependent on you for his or her needs. Then comes the day the baby becomes a toddler and a new child emerges. When I am teaching on prayer and let folks know that God can and will answer prayer with a “NO,” I usually remind that that everyone who has raised a toddler is well aware that “NO” is a good answer.😊

In our children, we are reminded that every person is born with a Sin nature (big S) and we are charged to teach them what is right. Mothers can start early by reading Bible stories and teaching Biblical virtues like mercy and sharing with others. Mom, you keep that up until your children accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Then, you keep on teaching – especially by the way you live your life. Mom, are you a good example of a Believer for the children, or do you use the old cope out – “Do what I say, not what I do”?