Our lesson this morning will
be taken from the first five verses of Luke chapter 17. Luke chapter 17. I want us to read verses 1 through 5.
And one of the men that I read by
when I'm studying these verses had a message and he titled it
Strong Doctrine. And certainly it's taught in
these verses. It is a strong doctrine. Strong
meat belongs to them who are of full age. Another title, his
comments are strong warning. And I certainly see that in these
verses also. And many of the other ones that
I've read had similar titles to their studies, but I want
to title our study this morning, A Word About His Little Ones. If you read this carefully, that's
who he's talking to. And that's what he's talking
about. Let's read these verses together. Luke chapter 17, verse
1. Then said he unto the disciples,
those who followed after him who were immediately affected
by the attitude and conduct of these Pharisees, it is impossible
but that offenses will come. But woe unto him through whom
they come. It were better for him that a
millstone were hanged about his neck And he cast into the sea,
then that he should offend one of these little ones. Take heed to yourselves, not
to the world, not to those we consider enemies, but he said,
take heed to yourselves. If thy brother trespass against
thee, rebuke him. And if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee
seven times a day, and seven times a day turns again to thee
saying, I repent. If he's a repeat offender, but he turns to you and says,
I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Thou shalt forgive
him. And the apostle said unto the
Lord, increase our faith. If you understand these passages,
that's what you're going to pray. Lord, increase our faith. This is something I can't do. But it's something I will do
in the Lord. Increase my faith. There was
a great offense committed by the Pharisees by whom the stumbling
block was cast before these followers of Christ, these publicans and
sinners. All these parables had been concerning
those things. And the word offense here is
in the original the strongest of terms. This wasn't talking
about hurt feelings. This wasn't talking about a man's
pride getting stepped on. This word carries with it the
strongest of terms concerning offense. It literally means a
stumbling block. Strong defines it as a trap stick
of a snare. You know, you see these little,
they used to package everything in these little boxes and they
just had little strips of wood and you could kind of see through
them and everything was packed up in a box, a wooden box and
shipped. And there's little boxes everywhere.
I've got a few at home that I've collected over the years. But
when we was kids, we'd take those boxes, and we'd take a little
stick, and we'd prop that box up, and we'd put some bait, like
for a rabbit or something under there, and we'd take a string,
pull it over where we could hide, and we'd sit over and hold that
string, and we'd wait on a rabbit or squirrel or something to get
in that box, and then pull that trap stick. That's what this
word offense means. A trapstick of a snare. It's defined as the worst of
crimes, and I'm saying that because it's revealed by the punishment
attached to it. An eternal woe. A millstone hanged
about his neck and himself cast into the sea. Matthew said, drown. in the city. And if you think
about it, this punishment is irreversible, and it shows the
reprobation of the offenders of whom there is no hope. No
hope. He said, if you offend one of
these little ones, it were better for you that a millstone had
been attached to you, and it would have been a better outcome
for you than to have offended one of these little ones. He's
showing the severity of the crime of those scribes and Pharisees
who derided him. The millstone of severe and dreaded
Gentile punishment for the worst capital offenders is said to
be a better way to die than to offend one of these little ones.
I want to confine my comments this morning to the two parties
addressed in the parable, the offenders and the offended, the
little ones. I was a bit taken by surprise
when I read these words by a faithful, dependable commentator. I'm quoting
him word for word. He said, it is almost impossible
but that offenses should come. That's not what that verse says.
That verse says, it is impossible but that offenses should come. He said it's impossible. There's no possibility of going
through this life without offending or being offended. It's an absolute
impossibility. It's vain to think and live as
though these things didn't exist. What Christ is telling them.
He's talking to his disciples now. Talking to his followers. It's a certainty, a certainty. And he's given us a warning.
Years ago, being young and not having good sense, I decided
to drive from northern Ohio to Banff, Alberta, Canada. That's
clear out in western Canada in the mountains, to visit a young
lady that I met that summer. I wanted to go and see her. And
so we drove all the way across Canada. And I followed the lake
lines around, the shore lines around. And I got down in Ontario
and the roads began to straighten out a little bit. And being young
and inexperienced and the rebel that I was, or still am, I was
running that car pretty fast. cruising along there about 75
and I seen this big sign that says bump. And boy, I hit the
brakes and I slowed down. It was just the pavement, you
know, about an inch in the pavement where they'd been paving the
road. So I speeded up, went on down the road and I was driving,
I don't know, half a mile down there, there's another sign that
says bump. And I slowed down again. Nothing. Just a little
drop off on the pavement. Boy, way I went. I seen no signs
says bump, and I just ignored it. That pavement dropped off
a foot and a half. I mean, I went off a pavement
onto limestone, and that car was fishtailing. How many times we've been warned?
And it seems like the more he warns us, the more we just disregard
it. After a while, we just disregard
it altogether. You better not disregard what
he's saying here. It's going to take you by surprise.
That's exactly what he's saying. The Holy Ghost inspired Saint
Luke to write that it is impossible but that offenses will come.
There's no possibility of going through life without offending
or being offended and vain to think or live as though they
didn't exist. It's a certainty. Why? Because of the perverseness of
man's depraved nature. That's the first reason. Out of the heart, he said, proceed
evil thoughts. At the top of the list, I mean,
listen to this, adulteries, fornications, theft, false witness, blasphemies,
all these horrible crimes. But at the very start, what's
he say? Evil thoughts. Evil thoughts. They proceed out
of the heart. And it's an utter impossibility
for a man with this kind of nature to avoid offending somebody. He's going to do it. He's going
to do it. Offences will come because of
the nature of man. And secondly, because of the
malice of Satan. Satan is a roaring lion. What's
he doing? He's like a lion does. He's just easing around looking,
seeking whom he may devour. He's not here to do anybody any
good. He's here to devour your soul. And then thirdly, because God
has decreed these things to prove His work in His redeemed, He
uses these offenses. God used them. He ordained them.
These offenses. If you read Matthew's account,
it said it must needs be that offenses come. There's a need
for it. Our Lord is in control of all
things. He rules and reigns over providence.
He can just do away with all things if He wants to. He can
just keep you out of the circumstance altogether, but He don't. And
yet He uses these things to teach us. It must needs be that offenses
come. It's needful, it's necessary,
and it's certain because our Lord ordained it. And then fourthly,
because of the corruption of this world. Matthew 18 is the
corresponding text to this. And in Matthew 18 of his gospel,
he said, woe unto the world because of offences. Offences are going to come because
we live in a corrupt world. A corrupt world. And yet when
we're offended, we get shot. Why are we shocked? Do we not know our own nature?
Do we not know that we're depraved sinners and everybody else out
here is too? And we're a people being saved
by grace. The miraculous thing is not that
we get offended. It's that God doesn't burn us
alive when we are or when we offend. The miraculous thing
is God saves His people by grace. And look at the offender, those
through whom the offense comes. Who is the guilty party? Who is it upon whose head this
woe is pronounced? Woe unto them. Woe unto them
through whom the offense comes. Who's he talking about? He's
talking about every one of us. Just stop and let that sink in
a minute. He's talking about every one of us. All have sinned
and come short of the glory of God. And having pronounced this
great woe upon the offender, the very next words out of his
mouth is, take heed to yourselves. He's not talking to these Pharisees.
He's already said what he had to say to these Pharisees. He's
talking to his disciples now. Take heed to yourselves. And
all the remainder of the parable is about repenting of our offenses
and rebuking our brothers and sisters and forgiving one another. The whole rest of the parable.
And everything I read on this parable applies this crime to
the Pharisees and certainly they did commit it. And they were
judged for it. But they're never mentioned in
the parable, only his disciples, only believers. and their brothers and sisters
in the faith. And without question, we're guilty of offending God's
little ones. How? How is it that we offend God's
little ones? I'm not what I used to be. I pray God's made some change
in me by His grace and knowledge of Christ. I'm not what I was. He said at one time you were
this and that and the other, but now you're washed. You're sanctified. You were children of darkness,
now you're children of light. How? How is a stumbling block
cast before these little ones. Well, let me give you four ways
in which these little ones encounter these stumbling blocks. First
of all, by needless persecutions. Persecutions, whether you believe
it or not, come from proud Pharisees. When a man thinks he's something,
when a man is puffed up When he begins to look down on others,
he'll persecute them. Now, he's not going to do what
the Pharisees did, like the Apostle Paul, Saul of Tarsus, before
his conversion. He was putting people to death. He held the coats of them who
stoned Stephen to death. And he talks about that. But
they persecute them in a different way. We persecute them by belittling
them. By this kind of, he ain't in
the clique. Those are the type of persecutions
that believers do when they get proud and puffed up. Men and
women who are elevated in their own eyes. Men and women who think
they are in their lives without reproach. Men and women who judge
others on the basis of their own outward piety and obedience. And these are depicted here.
in the Pharisees and Scribes, which persecuted Christ and his
people, set before them a stumbling block. And then secondly, how are these
little ones offended? They're offended by seducers. Seducers. False religion is,
in Proverbs 7, pictured as a harlot seducing an unsuspecting young
man. You can read it for yourself.
Proverbs chapter 7. She flattereth him with her words. Her house is on every corner.
She wears the attire of the harlot. She was loud and stubborn. She
lies in wait for her victims. And she catches him and kisses
him and brings him into her house. That's false religion. And he
goes with her like an ox to the slaughter, like a fool to the
stocks. Seducers are spiritual hucksters. They're pimps of the devil, to
put it in plain language. The third way stumbling blocks
are put before God's little one is by those who, under the probation
of faith, live a loose and scandalous life. The scripture said, for
this you know. And he wouldn't say this if they
weren't guilty of it. This you know, that no whoremonger,
nor unclean person, nor covetous man who is an idolater hath any
inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. We know that. We know that. Men and women who
live such lives under the profession of a believer, they weaken the
hearts of God's little ones. How do they do that? They make
them think it's okay to do what they're doing. People are watching
you whether you know it or not. People are following after you
whether you know it or not. Be careful how you live. Be careful
what you say and how you act and how you do your business.
People are watching. They're watching. They may never
say a word to you, but they're watching you. They weaken the hearts of God's
little ones and cause them to stumble. We're to be followers
of God, the scripture said, as dear children. To walk in love
as Christ also has loved us and has given himself for us, an
offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling Savior.
Paul says, be not ye therefore partakers with them. Walk as
children of light. How are you going to do that?
Proving what is acceptable to the Lord. And he said, have no fellowship
with the unfruitful works of darkness. Rather, reprove them. We rebuke an offending brother
or sister, and if they repent, he said, forgive them. And then
fourthly, a stumbling block is laid before God's little ones
when a person who claims to be a believer lives a life without
conviction. Conviction has two definitions.
The first is that of one judged by the court and found guilty.
He's a convicted felon. That's a convict. He's a convict. Pronounced guilty of a crime.
But it also means one who's firmly convinced of what they believed. He has conviction. He has conviction. And these live a careless, carefree
life, a life without commitment and service. And their attitude
toward the ministry and worship is flipping at best. Their affairs in this world and
pleasures always take priority over worship and service. Always. Always. And to put it mildly,
they're just along for the benefits. And they show up every now and
then just to put a little ointment on their consciences. That's
just so. And it's an offense to those
who believe. It's an offense. Are we not all
guilty of all these crimes? Every one of them. But there's another party, God's
little ones. Who are these little ones? In
Matthew 18, our Lord calls a child to himself. They were busy and
about, the Lord's coming, and you go sit here, and you sit
here, and you little kids, you get out of here. You're in the
way. You're causing a disturbance.
And the Lord went over and called one to himself, a little male
child. He called him over there. And he set him out in their midst,
and as he looks into their faces, he says to them, except you be
converted and become as little children, you shall not enter
the kingdom of God. When you learn spiritually to
act like this little child, This little child, that's maturity. You want to know what a mature
believer is? He's a little child. He's a little child. Whosoever
therefore shall humble himself as this little child. Now watch
this. The same is greatest in the kingdom
of heaven. Now listen. And those who shall
receive such a little child in my name receiveth me, Christ
said. But whoso shall offend one of
these little ones, now watch this, which believe in me. Who are the little ones? They're
believers. They're believers such as have
been humbled or enabled to humble themselves. And if you offend
one of these little ones, it were better for him that a millstone
were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth
of the sea. Who are God's little ones? They're
His elect. Chosen sinners, guilty sinners
whose sins were laid upon the crucified Christ. God's little
ones are heirs of His grace and His mercy, born of God. born of God, given power to become
sons of God, even to believe on his name. Their little ones,
knowing their inabilities and weaknesses, little ones aware
of their ignorance and immaturity, and his little ones are loved
by their father. Oh, how he loves them. I can't
imagine. I just can't imagine. He showed
his love in his only begotten son. allowing men to butcher
him on a cross. He manifested his love for his
little ones. His little ones are loved by
their father. They're made provision for by
the father and his son and they're sealed by the Holy Spirit of
God unto the redemption of the purchased possession. In Zechariah
2.8 he says this, Whoso toucheth you toucheth the apple of my
eye. That's the pew point. When a man touches one of those
little ones, he just stuck his finger in God's eye. You think he's going to let it
go? Conversion of the saint causes
him or her to become, as a little child, how? In what way? Fully dependent upon their God. Fully dependent. How? I don't
ever remember going out and working all day and coming home and giving
that money to my dad and saying, here, I just want to pay my part. Nope. We're fully dependent upon
our God. I'm satisfied with His work.
Aren't you? I'm satisfied with His grace.
I'm satisfied with His Son. I'm satisfied with His Son's
righteousness given to me. We're fully dependent upon our
God and our God's manifest in our Savior. Christ said without
me you can do nothing. What can you do? And even if you could, you wouldn't. How are we like a little child?
We're comfortable in his house. I remember as a little child,
boy, I couldn't wait to get home. We'd go someplace and they were
busy about doing things. All I wanted to do was go home.
I had my room, I had my toys, I had everything I had was in
that house. I was comfortable in that house.
I grew up in a good home, safe from the elements, safe from
any who would threaten me. And I'll tell you another way,
we're fully dependent upon his provision. We're well fed and
provided for, little ones. Little ones. When you three boys
was little, you didn't give anything. You knew mama gonna have supper
on the table, didn't you? You didn't give it a thought.
Then give it a thought. Our Lord came to minister to
chosen sinners to seek His lost sheep and bring them back to
Himself. Be careful that you don't offend
them. Be careful. And if another like
yourself do so, well, why aren't you? You said there was a woe.
You said this was a great woe. Yeah, all your sins are. But
your sins were paid for in Christ. And if another like yourself
offends you and comes to you and he said, I'm sorry, I didn't
mean it. I didn't think it through. I
didn't forgive him. So what you do is remember what
he did. So the next time you, no, you
treat him as though he'd never done anything. You forgive him
just as God has forgiven you. It says to rebuke him. Don't
let it go. Tell him what he's done. Don't let it pass you. Tell him
what he's done. He may not know that he's offended
you. He may not have meant to offend you. But you rebuke him. You tell him what he's done.
And that don't mean rake him over the coals. But go to him
and tell him what he's done. And if he repents, forgive him. Forgive him. Oh, but what if
he does it seven times? And the scripture goes even further.
It says seventy times seven. If he's a repeat offender and
he just keeps on, keeps on, keeps on. If he repents, if he repents,
forgive him. And you know what we're all going
to do? Keep on offending. Keep on offending. Ain't you
glad you saved by grace? Oh, my soul. Oh, may the Lord
help me with the coming.