The Word This Week
Luke 17:1…
The rich man Jesus had just been speaking of to the Pharisees was now in a condition of eternal suffering which no one would choose for themselves or even for others given the option of eternal paradise.
Now Jesus turns to His followers and further informs them it would be better to have a millstone tied around your neck and to be cast into the sea rather than to cause the kind of offense to God that would result in the eternal condition the rich man found himself in.
What kind of offenses was Jesus speaking of? Given the nature of our eternal condition being at stake, it was important to know exactly what Jesus speaking of…
It wasn’t a matter of perfection on the part of mankind. That wasn’t it. Quite the opposite. It was certain mankind was prone to offenses. In fact, Jesus informs us it is impossible for offenses not to come. Jesus knows we are but dust, with a fallen nature, prone to sin, and primarily against our fellow man, or so we think. But all sin is against God.
The question then is what we are to do with those offenses when they do come – and how does how we handle sin affect our eternal condition?
We are to forgive. Our willingness to forgive affects our eternal condition because we serve an eternally forgiving God. Unforgiveness is a blight upon sinful mankind because it denies the nature of the eternally forgiving God, now alive in our hearts. All men are sinners. God is so intent on forgiving the sin of all mankind He sent His only Begotten Son to die to pay the price for forgiveness.
For anyone to receive the forgiveness of God from the milieu of sins they have committed and then turn around and be unforgiving toward anyone who causes offense toward themselves is atrocious to God. Is it possible to enter Paradise with an unforgiving heart toward your fellow man?
We have just seen a “great gulf fixed” between the place of eternal torment and the place of paradise Lazarus found in Abraham’s bosom. Once you have breathed your last breath it is too late to ponder whether someone is deserving of your forgiveness or not.
Followers of Jesus are to be a forgiving people, because we have been forgiven, and because we follow a forgiving God.
Pastor Bill
The rich man Jesus had just been speaking of to the Pharisees was now in a condition of eternal suffering which no one would choose for themselves or even for others given the option of eternal paradise.
Now Jesus turns to His followers and further informs them it would be better to have a millstone tied around your neck and to be cast into the sea rather than to cause the kind of offense to God that would result in the eternal condition the rich man found himself in.
What kind of offenses was Jesus speaking of? Given the nature of our eternal condition being at stake, it was important to know exactly what Jesus speaking of…
It wasn’t a matter of perfection on the part of mankind. That wasn’t it. Quite the opposite. It was certain mankind was prone to offenses. In fact, Jesus informs us it is impossible for offenses not to come. Jesus knows we are but dust, with a fallen nature, prone to sin, and primarily against our fellow man, or so we think. But all sin is against God.
The question then is what we are to do with those offenses when they do come – and how does how we handle sin affect our eternal condition?
We are to forgive. Our willingness to forgive affects our eternal condition because we serve an eternally forgiving God. Unforgiveness is a blight upon sinful mankind because it denies the nature of the eternally forgiving God, now alive in our hearts. All men are sinners. God is so intent on forgiving the sin of all mankind He sent His only Begotten Son to die to pay the price for forgiveness.
For anyone to receive the forgiveness of God from the milieu of sins they have committed and then turn around and be unforgiving toward anyone who causes offense toward themselves is atrocious to God. Is it possible to enter Paradise with an unforgiving heart toward your fellow man?
We have just seen a “great gulf fixed” between the place of eternal torment and the place of paradise Lazarus found in Abraham’s bosom. Once you have breathed your last breath it is too late to ponder whether someone is deserving of your forgiveness or not.
Followers of Jesus are to be a forgiving people, because we have been forgiven, and because we follow a forgiving God.
Pastor Bill