1. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

2. Luke 17:1-10

3. Ernie Arnold Don Carson Matt Chandler Tim Keller

6. 1 Jesus said to his disciples: “Things that cause people to stumble are bound to come, but woe to anyone through whom they come. 2 It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble. 3 So watch yourselves.
“If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. 4 Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.”

7. 5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”
6 He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.
7 “Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? 8 Won’t he rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’? 9 Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? 10 So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’”

8. 1 Jesus said to his disciples: “Things that cause people to stumble are bound to come, but woe to anyone through whom they come. 2 It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble.

9. ἀφίημι aphiémi (af-ee'-ay-mee) release, remit, forgive, permit
3 So watch yourselves.
“If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. 4 Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.”
ἀφίημι aphiémi (af-ee'-ay-mee)
release, remit, forgive, permit

10. Symbolic of fullness, completeness
4 Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.”
Symbolic of fullness, completeness
In Hebrew, the expression literally translated as "to seven oneself" means "to swear a covenant")

11. Symbolic of fullness, completeness
3 So watch yourselves.
“If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. 4 Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.”
Symbolic of fullness, completeness
In Hebrew, the expression literally translated as "to seven oneself" means "to swear a covenant")

12. 5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”
6 He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this sycamine tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.

13. 7 “Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep
7 “Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? 8 Won’t he rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’? 9 Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? 10 So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’”

15. A generous forgiving spirit must characterize all Christians.
Because some people owe you a debt because of how they’ve treated you.

16. FORGIVENESS: AN ENOURMOUS TASK

17. FORGIVENESS: AN ENOURMOUS TASK v5 “Increase our faith!”

18. FORGIVENESS: AN ENOURMOUS TASK v5 “Increase our faith!”

19. 4 Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.”

20. 4 Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.”
Imagine a person who wrongs you as completely and as fully as any person could wrong another human being

21. 4 Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.”
Imagine a person who wrongs you as completely and as fully as any person could wrong another human being
v5 “Increase our faith!”

22. v3 “So watch yourselves!”

23. v3 “So watch yourselves!
If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them.”

24. v3 “So watch yourselves!
If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them.”

25. v3 “So watch yourselves!”

26. v3 “So watch yourselves!”

27. v3 “So watch yourselves!”

28. 17:3 “So watch yourselves!”
Hebrews 12:15 “See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no ‘root of bitterness’ springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled”

29. 17:3 “So watch yourselves!”
“If you stay angry at them, bitterness takes hold and it defiles you. And anger never wants to expose itself as anger. Anger will always tell you that it’s not anger. It will always say ‘I just want justice!’ Or ‘I just want the truth!’”

30. ANGER wrath, wreath, writhe, and wraith

31. wrath, wreath, writhe, and wraith
ANGER
wrath, wreath, writhe, and wraith
All come from the same anglo-saxon root writhan, meaning “to weave or twist”

32. “INCREASE OUR FAITH!”
Because of the enormity of the danger we can not shrink from the enormity of the challenge.

33. PRACTICE FORGIVENESS

34. PRACTICE FORGIVENESS
7 Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. 8 For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.

35. “I can’t forgive them—I’m still angry at them!”

36. “I can’t forgive them—I’m still angry at them!”
forgiveness is granted before it is felt.
Its practiced before it is felt.

37. THREE STEPS TO TRULY FORGIVING

38. THREE STEPS TO TRULY FORGIVING
1. Refuse the caricature the wrong-doer. Instead, identify with them.

39. Recognize the relationship— they are your BROTHER or SISTER.
3 … “If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them.
Recognize the relationship— they are your BROTHER or SISTER.
Don’t focus on the discontinuities, but focus on what you have in common.

40. “Forgiveness flounders when I exclude the enemy from the community of humans and I exclude myself from the community of sinners.”
-Miroslav Volf

41. “Forgiveness flounders when I exclude the enemy from the community of humans and I exclude myself from the community of sinners.”
-Miroslav Volf

42. THREE STEPS TO TRULY FORGIVING
2. Inwardly surrender your right to repayment and pay the debt yourself.

43. ἀφίημι aphiémi (af-ee'-ay-mee)
3 So watch yourselves.
“If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. 4 Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.”
ἀφίημι aphiémi (af-ee'-ay-mee)
release, remit, forgive, permit- often to release from a financial debt-- your have to bear this yourself

44. ἀφίημι aphiémi (af-ee'-ay-mee)
3 So watch yourselves.
“If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. 4 Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.”
ἀφίημι aphiémi (af-ee'-ay-mee)
release, remit, forgive, permit- often to release from a financial debt-- your have to bear this yourself

45. ἀφίημι aphiémi (af-ee'-ay-mee)
3 So watch yourselves.
“If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. 4 Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.”
ἀφίημι aphiémi (af-ee'-ay-mee)
Either you pay it or the other person pays it. You can only forgive if inwardly you forgo seeking repayment.

46. Most wrongs are not financial wrongs. Happiness Reputation Opportunity
How do you make these people “pay?”
You make them unhappy or try to hurt them.

47. Most wrongs are not financial wrongs. Happiness Reputation Opportunity
How do you make these people “pay?”
You make them unhappy or try to hurt them.

48. How do you make these people “pay?”
You make them unhappy or try to hurt them.
Ways we do this:
-Directly- try to hurt them or make their life worse
-Indirectly- go to others and ruin their reputation
-Inwardly- internally replay actions and root against

49. “And what happens every time that you hurt them directly or indirectly, or even inwardly when you are rooting against them and see what something has gone wrong, you feel good. Because you feel like the debt is being paid. And you’re being twisted. … In the short run you feel good but in the end, the evil has come into your life and its going to suck out your joy and it’s going to make you a harder person. You’re being twisted.”

50. Dan Hamilton

51. “once upon a time I was engaged to a young woman who changed her mind
“once upon a time I was engaged to a young woman who changed her mind. And I forgave her. But it was done in small sums, over a year. It was done whenever I spoke to her and refrained from rehashing the past. Done whenever I renounced jealousy and pity when seeing her with another man. Done when I praised her to others when I wanted to slice away at her reputation. Those were the payments. And she never saw them. Pain is the consequence of sin. Wood, nails, and pain are the currency of real forgiveness and a love that heals.”

52. THREE STEPS TO TRULY FORGIVING
3. You must will the good of the wrong doer.

53. 3 …“If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them”
Just forgive them?!
3 …“If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them”

54. Where no oxen are, the manger is clean,
Proverbs 14:4
Where no oxen are, the manger is clean,
But much increase comes by the strength of the ox.

55. Where no oxen are, the manger is clean,
Proverbs 14:4
Where no oxen are, the manger is clean,
But much increase comes by the strength of the ox.

56. 3 …“If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them”
Just forgive them?!
3 …“If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them”

57. 3 …“If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them”
Just forgive them?!
3 …“If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them”

58. Purpose of the rebuke:
Matt 18 “If your brother sins against you, rebuke him. And if he listens to you, you have your brother back.”

59. “The line between moral outrage for the sake of God and of truth, and the immoral outrage because I’m on the losing side, is painfully thin. On the issue I may be right but in my heart I may be terribly wrong because I’m less motivated by the glory of God and justice and I’m actually out for personal vindication, saving face, putting a person in their place, revenge. To quote passages on justice to justify the nurtured bitterness of personal injury is, for the Christian, inexcusable.”

60. THE POWER TO FORGIVE Disciples: “Increase our faith!”

61. Jesus answers this with a parable and a metaphor
THE POWER TO FORGIVE
Disciples:
“Increase our faith!”
Jesus answers this with a parable and a metaphor

62. 7 “Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep
7 “Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? 8 Won’t he rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’? 9 Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? 10 So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’”

63. 7 “Suppose one of you has a servant … slave employee

64. 7 “Suppose one of you has a servant … slave employee

65. 7 “Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep
7 “Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? 8 Won’t he rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’? 9 Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? 10 So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’”

66. Here is what is going on

67. Here is what is going on
“God owes me blessing and answers and people owe me respect” – you are a SERVANT acting like a MASTER.

68. Here is what is going on
“God owes me blessing and answers and people owe me respect” – you are a SERVANT acting like a MASTER.

69. What did he do?

70. Tippy Herndon

71. Tippy Herndon
“You don’t get it—he ruined my career; he didn’t ruin my life. I appreciate him as a great director.”

72. When Jesus becomes your life; your self-worth; the source of your love, then you are free.
And though it may be hard—and in the end, they can’t touch you. You’ll be free.
Watch yourself. But even a mustard seed worth of faith in the Gospel grace of Jesus can turn you into a person who forgives radically and who lives generously.

73. 1 Jesus said to his disciples: “Things that cause people to stumble are bound to come, but woe to anyone through whom they come. 2 It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble.

74. 3 So watch yourselves.
“If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. 4 Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.”

75. 5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”
6 He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.

76. 7 “Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep
7 “Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? 8 Won’t he rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’? 9 Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? 10 So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’”