KJB Daily Devotion – Following Jesus Through Every Chapter
Date: Monday, October 22, 2018
Chapters: Matthew 18
Message: When Offenses Come
Hello My Friend,
“Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.” – Matthew 18:14. This passage stuck out to me this morning. You know, we will never understand it, how God can save the most vilest person, but Jesus does. And when you really stop to think about it, the most vilest of people are not believers to begin with. Do not get me wrong, we all have a little bit of evil in is, but the Bible proves time and time again that there are reprobates out there, people beyond the hope of salvation. I would like to say that there is a difference between a good person who is in hell because they never got the chance to know Jesus as their Saviour and one who is in hell because they truly are evil, but I cannot say that because it does not matter whether or not we are good in this life, there is only one escape from hell and that is Jesus. “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.” – Revelation 1:18.
Have you ever watched little children doing the things they do? Playing, learning, getting into things? There is such an innocence about them, and the older they get the more they learn, without even being taught, right from wrong. I watched my two year old nephew trying to pick up popcorn off the sofa after he accidentally spilled it. I also watched him as he so carefully kept moving a puzzle piece so that it would fix into its space. Little children are not biased or judgmental, they are pure in heart, and as the disciples were speaking among themselves wondering who was the greatest in heaven, Jesus picks up a little child, places them on his lap and tells them there is no greater, and unless they have a heart as the child they are not even getting into heaven.
“And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.” – Matthew 18:3-6.
“it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck,” A milestone is a huge stone wheel used for grinding grain, it so heavy that several donkeys or other large animals are attached to it and walk around in circles as it turns the dried grain into a powder. Offend; Displeasure; anger, injury, attack; assault. Let me tell you, when you belong to Jesus you are protected by Him, and if anyone is offended by us for our faith then they have to answer to Him. Oh, and this includes the devil. Someone asked, and someone always does, why God allows all the evil to begin with when He has the power to stop it. The answer always is the same, freewill. We choose how we live, what we believe, and how respond to things. Yes, the devil is the instigator, and the source of all evil, but we choose. While little children, by the way are pure and innocent, they get corrupted and taught evil by the people they get around and who teach them those things.
“Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.” – Romans 1:21-25.
Offense; Any transgression of law, divine or human; a crime; sin; act of wickedness or omission of duty. This is why our works have never and will never get us into heaven, we are all sinners, we are all guilty of offenses, whether it is one or a thousand, we all have a debt to pay for our sins. In fact, God Himself is offended by even one little sin. And this is also why so many people reject Jesus and God’s Word as truth, they think that if they do not know that it is not sin than they can still do it and not face any consequences. Let me tell you, all sin comes with consequence, regardless of whether or not we acknowledge it as sin. In fact, I am sinning right now because this should have been done hours ago and I am still writing it. I have been pulled from one thing to another to distract me from getting this out, and here it is almost noon when I am getting it done. Jesus stresses the importance of understanding just how much of an offense sin is.
“Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh! Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire. And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire. Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven. For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.” – Matthew 18:7-11.
“cut them off, and cast them from thee:” Jesus does not literally mean that we are to cut off our hands or feet if they do something sinful, He is telling us to do whatever it takes to remove that sin from our lives. Why? Because it will destroy us here, well before Jesus comes to get us, and if we are not saved we might as well be jumping right into the fire right now because there are always consequences to sin, regardless of whether or not we are saved. God will save any soul that repents in the flesh, but He cannot if they do not know His Son. I did not make up the rules, God did, and we can get mad or turn away from Him because we think it is unfair, but that does not change the fact that these things will happen, and do not think that someone who has lived a wicked life on earth will not face judgment for what they have done, we will all get judged for the things we have done before we even leave the earth. As Jesus continues speaking He addresses this issue, He now addresses those whom have been offended by others.
“Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican. Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” – Matthew 18:15-20.
“let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.” We have seen them before, and may even be close to them, the Christian who has something sinful in their lives that is causing problems for everyone around them. Let me tell you, whenever we, especially the saved, are doing something sinful it affects everyone around us, not just the person, and until we get a handle on it things will get worse. We also must remind ourselves that we who are saved are saved by the grace of God, we do not live as a Christian to keep our salvation, nor do we do so as an obligation, we do so because we are led by the Holy Spirit as we draw closer to Jesus. Therefore, we need to have grace toward those who offend us. Jesus spoke a parable about a man who sought forgiveness to pay his debt, but was not so forgiving to the one who owed him.
“Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.” – Matthew 18:23-28,34-35.
“and forgave him the debt.” I have to admit that there was a time in my life when I had gotten so far in debt that I lost my house, car, and dignity too. I was slapped with lawsuit after lawsuit, forced to pay much more than I owed, but since I had no documented job they could not garnish my wages to take what was owed. For years I was self employed, paid taxes yearly so I would not get in trouble with the government, but was afraid to get a job that showed the courts I was working for fear they would take everything I made. Well, guess what? As the years went by those debts I owed began to subside because there were only so many years they could come for it. All of a sudden my debts were gone, they disappeared and are non-existent. This reminds me of salvation, while our debts are many, God forgives us for the sin debt we owe when we go to Jesus and ask Him to pardon us. Jesus paid the price for our sin debt with His own, sinless blood, and once we receive Him we are able to stand before God debt free. “For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord’s freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ’s servant. Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.” – I Corinthians 7:22-23.
Jesus Christ Magnified: “But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.” – Matthew 18:6.
Today’s Prayer: God, You are my witness that I not only believed in Your Son, but received Him as my Saviour, I am trusting only in Him to take me to heaven. Until that time comes I want to live the richest life I can live here on earth with You leading the way. Lead me and guide me, show me thy ways, and help me to continue in faith knowing that my best possession is Your Son living in me. Let me not be deceived, easily offended, or afraid to tell those I know or come into contact with that Jesus lives in me and I am living my life the way He wants me to live. I love You Lord, and ask these things in Jesus’ name. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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