Monday, November 13, 2023

Be On Your Guard!

 

PAVILION - CONSTRUCTION
November 13, 2021



Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; 
and if he repents, forgive him.
LUKE 17:3


Perverse counsels separate a man from God, and his power, put to the proof, rebukes the foolhardy; because into a soul that plots evil wisdom enters not, nor dwells she in a body under debt of sin. (Wisdom 1:3-4)

In Christianity, sin is often described as a debt that must be paid. The Bible says that “the wages of sin is death”. This means that sin has a price, and that price is death. However, the good news is that Jesus Christ paid the price for our sins by dying on the cross. When he said “it is finished” before he died, he meant that the debt of sin had been paid in full. Colossians 2:14 says that Jesus “canceled the debt ascribed to us in the decrees that stood against us and condemned us”. Therefore, if we believe in Jesus and ask for forgiveness, our sins are forgiven and the debt is paid. (Microsoft Bing)

Jesus said to his disciples, “Things that cause sin will inevitably occur, but woe to the one through whom they occur. It would be better for him if a millstone were put around his neck and he be thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he wrongs you seven times in one day and returns to you seven times saying, ‘I am sorry,’ you should forgive him.” And the Apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” The Lord replied, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.” (Luke 17:1-6)

Love justice, you who judge the earth; think of the Lord in goodness, and seek Him in integrity of heart; because He is found by those who test Him not, and He manifests Himself to those who do not disbelieve Him. (Wisdom 1:1-2)

The Holy spirit of discipline flees deceit and withdraws from senseless counsels; and when injustice occurs it is rebuked. For wisdom is a kindly spirit, yet she acquits not the blasphemer of his guilty lips; because God is the witness of his inmost self and the sure observer of his heart and the listener to his tongue. For the spirit of the Lord fills the world, is all-embracing, and knows what man says. (Wisdom 1:5-7)

O Lord, You have probed me and You know me; You know when I sit and when I stand; You understand my thoughts from afar. My journeys and my rest You scrutinize, with all my ways You are familiar. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, You know the whole of it. Behind me and before, You hem me in and rest Your hand upon me. (Psalm 139:1-5)

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; too lofty for me to attain. Where can I go from Your Spirit? From Your presence where can I flee? If I go up to the heavens, You are there; if I sink to the nether world, You are present there. If I take the wings of the dawn, if I settle at the farthest limits of the sea, even there Your hand shall guide me, and Your right hand hold me fast. (Psalm 139:6-10)





Pericope:

I. The Reward of Justice
EXHORTATION TO JUSTICE, THE KEY TO LIFE
Wisdom 1:1-7

V: The Journey to Jerusalem: Luke's Travel Narrative
TEMPTATIONS TO SIN / SAYING OF FAITH
Luke 17:1-4/5-6

Fifth Book of Psalms 107-150
THE ALL-KNOWING AND EVER-PRESENT GOD
Psalm 139:1-24