IT IS IMPOSSIBLE
BUT THAT
OFFENSES WILL COME
DECEMBER
13, 1998 AM
MF Blume
(Sermon
originally preached by Rev. Raymond
Woodward)
Luke 17:1 Then said he unto the disciples, It is
impossible but that offences will come: but woe [unto him], through whom they
come!
A successful trap must have one
of two characteristics.
- Hidden.
- Baited.
Something that...
- Animal will fall into it.
- Animal lured to it.
Devil has traps set for all of
us.
- Some hidden.
- Some baited.
- You know it is wrong, but
bait lures you anyway.
- Satan's most cunning are
BOTH.
One of best baits is something
all of us encountered.
- Not just lust of flesh and
sensuality of world.
- Trap is most deadly.
- OFFENSE.
- Being offended.
Offense is like bait.
- Not deadly unless consumed.
- Walk by it and bait cannot
hurt you.
- But if consume it you are
trapped.
- Same as offenses.
- Those who are trapped feed
upon this and are oblivious to the error they are in.
- They know not it is a trap
they are in.
Jesus said, "It is impossible
to live in this life and not have the opportunity to be offended."
- Impossible.
- Matters not if you are
a Christian or a visitor not serving God.
- It is not will you encounter
the trap of offense, but how will you react when you DO encounter it.
- It will come.
- It is impossible to live
in this life and not experience something hideously done against you by somebody.
Someone else's sin often affects
our relationship with God.
- Dangerous thing.
- Affect our relationship
with God.
Your response will determine
your future.
How do you know if you are offended?
Answer these questions
- Are you compelled to tell
your side of the story?
- Do you fight thoughts of
suspicion?
- Are you constantly rehearsing
past hurts?
- Have you lost hope
because of someone else did to you?
- Do you feel hindered from
fulfilling your full potential?
- Do you feel betrayed?
If you answered "Yes," or "maybe,"
you are face to face with offense and perhaps ate it up.
Probably more than one person
is in this state here today.
Its IMPOSSIBLE to live in life
and not have the opportunity to be offended.
Psal 55:12-14 For [it was] not
an enemy [that] reproached me; then I could have borne [it]: neither [was
it] he that hated me [that] did magnify [himself] against me; then I would
have hid myself from him: But [it was] thou, a man mine equal, my guide,
and mine acquaintance. We took sweet counsel together, [and] walked unto
the house of God in company.
If an enemy did it, I could have
taken it.
- If an enemy I would have
distanced myself.
- Verse 13. -- by my
friend!
Believers, many times a fellows
believer will bring you the worst hurt.
- You have the chance to be
offended.
- We expect more from our
brothers than the world.
- The more those expectations,
the more they can hurt you.
- We do not expect the stranger
to be nasty.
- But you, my friend, spouse,
parent or child, or fellow church member, or pastor, I expect more of you.
- And the higher the expectation
the greater the fall when offended.
In Law, the most bitter cases
are not the fraud cases, or business embezzlements.
- DIVORCE cases are most bitter,
since relationships were closest and expectations the highest.
- Nothing else hurts more.
- Only those you care about
CAN HURT YOU.
- Others cannot.
2Tim 2:24-26 And the servant of the Lord must not
strive; but be gentle unto all [men], apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing
those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance
to the acknowledging of the truth; And [that] they may recover themselves
out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
THOSE THAT OPPOSE THEMSELVES.
- Literally people do things
to themselves that oppose their walks with God.
- RECOVER THEMSELVES FROM
THE SNARE OF THE DEVIL.
- They took the bait and
that is who they oppose themselves.
- Satan can thwart their
lives since they took his bait.
"OFFEND"
- Translated from the Greek
"Skandalon"
- Means "Trigger of trap
or bait."
- It is impossible that "BAIT"
will come.
- You will see this bait.
Bitter people are deceived into
thinking they are right although they are so wrong.
- Enemy appeals to pride.
- Laodicea said they were
great, but did not know they were poor and blind.
- Whether mistreated or you
only think you are mistreated, (often you really weren't and the one did not
mean to hurt you), when you take the bait, you feel JUSTIFIED in seeking revenge.
- But a victor knows TWO
WRONGS DO NOT MAKE A RIGHT.
- SO LEAVE IT ALONE.
Matt 24:10-13 And then shall many be offended, and
shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets
shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the
love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same
shall be saved.
Many be offended.
- Jesus spoke about endtimes.
- Shall Betray and Hate.
- Note the sequence.
- Many offended.
- Many false prophets.
- Many deceived.
- Love of many wax cold.
- But the endurer shall be
saved.
One of the signs of the times
is many being offended!!!
- Not world's love, but that
of CHRISTIANS!
- The word love refers to
"AGAPE"... God's love shed abroad in our spirits.
- Many will be offended.
- Too many have selfish love.
- Expectations not met, then
disappointed.
- Expect to be treated 100%.
- Expect Pastor never preach
against their sins.
- And they get offended against
God.
- "God should not have allowed
this into my life."
If you expect and REQUIRE high
standards of treatment, someone will fail you!
Jesus warns of false prophets
after offended.
- Since your offense that
caused you to nurse your wounds and be bitter, you are easy prey for the
false teachers.
- They appeal to you.
- They say you should not
be preached to like that.
- Wolves in sheep's clothing.
- They have appearance of
Christians.
- But inwardly like wolves
and devour and you do not know it.
- Identify true believers
not by miracles, -- antichrist do that.
- Not by personality.
- Not by great churches they
built
- Only way is by their fruits.
- Preachers and evangelists
and saints and church members, who call themselves Christians, but inwardly
are bitter and revengeful against God himself.
Wolves always prey on wounded
and young sheep, not in to the middle of the flock to get grown sheep.
- Preys on the young and wounded.
- So do not let this attitude
get into you.
- You will distance yourself
from the church.
- Many are at arm's length
and come to church SOME.
- They pray SOME.
- They worship SOME.
- They are hurt and they
stay back so far.
- "God allowed something
to happen to me, but although I want to be saved, I will be distanced."
- Devil preys on those!
False prophets preach what people
WANT to hear not what they NEED to hear.
- True church is not a great
wonderful things and wonders, but a call to repentance and call to closer
walk.
- We are getting ready to
leave.
- Real move is getting ready
for rapture.
- Not prosperity or feel-good
thing.
- Get ready to leave this
world.
- Repent of sins and get
baptized and get Holy Ghost!
Much of Christianity does not
resemble that.
- Offended people are easiest
prey.
- Many Apostolic got offended
and the devil did them in.
- False doctrine got them.
Jesus said it is inevitable that
devil will set traps and you will face them to get offended.
Matt 11:2 Now when John had heard
in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples,
John was in prison
and after saying Jesus was the Lamb who takes the sins of the world, he doubted,
and sent disciplkes to check Jesus out. Jesus knew John was facing offence.
After telling them He fulfilled Old testament prophecies of opening blind
eyes and healin the sick, He said this:
Matt 11:6 And blessed is [he],
whosoever shall not be offended in me.
Many have been offended by Jesus.
- He took a loved one we fell
He should not have taken!
- Do not be offended at God.
- He knows what He is doing.
Prov 18:19 A brother offended [is harder to be won]
than a strong city: and [their] contentions [are] like the bars of a castle.
Know the culture of the day it
was written.
- Strong cities in ancient
times had great high and thick walls.
- Assurance of protection.
- Kept invaders out.
- All entrants were screened
at the gate.
- You will not enter if you
will hurt.
- Those owing taxes were
locked out of the city.
- Until they paid all they
were out.
- Those considered threat
to safety and health were kept out.
- Lepers, for example.
We put walls around our hearts.
- When we get hurt, we construct
walls to prevent any future wounds.
- Deny entry to all who hurt
us.
- Screen those who come in.
- Until they paid their debt
to us they cannot enter.
- Only those on our side
are let in.
- But problem is that if
you are offended, the people you desire to hang around and talk to are usually
offended as well.
- All offended people get
together and build on each other's walls.
The heart was not made to have
walls.
- Those same walls you built,
to even push God back to arm's length, will not only protect you from that
without, but they become a prison to you.
- You live in terror.
- You fear being hurt again,
and you stay away.
God is seeking to speak through
those walls into you.
- When you love unconditionally
like God, AGAPE, you give others the right to hurt you.
- That is beautiful.
- You release all the expectations
from others and open TOTALLY UP TO GOD.
2Cor 10:4-5 (For the weapons of our warfare [are]
not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting
down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the
knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience
of Christ;
Walls become strongholds
- Patterns of reasoning.
- All information coming
in to you will be interpreted according to your hurt.
- No matter what is true,
you will still look at it as hurting you.
- Make that you central issue
and you put up a wall, you have blocked out hurt BUT ALSO SO MUCH OF GOD'S
LOVE and His moving in your life.
Two bodies of water are necessary
In Israel.
- North has Sea of Galilee.
- South is Dead Sea
Sea of Galilee is vibrant and
beautiful.
- Huge lake and winds can
whip down and stir up water.
- High mountains around it.
- Empties into Jordan.
- Jordan empties into Dead
Sea.
Dead Sea is where Sodom and Gomorrah
existed.
- You can see postcards of
man sitting in water and reading newspaper.
- Buoyant water holds you
up.
- Cannot stay under that
water.
Sea of Galilee many fish in it,
but Dead Sea is dead.
- Too many minerals in Dead
Sea.
- Sea of Galilee lives and
receives streams from mountains and gives out.
- Dead Sea refuses to allow
water out and it is stagnant and dead.
Build walls and do not let feeling
out open in case get hurt, you lock things in you that are not meant to stay
in you.
- You can hardly believe God.
- And offendees back up their
lives with Bible!
- Twist Bible.
- Abusive husbands quote
scripture about wives submitting to them.
Misinterpret Word.
Hebr 12:15 Looking diligently lest
any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing
up trouble [you], and thereby many be defiled;
Root of bitterness.
- If you root is nourished
and watered and protected and fed and given attention, it will grow.
- Roots hard to pull up if
not dealt with quickly.
Not only you are hurt but many
get offended and defiled.
"Bitterness is unfulfilled revenge."
Can you hear right now God's
voice speaking to you through this preacher?
- If you were genuinely mistreated,
and abused, and the other was wrong, then I agree it should not have happened.
- But do you have the right
to be offended.
- It is impossible to live
in life and not be offended.
- But do you have a right?
Joseph lost inheritance and freedom.
- But did not lose the ability
to choose his response to it all.
- When falsely accused by
Potiphar's wife.
- He could not choose to
escape prison.
- Just one choice.
- How to respond to it all.
- He did not know his trials
were making way for him to be great and help his nation.
How do I know He did not get
offended?
- Offended people kill those
who caused trouble.
- A couple of chapters cover
years of his life wasted.
- But he did not strike at
his brothers when he seen them.
- He was not offended.
- Joseph forgave.
- Joseph could have chosen
to be offended, and we would not blame him, for it is human to react and put
them in jail now.
- What he could not see was
started with his father.
- If Jacob had not had a
favorite son, no coat of many colours would make no jealousy and that would
make no pit to throw Joseph into.
- No pit, and no slavery.
- No slavery, no Potiphar's
house.
- No Potiphar's wife.
- No accusation.
- No jail.
- No jail, never met butler
and baker.
- No meeting then no interpretation.
- No interpretation and not
brought before Pharaoh and no blessing for his family.
- And if family not survived.
- Then no Judah.
- And no Judah, no Jesus.
- No Jesus, no church!
Joseph knew that not.
Gene 50:20 But as for you, ye thought
evil against me; [but] God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as [it
is] this day, to save much people alive.
You thought evil against me,
but God meant it unto good.
- Mistaken ideas of the devil's
power.
- Devil cannot get you out
of the will of God.
- Other people cannot get
you out of the will of God.
- No.
- Only you can do that.
- Whatever situations you
face, God is so capable of reaching into it all and doing what he did for
Joseph.
- Bring goodness out of it.
One main way we get ourselves
out of God's will is being offended and letting ourselves get bitter.
Matt 18:7 Parallel to Luke 17.
Matt 18:7 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!
Impossible but that offenses
should come.
- After that he tells story:
- Two men : one owed a debt
to other and other owed debt to king.
- King called servant and
forgave huge debt.
- Same servant would not
forgive another who owed far less.
- Talent was 75 lbs.
- 10,000 talents of gold
375 tons of gold.
- At $375 an ounce, servant
owed 4.5 billion dollars to the king.
- Never pay it!
- Other man owed smaller
amount of denarius.
- Labourers daily wage.
- 100 demarii.
- If $40 daily wage, owed
$4,000.00.
- One man owed one third
of a year's wage.
- Other owe more than ever
make in a lifetime.
- Never had hope of paying
and forgiven, and took other man and demanded forgiven.
- He could not.
- The first himself said
the same thing to the king. "I can't."
- King found out.
- Jesus said the unforgiving
servant was turned to torturers and had to pay the original debt.
- Last phrase, Jesus said,
Very same thing happen to us if we do not forgive.
This is not to put a burden on
you.
- He opened freedom to your
spirit.
- No matter what anyone has
done to you, it is nothing like your sin against God.
Plowing of wicked is sin.
- Even good things they do
is sin, since they are not serving Him, and makes all no difference.
Jesus forgave us the debt of
one thousand lifetimes.
- How dare we decide that
because someone hurt us, and God allowed it to happen, that hurt us financially
or emotionally, and you cannot see how it can be made right, that we will
not forgive until the person comes to us and asks forgiveness?
- Many will serve you enough
to go to Heaven but will not love Him because He allowed something to happen
and they resent it.
Matt 6:12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive
our debtors.
Matt 6:14-15
For if
ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive
your trespasses.
The only added words to the Lord's
prayer was a reference to the aspect of the prayer concerning forgive us as
we forgive.
- He comments on that point.
- Because that is the hardest
part for us to do.
- If we do not forgive, God
will not forgive us.
This is serious, and affects
your eternity.
- Do not throw away an entire
eternity for a foolish lack of forgiveness when God was willing to forgive
you for all your sins against Him!
IT IS IMPOSSIBLE BUT THAT OFFENSES
WILL COME.
- Woe unto him whom by the
offense comes.
- In other words, God will
deal with the offender.
- Not us.
- Just let it be that you
do not offend and allow yourself to be offended.
- HAVE FORGIVENESS.
- It removes the chance for
you to be offended.
- FORGIVENESS.
- Nobody is perfect
- Always remember that.