LIVING FREE FROM OFFENSE
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“Loving Jesus & Others Without Offense”
“Loving Jesus & Others Without Offense”
And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”
I. LOVING GOD WITH ALL OUR HEART REQUIRES WE OVERCOME OFFENSE
Offense = You’ve hurt me and I cannot forget it.
A. Jesus’ leadership is good
This is one of the primary foundations of the Kingdom of God
Understanding this foundational truth causes us to be filled with trust in and gratitude for His leadership
B. Satan’s strategy to hinder us from loving Jesus is by accusing His leadership
C. Many sincere believers have unperceived offense at Jesus’ leadership
i. Many are offended at Jesus both for what He does and what He does not do, or what He allows.
Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”
II. Overcoming all offense about Jesus’ leadership requires spiritual violence
As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written,
“ ‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face,
who will prepare your way before you.’
Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force.
II. Jesus offends our mind to reveal our heart
And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.” His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”
So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?”
Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
III. ABOUNDING LOVE THAT OVERCOMES ALL OFFENSE
And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,
We pray that our love would abound as we set our heart to confront all offense in our heart.
We ask the Spirit to reveal pockets of unperceived offense working in our heart.
Who can discern his errors?
Declare me innocent from hidden faults.
Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins;
let them not have dominion over me!
Then I shall be blameless,
and innocent of great transgression.
IV. OUR CONFESSION THAT FREES US FROM OFFENSE
Our anchor is our confession that “the Lord is good, His mercy endures forever.”
And they rose early in the morning and went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. And when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem! Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be established; believe his prophets, and you will succeed.” And when he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed those who were to sing to the Lord and praise him in holy attire, as they went before the army, and say,
“Give thanks to the Lord,
for his steadfast love endures forever.”
And when they began to sing and praise, the Lord set an ambush against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, so that they were routed.
This song was sung at strategic times in redemptive history.
THIS IS A DECLARATION OF WAR!
Our confession is that Jesus’ loving leadership works all things for good in our life
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
He brought me to the banqueting house,
and his banner over me was love.
And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire—and also those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name, standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands. And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying,
“Great and amazing are your deeds,
O Lord God the Almighty!
Just and true are your ways,
O King of the nations!
Who will not fear, O Lord,
and glorify your name?
For you alone are holy.
All nations will come
and worship you,
for your righteous acts have been revealed.”
This confession is our war cry against Satan’s accusation against Jesus’ leadership.
And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.