Offenses Must Come

Employee told her Scripture encouragements and calendar in her cube was offensive and made to remove them

Outrage over an Asian Prom dress worn by a white girl. “Cultural Appropriation” w/o permission

The pastor and church being offended due to a lack of information and misperception.

The woman and family being offended due to the real injustice of being publically called out.

President’s tweets.

People leave church over communion articles

Matthew 24:10–13 NKJV

And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved.

Of all the signs given by Jesus of the end of the age (falls prophets, deception, lawlessness abounding), the first mentioned is that MANY will be offended.

Matthew 18:7 NKJV

Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!

But “offenses must come”! Opportunities to be offended come at us all as part of doing life in this dark world. Christian and non-believer alike

Persons being offensive and disrespectful is the social result of being human. All of us are incredibly different and unique.

There are two types of offense by which people are hurt and can be trapped.

Genuine - There is an actual offense that occurs where someone is truly wronged

Have a right to be hurt or offended; rape, murder, theft.

ILL; Pastor preaching on HS. People begin to criticize, gossip, attack family eventually they leave.

Percieved - There are offenses that are perceived. No actual offense took place, but we perceive it as having happened

My being offended at the presbyters and God in our 1st presbytry meeting

Man driving in the country late in evening, car runs out of gas. Knows there is a house about a mile further down. Walks and anticipates what he will say

Both sources of offense cause real pain & anxiety. Both if allowed to can fester

ILL: Dani Johnson in her blog “the daily fix” speaks of Hilary, a woman and her family attending a new church. Family invited to different functions but her family couldn’t afford to go, after a while the pastor became offended and called them out in a service. There were two opportunities for offense.

The pastor and church being offended due to a lack of information and misperception.

The woman and family being offended due to the real injustice of being publically called out.

People being offended is a personal choice. It is our response to some offensive stimulus we have encountered.

Quote by David Bednar “To be offended is a choice that we make, it is not a condition that is inflicted or imposed upon us by someone or something else.”

. Stones of offense - your choice as to whether to pick them up.

Some are small and seemingly insignificant, others are larger.

The more you carry with you, the more impact they have on your life.

Talking about these things is good because carried offense left unresolved, will result in bitterness and lead to outright hatred.

love “Agape”, not “phileo” God’s type of love, self sacrificing love, unconditional love, forgive before being asked type of love

Opportunities to be offended come at us all as part of doing life in this dark world. Christian and non-believer alike

Agape is also a choice, and you have an opportunity to exercise agape each time Satan presents you an offense.

In the early years of the Promise Keepers organization, it exploded in size and impact, and the demands of the ministry put tremendous strain on the marriage of its leader, Coach Bill McCartney. In “From Ashes to Glory” Bill’s wife Lyndi McCartney candidly describes how she struggled with bitterness and what terrible destruction it brought into her life:

The early years of the Promise Keepers organization, it exploded in size and impact, and the demands of the ministry put tremendous strain on the marriage of its leader, Coach Bill McCartney. In “From Ashes to Glory” Bill’s wife Lyndi McCartney candidly describes how she struggled with bitterness and what terrible destruction it brought into her life:

Satan wants trap unbelievers to keep them in a place where they are not open to the gospel

The early years of the Promise Keepers organization, it exploded in size and impact, and the demands of the ministry put tremendous strain on the marriage of its leader, Coach Bill McCartney. In “From Ashes to Glory” Bill’s wife Lyndi McCartney candidly describes how she struggled with bitterness and what terrible destruction it brought into her life:

Satan wants to trap believers in a web of bitterness, suspicion, hurts and un-forgiveness where they are unable to experience and demonstrate the love of God effectively. He can not take away your faith, your position as a child of the Father, but he wants to inhibit you from being all God made you to be and experiencing all He purchased for you to walk in.

In the early years of the Promise Keepers organization, it exploded in size and impact, and the demands of the ministry put tremendous strain on the marriage of its leader, Coach Bill McCartney. In “From Ashes to Glory” Bill’s wife Lyndi McCartney candidly describes how she struggled with bitterness and what terrible destruction it brought into her life:

I never enjoyed sharing my husband. I always felt cheated. So many times Christians would sen dme cards or flowers, writing lovely letters saying how much they appreciated me sharing my husband with them. Sometimes my unChristian spirit would take over and I’d want to tell them to “quit borrowing my husband.” I really did not like sharing him so much, and I began to resent it. People were always poking into our lives, stealing Bill’s time, and I was so angry with him because he would let them do it.

I spent about a year in isolation. The kids were out and on their own, and it was just the two of us in the house. I didn’t answer the telephone and it shut the door on all outsiders. I even shutout friends who loved me. I thought I needed time to myself. I realized we had run amok, and even though thirty years together had generated many great, loving memories, I had to confront my own bitterness. I was hopelessly caught, eyebrow deep, in pain, and I was blind to all the good. I was a wounded, ugly woman.”

Being offended at my Div O - Ensign Finney

I became angry, ugly, and it affected my decisions professionally and relationally. PJ & Joyce

The opportunity for offense is the greatest with those we are closest too. The ones we share life with and invest ourselves in.

Early in our marriage, there were times when I did not support my wife as much as I should have. Thought I was being a peace maker but was really only appeasing friends and not standing with Sherri as I ought. It gave the enemy a chance to bait her with my offense.

How do we deal with it? Knowledge brings freedom and healing

mark

Mark 10:35–41 NASB95

James and John, the two sons of Zebedee, came up to Jesus, saying, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask of You.” And He said to them, “What do you want Me to do for you?” They said to Him, “Grant that we may sit, one on Your right and one on Your left, in Your glory.” But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” They said to Him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you shall drink; and you shall be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized. “But to sit on My right or on My left, this is not Mine to give; but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.” Hearing this, the ten began to feel indignant with James and John.