Trapped: I'm Offended

RENEW CHURCH - Not religious, but relational Based on S Romans 12:2 1.Know God 2.Find Freedom 3.Discover Purpose 4. Make a Difference Renew Church believes in Deut. 6:4- “The Shema” ***Connect Cards*** ***Take Home Cards*** SHARE THE LIVE LINK! S Text to Give Tithe and offering SMALL GROUPS FREEDOM!!!! 1. Opening Line a. Have you ever felt trapped? i. Trapped in 1. Pay day loan 2. Car Note 3. Mortgage 4. Relationship 2. Introduction a. Something got you right? i. There was an “allure” to it all… 1. (Payday loan) a. Broke 2. (Car Note) a. That new car smell! b. Had all the right curves in all the right places. 3. (Relationship) a. Shaped like a tube of toothpaste, squeezed in all the right places... ii. Smells have memories attached to them. 1. Expound a. Africa iii. Ever have that Déjà vu moment? 1. I “feel” like I have been here before… b. We have been talking about the subject of being trapped for 3 weeks now! i. Fighting the fog 1. About being trapped in how you see yourself. ii. Find out who your friends are 1. About being trapped in how others view you. iii. This week were going to be talking about being Trapped… c. Did you know that you can be trapped in offense? i. S You can spend all your time with a looking glass into everyone else’s lives without picking up the mirror. 1. If you can’t put down the magnifying glass and pick up the mirror, you will end up attempting to fix problems in other people that are really your problems that you have projected on others… 2. Now your trying to fix problems in them that are really your problems, but your trying to do it on the platform of their life… d. With this subject in mind, we’re going to be talking today about S Trapped: I’m Offended. e. Lets back up this title with the word of God! i. Matthew 5:21 1. S 21 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder,[a] and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’  a. Right out the box right? I know what your thinking… Pastor, we know that we shouldn’t murder… b. But this was something that Jesus himself was saying. If you have a red letter edition bible, you will recognize that it is his words. c. He is about to begin to show how that some of the pieces of the Law of Moses were fulfilled through him, but the VALUES of them had been watered down with time. d. He didn’t come to ABOLISH the law, but to fulfill the law. i. Todays theology wants to throw the baby out with the bathwater. (Expound) 1. In the values that create the culture of Renew Church, The First is: 2. S Doctrinally Sound - We firmly believe that God has built this house on a foundation of biblical truth. We know that is a safe place for cultivation and development. We walk in obedience to ensure that we don’t stray from His will for Renew. While we strive to be relevant, we are also unwilling to compromise the truth of God’s word. This is paramount to every other belief, dream or ideal we hold. 3. This means that we will not allow the culture of the world to become the culture of the church. 4. This means that we uphold ALL BIBLICAL values and that create a culture which is Christ centered! e. In this text, He is showing how His ways have a value above and beyond the laws that we create for ourselves. i. (We break our laws, but not our ways!) f. He’s going to show that S before something happens in our lives, it happens in our hearts. i. Ever been in a relationship where you were the cheater? 1. It didn’t happen when you climbed into the sheets with them. It happened in your mind, long before you ever overtly sinned. 2. Matter of fact, 99.9% of the time you sin, it didn’t start with the action you committed, but because of a mindset that you allowed… and most of the time, it started because you were… offended. 2. S 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister[b][c] will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’[d]  3. vain, empty, worthless, only found in Matthew 5:22 . The Jews used it as a word of contempt. It is derived from a root meaning "to spit." 4. Sounds like a curse word! 5. is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. a. Mr. T, step aside! b. I’ve said some worse things that this and I don’t want to go to hell! 6. What he’s saying is S what starts in the mind… doesn’t stay there. 7. What starts as a word, can turn into a living hell in your life. 8. When he states Hell, he’s not referring to hell as we see it today, but as a place the Jews would have been familiar with. Gahanna was a place that they burned trash where it was stated that the fires never go out. a. Did you know you can turn your home into a living hell? b. You can become so offended that the garbage piles so high, that your heart becomes a living hell, forever smoldering inside of you! c. All because you got trapped in offense! 9. The world we live in today lives in offense! a. I have to think 3x before I post something on FB to make sure I’m not offending someone! f. You have to know that the enemies plan is destruction. How he does it… distract, and divide. i. S If he can distract you, he can divide you. If he can divide you, he can destroy you! g. But before you were trapped, you got offended! i. Anyone ever been trapped? ii. I have a hobby that I love and happen to know a little about… not in trapping in the context of what we are talking about, but in the literal sense! 1. In trapping there are different methods and these methods have changed over time! a. (Primitive “limb lines”) i. Set by what you find and a little string. b. Coyote traps i. Dig a hole, throw a bone and be careful not to leave your “scent” behind. c. Bobcat i. More difficult. 1. Cover your scent. 2. Plan for them to step around. 3. (Cold) Plan for freezing. 4. Set the pan as light as possible. ii. Use “bait” 1. Lures (Smells) a. Don’t smell good to me, but to the cat that’s hunting, draws them in. b. Needs to be changed up if your not catching. 2. Visual (Eyes) a. Looks like the surroundings b. Feathers to play with c. CD’s to attract it. iii. With these methods, your trying to distract it from his normal routine and if you can distract them, you can divide them from their train of thought. If you can distract and divide… you can destroy. 1. S 2 Corinthians 10:5 2. S 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; 3. Main Point a. (Newly married couple) i. The bible says that the two, shall become one. ii. Did you know that the plan of the devil is to distract you? 1. If he can get you looking… a. (Separate) 2. ((Again)) ((Expound)) 3. Marriage is a picture of Christ and the Church, so what he wants to do to them, he wants to do to the church as well… (Expound) b. How does he distract? i. Through offense! ii. If the devil just dug a hole in the ground… wouldn’t fall for it… but he’s smart. 1. ((To Her)) It’s the little foxes that spoil the vine. 2. Just the smallest offense! c. What Jesus was teaching here is that when you learn to deal with offense, you keep the devil on defense! d. ((Let them sit down)) i. The bible talks about what we look like when were offended in: S Matthew 7:3-5 1. S 3 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?  2. S 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 3. S 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. ii. ((Get Plank)) iii. I would venture to bet, if you listen to someone long enough, going through their offense, you will see… 1. What’s amazing, is that most planks, are made up of specs. iv. The more intimate the relationship, (magnifying glass), the easier its is to find offense. 1. NO ONE can make you mad, like the people you love the most… 2. You find yourself… How did we get here? a. Married 2 years… b. How did we get from in absolute love with each other… best friends… and now, were here? e. It happens one offense at a time! i. Jesus says that if you hold onto it, it becomes this smoldering pile of garbage… 1. Were smiling like its ok at church, but… ii. S Matthew 5:23 1. S 23 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you,  2. 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift. iii. Before you sing a song or pray a prayer to cover up that you relationships ((Plank))… iv. Be Reconciled! f. Today we surrounded today! i. (This is how I fight my battles) g. God takes the two and makes them one, the devil takes the one and makes them 2… h. S 25 “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. i. S 26 Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny. i. ((Story of guy at red light at 1485 and 59) ii. S Luke 17:1 King James Version (KJV) 1. S 17 Then said he unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come! j. ((Couple back up)) i. Things said ii. Unmet Expectations 1. Holidays 2. Birthdays 3. Shopping (Money) 4. ((Mom, dad telling their personal life)) 5. Getting up with the kids 6. Pumping gas 7. Taking out the trash 8. Moving the cars while I mow. 9. Tooth brush iii. Now what God has joined together…. 1. We have separated… a. With Offense. iv. How do we overcome this? 1. What example do we have? 2. ((Drop it)) v. ((Couple to seats)) 4. Why does it matter? 5. Where is the power in the text? 6. Application 7. TO DO 8. Why does it matter? 9. Closing