Offense

Central Truths:
Offenses are serious issues; They are Satan’s death grip on our lives.
The love of God is the antidote for offense.

Key Text:
Matthew 16:23
Matthew 18:6

The word offense from Webster defines like this:

• Something that causes one to stumble or sin
• Something that outrages the moral or physical senses
• The act of attacking or assaulting
• The act of attempting to score
• The state of being outraged

Another defines it like this:

• A lack of respect or politeness
• Wounding others feelings
• Showing no consideration or courtesy
• A Law breaking act

And the Greek calls it:

• Error
• Occasion of stumbling
• Sin

When I think of offenses I think of a deadly poison, that gets into the body very stealthily like anthrax.

Anthrax is a deadly bacteria that grows and spreads once you come into contact with it.
Anthrax spores can be delivered in powder form packaged very enticingly.
Anthrax can be ground and delivered in powder form that may not even be recognized.

Once you come into contact with Anthrax … the spores will lay in your body like seed. Those spores can even lay there seeming to do nothing for 1-60 days and then suddenly there is a break out of effects ... "deadly effects."

Larger Anthrax spores lodge in the throat and windpipe, affecting the speech and breath of our life source.

The immune system tries to push out the poison, but just can not do it alone. These spores want to destroy you, they may seem passive, but they are aggressive in nature.

Amazingly enough they actually have a mission, and that mission is to go after the blood. The life source.

Offense is such a serious matter, that Jesus directly looked beyond Peter to the source of the offense to deal with it.

Satan is the at the root of all offense.

Matthew 16:23 KJV
Jesus, turned and said unto Peter. Get thee behind me Satan. Thou art and offense unto me. For thou Savourest not the things of God, but those that be of men.

The God Word Translation says this:
Jesus turned and said to Peter … Get out of my way Satan. You are tempting me to sin. You are not thinking the way God thinks, but the way humans think.

Notice Jesus first "looked and said to Peter …"
But then in the middle of the clause … Jesus addressed Satan.
Then he resumes speaking to Peter.
Take note here … Jesus was dealing with Satan and the offense … But He was teaching Peter (feeding him in love).


Peter from the un-renewed portion of his thinking (mind) was talking to Jesus, and it was from that place Satan had an opportunity to bring an offense.

Satan can only work through people who deliver …
either knowingly or unknowingly.

Back in 2001 there was a serious of anthrax scares . A culprit (much like Satan) would take that deadly poison hat had been growing in their world, and put it in a package to be delivered. The person carrying the package may never realize they are carrying it around … but they are … and delivering it to.

Once that package is delivered it can be deadly. Not only to the recipient but also to the carrier who had previously been exposed to it.

Offense like Anthrax comes to destroy, and it wants above all else to first destroy our faith.

Faith is the substance of things hope for the evidence of things unseen. And if we allow an offense in our life … it will begin to deteriorate our faith … as our faith deteriorates there is nothing to give substance to our hope … and soon hope too is lost. Leaving us as walking dead men, good for nothing but the fire.
Offenses taken are destructive, but offenses also effect the carrier.

Matthew 18:1-10 ~ God Word translation
¹At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

²He called a little child and had him stand among them. ³Then he said to them, “I can guarantee this truth: Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴Whoever becomes like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. ⁵And whoever welcomes a child like this in my name welcomes me.

⁶“These little ones believe in me. It would be best for the person who causes one of them to lose faith to be drowned in the sea with a large stone hung around his neck. ⁷How horrible it will be for the world because it causes people to lose their faith. Situations that cause people to lose their faith will arise. How horrible it will be for the person who causes someone to lose his faith!

⁸“If your hand or your foot causes you to lose your faith, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life disabled or injured than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into everlasting fire. ⁹If your eye causes you to lose your faith, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hellfire.

¹⁰“Be careful not to despise these little ones. I can guarantee that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father, who is in heaven.

Those who would offend a little one causing them to loose faith ... the bible says it is better a mill stone be hanged around their neck and they be drowned in the depth of the sea.

This is such a serious matter that Jesus uses a simile to share the depth of his concern.

If your hand or foot causes you to loose faith …. Cut it off. If it is your eye … pluck it out.

Now Jesus is not suggesting that you cut your limbs off or pluck out your eye.
He is just saying … this is very serious and if you have something in the body that is of an offensive nature … get it out.
Why?
Because it will keep you from entering life … it will cause you to suffer hells fires.

Matthew here in Chapter 18 even suggest that the angels are watching and aware of offense. And they are ready to respond to God’s Word concerning any one that is touched by such an offender.

Another thing I notice here is the beginning of the text. The disciples were very interested in who would be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. That is the nature of Satan already at work.

That is what got him kicked out of heaven to begin with … He wanted to be lifted up above God himself.

Many times people will jump from church to church because of offense in leadership. They want to tell the Pastor what to do, and if they can’t they are either are put out to protect the body or they leave offended.

When they go to another place … they soon try to lord it over the leadership there and find themselves again in the same position unless they deal with the problem that is within them.

Satan can bring Offense through many doors.
Doors like:

• anger
• jealousy
• pride
• fear (insecurity)
• hate such as racism or gender issues
• greed
• minds left un-renewed
• lack of knowledge.

This is just naming a few doors that swing wide for offense to enter.

Peter had a problem like that … his was an un-renewed mind. He thought things art to be dealt with differently than Jesus (who was his mentor at that time). So he spoke out of turn, and Jesus correct him. And He dealt with Satan all at one time.
He did this so the offense did not continue to poison Peter or get into other lives. And so it would not take root in him (remember Jesus was still living as man at this time).

In worse case scenarios the offender will go around and pour his poison (offense) into others and draw a group to himself. They follow unaware that they are all being lead away by the devil.

These people become like rabid dogs … they seem nice enough one minute and the next they are ready to tear you apart. They are sick. They need help. But they have to be willing to do their part to be better. Just at the immune system can not rid the body of anthrax alone, neither can the Holy Ghost rid you of offense … you have to do your part.

The Holy Ghost like the immune system is at work in you and wants you to be free. He is at work, but he is our Helper and we too have a part. That part is to choose love over offense. To let go of the offense.

James told us that if we did not offend in word we were perfect (mature). Lets read that chapter.

James 3 message translation

^1-2Don't be in any rush to become a teacher, my friends. Teaching is highly responsible work. Teachers are held to the strictest standards. And none of us is perfectly qualified. We get it wrong nearly every time we open our mouths. If you could find someone whose speech was perfectly true, you'd have a perfect person, in perfect control of life.

^3-5A bit in the mouth of a horse controls the whole horse. A small rudder on a huge ship in the hands of a skilled captain sets a course in the face of the strongest winds. A word out of your mouth may seem of no account, but it can accomplish nearly anything—or destroy it!

^5-6It only takes a spark, remember, to set off a forest fire. A careless or wrongly placed word out of your mouth can do that. By our speech we can ruin the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send the whole world up in smoke and go up in smoke with it, smoke right from the pit of hell.

^7-10This is scary: You can tame a tiger, but you can't tame a tongue—it's never been done. The tongue runs wild, a wanton killer. With our tongues we bless God our Father; with the same tongues we curse the very men and women he made in his image. Curses and blessings out of the same mouth!

^10-12My friends, this can't go on. A spring doesn't gush fresh water one day and brackish the next, does it? Apple trees don't bear strawberries, do they? Raspberry bushes don't bear apples, do they? You're not going to dip into a polluted mud hole and get a cup of clear, cool water, are you?

Live Well, Live Wisely

^13-16Do you want to be counted wise, to build a reputation for wisdom? Here's what you do: Live well, live wisely, live humbly. It's the way you live, not the way you talk, that counts. Mean-spirited ambition isn't wisdom. Boasting that you are wise isn't wisdom. Twisting the truth to make yourselves sound wise isn't wisdom. It's the furthest thing from wisdom—it's animal cunning, devilish conniving. Whenever you're trying to look better than others or get the better of others, things fall apart and everyone ends up at the others' throats.

^17-18Real wisdom, God's wisdom, begins with a holy life and is characterized by getting along with others. It is gentle and reasonable, overflowing with mercy and blessings, not hot one day and cold the next, not two-faced. You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor.

Peter was one of those cutting, cussing, fire breathing Christians at this time. He was not perfect.

He would cut your ear off in a heart beat, or run from Jesus, to warm himself by some worldly fire … cussing the whole time.

But because he had a heart after God, he continued to stick it out.
Finally … He heard something.
"Peter do you love me?"
Lord you know I love you.
"Feed my Sheep"
"Peter do you love me?"
Lord you know I do
"Feed my Sheep"
"Peter DO YOU LOVE ME?"
Lord you know me …
"Feed my Sheep"


Peter may have well said, You found me out Jesus … I have been an offense to you.
I have been offended by you.
I have hurt others with my offenses.
I have not been feeding the sheep. But out of my zeal and from my offense, I have been destroying them unaware.


Peter received what Jesus said, and continued to follow and mature in his faith walk and grow to the place of being able to properly feed the sheep.
The bible says in Luke 17:1
It is impossible that no offenses should come.

Offenses will come … but how you deal with them will determine your outcome.

Yes, offense will come … and you will have emotions with those offenses. But it is how you deal with those emotions that will make the difference.

If you don’t deal properly the offense is deadly.

If you deal properly … the offense can turn to work toward your own maturity in the faith … moving you on to the next level.

As we mature … we act differently than babies who are not yet developed. As the mature we process and deal with matters rather than harbor or thrash away at them.

When we are immature we may harbor an offense … in other words we will lock it inside and roll around with it every now and then and allow those emotions to rise up in us like waves of evil. Or … if we are a thrasher … we will start thrashing as one who can not swim will in deep waters and soon find ourselves either drowning or as a cast away … removed from the body.

When we mature we put away childishness. We put away harboring and learn to deal with waves of emotions and offenses. We learn to walk in unfailing love.

Love is the antidote to offense.
Works every time!