Blessed Are Those Who Will Not Be Offended In Christ

I. EXORDIUM:

Are you blessed?

Yes. GOD already blessed me with the LORD. 2 Corinthians 8:9

2 Corinthians 8:9

For you are becoming progressively acquainted with and recognizing more strongly and clearly the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ (His kindness, His gracious generosity, His undeserved favor and spiritual blessing), [in] that though He was [so very] rich, yet for your sakes He became [so very] poor, in order that by His poverty you might become enriched (abundantly supplied).

II. AUDIENCE PROFILE:

Believers

III. OBJECTIVES:

To show that we are already blessed by GOD because He gave His Son to save us from eternal death but now we need not only to be blessed but be changed by His WORDS, we need to accept all HIS WORDS so that it will change us.

IV. TEXT:

Luke 7:23

And blessed (happy—with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, apart from outward conditions—and to be envied) is he who takes no offense in Me and who is not hurt or resentful or annoyed or repelled or made to stumble [whatever may occur].

V. THESIS:

Praise, worship and thank You very much LORD JESUS for You have already blessed me with salvation and I'm accepting changes in my life because of Your WORDS.

VI. TITLE:

Blessed are those who will not be offended in CHRIST

VII. EXPLICATION:

A. Author: Dr. Luke, The Beloved Physician (close friend and traveling companion of Paul)

B. Audience: Theophilus (Greek means friend of GOD, a Christian)

C. Purpose: To give a connected and orderly narrative of the life of CHRIST as seen by eyewitnesses

VIII. MAIN BODY:

A. Blessing already came because of JESUS

"And blessed (happy—with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation,"

Matthew 13:57-58

And they took offense at Him [they were repelled and hindered from acknowledging His authority, and caused to stumble]. But Jesus said to them, A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house.

And He did not do many works of power there, because of their unbelief (their lack of faith in the divine mission of Jesus).

If we accept anyone or anything in life without being stumbled, then accept the LORD JESUS CHRIST in your heart, and whatever He says in His WORDS, learn to accept it.

All of us, believers and unbelievers are already blessed by GOD, because of His SON - the LORD JESUS CHRIST who died to save us.

Romans 5:8

But God shows and clearly proves His [own] love for us by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) died for us.

B. No offense in JESUS means more blessings

"apart from outward conditions—and to be envied) is he who takes no offense in Me and who is not hurt or resentful or annoyed or repelled or made to stumble [whatever may occur]"

CHRIST is a Stumbling Stone - He tests us if we can accept Him as He is, as our LORD and SAVIOR.

1 Peter 2:7-8

To you then who believe (who adhere to, trust in, and rely on Him) is the preciousness; but for those who disbelieve [it is true], The [very] Stone which the builders rejected has become the main Cornerstone,

And, A Stone that will cause stumbling and a Rock that will give [men] offense; they stumble because they disobey and disbelieve [God’s] Word, as those [who reject Him] were destined (appointed) to do.

During your CHRISTian walk, as you go deeper with the teachings of our LORD JESUS CHRIST, you don't accept all things that CHRIST is teaching because it's the truth, as they say "the truth hurts" but it brings repentance to you by setting you free.

John 8:32

And you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free.

There's no problem with GOD's WORDS but the problem lies on the recipient.

1 Corinthians 2:14

But the natural, nonspiritual man does not accept or welcome or admit into his heart the gifts and teachings and revelations of the Spirit of God, for they are folly (meaningless nonsense) to him; and he is incapable of knowing them [of progressively recognizing, understanding, and becoming better acquainted with them] because they are spiritually discerned and estimated and appreciated.

Illustration:

A clay and a candle was both exposed to the sun. The clay hardens but the candle melts. We are like the candle because when we are exposed to GOD our hearts melt to accommodate more of GOD, while the clay hardens and rejects GOD.

Isaiah 8:14-15

And He shall be a sanctuary [a sacred and indestructible asylum to those who reverently fear and trust in Him]; but He shall be a Stone of stumbling and a Rock of offense to both the houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.