http://faithandvictory.com/sermons/they-were-offended/
Faith and Victory Church
Auburn WA, 98002
todd@faithandvictory.com
Mark 6:1-6 “they were offended ”
• Are you ready to offend some people?
• A famous atheist, Penn Jillette (From Penn and Teller) once said, “How much do you have to hate someone to believe that everlasting life is possible and not tell them that?”
• Jesus is offensive. Many people don’t want to believe this or agree with this- but it’s the truth
• Now- being offensive and offending someone are two different things
• I get a reputation sometimes of being offensive, but the reality is that I just value truth so much and people get offended by it. I get it- there is a fine line between being offensive and offending people
• People say- 2 Corinthians 6:3 We give no offense in anything, that our ministry may not be blamed.
• proskope¯ pros-kop-ay' a stumbling, that is, (figuratively and concretely) occasion of sin: - offence.
• As a Christian- we shouldn’t be creating opportunities to help people SIN that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t be KEEPING them from Sin.
• Jesus offends- Matthew 15:12 Then His disciples came and said to Him, “Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?”
• His whole ministry was to get in the faces, minds and lives of those who were DOING IT WRONG
• Jesus tells you how to live. He tells you what to say. How to live. What to do. He wants to control every single aspect of your life. He wants you to do things you don’t agree with. He wants you to change everything about you. He wants you to stop living for yourself and start living for him
• He spent lots of time going around offending people. Religious people. Civic people. Government people. Normal people. Random people.
• I believe that Christians should be offending periodically- if they are not- what we saying and doing? Charles Spurgeon “You are the salt not the sugar candy; something the world will spit out, not swallow.”
• What offended people about Jesus? He told the truth. That is it.
• To the Rich young ruler- Mark 10:22 But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
• Paul Offended- Galatians 5:11 And I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why do I still suffer persecution? Then the offense of the cross has ceased.
• 1 Corinthians 1:23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness,
• Jesus received a beating and a crucifixion. Paul got flogged and beaten as well. Next to death
• In this story we See that Jesus offended some people- “so they were offended by him”
• What were they offended by?
1. Offended by what he knew- they were astonished
• “And many hearing Him were astonished”
• It is interesting that when Jesus comes to this point in this ministry that he decides to come back to the country that he came from to go and do some ministry, his disciples follow him and he goes to the synagogue to go and do some preaching
• The guys in the synagogue don’t necessarily hate what he’s saying as much as they are upset with how much he knows and the power by which he speaks
• The main Issue I think is probably envy and anger because he’s preaching truth better than they did- and Jesus hadn’t had to go through the hoops that he had to go through
• What does it mean to you?
• If you are a Christian- People are going to get offended by what you know-
• Peter and John were a couple guys who were speaking to the Sanhedrin (jewish rulers)
• They got really upset because they weren’t supposed to be as powerful speakers as they were
• If you know the truth of Gospel, you’re smarter than the people who don’t. SPEAK IT
• Young man- at a softball event- talking to bikers about Jesus- HE had knowledge
• Acts 4:13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.- Christianity IS a thinking mans religion- nothing wrong with SPEAKING TRUTH
• Acts 4: 18 So they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. (Because they were offended)
2. Offended by what he had- where did he get these things
• When Jesus spoke these guys couldn’t even fathom the knowledge that Jesus had because they had it locked in their brain what they thought it took for someone to become a master teacher
• Its human nature really- when someone has something that we either have- or wish we had and we perceive that it was given to them without due credit- it often creates evny
• “must be nice”
• We think others deserve punishment- praise- provision- whatever- we like to be in the place of deciding who gets what- but that’s not How God works. He can give whatever he wants to anyone
• Psalm 103:10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor punished us according to our iniquities.
• What does it mean to you
• Receive whatever Jesus has for you! Take everything that he has- he wants to give you great things- Receive all that Jesus gives you with Gladness- receive it as from God.
• Followers of Jesus will be taught by Jesus- The Holy Spirit will download stuff into your brain that you don’t even know how it got there- He’s that powerful
• READ Matthew 10:18-20 Matthew 10:20 for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.
• God can speak through you- God can give you stuff. God can provide
• Psalm 25:12 Who is the man that fears the Lord? Him shall He teach in the way He chooses.
• And don’t be upset that God is blessing you- its from Him-
3. Offended by what he did- What wisdom which is given him
• , “Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands!
• Jesus ability to be able to do great things in the midst of these men caused them to become frustrated at what he was able to do
• To them- they must have seen the abilities that he had not in line with their preconceived belief systems. “where did he get these things” AND what he DID “Mighty works performed”
• The point behind their heart in someway must have been connected to envy- because to THEM they should have what he had- or they didn’t believe that he shouldn’t be able to do what he was able to do- perform mighty miracles and mighty works
• What does it mean to you?
• When you walk with God- you’ll be able to do things that other people wont understand
• God will give wisdom to anyone who asks-
• James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
• God blesses people who follow him with blessings and wisdom that others don’t get
• This OFFENDS people- Why should the unlearned have wisdom? Why should the unlearned have power? USE YOUR WISDOM TO CONFOUD THE WISE
• Luke 21:15 for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist. Trust in God to speak through you when the time comes.
• Acts 2:43 Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. Be a person that God can use to show his power in the world-
• READ Acts 5:12-16 12 And through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people.
4. Offended by who he was- is this not the carpenter
• 3 Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?” So they were offended at Him.
• The greatest offense to these men Is that they thought that Jesus was not worthy to be doing what he was doing because nothing good could come from a carpenters son from Nazareth
• John 1:46 And Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?
• They didn’t think he had the right to be who he was based on where he came from
• What does it mean to you?
• John 15:18 “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.
• 1 Cor 6:9-12 such WERE some of you
• Its offensive that people who have done the most morally despicable things are now in a place to lead people to a holy God.
• But THAT’S our story- that God uses- DON’T THINK THAT GOD CANT USE A PERSON LIKE YOU
• 1 Corinthians 1:27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty;
• This may be offensive to people- but that’s OK Jesus was offensive-
• Read 4-6
• Not everyone is going to receive what you have to say because they know your past too much
• But its possible- people that have the Holy Spirit can see past a lot
• It doesn’t mean that you cant minister where you were born- but Jesus was smart enough to know that he couldn’t
• Who wants to join me in offending some people by being who we are in Christ?
