SATAN’S SECRET WEAPON: OFFENSES
Matt. 17:27
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR:
1. There was a Christian lady who did a lot of flying for her business, but flying made her nervous so she always took her Bible along with her to read and it helped relax her.
2. One time she was sitting next to a man. When he saw her pull out her Bible he gave a little chuckle and went back to what he was doing.
3. After a while he turned to her and asked "You don't really believe all that stuff in there do you?" The lady replied "Of course I do, it’s the Bible."
4. He said "Well what about that guy that was swallowed by that whale?" She replied "Oh, Jonah. Yes I believe that, it’s in the Bible."
5. He asked "Well, how do you suppose he survived all that time inside the whale?" The lady said "Well I don't really know. I guess when I get to heaven I will ask him."
6. "What if he isn't in heaven?" the man asked sarcastically. "Then,” she said with raised eyebrows,” You can ask him!"
B. SEVEN SCRIPTURES ON OFFENSE
1. “But SO THAT WE MAY NOT CAUSE OFFENSE, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours.” Matt. 17:27
2. When Jesus went to Nazareth, the Bible says, “And THEY WERE OFFENDED IN HIM” Mt. 13:57.
3. “He said to His disciples, “OFFENSES WILL CERTAINLY COME, but woe to the one they come through!’” Luke 17:1, HCSB.
4. Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you know that THE PHARISEES WERE OFFENDED when they heard this?” Matt. 15:12
5. “Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, ‘DOES THIS OFFEND YOU?’” Jn. 6:61.
6. Just before His betrayal, Jesus said to [His disciples], “YOU WILL ALL BE OFFENDED...BECAUSE OF ME this night” Mt. 26:31 AMPC. So sometimes offenses will be necessary.
7. “It is [NOT] good...to...do anything by which your brother stumbles or is OFFENDED” Rom. 14:21. This points out we should avoid, as much as possible, offending others.
C. THESIS
1. A number of years ago I did a series on the book “The Bait of Satan” by John Bevere. This book is about one of Satan’s best tools to get Christians to drop out of Church – he gets them offended.
2. The Bait of Satan has sold over a million copies because Christian leaders, everywhere, realize the importance of this teaching. So, in today’s message, I’m going to give you a thumb-nail sketch of the subject.
3. The title is “Satan’s Secret Weapon: Offenses.”
I. WHAT IS AN OFFENSE?
A. ALL OF US WILL FACE OFFENSES
1. The Greek word for “offend” in Matt. 17:27 (& all the references above except Rom. 14:21) comes from the word skandalon. This word originally referred to the part of the trap to which the bait was attached. Hence the word signifies laying a trap in someone’s way.
2. Today there are many young people who are “social justice warriors” – they take up other people’s offenses. You see this with the Pro-Palestinian student protests in Ivy League schools. Many of these students aren’t Palestinians & they don’t have friends who have suffered under Israeli oppression, but – looking for a cause – they’ve taken up this issue.
3. The good side of a social justice warrior idea is that they’re trying to stop people being mistreated. The bad side is that they develop the habit of looking for the negative and keeping the injustice fresh and alive – always stirring it up.
4. These people aren’t likely to lean toward grace and forgiveness, but instead, on fault-finding and an unforgiving spirit.
5. What makes a husband & wife not willing to work out their differences? One holds onto an offense. What makes a brother & sister no longer speak to each other? Offense. What makes church members break off their association? An offense.
6. One of Satan’s best tools is something every Christian will encounter—offense. Offenses aren’t deadly in themselves—but if we refuse to forgive another’s offense, they can become deadly.
B. WHAT HOLDING AN OFFENSE LOOKS LIKE
1. IT EXAGGERATES THE PROBLEM. In Numbers 14, the 10 spies saw the people of Canaan as not just a little taller than themselves, but as “giants!” They saw the walls of the cities as not just tall, but “up to the skies!” When we only focus on the problem, it becomes disproportional.
2. IT SPREADS THE NEGATIVE TO OTHERS. Those with offense often sow their hurt into others, who have no exposure to the problem. Francis Frangipane says that “Bitterness is unfulfilled revenge.” “Lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled” Heb. 12:14–15.
3. HARBORING OFFENSES BREEDS DOUBT AND UNBELIEF. Faith in God’s ability and compassion to handle the issue are omitted.
4. DWELLING IN NEGATIVITY WILL AFFECT US. “Whatsoever things are true...honest...just...pure... lovely...of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things” Ph. 4:8-9.
5. OFFENSES ARE TOXIC TO OUR PROGRESS.
a. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law” Gal. 5:22-23.
b. But the fruit of offended people is hurt, anger, outrage, jealousy, resentment, strife, bitterness, hatred, and envy. If our offenses aren’t put under the blood, they result in division, separation, broken relationships, and backsliding.
6. PUTTING UP WALLS IMPRISONS US. “A brother offended is harder to win than a strong city, and contentions are like the bars of a castle” Prov. 18:19. When people get hurt, they construct emotional walls so they won’t be hurt again. They no longer trust people. These walls become a prison. They become afraid of venturing outside their fortress.
7. BRINGS DISCORD. Proverbs 6:16-19, one of the seven things the Lord says He hates is, “One who Sows Discord among brethren.” We must be careful we BUILD UP the Body of Christ, NOT TEAR it down.
II. BELIEVERS CAN’T HOLD ONTO OFFENSES
A. DO YOU HAVE PERMISSION TO HOLD ONTO AN OFFENSE?
1. Our attitude becomes, “Well, I was mistreated and misjudged; therefore, I’m justified in my behavior.” But just because we’ve been mistreated doesn’t give us permission to hold onto an offense.
2. Jesus said that in the Last Days “Many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. And...the love of many will grow cold. Mt 24:10–13. Bitterness can choke our love for the Lord.
B. GODLY ALTERNATIVE: SUFFER WRONG
1. Paul suggested, “Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated?” 1 Cor. 6:7. Have we forgotten the words of Jesus? “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you” Matt. 5:44.
2. When Jesus was wronged, He didn’t wrong in return but committed His soul to God, who would judge righteously.
3. Peter said, “For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: “Who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth; who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously” 1 Pet. 2:21–23.
C. EXAMPLES OF OFFENSES FORGIVEN
1. JOSEPH
a. Joseph was hated by his brothers because of his father’s favoritism and his dreams of superiority. Joseph could have let the offense fill him with hatred toward them and God, who allowed it to happen.
b. But somehow he cast his burdens on the Lord and left it in God’s hands. The evidence? He kept his heart right and God continued favoring him all his life. Later Joseph told his brothers, “But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good.” Gen. 50:19–20. Joseph is the poster child for not allowing offense in your life!
2. DAVID
a. David was another person who could’ve gotten offended. God’s leader, King Saul, spoke badly of him, set spies on him, took back David’s wife Michal and gave her to another man, removed David from his leadership in the army, made him a fugitive and sent armies to kill him.
b. Yet David prayed through these abuses, and when given the chance to kill Saul said, “The LORD forbid that I should do this thing to my master, the LORD’s anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the LORD” 1 Sam. 24:6–7.
III. HOW CAN YOU FORGIVE OFFENSES?
A. HUMOR ON UNFORGIVENESS
1. A story out of Fort Sumner, New Mexico, describes the power of revenge. Luciano Mare, 81 years old, caught a mouse inside his house and wanted to get rid of it.
2. He was burning leaves out in his yard, so he carried it out and threw it on the fire. According to Fire Chief Juan Chavez, the burning mouse ran back to the house and set the dry brush around it on fire. The flames spread and burned the house down. The inhabitants escaped unharmed.
3. The Chief replied that he’d seen a lot of house fires, but never one by a malicious mouse! Oh, the power of revenge! Which brings us to forgiveness.
B. THE BASIS OF GOD’S FORGIVENESS?
1. Being a just God, He CAN’T just dismiss the transgressions; EVERY ONE OF THEM MUST BE PAID FOR! But that’s what Jesus came to earth to do.
2. “And the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all” Isa. 53:6. “…and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” Heb 9:22. “He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world” 1 John 2:2.
C. HOW CAN I FORGIVE?
1. You may say, “I want them to suffer for what they did!”
2. God, with His all-seeing eyes, observed the sufferings of Christ. God, as the Judge, saw every sin in the world, and He watched carefully that every sin was suffered for.
3. The sin that your enemy did against you was suffered for! At last the Father said, “I’m satisfied that all sin has been accurately suffered for.” Isa. 53:11 says, “He [the Father] shall see the travail of His [Jesus’] soul, and shall be satisfied.”
4. On what basis can you let go of your hostility toward them? Because what they did has been suffered for! The debt is paid! The scales of justice are balanced.
5. So take your pen and write across their offense, “Paid for by the suffering of Jesus!” Cut the connection and let it go.
6. Psalm 119:165, “Great peace have they which love [or delight in] thy law: and nothing shall offend them.” GET INTO GOD’S WORD & IT WILL GIVE YOU PEACE!
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION: How Much Music Can You Make?
1. Imagine this. A concert violinist is performing a difficult piece in front of a large audience. Suddenly there is a loud snap that reverberates throughout the auditorium.
2. The audience immediately knows that a string has broken and fully expects the concert to be suspended until another string, or instrument, is brought to the musician.
3. But instead, the violinist composes herself, closes her eyes and then signals the conductor to begin again. The orchestra resumes where they had left off and now the musician plays the music on three strings.
4. In her mind she works out new fingering to compensate for the missing string. A work that few people can play well on four strings, the violinist with the broken string plays on three.
5. When she finishes, an awesome silence hangs in the room. And then as one, the crowd rises to their feet and cheers wildly. The violinist smiles and wipes perspiration from her brow.
6. When silence returns to the great room, she explains why she continued to play in spite of a broken string. "You know," she says, still breathless, "sometimes it is the artist's task to find out how much music you can still make with what you have left." Can you still be a victorious Christian after an offense?
B. THE CALL
1. We know what she means, don't we? Maybe you've suffered a wrong; many Christians have. What God wants to know is, Can YOU still make music?
2. Maybe disease has robbed us; or financial loss has left us impoverished. Or maybe we’ve lost a relationship and we feel alone in the world. Can we still make music?
3. Prayer for broken hearts and restored faith.
