Matters Of The Heart-1-Freedom From Offense

This morning is the first Sunday of February and the start of a new series, "Matters Of The Heart."  In the world today, everyone seems to be offended about something. So, Pastor Brad teaches us about how to get "Freedom From Offense."

Pastors Notes:

Freedom From Offense
Luke 17:1-6 NKJV

Then He said to the disciples, “It is impossible that no [a]offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come! 2 It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should [b]offend one of these little ones. 3 Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins [c]against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. 4 And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns [d]to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.”5 And the apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.”6 So the Lord said, “If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.
INTRODUCTION
Good morning, everyone!
This morning, we are starting a brand new series entitled “Matters Of The Heart”.
In the next few weeks, we are going to cover some hard hitting topics that really do affect us deeply.
Today, I want to talk to you about “Freedom From Offense”
I believe we without a shadow of a doubt live in the most offended generation that has ever been on the planet.
What’s the definition for offense? It is:
Offense: annoyance or resentment brought about by a perceived insult to or disregard for oneself or one's standards or principles.
Notice in Matthew 24:10 NKJV that along with the signs of the end times, such as famine, pestilence, war, racism, etc,
Jesus said “And many will be offended......”
ILLUSTRATION
Offense surely is a trap, and the devil wants you to be a victim of it.
Take the illustration of the African way to trap a monkey. They simply place a sweetened stick inside of a cage. The monkey reaches through between the narrow bars and grabs the stick. Now he is not able to pull his hand back through the bars while holding the stick. Refusing to let go of the stick, the monkey keeps himself captive and is easily captured.
As we hear this story we want to shout, “Drop the stick you stupid monkey!”
While this sounds unbelievable, many people refusing to drop an offense are keeping themselves in captivity and subject to the enemy’s entrapment just because they won’t, “Drop the stick!!!”
TRANSITION
I’m telling you something today. If you are offended about something, you need to DROP THE STICK!
If you don’t, you will find yourself incarcerated in a prison of offense.
BACKGROUND
In our passage, Jesus is talking to the disciples and trying to prepare them for what is about to come. There would be a time when Jesus would leave them, and they would be “on their own.”
It was a very critical moment in their spiritual growth.It’s in this chapter that Jesus gave them some essentials of the Christian life. Look with me at what Jesus taught his disciples about offense.
APPLICATION
1. Offenses will come
- Mark it down. Take it to the bank. Somebody will offend you.
- It will come from strangers. It will come from co workers. It will come from family and friends. NOTE: Offense hurts worse from those you are closest to.
- Where do offenses come from? *What people say
*What people do *What people don’t say *What people don’t do
- What’s interesting to note is that while offenses WILL come, you don’t have to take them.
- Bottom line? Being offended is a choice.
2. Offenders are warned
- Jesus tells us that we are to choose actions wisely, because we will be held accountable if we cause people to stumble.
- Jesus addresses offending children.
- I’m not necessarily certain He is only addressing age. I do believe it’s possible here He is also addressing maturity.
- As the pharisee’s history, they were good at making rules and turning people away from the faith. Jesus said it would be better for you to drown a horrible death than to offend the young in faith with religious protocol that is absent from the grace of God.
3. Offenses must be released
- Jesus commands us to release the offender.
- You are required by God to release those who has offended you, because God has forgiven you.
- You are to do it many times. Why? How many times have you offended God?
CONCLUSION
Why do you need to get rid of offense?
It’s simply not good for you! I want you to notice with me when the disciples asked Jesus to increase their faith, look at his response?
Jesus tells them about the mulberry tree. The more correct translation is the sycamine tree, which the KJV and other manuscripts use.
Why is this important?
A sycamine tree is exclusive to Israel. So, why did Jesus use the sycamine tree as an illustration?
1. The sycamine tree had a very large and deep root structure.
The sycamine tree was known to have one of the deepest root structures of all trees in the Middle East. It was a vigorous and robust tree that grew to a height of thirty feet or more. Because its roots went down so deep into the earth, it was very difficult to kill. Hot weather and blistering temperatures had little effect on this tree because it was tapped into a water source down deep under the earth. Even cutting it to its base would not guarantee its death because its roots, hidden deep under the ground, would draw from underground sources of water, enabling it to keep resurfacing again and again. In other words, this tree was very difficult to eradicate.
2. The sycamine tree’s wood was the preferred wood for building caskets.
In Egypt and the Middle East, the sycamine tree was considered to be the preferred wood for building caskets and coffins. It grew quickly and in nearly any environment, making it accessible in many different places. It also grew best in dry conditions — the kind of conditions for which the Middle East is famous. These are two reasons sycamine wood was used in so many places for building caskets and coffins.
3. The sycamine tree produced a fig that was very bitter to eat.
The sycamine tree and the mulberry tree were very similar in appearance; the two trees even produced a fruit that looked identical. However, the fruit of the sycamine tree was extremely bitter. Its fruit looked just as luscious and delicious as a mulberry fig. But when a person tasted the sycamine fig, he discovered that it was horribly bitter.
4. The sycamine tree was pollinated only by wasp stings.
It is very interesting to note that the sycamine tree was not naturally pollinated. The pollination process was only initiated when a wasp stuck its stinger right into the heart of the fruit. Thus, the tree and its fruit had to be “stung” in order to be reproduced.
Think of how many times you have heard a bitter person say: “I’ve been stung by that person once, but I’m not going to be stung again! What he did hurt me so badly that I’ll never let him get close enough to sting me again!” It is likely that people who make such a statement have been “stung” by a situation that the devil especially devised to pollinate their hearts and souls with bitterness and unforgiveness. When a person talks like this, you can know for sure that the wasp of bitterness got to them!