Avoiding Offense

Matthew 11: ² And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples ³ and said to Him, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?” ⁴ Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: ⁵ The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. ⁶ And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.”

John was offended because he said, go and ask Jesus “…are you the one, or do we go look for somebody else?” Because I’m still in jail. He was in offense.

How should have John responded when he heard about the works of Christ?

When you are offended, you block your blessing. Offense is a blessing blocker. You cannot be blessed operating in offense. Some of us have not seen the blessings because the blessings cannot show up where offense is.

If anyone is to believe who Jesus was, it would have to be John the Baptist. He was there when God spoke from heaven and said “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased”.

1 Timothy 1 4 nor to pay attention to legends (fables, myths) and endless genealogies, which give rise to useless speculation and (questions) meaningless arguments rather than advancing God’s program of instruction which is grounded in faith [and requires surrendering the entire self to God in absolute trust and confidence].

 His offense caused him to start questioning in doubt the mission of Jesus. You can’t start questioning those things and think that’s not going to hinder the anointing in your life.

 Why does offense seem harmless?

Matthew 18 ⁷ Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!

 AMP ⁷ “Woe (judgment is coming) to the world because of stumbling blocks and temptations to sin! It is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to the person on whose account or through whom the stumbling block comes!

Offenses are temptations because its peer pressure applied to your flesh to go against that Word. When you are offended you are tempted. Tempted to walk out of love, to respond in the flesh. People leave churches because they get offended.

What do you think happens when we make a decision because of offense?

Offense is an opportunity for you to develop and become mature because there will always be temptation, it will not stop. If you continue to yield to offenses you will allow your life to be directed by offenses. You will end up in the wrong place trying to figure out what’s wrong with your life.

When the enemy shows up with the temptation of offense, it’s because something is about to break loose in your life. Something great is about to happen. The enemy is desperate to use offenses, and you need to make being offended elementary. Offense will seduce you out of the will of God.

Offense will take you far away from what God has planned for you and will die in that place never reaching where God wanted you to be.

What are reasons people get offended in church?

 Have you ever been offended?

 Like John the Baptist, Paul and Silas were in jail too. They handled the situation differently even though they were also beaten, humiliated, and bound in chains. Because they refused to be offended, they ended up being dignified. They sang praises in jail and the prisoners and guards heard them. Then God loosed them and set them free.

Matthew 15: 21 After leaving there, Jesus withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And a Canaanite woman from that district came out and began to cry out [urgently], saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David (Messiah); my daughter is cruelly possessed by a demon.” 23 But He did not say a word in answer to her.

 Would you be offended by this?

 And His disciples came and asked Him [repeatedly], “Send her away, because she keeps shouting out after us.” 24 He answered, “I was commissioned by God and sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” 

 How do you think someone would feel if you asked for prayer and the preacher told them, I only pray for the people of Faith Pleases God Church.

 25 But she came and began to kneel down before Him, saying, “Lord, help me!” 26 And He replied, “It is not good (appropriate, fair) to take the[e] children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” 

 She was now being compared to a dog! But she was pursuing something. There was nothing He could say that would stop her from pursuing her miracle. She was not going to let offense take away the deliverance she needed for her child. Some people come to church and get offended by a message they don’t like and then leave and miss their miracle, healing, or deliverance because offense moves them to a place God did not call them to.

 27 She said, “Yes, Lord; but even the pet dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their [young] masters’ table.” 

²⁸ Then Jesus answered her, “Woman, your faith [your personal trust and confidence in My power] is great; it will be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed from that moment.

 If you get offended by God, who else can help you? Every offended man ends up being be-headed.

Isaiah 45:9 “Woe to him who strives with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth! Shall the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’ Or shall your handiwork say, ‘He has no hands’?

Luke 7 ²³ And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.”

Every time you are offended by God, you destroy your destiny.

Job 9 God is wise in heart and mighty in strength. Who has hardened himself against Him and prospered?

How do you expect to prosper if you harden your heart against God? No one hardens his heart against God and not pay for it. Be free from foolish anger