The Power to Live Free from Offense
Isaiah 11:2 (CSB)
2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— a Spirit of wisdom and understanding, a Spirit of counsel and strength, a Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.
Proverbs 19:11 (ESV)
11 Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense.
Unpacking Offense:
1. The Reality of Offense
Offense:
1. Transgression
2. Breach of trust
Genesis 50:17 (ESV)
‘Say to Joseph, “Please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, because they did evil to you.”
Transgression: an act that goes against a law, rule, or code of conduct; an offense.
When was the last time someone offended you?
Proverbs 19:11 (ESV)
11 Good sense makes one slow to anger,and it is his glory to overlook an offense.
Unpacking Offense:
1. The Reality of Offense
2. The Risk of Offense
Luke 17:1 (CSB)
1 He said to his disciples, “Offenses will certainly come, but woe to the one through whom they come!
Luke 17:1 (NIV)
1 Jesus said to his disciples: “Things that cause people to stumble are bound to come, but woe to anyone through whom they come.
Luke 17:1 (ESV)
1 And he said to his disciples, “Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come!
Offense is a trap.
How a trap works:
You seek something that appeals to your flesh and end up in a situation that destroys your life.
Unaddressed offenses will harden your heart.
Proverbs 18:19 (CSB)
An offended brother is harder to reach than a fortified city, and quarrels are like the bars of a fortress.
A receptive heart is vital for walking in step with God.
A hard heart cannot love.
1 Corinthians 13:1–3 (CSB)
1 If I speak human or angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so that I can move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 And if I give away all my possessions, and if I give over my body in order to boast but do not have love, I gain nothing.
The devil would love to offend you into ineffectiveness.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (CSB)
4 Love is patient, love is kind. Love does not envy, is not boastful, is not arrogant, 5 is not rude, is not self-seeking, is not irritable, and does not keep a record of wrongs. 6 Love finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth. 7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Unpacking Offense:
1. The Reality of Offense
2. The Risk of Offense
3. The Response to Offense
1 Peter 2:21–23 (CSB)
21 For you were called to this, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. 22 He did not commit sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth; 23 when he was insulted, he did not insult in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten but entrusted himself to the one who judges justly.
Even when we overlook offenses, they do not go unseen or unnoticed by God.
The offenses committed against us are either:
1. Washed away and covered by the precious blood of Jesus
2. Awaiting judgment
True forgiveness is rooted in trusting God.
Matthew 6:14-15 CSB
“For if you forgive others their offenses, your heavenly Father will forgive you as well. But if you don’t forgive others, your Father will not forgive your offenses.”
How to Respond to an Offense
1. Take it to God (Prayer)
2. Look at Yourself (Self Reflection)
3. Go to the Person (Vulnerability)
Matthew 18:15 (CSB)
15 “If your brother sins against you, go tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won your brother.
Matthew 18:19 (CSB)
19 Again, truly I tell you, if two of you on earth agree about any matter that you pray for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.
Maybe you made a decision to follow Jesus today, or maybe you’re curious what life with Him is all about. Wherever you are on your journey, we invite you to share with us so we can help you discover your next step.
