Massive Offense

Massive Offense

(Luke 17:1-10)

Yearly Theme:  “Peace is…”

Series Title:  “The Cost of Peace”

September 5^th, 2021

Something to think about:

As we begin a new series today, our focus is going to be on the subject of offense and forgiveness.  And though this isn’t an easy topic to deal with, it’s so vitally important.  Without forgiveness there is no hope!  Without forgiveness of offenses, there is no real freedom or peace.

One of the toughest passages in the New Testament is found in each of the three Synoptic Gospels (Matthew 18:6-9, Mark 9:42-48, and Luke).  We will be exploring Luke’s Gospel today.  In the following passage Jesus deals with several things, but the one thing that we will be taking a closer look at is the issue of offense and forgiveness.

Let’s take a look…

Luke 10:1-10 (NLT),

¹One day Jesus said to his disciples, “There will always be temptations to sin, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting! ² It would be better to be thrown into the sea with a millstone hung around your neck than to cause one of these little ones to fall into sin. ³ So watch yourselves!

“If another believer sins, rebuke that person; then if there is repentance, forgive. ⁴ Even if that person wrongs you seven times a day and each time turns again and asks forgiveness, you must forgive.”

⁵ The apostles said to the Lord, “Show us how to increase our faith.”

⁶ The Lord answered, “If you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘May you be uprooted and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you!

⁷ “When a servant comes in from plowing or taking care of sheep, does his master say, ‘Come in and eat with me’? ⁸ No, he says, ‘Prepare my meal, put on your apron, and serve me while I eat. Then you can eat later.’ ⁹ And does the master thank the servant for doing what he was told to do? Of course not. ¹⁰ In the same way, when you obey me you should say, ‘We are unworthy servants who have simply done our duty.’”

There’s a lot to take in in these 10 verses, however, there is one specific point that describes what we will be focusing on for today…

Key Point:  “Being offended steals peace like no other thing in the world.  It’s the enemy’s greatest tool against us.”

How are we to overcome offenses that seek to trap us in their snare?  There are three main things that Jesus focuses on in this particular passage of Scripture that should help the follower of Christ to stand guard against the trap of the enemy.

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Luke 10:1-4 (NLT), “There will always be temptations to sin, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting! ² It would be better to be thrown into the sea with a millstone hung around your neck than to cause one of these little ones to fall into sin. ³ So watch yourselves!

“If another believer sins, rebuke that person; then if there is repentance, forgive. ⁴ Even if that person wrongs you seven times a day and each time turns again and asks forgiveness, you must forgive.”

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Luke 10:5-6 (NLT), ⁵ The apostles said to the Lord, “Show us how to increase our faith.”

⁶ The Lord answered, “If you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘May you be uprooted and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you!

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Luke 10:7-10 (NLT), ⁷ “When a servant comes in from plowing or taking care of sheep, does his master say, ‘Come in and eat with me’? ⁸ No, he says, ‘Prepare my meal, put on your apron, and serve me while I eat. Then you can eat later.’ ⁹ And does the master thank the servant for doing what he was told to do? Of course not. ¹⁰ In the same way, when you obey me you should say, ‘We are unworthy servants who have simply done our duty.’”

Something to take home:

Holding on to offense doesn’t necessarily eat away at the other person who has hurt us, but it does necessarily eat away at us.  The trap of offense is the snare that the enemy (Satan, the devil) sets against us in order to hold us under his control.  And though it’s subtle, it’s very dangerous and will destroy us in the end.

If you’re struggling with offenses today, if you have been hurt or harmed by another, it’s time to break free from the snare, from the trap, that the enemy has used to hold you under his control.  Forgiveness is the only way out of the trap of offense.  The true cost of peace is forgiveness.

Key Point:  “Being offended steals peace like no other thing in the world.  It’s the enemy’s greatest tool against us.”