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THE OFFENDED “Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.” (Psa. 119:165) The word of God gives the believer spiritual maturity and moves him up to a higher level of life where words, insults, labels and unjust acts have far less impact because he is on a mission, a calling, and such “offences” are more often distractions than anything else. It is often preached that true “joy” is Jesus first, Others next, and Yourself last – J. O. Y. I have also observed that this order fits pretty well when it comes to offenses . . . JESUS First – Nothing offendsOTHERS First – Some things offendYOURSELF First – Many things offend Our opening text was Psalm 119:165, written by David. We know that David practiced what he preached because he practically ignored the cursing and stone throwing of Shimei in II Samuel 16:5-12. He said to let the guy alone and that maybe God would bless him for Shimei’s cursing. David knew something about the grace of God. He knew that he had benefited greatly from God’s grace, and that it was his duty to be gracious to others. Well, you can’t be gracious to others if you’re walking around in defensive mode being offended all the time. So, it was David’s glory to “pass over a transgression” (Pro. 19:11). Luke 9:23 says, “And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” May I ask you a question? Please, I want you to seriously consider this. If you are truly DENYING SELF and staying focused on the Lord, how can you be offended? An offense would be something against YOU, but if you are DENYING yourself, then how does an offense even register with you? If you are really living for the Lord, how can you be so bothered with words and actions against SELF? If your life isn’t really about you, then why are YOU getting so offended? Galatians 2:20 says, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” Do you stand with Paul and reckon yourself crucified with Christ? If so, then you are DEAD. Now, how can a dead man be offended? To get the fullness of what I’m saying, you might consider visiting a cemetery this week. As you walk past each gravestone, say things like, “You’re an idiot . . . you’re a fool . . . yo momma is so fat dat she carries euros in one pocket and pesos in de other!” Do you know what will happen? Nothing! They’re all DEAD, and you cannot offend them. Friend, if you are really living the crucified life, then you too are dead, and getting offended is just not something that you do. “Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: The blind receive their sight, 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. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.” (Mat. 11:4-6) A synonym for “blessed” is HAPPY. To be blessed is to be HAPPY. Jesus said you get this happiness by NOT being offended, meaning that getting offended is a CHOICE. Let THAT ONE sink in: EVERYTIME YOU HAVE EVER BEEN OFFENDED, IT WAS BY YOUR OWN CHOICE. You CHOSE to not dodge the bullet, so you got hit. Sure, they shouldn’t have fired the bullet, but that’s THEIR problem. YOU should have ducked, but you didn’t. THAT is YOUR problem. Alright, get Matthew 13:20-21: “But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.” See the connection to the word of God, just like in our opening text from Psalms? Someone preaches the word of God, but, apparently, they don’t LOVE it enough, because they get offended when people give them trouble over the word. This man heard the word and joyfully received it, but it doesn’t say that he LOVED it. David said you have to LOVE it (Psa. 119:165). Move on down to Matthew 13:54-57: “And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things? And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house.” See that? They were more focused on the FAMILY than on the words of God! As a result, they were offended, and by their OWN CHOICE. Matthew 15:12-14: “Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying? But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.” Did Jesus get all worked-up over the Pharisees being offended? No. Did he offer an apology for offending them? No. They were blind Pharisees who were SUPPOSED to be offended because they loved themselves more than God’s word. Matthew 17:25-27: “He saith, Yes. And when he was come into the house, Jesus prevented him, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers? Peter saith unto him, Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free. Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee.” Jesus had Peter pay the tax just to keep the government off his back so he could continue his ministry. But he said that not paying the tax might OFFEND them. Why? Well, do the powers that be love God’s law? Of course not, and when one doesn’t have the security, confidence and joy that comes with loving the word, he is a prime candidate for getting offended. Okay, come to Matthew 18:15-18: “Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican. Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Now, that’s real clever of the Lord. That little routine will make a spiritual man THINK about his gripe, and he just might conclude that it’s not worth the trouble, especially if it will make him look like the last whiny church member that got offended over something. I once heard of a preacher who kept a notebook in his office for complainers. Every time someone came in to gripe about something, he would say, “Hang on, let me get my notebook.” He would then flop that thing down on his desk, open it up, and then grab a pen. Then he would say, “Okay, go ahead.” Most would tell him that it wasn’t THAT important and just leave his office. Well, you big baby, if it wasn’t THAT important, then why didn’t you just pass over the thing in the first place?!! Why run the risk of having others think of you as a complaining child when you can just pass over it and move on? I know the answer, and I know it very well. Offended complainers don’t see their gripes as being childish because they are still spiritual BABIES who are stuck on SELF. They see their gripes as their RIGHT to express their FEELINGS. THEIR right and THEIR feelings. It has nothing to do with the Lord. It’s all about THEM and how THEY feel about a thing. So, it never occurs to them that they might look childish. Only a mature adult would think that way. Children will just be children. Alright, let’s get John 6:60-61: “Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it? When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you?” Look at that. He said, “Doth this offend you?” He’s implying that it should NOT offend them, because NOTHING should offend a true believer. Look at John 16:1: “These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended.” The words of Jesus were the words of God, so one should GROW from those words and get over being offended. By the time you’ve been saved thirty or forty years, you should be a spiritual GIANT who is never offended at anything. People ought to be having contests and placing bets on how to offend you! But, instead, we have churches packed full of grumpy old men and sensitive old women who are the most likely ones to be offended in the whole church! That’s crazy, man, just plain crazy!Notice in Romans 14:21 that being offended is connected with WEAKNESS: “It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak.” Look at I Corinthians 8:7-13: “Howbeit there is not in every man that knowledge: for some with conscience of the idol unto this hour eat it as a thing offered unto an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled. But meat commendeth us not to God: for neither, if we eat, are we the better; neither, if we eat not, are we the worse. But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak. For if any man see thee which hast knowledge sit at meat in the idol's temple, shall not the conscience of him which is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are offered to idols; And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died? But when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ. Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend.” Again, being offended is a sign of being a weak baby, not a mature soldier of the Lord. Sure, we should be on guard so as to not offend these babies, but we’re not supposed to BE the babies ourselves! Okay, we’re almost done. Look at Proverbs 18:19: “A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city: and their contentions are like the bars of a castle.” Well then why in the world would you want to be offended? Why live in that prison? If things offend you, then it should be your goal to GROW UP at rocket speed! One more, Proverbs 19:11: “The discretion of a man deferreth his anger; and it is his glory to pass over a transgression.” So, how much glory do you have? It is not your glory to gripe and whine or feel mistreated every time someone crosses you. It is your glory to PASS OVER the transgressions of others just as Christ our Passover PASSED OVER YOUR TRANSGRESSIONS. I’m not suggesting that a preacher pass over sin in his church, because he should not, but I am telling you that God expects you and I, as INDIVIDUALS, to be mature, to be strong, and to pass over transgressions instead of joining the Laodicean congregation of “the offended.” God help us.