Offense | Undivided | Drew Moore

When do you find yourself feeling offended? The world says you have the right to take offense and get even. However, the Bible teaches not to dwell on offenses, and to act in love instead. Proverbs 17:9 says, “Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends.” Followers of Jesus should extend love in place of disunity. What offenses can you drop today?

KEY VERSES

• Ephesians 4:3: Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.

• Matthew 18:1-35: About that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?”Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them.Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven.So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.“And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me.But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to have a large millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea.“What sorrow awaits the world, because it tempts people to sin. Temptations are inevitable, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting.So if your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one hand or one foot than to be thrown into eternal fire with both of your hands and feet.And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.“Beware that you don’t look down on any of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels are always in the presence of my heavenly Father.“If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost?And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he will rejoice over it more than over the ninety-nine that didn’t wander away!In the same way, it is not my heavenly Father’s will that even one of these little ones should perish.“If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back.But if you are unsuccessful, take one or two others with you and go back again, so that everything you say may be confirmed by two or three witnesses.If the person still refuses to listen, take your case to the church. Then if he or she won’t accept the church’s decision, treat that person as a pagan or a corrupt tax collector.“I tell you the truth, whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.“I also tell you this: If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you.For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.”Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?”“No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven!“Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him.In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars.He couldn’t pay, so his master ordered that he be sold—along with his wife, his children, and everything he owned—to pay the debt.“But the man fell down before his master and begged him, ‘Please, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.’Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt.“But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars. He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment.“His fellow servant fell down before him and begged for a little more time. ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it,’ he pleaded.But his creditor wouldn’t wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full.“When some of the other servants saw this, they were very upset. They went to the king and told him everything that had happened.Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me.Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt.“That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart.”

• 1 Peter 4:8: Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins.

• Proverbs 17:9: Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends.

• Proverbs 10:12: Hatred stirs up quarrels, but love makes up for all offenses.

• Mark 12:30-31: And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”

• Leviticus 19:18: “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against a fellow Israelite, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.

• John 13:1-5: Before the Passover celebration, Jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this world and return to his Father. He had loved his disciples during his ministry on earth, and now he loved them to the very end.It was time for supper, and the devil had already prompted Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus.Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God.So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waistand poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him.

HEARING WHAT GOD IS SAYING

One of the best ways to hear what God is saying right now is to look at what He has said in the Bible with a few friends. Discovery Bible Study is an easy-to-use way to hear from God, make good changes in our lives, and share with others what God is up to. Grab some friends, pick a verse or story from above and dive in deeper to this week’s message.

Recap

+ Reconnect

To begin the study, each person answers these questions:

• What are you thankful for?
• What is causing stress for our neighbors and people around us?
• What can we as individuals or as a group do to help?
  

+ Recap

• Have someone retell the story from your previous meeting.
• Did you live out your response from last week?
• Did you tell anyone else about the story from last week?
  

Discovering What God Is Saying

+ Read and Retell the Bible Story

• One person reads the story out loud to the group.
• Someone else in the group retells the story in their own words as they remember it, and others fill in what’s missing.
  
  

+ Read and Look

• Read the passage again (different version if possible)
• What does this passage say about God, Jesus, or His plan?
  
  

+ Read and Look Again

• Have 1-2 more people retell the story as if they were telling a neighbor outside their home.
• What does this passage say about people in general?
  
  

Doing What God Is Saying

+ Consider

• What in me needs to change to better DO what God is showing me today?
• How will you respond to/obey this passage in a tangible, perhaps even costly ways in the next 47 hours?
• Have someone record these for prayer time, and for the beginning of the next meeting.
  
  

Sharing what God is saying

+ Praying Together

• Take prayer requests
• Pray together
  
  

+ Share

• Who in your life needs to hear this story?
• Who could you invite to study the Bible like this?
  
  

Become a Partner

Every time you give in Jesus’ name, you make a difference in others AND you make a difference in your own life! Partnering together in generosity helps accomplish things together that could never be accomplished alone! You can partner together in giving today with a single gift, or schedule recurring giving using your checking account, debit, or credit card.