Offenses Will Come

We have heard the expression of the saying, Christians don't get offended. You even hear that in the world. What does that mean? What does it mean you don't get offended? Does it mean you don't get your feelings hurt? Does it mean if you wear your feelings on your sleeves, you're not a Christian? Is that what it means? Don't get offended? Does it mean that every time somebody does something wrong and you fume, you're just not a Christian? That's not what it means. That's not what it means at all. Let's turn there, first of all. Psalm 119, Psalm 119, verse 165. Longest chapter in the Bible. Psalm 119, verse 165. This is going to be our theme scripture for the entire sermon. I'm going to read it in the old King James Version. It's not really called Old King James, but you know what I mean. Great peace have they which love thy law, and nothing shall offend them. Great peace have they which love thy law, and nothing shall offend them. The word offend is Mikhshol, and no, I did not pronounce that correctly. In the Hebrew, according to Brown Driver Brig, the definition is a stumbling. It means or occasion of stumbling, a stumbling block to fall. In other words, to fall away. The definition that those who love God's law will never be offended means will never fall away. Fall away from God, first and foremost. Fall away from each other will never fall away. It means a relationship will never be broken on your part. Does that make sense? It doesn't mean your feelings don't get hurt. It means a relationship will never be broken because of you. Maybe the other person, but not you. You will never be offended. In the New King James, it reads, Great peace have those who love your law, and nothing causes them to stumble. Nothing causes you to break a relationship with another person, and especially with God. And falling away, brethren, is what, as human beings, we are good at. We are experts at it. It comes natural to every single one of us. Oh, some of us have a personality that's more amiable than others. Oh, we have some grumps in the crowd, and we have some really pleasant people now. Mr. Dowd is like, oh, we don't have any grumps in the crowd. Yeah, that's funny. And we have some amiable people, but we all, by nature, stumble, fall away, break relationships. I'll never speak to you again. Oh, it happens with childhood friends, it happens with family, it happens with co-workers, it happens in the church of God. It shouldn't. This is the house of God. But it happens. We're supposed to love His law and not fall away. So this is the question then. If a mature Christian does not get offended, how do we become such a Christian? How do we become like that? That's what I want to answer today.

Offences will come, brethren. We know that. Offences will come, the guarantee. It's not avoidable. So as a Christian, we have to face this question. How can we, as a mature Christian, not fall away? Or how can we become a mature Christian who does not break relationships? Matthew 24, verses 9 and 10, Jesus Christ guarantees that offenses will come. These are in the bad times, brethren. Not the blessed times like we're in right now, where we come to church in peace and sing hymns freely. And nobody was looking over their shoulder that I noticed, worrying if someone was going to kill them because they were singing to God. No, we were just happy as Larry singing along with no worries in the world. This is not a tribulation time, but it is coming. Matthew 24, the Olivet prophecy, in verse 9, they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you. And you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake, and then many will be offended and betray one another. Relationships will be broken and will hate one another. Oh, it will come. And it comes in our lifetime now. We get offended all the time. We do it by nature. But Psalm 119 and verse 165, our theme scripture for today, says that those who love God's law will not ever be offended. How can we be that Christian? What do mature Christians have that immature Christians don't?

What do the people who love God's law, as it says in Psalm 119, have that those who are easily offended don't have? What's inside them that makes them tick, that does not allow them to get offended? It's not possible for them to get offended, even to the death that Jesus Christ was talking about in the Olivet Prophecy. You may have heard, well, you just need sick skin. Don't wear your feelings on your sleeve. Oh, cowboy up! Be a man or a woman. Oh, toughen up and take it. Those are all wrong, absolutely wrong, will not help you at all. You will fall away if that is your mantra. I'm a cowboy, I wear spurs. I don't get offended, I just wear a gun.

Let's look at what the Bible says of how we can become one who's not easily offended and then become the person who is never offended, cannot be offended. We will start by looking at our natural reaction, which is the opposite of what a mature Christian is supposed to be. What do we do when we get hurt? Now, we use the English term offended when we mean hurt feelings, but that's not the biblical definition of offended. So, I'm not going to use the term offended for hurt feelings. I'm just going to say we get our feelings hurt. And for you guys, let's drop the macho for this discussion. We have feelings too, and we get them hurt. We do. All right? So, why?

Or let's look at what we do typically when we get our feelings hurt. We do one of two things. We either take revenge or we never talk to that person again. Right? And if we take the first option of taking revenge, we eventually end up never talking to that person again. We end up offended, and they end up offended. And our children are offended, and families are split, and eventually that becomes big enough where wars happen, like was talked about in the sermonette with Gaza, Hamas versus Israel, which is nothing new. So, why do we not take revenge? Let's take a quick look at why our human response to hurt feelings are wrong, and then we'll come back around and find out what it is that we need to have inside that will guarantee we will not be offended. The human reaction, vengeance. Why don't we take it? Point number one, this is really important. This is a relationship issue between us and God. Why don't we take revenge? Because revenge is a possession that God owns. Did you know that? Revenge is something that is actually owned that only one has the authority to do, and if we take it, we're stealing from God something that he owns, and we now have not only a relationship problem with the person we're taking vengeance on, we now have a relationship problem with God, because we have now offended, if you will, both. Psalms chapter 94 and verse 1. Did you know that vengeance was a possession? Something that's owned? We'll get to why he owns it and reserves it for himself in just a second. But it's something he owns. We don't own it. We don't have a right to it. We can't touch it. Remember the gentleman who reached out to touch the ark? When it was falling off the cart, and he just wanted to save the ark. God struck him dead. You don't touch something that God sets apart for himself. Vengeance is one of those things. Psalm chapter 94 and verse 1. Oh, Lord God, to whom vengeance belongs. Interesting, isn't it? Oh, God, to whom vengeance belongs, shine forth. And then in Deuteronomy 32 and verse 35, King David said, I mean, sorry, Moses says, vengeance is mine and recompense. Their foot shall slip in due time, for the day of their calamity is at hand, and these things to come hasten upon them. Vengeance is mine, says God. Why does God reserve it for himself? I mean, if somebody... think about it. If somebody does something to me, don't I have the right to do something back to him? No, I don't. Why not?

Why do I have to go through the system? Why can't I just pull out my gun and shoot him? Why not? Because vengeance, humanly speaking, leads to more offense. If I shoot him, his kid comes and shoots me, and then my kid goes and shoots him, and then his brother goes and shoots my kid. Now we're all dead. Now nobody reconciles, and nobody gets along. God and Jesus Christ avenge, but they do it completely differently than how we do it. They do it for a completely different reason, and there is a completely, totally opposite outcome when they exact revenge. They judge righteously, and they bring justice. You will be avenged. Don't you worry about that. They promise that they will take vengeance when you are wronged. You don't always get it immediately. Be patient. You won't always see it in this lifetime, but you will see it, and you must wait. You don't have a choice. Vengeance is God's, but they will avenge. Matthew 18. Jesus Christ takes vengeance very seriously. They just do it differently than we do, God and Jesus Christ. Matthew 18 is the if your brother sins, go to him chapter. That's the Matthew 18 process. We talk about when we are offended. I'm not going to talk about the process today. I want to talk about what's inside us, what has to be inside us, that we will never be offended. We can talk about the process for reconciliation. In fact, you can go back to Mr. Petty's eight-part series on reconciliation for that. I'm just talking about what's inside us. So to that end, in Matthew 18, verses 6 and 7, Jesus Christ says he'll avenge. Let's read it. Whoever causes one of these little ones who believes in me to sin, it would, in other words, to be offended, to fall away.

It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and were drowned in the depths of the sea. Woe to the world because of offenses, for offenses must come. But woe to that man through whom offenses come. Boy, howdy. You don't mess with God the Father and Jesus Christ. They will avenge. You will have justice. You don't take it yourself. I don't take it myself. But their avengeance is so different from ours. Let's look at the end result of how God and Jesus Christ take vengeance and what happens when they do. Let's pick a starting point.

Well, okay. Before we look at that, let's step back and look in the mirror for a second. Okay? And just reason out this vengeance thing to draw a contrast between us and God. God never makes mistakes. We do. God plans things out thoroughly, and everything he plans out comes to fruition exactly how he plans it, just like Mr. Lockhart talked about in the Sermonette. God does things on time. We don't. We make mistakes all the time. And when we get offended, we completely forget how flawed we are, and we only consider the hurt that we are in. Have you ever pounded your thumb with a hammer? I hope not, but I have. And if you've ever hit your thumb with a hammer, you know that hurts. And at that moment in time, you're thinking about nothing other than that hurt. You might throw that hammer, because that hammer hurts you. But you need to step back and realize you're the one who swung that hammer. You had a part to play, right? Well, you know what? Solomon said that, too. He really did. Ecclesiastes chapter 7 verses 19 through 22. We have a part to play. Step back, let the pain subside, and think about the whole picture. You and I were involved when we get offended. My mom used to tell me all the time, because I know you can't believe this. What I'm about to say will come as a shock to you. But when I was a little boy, I was really a hothead. I was really angry. I was easily angered. I was easily offended. One time, I'll just tell him myself. Might as well.

My parents were ministers. We were at a teen retreat. And I just wanted to be one of the guys. But I wasn't a teen yet. I just had to tag along, because my parents were there. So I really wasn't in with the guys. And I just wanted their attention. So I pestered them. It was my fault. Of course, I didn't see it at the time. And these teen boys were, A, way bigger than me, and B, really getting annoyed with me. So, close and all, they threw me into the shower, got me soaking wet. And it was right before breakfast, which was right before church, on the Sabbath, at the teen retreat. I was livid! I ran out of the shower, ran into the kitchen, grabbed a big pitcher of ointz juice, ran out of the kitchen, and my mom said, Rod.

And I stopped in my track. Turn around. I did. I put it down. And she talked me out of it. But, you know, what I didn't see at the time, because I was hurting, was it was my fault! Right? Oh, they shouldn't have done what they did. They shouldn't have. But I shouldn't have been there to begin with. I should have left them alone, gone and pitched some rocks across the lake or something. I had no business pestering those boys. But I didn't see that at the time. All I saw was my hurt. Brethren, we're that way. We're that way when we get offended, when we get our feelings hurt. The only thing we see is what they did. Solomon says this in Ecclesiastes chapter 7, verse 19, Wisdom strengthens the wise more than ten rulers of the city. For there is not a just man on the earth who does good and does not sin. Not one of us, certainly not me. Also, do not take to heart everything people say, lest you hear your servant cursing you. Oh, how could he do that to me? For many times also, you, your own heart, has known that even you cursed others. You kiss your mother with that mouth? Ask yourself that question before you take revenge. Our revenge is such a contrast to God's revenge. The starting point for the mature Christian to have the ability to not be offended is to have a humble heart. We have caused offenses also. But even up to death? Yes, even up to death, we'll get there. Say to yourself, yep, I've hurt people too. Oh, maybe, you know, we justify our revenge, though, sometimes, don't we? And we say, I would never do that. Oh, yeah, I've done some things in my life, but I would never do that. That's it. We're done. We're over. I'm never talking to you again.

Yeah, you've never done that. You never would do that. Because you're not that person. But there's not a just human being on the planet. And the last time I checked, we're human beings.

Have humility. You have caused offense. You have hurt people deeply. So have I. You have made some real mistakes in your life. Think about it. I know I have.

God's approach and perspective on vengeance is completely different. When we avenge, we want to pay somebody back. And then some, because they deserve more.

God is a completely different purpose for revenge. Matthew 18, again, we'll go back to Matthew 18, where we were. This time, verse 11, Jesus says, For the Son of Man has come. Remember, he just got through saying, he's going to avenge. Better than a millstone be hung around your neck than you offend one of these little ones. Why? Why does he take revenge? For the Son of Man, verse 11, has come to save that which is lost. That is the purpose for vengeance. It's discipline. It's correction. When we do it, it's pure payback. When God does it, he's saving people. When God does it, he has great insight into how to avoid being offended. Here's God's attitude, verse 12. What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains and seek the one who is straying? And if he should find it, assuredly I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. And going astray means being offended. Because being offended means going astray, walking away, separating yourself from a relationship.

When God avenges and he will do it, it leads to salvation most of the time. But that is his intent. God's vengeance does not lead to division and destruction of relationships, which is offense. God's vengeance causes humility and repentance, and that leads to unity, and that strengthens relationships. Where our vengeance tears people apart, his vengeance puts people back together. That's why he owns vengeance, and that's why we are not to touch it. So you don't need to avenge yourself. Here's what you do.

Do you throw a relationship away because you're hurt? Have you ever done that? Has somebody ever thrown a relationship with you? They have with me and my wife. They have. We've had people throw relationships away from us just because we're in the church. We've had people throw relationships away just because we might be a threat to another sibling's inheritance. Literally. Petty stuff. Little small things.

And yet, we've been thrown away. Do we throw people away, brethren? Do you and I do that? If we do, if we do, as we'll see in just a minute, we will not be in the kingdom of God. Now, this, just to set the perspective, what I'm talking about right here, even though it's so fundamental, so basic, you hear this in Sunday school, if we don't get this particular thing down, and we will, and I'll show you how we will, but if we don't, it's a salvation issue. We won't be in the kingdom of God because this is the very nature of God, and without His nature inside us, no kingdom. Do we throw relationships away because we're just too hurt? I'm not talking about abuse. I want to put a disclaimer in here. I'm not talking about abuse where you are in a situation where you are in danger. It is not an immature Christian who walks away from a dangerous situation. You can forgive and forget from a distance. I'm not speaking about abuse because a lot of people will feel guilt when I'm saying this, and we should feel guilty in the proper sense when we get offended and we disregard people. But sometimes we'll take that guilt, and it will be inappropriate guilt, and we will put ourselves in harm's way when it's not necessary to do. I'm not speaking about abuse. I'm speaking about offense. Okay? And persecution in the future will be abused, but that's not avoidable, and that's on behalf of Jesus Christ. That's not in a family relationship type thing. So just a disclaimer. I'm talking about offense. I'm not talking about abuse. But do we throw people away when we're just too hurt to deal with them? I just can't deal with you anymore. You just hurt me all the time. You never quit hurting me feelings-wise. Brethren, that's a salvation issue. We want God our Father and Jesus Christ. We want what they want. We want them to be saved also. We want to save that which is lost. So, continuing on in Matthew 18, just to get the perspective that it's a salvation issue, verses 21 through 35. Then Peter came to him and said, Lord, how often shall my brother send against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times? Jesus said to him, I do not say up to seven times, but seventy times seven. Some translations say seventy-seven times. It just depends on how you read Greek, which I do not, so I don't know how to answer that. But that means a lot. More than you can imagine, that's how many times you forgive. Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. And when he had begun to settle the accounts, one was brought to him who owed ten thousand talents. And I'm not going to read the whole parable, because it was just recently read. But this is the parable where a man was forgiven what in today's money would be millions of dollars. But he wouldn't forgive somebody else who owed a debt of just hundreds of dollars. And that man who would not forgive after he was forgiven was condemned. And the point is, if we can't come to that point, we will also be condemned. Verse 35, So my heavenly Father also will do to you, each of you, if each of you, sorry, from his heart, does not forgive his brother, his trespasses. And the question that we're asking today is, how do we do that? Okay, we know we're supposed to forgive. Mr. Isaac gave the sermon, you've got to let it go. And that's exactly right. How? How did Jesus Christ do it? How did Stephen do it when he was being stoned? How?

Do you have that answer clearly in your head? Well, Psalm said, if you love his law, great peace will you have, and you'll never be offended. What does that mean?

If we become offended to the point where we fall away from the church, if we cannot get over our offenses, we cannot be in the kingdom of God. If we can't get along with each other, even when we make mistakes, let's say I offend you, and you get so mad at me, and you think, well, Rod's not going anywhere, so I have to go somewhere. And you stop fellowshiping, not only with me, but with everybody else in the congregation. Do you not see that you are an immature Christian? I hope so. You can clearly see my fault. You can clearly see what I did wrong, and I'm not talking about the other guy. The other guy may have done something seriously wrong. What is your reaction to that? What is your reaction to that? If you do something wrong to me, do I avoid you for the remainder of our stay in the church? And I'll let you sit on this side of the room, and I'll sit on this side of the room, and I'll never talk to you again. And we're cool. We're not. That is not okay. That is not okay with God.

So what I want to do is I want to encourage us, because I don't want to be discouraging. Yeah, you know what? We all do this, every one of us. I've done it, you've done it, but did you know that the apostles also made this mistake? I want to show you that, just to be encouraging to us. Okay? It's kind of a heavy topic when you say, you will not be in the kingdom. And that can be a bit intimidating. We can do this, brethren. There is a way, and it's very clear. And did you know that the apostles got offended, so inappropriately so, that Jesus Christ rebuked them as though they were going to be condemned. But they ended up being our teachers and telling us not to get offended. Let's take a look at a couple of examples of how the apostles, when they were immature Christians, when they were little ones, behaved very badly. James and John are our first examples of people who are just like us, the sons of thunder. Luke chapter 9, Luke chapter 9 verses 51 through 56. Now it came to pass when the time had come for him to be received up, that he steadfastly set his face toward Jerusalem, so Jesus Christ is walking from the area of Galilee through the Samaritan land, and he's getting ready to head into Judea and to Jerusalem. And it's going to be the end. Well, there's this big conflict between the Samaritans and the Jews. So if you're going to worship at the temple where the Samaritans have, then they're cool with you. But if you're going to go worship where the Jews worship in Jerusalem, they are not cool with you. You can be on your way. So they're walking into a town on their way to Jerusalem, which is a big no-no to the Samaritans, and they want to find a place to stay. So he sent messengers on before 52, verse 52, before his face, and they went and they entered a village of the Samaritans to prepare for him. They're going to prepare for their master, and they're good students, and they're going to get the job done. Verse 53, But they, the Samaritans, did not receive him, because his face was set for the journey to Jerusalem. Well, if you're going to go worship with the Jews, you're not going to sleep here, pal. Move on. Verse 54, And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them just as Elijah did? Where's my gun? Get those Samaritans. How dare they offend the Lord? They were offended.

Not only were they never going to talk to those people again, they wanted to burn them up. Wow. We're just like that. You and I. We're just like that. James and John were highly offended that their master was mistreated, and they were ready to condemn them for the smallest thing. You don't condemn people to death because they won't let you stay in their house. Oh, yeah, it's rude. Yes, it's wrong. I'm not justifying the Samaritans for a flat second. No. But you don't blow them up. Where's the napalm? James, get the napalm. We're going to blow these people up. They wanted revenge. Oh, they called it justice. Oh, don't we always? Right? They would never deal with those people again. But Jesus said in verse 55, but He turned to them and rebuked them, saying, You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. He said, that is a demonic thought.

For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And they went to another village. Imagine that. Imagine that the solution to the problem was to move on, go to another village. Don't take revenge. Don't hurt anybody. But they did, didn't they? James and John got ascended at the smallest little thing. John is the apostle of love. He's the one who taught us about the love of Jesus more than any other apostle. His explanation goes deeper on love than any other apostle. And here he is, offended that he couldn't have a good night's rest at the motel, at a village.

So much so, that he was going to nuke them. How quick are we to call fire down from heaven? How quick are we to give up on people who cause offense? In other words, how immature are we? Here's another example. This time, James and John caused the offense. There's a reason for the offense. And all the rest of the apostles, every one of them, get offended. Mark chapter 10, Mark chapter 10, verses 35 through 45. Mark chapter 10 verse 35, then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him, saying, teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask.

And he said to them, well, what do you want me to do for you? And they said to him, grant us that we may sit, one on your right hand and the other on your left, in your glory. Yes, your light will reflect off of us.

Our clothes will be sparkling white. Verse 38, but Jesus said to them, you do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink from the cup that I drank and be baptized and to baptize them that I am baptized with? And they said, we're able. So Jesus said to them, you will indeed drink from the cup. And with the baptism I am baptized with, you will be baptized. He was about to die. And as you know, James was the very first apostle to die in Jerusalem by the sword. He was the very first one to go. Now, John was the last one to go. According to tradition, though, a lot of people think that John died of old age.

But there is evidence that John was actually executed by the Roman government when he was a very old man on the island of Patmos. He was a prisoner on the island of Patmos when he wrote the book of Revelation. And there he was likely executed. This was actually fulfilled in both of their lives. But to sit, verse 40, on my right hand and one on my left is not mine to give, it is for whom it is prepared.

And when the tin heard it, they began to be greatly displeased with James and John. Don't we do that? Oh! Somebody's a self-promoter. There's always a self-promoter. There's always someone shining the apple of the person above them. And don't the rest of you just get really sick of that person? Why is everybody looking at me? We do that, don't we? We get offended because somebody gets an opportunity or somebody promotes themselves. Oh, brethren, there's so many more important things for us to use our resources on than that.

James and John became very mature. So did the other apostles. They understood that the solution to being offended was possibly more deep. And John understood it more deeply than any other apostle. As young men, they were self-promoters. Can you imagine that? And yet, they are some of our greatest teachers to this day.

If you've ever been offended, you're in good company. So I want to give those examples just that we might be encouraged, brethren, just that we might be encouraged. So what is the solution? The core solution to how we cannot become offended is compassion. Let me tell you from the Bible, let's walk through how I get there, how we get having compassion. It's not forgiveness, believe it or not. You would think, well, it's forgiveness.

That's what we have to have inside us, is forgiveness. No, it's compassion, which forgiveness comes from, which forgiveness is a result of, but we need to have that clearly defined, clearly defined in our heart, not our head, in our heart.

Our inner most motive must be compassion. How did I get there? Well, let's walk through the logic. Psalm chapter 119 and verse 165 one more time. Psalm 119 and 165, great peace have those who love your law, and nothing causes them to be offended or to stumble. Now, Jesus Christ equates love with action. Love means action. It's not a feeling. You actually have to do something to love something. So, if you're going to love the law, you've got to act.

John chapter 14 and verse 15. John chapter 14 and verse 15, if you love me, this was the night before he was crucified, if you love me, you will obey my commandments. Love equals action. Okay, so if we love God's law, we act on God's law. Let me give you an example of Jesus' compassion. Let me show you exactly what I mean, and then we'll get to, we'll finish this logic. Matthew chapter 9 and verse 35. Jesus Christ does something incredibly profound, and we tend to read over it.

In verse 35 of Matthew chapter 9, it says, Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sick and every disease among the people. And when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered like sheep, having no shepherd. And then he said to his disciples, The harvest is truly plentiful, and the laborers are few. Therefore, pray the Lord of the harvest and send labors out to us.

In other words, he's looking at all these people, and he's moved with compassion for them. Who were these people he was moved with compassion for? What did he think about them as far as their actions were concerned? When he was overlooking the city, he knew that this was a brood of vipers. He knew exactly who he was talking about, because he said it. Let's skip over to Matthew 23 and look at these people he was moved with compassion over, and what he says about them. Overlooking the city of offenses of murderers and prophets, a very violent place he had concern. Matthew 23, verse 37, O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who were sent to her.

He knew who he was talking to. These are the people who moved him to compassion.

How often I wanted to gather your children together as hens gather her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. How did Jesus Christ, when he was crucified, say, forgive them, they don't know what they do? When he was being tortured, he had great compassion in his heart.

And what they did was terrible. Is what people have done to you terrible? Yes, but you haven't died yet. He did, and all the way up to the point of death, he was filled with compassion for them.

But he let it go, like Mr. Isaac said. He didn't get offended. Rather, instead, while they were offending him, he was saving them. While they were offending him, he was saving them. And that is what he expects of every mature Christian. How can we do that? How can we act on the law?

Romans chapter 13 and verse 8. Romans chapter 13 and verse 8. What does Psalm 119 verse 165 mean? Romans chapter 13 and verse 8. Oh, no one anything except to love one another. For he who loves one another has fulfilled the law. So let's follow the logic through. Psalm 119, great peace of those who love your law, and nothing causes them to be offended. John 14 and verse 15. Jesus said, if you love me, you will obey my commandments. Love equals action. And if you act on something, you begin to understand it. And if you do it, you fulfill it. What is fulfilling the law? What is Psalm 119 verse 165 talking about? Love. Galatians chapter 5. Paul says basically the same thing. Galatians chapter 5 and verse 14. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even this, you shall love your neighbor as yourself, compassion for the other person. Compassion for the other person. I was going to read Matthew chapter 5, which is the Sermon on the Mount, but I'm going through that in the Teen Bible study today, so I'm going to leave that for another time. Offenses will come, brethren. We have a responsibility to become a mature Christian. Only little ones, only immature Christians, become offended and fall away. They break relationships with childhood friends, with co-workers, with family members. Even in the house of God, the church of God, people fall away, not because of their maturity, but because their lack of compassion for the person who's causing the offense. Even when that offense is terrible, there's no justification for what people do. But remember, God will avenge. God will take care of it, and His vengeance saves people.

How do we become the mature Christian? Well, not by revenge. Revenge destroys, but with compassion. It starts with a humble admission that you and I have made mistakes. We have hurt other people deeply. Please remember that. I do. And then, if we understand God's law, we love it. We will obey it. And if we obey it, we fulfill it. And loving others is the fulfillment of God's law. Having deep compassion for others is the secret ingredient to not being offended when people do really stupid, rotten, carnal, outrageously inappropriate things to us. The mature Christian will not get offended, will not call fire down from heaven for small infractions, will not fall away from others and never speak to them again, but will always remain open to the relationship. Sometimes it requires repentance, especially when abuse is involved. And sometimes you have to love them from a bit of a distance for safety, but you never throw another human being away.

In other words, when they sin against you, you will forgive them. Brethren, the bottom line is, if we fall away from others, we're babes in Christ. We're the little ones spoken of in the Scripture, and we are not ready for the Kingdom of God. Look at yourself in the spiritual mirror and be honest with yourself. If someone makes a mistake against you and really hurts your feelings, do you walk away?

Do you, in your mind, call fire down from heaven on that person?

Do you desire revenge, even if you don't take it because you know it's wrong, but is it still in your heart?

If it is, face the facts. You're not there yet. You've got some growing to do. Having hurt feelings is not inappropriate. Being tough and cowboying up has nothing to do with not being offended, because being offended has nothing to do with getting your feelings hurt. Being offended has to do with what you do after you get your feelings hurt. We all get our feelings hurt over different things and for different reasons, and sometimes the offending person doesn't even know they did it, and we never have anything to do with them again. The mature Christian gets over the hurt. He or she does not cast the other person away, or other people away by leaving the church. If we want to be in the kingdom of God, we have compassion on those who hurt us, even while we're hurting. We want those who caused the insult or violence against us to be saved also. Eventually, we want to reconcile with them, and we realize that we may not be able to reconcile them with them in this life. Paul said that in Romans 12. We may not be able to reconcile them with them in this life, but we are willing to. We are not offended. Don't think revenge and don't seek isolation. Seek peace always. Psalm 119, verse 165, Great peace have those who love your law, and nothing causes them to stumble. Brethren, let's let compassion reside so deeply inside our hearts that we will never stumble or fall away from God or any other man.