October 27, 2019 "Why Are You Offended?" Rev. Dr. Frank Thomas

thank you have a seat have a seat thank you so much dr. Lisa first of all for the generous and kind introduction you know this is what happens when you give somebody a hundred dollars to introduce you they make you sound like you really somebody I am appreciative of both dr. Bynum and dr. joy Robinson they're such a wonderful team of people I kind of like see them together I don't know a whole lot of basis in so it is a privilege to share with them and dr. Lisa invited me to come for the beam our conference and we just had a wonderful time I recommend the conference it's a wonderful conference I was blessed by the experience and from what I hear you all were blessed as well thank you for the music ministry and all the hospitality in this place I don't take too much I've been in church a long time and nobody has to invite you anywhere to do anything and so when Pastor Eddie called me on this past weekend invited me I was deeply appreciative to come because when you invite somebody in your appropriate it's a sacred trust and I thank him then hope he's having a great time at the wedding of his little cousin I like that I want to share word that I believe God is speaking in my heart I have been privileged to preach and people invite me and one of the things that I'm well you hear it I'm really concerned about in the church is this topic of being offended why are you offended that's the name of the messages in your bulletin why are you offended and so this text is found in the book of Philippians in them fifteenth chapter 1st chapter 15 verse and you will find these words it is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry but others out of goodwill the latter do so in love knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel the former preach Christ out of selfish ambition not sincerely supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in Chains but what does it matter the important thing is in every way whether from false motives or true motives Christ is preached and because of this I will rejoice yes and I will continue to rejoice why are you offended what you just bought with me and the word I forgot we thank you for this - maybe this blessed thing we asked that this would be the Word of God delivered unto the people without you we cannot move without you no preacher can't preach without you there's nothing that preacher can say you get the glory and what we're after is a blessing we thank you in Jesus name Amen why are you offended I understand that I'm not too far from the place of the tragic shooting of Nipsey Hussle I was not familiar with Nipsey Hussle until the shooting occurred but I discovered and learned that he was a bad rapper guy turned into a good rapper community guy the kind of story that we all should celebrate we should all be excited about turn from a bad rapper guy into a good rapper guy helping the community lifting the community concern about the community while you all were here according to the article that I read in Indianapolis he got in a beef with a brother that he knew and after the beef the guy went home and got a gun came back and killed him do you probably know more about that than I do but that is at least the account of what happened this happens far too much in our communities where black people shoot other black people because somebody feels disrespected some of this would not happen without the proliferation and the easy access to guns in our gun crazed culture and we need among other things major gun reform to help curb the level of gun violence in our communities but that is another sermon if I could ask the alleged shooter one question I would ask why are you offended why were you offended how did you get so offended that you were willing to kill another person I want to ask you this morning why are you offended now many of us would argue that this is an extreme case killing someone and many of us get offended but we don't murder people at least we think we don't murder people I want to ask you and get you on the record ask you as if God is watching and we are in the divine courtroom have you ever murdered anybody before you proclaim yourself innocent you may want to plead the fifth before you feel too smug and feel like you don't need an attorney and can defend yourself in this matter let me ask you this the same question this way have you ever heard of character assassination have you ever heard of assassinating another person's character have you ever talked about somebody thought the worst of somebody and communicated that their motives were not right in their right either have you ever judged somebody have you ever spread somebody else's business that was not positive have you ever talked about somebody like a dog and then see them in church on Sunday and then smile and say praise the Lord one or two of us have and when we get through somebody needs to call the police there's been a killing in the neighborhood many of us in this room have murdered somebody else's character we do it because we feel disrespected and so I want to ask you again why are you offended why are you so upset why are you pained and herded and bothered and disturbed and distressed and outraged and stung and put out and grieved and disgruntled and agitated and ruffled and resentful the fronted myth displeased in a huff or what we know as huffy why are you offended you see talking you into being offended is a major strategy that Satan uses to get you out of your spiritual frame of mind one writer said it this way when the word is in your heart Satan has no authority to get the word out of your heart Satan has to convince you to cast the very word out of your own heart if he can get you offended you will destroy the seed of the word of God that is in your own heart if he can get you offended you will drop the seed of the word planted in your devotional life planted in your prayer life planted in your Bible study life you can go to Bible study all you want but when you become offended you lose the lesson that you learned on Wednesday from 12:30 to 1:30 you can worship all you want to worship but when you decide to become offended you lose the benefit of all the praise and worship and the lifting and the giving and the communion when you become a friend that you lose every ounce of it how you gonna bless God offended with your neighbor how you gonna say let the praises go up and blessings come down and you're hiding being offended in your heart it is truly hard for God to fully occupy an offended heart at the bottom line of course is the moment that you choose to be offended immediately your spiritual walk begins to wither away becoming offended is a stumbling block to your own spiritual growth being offended short-circuits our relationship with Christ being offended keeps us at surface and superficial Christian what why are you offended why are you offended now I am not naive to life and I know that offense will occur and sometimes very often people some are offensive offense will happen but there's a critical difference between an offense and being offended offense is what happens to you and offend dad is the choice you make to respond to what happens to you it is possible that there be an offense and you not be offended you can address an offense and not be offended you can deal with a matter and not be offended to be offended is to pick up your offense to consume it to feed on it in our hearts to nurture it until we are upset paint hurt bother disturb distressed outraged stone put out grieve disgruntled agitated ruffled resentful affronted myth displeased in a huff and huffy why are you offended offended people produce hurt anger outraged jealousy resentment strife hatred and envy if you in a meeting and the meeting doesn't go positive somebody in that room is offended it's hard to have a successful meeting when people are hiding a fence so they say one thing in the meeting and then when the parking lot conversation with their offended buddies happens and we wonder why the church don't move we wonder why the church doesn't grow if you're in a meeting and there is hurt anger outrage somebody's offended nothing good is getting ready to happen to get stuff to happen you need unity offense great unity this of course does not mean that there's not a fence but an offense of being offended are two different things John Bevere in his book breaking the power of negative words says that some of the effects of being offended are insults attacks wounding division separation broken relationships betrayal and backsliding words but no power teaching but no anointing leadership but no followship worship noise but no praise the devil traps many Christians because they will turn offense to being offended offended people secondarily take offense personal they did this to get back at me they just want to interrupt my program well the truth is most people ain't even thought about you most people are trying to get their needs met and you are accidentally in the way most people are trying to get their own needs met offended people take things personal the enemy tricks us into thinking it's about us it's about our reputation it's about our image it's about us and when stuff happens where we can't look like we want to look but be successful like we think we ought to be successful or we I had a preaching student who was preaching a sermon three weeks three or four weeks ago and he was preaching up a storm except he thought he was preaching up a storm we didn't think so so he said y'all don't hit me and nobody said nothing cuz he got mad and got angry and started to beat up on the congregation us as if we were not smart enough to get what he was saying so in the debrief I say to him number one rule of preaching I don't fight audiences if I don't get an amen it might be that I ain't saying anything just I don't get mad at y'all cuz I don't say man it might be I ain't sayin nothin to child so I said before you get mad with us consider he got offended third thing offended people are competitive a dynamic gets sets a set of competition competition looks like a sense of pleasure at the failure of another's program ministry or somebody else's solo when you rejoice in the decline of another congregations ministry you know churches have competition what other church is we look you know over there and if we're not careful we secretly get pleasure when we hear another churches having trouble you know girl I knew it wasn't right over there I told you it was just a matter of time we get angry at the success of another minute you know it's a cult you [Music] see in a culture that is into winners and losers is hard to imagine a God that wants everybody to win no honey can I can I stop there for a minute in a culture of winners and losers that's that's what we have at the top now we have a winner at all cost when just win how you win and don't matter that she win just win winner in a culture of winners and losers it's hard to imagine that God might want all churches to win some folks think that heaven is sweeter because some people go to hell [Music] you'll get that on the way home some people think heaven is sweeter because some people go to hell God wants everybody to win I have this text hanging out here and so I teach my students don't go this long without the text Paul had the opportunity to be offended Paul was in prison in Rome Paul had been arrested for the gospel Paul had a full revival scheduled and since he had a for revival scheduled in prison he had to apportion how some of his engagements he enlisted assistance and other preachers to fill in where he could not be based upon of course he was in prison some that filled-in recognized the Apostles sincerity and unselfishness they realized that his present circumstances was a part of a larger divine program to spread the gospel and that he had been put there not by his own miscalculations know about chance but by the operation of God's sovereignty God had brought him to this time and place for the defense of the gospel they supported Paul they love Paul they spoke kind words about Paul they sent Paul gifts they visited Paul they prayed for Paul they preached the gospel and had two people to pray for Paul there was another crowd who were guilty of insincerity particularly against Paul who faulted Paul as to why he had must have done something else he wouldn't have been in jail they found personal fault with Paul they were offended at Paul's popularity in town they were in competition with Paul and offended by Paul's success we don't know why or how but they had a beef with Paul they were self-seeking opportunist who saw this opportunity of Paul being in prison as a way to promote themselves to increase their brand and expand the membership of their churches they thought Paul would bitterly resent their success just as they did his and his imprisonment would become more painful to him because they were winning converts and he was not they positioned themselves in satisfaction saying success is such sweet revenge they purposely and intentionally and tempted to stir up trouble for Paul they were personally offended by Paul why why are you offended they were offended by Paul for Paul their behavior was an offense and it was offensive but Paul was not offended Paul says what does it matter what does all that his personal stuff matter why are all these personal feelings in church so important how somebody personally feels about the order of service how you personally feel about the worship how you personally feel about what we're doing Wow Paul says why why do all these personal feelings the importance of the gospel being preached away his personal considerations he would not cloud the issue of the gospel being preached by getting caught up in personal issues personal feelings and personal conflicts the gospel was not about him personally it was about Jesus Christ as a matter of fact as long as the antagonism was personal it was about them more than it was about him it revealed who they were in the level of the maturity of their faith and had nothing at all to do with Paul Paul said I rejoice because the gospel is being disseminated I rejoice whether the gospel is preached for insincere motives or sincere motives the gospel is preached I don't care whether they don't like me or they do like me the gospel is being preached I don't care whether they say bad things about me or they don't say that the gospel of Jesus Christ is being preached you see when you have offense but you are not offended you can rejoice when you have a fence but you are not offended you can still remain spiritual and look at things through spiritual eyes let me show you how non offended spiritual folk that suffer offence Paul says when we are cursed we bless when we are persecuted we endure but we are slandered we answered kindly Paul says what does it matter the gospel is being preached would you take offense so that the gospel could be preached would you let go of your offence and how you think saw ought to be and should be and what kind of music should be done and not be done and who needs to be upfront and what time the worship service is and what day so the gospel can be preached you see yeah I remember when we tried to change the time of the worship services folk stopped coming and all of that well look if you know Christ and you love Christ and I'm so hungry and thirsty for the Word of God and the word of truth for the fellowship I don't care what time worship starts I have my preferences but I'm not gonna stop the gospel from being free [Music] [Applause] what does it matter of his gospel music of praise and worship what does it matter if it's the children singing or the Gospel Choir or the scene you cry all this personal stuff what does it matter if the gospel misprint we need to look closely at this question Paul says what does it matter don't miss this don't miss this Paul says I value more than anything else in every way whether from false motives are true christ is preached paul is saying something very profound here that i don't want you to miss the power of the gospel is not contingent upon the motives or feelings of the one preaching or of the ones hearing the gospel has its own efficacy its own authority and its own power that is not contingent upon the actions the thoughts and the feelings of the preacher or the church for that matter the gospel has a life and a ministry of its own if it's preached nobody can stop it preacher included if it's preached competitve church people can't stop it if it's preached denominational labels and theological preferences can't stop it if it's preached personal and petty can be transformed into a blessing for people nothing and no one can stop the power of the gospel if the gospel is preached if the death the burial the resurrection and the life and the power of Jesus Christ is preached it cannot be stopped if you recognize that past event that started on a Friday and is resolved on Sunday morning by the resurrection is preached and that past events changes everybody's future if you preachers act if you preach the death the burial the resurrection and the life and the power of Jesus Christ the gospel I don't mean prosperity gospel you preach the gospel if his preached it takes over the preacher if his preached it takes over the service if his preached it takes over the choir stand if his preached demons turnbull and hell freezes over if the gospel is preached if his priest pimps become preachers cocaine addicts become choir members prostitutes become prayer warriors reefer money becomes rent money a 40-ounce becomes a communion cup if it's preached the casino becomes a ghost town if it's preached the lottery will languish if is preached the gospel is an event it's a it's a it's a it's a christ event it's a christ happening it's a christ experience that opens up a new future in your life regardless of what you have done in the past you can have a christ experience you see that the gospel being preached leads to a christ experience that opens up new possibilities in your life if we preach the life the death and the burial and the resurrection of Jesus Christ tell people that that was a certain pass that the event that opens up a new future in their present if we tell people that with Jesus Christ in their lives they have a hope in the face of whatever happens and whatever has to come when the gospel is preached we can't no matter what you got to deal with no matter what you get ready to deal with Christ makes it better if the gospel is preached it just has to be preached and it takes over from there Paul says I rejoice when it's preached Paul says I get happy when the gospel is preached Paul says the gospel is the power of God unto salvation Paul says when the gospel is preached Satan's power is broken [Music] when the gospel is preached my sister that I love deeply is a preacher and she preaches a recovery service I told them and and beam are a little about a recovery service which is a service that principally is geared to people who are recovering from addictions and so a recovery service targets the message and everything is to help people there's a part of their program of recovery my sister preaches the recovery service she said that while she was preaching in the back of the church she saw the last row run out to the restaurant she said it disturbed her a little bit to wonder what was going on but she kept preaching the gospel after service she found out that a young lady had Odie from opioids in the bathroom while the gospel was being preached od'd in the bathroom went into cardiac and respiratory arrest in the bathroom now some might say she had the audacity to come to service and do drugs in the church I'm glad she came to surface and did she was looking for something and slipped back into who she used to be but because the gospel was being preached if you know anything about open yours and you know they have something called närcon where that can snatch people back and närcon rescues people on the edge of it rescues them I believe that the gospel is spiritual narcotic I believe that comfortable can pull people back from the edge of death I believe the gospel can pull us back from the edge of suicide edge of depression the edge of drug and alcohol that not the god I'm glad and if the truth be told it's simply that her issue was public while we got a lot of private issues it's a hole out of us that needs spiritual närcon we got a whole lot of stuff going on I stuff just so you know I didn't open a whole lot of us need the gospel when the gospel is preached I don't know but maybe while the gospel was being preached and the närcon was being administered somebody said in the name of Jesus you shall live [Music] I don't know maybe they gave her knock on and said no weapon formed against you shall prosper may be they said when they gave in knock on the wages of sin are death but the gift of God is everlasting life when the gospel is preached you don't matter what people have done when the gospel is preached Paul says I rejoice rejoice this is why we rejoice when the gospel in ain't about personally don't care about your personal stuff that don't even matter what it matters is that this gospel is preached from this place it matters that you are not in the way by your offended feelings from living the gospel we preach that's what really matters what what you think about what's going on I don't know I don't know anybody ain't nobody told me anything I've been in church a long time I pass it for 31 years of my life I know what churchy is I know how church people act I've been enough worship services I was in a church and they asked me to come in preach today in the service the Holy Spirit fall and fell the Holy Ghost move they mess around after that I want to be the interim pastor because it was so rich and it was so sweet after well I know something about Monday through Saturday I listen to me when the gospel is preached by Sunday I know it's great on Sunday but how do we act Monday through Saturday I'm interested in seeing what's going on around here Monday through Saturday and if it's like every other church you got a lot of offended folk from Monday through Saturday the pastor spends a lot of the past this time dealing with offended people Monday through Saturday a lot of folk get offended and then much of the majority to church time these meetings aren't about getting the kingdom business done it's about managing people's offense I may be wrong I would love to be wrong we don't make the connection between our confusions and the hindering of the Word of God we think we can of being offended and we don't go to church Jesus says you remember do you remember the lyrics can lead how to reach them we trying to figure out how to reach the masses how to reach the masses people of every birth for an answer Jesus gave the key he said that if I be I'll draw all if the gospel is preached I will draw all the world is hungry for the Living bread we ought to lift Jesus for folks to see Jesus said that if I be lifted I'll draw somebody's offended because I'm preaching this I had a member in a church I was in and got offended because of what the preacher said the preacher was a guest preacher somewhere in Atlanta a small contingency of the members decided to call up the preacher in Atlanta and tell him he was wrong I believe that the deepest desires of this congregation's heart is from the gospel this place to be full at the deepest desire is with Paul to rejoice that people get saved that people come off drugs that relationships come back together I believe it's the deepest desire of elders and deacons and choir members uh shows that people so I believe that what God is saying to the churches and let go of the offence forgive somebody apologize to somebody get the offense you can address the issue I'm not saying sweep everything under the rug you can address issues you just don't have to be offended you can't address issues offended I had a person at school working with me that did something that offended me and I had been able to talk about it it was a month and a half ago he's just now this week that we don't talk about what the person did because I couldn't talk about it I was too your fin there I was too offended to talk about it it wouldn't it came out what I would have done is when you see when you speak out of being offended the other person gets offended not as two people offended so I finally went down to the office this past Tuesday and said can we get a time to just sit and talk I need to this is God's Word today to the church to that I don't know nobody's told me anything past the 88 told me anything dr. Lisa nobody has told me anything I just been a pastor [Music] and I know church why are you offended the gospel is free in just a moment I'm gonna I'm gonna I am if you will let me I'm going to have a call to prayer in just a moment I'm not gonna do it yet I'm gonna invite you if you would come to the altar because maybe there might be somebody in your life maybe it's a daughter I don't know maybe it's a son maybe it's a sister this message just ain't in church I mean you know some of us ain't even come into the Thanksgiving dinner anywhere in the world I won't be bothered with info this is family applicable just like his church inapplicable I'm gonna have an altar prayer just in case just in case there may be somebody who wants to say her to God I heard you God I heard you God I heard you God [Music] and I'm gonna do something about this I'm gonna be a doer and not just a hearer of the word of God [Music] you [Music]

Channel: McCarty Memorial Christian Church

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Length: 42min 8sec (2528 seconds)

Published: Tue Oct 29 2019