Introduction: We can offend others as well as being offended. Here is a brief study on this subject taken from one passage of Scripture. It is a follow up from a previous devotion. 

1. We can offend others! (Luke 17:1,2) – “Then said he unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come! It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.”

Can we be an offense and not even know it?

The word “offense” is σκανδαλίζω,(skan-dal-id’-zo): It means to “put a snare (in the way), to cause to stumble, or to give offense. Furthermore, it can have to do with causing someone else to sin. 

Has that happened to you? Perhaps every parent or person for that matter must admit to causing someone else to stumble. However, Jesus Christ stated the seriousness of doing such; i.e. hanging a milestone – heavy rock – around one’s neck and thrown into the sea.

2. We can be offended but make it right! (Luke 17:3,4,5,6) – Yes. Listen to the words of our Lord. 

“Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.”

Don’t forget. Forgiveness is a choice. But remember Jesus forgives us, if we trust Him. 

3. Faith is the key to making it right! (Luke 17:5,6) – “And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith. And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.”

Notice the word “Sycamine tree”. It is συκάμινος, (soo-kam’-ee-nos), which is the mulberry tree, a black mulberry. Jesus said real Faith can pluck it up – from the roots – and thrown into the sea where it dies! 

Conclusion: Offenses happen. But they need to be made right if possible. Jesus can make it right.

.

1. First, notice his FAVOR! (2Chron 26:1-3) – “Then all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in the room of his father Amaziah.”

At sixteen he was crowned King of Judah…imagine a 16 yr old today being President! Nevertheless, it was so; God favored him.

2. Next see his FOLLOWING! (2Chron 26:4-15) – “And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah did. And he sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God: and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him to prosper.”

Because Uzziah did right in the sight of the Lord, God blessed him with prosperity. Has our Lord blessed you?

3. Thirdly, watch his FAILURE! (2Chron 26:16-19) – “But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction: for he transgressed against the LORD his God, and went into the temple of the LORD to burn incense upon the altar of incense…..”

Prosperity can lead to adversity. When the king was “strong” he took things in his own hands. Here is a warning to every Christian that has been blessed. Choices and decisions need to be handled with much PRAYER and CARE!

4. Finally he’s FORGOTTEN! (2Chron 26:19-23) – “Then Uzziah was wroth, and had a censer in his hand to burn incense: and while he was wroth with the priests, the leprosy even rose up in his forehead before the priests in the house of the LORD, from beside the incense altar…. And Uzziah the king was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a several house, being a leper; for he was cut off from the house of the LORD.”

Because of his bad choices and poor judgment, king Uzziah suffered immensely. First he was ejected out of the house of God. Next he was stricken with leprosy until the day he died. What a bad way to go! Probably he was remembered by how his life ended instead of his great accomplishments. Sad. How are you determined to finish?

The Elder Brother! (Luke 15:28) – “And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him.”

You would think that he would be happy! Why? Because his brother had finally come home! But no, he was mad. This shows he had a bad attitude all along. His motives were greedy. His heart was deceitful. His life was exposed when someone besides himself got some attention.

Application: There are quite a few people sitting in Church every Sunday that do not really care about the salvation or restoration of others. Instead, they are concerned about their own convenience. Self interest is driving them. When others get attention then jealousy raises its ugly head.

This elder brother was religious. Do not forget who Jesus is talking to. He is addressing the religious crowd of His day.

A good gauge to check up on your attitude and anger in the Church is to evaluate if you are humbling yourselves under God’s mighty hand….not just lip service….talking the talk….but walking the walk.

1. First comes our Lord’s instructions! (Jonah 1:1,2) – “Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.”

2. Next came Jonah’s direction! (Jonah 1:3) – “But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.”

Jonah learned; You can run, but you can’t hide from God. Instead of going in the right direction, he went in the total opposite direction. Although he paid a high price, he learned a valuable lesson.

** What is worse than learning from our mistakes is not learning from our mistakes.

3. Next comes the restoration! (Jonah 2:1) – “Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish’s belly.”

4. Finally, the message of restoration turned into a message of reconciliation! (Jonah 3:1-3) – “And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time, saying, Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee. So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days’ journey.”

1. By REFRESHING! (Philemon 1:7) – “For we have great joy and consolation in thy love, because the bowels of the saints are refreshed by thee, brother.”

Everybody needs refreshing! Do you feel drained? Worn out? Tired? Stressed? Worried? Angry? Hurt? Remember. When we refresh others, our Lord sends people to refresh us!

2. By REMEMBERING! (2Tim 1:3,4) – “I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day; Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy; When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee.”

Think about those who have been a blessing to you. Why not take a moment and Praise the Lord for them!

3. By REJOICING! (Rom 16:3,4) – “Greet Priscilla and Aquila my helpers in Christ Jesus: Who have for my life laid down their own necks: unto whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles.”

Paul writes to CHRISTians in Rome and us today rejoicing in those who have served our Lord Jesus. Are you serving?
Have certain ones been a blessing to you? Tell them. Show them. Thank them.

4. By REAFFIRMING! (Rom 16:1-2) – “I commend unto you Phebe our sister, which is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea: That ye receive her in the Lord, as becometh saints, and that ye assist her in whatsoever business she hath need of you: for she hath been a succourer of many, and of myself also.”

Evidently, Phoebe was a tremendous helper to Paul and the Church. So, he gave honor where honor was due. Ultimately, it is all about JESUS CHRIST our Lord and Savior who died for our sins and rose again for our justification.

1. Causes of Hotheadedness? (Jonah 4:1-4) – “But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry. And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil. Therefore now, O LORD, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live. Then said the LORD, Doest thou well to be angry?”

Jonah had an ATTITUDE – a bad one! His wrong thinking led to his wrong praying!! Here is a great danger…. Are you thinking wrongly? Praying wrongly?

2. Cures of Hotheadedness? (Jonah 4:5-11) – “So Jonah went out of the city, and sat on the east side of the city, and there made him a booth, and sat under it in the shadow, till he might see what would become of the city. And the LORD God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head, to deliver him from his grief. So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd. But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd that it withered. And it came to pass, when the sun did arise, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and wished in himself to die, and said, It is better for me to die than to live.”

Have you ever had a PITY PARTY? Jonah did. Watch out!

Conclusion: Read the end of the story…

“And God said to Jonah, Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd? And he said, I do well to be angry, even unto death. Then said the LORD, Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for the which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night: And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that can not discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?”

Introduction: Have you given your all to Jesus? Why should you give your all to Jesus? How can you give your all to Jesus?

This great passage in Jude gives us decisive steps to giving our all to Jesus. In fact, this will even explain both why and how we should. So how can we?

1. By BUILDING UP our PRAYER life with STRONGER FAITH because of these days of APOSTASY! (Jude 1:3,4,20) – “But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost.”

“Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.”

Prayer and faith go hand in hand. Without faith, prayer is useless. Without prayer, faith is ineffective. Both are joined together; and when joined they make an unbeatable combination. 

2. By STAYING SWEET with the LOVE of JESUS in the LIGHT of His COMING in Power and GLORY! (Jude 1:14,21) – “Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.”

“And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints.”

The love of God poured into our heart sweetens it up! While the world can sprinkle bitterness in our minds – if we let it – God’s great unconditional love smothers with truth and grace. 

3. By RESCUING SINNERS with the Life – line of God’s GRACE because they will PERISH out in ETERNITY! (Jude 1:22,23) – “And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.”

“Pulling them out” is an action word not passive. Are you throwing out the life preserver?

Conclusion: Will you give your all to Jesus? If we do, then we will be strengthened in our faith, sweetened in our relationships, and steadfast in our witness.

Introduction: What’s left on God’s calendar? Where are we headed? With absolute assurance, we can know that we are eventually going to go thru these 4 stages. Let’s take a look at the book.

1. Phase 1 (2Thess 2:1) – “Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him.”

This first phase includes the rapture. The phrase “our gathering together with him” speaks of that truth. Are you ready for the right rapture?

2. Phase 2 (2Thess 2:2,3) – “That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.”

Their next phase includes the “falling away,” which may be both spiritually and politically. Certainly, we can see the “signs of the times” today. Are you preparing to do battle against the enemy right now?

3. Phase 3 (2Thess 2:4-7) – “Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.”

This third phase includes the “restrainer” holding back the floods of the gates of hell coming upon the world. After the Church is taken then the Antichrist will emerge. He’s mentioned in Dan 7 – “little horn,” in Rev 13 – as “the beast” – and here as the “man of sin.” According to Revelation 6, this Political rule and economical genius will be riding on a white horse coming to conquer and desiring to be worshipped; plus he will make war with the saints. Can you see this stage being set?

4. Phase 4 (2Thess 2:8-11) – “And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie.”

Jesus Christ is allowing Satan and the Antichrist to have their run as it were right now. However, all of this will come to a screeching halt when Christ comes in His second coming.

Introduction: Are you facing an insurmountable mountain? News flash: It is a mole hill to the Lord! Big challenges or impossibilities to us pale in comparison to our great God’s infinite power. What obstacles are intimidating you? Remember. Jesus talked about little faith, no faith, and great faith. Which describes you and me? Admittedly, at different times, probably all three.

I love the text in 2 Kings 3.

1. The setting! – Ahab the wicked king died. Jehoram his son reigned after him, although wicked not to the degree of Ahab. The Moabites heard the news and attacked Israel. So deathly afraid, king of the north Jehoram sought out to make an alliance with the king of the south (Judah) Jehoshaphat. After deciding to make war with Moabites (land of Jordan) they traveled thru Edom (Jordan); however, it was during a terrible drought. With much cattle to water and no rain the king Jehoshaphat asked for a prophet (Elisha) to get a word from God {ALWAYS a GOOD IDEA}!

2. The answer from God thru Elisha for the need for water! (2Kings 3:16-17) – “And he said, Thus saith the LORD, Make this valley full of ditches. For thus saith the LORD, Ye shall not see wind, neither shall ye see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, that ye may drink, both ye, and your cattle, and your beasts.”

Did you catch that? They were to act by FAITH {Heb 11:6} and dig a DITCH! Why? In order for the water – which they didn’t have – to fill up. With no rain in the forecast and desert conditions, God wanted them to know and us today this…..

“And this is but a light thing in the sight of the LORD:” (2 Kings 3:18).

3. Can God be trusted? (2Kings 3:18) – “And it came to pass in the morning, when the meat offering was offered, that, behold, there came water by the way of Edom, and the country was filled with water.”

Wow! The Lord is faithful to His Word!!