Dealing With Offences And Unforgiveness Pt 1

DEALING WITH OFFENSES AND UNFORGIVENESS

PART 1

OFFENSES

An offense is a stumbling block. It is that thing that brings about an occasion to stumble or fall. An offense can hinder and even stop the flow of love if it is not forgiven.

The Lord plainly tells us that offenses will come. Nevertheless, woe unto him who brings the offense; however, the woe will come from the Lord; not from us. There will be those who will sin against us maliciously; but the Lord instructs us to forgive each offense. When Jesus insisted that the apostles were to forgive as many as seventy times seven offenses in the run of a day, the apostles began to question their ability to do such a thing. Consequently, they asked the Lord to increase their faith.

Luke 17:1-10

1“Then said he unto the disciples, "It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come!”

2 “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.

3 Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.

4 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.

5 And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.

6 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.

7 But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat?

8 And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink?

9 Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not.

10 So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.

Many times we think of having “great faith” as being able to perform great healings or miracles. The first work of faith, however, is to prepare the heart to love the way God loves. This faith would be the fulfilling of all the commandments.

THE SYCAMINE TREE

Jesus symbolized the most painful of all offenses as a sycamine tree. The sycamine tree is a type of mulberry tree. The thing that distinguishes it from the other trees in its family is its black fruit. The analogy is that the fruit of an offense that is left to grow inside the sons of God is black. Jesus declares also that the operation of the Holy Ghost in the life of the believer is powerful enough to pluck such a thing up by the roots.

Jesus acknowledged that the disciples did not have the kind of faith that He knew was necessary to extend this kind of love to their fellowman. They were considering belief as the extent of faith. Jesus knew, however, that He came to introduce a Dispensation of Faith, which is the Operation of the Holy Ghost in the lives of the sons of God. This dispensational Faith (the indwelling of the Holy Ghost) would be more powerful than that of mere belief; it would be functional, and it would be effectual. It would bring the believer to a place of perfection, wherein he would love his God with all his heart and his fellow man as himself.

OFFENSES MUST BE COMPLETELY DISPOSED OF.