★ MY SERMON NOTES
@ Family Worship Centre (FWC)
Wuye, Abuja
2nd Sunday Service
13th November, 2016
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| Picture Credit: FWC Media |
☆ SERMON:
* Speaker: Pastor Sarah Omakwu
* Topic: Thanksgiving without Offence
* Text: Matthew 5:23-24 → "Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering."
★ Matthew 18:15 → "Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother."
* As Thanksgiving Service approaches, will your gifts and sacrifices be acceptable to God?
⇒ Or will it be an exercise in futility?
* You must realise that your thanksgiving matters to God
* Satan intends to have a field day at God's expense
→ this happens when we harbour resentment, bitterness, sin, unforgiveness etc.
* NOTE: God will not be present at a thanksgiving that there is offence
→ He brings these things to our notice so that amends can be made
* We must get rid of offence else, God will not be involved in our thanksgiving
* God knows that we love Him and He will enable us to walk uprightly
★Matthew 5:23-24 → "Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift."
* In God's arithmetic, reconciliation is uppermost
→ God will not accept an offering that proceeds from a heart of offence (given or taken)
⇒ God wants you to make peace with every person around you
☆ Some Types of Offences that exist among Christians:
→ Singing with an offence in their heart
→ People refusing to forgive immediately
→ Family members not talking to each other
* Before you render your offerings, ensure that you are free of bitterness, malice, etc.
* Human beings are more important to God than the offerings of money or precious things
* If God keeps forgiving us, then we must make allowances for each other
★ Matthew 18:15 → "Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother."
* As long as we are human, we are bound to offend each other (sometimes on purpose, sometimes unintentionally)
→ But we must always forgive each other and make allowance for each other
→ It takes humility to seek reconciliation
* Always approach and confront those who offend you
→ give people an opportunity to explain themselves
→ do not allow the 'technicalities of settlement' get in the way of reconciliation
→ You must realise that a person may offend you many times
* There is no defence against "I am sorry"
* When you confront any person who offends you, it is not to shame or disgrace that person, but it must be to gain that person back
* There is nothing that two human beings cannot resolve if there is humility
* NOTE: Offence is subjective
→ Do not trivialise an offence when someone confronts you with it
* Anytime you go to settle a quarrel, and the settlement was not successful, know that you are operating outside the will of God
* Do not wait for the offender to come to you
→ They might never come!
→ You must humble yourself and seek peace
* NOTE: Your greatest asset is not money or the things you acquire, but the people in your life.
→ Any time a person leaves your life, you loose!
* For how long will you continue to be hurt?
→ let it go!
* As a believer, do not drag a fellow believer to the Law Enforcement Agencies.
→ Allow the Church to resolve the matter (1 Corinthians 6:1-8)
⇒ There is no case that the Church of Jesus cannot resolve!
* Get rid of any offence before thanksgiving
* It amounts to rebellion when you know what to do (forgive someone) and you refuse to do so in obedience to God's Word
(See: James 4:17)
(See: James 4:17)
* When you refuse to forgive, you are living in rebellion and the Bible says that it is tantamount to witchcraft!
* A Christian must keep short accounts:
→ Release anyone who offends you as soon as practicable
☆ What is an Offence?
→ Any act that brings annoyance, resentment, displeasure and anger
→ Anything that a person does that generates anger and resentment in you
→ Resentment is a strong bitterness that you feel when someone hurts you
→ Lack of politeness
→ Wounding the feelings of others
☆ How Do Offences Come?:
* Offences come by
1. Words;
2. Thoughts (there are people who think themselves into a rage!); or
3. Actions.
* NOTE: Majority of the time, the person you judged and holding an offence against are not even aware of what they did
* What you say or do matters a lot
★ James 4:1 → "Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?"
* Don't go around offending people
⇒ And don't make it your business to 'collect' offences
* When someone hurts you, do not brush over it.
→ Talk over it together so that it doesn't repeat itself again
★ Proverbs 19:11 → "A person's wisdom yields patience; it is to one's glory to overlook an offense."
* You should believe the best about people
★ 1 Corinthians 3:7 → "Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."
☆ Why do offences Come?
→ Because we are different!
→ Because we are imperfect
→ Because we are human
→ We have different upbringings, cultures, perspectives, etc
* If you can offend yourself, why expect less from others who are different from you?
* You should not keep throwing people off because they hurt you
⇒ People have shortcomings but they are not bad
☆ How do you know You are offended?
→ When you feel resentment
→ When you feel uncomfortable around the person
→ When you nurse a thought of hurting the person
→ When you avoid the person or withdraw from the person
→ When you think of the person but you feel irritated or bitterness
→ When the person's progress does not excite you
→ When you avoid, withdraw or avoid the person
☆ What Should You do?
→ Do not deny how you are feeling or shove it under 'the carpet'
→ Confront the issue in love and humbly with a view to make amends
* It is possible to dress up nice and yet still look or feel ugly
→ Beautiful people are people with a clean spirit
* Unless you can talk to the person who offended you peaceably, you still hold offence
* You must have a mindset of reconciliation
* You must be easily entreated
→ Don't make it difficult for people to be reconciled with you
* You must realise that the offender is not your enemy.
→ The devil is your real enemy
* God forgives and love, so must you!
* Offerings brought to God with a pure heart of love are pleasing to Him
* Unless you experience the forgiveness of God, you cannot forgive others
* Unforgiveness undermines your potentials in God
* Offences hinder God's blessings
☆ PRAYER
Father, grant me the grace
to obey your words.
Release me from every iota of resentment;
May offences never keep me in bondage;
Help me to walk in forgiveness; and
Help me to believe the best
about every one.
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