Reading: Curious Restorative Purposes - Slides

Restoring Relationships
Transforming Justice

Lecture 13

Curious Restorative Purposes at the Trap of Offense

God’s Objectives at the Trap

There is treasure in conflict at the trap of offense.

God’s Objectives at the Trap

There is treasure in conflict at the trap of offense.

The opportunity to transform your conflict stories from Wildfire stories to Peacefire stories will often be found at the trap of offense in each conflict.

God’s Objectives at the Trap

Just as the adversary has objectives at the trap of offense, so does the Lord.

God’s Objectives at the Trap

Just as the adversary has objectives at the trap of offense, so does the Lord.

We will explore four objectives that God pursues when one of His sons or daughters is snared in the trap of offense.

God’s Objectives at the Trap

The Lord’s first objective is to deliver His people out of the trap and get them back where they belong – at the Peacefire.

God’s Objectives at the Trap

The Lord’s first objective is to deliver His people out of the trap and get them back where they belong – at the Peacefire.

When we recognize that we are offended, the Lord instructs us to cut off the offending source and remove ourselves from the trap.

God’s Objectives at the Trap

But when we are blind to our situation – usually because we feel justified in our decision making process – the Lord undertakes a rescue of the lost sheep.

We will talk more about the Lord’s rescue process in a future lecture.

Regardless of how it happens, the Lord’s objective is to deliver His people from the trap and get them back where they belong at the Peacefire.

God’s Objectives at the Trap

The Lord’s second objective at the trap of offense is transformation.

God’s Objectives at the Trap

Conflict often exposes things about us that the Lord wants to change – attitudes, actions, how we treat others, how we respond to situations, etc.

God’s Objectives at the Trap

Conflict often exposes things about us that the Lord wants to change – attitudes, actions, how we treat others, how we respond to situations, etc.

The Lord doesn’t expose our sin to embarrass, discourage, or humiliate us.

God’s Objectives at the Trap

Conflict often exposes things about us that the Lord wants to change – attitudes, actions, how we treat others, how we respond to situations, etc.

The Lord doesn’t expose our sin to embarrass, discourage, or humiliate us.

He exposes our sin to give us an opportunity to bring what is exposed before Him and to ask Him not to just forgive us, but also to change us – to grant us the grace to repent – go in a different direction.

God’s Objectives at the Trap

The Lord desires to change us.

You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Eph. 4:22-24

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:8-9

God’s Objectives at the Trap

If our focus is on the Wildfire when our sin is exposed, we will try to hide it, justify it, blame others for it, or try to overcome it in our own strength.

God’s Objectives at the Trap

If our focus is on the Peacefire when our sin is exposed, it is a sign of God’s loving pursuit of His people – an opportunity to receive the Lord’s grace, mercy, forgiveness, and transforming peace – even though there may be difficult consequences resulting from our sin.

God’s Objectives at the Trap

The Lord’s third objective at the trap of offense is to reconcile and restore broken relationships.

God’s Objectives at the Trap

When we take offense, there are typically at least two damaged relationships.

Our relationship with God.

Our relationship with those who offended us.

God’s Objectives at the Trap

The first relationship to address is our relationship with God.

God’s Objectives at the Trap

The first relationship to address is our relationship with God.

When we are offended, Jesus pursues us because He loves us and wants to set us free from the trap and get us back where we belong.

God’s Objectives at the Trap

As we seek the Lord’s forgiveness, it causes us to take our eyes off of our self-righteous position in the wildfire and turn our eyes upon Jesus.

God’s Objectives at the Trap

As we seek the Lord’s forgiveness, it causes us to take our eyes off of our self-righteous position in the wildfire and turn our eyes upon Jesus.

This enables Him to change our perspective toward the one who offended us.

God’s Objectives at the Trap

Here is how Jesus said we are to treat someone that has offended us.

Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. Matthew 7:3-5

God’s Objectives at the Trap

Restoration of relationships is the priority in the Heavenly Kingdom.

God’s Objectives at the Trap

Restoration of relationships is the priority in the Heavenly Kingdom.

God rescues us from the trap of offense because He loves us – not because we earned it or deserved it or because our argument was “right.”

God’s Objectives at the Trap

Restoration of relationships is the priority in the Heavenly Kingdom.

God rescues us from the trap of offense because He loves us – not because we earned it or deserved it or because our argument was “right.”

He expects us to treat others in the same manner – as an ambassador of the Heavenly Kingdom.

God’s Objectives at the Trap

It glorifies Jesus Christ when we love others the way that He loves us.

Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness. Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble. 1 John 2:9-10

If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. … Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:18,21

God’s Objectives at the Trap

God’s fourth objective at the trap of offense is to destroy the works of the adversary.

The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. 1 John 3:8b

God’s Objectives at the Trap

To destroy means to loosen or untie something that is bound – to effectively demolish the bondage of Satan.

God’s Objectives at the Trap

When the enemy snares a Christian in the trap of offense, it is God’s desire to not only deliver the Christian from the trap, but to destroy the enemy’s work in the process – to set the captive free.

God’s Objectives at the Trap

When we bring our disobedience (our contribution to the conflict) before the Lord, He delivers us, sets us free and changes our priorities to fall in line with His purposes.

God’s Objectives at the Trap

He then empowers us to avenge our disobedience and destroy the works of the Devil through the love of Jesus Christ.

For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to avenge all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled. 2 Cor. 10:4-6

God’s Objectives at the Trap

When we reconcile with God and then reconcile and restore relationship with those we have offended or those who have offended us, we destroy the works of the Devil and experience Jesus Christ’s transforming peace.

God’s Purpose Changes Our Priorities

This concludes our discussion about how pursuing God’s purposes in conflict will change our priorities.

When we align ourselves with His purposes at the trap of offense, our priorities will be transformed, as will our conflict stories.

God’s Purpose Changes Our Priorities

In the next lecture, we begin a discussion about God’s power for extinguishing conflict wildfires and how it changes our possibilities.

Lecture 13

God pursues four objectives at the trap of offense. 

1. Deliverance from the trap. 

2. Transformation of what the trap exposed about us. 

3. Restoration of broken relationships with God and others. 

4. Destroy the works of the adversary.