Welcome back Restoring Relationships - Transforming Justice.   In this lecture, we're going to talk about, continue our discussion about offense and the trap of offense.  We're continuing our discussion about how understanding God's purpose in conflict can change our priorities in responding to conflict.   And right now we're examining the dynamics of offense, and how it triggers the conflict wildfire, and how understanding what God's purpose is around the trap of offense can change our priorities in responding to conflict.   But before we talk about what the Lord's objectives are at the trap of offense, in this lecture, I want to talk about our adversary’s objectives at the trap of offense, because that spiritual war that we talked about a few lectures earlier, is most intense around the trap of offense.   In fact, the trap of offense is the heart of the life of a conflict.   And the enemy's objectives are obviously contrary to the Lord's objectives.   And so by understanding what the enemy's objectives are, it helps us to pursue the Lord's purposes and the Lord's objectives as we see the enemy's objectives afoot in the conflict wildfires that we face.  


The biblical story about God's love and justice being satisfied in Jesus Christ includes the presence of an enemy, the ruler of the earthly kingdom, Satan.  God and Satan have objectives at the trap of offense, and in this lecture, we consider the adversary’s objectives in tempting people to take offense because offense hinders restoration.  Our adversary is known by many names the devil, Satan, Lucifer, the prince of darkness, and there are others.  He is a liar, a deceiver, a thief, and a murderer. 


Jesus Christ, said in John 8:44, “You belong to your father, the devil,” he was talking to religious leaders of his day, “and you want to carry out your father's desires.  He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him.  When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar, and the father of lies.”


And one of the adversary’s objectives at the trap of offense is to hinder people from enjoying a relationship of relentless reliance on Jesus Christ.  He wants to hinder your walk with God.  That's all.  Because if he can hinder you, then you're no longer useful at the Peacefire, because you're not there.  You're hindered in the wildfire. 


2 Timothy 2:26, “… and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.”  And his will is to hinder your relationship of relentless reliance on Jesus Christ, or for those who don't know the Lord, to hinder them from coming to the Lord and being born again and becoming citizens of the Heavenly Kingdom.  The adversary’s will is to keep people from giving their lives to Jesus Christ, and to keep Christians from actively following Jesus Christ.  


A second objective of the adversary at the trap of offense is to tempt us to despise people who have offended us.  Jesus warned against despising others in Matthew 18:10, where he said, “See that you do not despise one of these little ones,” one of my people.  “For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.”


When we take offense in a conflict, we can usually provide reasons why we're justified in despising the person or people who offended us.  But the reason the Lord commands us not to despise other people is because the person who wrongs us is not the one who steals our peace.  Remember, this is a spiritual war.  And in Ephesians 6:12 we read, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”  


As followers of Jesus Christ, we are called to treat other people who will offend us the same way that we have been treated through Jesus Christ.  God does not despise us when we offend him.  And we are not to despise others when they offend us.  When we think that we're justified in despising someone who has wronged us, we are deceived.  In 1 John 4:20-21 we read, “For whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother, a sister is a liar.  For whoever does not love their brother and sister whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.  And he has given us this command.  Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.”


So some curious questions for you.  In your conflict story, are there people that you despise?  Are there people who despise you?  If you remember back to our first lecture, we told the stories about Kevin and his friends who in their families impacted by that drunk driving accident, and it's clear from their stories that there's still people who despise what happened, loss of family members, and it's understandable when we look from the earthly perspective.  And we talked about Joe and Amy's story, and the restoration that occurred in those relationships.  We don't have to despise others.  Others don't have to despise us.  


How will you respond to Jesus’ challenge to get out of the trap of offense and not despise those who have offended you?  How can you help others who despise you to get out of the trap and seek restoration and transformation of justice?  


Let's review the key points from this lecture:


  • We have an adversary at work in our conflicts.  

  • The adversary has goals at the trap of offense.  The adversary uses offense to hinder our relationship with Jesus Christ.  

  • The adversary uses the trap of offense to deceive us into despising those who wrong us.

  • Conflict is a spiritual battle, we do not wrestle against flesh and blood.  

  • When we despise others in the midst of conflict we are doing the will of our adversary.

  • When we despise someone who wronged us, we are focused on the wildfire and not the Peacefire.  


Thanks for watching this lecture.  God bless you.  We'll see you next time.



Última modificación: jueves, 30 de noviembre de 2023, 08:17