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Open Heart
Part 3: No Offense



Proverbs 4:23 (NLT) – Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.



Luke 17:1 (NKJV) – “It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come!



Six Ways to Overcome Offense:


1. Don’t’ Seek Revenge



Matthew 5:38 (NLT) – “You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’




Matthew 5:39a (NLT) – But I say, do not resist an evil person!




Matthew 5:39b-42 (NLT) – If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also. If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too. If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles. Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow.”


2. Be Gracious



Colossians 4:6 (NLT) – Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.



Proverbs 15:1 (NLT) – A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare.


3. Go to Them Privately



Matthew 18:15 (NLT) – “If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back.


4. Look for the Kernel of Truth



Matthew 15:2 (NLT) – “Why do your disciples disobey our age-old tradition? For they ignore our tradition of ceremonial hand washing before they eat.”


Matthew 15:3-6 (NLT) – Jesus replied, “And why do you, by your traditions, violate the direct commandments of God? 4 For instance, God says, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and ‘Anyone who speaks disrespectfully of father or mother must be put to death.’ 5 But you say it is all right for people to say to their parents, ‘Sorry, I can’t help you. For I have vowed to give to God what I would have given to you.’ 6 In this way, you say they don’t need to honor their parents. And so you cancel the word of God for the sake of your own tradition.



Matthew 15:7-9 (NLT) – You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote, 8 ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. 9 Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.’”


Mathew 15:12-14 (NLT) – Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you realize you offended the Pharisees by what you just said?” 13 Jesus replied, “Every plant not planted by my heavenly Father will be uprooted, 14 so ignore them. They are blind guides leading the blind, and if one blind person guides another, they will both fall into a ditch.”


“In a dozen false things said about him, he would search for a kernel of truth that he could repent of, because every opportunity for repentance is an opportunity to draw closer to Jesus.”
—Tim Keller




5. Forgive the Offender



Proverbs 17:9 (CEV) – You will keep your friends if you forgive them, but you will lose your friends if you keep talking about what they did wrong.




*6. Trust God with the Outcome *



2 Timothy 4:14 (NLT) – Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm, but the Lord will judge him for what he has done.


Six Ways to Overcome Offense:

1. Don’t seek revenge
2. Be Gracious
3. Go to Them Privately
4. Look for the Kernel of Truth
5. Forgive the Offender
6. Trust God with the Outcome