Standing in front of the Montague County Jail is brother Gastons on the left who donates the Bibles from the Gideons, and John is on the right. Are they smiling because they have Bibles to give away or because they can walk both in and out of the jail freely?

We have discontinued the report "Church Services page" because of a lack of time.

Posted 11/2/09

Sermon, Dealing With Offenses

Proverbs 16:25 There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof [are] the ways of death.

Before the word of God was made available to man, the only way man could try and understand his existence and circumstances was through experience, or seeking the answers from the supernatural. Either way ended in a disaster. Experience is only a good teacher when it can be used in conjunction with the word of God, and delving into the supernatural other than through God is to open ourselves up to being destroyed by the devil and believing his lies.

Today people put great stock in psychology which is purely man made. That means it is doomed to failure because it has nothing to do with God. It’s not God’s way and won’t work. For example, in dealing with anger psychology tells us not to hold it in but let it out. Express your anger. Then they give you suggested ways to do it through what they call “anger management.” The problem is that the root cause is still there and the problem will pop up again and again. The symptoms have been dealt with only temporarily.

The types of problems psychology mostly deals with are what Christians can identify as problems with the flesh. Paul zeros in on this in Romans 7:18 when he says, “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but [how] to perform that which is good I find not.” Paul is saying that in and of ourselves we don’t have the answer. But the word of God will not only deal with the symptoms of the problem but will get to the root of it and fix it.

God’s first counsel in the matter comes from 1 Peter 5:6 – 7. “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” This means to solve our problem we first must humble ourselves under God’s mighty hand (submit to God). Next we have to cast the care of it on him and then leave it with him and not pick it up again. Often this in itself is enough to solve the problem and others like it for good.

For others we may have to delve into the word even more and find specific things we need to do to solve the problem. This is borne out in 1 Corinthians 10:13. “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God [is] faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear [it].”

Because Paul made it clear that God would provide a way to escape, being able to bear it doesn’t mean it will still be a burden. Rather it means that when an offense occurs you will be able to go through it without being offended. It will be like water off a duck’s back or hearing something in one ear and letting it go out the other. Forgiveness is the prime example. You won’t need to have a useless class in anger management. Anger will no longer be a problem. Why? First of all, you will have given the offense committed against you to God. Secondly, from the word you will have come into an understanding that forgiveness benefits you. You will understand that someone who hurts you is either a sinner who doesn’t know better and you expect them to act that way, or it is from a baby Christian who hasn’t grown up enough to know the difference between walking in the flesh and the spirit.

When offenses happen it provides and opportunity for us to change and grow spiritually and thus move into that abundant life Jesus promised us. (John 10:10). So in the future when offenses come your way, think of them as opportunities to grow spiritually and God to advance you (exalt you – lift you up) in his kingdom. Of course there is always the alternative of psychology.