June 7, 2009, Sunday morning service, from the La Porte Church of Christ,
with Pastor Peter J. Peters.
Sermon notes.




CHRISTIANS WHO ARE OFFENDED BY JESUS - message title.



1 Corinthians 9:24, "Do you not know that those who run in a race all
run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may
win." NASV.
"Only one receives the prize."
Run to win.
We must have discipline, as we buffet our bodies.
You've got to have the proper priority in your life.
Galatians 5;7, "Who hindered you from obeying the truth?"
If you are hindered, then you are hindered. Stumbling blocks do exist.
Hebrews 12:1-4, "Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses
surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin
which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race
that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and
perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross,
despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of
God For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against
Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart You have not yet
resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin." NASV.
Running with endurance, we are looking forward to what's on the other side.
Satan has you look to the world, and away from the goal.
The seen versus the unseen.
Jesus talked of a hellish place, where there is weeping and gnashing of
teeth.




Matt.18:7, "Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks! For it is
inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to that man through whom
the stumbling block comes!" NASV.
Woe to the man that stumbles.
With wisdom, and the 90% suspicion that some are the tares,
but let them grow, and don't pull them out early.
Trust God to do the pulling; the uprooting.
Even a pulled out tare can cause someone to stumble.
Luke 17:1-5, "He said to His disciples, "It is inevitable that stumbling
blocks come, but woe to him through whom they come! It would be better
for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into
the sea, than that he would cause one of these little ones to stumble.
Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents,
forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns
to you seven times, saying, 'I repent,' forgive him. The apostles said
to the Lord, "Increase our faith!" NASV.
Sometimes it takes great faith to forgive.





We need His grace and forgiveness,
"For they don't know what they are doing."
Luke 23:34, "But Jesus was saying, "Father, forgive them; for they do
not know what they are doing." And they cast lots, dividing up His
garments among themselves." NASV.
Worldiness is sin, and sin is "in" today. The flock becomes so sinful, and
sin becomes accepted by the crowd, when sin abounds.
Worldly friends can be a stumbling block.
Prov.18:24, "A man of too many friends comes to ruin, But there is a
friend who sticks closer than a brother."
Remember the great song,  "What a friend we have in Jesus."
He is a friend that will stick closer to you than a brother.
Those friends that you have in the world,
are no better than the friend you are to them.
If you say much about Christ, then you won't be a part of the "in crowd."
The Minstrels have their click in Branson, and they don't want to sing
for Pastor Peters, as it might be bad for business and bad for their career.
Judeo- Christians don't want to hurt their standing in the community.
The sheeple brain desires to be in the flock,
with its DNA programmed "membership mentality,"
and fitting into society, with all the norms of acceptance.
Other stumbling blocks include materialism, worldliness,
worldy friends, and parents.
Teenagers have stumbled because of their parents.
They have embarrasment of their parents in the view of their friends.
Yet, the parents would die to protect their children,
and their perceived friends would care less about them as danger drew near.





We must maintain our proper priorities.
Matthew 6:33, "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all
these things will be added to you."
For many, Jesus Christ has become the stimbling block.
Luke 7:23, And blessed is he, whosoever shall find no occasion of
stumbling in me." ASV. "Stumbling over Me." Who He was referencing?
He was speaking about John the Baptist, and John was stunbling over Jesus.
The NASV first, and then KJV texts were used to illustrate this concept.
Many were going out and hearing John preach out in the wilderness.
He was a mighty fine preacher. Never a finer man born of a woman.
A man to prepare the way for Christ.
Luke 7:18, in picking up the story.
"Are you the expected one?"
Luke 7:22, "And He answered and said to them, "Go and report to John
what you have seen and heard: the BLIND RECEIVE SIGHT, the lame walk,
the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the
POOR HAVE THE GOSPEL PREACHED TO THEM." NASV.
"Blessed is he who does not take offense at Me.' Luke 7:23. NASV.
John the Baptist was starting to stumble.
At Jesus' baptism, John observed the dove descending
from heaven and heard the voice of Father God.
Luke 3:22, "And the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a
dove, and a voice came out of heaven, "You are My beloved Son, in You I
am well-pleased." NASV.





Why did John question and have doubts about Jesus being the Christ? He
spent his whole life staying out of the mainstream society, living in
the wilderness, and steering clear of earthly kings. Then he finds
himself locked up in the dungeon, and stuck in the grips of an evil king.
Isaiah 55:8, "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways
My ways," declares the LORD." NASV.
Jesus is King of kings, and now John is in jail,
for speaking out the truth of God's word?
In the dungeon, John thinks to himself, "I don't belong here."
God put John in the dugeon, and Herod came down and listened, as John
preached the gospel from his cell.
Herod learned all about God's kingdom from John's preaching..
John is in that position, and the world asks, "Why are you there?"
What in the world is this about? And then you become offended.
Wisdom says His ways are not always our ways.





The three "Wise Men" using their heavenly powered GPS, got near to their
goal of finding Jesus. They got close, and then they supposed to look at
the place of royalty, the king's palace. When they got to the king's
palace, the place of royalty, Herod told them, "He is not here."
It didn't occur to them to go to the barn to look for the new born King.
They found him with parents of peasantry.
However, they didn't stumble, and they were wise
not to take offense at the position Jesus was in.





Upon Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem, Peter was proudly
taking the long strides, walking right alongside Jesus, with his chest
puffed out, enjoying the accolades of the crowd.  Luke 18:32-34, "For He
will be handed over to the Gentiles, and will be mocked and mistreated
and spit upon, and after they have scourged Him, they will kill Him; and
the third day He will rise again. But the disciples understood none of
these things, and the meaning of this statement was hidden from them,
and they did not comprehend the things that were said." NASV.
Why did they not comprehend these things,
when Jesus told them all about it?
He said they would, "Beat me, spit on me, kill me, and put me in a tomb."
The apostles wanted to believe a lie, as they rejected the truth.
2 Thessalonians 2:10-12, "And with all the deception of wickedness for
those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so
as to be saved. For this reason God will send upon them a deluding
influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they
all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in
wickedness." NASV.
The wanted the world's accolades.
Many are tempted by "the passing pleasures of sin for a season."
Many Christians would openly proclaim today,
"I would never be offended by Jesus!"
Peter denied Him three times, as he stumbled over Jesus.
Woe to you if you are offended by Jesus.





Ephesians 1:22, "And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and
gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the
fullness of Him who fills all in all." NASV.
Ephesians 5:30, "Because we are members of His body." NASV.
1 Corinthians 12:13. How do we become members of His body?
Peter saw the rejected Body of Jesus Christ,
and this became a stumbling block to him.
1 Corinthians 12:13, "For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one
body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all
made to drink of one Spirit." NASV.
It is not such a beautiful body, because you are in it.
Behold the perfect body of believers, and then you join them.
How perfect can it be, with you in their ranks?
Every member of the body is not a perfect '10.'
1 Peter 3:10-15, For, "THE ONE WHO DESIRES LIFE, TO LOVE AND SEE GOOD
DAYS, MUST KEEP HIS TONGUE FROM EVIL AND HIS LIPS FROM SPEAKING DECEIT.
HE MUST TURN AWAY FROM EVIL AND DO GOOD; HE MUST SEEK PEACE AND PURSUE
IT. FOR THE EYES OF THE LORD ARE TOWARD THE RIGHTEOUS, AND HIS EARS
ATTEND TO THEIR PRAYER, BUT THE FACE OF THE LORD IS AGAINST THOSE WHO DO
EVIL." Who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good?
But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are
blessed. AND DO NOT FEAR THEIR INTIMIDATION, AND DO NOT BE TROUBLED, but
sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a
defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is
in you, yet with gentleness and reverence." NASV.
"I am BEING perfected, confirmed and established."
When we see an imperfect body, we are offended.
The truth is, we have a right to be wrong.
We, as members of the body of Christ, have a right to be wrong.
We find new dimensions of love, as we grow in the grace and knowledge of
the Lord Jesus Christ. He is working through His Holy Spirit and
constantly perfecting us through His grace.
Little chidren believe things, as their perspective at that time in life,
as they are growing.
We grow as members in the body.
We are at different levels of understanding, and some look
down on others in the Body of Christ and judge them.
A child and the car seat illustration, with the screaming child story.
I judged and now I am judged.
If you are looking down your nose and judging the brethren,
then it will come back on you and bite you hard.
We have a right to be wrong, because we all have had grace extended to
us. Children grow up and realize they were wrong about certain things,
as they continue to grow in grace and knowledge.
30 year old's shouldn't be morons, however, as they will be rebuked.
When we will not right the wrong, it's time to engage in
self-examination, before the cross at communion.
When someone is in the wrong, sometimes he doesn't see it.
Talk with Jesus and the Holy Spirit, and pray for the one in the wrong,
and you will see the perfecting of the body, as the conviction comes in
through miracle working prayer power via the Holy Spirit.





The church is full of imperfect people, as that is the body of Christ.
God is working with these vessels of clay in order to perfect us.
Those in His body, He really loves.
We tend to love our body, and we work on our body.
Jesus loves his body, the church. Matthew 16:18, "I also say to you that
you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates
of Hades will not overpower it." NASV.
Upon this rock. the called out ones, are added to the body.
There are only two churches: the one of your choice,
and the true church, which is His body.
In the Lord's church, you better love His body, because He does.
Who wants to associate with the likes of a John the Baptist?
An outsider; a backwoodsman; a desert vagabond.
The superiority attitude is, "We know more and we are preferred by Jesus
over them." This is the tyranny of the status quo.
He loves all His children.
"YOU NEVER GAVE UP ON ME," song lyrics are remembered.
A Bible college classmate and the preacher used to ask each other,
"What are you going to do when you grow up?"
We are all growing in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Peter 3:18, "But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of
eternity. Amen." NASV.




Volatile nitro-glycerin compares to double mindedness,
with those so afflicted being unstable in all their ways.
At the Branson gathering, everybody was getting single minded,
and there was great harmony and peace.
it is a spell when we start thinking our children are perfect,
when we know they are not.
Attitudes carry over.
People are quick to correct others, but they don't build up people.
Run in such a way as to win.
Put Christ as the example.
He is the savior of the body.
The Church is His body, and to Him, all the members are beautiful.
Every mother that loves her children,
knows in her heart that there is no ugly child.
This is the fruit of her womb;
the offspring of her body with her husband.
The Lord doesn't quit loving His children when they have ugly ways,
much like a mother doesn't quit loving her children.





A past sermon illustration is remembered from high school athletics.
The preacher was a fast runner, and ran like a gazelle in high school.
The wrestling coach became track coach,
and he insisted on the preacher being on his track team.
The 440 is a tough race,
where you end up sprinting the whole quarter mile.
One time, there was a track meet held at Cosad, Nebraska.
The preacher was running in the 440 yard foot race. He was hanging out
in the middle of the pack, and the thought occurred to him,
"Maybe I can win this race."
His after burners kicked in, and the preacher poured it on.
He didn't win, but if he had made up his mind to win earlier, he could
have won the race. It was as close as a photo finish.
Make up your mind and run your race to win.




He is perfecting all of us.
When He sees His children, they are all perfect.
Beautiful to Jesus, perfect in His eyes.
"Psalm 37:23-24."
Run the race to win, as Jesus offers us forgiveness.
Do not take offense at the body of Jesus Christ,
for the Lord loves His body of believers.




Woe to those through whom stumbling blocks come.
Woe to us for stumbling over blocks, and especially for stumbling over
our King Jesus Christ, the Head of our body.
 Run the race to win.
Closing prayer in accordance with Numbers 6:24-26.