The Gospel is Offensive

Psalm 145:8-13 (NLT) 8The Lord is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. 9The Lord is good to everyone. He showers compassion on all his creation. 10All of your works will thank you, Lord, and your faithful followers will praise you. 11They will speak of the glory of your kingdom; they will give examples of your power. 12They will tell about your mighty deeds and about the majesty and glory of your reign. 13For your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. You rule throughout all generations. The Lord always keeps his promises; he is gracious in all he does.

Should we think about this differently?
• Do we buy in, and instead of be bold, not stir the pot?
• People can distort the truth: “If you don’t love what I do, you don’t love me.”
o God loves you enough to not be okay with what kills you.
• The world hates God because He calls the world what it is: evil; therefore, they won’t like us when we speak truth, even if it is in love.

John 7:6-7 6Jesus replied, “Now is not the right time for me to go, but you can go anytime. 7The world can’t hate you, but it does hate me because I accuse it of doing evil.

THERE ARE NO GOOD PEOPLE.
• There are people who do good things. Being made in the image of God, we are capable of doing good. But there are no inherently good people.
• When it comes to God’s perfection, which is the standard of goodness, there are no good people.

Romans 3:10-11 10As the Scriptures say “No one is righteous— not even one. 11No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. 12All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.”

Most people will admit they aren’t perfect, but it goes deeper than that.
Isaiah 64:6 We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind.

• This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be confident in our deeds for God.
• This is why there is only one way.
• The Law and our state is supposed to point to Jesus, the only way.
• That is offensive. We’re not enough. That can be offensive. We need Jesus.

GOD IS OFFENDED.
• There is amazing grace to be had, but there can’t be forgiveness nor grace received unless there is repentance.
• God does love us so much, but there is a standard.

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 9Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, 10or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God.11Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

• We can walk with God and slip into things—that is different.
• When we expect to live in something and say, “I can walk with God,” we are missing it.

THE GOSPEL
• What did Jesus do with His offense?

He paid for it. He forgave it. Not only for the people who have accepted it, but also for the sins of the world.
1 John 2:2 He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.

• If He has forgiven the sins of the world, why are people going to hell?
o No everyone accepts it, acknowledges it, and repents of their sin.
• Yes, God so loves the world… (John 3:16)

He wants everyone to be saved.

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.

• He wants none to perish, but the reality is that some will.
• When people have offended Him and choose sin, when there is a way to be forgiven at the cost of His son’s life, when some still spit in the face of it because they are unwilling to repent and turn from that evil… people will continue to perish.

2 Corinthians 2:16 To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume. And who is adequate for such a task as this?

Gently correct:

2 Timothy 2:25-26 25Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth. 26Then they will come to their senses and escape from the devil’s trap. For they have been held captive by him

QUESTIONS TO PONDER AND DISCUSS:
1. What is standing out to you? What do you need to do with it?
2. Have you been holding back the gospel out of fear of stirring the pot? Do you need to look for more opportunity to be bold for Jesus in truth and love?
3. Have you started to entertain the idea in your life that since there is judgment, that means God doesn’t love? Have you been deceived?
4. What goes through your mind when Christian speaks about God’s unconditional love?

Resources:

• Unoffendable by Brant Hansen
• Forgiveness by June Hunt
• Humility by Andrew Murray

• Other passages to read about the gospel are: Romans 5:8, Romans 10:9-10, 1 Corinthians 15:1-7, Hebrews 9:27-28, and Revelation 20:11-15.)