How many know that God doesn't always work in our life the way we expect? You know John the Baptist had the greatest revelation. He was the greatest prophet in the Bible before Jesus, and yet sent to Jesus saying: are you the one? Jesus said: blessed is the man who's not offended in Me. Now why did he do this? Because John, his whole faith had ebbed out. Why? He was offended in his heart, at how Jesus didn't come to get him out of the prison. He thought it should be one way; and God had another plan. God's plan was: he'd lose his head. That's not a very good plan is it? [Laughter] To have your head cut off? So he was offended Jesus didn't come and recognise him; he was offended, because his way of thinking: what God ought to do, was not the same as what God had in mind. God had in mind he would give his life down for the faith. Why is it, that he lost his head anyway? Someone else had an offence - Herod's wife; and he told Herod's wife the truth: it's not legal for you to marry Herod. It's not legal for you to marry this man; so she got offended, and she got full of hate, and she waited her moment. One day - now notice this - one day, when her daughter has the opportunity of a lifetime, she's danced before the father, the father said: wow, I'll give you anything - up to half the kingdom! Now think about that: anything! Money, riches, up to half the kingdom - I will give it all to you. Now get this; the person with the offence stole away her future, by polluting her with the offence, and saying: I want the head of John the Baptist.
Offences don't just affect us. They overflow, and they steal other people's futures. That's why the Bible warns about them. The Bible warns about those, by whom offences come. You see this girl - if you were the mother, and your heart was full of love for your daughter; would you not choose something different, than a head of a prophet, to give her for a present? It just shows what spirit sat upon her life; and the reason it was there was an offence, because she was confronted with the truth. So a spirit of murder came over her, a Jezebellic spirit actually, that sought to kill; and eventually, when she had her moment, she lashed out; and she not only killed John the Baptist. She stole her daughter's inheritance, by polluting her. That's a true offence. It wasn't offensive what John said. John spoke the words of truth, that would have been able to free her from her bondage. She just reacted with offence, and ended up trying to kill him, and get back at him. Have you ever noticed that happen? Oh, we're getting close to the bone here. I know you'd never do this. Tell someone: I know you'd never do anything like this. [Laughs]
One of the things you find keeps coming up; what about the older brother? The older brother in the story of the Prodigal Son. The Prodigal Son, the Prodigal Son goes out, and totally blows it; blows all the money, has a wild life; comes back in, and the father says: I want to show you how grace is. It's this big! And he forgives him, and clothes him and welcomes him, has a party; and the older brother was offended. Why was he offended? You don't deserve this. The grace of God can be offensive because - this is what the older brother is thinking - I have worked so hard. Why should you get it easy? He was offended. He was offended by grace, offended by goodness. Whoa! And so he got very, very angry. Now one of the things you'll find with every case, the bible is full of them - if you look through every case of this - here's the thing you'll find in common. Wherever there's an offence, you find walls go up; and you'll find inevitably anger and hatred, and bitterness and murder come in the heart, every time, every time. I'll show you how it works out.
See, because Jesus said: take heed to yourself; what you do is, take heed to yourself when offences come, that they don't get into you, grow in you, so then it's got a major hold around your life. Now here's what people normally do. When people have suffered an offence, someone did something to hurt them, someone disappointed them, someone let them down, and now it's got in their heart. Now they've got a choice: I minister grace to it, I believe God to help me use it as a stepping stone to go forward; or I harbour offence. Now if a person harbours offence, now they're definitely doing the wrong thing. This is what they usually do, they usually have to find someone else to talk to about this thing that's going on in their life. Have you noticed that? That's where the word gossip comes from; so usually what happens is, they find someone that they can talk with, that will give them a listening ear. They sound people out; and usually what they do is, repeat their story in a way - and you may have experienced this, you may have even done it, you never know - they repeat the story in such a way, that they are painted good, and injustice has been done to them; and the other person's painted the villain, who should be punished. They'll paint themselves the hero. They'll paint themselves the good guy. They'll paint themselves as the one who's the victim of injustice; and in doing so, are seeking to get something from you. Now the Biblical way, if you're upset, is not to brood and stew; and if you've lost your peace, which is the first sign, just go back to the author of peace, and say: God, where did I lose my peace? What happened in my heart? I need to address it.