 We are in a series on offence 2 weeks ago and today we are going to see how we can move on through offence, moving past offence. We looked at 3 kinds of offence. The first Sunday we looked at you offend yourself by the mistakes you make. We agreed that God loves us so much and he wants us to move past our mistakes. So, in short, we encourage each other that we need to forgive ourselves and let go of the mistakes that we made. This following Sunday we looked at the second type of offence that is you be offended by people. People will hurt you, people will do things to you that are going to offend you. But you know when it becomes so heavy that you can't forgive them, you run to the cross where Jesus was crucified and take the forgiveness that he gave you, take the forgiveness that he had, take it and give it to that person who was offended you. Because when we say that kuna mutwame kumistik, Jesus being crucified on that cross, being nailed on that cross was the grand master, was the grand kind of offence. You know, these people that he healed, these people that he did miracle with, these people 4, these people that he raised from the dead, turned against him one day and nailed him on the tree, naked. That is the greatest, greatest kind of offence but he was never offended because of these people. Jesus was 100% man and 100% God so he felt apen but he never held it against those people. He decided to let go and what did he say? Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing. So if anyone offends you what you do, you run to the cross, take the forgiveness and give them, give to those that have hurt you and say father forgive them for they do not know what you they are doing. Because one thing that we agreed and established that offence, if we allow it to stay in your heart, it will grow into bitterness and bitterness defiles everything. Besides that, bitterness open a door for the devil to come into your life with all manner of sin and all manner of oppression and possession and all manner of things. And if you read the book of Eklashastis chapter 10 verse 9 say whoever breaks through a wall will be beaten by a serpent. In simple terms when you hold that unforgiveness it's like you're letting your wall down. It's allowing opening a doorway for the devil to come into your life to bite you. So what is the solution to that? You forgive immediately. You let go of the offence and you let go of the bitterness so that you do not give room for the enemy. You do not give legal ground for the enemy to come into your life and do all manner of things. We are not allowing that these years as kumumiskeiwa we are not allowing that. Now today let us look at the third kind of offence. Aha, this one will shock you. This one will shock you. How many of us, how many of us to say we are mungu. Mungu sponi bless na gari. Mungu sponi bless na yobiz. Mungu sponi pelika shule. Mungu usipo, usipo, usipo nifanya hi. By the end of the year tuna achana nawewe. Tuna rabiana friends. Asif God is your boss. Asif you are the boss to God. Tuna ambia God sponi fanya hi tuna rabiana friends tuna achana. I am living this salvation thing. Mungu usipo nifanya hi tuna rabiana. By the end of the year tuna achana nawewe. So many, I can see people raising hands in the studio. But let me tell you, so many of us have done that. And now that brings us to the third kind of offence. You will be offended with God. When you are offended by God. Why? Because he has not done that thing you are trusting him for. Because the expectation is not his ways. His ways is not your ways. And we look at the story of John. Because our main text was in Matthew chapter 11. So that you get where I am coming from with this story of offence. Now it came to pass when Jesus finished commanding his 12 disciples. That he departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities. And when John had had in prison about the works of Christ. He sent two of his disciples and said to them. Are you the welcoming one or do we look for another? Jesus answered and said to them go and tell John the things which you hear and see. The blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf fear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. Verse 6, which was our main focus. And blessed is he who is not offended because of me. Yes, when you are offended by God. Because he did not answer your prayer. The way you are expecting him to answer. Or he did not come through. Sayo you are waiting for him to heal your mother or to heal your close one. Your close person or to clean your loved one. But instead of healing that person, that person dies. Now you are offended by God. John the Baptist was very offended by God. Remember John the Baptist is the one who baptized Jesus and said make way for the king of glory his year. Make way, he made the way for Jesus Christ. He baptized Jesus and Asha Jesus into him history. Now John the Baptist is in prison because of preaching the gospel. He is in prison. The Roman street, the heroin had him had him thrown in prison, locked up there. And he has been in prison and he is wondering Amma nili kwa nili kwa saya kubabtaisu ujama. Is he the one amatunama ujama ingene? He was very offended. Did I make a mistake? John was offended by himself, offended by God. Are you the one or should we expect another one? Now he sent a message to Jesus Christ. He was offended because he was expecting maybe God to release him from prison miraculously and that did not happen. Because of his offence, because he carried that offence in his heart. John the Baptist died young. He died in that prison. He never left but God told him blessed is the man who is not offended by me. Let me tell you the ways of God are not our ways. The way we expect him to come through for us is not our way. It is not the way we imagine God to come through. And he will not come through the way you are thinking. He will not come even the time you are expecting. He will come unexpected. And how do you stay not offended by God? I will send you to 2 Timothy 2 verse 13 where I will paraphrase it that says if we are faithless, those days we are faithless, God still remains faithful. You know why? Because he cannot deny himself. He cannot change. He is still faithful. So those times you are faithless, you are expecting. He will come through for you. That prayer has been praying from Januari. Na shangakama God atakam through. God will come through. I am just here to tell you don't be offended because God has taken time to answer your prayer and start doubting it. Don't create that offence in your heart. You are opening a door for the enemy to come into your life. Another verse that I like is this in Romans chapter 1. Say be confident in this. Be confident. Be very, very confident that he who began the good work in you will bring it to completion. He that began. And how did God begin a good work in you? He knew you before you were formed in your mother's womb. So he has a process. He has a path just ordained for you. He will ensure that you enter that path as long as you have faith in God. Don't have faith in any other thing. Don't have faith in your ways. Don't have faith in your powers, in your skills. Have faith in God. He is going to lead you in that path because he knew you before you were formed in your mother's womb. So have you been waiting for something from God and it hasn't come through? Please don't be offended with God because offence brings bitterness. Bitterness brings stagnation. You will not move anywhere but because you want to move, be thankful always. Be grateful always. That's what I want to show. I want you to be thankful for the fact that you've woken up today. Be grateful for God. And you know what? With thanksgiving that which you've been waiting for he will come through for you in his time, in his ways because his ways are not our ways and I want to leave you with this one statement. You know what? When it is impossible, when there is no way I'm telling you our God is a way maker. He is the way, he is the truth and he is the life. He will make a way where there is no way because he is the way. Hallelujah. I'm going to leave you at that. Next Sunday we don't know which series God will allow us to do but I hope you've learned something. You're letting off that offence. May God heal your heart. May God restore the joy in your heart. And let it be this, be a turning around for you and for your life and for yourself.