Sylvan Springs Church of Christ

What do you notice from Matthew 15? It seems like Jesus is being rude, but this is more of a test of faith. The woman could've taken offense and left. However, she put her emotions aside and let her faith shine. Emotions often cause us to take the easy road to being offended.

Paul seems to be rather sharp here with his words. Not only does he make a quote, but then states it is true. Was he trying to anger people? No, he was stating what was already known and he knew that it was a proper thing to do.

As Christians, we need to examine how we deal with people. Are our words and actions necessary or do they turn people away from Christ?

Here are some thoughts to consider in this morning's lesson:

1) Christians need to be careful with giving offense.
2) Being offensive or offended is a snare! Treat it that way.
3) Don't be negative.
4) No matter what we do, we will offend people.

Being offended or being offensive can ruin lives. That's why we need to examine this carefully and keep our emotions in check.

The question to think about this morning:

Is it worth it?

Think about the best way to handle it.

No matter what we do, there will be people offended. We can't make everyone happy.

One final thought about this lesson: we need to be more concerned about offending God than anything else!