Your Offense at God | Let it Go | Rick Atchley

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ Welcome to the Hills Feature, Rick here, and I'm thankful that this is my first chance to say I hope all of you are enjoying a happy new year, and that it's off to a great start. I want to endorse what you heard about the men's conference. I know something about conferences. If I called any of my pastor friends across America and said, Bob Goff is coming to our men's conference, they'd say, that's awesome, how did you get him? Steve Carter's coming to our conference, awesome, how'd you get him? Jamie Winship is coming, how did you get him? We got all three at one conference. It's going to be amazing, guys, to register and bring a friend. I also want to publicly thank Taylor Walling for preaching last Sunday, it was good to see Taylor again. And his presence gave me some margin to do a couple of great trips with my wife in ministry. We went last weekend to Colorado to help teach a short course for ACU on Christian leadership, and that was a blessing to be with about 80 awesome college students. And then we flew to Miami for a church planter's retreat, one of the favorite things we ever get to do, be among some of God's best people. And you need to know that Hills Church is beloved in church plant world, not just churches we sponsor, but other churches, know of us and our reputation, and it's beautiful.

And so we got to be with about 80 people, and I took a picture of all the people we are currently or in the past have supported to plant churches. You can see my beautiful wife, Jamie, in the middle in her pink jacket next to her, Manny and Marlene. And these brave people have planted churches from San Diego to Maine, from Seattle to Miami. And literally today, there are thousands of people who know Jesus and walk with him that did it 10 years ago because someone started a new church in their neighborhood. So Hills Church, give yourself a hand. You're doing a good thing. So thankful for that. It was a wonderful week. It was an exhausting week. I think I was on four planes in six days. And you need to know something. I hate luggage. I don't check luggage. Unless I'm going somewhere and I have to take my golf clubs, I don't check luggage. I don't care how long the trip is. I take only a carry-on. When I was in Ireland last summer for two weeks, I only took one carry-on for my clothes because what I don't like is lugging stuff around that at the end of the day, I realized I didn't need. And I'm not just talking about suitcases. We're starting this new series called Let It Go because some of you are missing the future you could have because of all the

baggage from the past you still have. I thought about this principle reading an article a while back about a man named Rudy Tomjanovich. If you're an NBA fan, you know that name. He's in the Hall of Fame for basketball. He was a great player, maybe a better coach. Coached the Houston Rockets to two NBA championships. Coached the men's team to a goal in the Olympics. But that's not what he's remembered for. He's remembered for a night in 1973 playing for the Rockets against the Lakers. A fight broke out. He rushed to the melee to be supportive to his teammates and a player named Kermit Washington sent someone coming and turned and swung as hard as he could and caught Rudy in the face. Broke his nose. Shattered his cheeks. Cracked his skull. He almost died. It was called the punch heard round the world. Now, you can see by this picture that he recovered, but that punch tragically and dramatically changed the course of his life. And so he's often asked, have you gotten over it? He was asked by an interviewer, how bitter are you at Kermit Washington? He said, not at all. I've completely forgiven him. Seriously, yes, I've completely forgiven him.

How and why? And he said this, I knew. That if I wanted to move on with my life I had to let it go I didn't do it for him I did it so I could be free So for the next four weeks, we're going to talk about baggage that you need to let go. It's really a series on Freedom and the big idea is this you must let go to move on and today I am going to name a piece of baggage That I think is the heaviest one to carry and the one we are least willing to admit that we are carrying some of you need to forgive God And if that was a shocking statement I meant it to be me Whether you're watching online or you're in person at Keller or West Fort Worth or Dallas or North Richland Hills Wherever you are. I'm talking to people who need to forgive God I know that statement sounds heretical because God does not sin. I'm not saying that you think God did something wrong I'm saying you feel like God didn't do what you thought was right In a very important moment in your life

And it bothers you Just know you're not the first or last person to be offended by God you're part of a big club I want to tell you about What I think is one of the greatest men in the bible. His name was john the baptizer and like Isaac he had a supernatural birth to parents very late in their life And he was born for a reason to announce and herald the coming of the messiah to prepare the way for the new king of israel to preach Repentance and get people ready and he did so faithfully. He was bold He wasn't afraid to speak truth to anybody including The political leader of that current day named herod He was a son of the wicked herod who killed the babies when jesus was born This is his son and he liked to say he was jewish when it was convenient Well, it wasn't convenient because he was married to a woman that he wanted to divorce so he could marry his brother's wife And jewish law says you can't do that, but he did John called him on it And herod threw john in prison We pick up this story in matthew chapter 11 When john Who was in prison? Heard about the deeds of the messiah He sent his disciples to ask him. Are you the one who is to come or should we expect someone else? And jesus replied go back and report to john what you hear and see The blind receive sight the lame walk those who have leprosy are cleansed the deaf hear the dead are raised And the good news is proclaimed to the poor and then jesus added this surprising and stunning statement blessed

Is anyone? Who does not stumble? on account of me The idea that he's communicated there I think is uh easier seen in another translation the new king james blessed is he Who is not offended? because of me It is significant that jesus acknowledges That it is possible to be offended by god The word stumble or offense is the greek word Scandalizzo is where we get the word scandal. It's the word paul uses when he says when they put jesus on the cross He was a scandal his Death on the cross is an offense To many people but it didn't start as a religious word It started as a hunter's word When a hunter wanted to trap an animal he'd put up a snare and he'd put up a bait stick Or a trigger and the animal would brush it and the trap would come down and he would be in captivity That's the word and the picture jesus is portraying He's saying beware Of taking the bait of offense And triggering the enemy's trap He's not saying it's wrong to have a faith struggle Everybody has had times in your life where you struggle with your faith. What he's saying is be careful because you can can open the door wide to deceptive thoughts that will take you captive and steal your joy. Jesus says you are blessed. You can have a happy new year when you don't live carrying that kind of baggage.

Don't bring that from the past and diminish your possibility for a future. Or to put it simply, you will stay stuck as long as you stay mad at God. And that is where some of you are. Now, you don't want to admit it, but you're mad at God. And you're not saying he did something wrong, but you're upset because he didn't do in the moment what you thought was right, and you haven't forgiven him for it. To illustrate, I want to share with you, with permission, conversations I've had with people in our church. These are real-life offenses. The couple who lost their little boy. It was decades ago, and they're still mad at God. The young couple who are dealing with parrots, dealing with dementia, and they're just angry that God would allow such good people to finish their race in such a bad place. Talking with a young woman who, as a teenager, knew her parents were fighting a lot, and she begged, and she begged God, don't let my parents divorce, but they did. When people divorce, they like to say the kids will be okay, they're hardly ever okay. It's years later, and she still deals with the pain of it, and hates what it's done to her life, and she wonders, can I trust God anymore? The young lady who's wrestling with God for letting her infertility continue.

The young father who just knew that God answered his prayer and his cancer was in remission, but it's back. The parents who were angry at God for not rescuing their wayward child. The young single who's upset that God let church hurt happen. The woman who, for decades, has carried the memory of physical and sexual abuse when she's a girl, and she still doesn't understand why God would let that happen. And underneath all those offenses, the enemy has planted a question. If you have given up on me, why shouldn't I give up on you? And Jesus knows that good people can have these kinds of thoughts. People like John. See, John is in a dungeon, and he sends disciples, are you the one? He's not confused about the identity of Jesus. They were cousins. He pointed at Jesus once and said, behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. When he says, are you the one, his problem isn't ignorance, it is offense. In his view, Jesus is not being the Messiah John wanted. John had been preaching, make the road ready. You better repent. Religious hypocrites came to him one day. He said, you brood of vipers,

what makes you think you can escape the judgment that's coming? And he's expecting to hear examples of God's wrath, and all he's hearing is stories of God's mercy. And he's in jail. Where is the battle? Autism a fire Why is Herod still in charge? And why am I in prison for preaching the truth? And John has taken offense for the same reasons we do for one thing God did not do what we expected or requested Jesus is not fitting the profile of a Messiah that John had Expected he wasn't the Messiah John wanted him to be like we're the same way We get frustrated that God doesn't do what we want God to do He doesn't demonstrate his faithfulness So that's to align his activity with our prayers and Pastors sometimes set up their flocks for this kind of hurt Because we'll preach this jack-in-the-box God Who will pop up? Whenever you want if you'll just turn the crank and Satan uses this disappointment to plant thoughts that question the goodness of God and And That that leads to another reason like John we take offense because God will not eliminate the pain and the evil we must tolerate John did right and John was done wrong Imagine how he wrestled John was an outdoor guy. He was made for the wilderness

He thought a plate of bugs was a good meal Could you imagine how living in a small dark little dungeon sapped his soul But here's the thing We've all spent time in the dungeon Now to be honest there are some times when we wind up in a hard place in life because we sowed bad seed There are times when we're in a tough place because we're simply reaping the consequences of the bad choices we made But there are times When you're trying to do right you're trying to honor God you're trying to be faithful and you think why am I here? What am I doing here And it's not like you're accusing God of doing bad things But inwardly you're brooding Because God didn't change the course of things You'd written the script this is how the play is supposed to end and you'd written in a part for God and you offered him the role and He said no And you're mad at God Jesus knows That we have these thoughts And he knows that they weigh us down You see faith that believes God exists To give me the life I want Will not sustain when life goes bad it will shatter And so Jesus is saying I want you to have a blessed life. I Want you to have a happy life So when life gets hard and it will don't pick up the bait of a fence at God Let it go

Great advice pastor, but how do I do that? Glad you asked I'm going to share some thoughts. I gleaned from this story that I think can help and bless us. Here's the first Submit your offense by taking your problem with God to God When John was done wrong, he took his questions to the right place And Jesus is saying that when the possibility of offense arises Turn to God don't turn away from him. By the way, there is no moral virtue in hiding or Pretending when you are upset with God Be honest to God You might as well. He already knows what you're thinking You say but that would be a religious no that actually can be a form of worship have you read the Psalms so many of The Psalms are the worshipper sharing their frustration with God, and God receives it as praise. You're being honest with me. Now, I know there's a way that you can cross a line. I know there's a way that you can question God that becomes irreverent. The book of Job tells us that. You know, at the very end, after Job has complained about his suffering, God shows up and says, You've never made one single universe, but you talk like you know how to run one better than me. Every parent knows there's a way that your kids can question you that crosses a line into disrespect, but here's what else you know. No matter how angry, how frustrated, how angry your kids are with you, you still love them. And God is a good, good father. I've been in some dungeons during the course of my life. The last hardest dungeon I was in was the three-year journey with my dad through dementia. I wasn't prepared for how difficult that journey would be. Dementia changed my father into a perpetually unpleasant person.

And there was no light at the end of the tunnel. There was no, well, next week, he'll probably be better. And I was mad, and I told God I was mad. Why does a good man have to finish his race like this? Why don't you take him? He hates living like this. We hate watching him live like this. And the interesting thing is that having those kinds of talks with God did not increase the distance between us. It decreased it. Somehow inviting God into my frustration brought us closer. When you're in the dungeon, don't push away from God, press in. And focus on what God is doing, not just on what He's not doing. Because it's interesting to me, John's in prison, did right, done wrong, sends disciples, what's up? Jesus does not give John an explanation for why he's in prison. He gives John testimonies of all the people getting set free. Go tell John what you hear and see. The blind can see, the crippled can walk, people with skin diseases are healed, the deaf can hear, the dead are raised to life, and the good news is preached to the poor. Now, ironically, Jesus is basically quoting Isaiah 61. He's reminding John, I'm doing exactly what a Messiah is supposed to do. You're the one who got a view of Messiahship off the tracks a little bit. I'm exactly where God wants the Messiah to be. See, God doesn't promise to do everything we want, but He's faithful to do everything He promised. But when I let my puny-verse replace His universe, I stop seeing all that He's doing that would encourage my heart. I reflect on that season in the dungeon with my father. It was also the season where my oldest got married, something we never thought he might

do. It was also the season when I became a grandfather. I can't put into words how much joy that has given me. And it was a season where I had some really powerful encounters with the Holy Spirit. I was not expecting. And what I learned was that if you're willing, even when you feel like you're in a dungeon, you can still see that God is on the move. But you have to remember this. You have to understand that understanding comes in God's time. John didn't understand at the moment that his faithful example was going to inspire the Messiah's disciples for millennia. Here we are 2,000 years later, we're drawing strength from the Example of John being faithful unto death Job did not understand in his suffering that he was actually being exalted that God was showing the invisible world what integrity looks like One of the clearest examples of this is a man in the Bible called Joseph if you never heard about him you go to Genesis starting about chapter 36 and read the end of the book He was one of twelve sons of Jacob He was the favorite son that usually goes bad when you have a favorite and the other brothers sold Joseph into Slavery, he's down in Egypt. He's a slave. I Would have been tempted to be pretty mad at God not Joseph. He says I'm going to be a faithful slave He starts taking care and managing the house of a man named Potiphar Potiphar's wife comes on to him tries to seduce him Joseph says no, I'm not going to offend my God with sexual sin Now you think that God would show up and say, okay Joseph, you're the hero. I'm going to exalt you now No, he got thrown to prison Did right done wrong. I would have been mad at God Not Joseph in prison, he's got the gift of prophecy. He interprets a couple of dreams He says to one guy now when you go see Pharaoh you put in a good word for me guy totally forgot him You see this over and over? Joseph had so many opportunities to be offended at God. He never took the bait

Toward the end of his life. He's in a position of influence. He's reunited with his brothers He says this you intended to harm me But God intended it all for good He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people Joseph came to understand late in his life John did not come to understand until he went to glory You see you will never let go of the baggage of offense as long as we expect an infinite God to reduce his vast ways of running the world down to What only we can imagine? Tim Keller speaks to this well he wrote if you have a God great and Transcendent enough to be mad at because he hasn't stopped evil and suffering in the world Then you have at the same moment a God great and transcendent enough To have good reasons for allowing it to continue that you can't know Indeed you can't have it both ways If He's great enough to stop it then he's big enough to have reasons you could understand for letting it continue In Keller's own life, he says when he was a young man, he was in love with a girl. She wanted He wanted to marry her. She wasn't sure if that's what she wanted. Oh, he prayed and prayed God. Let us get together He even moved close to our house and said God. I'm making it easy on you She broke up with him He came to understand this That God was saying when a son or daughter asked me for something I Will answer their request By giving them what they would have asked for if they knew as much as I know And You're blessed When it finally makes sense to you Then an almighty God is not going to always make sense to you

But you can view what you do not know through the lens of what you do This is the most important thing to remember what God let go to move toward you God never expects what he's unwilling to experience and You've heard me say many times people that say all religions are basically the same have not studied all religions Christianity is the only religion that worships a God who chose to suffer He didn't send an explanation he came himself and he let go of every privilege That would keep him out of a dungeon So I love telling this Illustration one of the greatest Dissidents of the last century was a man named Alexander Solzhenitsyn grew up in Russia grew up in a Christian home Rejected his faith when he served for the Red Army but he was This content was Stalin and some things about the way he was running the country wrote a friend a letter Got turned over to authorities. He wound up Up eight years in a hellish labor camp where he came back to his faith He said one day it's hot. I'm shoveling sand. I'm just about Finished I'm starving. I can't go on he dropped his shovel. No way to dock a guard could come up and beat him to death An old man with a cane walked up drew a cross in the sand and then erased it before the guards could see it and Soldier neat and said a Supernatural joy filled my heart. I realized God understands Jesus has been in the dungeon with me And so Before you pick up the bait of offense

Remember that Jesus was lifted up as an offense for you and If God is like Jesus Then I can trust him even when I don't understand him I Want to close I shared with you part of an email The email that rocked me more than any other last year We've been planting churches for a long time about ten years ago. We planted a church in the Los Angeles area called collective church and the lead pastor was Lorenzo Smith Lorenzo and his wife Isabel have become friends of Me and Jamie through the years. And so when I saw in October an email from Lorenzo, I was excited to open it until I read it and He shared it he began to notice back in July some cognitive hiccups and Then he's had a staff meeting in early October and suddenly he can't recall the name of a single person in the room And they go to a hospital They discover a fist-sized tumor in his brain a nine-hour surgery to take it out And then he got the report of the biopsy It was a glioblastoma cancer For which there's no cure The doctor says you have 12 18, maybe 24 months to live He said I cry every day Especially when I think about my family you can see his picture his beautiful wife Isabel His youngest daughter has Down syndrome precious girl

Who will never be able to fully understand? Where her daddy has gone The oldest daughter just gave her life to Christ was recently baptized now. She's got this faith challenge to deal with But I want to share with you with his permission the last part of his email Despite my sadness, I'm absolutely trusting God It's interesting how sadness and trust can coexist and do not mix or cancel one another out My sadness does not mean I don't trust God and trust in him doesn't mean everything's fine It means I trust him in the midst of this horrible situation And it's comforting that that's even possible The doctors are telling me what is obvious to them Which is that death is likely essentially a guarantee From that angle I accept and understand what they're saying, but I'm also fully aware of what God can do in this God can heal me And I will ask for it in faith But it will not demand it This might sound weird, but what I'm wanting more than healing Is for God to glorify himself and reveal himself in greater ways in people's lives and pour out his spirit upon them thankfully Though this is hard. I Have not become depressed Hopeless and overwhelmed. I feel close to the Lord. I sense his presence. I know he loves me I know he's faithful and I do not feel like he has forgotten me is Ignoring me or has wronged me I absolutely trust him And it's not because I'm strong or even in denial of what I'm suffering. I trust him because of who he is and He is all I want Jamie now are gonna try to go see Lorenzo and Isabel later this spring. I know you're gonna join me in praying for him. God can heal him I will boldly ask him to do so

But here's what I know No, no matter the outcome, his two daughters will have the testimony of how to trust when life is hard and when the dungeon is real, that you don't have to carry anger at God because He's good no matter what. That's where some of you are today. You've been carrying your anger at God, and as a pastor, I'm telling you, actually, Jesus is telling you, do you want to be blessed? Let it go. And remember this, God has no plans to ever let go of you. So let's bow our heads, and I'm going to pray over you. Before I do, would you take a moment, and would you just name, if you're carrying it, some frustration you have with God right now, some way you feel hurt or disappointed, or you're just having trouble getting at peace with Him about it. Just be honest and lay it out in front of Him right now. God, thousands of people right now are bringing their hardest thoughts to you. They're not hiding, they're trusting that you're good, and that nothing they say will cause you to let go of them. So God, we do. We bring our pains and our hurts and our dungeons to your throne. We will put our hope in you when we don't understand, and we will put our hope in you even if the outcome we get is not the one we asked for. Because when we see Jesus on that cross, we remember, you're the God that holds on to His people. And we pray this in Jesus' name, amen.