The ghost of offense divides us, damages us, and destroys us. One thing that banishes the ghost of offense is forgiveness. Forgiveness means remembering how much you've been forgiven, refusing to let past offenses control you, relinquishing the right to get even, always responding to evil with good, granting restoration and second chances, and repeating the forgiveness process as long as necessary to achieve peace.

1. Series – The GHOSTs of Christmas Past – Pastor Chuck Bernal
Ghost 3: OFFENSE - Sunday, December 13, 2015
BEING HAUNTED BY THE “GHOST” OF OFFENSE
What does “offense” mean?
An offense is something that causes a person to be hurt, angry or upset.
A brother offended is harder to win over than a fortified city, and contentions [separating
families] are like the bars of a castle. (Proverbs 18:19 – Amp)
The ghost ofoffense ______________________________________________ us
The ghost ofoffense ______________________________________________ us
The ghost ofoffense ______________________________________________ us
Good sense and discretion make a man slow to anger, and it is his honor and glory to overlook a
transgression or an offense without seeking revenge and harboring resentment. (Proverbs 19:11
– Amp)
If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in
your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if
you care . . . agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. (Philippians 2:1-2 –
Msg)
When we think of the cross, we think of Easter – but we really should be thinking of
Christmas. The shape of the cross itself – the vertical beam representing our relationship
with God and the horizontal beam representing our relationship with each other - symbolize
reconciliation. The true meaning and message of Christmas is all about reconciliation. The
very reason God sent Jesus into the world was so that our relationships with God and with
others could be restored. Christmas is about restoring relationships and many of us have
relationships that need mending. God wants us to value relationships and make every effort
to maintain them instead of discarding them whenever there is a rift, a hurt or a conflict.
Jesus was born so that we could be reconciled to God (vertically) and reconciled to each other
(horizontally).
ONE THING BANISHES THE “GHOST” OF OFFENSE: FORGIVENESS
Forgivenessis rememberinghow muchyou’ve been____________
Be gentle with one another, sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in
Christ forgave you. (Ephesians4:32 - Msg)

2. Forgiveness is refusing to let past offenses ___________________ you
Only fools get angry quickly and hold a grudge. (Ecclesiastes 7:9 - CEV)
Forgiveness is relinquishing your right to get _____________________
Never avenge yourselves. Leave that to God,
for he has said that he will repay those who deserve it. (Romans 12:19 - LB)
Forgiveness is always responding to evil with _____________________
Do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you,
pray for those who mistreat you. (Luke 6:27-28 - NIV)
Forgiveness is ________________________and second _____________
Those who refuse to admit their mistakes can never be successful. But if they confess them &
forsake them, they should always get another chance. (Proverbs 28:13 - TLB)
Forgiveness is ___________________ theprocessas long asnecessary
Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me?
Seven times.” “No, not seven times”, Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven!” (Matthew 18:21-
22 NLT)
At the first Christmas, the angels announced, “ Peace on earth , good will among
men.” In other words, Christmas is a time for reconciliation, for forgiving and for restoring
broken relationships. One of the best ways to celebrate the true meaning and message of
Christmas is to promote peace. Our world desperately needs peace. Wars are never-ending.
All around us we see broken relationships. Our family get-togethers during the holidays are
often marred by strife. This year as we prepare for Christmas, let us work at making peace.
God blesses those who work to make peace between people. (Matthew 5:9 - WE)
P __________________________________
E __________________________________
A __________________________________
C__________________________________
E __________________________________
Theghost of offense divides us
Theghost of offense damagesus
Theghost of offense destroys us
Forgivenessis rememberinghow muchyou’ve beenforgiven

3. Forgiveness is refusing to let past offenses control you
Forgiveness is relinquishing your right to get even
Forgiveness is always responding to evil with good
Forgiveness is restoration and second chances
Forgiveness is repeatingthe processas long as necessary
Peace
Erases
All
Conflict
Eagerly