What are we stumbling over?
Proverbs 3:21,23 “My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion:
Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble.”
Proverbs 4:11-12 “I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths.
When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.”
Notice that stumbling comes with ignoring or refusing God’s wisdom and His Word.
Proverbs 4:18-19 “But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.
(the justified are to walk as the sun comes up….first it is not darkness, but grey…then light is brighter and brighter till we have walked with the Lord and there is no shadows in between us….till His light shines down upon us in fullness…”walking in the light” 1 John 1:7)
The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.”
My husband used to preach on these verses, and say: “As Christians, we ought to at least know at what we stumble”.
Do we?
To stumble does not mean that we necessarily fall….simply that we give an occasion of falling….and lose our focus.
(And how important our focus on Christ for ourselves is, in these days!)
But it certainly can cause us to fall….give us a ruin….and cause us to be overcome (instead of overcoming in faith).
Either way, it weakens us….causes us to give way in the things of God…if even for a small time.
There is also our witness to others. If we stumble over His Word,….will we not make others stumble also?
Malachi 2:7-8 “For the priest’s lips should keep knowledge, and they (the people) should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts.
But ye are departed out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble at the law:…”
The Lord showed the priesthood, that they should be ready to speak His Word to any of the people that came to them….
….but instead they would not honor the Word….
…and because of that, many were stumbling around, uncertain of what they should do….and many sinned because of the lack of true knowledge.
And because these men refused to honor the Lord’s Word…. God’s blessing on the people and the nation was withheld.
1 Peter 2:2,7-8 “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the Word, that ye may grow thereby:
(This is the same exhortation as in Proverbs….since you now have the light of the Word….stay in the light, walk in the light, and grow with the light.)
Unto you therefore which believe He is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the Stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,
And a Stone of stumbling, and a Rock of offense, even to them which stumble at the Word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.”
Peter is showing that lack of obedience to HIs Word, leads to stumbling….
….and stumbling leads to dishonoring of the Lord.
He is the Cornerstone of His Word….He is the Rock on which we build our heart-homes. He is precious to all who obey Him.
(Now I want to talk a little about obedience and disobedience. We may think that we are obedient. We pray, we go to church, we read our Bibles, we encourage others to seek Him….but obedience is:
“Believingly doing His Word to us.”
How much do we believe when we pray? How much do we believe when we hear a sermon? How much do we believe the Bible is relevant to us in these days?
This is how much our encouragement to others is blessed.
Because believing Jesus is part of obedience.
What do you have trouble believing Him for?
Disobedience is to wilfully and perversely [stubbornly] not believe…not do what is being told us by HIs Word.
Are we being stubborn about what He has shown us….about us, about our situation, about another?)
Let us not “stumble” over the Word….let us take it to Him, and even if we cry….”I believe, help my unbelief”….let us put our full weight on Him….and step out in obedience.
Preaching, Teaching, and Notes 