Introduction

Today, I want to address a very important topic with you all: The Stone of Stumbling. This subject is rather difficult, as it might seem as if I am trying to cause people to stumble. However, that is not my intention. Some months ago, I preached on Many Will Fall, Many Will Rise, which was also not an easy topic.

A sister in our church, her entire family—grandchildren, son, and daughter-in-law—were planning a trip abroad. While packing, the grandmother asked her grandson, Aren't you taking me along? The grandson replied, Grandma, this trip is very expensive. This sister had contributed much to her family, raising and nurturing the children, but the children were more concerned about the cost. Many people reveal their inner thoughts and intentions in life.

Our God is a stone of stumbling. You might ask, How can this be? This is what God says in the Bible, and we must understand it clearly. Recently, a sister from England visited us. I wanted to test whether she could be pastored. She had lived for three or four decades. In her youth, she prayed to God for a husband. However, the man she desired became someone else's husband. Disheartened, she left the church. Later, she prayed to God again and married, but her husband was financially dependent on her.

It is crucial to understand the intentions of the Lord Jesus. This is a great blessing for building the church. Many of the methods I have learned were devised by the Lord Jesus. To train a pastor to be effective, one must understand that Jesus Christ is a stone of stumbling. Understand that the church we are building is the body of Jesus and cannot accept garbage. In this process, God discards the bad and keeps the good. Look at the Bible; Jesus never engaged in charity. He told his disciples, The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. (Mark 14:7)

God's intention is to reveal people's hearts, and we pastors should emulate Jesus in revealing each person's works. Many people, after stumbling on the stone of Jesus, are crushed. In the Old Testament, God killed many people, including the firstborn sons of the Egyptians. The majority of the Israelites who left Egypt were killed by God. Did God have to kill people to solve problems? This question requires asking God and can be difficult to understand. When the Israelites entered Canaan, God commanded them to kill the inhabitants of that land.

Our God is a good God, but why did He do these things? Today, I say that God is a rock, and many are tripped here and crushed. I am addressing this topic today because I deeply desire the truth of God. To know is to know; to not know is to not know. No more pretense, no more hypocrisy. Today, I want to share what I have gleaned: Everyone must know that stumbling or not stumbling is your choice.

Scripture

Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul, too.” (Luke 2:34-35)

As it is written: “See, I am laying in Zion a stone that will make people stumble, a rock that will make them fall; yet whoever believes in him will never be put to shame.” (Romans 9:33)

Prayer

Lord Jesus, you are the God who loves us. Reveal yourself to us and let us know that you are both a consuming fire and a God who loves us.

The Stone of Stumbling is Also Love

This passage speaks of Jesus as both a stumbling block and a source of rising. Many are afraid to say this because they think of God as a God who freely gives blessings, not a God who punishes. Understand that in both the New and Old Testaments, God is a stone of stumbling. Isaiah records:

And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken. (Isaiah 8:14-15)

The Pharisees are a brood of vipers. When reading the Bible, do not misinterpret it; read it with God's intentions in mind. People are often tripped up by the Bible because its words are not based on human logic but on God's logic.

Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes. Moses writes this about the righteousness that is by the law: “The person who does these things will live by them.” But the righteousness that is by faith says: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” (Romans 10:1-8)

Many do not know that Moses said, The person who does these things will live by them, which is also a stumbling block. It is vital to understand what God is saying. The word is not far from us; it is in our hearts. If people follow their own intentions and interpret the Bible according to human understanding, they will be misguided. Recently, a brother came to us with a fractured sternum. A doctor in his previous church said his fracture was severe and would take at least a month to heal. But that was according to human understanding; was it God's word?

God asks people to explore and seek, which is actually the Holy Spirit leading people into truth, not human intention. I really want to know, if a person is a Christian for many years but does not seek when reading the Bible, will God's word become a snare? How do we seek? Like the passerby who asked for bread. A spiritual person discerns all things, so it is important to know God's word and not take it out of context. When reading the Bible, discern God's intentions. In the past, our Lord Jesus tried many ways to make people stumble, but He is a rock—a rock that can cause stumbling. You say that Lord Jesus is love, but I say that this is precisely Lord Jesus' love.

How Does Lord Jesus Cause People to Stumble?

Consider the Canaanite woman. Lord Jesus was originally going to heal her son, but Lord Jesus said that God's food cannot be given to dogs. The woman did not discern good from evil but instead sought. She did not argue with Jesus, Why do you call me a dog? Nor did she quarrel with Him. If my child were sick, even if I were humiliated, I would say that I am like this. But God causes people to be healed, and the result is good. What was Jacob like? He wrestled with a man, and his hip socket was damaged. But he sought God's blessing and clung to God's thigh, which led to a good outcome. This is a wise approach.

Lord Jesus resurrected from the dead for us. If we lose faith over just one sentence, what is that? Is there woe to those who cause stumbling? Actually, one stumbles on their own. If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out; if your ear causes you to stumble, cut it off. Our Lord Jesus is a decisive person. In the past, when I was a leader, I said something harsh to a subordinate during an interview. That person slammed the table and said to me, Why did you say that to me?! I knew I was testing him, but he did not know. My fellow interviewers and I began to laugh because he thought he was arguing with me, not being interviewed. What was this for?

Thank God that when He created me, He erased the root of discerning good from evil from within me. God once told Peter, Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns. Peter's tolerance was truly strong. If I said such harsh words, I wonder if it would be very hurtful. But that is not the purpose; it is to test whether the person can be used. Actually, I test my colleagues this way every day. Such times are difficult, but they reveal people's inner thoughts and intentions. This is a very good test. People who have eaten the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil will die miserably.

Lord Jesus knew who would betray Him because He revealed people's hearts. This is something Lord Jesus did clearly. He did not originally intend to harm anyone. If Judas knew that Lord Jesus knew, he still had the opportunity to choose not to betray Lord Jesus. In fact, Judas could have chosen to submit to God's will, but he continued to choose betrayal. Why are the Pharisees a brood of vipers? This is also Lord Jesus testing them to see what they would choose to do. If I were called a brood of vipers, I would reflect deeply and make sure not to act like one. If one does not wake up, that is foolish.

Lord Jesus opened the eyes of the man born blind. The Pharisees, who did not know who Lord Jesus was, condemned Lord Jesus as a sinner. The blind man knew the truth, but those Pharisees were foolish enough not to see the result. If I were them, I would exclaim, Who is this man?! He can heal someone born blind! Lord Jesus tested them again and again. Although their ancestor was Abraham, Lord Jesus said, You belong to your father, the devil. If Lord Jesus said such things to me, I would certainly repent.

Brothers and sisters, can you withstand such pastoring and transformation? Actually, stumbling is due to one's own choice. Some say, I lacked love as a child, so I need a lot of love. But those who lack love also need to be molded. A sister who lacked love as a child would cry and call for her mother whenever she prayed. The other day, I saw her and asked her about her life. She had changed a lot and had become more organized.

Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed. (Matthew 21:43-44)

Do you choose to be crushed by the stone? If you come to our church, I only hope for one thing: to remove the garbage from your heart and, according to God's word, to build continuously. You must trust God, not based on what we say, but on what we do. That is to build you up. The best love is not giving you a lot of care, but giving you a 'stone' to see if you can pass the test. Before Jesus came, John the Baptist saw the Holy Spirit come upon Jesus, but when he was in prison, he sent people to ask Jesus, Are you the one who is to come? At that very time, Jesus healed many people who had diseases, were suffering, and were possessed by evil spirits, and He graciously enabled many blind people to see.

Jesus replied to the messengers, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: 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 blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.” (Luke 7:21-23)

Blessed are those who do not stumble!

John the Baptist yearned to be rescued, harboring resentment in his heart. However, Jesus declared, Blessed is the one who does not stumble because of me. This was a test for John, to see if he could weather the Rock without being tripped up.

The Jesus of the New Testament remains a stumbling block, a Rock that causes men to fall. Our God is not some Santa Claus figure, lavishly bestowing gifts upon all without rebuke. Many in our church today have emerged from the depths of depression, a journey that has consumed much time. For the impurities dwelling within the thoughts and intentions of the human heart run deep. In this process of building, we must constantly cleanse away old notions. Our God is keen to know what truly holds your esteem.

If the Lord Jesus treated John in such a manner, even to the point of his eventual beheading, it is because He perceives all things, surpassing our grasp. He died for our sins upon the cross, bearing our curse, uttering harsh words to reveal the intentions of our hearts. When Lazarus died, Jesus deliberately delayed his arrival to unveil the thoughts of men. Mary questioned why Jesus had not arrived sooner to save him, a moment where she nearly stumbled. Yet, Jesus loves His sheep dearly. But woe to those who are stumbled by Jesus and those who stumble will be broken.

The methods employed by Jesus during His time on earth remain relevant today. Our brothers and sisters must learn to no longer stumble due to the words of men.

I recall a sister who, after enduring numerous trials, refused to leave the church, ultimately becoming my co-worker. And a brother who suffered a loss of over 1 million RMB, yet his story is good because he was not stumbled. In the Old Testament, God planted the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, forbidding man to eat of it. When Adam and Eve partook, they fell into sin. Our God is a God who causes men to stumble; Abraham journeyed to Canaan, only to face famines and trials aplenty. Yet, after each trial, he was greatly rewarded. God even told him that his descendants would become slaves in Egypt for 400 years. Abraham's response? He accepted it, knowing that despite the enslavement, they would eventually be freed.

The Israelites suffered terribly in Egypt and wandered in the wilderness for what seemed like forever, often lacking water, many grumbled against God; it was to see who would stumble in the process. God deliberately tested Israel. The cloud would rise and fall; if it didn't come down, they might journey for days, to test their feet. When faced with giants in Canaan, whose weapons resembled weaver's beams, fear gripped their hearts.

But whatever you encounter, our God reigns in the heavens. Nothing can make us stumble; only our choices determine our fate. If God gave us His only begotten Son, will He not also freely give us all things? Those who fall, fall utterly; those who rise, rise utterly. Today, do you choose to be one who does not stumble? No matter how much bitterness or injustice you endure, it pales in comparison to the tribulations faced by Peter and Joseph.

Someone once said to Jesus, Isn't that your mother? Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother. These were the words of Jesus. A hard message, isn't it? The Lord Jesus calls us to emulate Him and to know God. If you are a pastor, you must serve as Jesus Christ did.

Do not be ensnared by the world

“If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things are bound to come, but woe to the person through whom they come! If your hand or foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.(Matthew 18:6-9 NIV)

Better to lose a hand or foot than to have two eyes cast into hell. When I read these words, it was difficult to fully understand. People often misinterpret these words. The truth is, the world is designed to make people stumble. If we want to survive in this world, we have to confront the lions and wolves. Our goal is not to indulge in the flesh, but to fight. The words of Jesus are not stumbling blocks; the system of God is not meant to trip us up, but to build us up.

It is not others who cause you to stumble, but the world's system of logic. When we preach the word of God and shepherd the flock, our intention is not to cause anyone to stumble, but that is your own choice. It lies within oneself. Samuel, from a young age, was brought to old Eli's place, surely he lacked more love than you? Yet he became a prophet as great as Moses in that generation.A person with Mingding Destiny will not lack love. If someone feels they lack love, they are like a bottomless pit, impossible to fill. If someone says they are a dog, I say they are even lower. I cannot change anything, but I choose not to stumble on this Rock, Jesus Christ. He who has ears, let him hear.

Our God gave us Jesus Christ, so that we would not perish but have eternal life. Do not imitate the hypocrites; do not say that our God is Santa Claus. Blessed are those who do not stumble because of God. Building God's church is to reveal the thoughts and intentions of men, not through flattery, not through feasting and merriment, but through learning the ways of Jesus and emulating God.

Conclusion

Our mission is not whether or not we stumble others, but to build the church of God. Our mission is to baptize all people with the Spirit of God (the Spirit's influence), the fire of the Holy Spirit is used to sift the good is chosen, and the bad is left behind, bringing the good into God's kingdom, and constantly demanding brothers and sisters according to the standards of heaven, in which we must triumph! What a wonderful thing that is! May God bless you all!