Introduction

Good morning, everyone. I had intended to share a topic with you today called Demolition and Construction, which is my latest research subject. However, I find myself physically drained today, feeling quite weary and struggling.

Over the years, I have avoided replaying past sermons; I rarely serve leftovers. Today, I want to make an exception and offer a second serving. There are two reasons for this: first, I am genuinely low on energy today; second, given that I spoke on God Who Tests the Hearts of Men and God, Remember Me and Be Gracious to Me in the past two weeks, I was reminded of a very popular topic that garnered significant attention due to a push from a prominent influencer—The Rock of Offense.

God tests the hearts of men, and God calls us to build walls. God also calls us to build the temple, and then God tears down the temple. Demolition and Construction. If He tore it down, why did God then instruct David and Solomon to rebuild it? Is God toying with people? It is precisely through these actions that the hearts of men can be tested. The human heart is formidable; without testing, its true nature remains unknown.

Therefore, today, I will take God Who Tests the Hearts of Men and God, Remember Me and Be Gracious to Me! a step further and discuss The Rock of Offense. Many stumble at such things, while others are raised up. Thus, many fall, and many rise. God reveals the intentions of the heart. Our God is one who reveals the thoughts and intentions of man. Is it a mule or a horse? Lead it out for a walk, and you will know what it is.

When we carefully consider this, it remains difficult to understand why Joseph shared his dreams with his family, only to be sold into slavery in Egypt. In reality, God was testing him! You have dreams, you believe in Mingding Destiny? Do you truly have this Mingding Destiny? If you truly do, let's see if you still have it after being sold into Egypt, to see if you truly believe. Joseph was sold into Egypt but still maintained his faith, and as a result, he did not remain a slave for life, nor did he rot in prison. Because he did not stumble! Just think, the heart of man is as deep as the sea!

Frankly, I have had a rather challenging time these past years, never feeling truly shepherded, but rather left to fend for myself. But thankfully, God is my shepherd, and precisely because of this, I have not stumbled. In times of difficulty and hardship, I endured. How did I endure? By relying on God, by trusting in Him. Therefore, I have resolved not to expect anything from men but only to please God, so that I may finish the race set before me in this world.

And for this reason, I deeply love God. I have not stumbled on the rock that is Jesus Christ because of my circumstances, nor have I stumbled because of the many terrible things I have witnessed in the churches. I thank God that I have experienced these things, which have allowed me to be tested before Him. Therefore, I am determined to be a good pastor, to do my utmost to shepherd God's flock, and to train generation after generation to run this heavenly race with me.

I know that we still have many shortcomings and fall far short, but we are truly doing our best. Over the years, I have resolved not to serve you leftovers, to bring back old sermons for you to listen to. Today, I will make an exception and let you listen to The Rock of Offense. I earnestly hope that all our brothers and sisters will not stumble in any trial, any test, or even when wronged or betrayed. Whether you stumble or not is a choice between you and me, because we know it is not truly stumbling if we fall because others are doing well and are right. But rather, when others do wrong and are in error, and we still don't stumble!

Sometimes, the hardship of being a pastor often lies in having to say harsh words for the benefit of others. But blessed are those who do not stumble because of this. I believe that God will surely remember what we have done. Some newly arrived brothers and sisters may have a period of adjustment, during which you may experience accusatory voices within or feel as though you are about to stumble.

Actually, you don't need to worry. Before you came among us, you never stumbled because you were already on the ground. Now that you are with us, we help you stand up, but you may still fall. But if you regain strength and stand firm, knowing that Jesus Christ is the rock of offense, knowing that Jesus Christ will reveal the intentions of the heart, knowing that Jesus Christ will test us, blessed are those who do not stumble because of Jesus Christ.

Today, brothers and sisters, you may be weak, you may feel inadequate, but restore your faith within. Know that if you trust in God, trust in the rock that is Jesus Christ, you will never be put to shame. As we begin to stand upon this rock, our lives will surely be built up. I encourage everyone to listen carefully to The Rock of Offense, which is a very, very important truth.

The Lord Jesus is the Rock of Offense

Today, I want to share a very crucial topic with everyone called The Rock of Offense. This topic is very deep, and if I don't explain it well, it might seem as if I am trying to trip people up. Last March, I preached a sermon called Many Will Fall, Many Will Rise, which I reviewed again, and what I am going to say today is roughly the same idea but with different content.

Some time ago, one of our sisters, a grandmother, had her son planning to take her grandchild abroad for a trip, and he was working on the visa and other arrangements. Our sister asked her grandson, Why aren't you taking Grandma along? Her grandson said something that I found very interesting. He said, Grandma, it's very expensive! Very expensive.

When we ponder this, both the grandson and his parents have spent a lot of money on our sister. She has been supporting the family for many years, and they have spent a lot of money, but they haven't earned much. These words spoken before their trip revealed the intentions of their hearts. It is truly interesting. The intentions of the heart are revealed at crucial moments.

If you befriend someone, eating, drinking, and having fun together, you won't see anything. But one day, when you truly need them, you will realize, What kind of friend is this? Actually, frequently testing the intentions of the heart is a very important concept. Our Lord Jesus is a rock of offense. This sounds strange; isn't it woe to those who cause others to stumble? So why is our Lord Jesus the rock of offense?

These words are not mine but are from God Himself, which is a very crucial matter. So how did our God become the rock of offense? I want to explain the essence of this matter clearly today, but my ability is limited, so I will do my best to make things clear. Brothers and sisters, let us explore this together. This is a very important concept.

Some time ago, a sister from England came to us. This sister's life has been very chaotic. When she was young, she prayed for a boyfriend, and one day, she felt a prompting that a certain man was her boyfriend. But that man married someone else, and in a fit of anger, she left the church. Later, she continued to pray, Lord, give me a boyfriend! She ended up dating and marrying another man, who lived off her for seven years, never earned a penny, and constantly sponged off her. She had terrible luck! Then she said to me, Look, how can God do this? I have found that people often like to blame their own decisions on God. God is really unlucky to encounter such people!

The topic I'm going to discuss today is actually closely related to the previous topics, called Overcoming Oneself and The Spiritual Person Judges All Things. To see through how our God causes people to stumble, and why God causes people to stumble, is also a very essential thing. Today, if you can understand that the Lord Jesus is the rock of offense, and know what methods the Lord Jesus uses to do such things, it will be a great blessing for building a victorious church!

Many of the methods I use are learned from the Lord Jesus. If we want to train pastors to be effective, you must understand that Jesus Christ is the rock of offense. If you do not know this truth, it will be difficult to pastor. The church that God wants to build is the body of Christ, and the body of Christ cannot accumulate garbage. We must store our treasures in the kingdom of God and throw away the garbage!

Today, everyone must know that Jesus Christ's church is not a charitable organization, although sometimes we do some good deeds, but it is definitely not a charitable organization. Our Jesus Christ has not done charity. Jesus said, The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me.

In fact, whether you stumble or not depends on the intentions of your heart. The technique used by the Lord Jesus is to reveal the intentions of people's hearts. Today, the ability of us pastors also lies in revealing people's heart intentions! I won't mention how many verses in the Bible talk about stumbling, but today, we really need to sort this matter out thoroughly. Do you know that our God has really stumbled many people? All who fall on this rock of God will be shattered to pieces, and our God has really killed many people.

I say this according to the Bible. The firstborn sons of the Egyptians were killed by God, and most of the Israelites who left Egypt died in the wilderness. Who killed them? God killed them! Does God have to kill people to solve problems? Many things are difficult for us to understand today. The fire from heaven that fell on Sodom destroyed the people of Sodom. Who killed them? God killed them!

When the Israelites entered Canaan, God commanded them to kill everyone. This is really difficult to understand! Isn't our God a good God? How could He kill so many people? Today, I really want to tell you that many people have stumbled on this rock of God, and the person who stumbles will also be smashed to pieces. What I am going to talk about today is a very heavy topic. Why do I want to talk about it? Because I really want to seek the truth of God, I really want to know God, and whoever seeks finds.

If you do not know, you must know that you do not know. If you do not know but think you know, it is called hypocrisy! Our God is so good. When I began to seek, God let me find, and God personally revealed to me. Today, when I share with you the results of my search, I hope everyone will know for sure that whether you stumble or not is your own choice!

Scripture

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 spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul also.” (Luke 2:34)

Prayer

God, reveal your will to us today, so that we can clearly know that the Lord Jesus is the rock of offense, and those who are tripped up by this rock will be smashed to pieces. Lord! We also know that you keep your covenant of love with those who love you, and that you give to those who love you what no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has conceived. Reveal to us today that you are a God who loves us, and also let us understand that you are the rock of offense, and let us know that you are a consuming fire. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen!

God Intentionally Causes People to Stumble

This passage means that many will fall, and many will rise. In my many years of Christian life, I have rarely heard pastors say such things. Most of them do not touch such topics because they feel that God is a God who bestows grace on everyone and does not rebuke anyone. Today, brothers and sisters, we must be sure that our God is indeed a very interesting God. Whether in the New Testament or the Old Testament, our God has always been the rock of offense.

But the Lord Almighty, him you shall honor as holy. He is the one you shall fear, he is the one you shall dread. He will be a holy place; for both Israel and Judah he will be a stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall. For those who live in Jerusalem he will be a trap and a snare. Many of them will stumble; they will fall and be broken, they will be snared and captured. (Isaiah 8:13-15)

Our God has always been the rock of offense. We must be especially careful when reading the Bible. There are many traps in the Bible, such as keeping the Sabbath. Is it in the Bible? Yes! Then why did the Pharisees, who kept the Sabbath, become a brood of vipers? How did the Pharisees come about? They came from reading the Bible, so how could they become a brood of vipers?

The Gentiles who do not read the Bible are still okay, but those who read the Bible have become a brood of vipers. Today, I don't want our brothers and sisters not to know that when reading the Bible, be careful not to read it wrong! Read to God's will, and do not be tripped up by the words of the Bible. The words of the Bible are often contrary to human reason but conform to God's reason.

Scripture:

For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. 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,” that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim. (Romans 10:2-8)

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Moses said that a man who does righteousness by the law shall live by it. How misleading that is! The Pharisees sought righteousness by the law, but did not obtain righteousness. Because they did not know the righteousness of God, they sought to establish their own. Today, brothers and sisters, we must develop a good habit, a clever habit. That is, when we read the Bible, we must know what it is actually saying. Today we know that **the word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart.**

Therefore, when we read the Bible, we must not establish our own righteousness, but trust in God according to God's righteousness. Know that if a person establishes his own righteousness, it is to interpret the Bible according to his own meaning, which is very troublesome. I often hear people interpret the Bible according to their own meaning.

A few days ago, a person came who had been punched in the chest, and as a result, his bone was fractured. Someone in their church is an orthopedic doctor and also does healing and deliverance in the church. I think it is too painful for a doctor to do healing and deliverance. As a result, he said to the person who came to seek God, Your bone is fractured, and it will take a month and a half to recover! Is that the word of God? That is the word of a doctor.

So I prayed for this person, and his pain was quickly reduced, and finally reduced to zero. The problem is that we often want to interpret things according to our own meaning. The Old Testament Scripture caused people to keep the law, and as a result, it became a snare. Isn't that strange? The New Testament Scripture? You must also be careful, it can also become a snare for people to be entangled in. Why is this? Because God wants you to seek, wants you to explore, seek and you will find. In fact, **it is the Holy Spirit who leads you into the truth, not according to human meaning.**

I am really puzzled, and I really want to know, how come so many years of Christians reading the Bible have not read this? In fact, if people do not seek, God's word will become a snare and be entangled. Those who seek shall find, and those who knock shall have the door opened! Seeking must be like seeking bread at a friend's house! Seeking like seeking bread at a friend's house is true seeking!

Everyone will slowly discover that when we are talking about a topic, everyone thinks carefully. Those who seek shall find, grasp the essence of things. The spiritual person sees through all things. Why? Because those who have not seen through, have not grasped, have not sought, God's word has become their snare and they are entangled. Do not take things out of context. Read the Bible to read out God's will. Our God deliberately does this. Our Lord Jesus has tried many ways to trip people up! He is deliberately trying to trip people up! Because He is a rock of offense! You say, how can you say that? The Lord Jesus is love! The Lord Jesus becoming a rock of offense is love! Isn't it?

## How the Lord Jesus Tripped People Up

The Lord Jesus originally wanted to heal the child of the Canaanite woman. The Lord Jesus said that the children's food cannot be given to dogs. That is to say, this Canaanite woman is just a dog. As a result, this Canaanite woman was too clever and was not tripped up by this sentence. When our Lord Jesus wants to say this, don't be silly! If you were this Canaanite woman, you must not say, Why do you say I am a dog? and argue with the Lord Jesus.

What happens then? The child is still not healed. Then what did you go there for? Didn't you go to the Lord Jesus to have your child healed? You went to argue with the Lord Jesus. The Lord Jesus said that you are a dog. If it were me, I would say, Yes, I am a dog. As a result, my child was healed. I get what I want to get, and that is called victory!

The Jacob we imitate is not the Jacob of the New Testament, but the Jacob of the Old Testament, whom God later named Israel. He prevailed with God and with men. When he wrestled with God, God touched him in the hollow of his thigh, and he became crippled. As a result, God said he had prevailed. Jacob is a powerful man! Very, very results-oriented. I will not let you go unless you bless me. As a result, God blessed him, God saved his life, because his brother Esau wanted to kill him, and God saved him from the hand of Esau.

Do you know how good our Lord Jesus is! If you do not know in your heart that the Lord Jesus is a God who loves us, do not know that the Lord Jesus willingly died for us on the cross, was buried, and rose again on the third day, and then we stumble just because we said a word to us. You deserve to stumble! Even without the Lord Jesus, the things of this world would make you stumble! Who made you fall? You say, Isn't there woe to those who cause stumbling? Isn't the one who causes stumbling yourself? If your ear causes you to stumble, cut it off. If your eye causes you to stumble, cut it off. If your arm causes you to stumble, cut it off. Our Lord Jesus takes very harsh measures. So I often do this too.

When I am working, I want to invite a key leader, a leader of a department under me. I have to interview him carefully! He came, sat across from me, I looked at him, and I said a very nasty, very nasty, very nasty thing. He stood up at that moment, and slammed the table, saying, You cannot insult me. Oh! I said, That's good! I'm glad I tried. Otherwise, what would I do after recruiting him?

I sat in my seat and laughed. This laughter made him dizzy. My colleagues who were interviewing with me also laughed. Everyone knew what I was doing, but the person being interviewed didn't know! He didn't know that he was here for an interview, he was here to argue with me. You say, how stupid is that? How stupid would you have to be to do that? I tell you, our Lord Jesus often does this.

Our Lord Jesus originally prepared a reward for us, **if you overcome and are not only not stumbled on this rock, but also built up, you must receive a reward.** So our God is such a God. Our God is so good, so I have never been stumbled. Until today, I have never been stumbled! Because I know that our God is a rock of offense! Why would I choose to fall?

Thank God, it was God who took away from me the root of knowing good and evil from the day He created me. I have never known good and evil since I was a child. Because it is uncomfortable to know good and evil. **Knowing good and evil makes people uncomfortable.** Jesus said to Peter, Get behind me, Satan! Because you are mindful of the things of men, not of the things of God. After just praising Peter, He turned around and said he was Satan. I tell you, most people really can't stand it.

One day, let's try walking together, and I'll say, Get behind me, Satan! I want to see how you react. I do this almost every day. A few days ago, one of my colleagues was in my office crying, almost no one doesn't cry, unless you are a Peter.

## God Reveals the Thoughts and Intentions of People

Our God is really good, He reveals the thoughts and intentions in us. Are you really a person who knows good and evil? If you are a person who knows good and evil, can you escape death after eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil? Adam and Eve had to die after eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you also eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, wouldn't you die miserably? Our Lord Jesus is really interesting. They asked, Who betrays you? The Lord Jesus said, The one who dips his bread in the dish with me. As a result, Judas dipped his bread in the dish with Him. The Lord Jesus did this to reveal the thoughts in people's hearts. Our Lord Jesus is not trying to harm you.

If Judas dips the bread into the dish and thinks in his heart, My Lord Jesus knows that I am going to betray Him. I still have one more chance to choose not to betray Jesus. That is to say, at this time, Judas, after the thoughts and intentions in him are revealed, he can choose to submit to God, or continue to walk his path. But this Judas is a great pity, he continued to walk the path of betraying Jesus.

The examples I am giving today are very interesting. For example, Jesus said that the Pharisees are a brood of vipers, and at the same time He said that God loves the world and gave His only begotten Son to them, so that they would not perish but have eternal life. Why did He say that the Pharisees are a brood of vipers? Because the Lord Jesus wanted to test whether they would be stumbled or not. If the Lord Jesus said that I am a brood of vipers, I would think in my heart, I cannot be a brood of vipers. Lord Jesus, how can I be transformed from a brood of vipers? The Lord Jesus will definitely tell me how to get out.

We must not think that our God is a rock of offense, deliberately trying to trip people up and make them die. No. **Our God wants to reveal the thoughts and intentions in people's hearts.** If it is revealed, and the Lord Jesus says, You are a brood of vipers! If we still don't wake up, how stupid is that! The Lord Jesus opened the eyes of the man who was born blind, but those Pharisees did not know who He was, and even said that He was a sinner. As a result, the blind man said, How can this be a sinner? I have never heard of anyone being able to open the eyes of the blind from birth. He opened my eyes, and you don't even know who He is?

As a result, these Pharisees said, You were completely born in sin, and you still want to teach us? These Pharisees are really too stupid. Everything has to look at the results. If I saw the Lord Jesus open the eyes of the blind, I would definitely follow Him, wouldn't that solve many problems? The Lord Jesus reminded them again and again, but they said that they were descendants of Abraham. The Lord Jesus said, No, your father is the devil. How hurtful these words sound!

After hearing these words, do you choose to be stumbled, or choose to be built up? If the Lord Jesus said that my father is the devil, I would say, Lord Jesus, I want to repent! Today, brothers and sisters among us, can you withstand such rebuke? Can you withstand such pastoring? Can you withstand such transformation? If you can't withstand it, you will fall sooner or later, and the one who falls is yourself.

We must not blame others. Whether you can fall depends on yourself. Some people say, I lacked love since I was a child, so I need more love. Then let me give you more love and see? But I think what is most needed for lacking love since childhood is discipline.

One sister had many problems since she was a child. Did you think I gave her more love? No, I gave her more discipline. She lacked love since she was a child, and she would cry out for her mother as soon as she prayed, especially catering to the flesh. A few days ago, I ran into her and asked her if she had saved any money. She said she had saved a few thousand dollars. This sister has never saved any money. I am already very grateful to God that she can save money now.

> Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust. (Luke 20:18)

That is to say, do you choose to fall on the stone, or the stone fall on you? You can make a choice, do you choose to be a treasure in God's eyes? Or be trash in God's eyes?

> As it is written: “Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense, And whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” (Romans 9:33)

You come to church, we pastor you. You pat your chest and say, Have I ever coveted even a shoelace from you? Have I ever coveted even a dime from you? No, your leaders and I only desire one thing from you: that you can be built up, that you can completely remove the trash inside you, and that you can become a treasure in God's eyes. Trust in God according to God's word, how can you be put to shame if you trust in God?

You may not trust us, but if you are even a little smart, you will realize that it is not because of what we have said, but because of what we have done. What we have done is only to edify the brothers and sisters. If you want the best edification, it is not for us to give you more love. But to give you a stone and see if you can be stumbled.

## Blessed is he who is not stumbled by Me

The arrival of John the Baptist was to pave the way for Jesus. Many of Jesus' disciples came from John the Baptist's side. As a result, John the Baptist went down to prison, but our Lord Jesus did not care much. He did what He was supposed to do. One day, John the Baptist couldn't sit still in prison, so he sent his disciples to ask Jesus, Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another? What nonsense is this? Didn't he personally see the Holy Spirit descend on Jesus and say that this is the Lamb of God? How can he let his disciples ask Jesus this today?

> And that very time He cured many of diseases and afflictions, and evil spirits; and to many who were blind He gave sight. Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them. (Luke 7:21-22)

But is this what John the Baptist wants? What John the Baptist wants is to be rescued from prison. Now that I am in prison, you don't care about me at all. What are you saying these things to me for? As a result, Jesus said one sentence:

Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.” (Luke 7:23)

This is what is meant by the stumbling stone. Could John the Baptist step over this stone? Could he, through this stone, stand up again with renewed strength? Therefore, brothers and sisters, by no means should you think our God is Santa Claus. Our God of the Old Testament and our God of the New Testament has not changed dynasties.

Our Lord Jesus is a stumbling stone; whoever falls on this stone will be broken to pieces. If it falls on anyone, it will crush them. These are not words from the Old Testament but from the New Testament. Brothers and sisters, our God is definitely not Santa Claus, absolutely not the God who gives generously without finding fault. Our God can be stern. He employs all methods to edify our lives.

Just like today, many can emerge from depression; this is the result of my contemplating many reasons behind depression. How many cancers have been healed in our midst? How were they healed? Because those people's thoughts and intentions were too filthy, and they couldn't be cleaned without sulfuric acid and iron brushes. So, I invented many ways to fix the bumps inside you.

We must know for certain what our God values. If what you value is different from what God values, then I am sorry, what you value is in vain; what the Lord Jesus values is most important. The Lord Jesus dealt with John the Baptist in such a way that John's head was even cut off. How much more so you and I? Many people do not understand what the Lord Jesus is doing.

Those of us who belong to the Lord Jesus are spiritual people who see through everything, do you understand? Our Lord Jesus is such a great God! The methods He employs indeed exceed your and my imagination. Although we cannot understand, we know that our God, Lord Jesus, died on the cross for our sins and bore all our curses. What else is there to say? The Lord Jesus reveals our thoughts and intentions, seeing if we stumble on account of Him. Blessed are those who do not stumble because of Jesus.

Lazarus was about to die, but Jesus did not take it seriously, deliberately delaying for a few days. When He arrived, Lazarus's sister said, Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. You see, they almost stumbled. I would say Jesus caused many to stumble.

Choose to Trust God, Be Someone Who Is Not Stumbled

Today, as a pastor who loves God and shepherds His flock, how do you shepherd? Would you, like Jesus, shepherd the sheep who love Him in such a way, causing people to stumble? Woe to you if you stumble because of Jesus; whoever falls on this stone will be broken. Today, the Lord Jesus is building His church within us. The methods He used when He lived are still being used among us today. Amen!

Brothers and sisters, no matter what situation you encounter, do not be stumbled. There was a sister who insisted on following me to believe in the Lord, refusing to leave no matter what, and later became my coworker. Because she is someone who does not fall. She had stumbled before, regretted it greatly, and today she recognizes God anew. Our God loves us so much, not to cause us to stumble but to transform our thoughts and intentions.

Brothers and sisters, know that our God is no different from the God of the Old Testament. The God of the Old Testament also caused people to stumble. The God of the Old Testament created a tree of the knowledge of good and evil and did not allow people to eat from it, placing it there. If you wanted to eat, you could eat, and as a result, Adam and Eve really ate, and after eating, they had to die. Many people ask, What is this all about? Could God not have created this tree?

Our God is that kind of God, causing people to stumble. If people stumble, they deserve it. He led Abraham to Canaan, saying it was a land flowing with milk and honey, but when he arrived, there was a famine, and his wife was stolen. Later, He asked him to sacrifice Isaac. Whether you call it God's trial or temptation, our God is truly powerful. To obtain his Mingding Destiny, Abraham experienced countless trials. After each victorious trial, God richly rewarded Abraham.

God said to Abraham, Your descendants will be enslaved in Egypt for four hundred years. If I heard such words, I would find them very awkward. But Abraham was amazing; he said, My descendants will be enslaved in Egypt for four hundred years, and when the time is fulfilled, they will come out of that place. How wonderful! Why was the Exodus so troublesome? The firstborn of the Egyptians had to be killed completely; this was an unprecedented and unparalleled ordeal.

As a result, the Israelites left Egypt and entered the wilderness. What did they do after entering the wilderness? It would have been better to stroll directly into the land flowing with milk and honey. But in the wilderness, there was no water to drink. Children were waiting for milk, and mothers were dying of thirst. It would be strange not to complain! Why did God torment people like this? To see if you would stumble.

On our path of serving God, let there be torment. You can listen to one of my previous sermons titled Torment. When the cloud of Israel lifted, they would set out, and when the cloud came down, they would camp. This was what the Israelites did, carrying their tents. If the cloud did not come down, they would walk for several days. It was really tiring, relying on their two feet to move forward. When they arrived in Canaan, they were forced to see the tall and big giants there, and the spears were as thick as axles. How frightening! Who wouldn't be afraid? Why did God do this? To test you, to see if you trusted Him.

Today, know for certain that those who trust in God will never be put to shame! Today, brothers and sisters, no matter what you are facing, know for certain that our God still reigns in heaven and on earth. Nothing and no one can cause us to stumble. It is our inner choice whether or not to trust God.

God's Son died on the cross for us, and God gave His Son to us. What is there to say? Will He not also give us all things? Today we must know for certain that although God placed a stone, it immediately separated those who would stumble from those who would not. Those who stumble will fall completely, and those who rise will rise completely.

Do you choose to be someone who does not stumble? No matter how great the grievances you suffer, they cannot compare to the grievances suffered by Jesus or the grievances suffered by Joseph. No matter how much suffering you endure, it cannot compare to theirs. What qualifications do you have to stumble because of someone's words? What we do is far inferior to what the Lord Jesus Christ did. The Lord Jesus is so stern!

For example:

Who is my mother, who are my brothers?” Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister, and mother.” (Matthew 12:48-50)

We really want to say these words, but we dare not. When we say these words, it seems like we lack confidence.

And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. (Matthew 19:29)

We often say this, but we dare not say it. Why? Because we are far from the Lord Jesus in doing so. We are half like Santa Claus and half like the Lord Jesus. After a while, we will be more like the Lord Jesus. The more like the Lord Jesus we become, can you still listen to what we say? Therefore, brothers and sisters, you really must know God. If you are a pastor, you must serve according to the will of Jesus Christ. Let me explain what it means to cause people to stumble and woe to those who do.

This World Often Causes People to Stumble

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 your 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)

This passage is often misinterpreted. After reading it, it seems like we understand, but it also seems like we don't understand. What is the true meaning of this passage? It is that this world causes people to stumble. When we shepherd God's flock like the Lord Jesus, holding a staff in one hand and a rod in the other, chasing away wolves and lions, and using the rod to discipline the sheep when they are disobedient, this is not called causing a little one who believes in God to stumble; this is to enable him to stand up.

Our pastors must by no means think that this is causing people to stumble. Our purpose is not to cause people to stumble but to edify them. Causing people to stumble is all about the logic of the world, not about the Lord Jesus saying a few words that cause people to stumble. The Lord Jesus was tied with a large millstone and drowned in the depths of the sea; the Lord Jesus is one who builds up people. What kind of person causes people to stumble? It's when they say things that sound like Santa Claus: Sister, Jesus loves you. It is hypocrisy that truly causes people to stumble because it belongs to the things of the world.

The following words are about one's own things causing oneself to stumble, which should be cut off. It is not about others causing you to stumble; it is the world's logical system that causes you to stumble. If we preach the words of God, even if they are very stern, what does it matter? This is shepherding. Can't you choose not to be stumbled? It's not that others stumble you, but that you stumble yourself; the choice is up to you.

If you lacked love as a child, we see that Samuel was sent to old Eli as soon as he was weaned. Samuel lacked love even more than you, but he became the most powerful prophet of that generation, alongside Moses, becoming the greatest prophet. If you lacked love since childhood, Joseph lacked love even more than you. He was sold into slavery in his teens. They did not choose to receive more love; they chose to give themselves completely.

If some brothers and sisters lacked love since childhood, what they need today is to be pulled out and driven out from their selfishness. Lacking love is not supplemented with love but with giving. A person who gives himself completely will not lack love. Those with Mingding Destiny will not lack love, and even if they do, they will not feel the lack because God pours out His love into our hearts. A person who feels they lack love and need more love from others has a bottomless pit inside them that can never be filled, no matter how much love they receive.

Determine to Contend with God and with People Until You Prevail, Becoming a Treasure in God's Eyes

Nothing can cause us to stumble. If someone says I am a dog, I will say I am dog dung, and this is a treasure in God's eyes. If God says I am a brood of vipers, I will say I want to repent and be a sheep of God. We must be wise, not caring what others say I am but caring about what I receive. We must contend with God and with people until we prevail. We must receive God's blessing no matter what, and we must never stumble on this rock of Jesus. He who has ears, let him hear.

Our God gave us His only Son, Jesus Christ, so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. God gave us His only Son; will He not also give us all things? God is a good God, a God who watches over us, a God who reveals the thoughts and intentions within us. God wants to thoroughly fix us so that we can receive His grace.

Do not imitate those who are hypocritical. Do not think our God is Santa Claus. Do not say our God is the one who gives generously to all without rebuking. Our God is not such a God. God both rebukes and fixes people. God is also a rock that causes people to stumble upon it. Blessed is anyone who does not stumble because of God. If you cannot be stumbled, you cannot but be rewarded.

In order to build up people, to build up the body of Jesus Christ, to build up God's victorious church, we begin to constantly reveal people's thoughts and intentions within the church, not by saying a few nice words and eating, drinking, and playing together. But if you often use the Lord Jesus' methods, stumbling them a little to see if they fall or not, this is not stumbling people but edifying them. We must always imitate our God.

Our mission is not whether to stumble people but to build up God's glorious church. Our mission is to baptize people with fire, to let the trial of fire come upon our brothers and sisters, so that the thoughts and intentions of our brothers and sisters can be revealed, so that we can become vessels that God can use.

Cast the net down. After hauling a net, the good ones are picked into vessels, and the bad ones are thrown away. Let the holy remain holy, let the filthy remain filthy, let the stumbling remain stumbling, and bring those who do not stumble into God's kingdom to be a blessing to this generation. What we need to do today is to constantly raise the standards, demanding our brothers and sisters according to the standards spoken by the Lord Jesus from heaven, and our brothers and sisters will surely be completely victorious, receiving the grace of Jesus Christ. What a wonderful thing that is.

I bless everyone to never stumble, no matter what environment or situation you face, never stumble. Even if you stumble, rise again. If you are weak, be strengthened again by God. We are determined to walk this path to the kingdom of heaven. Our brothers and sisters are united with each other. You support me, and I support you, and we put aside our disagreements and build up the body of Jesus Christ, building up His glorious church. This unity will surely make us holy and surely make us stand firm, able to trample on the devil and the enemy. This is my expectation, and it is also my deep desire. May God fulfill the cry of my heart!

May God bless everyone!