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Good day. Today's video Obstacle Course is on the topic of: Christ is the Rock of offence, the Word that many stumble at. There are many obstacles in life, it's an obstacle course. For those that are walking with the Lord, they learn to overcome their lower nature and the obstacles of the carnal mind, the carnal limited thinking of that fallen nature, and overcome the wicked one, the god of this world. Whereas those that are walking against the Lord, they stumble and fall, they get entrapped, unable to overcome the impediments placed in their path by the god of this world. Others begin in the Spirit, they endure for a time, but when affliction and persecution arise for the Word's sake, immediately they are offended and having no root in themselves they fall away; and others start to stumble at the cares of this life, the deceitfulness of riches, and lusts of other things that choke the Word in their life and it becomes unfruitful, they then can become a stumbling block to other believers. Those that come against the doctrine of Christ or don't understand it, they themselves become a stumbling block, a rock of offence or an impediment because they don't understand the true plan of salvation and the way the Lord intended it to be, and they teach contrary to it and cause others to stumble as well. Jesus Christ is the Chief corner stone of the foundation of God that stands sure, and every one the names the name of Christ departs from iniquity. Are you stumbling or standing firm? Is your foundation upon the Rock or upon the sand which cannot withstand? You can view all previous videos by going to our YouTube channel Doctrine of Christ Ministry or by clicking on our archive page link above - Doctrine of Christ Ministry Archive. Have a blessed and prosperous day in Christ Jesus our Lord. Williams New Testament translation for Matthew 5:37
37. But your way of speaking must be a simple `Yes' or `No.' Anything beyond this comes from the evil one. How sound and sure is the speech that is proceeding from your mouth? Are you absolutely sure that what you say is what you mean? Are others around you sure of where you are coming from or are you one of those that claim to be one of God’s people, but yet still friendly with the worlds way of thinking? The world and its way of thinking is full of nice guys, okie dokie people that don’t like to ripple the water; people that would rather tickle ears than feed the spirit; professing themselves to be wise, they actually are fools. Practice what you preach, being a written epistle that is easily known and read of all men so that there is no doubt about who you really are and who you are a representation of. Matthew 12:35-37 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. (36) But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. (37) For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. (KJV) Some of the definitions for the word idle include, inactive, lazy, as well as useless words that obviously are not spiritual and not bringing life to the hearers. These words can come in the form of flattery, saying one thing but meaning another, presenting a false front, words that you will need to give account of before our heavenly Father and basically explain to Him why you lied. If you are not sure what to say, or cannot say it faithfully, then it would be best kept unsaid until a time you knew was appropriate. Maybe your perception of a situation isn’t totally clear, so rather than shoot first and aim second, you need to make sure of who or what you’re pointing at before you fire a round. The church of God, which is His people, really need to understand how important our words truly are, because as we see in the above verses they can definitely make or break your fellowship with the Father; and if not checked, even to the point of eternal damnation. Matthew 18:15-17 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. (16) But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. (17) And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican. (KJV) The word of God is very clear on how to handle a matter, especially between the brethren. As we see in the above verses there is a very clear and orderly pattern for how things should be dealt with in the Church. However, despite how clear and precise it is laid out, most of the time it is handled in reverse and sometimes to the point of making molehills into gigantic mountains of strife and contention, let alone the backbiting. If you have an issue with someone concerning their walk with the Lord, after hopefully praying about the situation first, then it would be fitting to go and discuss the matter with the individual first, face to face to see if it can be resolved. Maybe what ends up getting resolved is your own take on the situation and how what you perceived was a problem was actually more of a simple misunderstanding, lack of communication if you would, which the enemy was more than delighted to throw fuel on the fire to keep it burning. If the issue does in fact turn out to be something that needs to be dealt with, and the person you spoke to wasn’t very open and wanted a clearer explanation, or wasn’t receptive to resolving the matter, then you can take one or two more with you, which not only refers to brethren, but having at least two spiritual witnesses of the word of God to back up your claims. I have seen firsthand what happens when this order is reversed; how when a situation arises among the brethren it first gets published to everyone else other than to the person involved in the matter. Then after a public proclamation is made to everyone else, sometimes they find out that it wasn’t really such an issue, rather their own personal differences which were based more on their carnal senses and not their spiritual ones. Simply put in laymen’s terms, whatsoever is not of faith is sin; if you can’t faithfully say something to a person’s face, then by God you should not be saying and spewing this petty nonsense to everyone else’s face. Talk about speaking in an unknown tongue; nothing is more unknown and contrary to our Lord than backbiting, strives, and petty contentions over things that have nothing to do with salvation, but rather personal misguided jealousies of people who think they are getting the short end of the stick. When you sin against the brethren, as the Bible says, you are sinning against Christ Himself. A fire can be a good thing; it can be used for cleansing metals, cooking and heating, but it can be a deadly destructive force if it is fanned with winds of the tongue, a wildfire out of control that destroys anything in its path. Proverbs 27:3-6 A stone is heavy, and the sand weighty; but a fool's wrath is heavier than them both. (4) Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who is able to stand before envy? (5) Open rebuke is better than secret love. (6) Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful. (KJV) The Bible tells us that the wrath of man does not work the righteousness of God, it is similar to a stone or how about a millstone; you know the one that is tied to those that offend others and then cast into the sea. These factions and frictions that arise amongst the brethren, is it something spiritual or is it something else like envy, your own perception of how you viewed someone else’s walk? Faithful are the wounds of a friend, like with surgery, it cuts deep and hurts but it brings forth healing afterwards. Our Father considers that openness, even if it is in the form of rebuke, is better than a secret love; those whose mouth says one thing but their heart is far from it. And who can forget one of the most famous kisses of an enemy, the one by a man named Judas who was actually a follower of our Lord yet betrayed Him with a simple kiss as though he was still one of His. Are you an open book to those around you, like a written epistle, so that others know who you truly are and who you truly serve; like the term wearing your heart on your sleeve? Or are you more of a people pleaser, kissing up to others rather than taking a stand for who you are, or should I say who you should be a representation of? When you start kissing peoples anatomy you become a friend of the world, which the Bible clearly states is an enemy with God. Those words of faith that you promised God you would speak on His behalf are now idle useless words which are ready to perish and so will those that speak them. 2 Corinthians 12:15 And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved. (KJV) Oh and by the way, I would be negligent if I didn’t warn you about the effects of bringing truth to others around us, especially when we are surrounded by a fallen world, that the more you do open up and bring a message of salvation to, the less you will be welcomed with open arms. In fact if you are looking to be popular with mankind and the life of the party then you have chosen the wrong field, because just the opposite will take place. In fact all you need to do is go through the Bible and see those that stood up for the Lord were the ones the enemy did all he could to knock them down. Kind of like with sporting events, the guy with the ball is the target of the defense because he is the one in position to score and achieve the goal. So don’t take it personal people if you are rejected by mankind; in fact, the closer you get to the Lord the farther removed you will be from those that claim to be of God who are more interested in their own personal matters than our Lord’s. Proverbs 28:23 He that rebuketh a man afterwards shall find more favour than he that flattereth with the tongue. (KJV) That favour, you will find first and foremost should be coming from God, seeking first His kingdom and righteousness, and how He would have you handle a matter. If you are more concerned with pleasing people then you will be more apt to flatter them with smooth words rather than words of life that were intended to build them up, which is what they ignored in the first place. So basically speaking, you need to choose this day who you will truly serve because if you are not willing to speak words of life on behalf of our Father then He will just move on to someone else who is willing to; and then someday you can explain to Him all that idle chatter you chose to speak and all the idle people you chose to please instead of Him. Get real. God bless and have a prosperous day in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 14:13-16 Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way. (14) I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean. (15) But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died. (16) Let not then your good be evil spoken of: (KJV)
Strong’s definition for judge: 2919 krino (kree'-no); properly, to distinguish, i.e. decide (mentally or judicially); by implication, to try, condemn, punish: KJV-- avenge, conclude, condemn, damn, decree, determine, esteem, judge, go to (sue at the) law, ordain, call in question, sentence to, think. If you notice in verse 13 Paul is dealing with a brother, a fellow believer in Christ, one who has chosen the law of liberty rather than remaining under the condemnation of the devil. Paul uses the example of eating meat, which before under the old law had strict laws and provisions concerning its uses. Paul himself was well versed and understood the old law with the best of them, but had come to an understanding of the truth, that in Christ all meat was good, and nothing had to be refused anymore but was now sanctified and fit for use by prayer and thanksgiving; thanking our Father for providing healthy food for His temple. But you know, whether it is food or drink, or any other area that someone is dealing with, it is not for us to judge or condemn them just because they haven’t come to a working knowledge of the truth in certain areas of their walk. Remember how God dealt with you when you first came to Him, and how loving and longsuffering He was in teaching you to walk in the newness of His realm. So with this in mind, would it not be the same for us in how we deal with others; rather than being so high minded and judgmental the most important thing to watch out for would be that the devil doesn’t use one of his workers to trip them up with a false doctrine, a stumblingblock, or a detour to keep them from accessing God through the Son. Romans 14:17-19 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. (18) For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men. (19) Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another. (KJV) Instead of trying to get your point across and engaging in endless petty debates over foods and drinks, or anything else that is of the carnal realm, keep it in the Spirit, and concentrate on the things that make for peace, and that which will build someone up more than tearing them down or putting them down for where they are at in their walk. It is much more important that someone comes to a working knowledge of who they are in Christ, rather than spending more time on what they can eat, or any other thing that pertains more to the temporal than the eternal. That is where you learn and continue to keep your spiritual senses exercised so that you know what the real priority is and what is not worth striving about. Those that use wisdom in these areas will find themselves approved of God, and doing those things that are pleasing in His sight. Romans 14:20-23 For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence. (21) It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak. (22) Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth.(23) And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin. (KJV) Thayer’s definition for offence: 4348 proskomma- a stumblingblock a) an obstacle in the way which if one strikes his foot against he stumbles or falls b) that over which a soul stumbles, that is, by which is caused to sin Here is an interesting take on it; rather than watching out on their behalf and helping them to avoid stumbling by your actions and motives, taking offence to what they believe, you now became the stumbling block, or should I say block head. Rather than being the one that should be helping them in overcoming a situation you are actually setting them back again; and rather than giving them truth you are keeping them in bondage. That does not sound like something that a true servant of Christ is going to find acceptable let alone pleasing in God’s sight. Realize that when we wound someone’s weak conscience, or lack of knowledge in certain areas they haven’t been enlightened to, we are actually sinning against Christ Himself; ouch. You have faith in certain things and have been set free; great, then keep it between you and God; you don’t need to make a public proclamation or a spectacle out of yourself. Verse 21 makes reference to things that rather than building someone up it is actually making them weaker. Which again we see words like stumbling and offending, something we should be keeping out of their path and not putting into it. Basically what are your motives; are you doing your so called good deeds before men to be seen by them, or are you more concerned with pleasing God and doing that which is acceptable in His sight, which by the way is looking at the heart right now? Let me ask this, is everything you do on the up and up; are you able to do it faithfully, or is there some doubt in your walk as well, something you are not able to wholeheartedly justify before God? When you start entering these areas of doubt, whether it involves you alone or how you are handling situations involving others, are you able to do it faithfully? Because if not, it is now in the realm of sin and condemnation of the devil. Maybe that thing you see in someone else’s life, that shortcoming you perceive, is actually a reflection of your own fault and shortcomings; rather than removing the obstacle from your own path it is much easier to concentrate on someone else. Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. (KJV) The carnal mind is enmity with God, and they that are in the flesh cannot please Him. When one withdraws themselves from the realm of the Spirit and back into the flesh they enter a realm of doubt and confusion, one that is not of God, a place of condemnation and a snare of the devil. So please Church, for your sake, don’t even go there. God bless and have a prosperous day in Christ Jesus our Lord. |
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