Stumbling Blocks 3-31-96 AM

3-31-96 AM

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Romans chapter 14. Would you also pick up 1 John chapter 2? Romans chapter 14 and 1 John chapter 2. It's going to be hard to calmly preach this message this morning. So I'm starting out calm. Purposely. But I won't stay calm when we get to a few parts of this. So if I get a little bit excited or excitable, just realize that the book is exciting. And Christianity is exciting. But if we're not careful, that excitement can go out of our Christianity. Look at Romans chapter 14, and let me just introduce this with a few scriptures. Romans chapter 14. And notice if you would verse 11. Verse 11. For it is what? Written. And once it's written, that's it. Amen? For it is written, as I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. It did not say every knee may bow. It did not say every tongue might confess. It said every knee and every tongue will one day bow and confess to God. Amen? So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. Knowing that, every knee will bow and every tongue is going to confess. And knowing that every one of us is going to give an account to God one day, look if you would at verse number 13. Let us not therefore judge one another anymore. Why? Because one of these days every one of us is going to give an account to God, and God is the righteous judge. Amen? Don't take this wrong. It's good that I'm not judging you. And it's good that you're not judging me. But judge this rather. That no man put a what? Say it, stumbling block, or an occasion to what? Fall in his brother's way. So it's talking to Christians here, and it's saying, listen, Christian, you need to remember something. One of these days we're all going to give account of ourselves to God, so we need to be careful in our judgment one of another, and we need to be careful that we don't put a stumbling block in our judgments or an occasion to fall in our brother's way. That's Christian to Christian. He says this, if we would, in verse 14, 15, and 16, they're talking about the context of whether or not they should eat meat or eat vegetables. In Romans chapter 14, it begins with that. And the idea here in verse 15 says that we're not supposed to destroy anybody with meat, meaning if we think we should eat meat or not eat meat. It's not a major enough doctrine to where we should be going out and destroying each other with this doctrine. Look if, if you would, verse number 19. Verse 19. Let us, therefore, follow after the things which make for what? Say it. Peace. Who's the us there? Christians. And things wherewith one may what? Edify. Edify means to enlighten, uh, to make easy to be understood. Uh edify also has to do with encouragement, wherewith one may edify another. And it says, For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure, but it is evil for that man who eateth with offense. It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor what? Anything. Now wait a minute. It says it's neither good to eat flesh or drink wine nor what? Anything whereby thy brother does what? He stumbleth, or is offended, or is made what? Weak. So the idea here is I am supposed to do my best as a Christian to stay away from things that would cause my brothers or my sisters in Christ to stumble, and if they stumble, to fall. Hast thou faith, have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that which he allows us. So the idea, brethren, is this, and you would agree with this, and you know this. As a Christian, I am not supposed to put a stumbling block in others' lives that would cause them to stutter, to stumble, and to fall off their path. Please look up here. We all as Christians have a race to run. Is that right? And we're supposed to run that race with patience. It's set before us. Who sets it? The Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord has set for Doug Fisher a race that he's supposed to run. It's a course that's been charted, and he has that race to run. And what I'm supposed to do is look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of my faith. Why? Because looking unto him makes this race course and makes this trials that I have along the way a lot easier to run. If I'm not careful, if I look too close in, I won't run the race that's set before me. Are you listening to me? But along the way, there's going to be some trials and some troubles and some things that go on. And also, there may be some stumbling blocks cast, not only by the world, but by other Christians. Now I make a statement to you. Nobody cast any stumbling blocks before me last week. I do not have a fit to pitch or anything like that. Amen? I'm not here because, well, I wonder what happened to the preacher and who did what to him? You know what? Nobody did nothing to me. God's been real good to me. And if they did something to me, I don't know about it and don't want to know about it. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen? So now, knowing that there's going to be some stumbling blocks that are cast, and by the way, I believe, without a shadow of a doubt, over the last 16 years that I've been a Christian, I know I have cast some stumbling blocks in my brethren's way. Sometimes knowingly, probably, and sometimes unknowingly, but the older I get in Christ, the less I want to throw rocks in people's way. They're running along, and I don't want to throw big boulders in their way, so they trip. Because I know that God is not pleased with that. Amen. Say amen. And with that in mind, look at 1 John chapter 2. 1 John chapter 2. In 1 John chapter 2. Look if you would, verse number 9. Verse number 9. He that saith, he is in the what? Light. And hateth his brother. Is in darkness even until now. He that loveth his brother, what does he do? He abides in the light. He stays in the light. And there is none occasion of what? Stumbling in him. Now, you know, interesting verse of scripture there. He that loveth his brother lighteth in the light. And there's none occasion of stumbling in him. I already know, look up here, please. I already know that I'm not supposed to cast stumbling blocks in a way. Bill, would you come up here real quick? Let me just illustrate what I'm talking about. And uh, Brother Bill, you start over there. And you just uh you just kind of uh you're running your race and you're jogging along as a Christian. By the way, uh I hope you don't mind a visual illustration. I'm not trying to, I'm not trying to make you think that that you're simple and you don't understand. So it sometimes things stick when it's visual, that when we're out there living in the world, if you would, not in the world, uh, if you would, we're in the world, but not of the world. But as we're out there living our Christian life, all of a sudden God will bring up something to your mind and said, wait a minute, don't do that. So Bill's running along in his race. What I'm supposed to not do, just run along, jog along there, Bill. I'm not supposed to throw a stumbling block out there. Is that right? And cause him to what? Fall. I'm supposed to encourage him along and let him run his race. In fact, what I'm supposed to do is this. He comes running along, and if I am I his I'm his friend and I have some offense or something, what I'm supposed to do is he runs along, I'm supposed to get this thing out of the way. Is that right? Why? I'm not in competition with him. Only competition I have is with me. It's me to me. I'm trying to run the race as best I can and reach my potential. Is that right? I'm supposed to encourage him, he's supposed to encourage me, and on we go. But practical Christianity says this we do do it sometimes. Don't we? No, one more time. Please. What was that? What was that? You're already getting a hint, aren't you? Now the idea is this. Uh we don't rehearse these things. The idea is this then. Let's say that Bill's running along and I cast this out. He has a choice to make. Is it gonna stop him? Or is he gonna go around it? Amen. Go ahead, Bill, run along. He's got a choice to make right there. Yeah. How old are you now, Bill? What? 58? How many of those do you think you could jump over? I think we ought to go for a record here, don't you? We'll call this the evil canival message, amen. No, I'm just kidding. Now, Bill, go, uh, I'll let you take a rest. How old are you? 58? Next month you're 58? Here, take a rest, Brother Bill. I mean, come on, sit down, take a rest. Look at verse 10 again. He that loveth his brother abideth in the light. And there is none occasion of stumbling in him. You know, as you think about that, I think you really need to look at that and see two things there as a possibility. One, I'm not supposed to stumble anybody else. And two, if I love my brother, I'm not going to let him stumble me. Why? Because there's none occasion of stumbling in me. And I can just go around it. I want to make a statement. Eve stumbled. But Adam had a choice whether to stumble or not. Is that right? Eve stumbled, but Adam had a decision to make whether or not to stumble. Oh, he made the wrong choice. Wouldn't you agree? Yes or no? The children of Israel, when they came out of Egypt, man, they were stumbling all over the place. But Moses had a choice. Moses had a choice whether to follow or lead and whether to stumble or not. I think about Joseph and his brethren. Remember Joseph? Joseph, his brothers, they cast him into the pit. He was sold off into the hand of the Midianites. He went over there. He was put into prison. You know, Joseph had a choice whether or not to let his brothers stumble him. Is that correct? You see, brother, we have a choice when someone causes the, has a stumble and they throw something in our path, we have a choice either to trip and fall and let them stumble us or to go on around it and keep on going for the Lord Jesus Christ. We have that choice, don't we? When you think about David, David had Saul, and Saul constantly was chasing him. David had a choice whether or not to let Saul stumble him. If you remember at Ziglag, the men that David was leading, they wanted to burn him. I mean they wanted to stone him because the city was burned, and he had a choice whether or not to go on or not. If you think about Nehemiah, stay with me, when he went to Jerusalem. All those people in Jerusalem had stumbled, and he brought new people in to begin to build the wall. But there were still things that were potential stumbling blocks there. And the reality is in Christianity, most people don't stumble because of Christ. Most people stumble because of Christians. Make a statement. Many, many, many Christians who've been saved two, three, four, five years and been in church. It's not so much the world that gets it. It's Christianity. Now the byproduct, the primary, is Christianity. And then if they're not careful, they go on out into the world. Oh, Brother Bill, throw a stumbling block in front of me just real quick. Here's the way it goes sometimes. I'm running along. And out comes the stumbling block, and I what? Fall. Boy, I break a microphone. Now look what happens. The next thing that happens if I'm not careful, now that I've fallen, I have a tendency to look at him and say it's your fault. And what happens next? I'm heading for the world. Is that right? And you know what I'm telling the world? The Christians. The Christians. They're the problem. The Christians. Yeah, I've done that before. That's why I'm here. Amen? A lot of times, now I understand the world draws some of them away, but a lot of times, take your stumbling block back. A lot of times, it starts with a stumble and goes on from there. When you think about it, uh, Jesus made the right choices. But let me ask you a question. Did Peter deny him? Did Judas betray him? I mean, but he didn't let it stop him. He went on through those stumbling box and looked onto the course that was set before him, and he despised this shame, and he went in on and did what the Father wanted him to do. Yes or no? And I'll guarantee you, today, this morning, there are literally, literally hundreds of Christians. Maybe thousands of Christians in San Diego. And somewhere along the way, it was a true offense. I didn't say it was not a real offense. Sometimes when we get that stumbling block cast in front of us, it's a real offense. I mean, it really hurts. It's true. Are you listening to me? It's not, I'm not saying it's not there. I mean it's really there. And it really hurt. And right now in San Diego, there are thousands of Christians out there who have stumbled and are genuinely hurt. But they have a choice. Did you hear me? They have a choice. Just like you and I have a choice. They had a choice this morning whether to get up and come to church or not. It was their choice. And when they get to the judgment seat of Christ, it won't be. Did you see what they did to me? You know what God will say? I had all the love you needed to get by that. I had all the love available for you to get by that. All you had to do was appropriate it because I put scripture in there that says I can give you the kind of love that will forbear and forgive. So you can go on. It was your choice. And you know who will stand accountable? Not the one who stumbled me as far as my race. He will give an account of his own race. But I will give an account of my race and how I let someone else affect me. Are we okay today? Are you thinking? We already made a good choice. If you're a Christian here today, you already had a choice to make. Let me show you something. Look at 1 Peter 2. Thanks, Brother Bill. You can be seated over there. 1 Peter chapter 2. Stay with me now. 1 Peter chapter 2. And would you also pick up Genesis 50? 1 Peter chapter 2 and Genesis 50. You're doing well this morning. 1 Peter chapter 2 and Genesis 50. I'm not down on anybody, as you'll see in a moment. 1 Peter chapter 2 and Genesis chapter 50. We all married made, if you're a Christian, you already had a choice to make. And I want to show you what choice you made. 1 Peter chapter 2. And notice if you would, verse number 6. 1 Peter 2, 6. Wherefore, also it is contained where? In the scriptures. Behold, I lay in Zion a chief what? Say it again. Corner stone. Who's that cornerstone? Jesus Christ. I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone. Do you know what a cornerstone is? If you don't, usually when they begin to build a foundation, the first and the major, if you would, stone they lay that gets everything else plumbed in the right way, as the rest of the foundation is going to be built on that stone, if I understand building right. The building, the first block that's laid right where it's supposed to be laid, if you would, where they're going to set this thing up in old days, it's plumbed this way and it's plumbed that way. It's called the what? The cornerstone. And everything's built on that stone. Is that right? So he said, in the scriptures, say this: I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone. Elect. What's the next word? Precious. By the way, he is precious. Look at verse 4. To whom coming as unto a living stone. Disallowed deed in men, but chosen of God and what? Precious. And it is precious. He is precious. And he says he lays in Zion that cornerstone, verse 6. Elect, precious, and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. Unto you, therefore, which what? Which what? He is what? Precious. Is he precious today? I mean, I don't know about you, but he set the new foundation for my new life. Amen. I had a life that was going to run into destruction, but he set a new course on my life, and he's precious. But unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner. And a what? Stone of what? Stumbling. A what? Rock of offense. Even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient, whereunto also they were appointed. The idea is this. Two possibilities in the way of taking Christ and the message of salvation. We either take it and believe it, repent, accept, as a cornerstone, or we disallow, we don't believe it, and it becomes a stone, a stumbling, and a rock of offense. For example, do you remember, and maybe you don't, maybe you do, some of us, when we first heard the gospel, it was a rock of offense. We heard somebody say to us that Jesus Christ came, that he lived, that he died, that he rose again from the dead, that he shed his blood for us and all mankind, and by his death and his blood, that we needed to have our sins forgiven. And if our sins are not forgiven, then the payment of that sin is eternal separation from God. And it was hard for us to accept that God, the God of love, would reject us because we were pretty good people. And it became a rock of offense and a stone of stumbling. Isn't that right? Yes or no? Sure. For many of us, when we first heard it, we said, I just can't believe that God, being a God of love, would reject me. I'm not as bad as this person. I'm not as bad as that person, but may I say this? We weren't as perfect as Christ. And the idea when we first hear the gospel and somebody says, I don't think you ought to be that clear about it. It either is a rock of offense, a stone of stumbling, or it is the chief cornerstone. There can be no other way. It's either light or it's darkness. It's either believed or it's not believed. If someone doesn't believe the gospel of Jesus Christ and the penalty for sins not forgiven, it is a rock of offense, a stone of stumbling, and they'll go no further. Say amen. But praise the Lord. God got through to us.

unknown 19:19

Amen.

SPEAKER_00 19:20

And when we heard the gospel, received it, we repented, we believed, we accepted, He forgave our sins in that day. God laid the cornerstone out and says, Now let me start building your life all over again. If you've never received Christ as Savior here, when you hear that message about the gospel, the death, the burial, and the resurrection, the idea that if you don't receive Christ and have sins forgiven, and that's a rock of offense, all you need to do is receive it, and all of a sudden that rock offense, that stone of stumbling, will turn into a stepping stone. A cornerstone, a foundation stone. Now, for we as Christians, when we heard that opportunity and the two topics presented as far as Jesus Christ, either the cornerstone or the stepping stone, the stone of stumbling, and the rock of offense, or the stone that will help us, we decided to receive him as Savior. So we made the right choice. Now, as Christians, we have literally come up day by day different things that we have to make a choice about again. I want to illustrate something to you, and I want you to listen to me very quickly and carefully. And I want to use a couple other guys here. And uh, Brother Bill, I tell you what, uh, you and me, let's uh let's go down here. Uh, can I use a couple other guys? Let's see. Brother Bowers, would you mind? Come right over here, Brother Bowers. I'm gonna ask you to stand right over here. Brother Roy, would you mind? Could I use you this morning? You don't mind me giving you an illustration, do you? Brother, Brother Roy, just stand right over here. Oh, about right like that. And let me set our course up here, Brother Bill. If you would, we'll throw a few stumbling blocks out there along our path. Because you know what, uh, there is some stumbling blocks that are gonna come around in our in our path as we go on for Lord Jesus Christ. Uh, brother Bowers, uh, you can put your Bible down there and you're gonna use this a little bit later on, okay? I I'm sure you'll know what to do with it when it's time, amen. And uh let's see, I need uh I need one more runner. Uh brother, why don't you come? Uh just new to our church, uh Good Marine. Is there any such thing as a Good Marine? Now here's the deal. What you're looking at is two different types of Christians. Now stay with me. This Christian's over here, they're running the race that is set before them. And you know, it's it's interesting. God does set them up for us to go two by two, three by three. What? If one falls, the other one's supposed to do what? Help the brother up, is that right? That's why marriage is a good thing. One falls, the other one helps the other one up. Amen? By the way, marriage is not set up. I didn't, God didn't give me my wife, and God didn't give my wife, her husband, to be a stumbling block to each other. He he set us together before the foundations of the world, knew that we would come together as husband and wife, and we're supposed to be an encouragement. To each other. Amen. Sure. Now, the second uh, if you would, I want to illustrate here, these are some Christians that are, if you would, uh by the wayside. I don't know what happened in their life, but they're not in their race running. In fact, they're kind of on the sidelines right now, and they're not really active in Christianity that much. And, you know, they still live in this world and they're still safe, but as far as bringing forth fruit to the Lord Jesus Christ, you know, not a whole lot right now because they're kind of on the wayside and somewhere along the way they stumbled and didn't get back up. Are we okay? Now, do you agree that there are people out there like that? Come on, talk to me. And such were some of you. Amen. Stay with me now. Oh, by the way, I could go around right now and introduce to you people. Well, let me give you the illustration first. So here's the deal. We're running a race together, and we're we're along our way here, and we come up to a stumbling block. Now let me get in the middle here, brother. All right? And uh we're we're running our waist and kind of jogging along, and that stumbling block comes up, and these two are gonna go around the first one, but I'm gonna stumble, if you would. In fact, what's gonna happen, I think, might be even a little bit better. Uh, we're gonna both stumble here. And Bill's gonna come back, and he's gonna offer to pick uh one of us up, and he is going to be picked up, but I'm gonna stay down and just kind of watch as we go through this. So we're running along in our race and running along, and we both fall and we stumble, all right? Now, Bill sees that, stay with me, and he comes back and offers a hand to both of us. Now, I got offended. I really got offended. Brother Ken, is that right? Ken got offended too, but I didn't have as much love in my heart from Christ as Ken had. And when Bill comes back to me, I say, leave me alone. Leave me alone. I'm sick of it, I'm tired of it. But Ken, he gets back up. Amen! And stay with me. What happens to me? I either lay here, or if you would, in this illustration, as they run on, run on, they go around that stone block and run state right there. I kind of get over here on the sidelines. Because now I'm hurt. As I watch Christians run by, you know what happens to me? I don't gravitate towards them. You know who I gravitate towards? Because you know what? He understands. They don't. They're just into their own thing. They don't care about me. But but he can relate. And misery loves company. Come on, is that right? Now, go back down there, guys, if you would. You're gonna run a few laps here. And as Christianity, please look up here, as the way, as the flow of Christianity passes me by, and you know what, every once in a while we're over here and somebody gives us the gospel tract, invites us to church on Easter or whatever, and as they run by and go around, go ahead, run around, you know, we could have. You see that? Look at them, a bunch of Pharisees, I tell you what. No love or anything like that. No, no, no. Hey, hey, what's it? This is my illustration. Get back up there. I never said this trouble out of it. Get up there, get right here. You in the Navy? No, that's uh That's okay, Brother Bowers. Just kidding with you. Look up here. But but here's what happens. Say right there, guys. As the as they pass by, you know, misery loves company. And uh, we're over here, you know what? We're having a little pity party. Now, now let me say something. I'm not trying to be without compassion. But we have a choice. It's not Christ that we have a problem with. It's what? Christianity. But if I have a problem with Christianity, I'm gonna make a statement. I do have a problem with Christ. Because I'm not in fellowship with his family. Did they do something? Yeah, they did something. Sure. You stay around Christianity four months, three months, two months, a week. Something will happen. But you have a choice to make. Now, they come running along. And uh, we've been having good fellowship, and they keep running along. But after a while, Brother Roy here, he keeps watching him and looking at him. And you know what? His heart, every time they run by, he starts getting convicted. Go ahead again, guys, all right? And this time, uh, Brother Ken, you fall again, and Bill, you help him up. And uh, just stay down, okay? Watch. Go ahead. Fall, Brother Ken, Bill, right there. And he falls. And now, right now, Brother Roy, he's over there and he's watching this thing. And he's watching him get back up and everything, and off they go again, and they run in. And you know what, Brother Roy here, he's he's just watching the whole situation. And you know what? In his conscience, it's starting to get to him. You know what we're doing right here? We're watching our time and our life pass by, but we're not doing a whole lot. Oh, we're going to work and we're, we're, you know, we're we're not we're not stealing or robbing or getting drunk or anything like that. We're just not bearing fruit. Oh, brother Roy's been watching, and he slipped into a preaching service, something like this, and the preacher got up and preached something like this, and boy, his conscience just really got him. One more time, guys. And now, this time, watch what happens. Bill, Ken stumbles again. And uh now, God has really been working on Roy, putting some love back there. And he gets back up, and this time, as they run one by, you know what Roy does? Go ahead. Run by? He falls in behind him.

SPEAKER_01 27:43

Amen.

SPEAKER_00 27:44

Just run and starts running his own race again. Is that right? And that's how it happens. You know what that's called? Um, restitution. Reconciliation. Whatever you want to call it. It's called getting back in the race again. It's called getting back up again. And there's people in here, you were down, but you got back up again. Why? How? Through the love of God. Maybe a couple Christians came along and helped you. And we ought to have a ministry of reconciliation. One of the big things we try to do in our church is not just get other people saved. Well, you know we want to do that. You want, you know we want to see people get saved. But one of the things we've majored in is helping other people back up again, too. We want to help them back up. Why? Because their life is passing by and they've not had some of the opportunities that they could have if they get back up and get going again. Amen? Amen. Well, who will receive me? Who will accept me? You don't know what's going on. Hey, we'll accept you, we'll receive you. Why? Because Christ does, we will too. Amen? Stay with me. Go back one more time. So, here's the deal. Roy, you're right here. Stay right here, brother. Just what you did before. And uh, Brother Roy, you'll be on this side. This time you know what to do. Gets back up, Roy sees it, and off he goes, falling back in, and Roy comes along, and what happens? And Roy falls. Why? You know what? We don't like that. We're not really that. I mean, we're we're all for Roy getting back in, but you know what? It makes us feel bad now. What do you mean? I mean, we're over here on the sidelines and kind of fellowship now, and everything's fine, and well, Christ loves us, but you know, we're just we're not in the main line. And one of our own leaves us and jumps back in the race. You know what we have a tendency to do? Throw out that stumbling block again. Now, right now, Roy has a choice. What's he gonna do? Which group is he gonna stay with? Hey, look up here. We're all gonna end up in heaven together one day. We're all staying. Well, brother, we're all going to heaven. The difference is these are going after giving God pleasure, and we are just looking at our sick house and molly grubbing with our own sick house, and we're what we're doing ripping is robbing God of some of the pleasures and the purpose and the reason he put us down here for. Are you listening to me? And at the judgment seat of Christ, our works will be judged, 1 Corinthians chapter 2, and their works will be judged. You know what's gonna happen to us? We're gonna suffer what? Lost. You know what's gonna happen to them? They're gonna get a reward. You say that's scriptural? That's scriptural. Yeah, we're all gonna be saved. Well, you say, if we're all gonna be saved, what makes the difference? I don't have time this morning to show you, but it makes a huge difference. God's got something planned for those who are faithful. Now, Roy right here has a choice. He has a choice to roll over and come back with us, or he has a choice to receive this helping hand and get back up himself. Now, wait a minute, stay with me. Hold it, hold it, hold it. Look up here. Please look up here. How does he know what to do? He saw it back here. He saw somebody else fall and get back up. You know what that takes? Some humility to get back up and receive a hand and receive help. It takes a little humility. Humility is not weakness, humility is strength. So Roy has a choice what to do right here. So the hand is offered. Now, you know what you want him to do. But he's got some habits developed now. He already stumbled one time and fell off. Off the way. And now what has to happen, and here's the battle, please look up here. It's old nature versus new nature. That's the battle right there. It's old nature versus new nature. His old nature would say, good to have you back again. His new nature would say, been there, done that. I'm going on. And off they go. Amen. Now, you say that's a that's a silly little illustration. Where are you? Here's what happens sometimes. Go back. Brother Roy. Uh you can run with him this time. Brother Ken, you fall. Go ahead. He helps him back up. Off they go running again. I just can't do it. There's no way I could do that. I just I just couldn't do it. That might be for them, but but I couldn't do it. No, you know what? I just couldn't do it. Could you do that? I couldn't do it. No, no, I'm too hurt. Man, I am too hurt. I am too hurt. Aren't you hurt? Man, I am I am hurt. I am I am hurt. And by the way, you know what hurting people do? Hurt others. Maybe not knowingly. But there's a difference between praying for them and saying, go guys, go! Go, guys, go! And say, Yeah. Amen? There's a big difference. You know who's rooting each other on? The ones that are in the race. You know who's Molly grubbing down and takes offense at every little thing? The ones that are kind of off to the side. Look at Genesis chapter 50. Stay with me, guys. Why don't you just sit up here for a minute, guys? Genesis chapter 50. Now I know it's silly. But it's not silly that somebody's looking and saying, there's where I'm at. And it won't be silly at the judgment seat of Christ, and please look up here. It won't be silly for the children who follow the footsteps of those along the sidelines. Did you hear me? And children do watch. You know what my wife do? We need to keep running together. Why? Our children are watching. If they ever fall, they'll get back up again because why? They've seen mom and daddy get back up a few times. And by the way, we don't go home and say, oh, we're still hurting and everything. If we do it, they never hear it. I said, if we do it, they never hear it. I said, if we do it, we don't sit around the table and discuss and have roast church.

unknown 34:17

Amen.

SPEAKER_00 34:18

Why? Because we're feeding them something and nurturing something, a seed of discontentment. By the time they're 20, it'll grow and they'll be out of church. But there's a chance they can recover too. I got seven children. Out of those seven, sooner or later, one's going to fall by the wayside. You say that's that's not that's not an optimistic way to look at it. That's a realistic way. At least one out of seven is going to have some problems. Maybe two. But I want to be able to, for them to say, you know what? Dad and mom will keep going. And I'll, you, you know I'm going to be there to help them if I can. But I may get a that may have a period of time where they say, like I said, I don't want any help. Get away from me. Like the prodigal? He may have to go out and eat with the pigs for a while. Hopefully sooner or later he comes to himself. Look at Genesis chapter 50. Attitude. Joseph is sold to the Midianites by his brothers. He goes down to the Midianites, and uh, if you know, he becomes, if you would, a leader in Potiphar's house. You remember the story, if you do. Joseph's wife, I'm sorry, Potiphar's wife. Accoseph of wrongdoing and he didn't do it. Joseph ends up in prison. Stay with me. He's in prison for a couple years, the baker and the butler, and I won't go into all that. Finally, he gets out of prison on a dream that God gives him the interpretation thereof. And Pharaoh makes him the number two man. Now, please look up here. Joseph had a choice. Come here, Brother Bowers. Joseph could have been back over here and said it was unfair. It was unfair. They didn't treat me right. What happened to us, it wasn't unfair. It's not my fault. And I'm justified for feeling like I do. I don't know about you. But uh I'm a victim. I'm a victim of Christianity. Aren't you?

SPEAKER_01 36:06

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 36:07

Uncaring, unloving. Wicked. Don't you feel that way?

SPEAKER_01 36:15

Amen. I enjoy fellowshipping with you.

SPEAKER_00 36:17

You know that? I enjoy getting together with you because you're my friend. You know why we're friends? Because misery loves company. And I'm not rebuking him, and he's not rebuking me and saying, get back in the race. We're just kind of walling around in it together. Amen? I'm not trying to be unkind, but I'll guarantee you there are husbands and wives that do that, and Christians. Look at Genesis 50. Look at the attitude. Look what Joseph says at the end. His brothers come. And verse 18. And his brethren also went and fell down before his face. And they said, Behold, we be thy servants. And Joseph said unto them, Look what he says, fear not, for am I in the place of God. But as for you, who's he talking to? His brothers. This is Joseph talking to his brothers who sold him into slavery, if you would, out of that pit. But as for you, you thought evil against me. But God meant it unto what? That's a good attitude. To bring to pass as it is this day, to save much people alive. You know what Joseph's attitude was? You guys thought to do something bad about against me, but God meant it for good. Now, somebody might say, You telling me what happened to me in the past, God set it up? No, no. Because I know there's things that principalities and powers set up, situations and all kinds of stuff. But may I say this to you? Romans 8.28 is still in the book. Romans 8.28 is still in the book. I said Romans 8.28 is still in the book. Do you know what Romans 8.28 says? Ready? Do you know it? Begin. Well, that's the first time around. One more time. Romans 8.28. And let me do this. If you don't know it, don't be ashamed. Look it up in your book. Highlight it. Romans 8.28. Just a moment. Romans 8.28. Brother Bill, you got it? You know it? Brother Bill probably learned that in the first three months, he would say. Ready? As a congregation, please. Ready? Ready? Begin.

unknown 38:39

That all things work together for good. To them that love God. To them who are called according to the first.

SPEAKER_00 38:47

So if I love God, all things have the ability and the capability to work together for good. Even the things that happen to me that I can't see the good in. Even the things that sometimes is allowed to happen to me, or that I bring upon myself, I either look at it and let it be a stumbling block. Please look up here at a rocket offense and get off to the side and blame it on that which happened to me, and that which happened to me, and that which happened to me and that which happened to me. And I've got it all justified in my mind. I'm justified feeling like a victim. And I can rub it! And I'm not trying to say this thing, be kind and compassionate. I've already been kind and compassionate. Now I'm telling you, if you're a victim, it's time to get back up and do something for the Lord Jesus Christ. Your time is running out. Some, he says, make a difference with love and some fear. To me, that means speak soft to some and not to others. Because we need it. Some of us, I I I like I like the soft approach. Okay. Come back, please. Get with it. Others, let's get going again, man! Whichever one you need. It's time. You say, well, I don't want to. Then that's between you and you. And later, between you and God. You say, wait a minute, I thought we were talking about people out there. How'd it get turned around to us? They're not here. You are. I already told you, it's kind of more of a Sunday night message. But I guess for whatever reason, God wanted it for this morning. You can go walk away, and this could be a rock of offense. I didn't like it. We're never going back there again, Myrtle. What do you think? Because I know. I'll guarantee you, somebody's sitting there going, I just don't like to look at myself that way. He just doesn't know what he's talking about. He hasn't been through what I've been through. And you've not been through what I've been through. We all got our journey. We all got our shoes to walk in. And everybody here has been through trials and troubles and tribulations. Not just with the world, but with Christianity. We had a choice to make. We're going to wallow in it, we're going to get back up. I hope what happens is this. If you go away saying, what did you think, Myrtle? I hope she says, I think we ought to go back next week, dear.

SPEAKER_01 41:29

Amen. Go, Myrtle, go!

SPEAKER_00 41:36

Amen. Why? Because all things have the choice, if you would. If I love God, I can look at that thing that happened to me and I can say, man, I'm going to let that stop me. Or what can I learn from it? You know what I learn a lot of time? That God's grace is sufficient. And his love is sufficient. I have to be partaker of his divine nature to go on. I make a statement again. Nobody's done anything bad to me. You say, Well, you don't know. Oh, really? They have? Well, you know what? I don't know. And you say, well, wait till you find out. Who says I want to find out? Well, don't you want to know? Maybe not. Now, if I can go to them and get it right, then I'd like to know. But sometimes we don't need to know everything. We don't run from it. We face it at times. But when we face it, we face it and say, okay. What can I learn from this? I'm not going to stay on the sidelines. There's too much to do. Go and try to get it right. Last time. We're finished. Brother Roy, one more time. Brother Bill? Brother Ken? Brother Bowers? Watch the whole thing now. And we'll be done. Off we go running, guys. Roy, you've seen it before. Running, no. Keep coming. Keep coming. Keep coming. Right over here, Roy. Come on this side. Alright? Right? Keep coming, keep coming. And he throws it out. Down he goes. Now, Bill offers him a hand. What is Roy going to do? Take it. Now, off they go running. You know what? I look at this guy and he looks at me. I'm out of here. I'm going with them. Amen? And it becomes this. One gets right and goes, it's very common to see another get right. Another one get right, it's very common to see, come on, another one get right. It seems like you see one get right and get going again, another gets right and gets going again. But I make this statement. You see one falter? You see another one falter. Another one falters, you see another one. You know what we like to be at this church? We like to see people get picked up and get going again. I make a statement. I asked you a question. Who do you know? That's on the wayside. Have you gone up to him and said, hey, listen, why don't you get back with it again? Why don't you come with me to church? Oh, I've been to churches, you know. Well, why don't you come with me to this one?

unknown 44:21

Good thing.

SPEAKER_00 44:22

You know it would be a great day to do it? Easter. Because you know they're going to be miserable on Easter. You know it. The Easter bunny and eggs won't do it. It's only consoling a little bit, but it won't do it. What would it hurt to try? Well, they might get offended. They're already offended on the sidelines. Well, what hurt for someone to come along and offer a hand? You know them, I don't. What would it hurt today? To decide I know somebody right now. I make this statement and I'm finished. Wouldn't hurt to pray for them today. And ask God to soften their heart while they're on that sideline. Oh God, soften them up so when they see me come running by and I offer the hand, maybe they'll get back up again and go.