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Bibleline Bibleline, here God’s word on Bibleline, here God’s truth on Bibleline. Welcome to Bibleline with Dr. Ralph Yankee Arnold, pastor of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida. Clearly declaring the gospel of Jesus Christ through the radio and the internet. Your regular prayers and monthly support make it possible for Bibleline to continue on the air. You can reach us toll-free at 1-800-576-3771. Online donations may be made by clicking on the donations link on the BibleLineMinistries.org homepage. We pray that you will enjoy our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ and that today’s first part of this two-part message will be a blessing to you and your family.

Turn in your Bible to the first Corinthians in chapter 8. First Corinthians chapter 8. First Corinthians chapter 8, I would just want to talk you a little bit about a subject. You ever heard the phrase, you know, been a stumbling block? You’ve heard stumbling block before? You ever try to figure out what’s a stumbling block? That’s a block that’s called stumbling. It’s a stumbling block. It’s a block you stumble over. But do you think it’s actually talking about an actual block, like a concrete block, you know, you stumble over concrete blocks.

Could it be referring to people that are actually causing other people to stumble? I think that’s a good possibility. I think it might have something to do with that. But stumbling into sin, stumbling into sin, some people don’t stumble until they just go like a martin to a god. But here in 1 Corinthians 8, look down in verse 9, verse 9.

He says in verse 9, but take heed, lest by any means this liberty of yours become the stumbling block to them that are weak. In other words, you have in the liberty not to do certain things and liberty to do other things. I mean, misusing the freedom that we have in the Lord. I see we’re not under the law because we’re under grace. Therefore, we don’t have any responsibilities, right? Now we still have responsibility. And if we’d only realize that our greatest responsibility, besides the Lord, is seeing that other people don’t stumble over our decisions that we made.

Now some people are looking for something in regards to otherwise you couldn’t live. Somebody had been out of shape because you decided to be a vegetarian. Well, that’s tough. Some other people they want to just eat nothing but meat. Don’t get caught in stuff like that. There’s things that are a lot more critical that causes people to stumble and to sin. that you need to be careful of. And now we’re gonna look at a couple of those things and I think it can help you.

But look what he says here, less this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to them that are weak. Not everybody is strong. Not everybody can just overlook what somebody else does. So because you care about other people, you wanna make sure that you’re not doing something, you know, deliberately, that that can cause somebody to stumble and you have to be careful of that. Also, he makes a statement here in verse 10, for if any man see the, which half knowledge, said it meet in the idols temple, shall not the conscience of him, which is weak, be emboldened, to eat those things which are offered to idols, and through thy knowledge, shall the weak brother perish for whom Christ died.

So you have to be careful that you don’t set a bad example. And there’s some people say, well, it doesn’t matter how you live. I mean, once you’re saved by grace, doesn’t matter what you do. Well I believe the Bible teaches that it does matter. It matters greatly. And it matters because it bothers somebody else’s conscience when they’re weak in the Lord and they stumble over you misusing your liberty. So he says here in verse 12, but when ye sin so against the brethren and wound their weak conscience, who are you really sinning against?

You sin against the Lord. You sin against Christ. And so you wouldn’t think that, but if you keep people from coming to the Lord, if there’s something that you do in your life that keeps people from growing in the Lord, whether they’re saved, whether they’re lost, there shouldn’t be things in our life because of the biggest goal of believers to get people to come to the Lord. So you don’t want to have something in your life that keeps people from coming to the Lord.

And then there’s those that know the Lord, they have eternal life. for God’s children, but there are not be things in life that keeps a person from growing in the Lord. So we want people to grow. We want them to be strong. And so we’re not just a fan. See there says in verse 13, where for if meat made my brother to offend or cause him to stumble, cause him people to stumble. And it’s what the word means. I will eat no flesh while the world stand unless I cause my brother to offend them, to cause them to stumble.

So you’re not to be stumbling block in the lives of other believers. Now look in chapter 9, chapter 9 and verse 19. But first Corinthians in chapter 9, look there in verse 19, for though I be free from all men yet have I made myself servant unto all I made myself a servant. Now you can say God make me a servant. Well God won’t make you a servant. You have to decide to serve. Just serve. Go ahead and do it.

God made me a soul winner. Well you’ll be a soul winner if you just start winning souls. But that way you always blame it. Well I asked God to do it and he didn’t do it. Well that’s not the way it works. And so you’re going to have to make the decisions. But when he’s talking here in these verses about always on the verse 27, talking about running a race. Do you believe that if you ran a race it could encourage other people to run the race.

If you don’t run the race, could it cause people not to run the race? Do you really believe that you have any influence in anybody’s life? Nobody cares what I do. Nobody looks at me as an example. Well, you don’t know who’s watching you. But here he’s talking about running a race. How you run the race, do you think that would affect other people? on how they run the race. If you cheat and you think cause other people to cheat, if you play by the rules you think because other people will play by the rules.

There’s things to always keep in mind. And so in chapter 9, he’s talking about the influence that you also have in the lives of other people. Because see, these Corinthian Christians were influenced in each other. They were influenced in each other. And what one was doing, the other ones would do it. And then other ones would do it. And they had all kinds of problems. People, influence, and people. And so that’s why he says there’s people that are being stumbling block.

You’re causing others that are weak to stumble. He says, brethren, these things ought not to be. Now, looking first Corinthians in chapter 10. First Corinthians chapter 10, there’s the word all mentioned quite a few times, and then the word some. Now what God had done for the nation of Israel as long as you were part of the nation of Israel, he did it for all of you. You see, he let him all out of Egypt and all through the sea and all into the wilderness and all under the fire and all under the cloud.

And he fed him all and gave him all something to drink and all something to eat. He did it for all of them. He didn’t have any favorites. He just did for all of them. That’s what he did. But also, the understand that there were some people that were not satisfied with what God was doing. And so they influenced others. Even Aaron was kind of carried away with some of it. He even made a thing called a golden calf.

Moses, he whined in pine because he They didn’t want God to use him just to do the speaking. So I need somebody like my brother, maybe. You know, he’s a good talker. Yeah, he sure was. He sure was. Got in trouble because of it. God was angry with him because of it. God won Moses to do it. And well, I can’t talk good. I’m not a good speaker. And there’s people that say, well, I’m not a good public speaker.

From neither was Moses. Probably stutter to who knows what he did, It had a hard time and articulating what he wanted to say. It got mad a lot of times. . . . . . . . . . . . . That furious said things he shouldn’t have said did things he shouldn’t have done. But what I want you to see is down here in verse five, but with many of them, God was not well pleased for they were overthrown in the wilderness and then he tells you what they did.

Some of the things they did, but they influenced other people. They were stumbling blocks in the lives of other people. So he says they’re in verse six. Now these things were our examples to the intent. We should not lust after the death of the people. evil things and they also lusted. So they did, some of them did, but he’s using this as an illustration so that you don’t do what they did. But he’s using other people and the impact of look, they stumbled and this is what they did and don’t you do like that.

Don’t you be a stumbling block and you’ve got to be careful that you don’t stumble over other people. You’ve got to keep eyes wide open. You’re still responsible for your own decisions. So you have to watch out. There’s a lot of stumbling blocks in the world. And some of these stumbling blocks are some probably maybe good people that you know. It can even happen with people that you look up to and they’ll fail you, they’ll let you down. And you’ll use that as an excuse not to be faithful to the Lord.

And so you stumble over somebody else’s, you know, misstep or whatever. So he also makes a statement there in verse 2, neither be idolaters as some of them. In other words, don’t be like them. Don’t stumble over this issue because you can stumble. And if you stumble, whoever’s following you, well they might stumble too. Then they may stumble and then somebody else stumble. People are influenced by what other people do and then he says in verse 8, neither let us commit fornication at some of them committed.

Now not everybody did but some of them did. And then when he talked about up there in verse 10, neither murmur ye as some of them also murmur. Do you think they influenced other people. When they complained, did he call other people to complain? Or was just one person that complained? Or does a complainer cause other people to be complaners? People who gripe and murmur. Have you ever watched an old cowboy movie how you know one guy gets in there and he tried to stir everybody else up?

Well let’s take him on hang him right now. And the sheriff’s got a holy gun and try to keep him from taking the guy and they knock him over head and they take God and they hang them. There wasn’t one guy that did it. He just stirs up everybody else. And they stumble over somebody else’s, you know, misnades. They say that two bull frogs croaking at the same time can sound like a hundred. But everybody thinks like that. Everybody feels that away.

No, they don’t. It’s just depending on what you’re focusing on, you’re listening to. So you have to be very, very careful. And so look there in verse 10. Verse 10, where he says, neither Mermiye, as some of them also murmured and were destroyed, of the destroyer. These are how some people fell in the wilderness and they were stumbling blocks in the lives of other people. Now let’s go to the book of Romans in chapter 9. Romans in chapter 9 and look in verse 32.

Romans chapter 9, the children of Israel, the children of Israel, the Bible says that they stumbled, they stumble and they stumbled over grace because they thought salvation would be by the law and they stumbled over the greatest truth in all the world that a man is saved by faith faith and faith alone. But they stumbled over this truth. Anytime you add works to the gospel, you’re causing people to stumble. If you teach such a message, you’d cause people to stumble.

Just think of how many preachers, even this day, will teach people that they have to turn from their sin or make Christ the Lord Master of the life and cause people to stumble. They’ll stumble over that. Now some people will step right over that and all they’re here is just trust Christ to save you and they’ll trust the Lord and some of them still will have people trust the Lord. Not because they listened to the negative but because they heard a positive and some people never even hear it.

And then some people will hear nothing but the negative, I got to change my life. That’s not for me and it won’t nothing to do with it because I’m just stumbled. You’ve You’ve got to have a clear message. Otherwise, people stumble over it. And then somebody else picks up that same message and then broadcast that one and then another one and then another one. And look how it has permeated. Remember, this thing started back there, you know, when Christ died on the cross and came back from the dead, gave it to his disciples and the Apostle Paul and and there you were there.

There were the original first so winners. The clear cut gospel bone. there they had it. Has he got messed up since then? And how far has it spread? And look how many false teachers there are today in preachers and colleges and universities and radio preachers and TV preachers. They’re causing people to stumble over something that they should never have stumbled over because it was made clear and plain. It’s when man begins to add in something that doesn’t belong there.

And it causes people to question the truth and to believe the air. And that’s a shame. Look in verse 32, wherefore because because they saw it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law, for they stumbled at that stumbling stone. Here’s Christ. He was the stone that if they had believed on him, he was a foundation upon which to stand, but if you don’t understand it and you reject the salvation by grace, it’s a stone that will grind you to powder.

And then he says in verse 33, as it is written, Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone in a rock of offense because salvation by grace offends people. It is a very offensive message because it does away with human efforts. And man wants to think that he’s got to do something and I helped. And God doesn’t want anybody’s help. He wants all the credit, all the honor, all the glory. And the only reason is because you don’t deserve any.

You didn’t do anything. You can’t do anything. All that you can do is believe that what he did was for you and you trust him as your Savior and God gives you as a free gift everlasting life. So verse 33, as it is written, behold I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense and whosoever believe it on him shall not be ashamed or confused or caused to stumble. When you believe on the Lord you can know that you have eternal life and that’s the best knows in all the world.

Now look there in the book of 1 Peter, 1 Peter in chapter 2, 1 Peter and chapter 2. 1 Peter chapter 2 and looked there in verse 8. You’ll notice that it’s mentioned again and the biggest thing that people stumble over is salvation, by grace. And those who know it clearly have a responsibility to keep it clear so that people know exactly what God has done for them. And if you don’t, then they start adding man’s works into it, they will stumble.

Many will totally reject it altogether. Then some will actually try to keep the law and do good works and think and that’s what’s going to save them. And it’s a messed up message. But it makes a statement here in verse 8, and a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient or unbelieving, were unto also they were appointed. To disbelieve is to stumble. To disbelieve is to stumble. And whenever you give people a message that they cannot fully, truly understand causes them to stumble.

Now you can make the message clear and then people reject that but let it be that they’re rejecting the truth of the gospel and not the false gospel because they don’t understand. And you notice there in verse 7, under you therefore which believe he is precious. But under them which be disobedient or unbelieving, the stone which the builders rejected, this allowed the same as made the head of the corner. So Jesus Christ is the head of the church, he is the king of Israel.

Now take your Bible and turn there to the book of Matthew. Matthew chapter 26. Matthew chapter 26. Four times this verse or this statement is used in the Bible. And that little statement is woe to that man. Woe to that man. So what is it talking about? Well woe to that man. What man is he talking about? Hooked in chapter 26 and looking verse 24. In verse 24 it says, the Son of Man goeth as it is written of him, but woe unto that man, by whom the Son of Man is betrayed.

And look what he says, it had been good for that man if he had not been born. Well, he said, well, he had to be born because he had to be Judas, and in Judas he had to betray the Lord. he didn’t have to do it. Prophecy says this is what he’s going to do, but he did it because of his own choice in what he did. Otherwise, why would Christ make a statement to a man? He’d know he’d been better if he’d have never been born.

Well, aren’t you in charge of that? Aren’t you responsible? Then you create man? Unless a man still has a responsibility for his action, for his decisions. Did his decision affect the other disciples. Look what he says here. In notice in verse 21, and as they did eat, he said, very I say unto you that one of you shall betray me. And they were exceeding sorrowful and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I? So because Christ even made the statement, did it cause some of them to wonder who it was?

are they even being influenced? Now they know that there is a traitor among them and somebody is going to betray the Lord. Is it me? Who is it? And so he says in verse 23, and he answered and says, he that divot his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me. The Son of Man goeth as it is written of him, but woe unto that man. Have Have you ever wondered if I, Paul says in the book of 1 Corinthians in chapter 9, woe unto me if I preach not the gospel?

Woe unto me if I preach not the gospel. I think there’s a sermon here somewhere. But he says woe to that man by whom the son of man is betrayed. Now he can do it. He can do it. And he can betray. God didn’t stop him. I don’t believe he did because God had pre-programmed him and he had to do that because that was the will of God. No. I believe he did it because of his own choice. He didn’t have to do that.

But the Bible says God can use everything and God knowing things in advance can state certain things. And so he says here in verse 25, then Judas which betrayed him answered said unto him, He said to him, Thou hast said, and as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed it, and so on. Then He says in verse 29, I will not drink in the fourth of the fruit of the vine until the day when I drink it with you in my father’s kingdom.

So that day is going to come. Now I’m looking in verse 31. Then saith Jesus unto them, all ye shall be made to stumble because of me this night. because of me this night. To offend, you’re going to be made to stumble because of me. Now did they stumble because of influence of somebody else? I don’t know. But it’s amazing that it follows. Whoa under this man, not only because of what he did, but what he caused. You see, when you stumble, you don’t stumble alone.

You cause other people to stumble, other people to fall. And that’s not good. Look what he says in verse 33. Peter answered and said unto him, though all men shall be offended because of the, they might stumble. Peter was saying, I will not stumble because I’m not going to be offended. I’m not going to stumble. I’m not going to betray you. This is all going back, I believe, in context. He said, I will never be offended. I will never be offended.

Now, think for a moment. Here’s the Lord. He’s been with these fellows for three, three and a half years. It’s getting down to the time where He needs them the most. And He just told them, He says, I’ll follow away one of y’all. I’m gonna betray me. And then in verse 30, and when they had sung a hymn, they went out into the Mount of Olives, so I guess Jesus sung too, but they sung a hymn. They just had breaking of bread.

They just had their communion service. And you know, that’s supposed to be communion. And yet it was one of the darkest days in the life of the Son of God. And here’s Peter making this bolster statement and at the same time all of you are going to betray me. You’re going to forsake me. All of you are going to be offended. All of you are going to stumble. You’re going to stumble. Now how would you feel? You just spent three and half years of your life training people how to be strong in the orbit.

Little on the discouraging side, wouldn’t you think? Looking at Matthew in chapter 18, Matthew chapter 18, Matthew 18, there’s a brief little story and talks about a little child but he also talks about little children and little children can also referred to not just in physical age, but also a reference to maybe his disciples or other young disciples, believers in the Lord. But it says, if in verse 1, and the same time came the disciples unto Jesus and who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?

And by the way, those scripture would be just in just a minute ago. Did you know that it also made the statement that they were also beginning to envy among themselves because they was wondering who’s going to be the greatest in the kingdom of them. That was right before communion. Right before the communion they were arguing about who’s going to be the greatest in the kingdom. These guys were really rock solid giants in the faith weren’t they? Aren’t you glad they’re not like us and they turned the world upside down but that was because of something that happened a little bit later.

But when you stop and you think about that, it’s just, it’s crazy. As you serve a Lord, do you think everybody’s just gonna love you to death? Do they appreciate how wonderful you are? That does always consider the source. People are people. God is God, but people are still people. the best among us who just still just a person. Nothing more. But he says here in verse 3, Verlias say unto you, except you be converted, become as little children.

You shall not enter to the kingdom of heaven, whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same as greatest in the kingdom of heaven. But look what he says in verse 6, But who so shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me? It means cause them to go astray, cause them to stumble. Do you think God takes this seriously? Well, it’s almost Christmas and we’d like to give every listener a Christmas gift. Just for listening, we’d like to send Dr.

Arnold C.D. on understanding difficult passages of the Bible. No donation is required. We’ve compiled on CD, Dr. Arnold’s teachings on difficult passages. For example, does James chapter two teach that true faith will produce works? Does 2 Corinthians 5, 17 mean that a true believer will no longer desire to sin? These and many other verses are explained in their biblical context so that you can have confidence in the agreement of all the Word of God. Call us today toll free at 1-800-576-3771, or you can write us at 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634.

Again, no donation is necessary, just your address, so that we can send to you this important teaching. God bless you and Merry Christmas, and thank you for listening to Bibleline. Thanks for joining us on Bibleline. If you are in the area, we welcome you to visit us. The address for Calvary Community Church is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634. And now, a closing thought from Pastor Arnold. Friend, one day it will happen. The trumpet will sound. And we will be changed.

Caught up to meet the Lord in the air. So live today and every day. Believing that the Lord is coming soon, just keep looking up.