Aug. 20, 2022 (23rd day of 5th biblical month)
Romans 14:1-23
15:1-7 Paul says that it is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble.
1 Cor. 8:9, 13 Paul says but take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.
Was Paul correct?
Let's examine several places in the bible that talks about stumbling blocks so that we can understand what a stumbling block is, and is not.
Leviticus 19:13-15
14 Don't put a stumbling block in front of the blind.
A stumbling block is something that causes someone to fall/sin.
A hindrance to salvation or spiritual growth.
(Here, is our liberty to live, a "stumbling block" to others? No.
The hindrance is sin.)
Exo. 34:10-17 When God sends us to war against the wicked nations/tribes, we are not to make agreements/treaties with them. Because if we compromise with the wicked, or try to coexist with the wicked, they will corrupt us as stumbling blocks. = Cause us to fall away from the true God.
(Here, is our liberty to live, a "stumbling block" to others? No.
The hindrance is sin.)
Judges 8:24-35 The ephod (outer chest apron or breast plate) became a stumbling block. It doesn't explain why. It could be because it was idolized because of all of the gold.
(Here, is our liberty to live, a "stumbling block" to others? No.
The hindrance here is probably the love of money.)
1 Sam. 18:20-21 Saul gave David his daughter as a wife as a stumbling block (hindrance)
(Here, is our liberty to live, a "stumbling block" to others? No.
The hindrance here is a female that was purposely placed into David's life as a hindrance.)
2 Chron. 28:23 The Assyria gods (Easter, Christmas, Trinity, etc) are stumbling blocks.
(Here, is our liberty to live, a "stumbling block" to others? No.
False religion is the hindrance.)
Jer. 3:1-3 People seeking/using/following several ministers of Babylon, rather than the one shepherd god appointed to them. These false shepherds/ministers are stumbling blocks to the people. They hinder people's growth in the real truth.
(Here, is our liberty to live, a "stumbling block" to others? No.
False religion & false preachers & false leaders are the hindrance.)
Matthew 16:23 Jesus said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s”.
(Here, is our liberty to live, a "stumbling block" to others? No.
Peter's own will that was contrary to Gods will as the hindrance.)
Matthew 18:5-7 "whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, ...
Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks! For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to that man through whom the stumbling block comes!”
(Here, is our liberty to live, a "stumbling block" to others? No.
The stumbling blocks are things that causes people to sin or fall away from God.)
Romans 9:31-33 Christ "a stumbling block".
This is very different from all of the previous examples!
Christ was/is a stumbling block to the Jews because they don't have faith to believe that Jesus is God, the Messiah and rose from the dead.
In other words, their legalism, and misunderstanding of scripture and lack of belief/faith is the real stumbling block. Not really Jesus.
Should we stop preaching Jesus just because faith in Jesus is a stumbling block to some people? No!
1 Corinthians 1:22-30 “…but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness”.
Christ is a stumbling block to worldly people, scientists, "smart" people, atheists, because they think that they are more logical and more intelligent than people of faith.
Again, its their lack of faith that is the real stumbling block, not really Jesus.
Should we avoid speaking of Jesus around atheists and other unbelievers? No!
Now that we understand what a stumbling block is, let's go back to the first verses that we looked at.
Romans 14:1-2
14:1 "weak in faith". It is that person's lack of faith that is the real problem. Not the person who eats meats in front of vegetarians.
Not the person who doesn't fast on the Jewish fast days.
Not the person who isn't obsessed with fasting.
Jesus condemned people for having weak/small faith:
Mat. 6:30 But if Theos (The Alpha & Omega) so clothes the grass of the field, which is [alive] today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, [will he] not much more [clothe] you? you of little faith!
Mat. 8:26 He said to them, “why are you afraid, you men of little faith?” then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm.
Mat. 14:31 Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and took hold of him, and said to him, “you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
Returning to Romans 14:19 "building up one another". That reminds me of Ephesians 4:11-16 where it says that God has brought the administration of the church to bring the church into unity of doctrine and into maturity that is comparable to the measure of Christ.
Appeasing people doesn't do that!
Avoiding meat because of vegetarians doesn't do that.
Avoiding alcohol because of people's wrong doctrines doesn't accomplish that.
Helping people to stay babies doesn't accomplish that.
Even as Paul brought more understanding to the church, over and above what Moses brought, so must also the apostle Zimmerman bring more understanding and greater maturity over and above what Paul brought.
It's time for the church to gain greater faith, more maturity and stronger examples for people coming into the truth, and those that we witness to. Acting like babies for the people to stay babies, isn't the way to bring people to greater faith.
Romans 14:21 Paul said that it would be good to not eat meat or drink alcohol in front of someone who didn't believe in doing so.
I must disagree. Even as Paul was wrong in 1 Cor. 11 when he said that nature teaches us that it's a shame for men to have long hair. Nature absolutely does not teach any such thing! Numbers 6 proves Paul wrong on that issue. Nature proves Paul wrong on that issue. Long hair on a man is the natural design of God.
Long hair on men was a sign of honor, strength & holiness in the Israelite culture. Paul was speaking as a person aligning himself with the culture of the Roman Empire of his time.
Colossians 2:16-19 says that we shouldn't allow people to condemn/judge us for drinking alcohol, eating meat, or celebrating the feast days/sabbaths of God. It says that those people falsely believe in over crucifying the flesh for holiness.
Compare verse 19 with Ephesians 4:11-16. Therefore the apostle Zimmerman is helping us to grow up, become more mature, come into unity of doctrine, greater faith, etc. by teaching us that we shouldn't allow people to hinder our liberties. We should freely exercise our liberties as a sign of much faith and correct doctrine.
Does the Old Testament, or Jesus himself, or anyone other than Paul, say that we should not eat meats in front of vegetarians? Or should abstain from alcohol in front of people who don't believe in it? No.
Paul isn't Jesus. Paul wasn't perfect. Paul was just a human pastor, capable of mistakes. Several times, he said that some of his words were not from God.
1 Cor. 8:1-13 Paul's opinions about people's weak faith and meats sacrificed to idols.
Let's see what Jesus himself said twice:
Rev. 2:12-14 Eating foods sacrificed to idols, absolutely forbidden by Jesus, and called a stumbling block!
Rev. 2:18-20
No matter what Paul said, and no matter what we think Paul said, we absolutely can't eat foods sacrificed to idols, such as halal marked foods, which is one of the physical manifestations of the spiritual mark of the beast.
Examples:
As far as "not causing your brother to stumble":
What if I was running/jogging shirtless, or mowing the lawn shirtless and suddenly saw a legalistic Pentecostal. Should I suddenly cover up? No!
What if a Christian man is shirtless at the beach and suddenly sees a fully clothed Amish family or fully clothed Pentecostal family? Should he suddenly cover up? No!
When I take Passover Communion with real wine as the bible teaches, should I avoid teaching this truth, or hide it, just because of some people's false doctrines and paranoia of alcohol? No!
When we are at the Fiesta of Tabernacles celebrating God's holy days, and doing as the bible encourages in drinking alcohol for the fiesta days, and someone unexpectedly comes to visit, should I hide the alcohol, or stop drinking because the person is legalistic or has false doctrine, or because he/she is an over condemning person? No!
If I am drinking, shirtless, in my own home and a Pharisee comes to visit, should I hide my body and hide my joy and hide my liberty in Christ and hide what makes the heart merry, just to appease/baby their weakness? No!
I live my life barechested as God intended for men to do. Should I stop living my life when someone comes to visit? No!
If I go out to eat at a restaurant with friends, should I avoid ordering alcohol/meat/pork because one of the friends is weak in faith? No! (Unless of course, if one or more is an alcoholic.)
How does any of these things cause them to sin/stumble?
We are not bringing them into false religion, or to idol worship.
Remember the biblical examples of stumbling blocks!
The only stumbling block in any of these cases/examples is Jesus Christ!
Therefore, the real stumbling block in all of these examples, and in vegetarians, is the people's lack of faith.
Their lack of faith shouldn't become a stumbling block to us!
I say that allowing them to hinder our liberty is a stumbling block to us!
We shouldn't allow anyone to hinder out liberty in Christ!!!!
Instead, if any of these weak people say anything about our actions, we should share with them the true word of God so that they can learn and mature!
They can't learn from us if we baby them!
Confirmation: On the day that it came to me that I should do this sermon, just a few minutes later after coming to that conclusion, I saw on the internet a meme/image that said: "My rights have nothing to do with your feelings".
In today's wicked society, too many people are too easily offended by masculinity, the bible, God, and by anything that is right and good. And too many people want to take away the rights of the righteous. People want to ban guns, free speech, and freedom.
Now, more than at any other time in history, real men should/must stand up for our freedoms, and exercise our freedoms; and not allow the weak immature, faithless people from hindering our freedoms and rights.
It was immature, legalistic, religious women that brought about the banning of all alcohol in the USA in the 1920's. It was also those same type of people who raised the age of consent laws in the early 1900's, contrary to what the bible teaches, and contrary to the biblical example. Modern western people are brainwashed by modern western traditional legalistic religion & don't understand the bible. And it was also those same type of people that eventually took away many more of our rights as human beings.
History repeatedly shows that when we give up our rights because of legalistic religious people, we actually lose those rights completely! It becomes illegal to do what is natural.
Full sermon audio: https://soundcloud.com/isawthelightministries/aug-20-2022-cause-not-my-brother-to-stumble-is-a-hinderances-to-liberty-and-maturity
Related articles:
www.isawthelightministries.com/alcohol.html
https://isawthelightministries.com/Mans-Domain/barechest.html
Announcement: Next weekend, worship services will be on both Saturday and Sunday, because Sunday Aug. 28 will be the first day of the 6th biblical month.
www.isawthelightministries.com/newmoons.html
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