Welcome to a new edition of the Weekend Sermon. I am glad that you decided to take the time to read the sermon today, and I am thankful to the Lord for the opportunity to post this message.
This has been a good week so far. I have been feeling better, and things are going well at my job and with writing.
I would ask that you pray for me regarding one matter. Today, the weather forecast for my area is for very strong winds. Please pray that these winds do not cause any damage.
We need to be praying for those in Alabama who were harmed by the tornado. Pray for those who mourn, and pray that those who suffered loss will be able to recover.
Continue to pray for those in Congo who are suffering as a result of the Ebola outbreak. Please pray for those in Madagascar who are suffering from an outbreak of measles.
Let us remember to pray for peace in the troubled areas of this world. Syria and Yemen desperately need our prayers. Pray for peace in Libya, South Sudan and Ukraine as well.
In my country, there are still many children who came to this country who have been separated from their parents. Pray that these parents will be reunited with their children.
For our prayer focus countries this week, please be in prayer for Myanmar and Pakistan. Pray that many will hear the message of the love and grace of the Lord Jesus.
Over the course of the last few weeks, we have been in a series of messages studying some of the teachings of Jesus, /Today, I would like us to focus our attention on the words of Jesus found in Luke 17:1-2 which state, "Jesus said to his disciples: 'Things that cause people to stumble are bound to come, but woe to anyone through whom they come. It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble.'"
These verses have some very important lessons to teach us. First of all, there are temptations and circumstances that we encounter in life that can cause us to stumble in our faith. They can cause us to lose our trust in Jesus. Some of these are the result of disasters that happen to people.
I know one man who went to my parents' church who lost his faith when his daughter was murdered. He couldn't understand why God would let that happen. He decided that there must not be a God.
I know people who have fallen into great sin when they stumbled as a result of falling into temptation. They didn't guard their hearts, and they made choices that gravely harmed their lives.
Jesus warns us that it is a terrible thing to be the cause of someone stumbling and losing their faith. I think that Jesus also has in mind that it is a terrible thing if someone's behavior causes someone not to want to become a Christian in the first place.
When I read these verses about causing little ones to stumble, one of the first things I think about is the scandal involving the Catholic Church and the scandal involving the Southern Baptist Church in my country. How could people who claimed to be servants of Jesus do such terrible things to children. There are many people who want nothing to do with Christianity as a result of the abuse that they have suffered by encountering so-called servants of the Lord.
This is just one way that Christians can cause other people to stumble. One of the major ways that I believe Christians cause others to stumble or to reject Jesus in the first place is hypocritical behavior. Jesus spoke against hypocrisy many times throughout the Gospels. He said that the Pharisees and the religious leaders of His day were nothing more than a bunch of hypocrites.
If we say one thing and then do another, people will see the way that we behave. It will cause us to have a bad testimony for Jesus. People will not look at us and see Jesus, they will look at us and see a bad person.
Another way that we can cause people to stumble or reject Jesus is through dishonesty. This goes along with hypocrisy in some respects. I've been cheated by so-called Christian business people on at least a couple of occasions. Think of how someone who doesn't know Jesus would feel if they were dealt with in a dishonest manner by someone claiming to have a Christian owned and operated business.
One of the main ways that I see the church causing people to stumble today is through hate filled speech. Many call others who they disagree with some vile names. They do it all in the name of Jesus which makes it worse. I don't know why some people would ever come to church after having been called the terrible names that some Christians have called them.
Finally, I believe that disunity in the church causes people to stumble and turn from Jesus. When they see people who claim to love Jesus arguing and fighting among themselves, they don't want to have anything to do with a group like that.
What is the lesson for all of us? We are to live and act like Jesus did. We are to be imitators of His teachings and His way of life. We are to be people of love. When we look to Jesus as our example, we will do what is right and good. People will see our lives and see Jesus in how we act and think. They will want to know more about Jesus.
Let us all work together to live lives that are in imitation of Jesus Christ. There is whole world who needs to know how wonderful Jesus is. Let us not do that which could cause people to turn away from the Lord.
Next week, we will continue with our series on the teachings of Jesus. The sermon will once again be posted on Saturday next week. I will post the verses on Monday, and there will be a review or poem on Wednesday. May God bless you all. Amen.
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