Stumbling Blocks

Men, if you have your Bible, I want you to turn to Mark chapter 9.

Mark 9 · chapter mention

! Mark chapter 9.

Mark 9 · chapter mention

I am one that tends to wander around in the dark.

I don't mean I'm a lover of darkness.

I instead mean I don't like wasting electricity.

And so I wander around sometimes in the dark.

And I will tell you, I'll warn you,

that if you do that around here, watch the stairwells.

Make sure you know when the stairs stop.

Because if you think they don't and they do, it is a rude awakening.

And if you think they're done and they're not, that's a rude awakening.

And I've done both in the hallways of this church, so be careful about that.

Both can be very painful.

I'll tell you what else is painful.

It's hitting your toe on the leg of a chair.

That's a tough stumbling block, ain't it?

Boy, that will bring the fruit of the Spirit out right there.

That will.

Especially when the furniture gets rearranged and you didn't know that.

You know, and the lights are off and those type things.

We need to watch out for stumbling blocks.

We need to watch out for spiritual stumbling blocks as well.

There are things that get in our way spiritually.

Things that other people do.

Things that we do.

Things that can easily cause spiritual mishaps.

We can cause them in other people's life.

And that's a serious offense.

And Jesus speaks to it in Mark chapter 9, beginning in verse 42.

Mark 9 · chapter mention

He says this.

It's better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell.

And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out.

It's better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell.

Where the worm does not die.

And the fire is not quenched.

For everyone will be salted with fire.

Salt is good.

But if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again?

Have salt in yourselves and be at peace with one another.

I want to remind you of the context of Mark chapter 9 when Jesus speaks these words.

Mark 9 · chapter mention

The disciples were worried about someone doing ministry that maybe should not have been doing ministry.

They didn't like a guy who was changing lives in the name of Jesus that did not have their authorization.

And they had approached Jesus about that.

And Jesus tells them not to worry about them.

But to be more concerned about being a stumbling block.

And in that conversation that I just read, I see three warnings about stumbling blocks.

First one's this.

Don't be a stumbling block.

Verse 42 said,

That round stone in the middle of that mill is exactly the kind of stone that Jesus was talking about.

When he said it would be better if they tie that to you and throw you in.

And that's not just a figure of speech.

The Romans would drown someone who was condemned for a serious crime against the empire by tying something heavy around them and throwing them in the water.

What a horrific scene.

The graphic nature there is to show that it would be better to drown than it would be to lead others astray.

He speaks there of our influence upon these, quote, little ones that believe in me.

And of course he speaks of children, but he's not merely speaking of children.

He's actually using affectionate terms.

You see that in the letters of John.

When John writes to the church, he talks about these precious little ones.

It's precious affectionate talk.

And what it implies is that those that seem little to us, those that seem insignificant to us, man, they're precious to the Lord Jesus.

We need to be careful how we treat believers.

Scripture tells us we need to be careful in several areas.

One is we need to be careful about hypocrisy, not being who we claim to be.

Jesus tells religious leaders in Matthew chapter 23 that their hypocrisy, through their hypocrisy, they, quote,

Matthew 23 · chapter mention

shut the kingdom of God in people's faces.

Talk about a slap in the face.

When the Christian mask comes off and spiritually ugly is seen, it's a stumbling block.

Find a good smiling Sunday Christian and put them in a long line where somebody dysfunctional is running it.

You'll find out what kind of spirit they got with them, won't you?

It's interesting, but be careful.

Be careful because it could easily become a stumbling block.

We need to be careful about a lack of forgiveness.

Paul in Ephesians tells us all these things that we need to put on as Christians.

But before he says that, he talks about the things we need to put off.

And he says some of the things we need to put off is bitterness.

And we need to put off wrath.

And we need to put off anger.

And we need to put off clamor.

And we need to put off slander.

In other words, don't talk mean.

Don't talk angry.

Don't talk gossipy.

Boy, have I got a prayer for you.

You know?

Have you heard what's happened to so and so?

Don't talk ugly.

That kind of stuff sticks.

My children were young.

And I had a neighbor that was sweet and wave.

And I didn't know him very well.

She'd always wave and be sweet.

And we had a baby monitor.

And I found out a rude awakening one day that those old baby monitors,

I don't know if they're still like this,

but when you unplugged one of them,

the speaker would pick up on something else.

And that was back in the day with cordless phones at the house.

And it picked up on her phone.

She wasn't that sweet after all.

Found out some things.

Be careful.

Sticks.

Every time I saw her after that, I went,

boy, you're a rascal, aren't you?

We also need to be careful about our partiality,

our prejudice.

In James, in chapter 2 of James, he warns us again and again about this.

It is a sin to hold your faith in Christ and not love your neighbor.

And I mean love the ones you don't even like.

Sometimes these are your love folks and just like them.

Let me tell you what will happen.

If God's placed somebody in your life you just simply don't like,

pray for them.

And I don't mean pray down the fires of hell upon their head.

I don't mean that.

I mean sincerely pray for them.

Lord, that person's got a bad attitude.

I don't like being around them.

Will you do a work in them, Lord,

to help them

to feel better about themselves

or to feel better about life

or to be easier to get along with?

And you know what?

Anytime that I've prayed for one of you like that,

God's done a work in my life

to help me see something about

that person that I didn't see before.

We need to love our neighbors.

God's placed them

in our lives

for us to influence

and

as my grandpa used to say,

just kill them with kindness.

It'll burn them up

like heaping coals on their head.

Just treat them with kindness

when they mean to you.

Do a number on them.

We also need to be careful about our language.

Reject filthiness

and foolish talk.

Crude joking.

Sound like a Christian.

Don't be a stumbling block.

Also, don't be a stumbling block

about flaunting your Christian liberty.

I thank God

that through the power

upon the cross

and the blood of Christ,

we are free in Christ.

But there are some things

that you do

that can cause others

to stumble.

Paul talked about this,

about what we eat.

Be careful what we eat.

And the reason why he hit on that

was because

they would sacrifice

meat

before their gods.

Pagans would.

They would burn this meat

before their gods.

And then

they would sell that meat

after they cooked it

before their god.

Well, can you eat that meat?

I mean, it burn in.

It's pretty good, you know.

Do you eat that meat?

Or do you not eat meat

that's been sacrificed

to idols?

So there was this debate

in the church

back and forth

about what you do

about that.

Well, they've sacrificed

this to idols.

Those idols don't even exist.

So why am I worried

about those idols?

That's good meat.

I think I'll get it.

And somebody else

would say,

no, it's been sacrificed

to idols.

And what Paul says

is the way you decide

that is

don't be a stumbling block

for other people.

There's nothing wrong

with eating that meat.

But don't eat that meat

if it's a stumbling block

to someone else.

Today, just to be frank,

it's not so much

about what we eat.

It's about what we drink.

So be careful.

Romans chapter 14,

Romans 14:13

verse 13 says,

decide never to put

a stumbling block

or a hindrance

in the way

of a brother.

It's just

not

worth it.

Stay away from it.

And then we also

need to be careful

with the Word of God.

Teaching falsehoods

will lead people astray.

And what God calls

sin is sin

and I can't change that

and I better not try to.

I better just stick

to the Word of God.

Now listen,

all those things

can cause someone

to walk away from God

when we really

should be encouraging them

to come to the Lord.

Our actions

should be used

by the Holy Spirit

of God

to draw them

nearer to God

instead of them

to question

the reality

of that God.

So we need to be careful

about that.

Don't be

stumbling blocks.

Second thing is this.

Remove

your stumbling blocks.

There's a lot

that can make us

stumble.

And I want you

to look at the radical

nature in which

Christ describes it.

He says in verse 43

that if your hand

causes you to sin,

cut it off.

And if your foot

causes you to sin,

cut it off.

And if your eye

causes you to sin,

tear it out.

Because it's better

to not have a hand

than to go to hell.

It's better

to not have a foot

than to go to hell.

It's better

to not have an eye

than to go to hell.

It's graphic

and very plain language.

And people have

a hard time

with this section

of Scripture

for a couple

of different reasons.

One is the numbering

of these verses.

And you probably

didn't even pick up

on it.

But if something

interesting happens

that I want to explain

to you,

that I read out

of the English Standard

Version and verses

44 and 46

are not in there.

They're not even listed.

If you look

at the small numbers

it says 43

and then it goes

straight to 45.

And the reason

why that is,

but in yet earlier

translations,

like the King James,

they will be in there,

those verses.

So people often say,

well they've taken

those verses

out of Scripture.

That's what's wrong

with that stuff.

Well let me explain.

Archaeologists

and just the understanding

of the canon

of Scripture

and how we got it

and the documents

that we find,

all of that

has so progressed

in the last 400 years

that we understand

a lot more

about the original

manuscript

than we ever did

before.

And in the oldest

documents we found,

verses 44

and 46

are not there.

where you thought,

well why did Mark

put verse 44

and 46 in there?

Well,

Mark didn't number.

Mark wrote

the Gospel.

The numbers

were added,

the chapters

and verses

were added

a lot later

so that I didn't

have to tell you

this morning,

why don't y'all

turn to about

the middle of Mark

and I'm going

to take off here.

That's why those

chapters and verses

are there.

But I will tell you

that what verse 44

and verse 46 say

is the same thing

that verse 48 says.

It was just repeated

three times.

And in the oldest

manuscripts,

it's not in there

but one time.

And that's where

it says where their

worm does not die

and the fire

is not quenched.

So my only point,

I want to point that out

because somebody

will point it out

to me afterwards,

you know,

is this.

Nothing was taken

away here.

The phrase is just

not repeated

three times over.

Because in the oldest

more reliable documents,

it was not.

Now,

the bigger issue

and what more people

have an issue with

with this section

of Scripture

is what it says.

And I want to ask

you something.

And I normally

when I ask questions

that are rhetorical,

I'll just let you know

that.

I don't want you

answering my questions

in the middle of the

sermon most of the time.

But I do want you

to this time.

And I want you to do it

with a show of hands.

How many of you

have ever sinned

with your hands?

Raise your hand.

You've ever sinned

with your hands.

Okay.

Well, if you didn't

raise your hand,

you just did sin

with your hands

because you lied

with your hand.

How many of you

have ever sinned

with your feet?

Raise your feet.

No.

I can't see that.

How many of you

have ever done anything?

that was against God.

How many of you

have ever went a place,

traveled to a place,

you didn't need to go,

you shouldn't have been there,

and it led you

to do something dumb

that divides the guidelines

that God gives us?

How many of you

have ever looked

at the wrong thing?

Now, I want you

to understand something.

A first glance

is not what gets you

in trouble.

The second look

is what gets you

in trouble.

The fixation

is what gets you

in trouble.

If King David

had walked out

on his patio

that night

and looked down

at Bathsheba

and went,

oh my soul,

and went back

in the house,

he would not have

sinned with his hands,

he would not have

sinned with his feet,

he would not have

sinned with his eyes.

But because he didn't

flee from it,

because he did take

a second look,

because he did become

fixated on it,

because he did scheme

and plan for it,

it led to

a lot of sin.

Now,

if you've sinned

with your hands

or your feet

or your eyes,

are you sorry

for that sin?

Do you want to turn away

from that sin?

If so,

cut that hand off.

Cut that foot off.

Pluck that eye out.

To my knowledge,

nobody in here

has done that.

And the reality is,

Jesus didn't mean

for us to literally

do that.

Because Jesus knew

that you can still

do the wrong thing

without a hand.

And you can still

go to the wrong places

without a foot.

And you can still

focus on the wrong

things without

your eyes.

What Jesus is doing

in this passage

is exaggerating.

Now,

some of you got a little,

you don't like that.

You don't like me

saying that.

Well,

let me give you

a technical theological

word for that.

The technical theological

word for that

is hyperbole.

Jesus used hyperbole.

Do you want to know

what hyperbole means?

It means he exaggerated.

It means that he spoke

in stark,

plain terms

to get the point across.

He does not mean it

literally here

any more than he

calls,

when he calls himself

a door,

does he mean

that he's made

out of oak.

Does not mean that.

He does not mean

any more than

when he says

you must hate

your mother

and your father

and your brother

and sister

to follow me.

He does not mean

we ought to hate

our family.

What he does mean

is that we ought

to put him

so far above

everybody else

in our life.

It'd be like

the difference

between love and hate

because I love God

that much more

than anything else.

That's what he meant.

It was a comparison.

All of that

is stark,

shocking words

to get the point.

And his point is

let nothing

be a stumbling block

that keeps you

from the Lord.

As the great

theologian

Barney Fife said,

nip it in the bud.

Do away with it.

The reality is

that we can do

the wrong thing

without our hands.

We can go

the wrong places

without our feet.

We can focus

on the wrong things

without our eyes.

You can do it

in the dark.

Instead,

what we need

to sever,

what we need

to gouge

is the sin

that we do,

the sinful places

that we go,

the sin

that we focus on.

There's certain

things

that we venture

into

to do

that we know

is displeasing

to God.

Stop it.

Don't do it.

There's places

that we go

that we know

will be tempted

to fail the Lord.

If we go

to those places,

hear me,

stop going.

If it's at work,

fight another job.

Get away from it.

That's the language

that Jesus is using.

Do whatever

you have to do

to stop it.

Don't do it.

We have to put up

guidelines in our lives

to get away from it.

We need to be

so determined

to avoid sin

that it is as final

and as certain

as if you lost

a body part.

Why?

Because anything

that leads us

to sin

leads us away

from Christ.

And there are

stumbling blocks

that hinder

our walk.

If there are

things in people's

lives that keep

them from coming

to Christ

and claiming

Him as their

Lord and Savior,

they'll face

a lot on this

earth that is a

lot less fulfilling

than it could be.

And then they'll

face an eternity

apart from God

forever.

Christ says

that we will face

an unquenchable

fire in hell.

hell.

And verse 47,

the word for hell

is very interesting.

There are two

Greek words that's

used for hell

in the New Testament.

One of them is

Hades,

and that is the

place of the dead.

The second one,

and it's the one

that's used here,

is Gehenna.

And Gehenna is a

compound word

in the Greek language.

Ge means valley,

and Hinnah is

short for Hinnom.

And so Gehenna

is the valley

of Hinnom.

And the valley

of Hinnom

is a valley

on the southern

and southwestern

side of Jerusalem,

of the old city

of Jerusalem,

David's city,

Mount Zion.

It's on that side.

And in Old Testament

times,

it was used

by cultic groups

to dispose

of human

sacrificial remains

when they sacrificed

a child

before their God

or when they

sacrificed a loved

one before their God.

They would throw

those bodies

into that valley.

It became

a place

of defilement.

It became

symbolic

as a place

of defilement.

King Josiah,

when he came

on the throne,

that young king

that was so burdened

about the neglect

of God's word

in the temple

and he brought

such reform

and brought the word

of God back

to the temple,

he defiled

that valley

during that reform.

And by the time

Jesus speaks

in the New Testament,

it has become

a trash heap

for that city.

It's become

a symbol

known as a powerful

image of divine

judgment,

of God's divine

judgment.

As a matter of fact,

when Jesus

speaks of

the fire

never goes out

and the worm

never dies,

he's actually

referring to

the last verse

in the book

of Isaiah.

Isaiah chapter 66

Isaiah 66:24

verse 24.

It won't be on the screen,

just listen.

It says this,

And they shall go out

and look on the dead

bodies of the men

who had rebelled

against me,

for their worms

shall not die,

their fire shall

not be quenched,

and there shall be

an abhorrence

to all flesh.

What Jesus is doing

is he's using

a graphic lesson

of what eternity

with God

would really look like,

where the fire

does not die,

the misery

does not leave.

They understood

that kind of talk.

People today

don't like

that kind of talk.

They don't like

to talk about hell.

But if we're

going to be biblical,

we've got to talk

about hell.

I always get

two responses

when I talk about this.

One is I've got

good godly people

that love the word

of God

that come to me

and say,

Thank you preacher

for preaching on hell.

Nobody preaches

on hell anymore.

I've not heard

a sermon on hell

in years.

And when they say

that to me,

I think,

you know what?

Three years ago

I preached a whole series

on the reality of eternity.

I spent seven weeks

on hell.

You should have been listening.

That's what I think

when you say that,

okay?

And then somebody else

and they probably

won't tell me,

but they'll say

that talk is offensive.

Do you know

how we understand

hell the way we do?

Do you know

who talks about hell

more than anybody else?

Where basically

all of our understanding

of hell came from?

Jesus.

Jesus talked about it.

Everybody loves

to talk about heaven.

Nobody loves

to talk about hell.

We'd love to just

usher anybody

that dies

into heaven

in our minds.

I've seen funeral

after funeral

where we do it.

But the reality is

hell is just

as real as heaven.

And Jesus speaks

of it more than

anybody else does.

And so,

if Jesus talked about it,

we must talk about it.

And I want to be clear.

It is a literal

yet spiritual place

that is filled

with torment

that one feels

for all of eternity.

It does not stop.

It's not for a certain time.

Jesus says everlasting.

Jesus uses the words

eternal.

Jesus uses the word

unquenchable.

He uses those words.

The descriptions

of hell

are hellacious.

hellacious.

But I want you to know

the greatest torment

of hell

is there's no hope

of salvation

through Christ.

that Christ

is not there.

And it does not

change.

Hell is final.

And it's eternal.

Remove

anything in your life

that can cause you

to stumble

into an eternal hell.

if you've never

given your heart

and life

to the Lord

Jesus Christ

but there's a reason

why

you just don't

want to

commit your life

to Christ.

Pluck it out.

Cut it off.

Remove it.

It's better

to do without it.

than it is

to spend

an eternity

without Christ.

Third warning

he gives us

is this.

Do not

underestimate

the impact

of stumbling

blocks.

Don't

underestimate

the impact

of stumbling

blocks.

He says

in verse 49

for everyone

will be salted

with fire.

It's a cool

transition sentence.

For everyone

will be salted

with fire.

And then

he talks

about salt.

Salt is good

but if the salt

has lost

its saltiness

how will you

make it salty

again?

Have salt

in yourselves

and be at

peace with

one another.

Listen friend

we all

suffer

due to the

schemes

of the evil

one.

One who

does not

give his

or her

life to

Christ

that suffering

will not

stop

in this

life.

that suffering

will go

on for

all of

eternity.

Those who

do live

for Christ

will sometimes

suffer.

Sometimes

we'll be

misjudged.

Sometimes

we'll be

misunderstood.

Sometimes

we'll even

be persecuted

for our

testimony.

Here

as a

Christian

or whether

it's in

eternity

because we

don't know

Christ

will all

face

trials

that will

come.

That's

what he

means by

we'll all

be salted

with fire.

A better

way for us

to understand

that in our

language probably

would be

we'll all

be sprinkled

with

suffering.

There's

one

commonality

that draws

this church

together.

There's more

than one

but let me

give you

one.

That draws

this church

together and

that's

suffering.

that's

something that

we all

have in

common.

Many of

our people

have been

seemingly

plagued by

it of

recent

days.

Just

three weeks

ago we

had families

suffering.

Suffering.

Some of the

hardest things

they've faced

in all their

life.

They were

walking

through that

valley.

Two weeks

ago we

had a

different set

of families

suffering.

Struggling.

was some

of the

most difficult

things.

Last week

we had

people

struggling.

Some of

the most

horrifying

walking

through some

of the

most horrifying

nightmares

that you

could ever

imagine.

Suffering.

There's a

common bond

here.

And if it's

been good

days for you

it's coming.

I'm not a

negative guy.

Don't

misunderstand me.

I don't

want to be a

pessimist.

But we're

going to walk

through struggles.

That's a

common bond

here.

We're going

to do

that.

And when

suffering comes

because of

our stand

for Christ

Paul calls

it the

fellowship of

sharing in

his sufferings.

Now let me

say this about

suffering because

of the cause

of Christ.

Let me just

be completely

honest.

Folks we

live in luxury

when it comes

to that.

We're not

suffering because

of the cause

of Christ.

We don't

have pastors

branded like

a cow due

to their

faithfulness to

follow Christ

in a communist

atmosphere.

I met a man

branded on both

sides in

Southeast Asia

who pastored

a large church

made up of

small congregations

that met in

homes who

had been

persecuted for

their faith.

Oh if we'd

been caught

they'd sent us

home but the

people that we

were with

would have been

imprisoned or

tortured.

It just really

depended on

what kind of

local official

got a hold of

them quite

honestly.

We know

nothing about

that.

very few of

us have

suffered any

suffering because

we've stood for

Christ in the

world in which

we live.

We are

blessed in

that way

and

but we all

do have

hard times

of any

sorts

and those

hard times

draw us

together.

We all

get

salted

with the

fires of

difficulty.

It's a

common bond

there.

And let me

say this

when that

comes

don't run

from the

church when

times get

hard.

I've heard

too often

seen

somebody out

somewhere.

I think

people think

I go to

Walmart to

find people

who are not

active in

church.

No, I

went to get

cottage cheese.

That's what I

went for.

And they'll

say preacher

we're coming

back.

We're just

going through

some stuff

right now.

When this

stuff passes

we'll be

back.

I don't do

it in

Walmart.

I drag

them into

the parking

lot.

Why don't

you just

bring all

that junk

with you

and come

on to the

house of

God and

let us

pray over

you and

let us

love on

you and

let us

walk with

you through

the valley

that you

walk through.

Because I'll

tell you what

Satan likes

to do.

He likes

to do like

the lions do

the hyenas.

He likes

to find the

ones all

by themselves

and corner

them and

just cause

them to go

through a

living hell

apart from

God's people.

That's what

Satan tries

to do.

He don't

want to give

you a headache

today.

He wants

to steal,

kill,

and destroy.

You just

keep coming

on back

to the

church.

If you're

limping,

we'll help

you across

the street.

You just

come on as

you are

and let us

love on

you.

Let us

care for

you through

the valley

that you

go through

because we're

all going to

go through

valleys.

Some of us

are going to

make our

own valleys.

Some of us

are our own

stumbling blocks

quite honestly.

And then some

things happen

to us just

because life

happens,

period.

And then some

things happen

because somebody

else did it

to us.

There's nothing

we could have

done about it,

but we're

dealing with it.

Come on to

the church.

You need to

hear that

opening play.

You need to

hear that

choir sing.

You need to

hear the

ensemble.

You need to

hear the

word of God.

Don't let,

if you're at

home right now

because you're

going through

something and

you're just

waiting until you

get through it

to come on

back to church,

church, just

come on back

next week.

Don't wait.

Just come on

back next week

and let you

love on me

because I'm

telling you,

Satan loves to

pull us apart.

Just a little

excursion there

from the passage.

church.

But I just want you

to know, we

come as we

are and let

God love on us

through his

people.

And I'm

telling you,

that's where the

church becomes

the church.

That's why I

love church.

We need each

other.

And hardship

binds us

together.

However,

stumbling

blocks tear us

apart.

When stumbling

blocks are in

the way, we

don't do the

job that God

has called us

and enabled us

to do.

And when the

church does not

function as the

church, there's a

lack of peace in

the church.

You find a dead

church, you'll

find discord.

You'll find

difficulty.

There's a lack

of peace.

Unproductive

churches lack

peace.

So listen, you're

always going to

hear from me.

If you don't, I

shouldn't be doing

what I'm doing.

You're always going

to hear from me.

Stay productive.

Let's do

something in the

kingdom of God.

And I don't mean

just to do

something and be

doing it.

I mean do

something not

for busy's sake,

do something for

kingdom's sake.

Please understand,

Christian, that when

we stumble around

in our walk with

Christ, it will

not only affect

us, it does not

only affect our

relationship with

Christ, it affects

those around us.

It affects our

relationships with

each other.

Christ.

And Christ has

called us to be

the salt of the

earth.

That means that we

are to preserve

what is right.

That's what he

means by salt.

That means that we

are to flavor our

society with the

good news of Jesus

Christ.

That's what he

means by being the

salt of the earth.

Don't be a

stumbling block.

pay attention to the

areas of your life

that can easily

become a stumbling

block because those

stumbling blocks,

they're holding you

back.

Listen, church,

they're holding us

back from being

everything that God

would have us to be.

And it may be

hindering others from

ever even coming to

Christ.

Christ.

Instead, let's be

salt.

Salt of the earth.

I don't add salt to

food anymore.

I had a heart attack

last year and I

stopped eating salt,

adding salt.

So when I find

something that's

already got salt in

it, boy, give me a

pretzel, I'll have a

heyday.

I didn't add

anything to it.

Why?

Because salt's

attractive.

Provides flavor.

Let's be salt of the

earth.

Not so people can be

impressed with us,

but so people can see

Jesus in us.

And let's not let

anything that we're

doing cause us to be

less than what we

should be in our

relationship with

Christ.

But also, let's not

let anything in our

life be something that

causes somebody else

to stumble because

that's what we're

doing.

As we talked about a

couple weeks ago,

let's put others

before ourselves.

Let's get the

stumbling blocks

behind us.

With every head

bowed and every eye

closed, I ask you

this morning, if you've

ever given your heart

and life to the Lord

Jesus Christ, if

there's something that

somebody in this church

has done or somebody in

your life that proclaimed

to be a Christian has

done and they become a

stumbling block for you

and you don't want to

give your life to

Christ, listen, if

there's any reason why

you don't want to give

your life to Christ, that

is a stumbling block.

Satan has put it there

and he is doing that to

hinder you from coming

to Christ.

And so if you've never

given your heart and

life to Christ, I

encourage you today to

come.

Say, Pastor, I want to

come as I am and I

ask God to forgive you

my sins, to come into

my life and to change

me.

I'll be happy to guide

you in what that means.

It all starts with a

personal relationship with

Christ.

It's all there.

If you've never done

that publicly, but

you've done it privately,

never been baptized as a

believer, that's a

stumbling block.

It becomes a hindrance to

us.

So you come and say, I

want to be baptized.

We're going to plan on

doing that in the coming

weeks.

Maybe you're here this

morning and you know

there's a stumbling block.

I have prayed before I got

in the pulpit that God

would show us the

stumbling blocks in our

own lives, things that we

needed to remove and that

His Holy Spirit would

reveal that to us.

Will you lay that at the

altar this morning?

You can do it where you

stand in just a moment.

You can do it with me

praying for you.

You can do it at this

altar.

But will you put that

behind you today and move

forward?

Maybe God's drawing you to

Pickens First Baptist

Church.

Blessed to have several

guests with us today and

some of you have been

coming for some time and

you feel like God's

drawing you to this place.

If He's doing that, you

come.

We'd love to guide you in

what that means.

Honestly, I have no idea

what God's led you to do.

But I do know you'll never

be satisfied unless you

follow it.

So do exactly what God

tells you to do.

Lord Jesus, lead us right

now to simply be obedient

and follow you.

In Jesus' name, amen.