Category Archives: Stumbling

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Bible, Jealousy, Romans, Salvation, Scripture, Stumble, Stumbling

MAKING SOMEONE JEALOUS

ROMANS 11:11

“I say then, they did not stumble so as to fall, did they? Far from it! But by their wrongdoing salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make them jealous.”

Have you ever been jealous of something someone else had and you wanted? Not me, Carl. I’m more spiritual than that. Right! We have all had that tinge of jealousy at some point in our lives. Maybe it was for a new car or new home. Maybe you longed to be married and were jealous of your friends’ relationships. Jealousy can destroy you, as we will see today, but it can be a motivating force for change.

We have seen Paul make his case for the rejection of the Jews and the inclusion of the Gentiles over the past few chapters of Romans. He has shown us verse after verse from the Old Testament that foretold this. In today’s verse, he does a little backpedaling. Look at the first part of the verse. “I say then, they did not stumble so as to fall, did they? Far from it!” It’s important to look at the words used by Paul for “stumble” and “fall.” Stumble means to trip up, to err, to sin. Fall means to fall so that you cannot recover. Paul clearly means to say that the Jews were not completely cast off by God. His plan was to make them jealous for the simple faith that the Gentiles had found in Jesus.

APPLICATION

I am reminded of a parable told by Jeus in Matthew 22. Jesus tells a parable about a king who held a wedding feast for his son. But the invited guests did not come and made excuses for their absence. They even treated his messengers poorly and killed some. So he sent his army against them. Then Jesus says the king did this in verses 8-9. “‘8 Then he said to his slaves, “The wedding feast is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. 9 So go to the main roads, and invite whomever you find there to the wedding feast.”’” God indeed allowed judgment to fall on the Jewish nation because of their continual rejection of His message. This wasn’t a new thing. They had been doing this for generations.

But now, God has redirected His message to include the Gentiles which Jews could not understand. In Acts 13:46 we read, “Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, “‘It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first. Since you repudiate it and consider yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles.’” This was Paul’s mission. He had been instructed by God to reach the Gentiles. However, he still had a desire to see his fellow Jews come to Christ.

Are you jealous of anything today? Let that go. But are you jealous of someone’s walk with Jesus? If so, ask them how they walk so closely. Ask them to show you their secret to holy living. Discipleship involves holding others’ hands and leading them down that path. We want to build disciple makers who are jealous for God, who desire Him about all else. Is that you?

We know You are a jealous God and will not tolerate us worshipping other things. Make me jealous for You.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Faith, Romans, Scripture, Stumbling, Walking, Works

THE STUMBLING STONE

ROMANS 9:32

“Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though they could by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone,”

I have mentioned before that I have pretty bad neuropathy in my feet caused by the chemo I had while going through my stem cell transplants. This means I can’t feel my toes very well and therefore have to be very careful when walking on uneven surfaces. Even rugs in my house can cause me stumble if I am not careful. Stones and rocks outside are even worse. That’s a shame because I really like to walk in the woods. I’m always careful, but there is always the chance that I could take a fall.

The word used by Paul here for “stumbling” is proskomma which literally means “a stumbling, an occasion of stumbling.” (NAS Exhaustive Concordance) The word is used six times in the New Testament, each time by Paul except for its one use by Peter in 1 Peter 2:8 where he quotes the same passage Paul does in tomorrow’s verse. Proskomma paints a picture in today’s verse of something that tripped up the Jews. Look at this description of the word. “The stone on which they stumbled was Christ, and especially His Cross…the Cross offended them because, as interpreted by Paul, it summoned them to begin their religious life, from the very beginning, at the foot of the Crucified, and with the sense upon their hearts of an infinite debt to Him, which no “works” could ever repay.” (Expositor’s Greek Testament)

APPLICATION

So, you may be thinking What has that got to do with me? Well, let me tell you. What is it about the Gospel that trips you up? What has caused you to doubt your faith? Is there something in your life right now that is causing you to stumble in your walk with Christ? Or is there something in your life that is causing someone else to stumble? Paul warns us about this last one in Romans 14:13. “Therefore let’s not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this: not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother’s or sister’s way.”

Just as the Jews stumbled over the fact that Jesus, Who died on a cross, was the Messiah, we too stumble over simple truths in His Word. We don’t want to believe certain things. We don’t want to submit to Him in all aspects of our lives. These are stumbling blocks for us. But if we walk in His footprints, we know we will never stumble. When you’re walking through a minefield you want to step exactly where the one who knows where they lie is stepping. Jesus knows all the minefields the devil is laying for you. Step in His steps.

The Topical Lexicon describes proskomma this way, “The gospel divides humanity. For those pursuing righteousness ‘as if it were by works,’ Christ becomes ‘a stumbling stone’. The offense arises because grace nullifies self-effort; yet those who receive Him find secure footing.” Find your secure footing today. 1 Corinthians 3:11 tells us that Jesus is the firm foundation. Build your life on Him, and you can avoid those stumbling stones of life.

Thank You, God, for helping me step securely.  

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Battles, Bible, Protection, Safety, Scripture, Stumbling

STUMBLING BLOCKS

GALATIANS 5:11

“But as for me, brothers and sisters, if I still preach circumcision, why am I still persecuted? Then the stumbling block of the cross has been eliminated.”

I have been having trouble the past few years since I developed neuropathy in my feet. I stumble easily. I have to watch where I step and how fast I walk. The problem is really my toes. They are pretty much numb all the time. It’s hard to balance and not trip when you can’t feel your toes. So, just about any rock or stick that protrudes from the grown can literally be my downfall.

The Greek word for “stumbling block” used in today’s verse by Paul means “the trigger of a trap (the mechanism closing a trap down on the unsuspecting victim)” (HELPS Word-studies). The word is used 15 times in the New Testament in various ways. Let me encourage you to do a word study on the word. The reason Paul uses the word here is to show the Galatians the futility of trying to keep the law. There were those among them who insisted that circumcision be done for all male believers. Paul says emphatically that he did not preach circumcision (no matter what anyone might say) for if he had, there would have been no issue with the Jews and the cross.

APPLICATION

We all have to deal with stumbling blocks in our life, don’t we? Jesus even did. In Matthew 16:22-23, in fact, he calls Peter one. “22 And yet Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, ‘God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You!’ 23 But He turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s purposes, but men’s.’” Peter was an obstacle for Jesus here. There is no room for stumbling blocks in our lives.

John uses the word in 1 John 2:10. “The one who loves his brother and sister remains in the Light, and there is nothing in him to cause stumbling.” That makes sense, doesn’t it? If you are walking in the light, you are less likely to stumble on something. When we walk in the light of Jesus, those things that try to trip us up are exposed and we can avoid them. Are you walking in the light?

I pray you are not being that stumbling block like Peter was in Matthew 16. We can be you know. We can do or say things that can cause someone to stumble. Don’t do that. Keep your path straight. Keep it free of debris. Don’t let yourself get caught up in something that could cause someone else to fall. Remember, walk in the light!

O Lord, keep me from stumbling or from being a stumbling block.

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