“A Stumbling Block”
“Just as it is written, ‘Behold, I LAY IN ZION a STONE OF STUMBLING and A ROCK OF OFFENSE, And HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM will NOT BE DISAPPOINTED’.”
Romans 9:33 NASBS
Dear reader, I want to plead with you to come to the Lord Jesus Christ in all humility in this short devotion. Again, I beseech you to search your heart, acknowledge the sin woven in the fabric of your nature, and realize that apart from Jesus Christ, you are hopelessly lost. As we look at the verse above, it was written to the Jewish people in the first century who were waiting for a savior from heaven who would break the Roman oppression and subdue them under their feet. They were not expecting a suffering savior, though it was prophesied in the Old Testament. Therefore, when Jesus came into the world proclaiming to be God, proving it by His works and was crucified, He became a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense to them. In their minds, for God to come into this world and lay Himself down as a suffering Savior was unthinkable. That is because they completely misunderstood the purpose of the law. In their minds, they thought that by keeping the law to the best of their ability, going through ceremonial rituals, and living a life of good morals, they would be justified in the eyes of
God. They compared themselves to the godless culture and deemed themselves to be holy. Because of the pride in their hearts, they could not see that internally; they were just as corrupt as those engaging in immorality. They would rise in their hearts and say, “We would never do such things as these gentiles,” yet failed to see that the seed of hatred burned in their hearts for those, not of Jewish origin.
Within their hearts, they wanted God to judge the Romans and cast them into the flames of eternal damnation. They were guilty before God, even though they lived exemplary lives in the eyes of many.
Make no mistake, reader, for if the Jews of the first century, who God chose under the old covenant, who had the law of God, and the covenant through Abraham, needed a suffering Savior, you do too. You see, within your own heart, you have broken all the demands of God’s law and stand condemned before Him. Please understand that apart from Jesus Christ, you will one day stand before God the Father and be held accountable for every idle word or thought that has ever crossed your mind. Do not follow in the footsteps of the Jews and stumble over the stumbling block and say, “God is love, and He would never cast me into the fires of hell.” Remember, it was because of God’s love that we can read of the horrifying day when He crushed His own Son, Jesus Christ, by allowing the Romans to crucify Him. You must understand that the death of Christ is God’s love extended to you, for you will not escape the judgment to come O man. If God did not spare His own people, He would not spare you either. Death is not your greatest enemy, and neither is the Devil, but you should fear God, for God’s wrath will fuel the fires of perdition upon those who reject his plan of redemption. Again, your only hope is in Jesus Christ. Come now, search the very depths of your heart, and you will see that you too need a suffering savior to save you from the wrath to come.
You need Jesus to go before you, for He alone is the one who has satisfied God’s holy vengeance upon humanity. May the grace of God lead you to see Jesus hanging on the cross. May He open your heart to understand that He was bearing your own sins so that you might turn to Him in faith and be saved; as it is written, “he who believes in Him will not be disappointed.”