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Pioneers Memorial

W.D. Frazee

Relating to Others’ Failures

1 of the greatest practical problems that the young Christian meets is how to relate himself to the weaknesses, the faults, the lack of vision, the other apparent and obvious inadequacies of older Christians.

The number of you here tonight are students who have come to this campus within the last few weeks.

I doubt that many have come with a vision in your heart of why the Lord has brought you here, the training that you wish to get, and the inspiration that you expect to receive in the classes, in the missionary endeavors, in the homes, in the contact with your fellow Christians.

Human nature being what it is, some of you have already been disappointed.

Others of you will be disappointed next week or the week after.

And I'm speaking on this practical matter tonight not merely for the benefit of the new students who are here, but for everybody that is here, whether you live on this campus or whether you've come hundreds of miles for this meeting.

My point is that everybody has problems, and that 1 of the problems that everybody has sooner or later is the disappointment in not finding in the lives of other Christians what he has expected to find.

How do we relate ourselves to this kind of problem?

I invite your attention to the Master's words in Matthew, the 18th chapter, and the seventh verse.

Matthew, the eighteenth chapter and the seventh verse.

And while you're turning to that text, may I read this wonderful statement in the book statement in the book Ministry of Healing, page 363.

The gospel is a wonderful simplifier of life's problems.

In fact, if you find the right solution, it will be a simple solution.

And somebody here tonight is going to get some problems solved.

If you don't have any problems of your own right now, pray for those who do, and take notes so that you can use these principles when you do run into problems, either of your own or others.

Now, we're on this specific problem just now of how to relate ourselves to the faults, failings, weaknesses, inadequacies of others who disappoint us.

Matthew, the 18th chapter, and the 7th verse.

Woe unto the world because of offenses, for it must needs be that offenses come.

But woe to that man by whom the offense cometh.

This word that in this version is translated offence is also rendered in other translations occasions of stumbling.

The idea is here I'm walking along the path and somebody has carelessly or deliberately put a log in the road.

And I stumble over it and go ahead and log.

Well, my fault for not watching better, isn't it?

But it's too bad that fellow was either careless or malicious that left the piece of lumber there in my road, isn't it?

Woe unto the world because of offenses, occasions of stumbling, things that make people fall headlong in sin, in failure, in disappointment, in discouragement.

Woe unto the world because of those things, Jesus said.

And woe to that man by whom the offense cometh.

It's what he puts in the middle of the verse, but it's hard to understand.

For it must needs be that offenses, occasions of stumbling, come.

Wouldn't life be better all around if there was never anything to stumble over?

And when those provisions are met, God is going to take us to a world where there'll never be any occasions of stumbling.

We're not going to have to be watching to beware of stumbling blocks when we get to heaven, right?

We're not going to a thousand years from now and a million years from now and a billion years from now have to be watching lest we fall.

Watching lest we misunderstand others or be misunderstood.

Watching lest we follow somebody's wrong example.

No, All of that belongs down here in this little planet and right now.

And those opportunities are not going to last very long.

The only chance we'll have to deal with problems like this is right now.

And Jesus says it must needs be that these opportunities come, these occasions of stumbling.

Now, you notice, Jesus doesn't say it must needs be that we fall over the stumbling block, Not at all.

But it must needs be that we meet those occasions of stumbling.

Well, let's think of the example, the illustration, in the life of a man who heard Jesus speak these words.

Christ tried to help him again and again.

Jesus said to him repeatedly, Peter, you need to watch.

And finally, the last evening, before the cross, as they were together, Jesus said, Peter, you'd better watch, you'd better pray, you need to be converted, then you can strengthen your brethren and they're going to come some problems tonight and You better watch and pray and Peter got offended he got a thing Jesus said Peter before the cock crows tomorrow morning, you'll be denying me.

Even if all the others forsake you, I will be true.

Peter's problem was that he didn't know what was inside.

And for this reason, it must needs be that something would happen that would cause him to fall headlong and what was inside would come outside, or pour, so it could be dealt with.

You know, in certain conditions, the physician will say, that boil must be lashed.

Do you know why it comes running out when the incision is made?

If Peter had not been soundly converted as the result of this fall, and his repentance afterward as he saw the Savior's loving look.

If Peter had not been soundly converted, you know how he would have reacted to all that?

He comes around among the brethren, And John says, well, Peter, old fellow, what's the matter anyway?

Whatever happened to you the other night?

If you cursed and swore and denied the law?

And Peter said, John, now don't bring that up.

I would have been all right the other night if that maid hadn't pointed her finger at me.

And if that man hadn't asked me if I was a follower of Christ, I wasn't hurting anybody, I wasn't bothering anybody, And if they had just let me alone, I would have been all right.

And then the look of Jesus melted his heart, and he knew that the trouble wasn't with the maid that pointed her finger.

And do you know, just a few weeks later, in that very same courtroom, before those very same people, that man, Peter, got up and eloquently expressed his faith in Jesus, even though he was beaten as a result and later was put in prison, they were ready to kill him.

He quit blaming circumstances, he quit blaming people, he sought the Lord for an experience and He got the victory over Peter.

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Relating to Others’ Failures

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