A person should not measure their obedience to the Lord by their spiritual gifts. If you do, you will end up deceiving yourself. Our eyes should always be on Jesus and not the gifts. However, many believe they are on good terms with God because they can hear Him or because they have some power.
Korah and 250 leaders of the congregation basically took a majority vote to come against Moses. They did not like the way Moses was leading them. They did not like coming out of bondage and finding out that following and trusting God was a lot more difficult than they had realized. Korah thought they could rule by themselves in a better way. When they had come against Moses, they basically told him "THE LORD WAS AMONG THEM."
Numbers 16:3 (AMP) And they gathered together against Moses and Aaron, and said to them, [Enough of you!] You take too much upon yourselves, seeing that all the congregation is holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them. Why then do you lift yourselves up above the assembly of the Lord?
Numbers 16:13 (AMP) Is it a small thing that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the wilderness, but you must also make yourself a prince over us?
In verse 13, they accused Moses of lording over them. Men have very short memory. They forgot God had given Moses direct authority to teach and lead His people. They saw the signs, miracles, and fruit yet they wanted self rule. It is the nature of man to make their own choices in life. History always seems to repeat itself with men because of their sin nature. Even now, it is the same. Now, they use Grace to justify their "freedom" in themselves. They want to tithe their own amounts based on what they feel is in their hearts? They want to make up their own Sabbath days (4th commandments) or define what they are allowed to do or not to do on the Lord's Day (The 4th Commandment is now the Lord's Day which is now Sunday).They want to define what is a small or a big sin. They make up their own parameters on what sins will still get you into heaven. They want to make rules of what is "modest" (acceptable) or "bondage/addictions" (unacceptable). They want to dress and show whatever flesh they feel free to show to glorify themselves and bring attention. They do all this in the name of Grace. It is still the spirit of rebellion to do what one pleases. It is a spirit of self rule with God as their side kick.
Grace gives us freedom in Jesus Christ to OBEY HIM. It is not freedom in ourselves for self rule and self made up definitions or parameters of what is allowed and who is not allowed. He is NOT coming back with a teddy bear in His hand. He is coming back with a ROD!!
Even though the Lord was among them and Korah and the leaders were able to hear God for themselves, God demands that no one USURP HIS Authority. When they came against Moses, they came against God. It would have been better for Korah and the congregation to pray for Moses and their situation instead of telling Moses to take a hike or to stop leading/preaching his messages.
If God had given Moses direct authority to teach, correct, rebuke, and lead His people, then what authority did Korah and the 250 leaders have to speak against Moses or tell him to stop what he was doing?
Numbers 16:19-22 (AMP)
19Then Korah assembled all the congregation against Moses and Aaron before the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the Lord appeared to all the congregation.20And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron,21Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.22And they fell upon their faces, and said, O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin and will You be angry with all the congregation?
Moses had God's heart. Even though they wanted to "vote him out" he got on his face and asked for mercy. This is the heart we must have even with our enemies. How many churches decide to vote out their preachers without God's permission? Today, they have boards and majority rule instead of being led by the Spirit of God. Even today, churches usurp God's authority and many of them will be subject to His judgment if they do not repent.
Moses had God's heart. Even though they wanted to "vote him out" he got on his face and asked for mercy. This is the heart we must have even with our enemies. How many churches decide to vote out their preachers without God's permission? Today, they have boards and majority rule instead of being led by the Spirit of God. Even today, churches usurp God's authority and many of them will be subject to His judgment if they do not repent.
Numbers 16:32-33 (AMP)
32And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their households and [Korah and] all [his] men and all their possessions. 33They and all that belonged to them went down alive into Sheol (the place of the dead); and the earth closed upon them, and they perished from among the assembly.
Numbers 16:48-49 (AMP) 48And he stood between the dead and the living, and the plague was stayed.49Now those who died in the plague were 14,700, besides those who died in the matter of Korah.
These were God's people. Not only did Korah and his men/possessions all went to Sheol alive but 14,700 died from the plague as God sent His judgment.
The point of this message is to illustrate the sinful nature of man and their continual desire for self rule even among His own people. Sadly, it is God's people who constantly still test God. Men like to gather among themselves in numbers thinking it is safer because it is a majority rule. Well, the majority is in HELL!!
If you are following God and His uncompromised Truth, then you will get spiritual stones thrown at you. If you are not having any spiritual stones thrown at you, then you better ask the Holy Spirit if you are compromising.
Prepare for dark and difficult days. Judgment is coming to those who are rebelling against HIM!
Fire of God
Steve Yong Kim
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