Your personalities, the way you talk, the way you treat someone, the way you view things, the way you do things, these are all influenced by what is in your heart. If you have the nature of Jesus, you will walk and conduct yourself as HE did. But within the hearts of God's people there is anger, lust, contempt, insecurity, jealousy, envy, murder, seducing, adultery, idolatery, and so on and on. This is why we cannot obtain spiritual breakthrough as the chains of such sin are still tangled within our hearts. We may have spiritual gifts but we have yet to behold His Glory. He wants us to go up to the mountain to meet HIM. He wants us to go talk to him as though talking to a friend. He wants us to behold His Glory. But just as the days of old, when His Glory appeared, His people ran from Mt Sinai. His Glory had exposed their sin.
Yes, you may have spiritual gifts. Moses and God's people also had spiritual experiences more than some of us today. They experienced His signs and wonders in Egypt and as they saw the Red Sea part. They received manna from heaven and water from the Rock. But when it was time to go up the mountain to meet their God, they ran because of the sin in their hearts.
We must come to a point to behold HIS GLORY. Otherwise, we are still serving our idols and we will create our own golden calf thinking it is God. Aaron had said after he had molded the golden calf that they would offer sacrifices unto the Lord! The golden calf to Aaron and God's people was God. But it was their own creation and image of God. The Lord told Moses, the people have corrupted themselves. Many of us are corrupted today and we do not even realize this deception within us. How do we know we are not deceived? Look at your fruit. What fruit are you bearing in your life?
Acts 7:39 “But our ancestors refused to listen to Moses. They rejected him and wanted to return to Egypt. 40 They told Aaron, ‘Make us some gods who can lead us, for we don’t know what has become of this Moses, who brought us out of Egypt.’ 41 So they made an idol shaped like a calf, and they sacrificed to it and celebrated over this thing they had made. 42 Then God turned away from them and abandoned them to serve the stars of heaven as their gods! In the book of the prophets it is written,
‘Was it to me you were bringing sacrifices and offerings
during those forty years in the wilderness, Israel?
43 No, you carried your pagan gods—
the shrine of Molech,
the star of your god Rephan,
and the images you made to worship them.
So I will send you into exile
as far away as Babylon.
During the forty years in the wilderness, God's people experienced His signs, wonders, and miracles. God fed them. God gave them drink. God took care of them. But His people even at that time were also serving two masters. They were carrying their foreign gods and shrines of Molech and Rephan.
Today, God may still be doing miracles and showing us signs and wonders. But HE still feeds and gives us drink out of Grace. However, many of us even today are serving two masters even though HE pours out HIS amazing Grace. Just as the Old Testament saints and as they were in their wilderness, many are in their wildernesses today with their idols. Today, their idols are anger, hate, lust, covet, money, power, greed, self righteousness, etc. Behind those works of flesh are the gods of Molech, Rephan, and Baal. We may be God's people but if we do not remove our idols, we will face judgment as our Old Testament counterparts. We will then experience our own type of spiritual exile.
In the wilderness, His people brought sacrifices and offerings but because they were serving two masters, God is asking in verse 42, "Was it to me you were bringing sacrifices and offerings?" God used the wilderness for forty years to strip away those idols. But there are two choices in the wilderness, either the promise land or death.
Today, God is asking the same thing to His Church. Although, we bring sacrifices and offerings, who are we really bringing it for and for what purpose? Yes, on the surface, we may say it is for HIM but what is our heart really saying? Many are in their spiritual wildernesses today and God is seeking the same thing. Remove your idols!! In our wildernesses, God may manifest HIMSELF. We may experience signs and wonders. But unless you remove your idols, do not be so confident with your salvation. You must work out your salvation with trembling and fear.
Philippines 2:12-16 Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. 13 For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.14 Do everything without complaining and arguing, 15 so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people. 16 Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ’s return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless.
Examine yourselves and be cleansed and pray to overcome all your tests, suffering, and tribulations. Spiritual maturity is not counted by the years you are a Christian or by the amount of knowledge you have. Spiritual maturity is counted by the spiritual marks of overcoming, persevering, and enduring your tests, trials, and tribulations. Your spiritual maturity is proven by the lasting fruit that is bore, the fruit of the Holy Spirit.
Sept 6, 2013 Revised and extended
Fire of God International Church
A Holy Fire Ministry
Pastor Steve Yong Kim
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