Participants: Pr. Stephen Bohr
Series Code: GAB
Program Code: GAB000006
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01:12 Shall we bow our heads for prayer?
01:15 Father in heaven, we thank You so much 01:16 for the privilege of being here today. 01:19 And we ask that as we open Your Holy Word 01:22 that Your Spirit will come to be with us. 01:25 Teach us the lessons that we need to learn 01:28 from the story of Korah's Rebellion. 01:31 And we thank You for hearing our prayer 01:33 for we ask it in Jesus name, Amen. 01:37 As I mentioned in my prayer 01:39 today we are going to speak about Korah's Rebellion. 01:44 It's a very interesting story 01:45 that we find in Numbers Chapter 8. 01:49 Now in order to understand this story 01:51 I have to give you a little bit of background. 01:54 God shows Moses to be the ruler of Israel 02:01 and He also chose Aaron to be His spokesman. 02:07 In other words, Moses was supposed to sit 02:11 under throne of Israel 02:12 and Aaron was supposed to be the mouthpiece of Moses 02:18 before the congregation. 02:21 And we can express it as Moses being the king 02:25 and Aaron being the priest. 02:28 Actually, we're gonna find 02:30 that the roles of Moses and Aaron 02:32 represented the same roles of God the Father 02:36 as the ruler of the universe 02:38 and Jesus Christ the spokesperson for the Father 02:42 and actually the Priest of the God the Father. 02:46 Now we need to say a few things about the identity of Korah. 02:51 Korah actually decided at a certain point-- 02:56 we're gonna notice in our study 02:58 to challenge the leadership of Moses and also of Aaron. 03:04 Even though God had chosen Moses as the leader 03:07 and Aaron as the priest Korah decided 03:10 that he was going to challenge this arrangement 03:13 which God had established. 03:15 Now who was Korah? 03:17 Korah was a member of the tribe of Levites. 03:21 But he was not of the house of Aaron. 03:25 So that's a very important distinction 03:27 because all priests had to be from the house of Aaron 03:31 and Korah was not of the house of Aaron 03:35 even though he was a Levite. 03:37 Now the Levites fulfilled very important tasks 03:42 in relationship to the sanctuary, 03:44 very important ministries and services 03:47 on behalf of the congregation. 03:50 In fact, we know that the Levites 03:54 had many functions relating to the sanctuary 03:57 and that actually they were set aside 04:01 by God by the lane on of hands. 04:05 In other words, 04:06 they were separated for their ministry, 04:09 they were separated for their functions 04:12 by God having hands laid upon them. 04:17 This will be a very important detail as we study along. 04:21 Now we're ready, to turning our Bibles 04:24 to the Book of Numbers Chapter 8 04:27 and let's read verse 10. 04:31 "So you shall bring the Levites before the Lord, 04:37 and the children of Israel 04:39 shall lay their hands on the Levites." 04:43 So the Levites were chosen and ordained by God 04:48 to the position which they occupied 04:50 in the sanctuary. 04:52 It's important to realize that the Levites were not priests. 04:58 They were called to a special ministry, 05:01 they were ordained by the lain on of hands 05:04 but they did not have the function of the priesthood 05:08 but they had very important functions in the sanctuary. 05:12 For example, they provided the music 05:15 in the sanctuary service. 05:18 Not only the choral music but also the instrumental music. 05:24 They were the ones who gathered 05:25 the tithes of Israel. 05:28 They bore the Arch of the Covenant. 05:31 They pitched and tore down the tent 05:34 as Israel walked through the wilderness. 05:37 They were the custodians of the temple 05:40 and of the sanctuary. 05:42 They actually flayed the animals. 05:45 And they also taught the law to the people. 05:48 They were teachers in Israel. 05:52 Now all though they were ordained 05:55 they were not ordained as priest before the Lord. 05:59 They were set aside for the function of a Levite 06:04 not for the function of the priesthood 06:06 which belonged to the family of Aaron. 06:10 This is a very important detail. 06:13 I'm sure that many of the Levites 06:16 were well qualified to serve as priest. 06:19 In other words, they probably knew 06:22 how to perform the work of the priest. 06:24 And may be some of them 06:26 could even perform the work of the priest 06:28 better than some of the priests. 06:31 But you see, 06:32 their function was determine not by their abilities 06:36 but by the fact that God had set them aside. 06:41 Now, we are going to notice 06:43 in our study today a parallel between 06:46 what happened with Korah's Rebellion 06:49 and what happened with the rebellion 06:51 of Lucifer in heaven. 06:54 Because, what happened in the days of Korah 06:56 was earthly small scale reflection 07:00 of the original rebellion of Lucifer 07:04 against God in heaven. 07:06 You see, Moses and Aaron would represent God the Father 07:10 who is the ruler of the universe 07:12 and Jesus Christ who is the spokesman of the Father. 07:16 He is the Word of God. 07:18 He is the Voice of God in other words. 07:22 And Jesus was set aside in a special way as God's Son. 07:28 He had a special position of honor and dignity. 07:33 But there was another individual 07:35 who had also been anointed because he is called 07:37 the anointed Cherub in Scripture. 07:40 In fact, this anointed cherub his name was Lucifer 07:45 was actually also a master musician. 07:51 He was the director of the heavenly choirs 07:53 just like the Levites 07:55 where the musicians in the sanctuary in Israel 07:59 and we know that Lucifer was also an instrumentalist. 08:03 Because we are told in Ezekiel 28 08:05 the timbrels and pipes were prepared for him 08:09 the day in which he was created. 08:12 In other words, 08:13 he was also set aside for a specific function 08:16 but he could not occupy the function of God the Father 08:19 and the function of Jesus Christ. 08:23 And so the time came going back to the story of Israel 08:28 that Korah became unsatisfied with his position. 08:33 He aspired to the position of being a priest 08:38 because he considered this to be a higher office 08:41 and a higher calling than of a mere Levite. 08:45 And eventually we're gonna find in this story 08:48 that he not only aspired 08:50 to occupy the position of a priest 08:53 but he also aspired to overthrow Moses from his throne 08:59 and become the ruler of Israel. 09:03 We find these very significant words 09:05 in Patriarchs and Prophets Page 395. 09:07 I'm gonna be using several quotations 09:09 from the chapter on Korah's Rebellion 09:11 because Ellen White describes this in such vivid terms. 09:16 She says "Korah became dissatisfied with his position 09:23 and aspired to the dignity of the priesthood. 09:28 The bestowal upon Aaron 09:30 and his house of the priestly office, 09:33 which had formerly devolved 09:35 upon the first-born son of every family, 09:38 had given rise to jealousy and dissatisfaction." 09:46 So you see that those who have been set aside as priests 09:50 were looked upon as rivals by Korah, interestingly, enough. 09:58 Now the same thing happened in heaven. 10:01 Lucifer desired the position of the king. 10:07 He desired the position of Jesus the spokesman of God 10:12 We all know the verses of Isaiah 14:13, 14. 10:16 Now I'm gonna read those. 10:19 Speaking about Lucifer it says, 10:20 "For you have said in your heart, 10:23 I will ascend into heaven, 10:25 I will exalt my throne above the stars of God, 10:30 I will also sit on the mount of the congregation 10:33 on the farthest sides of the north. 10:36 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, 10:39 and I will be like the Most High.'" 10:42 I'm not gonna be a second-class citizen anymore. 10:45 I'm not happy with the position of the covering cherub. 10:48 I want to be like Jesus. 10:50 And eventually, he also wants to overthrow 10:53 the Father from his throne. 10:57 Ellen White perceptively 10:59 in Patriarchs and Prophets Page 35 11:02 describes the rebellion of Lucifer. 11:06 She says "Not content with his position." 11:08 Did you see this parallel here? 11:10 "Not content with his position, 11:12 though honored above the heavenly host." 11:15 As Korah was honored above the congregation of Israel 11:21 "He ventured to covet homage due alone to the Creator. 11:26 Instead of seeking to make God supreme in the affections 11:31 and allegiance of all created beings, 11:33 it was his endeavor to secure their service 11:36 and loyalty to himself. 11:39 And coveting the glory with which the infinite Father 11:44 had invested His Son, 11:46 this prince of angels aspired to the power 11:51 that was the prerogative of Christ alone." 11:55 Dissatisfied with his position 11:58 to which he had been ordained by God 12:02 for which he had been anointed by God 12:04 and aspiring to a higher office 12:07 and being unhappy about the Father and the Son 12:10 having higher positions than he. 12:13 And so now a secret conspiracy began. 12:18 It's described like this 12:20 in Patriarchs and Prophets Page 395. 12:24 She says, "A deep-laid conspiracy was formed." 12:29 And you can find this in Numbers Chapter 16. 12:34 "The result of a determined purpose to overthrow 12:39 the authority of the leaders appointed by God Himself." 12:46 Notice the description 12:47 a deep-laid conspiracy was formed 12:50 the result of a determined purpose to overthrow 12:54 the authority of the leaders appointed by God himself. 13:00 It's interesting to notice that, 13:01 Korah at first worked undercover by using deception. 13:08 We find these words 13:09 in Patriarchs and Prophets Page 395. 13:13 "For some time Korah had been secretly 13:18 opposing the authority of Moses and Aaron, 13:23 though he had not ventured upon any open act of rebellion." 13:28 In other words he had harbored these feelings 13:31 deep in his heart secretly undercover 13:34 wanting to occupy the position of Moses and Aaron. 13:38 Just like Lucifer wanted to occupy the position of Jesus 13:43 and ultimately the position of God. 13:46 In Patriarchs and Prophets Page 37 13:49 Ellen White tells us about Lucifer in heaven 13:52 "Lucifer went forth to diffuse the spirit 13:57 of discontent among the angels." 14:00 And now notice this. 14:01 "He worked with mysterious secrecy, 14:06 and for a time concealed his real purpose 14:10 under an appearance of reverence for God." 14:16 In other words he says, 14:17 I'm not really fighting to overthrow God 14:20 I really want to improve upon the government of God. 14:24 I'm doing this for the good of God in other words, 14:27 but actually he is opposing God as Korah 14:31 was opposing Moses and Aaron. 14:36 It's interesting, to notice that 14:38 Korah had a couple of coconspirators 14:42 that are mentioned by name. 14:44 Their names are Dathan and Abiram. 14:48 Interestingly enough Dathan and Abiram 14:51 were actually from the tribe of Reuben. 14:55 And Reuben was the eldest son of Jacob. 14:58 And so they said, the eldest son has the ruler ship function. 15:02 So we should be the ones sitting 15:05 upon the throne instead of Moses. 15:09 And so now the feelings 15:12 that had begun with Korah in his heart 15:15 which he had harbored 15:17 he begins whispering among the leaders of Israel. 15:24 And we are told in Patriarchs and Prophets Page 396 15:29 the following. 15:31 "Professing great interest in the prosperity of the people, 15:38 they first whispered their discontent to one another 15:43 and then to the leading men of Israel." 15:48 So it starts with Korah. 15:50 He whispers it to Dathan and Abiram 15:54 and then they start whispering it 15:57 among other prominent leaders in Israel 16:01 because in order for this rebellion to be successful 16:04 they have to recruit followers. 16:07 And so we're told in Numbers 16 16:10 that they were able to recruit 250 16:14 of the cream of the crop of Israel. 16:20 We're told in Numbers 16 16:22 if you read with me Numbers 16:2, 3. 16:27 "And they rose up before Moses 16:31 with some of the children of Israel, 16:34 two hundred and fifty leaders of the congregation, 16:38 representatives of the congregation, 16:41 men of renown. 16:44 They gathered together against Moses and Aaron, 16:47 and said to them, 16:49 'You take too much upon yourselves, 16:53 for all the congregation is holy, 16:57 every one of them, and the Lord is among them. 17:01 Why then do you exalt 17:05 yourselves above the congregation of the Lord?" 17:09 What you makes you Moses think you're so great 17:13 that you can rule over Israel 17:15 and what makes you Aaron think 17:17 that you can be the only priest 17:20 along with your household in Israel? 17:23 Don't laud it over the people. 17:26 Commenting about this in Patriarchs and Prophets, 17:29 Page 396 Ellen White remarks, 17:33 "Korah and his fellow conspirators were men 17:40 who had been favored with special manifestations 17:45 of God's power and greatness." 17:47 Did you notice this? 17:49 They had been given special manifestations 17:54 of God's power and greatness. 17:56 She continued saying, "They were of the number 17:59 who went up with Moses into the mount 18:03 and beheld the divine glory." 18:06 In other words they were not the common folk of Israel 18:09 down in the valley at Mount Sinai. 18:12 These 250 leaders had actually 18:14 gone all the way to the top of Mount Sinai 18:16 and they had beheld directly the glory of God. 18:22 You know, it makes me think of Lucifer. 18:25 Lucifer had also been in the very presence of God. 18:30 He had been next to the throne of God. 18:33 He had actually shared in a certain sense 18:36 the glory of the throne of God 18:39 just like these leaders in Israel. 18:44 Now what actually did Korah, Dathan and Abiram 18:48 and the 250 leaders want? 18:51 Actually, what they wanted to do 18:52 was supposedly to improve the government. 18:57 They actually wanted to get rid of the laws 19:00 which restricted the freedom of Israel. 19:03 In Patriarchs and Prophets Page 397, 19:06 we find these words. 19:08 "They felt confident of making a radical change 19:15 in the government and greatly improving 19:20 upon the administration of Moses and Aaron." 19:26 What is that they wanted to do? 19:29 Supposedly they wanted to improve the government 19:33 make a radical change in the government 19:36 and they wanted to improve 19:37 the administration of Moses and Aaron. 19:41 And so now they start repeating among the people 19:44 you know Moses and Aaron they lauded over you, 19:47 they command you. 19:48 You know, if you really accepting our leadership 19:52 thinks would go much better 19:54 and you would have a lot more freedom. 19:59 And soon the people started repeating 20:01 what they heard from the leaders. 20:03 And then the leaders said, 20:04 see the people feel the same way we do. 20:08 But the leaders had planted this in the minds 20:11 of the people already. 20:12 So it wasn't the attitude of the people originally 20:14 it was the attitude of the leaders. 20:17 Speaking about the rebellion of Lucifer in heaven 20:20 we find something very similar. 20:23 These words come from Patriarchs and Prophets, Page 37. 20:27 Speaking about Lucifer 20:28 "He began to insinuate doubts concerning the laws 20:33 that governed heavenly beings, 20:36 intimating that though laws might be necessary 20:40 for the inhabitants of the worlds, 20:42 angels, being more exalted, needed no such restraint, 20:48 for their own wisdom was a sufficient guide. 20:52 They were not beings that could bring dishonor to God 20:56 all their thoughts were holy." 20:58 Interesting expression because Korah and Dathan 21:02 and Abiram says all of the people are what? 21:04 All of the people are holy. 21:07 "All there thoughts were holy, 21:09 it was no more plausible for them 21:12 then for God himself to err. 21:15 The exaltation of the Son of God has equal with the father 21:19 was represented as an injustice to Lucifer, 21:22 who, it was claimed, was also entitled to reverence and honor. 21:28 If this prince of angels could but attain to his true, 21:32 exalted position, great good would accrue 21:37 to the entire host of heaven for it was his object 21:41 to secure the freedom for all. 21:45 But now even the liberty 21:47 which they had hitherto enjoyed was at an end 21:51 for an absolute Ruler had been appointed them, 21:55 and to His authority all must pay homage." 22:00 So as what Lucifer is saying is 22:03 God and his Son Jesus are dictators. 22:07 And we need to overthrow those dictators 22:09 and if we do things will improve 22:12 we'll have liberty and freedom 22:14 and everything will function better. 22:18 Patriarchs and Prophets Page 38, 22:21 Ellen White amplifies this rebellion in heaven. 22:25 "He cunningly drew his hearers 22:29 on to give utterance to their feelings, 22:32 then these expressions were repeated by him 22:36 when it would serve his purpose, 22:38 as evidence that the angels were not fully in harmony 22:42 with the government of God. 22:44 While claiming for himself perfect loyalty to God, 22:48 he urged that changes in the order 22:53 and laws of heaven were necessary 22:56 for the stability of the divine government." 23:02 Do you see how things are developing on earth 23:05 just like they developed originally in heaven 23:08 because the prince of darkness was behind both rebellions? 23:13 And so now Korah would have began with Korah 23:16 and continued with Dathan and Abiram 23:19 and continued with a 250 princess 23:22 now begins to spread among the people. 23:27 In fact, there was envy that led Korah to rebel 23:30 against the authority of Moses and Aaron. 23:32 Patriarchs and Prophets, Page 37 23:34 tells us "Jealousy had given rise to envy 23:38 and envy to rebellion." 23:42 In the same way Story of Redemption Page 14, 23:45 Ellen White says "Lucifer was envious 23:47 and jealous of Jesus Christ." 23:50 And so now these leaders have to recruit 23:53 people from among the congregation 23:55 to proliferate the rebellion. 23:59 And they felt that the best way to win them over 24:03 was to flatter them and make them feel good 24:07 about themselves and make them think 24:11 that Moses was an overbearing leader 24:16 who needed to be thrown of the throne. 24:20 I read from Patriarchs and Prophets, Page 398, 24:24 "Korah's success with the people increased his confidence 24:29 and confirmed him in his belief 24:32 that the usurpation of authority by Moses, 24:36 if unchecked, would be fatal to the liberties of Israel." 24:41 In other words if they still kept Moses on the throne 24:43 this would be a risk to the liberties of Israel. 24:47 "He also claimed that God had opened the matter to him, 24:52 and had authorized him to make" and now notice this 24:56 "to make a change in the government 24:59 before it should be too late." 25:03 In other words Korah is saying, 25:05 if I could be placed on the throne 25:08 everything would function well in Israel. 25:11 I wouldn't be dictatorial. 25:13 I wouldn't tell you what to do. 25:15 Everybody would be free to follow their own will. 25:19 There would be freedom indeed. 25:23 Patriarchs and Prophets, Page 398, 25:27 we find that the rebellion now 25:30 proliferates among the congregation. 25:32 It says "For a while 25:34 the work of Korah had been carried out secretly, 25:38 but now he came forward publicly." 25:40 Notice that first of all it was secret, 25:42 it was underhanded it was quite but now it says, 25:46 "He came forward publicly and openly challenged 25:50 the leadership of Moses and Aaron. 25:53 He openly charged that the people had been deprived 25:58 of their liberty and independence." 26:02 And so now the secret underhanded rebellion 26:05 becomes open rupture and revolt 26:10 among the children of Israel 26:12 and the congregation begins taking sides. 26:17 I'd like to read an interesting statement 26:19 from Patriarchs and-- 26:20 actually it's from Volume 3 of the Testimonies 26:21 where the strategy of Korah, Dathan and Abiram is described, 26:28 how they were able to win over the people. 26:32 It says there, "There is nothing 26:35 which will please the people better 26:38 than to be praised and flattered 26:40 when they are in darkness 26:42 and wrong, and deserve reproof." 26:44 By the way this is happening immediately after 26:46 Israel has been excluded from the land of Canaan 26:49 if you look at the context. 26:51 Moses says, we're not going to going to Canaan now, 26:52 we're gonna spend 40 years in the wilderness. 26:56 And the people sent in a delegation 26:58 and they were defeated in the Promised Land. 27:01 And so they came back and cried, 27:02 they said Moses is to blame for this. 27:04 See if we didn't have Moses as our leader 27:06 Korah said I would take you into the Promised Land. 27:10 And so the people didn't want to hear 27:11 that they didn't go into the Promised Land 27:13 because it was so bad 27:14 because they sinned against Lord. 27:16 They wanted to hear how good they were. 27:18 She continues saying 27:20 "Korah gained the ears of the people, 27:24 and next their sympathies, 27:28 by representing Moses as an overbearing leader. 27:33 He said that he was too harsh, 27:35 too exacting, too dictatorial, 27:41 and that he reproved the people as though 27:43 they were sinners when they were a holy people, 27:47 sanctified to the Lord, and the Lord was among them. 27:52 Korah, the leading spirit, 27:55 professed great wisdom in discerning the true reason 27:59 for their trials and afflictions." 28:03 So the way in which Korah 28:05 was able to win over many of the people 28:07 was unflattering them 28:09 and telling them what they wanted to hear, 28:12 to make feel good about themselves if you please. 28:17 And so multitudes among Israel 28:19 now started joining the rebellion. 28:22 In fact, in Patriarchs and Prophets, Page 400 28:25 we are told "A large part of the congregation 28:29 openly sided with Korah." 28:33 Now what have been very easy for God 28:36 to simply snuff out Korah, 28:39 Dathan and Abiram, the 250 and all of those 28:43 who had participated in this rebellion 28:47 but it's interesting to notice 28:48 that God did not destroy them immediately. 28:52 Because it was necessary for Israel to see 28:55 the fruits of this rebellion before they were destroyed. 29:00 Interestingly, enough 29:02 when Lucifer rebelled in heaven God did not destroy him 29:07 and those who he recruited all at once. 29:10 In fact, we are told in Patriarchs and Prophets, 29:12 Page 41, 29:14 "God permitted Satan to carry forward his work 29:17 until his spirit of disaffection 29:21 ripened into active revolt." 29:26 And Revelation Chapter 12 tells us 29:28 that there was war in heaven. 29:32 "Michael and his angels fought with the dragon, 29:34 and the dragon and his angels fought." 29:37 What has began as a secret underhanded endeavor 29:42 now became open revolt 29:46 both in the days of Korah and also in heaven. 29:51 Now how did Moses confront this crisis in Israel? 29:58 We might have thought that Moses would have stepped forward 30:01 and said Korah, Dathan and Abiram, 30:04 "folks you want to know who I'm? I'm Moses. 30:10 I have been called by the Lord. 30:13 I'm the ruler of the Israel. 30:16 And don't you forget it." 30:19 He could have done that 30:21 but do you know that Moses actually 30:22 didn't even defend himself. 30:25 He must allow God to defend and describe his position. 30:31 Notice Numbers 16:4-5, Numbers 16:4-5, 30:37 it says "So when Moses heard it, 30:41 he fell on his face and he spoke to Korah 30:45 and all his company, saying, 30:48 'Tomorrow morning the Lord will show who is His" 30:52 who will show? The Lord will show. 30:55 "Who is His and who is holy, 30:58 and he will cause him to come near to Him. 31:02 That one whom He chooses 31:05 He will cause to come near to Him." 31:09 Interesting, 31:11 Ellen White commenting on this 31:13 in Patriarchs and Prophets, Page 400 31:16 has this to say, "It was evident 31:19 that the sympathies of the people 31:21 were with the disaffected party 31:24 but Moses made no effort at self-vindication. 31:29 He solemnly appealed to God, 31:32 in the presence of the congregation, 31:34 as a witness to the purity of his motives 31:37 and the uprightness of his conduct, 31:40 and implored Him to be his judge." 31:46 Now if you remember when Lucifer rebelled in heaven 31:50 when his position was questioned 31:54 what did Jesus say? 31:56 He said to Lucifer, don't you know who I'm. 32:00 I'm the son of the living God. 32:03 I'm your creator. 32:07 How dare you think that you can take My position 32:10 and my throne is that what happened? No. 32:13 Actually in Patriarchs and Prophets, 32:15 Page 36 a statement 32:16 which is rather long I'm not gonna read it. 32:19 Ellen White says that the Father 32:21 called all of the heavenly hosts together 32:24 just like the congregation of Israel is called together. 32:27 And now God the Father explained the position 32:33 of Jesus Christ to the heavenly hosts. 32:36 Jesus did not self-vindicate Himself 32:40 but He allowed His Father to explain His true position. 32:46 Now you might be wondering 32:47 what was so terrible about Korah 32:51 and the 250 leaders in Israel wanting to be priests. 32:56 What so bad about that? 32:58 Shouldn't you aspire to a high and holy office? 33:02 Allow me to read from Numbers 16:9-11 33:06 where the issue was-- 33:07 because we're gonna come now to the application 33:09 how this applies to us today 33:12 because this whole story 33:13 is written many times in the church. 33:17 Now notice Numbers 16:9-11. 33:20 Here Moses is speaking and he says this, 33:23 "Is it a small thing to you 33:26 that the God of Israel has separated you 33:29 from the congregation of Israel, 33:32 to bring you near to Himself, 33:34 to do the work of the tabernacle of the Lord, 33:38 and to stand before the congregation to serve them." 33:42 In other words, you think it's a small office 33:44 that God has called you to as Levites? 33:48 Continues saying in verse 10. 33:51 "And that He has brought you near to Himself, 33:54 you and all your brethren, the sons of Levi, with you? 33:59 And are you seeking the priesthood also?" 34:03 What were they doing? 34:05 They were dissatisfied with their position. 34:08 They wanted an office 34:10 to which God had not called them. 34:14 They might have had the necessary qualifications 34:17 and the necessary abilities to perform it 34:19 but that made no difference 34:21 because they had not been called to that position. 34:25 In other words, aren't you satisfied with the position 34:27 that God has given you? 34:28 Why do you aspire to the priesthood? 34:32 In verse 11 it says 34:33 "Therefore you and all your company 34:36 are gathered together" and I want you to notice this 34:39 "are gathered together against the Lord. 34:44 And what is Aaron that you murmur against him?" 34:48 Who are they rising against 34:50 when they desired the office of the priesthood 34:53 and they were not satisfied with the office 34:55 to which God had called them? 34:58 They were rebelling against the Lord. 35:02 They were repeating the story of Lucifer in heaven 35:05 who was dissatisfied with the position 35:07 for which God had anointed him 35:09 and he wanted a higher position. 35:11 He wanted the position of the king 35:13 and he wanted the position of his spokesman. 35:18 You see, only ministers which have been ordained 35:23 by God for that function 35:25 had the right to minister in the sanctuary. 35:31 They did not seek their position. 35:34 They did not campaign for their position. 35:38 They were called by God to their office 35:41 and all of the rest no matter what their ability was, 35:45 were disqualified 35:47 because they were not called to that holy office. 35:52 I'm sure that many of those 250 individuals 35:55 were very well qualified and had the ability 35:58 to perform the work of the priesthood 36:01 in terms of being able to do it 36:04 but what disqualified them or qualified them 36:07 was not whether they were able to do it 36:10 or not whether they could it well or not 36:13 it was whether God had called them 36:15 to that particular function and position. 36:19 They were disqualified not because of their abilities 36:23 they were disqualified because God had not called them 36:27 to this sacred office. 36:30 And the same was true with Lucifer. 36:32 He was called to a specific position 36:36 to occupy under the leadership 36:38 of God the Father and his Son Jesus. 36:41 Just like Korah was to be and the Levites 36:44 were to be under the direction of Moses as the ruler 36:48 and Aaron as the priest. 36:51 It's interesting to notice how God chose to vindicate 36:55 the leadership of Moses and Aaron 36:58 and you know this is something terrible. 37:00 You know that these are the passages of scripture 37:02 that we don't we like to read 37:04 when we talk about the character of God. 37:06 You know we like to study the gospels 37:08 you know about Jesus being loved 37:09 and by the way God has loved even 37:11 and what we're going to read about 37:14 because when you start aspiring into position 37:16 for which God has not called you the result is disorder. 37:21 See, God has established a certain order 37:24 for things to function properly 37:26 and when you try to occupy a position 37:28 that you were not been called for to 37:31 then your position is left vacant 37:33 and the result is chaos in the congregation, 37:36 chaos in the universe. 37:38 You see the angels they fulfilled the mission 37:40 for which God has called them. 37:42 And there are different ranks of angels. 37:44 And all of the loyal angels fulfill the role 37:47 that God has called them to. 37:48 They don't aspire to a higher or to a lower position. 37:51 They simply take their orders from the Lord. 37:53 Notice, Numbers 16:29-30. 37:58 Here Moses is speaking and he says this, 38:00 "If these men die naturally like all men." 38:04 As if they a natural death 38:06 all though there is nothing natural about death. 38:09 "Or if they are visited by the common fate of all men." 38:13 In other words, they pass-away because they got old. 38:17 "Then the Lord has not sent me. 38:22 But if the Lord creates a new thing, 38:25 and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them up 38:29 with all that belongs to them, 38:32 and they don't go down alive into the pit." 38:37 That's a very important expression "alive into the pit." 38:40 "Then you will understand 38:43 that these men have rejected the Lord." 38:46 Who were they rejecting by aspiring to an office 38:49 to which God had not called them? 38:51 They were rejecting the Lord. 38:53 This is serious folks, very serious. 38:57 And do you know what happened? 39:00 It tells us in Numbers Chapter 16 39:02 that "they did not die a natural death." 39:06 In fact we are told 39:08 that "God vindicated the leadership 39:12 of Moses and Aaron by making the earth open up 39:17 and swallow up Korah and the conspirators, 39:22 the fellow conspirators were burned with fire 39:27 that fell from heaven and the people 39:30 who sympathized with them also perished." 39:33 You know this is a serious matter, 39:37 this aspiring into a position 39:39 which God has not called you to, 39:41 even if you have the qualifications 39:43 to perform it. 39:45 Now let's read Numbers Chapter 16 39:48 beginning with verse 31. 39:50 It describes this moment. 39:51 It says "Now it came to pass, 39:53 as he finished speaking all these words, 39:55 that the ground split apart under them, 39:59 and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, 40:04 with their households and all the men with Korah, 40:08 with all their goods. 40:10 So they and all those with them went down alive into the pit." 40:15 I want you to remember expression alive into the pit. 40:18 "The earth closed over them, 40:21 and they perished from among the congregation. 40:25 Then all Israel who were around them fled at their cry, 40:29 for they said, 'Lest the earth swallow us up also!" 40:33 And notice that not only did the earth, 40:36 the pit or the abyss swallows them up 40:38 But it says, "And a fire came out from the Lord 40:41 and consumed the two hundred and fifty men 40:45 who were offering incense before the Lord." 40:50 I guess God takes very seriously people 40:53 who officiate as ministers 40:55 when they are not called to be ministers. 41:00 And he wanted God, he wanted Israel to remember this. 41:04 And so do you know what was done 41:06 with the 250 sensors because the story says that, 41:09 that the 250 princess brought their senses 41:12 and they were gonna offer 41:13 the incense in the sanctuary just like priests. 41:16 And Moses said, "Bring your sensors." 41:18 And that's when they were swallowed up 41:20 when they were gonna exercise the position 41:22 for which God had not called them. 41:25 Do you know what was done with the sensors? 41:28 The sensors were hammered out 41:31 and they were used as a covering for the altar 41:34 so that every time that Israel contemplated the metal 41:42 that had been hammered out 41:45 and that covered the altar 41:46 they would remember this rebellion 41:50 so that they would not repeat the same rebellion. 41:53 In fact, it says 41:57 about hammering out these sensors 42:00 to be a memorial to the children of Israel. 42:03 Now listen to this that "no outsider, 42:07 who is not of the descendants of Aaron, 42:10 should come near to offer incense before the Lord 42:14 that he might not become like Korah and his companions 42:18 just as the Lord had said to him through Moses." 42:23 And so the leadership of Moses and Aaron was vindicated. 42:29 Have you ever read the way 42:32 in which Satan and his followers will come to their end? 42:36 In Isaiah 14:15, it says 42:40 "that Satan will end up swallowed in the pit." 42:45 And Revelation Chapter 20 in several verses 42:48 speaks about those who are rebellious against the Lord 42:51 who were outside the congregation of Israel 42:54 says fire came down from heaven and devoured them. 43:00 Now do you know that this story as I, 43:02 as we have noticed in our study 43:05 is actually a type of the great controversy 43:07 between Christ and Satan on a narrow scale. 43:11 Allow me to read you a statement 43:12 that we find in Patriarchs and Prophets, Page 403 43:17 where Ellen White grasps this parallel 43:19 that I'm sharing with you this morning. 43:20 It's not an invention of mind 43:22 it's actually found in Patriarchs and Prophets. 43:25 This is what she says, 43:26 "In the rebellion of Korah is seen the working out, 43:31 upon a narrower stage, of the same spirit 43:36 that led to the rebellion of Satan in heaven. 43:40 It was pride and ambition that prompted Lucifer 43:44 to complain of the government of God, 43:47 and to seek the overthrow of the order 43:50 which had been established in heaven. 43:52 Since his fall it has been his object to infuse 43:56 the same spirit of envy and discontent, 43:58 the same ambition for position and honor, 44:02 into the minds of men. 44:04 He thus worked upon the minds of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, 44:08 to arouse the desire for self-exaltation 44:12 and excite envy, distrust, and rebellion. 44:16 Satan caused them to reject God as their leader, 44:20 by rejecting the men of God's appointment. 44:25 Yet while in their murmuring against Moses and Aaron 44:27 they blasphemed God, they were so deluded 44:31 as to think themselves righteous, 44:33 and to regard those who had faithfully reproved their sins 44:37 as actuated by Satan." 44:42 Is His spirit still alive 44:45 and dwell on planet today? Absolutely. 44:51 Now allow me to give you some 44:54 actual practical present examples 45:02 and I'm going to get myself 45:03 in a little bit of hot water right now. 45:05 This is an issue which I don't usually touch upon, 45:12 the issue of the ordination of women to the gospel ministry. 45:19 According to the scriptures has God called 45:22 women to be ordained to the gospel ministry? No. 45:29 Has He given women a function, 45:31 a very important function of service in the church? 45:35 Absolutely, like the Levites 45:39 but he has not called them to be ministers, 45:46 Gospel ministers. 45:50 And you know people 45:51 who argue in favor of the ordination of women say 45:54 women can do things just as well as men can. 45:57 True, I'm sure many of the Levites 46:00 could do things just as well as the priest 46:06 but what disqualified them was not ability 46:09 or not having ability what disqualified them 46:12 was the fact that God had not called the Levites 46:17 to that particular branch of ministry. 46:19 It didn't mean that they were inferior 46:21 but they had a different what? 46:23 They had a different function. 46:25 And, you know, this falls issue is created 46:28 that the Fresno Central Church 46:30 does not believe that women and men are equal 46:35 because we don't believe that we should ordain 46:37 women to the gospel ministry. 46:38 Let me explain this, the Bible says 46:42 that God the Father is the head of Jesus. 46:47 Jesus takes His order from His Father 46:52 even after sin comes to an end. 46:55 The Bible says "that the Son 46:57 would subject himself to His Father 46:59 so the Father is all in all." 47:02 And so I suppose that 47:03 because Jesus has subjected Himself to His father 47:06 and He accepts His father as the head 47:09 that Jesus is inferior to His Father. 47:12 No, because Jesus said I and My Father are what? Are one. 47:18 The Father and the Son are equal 47:20 but they have different functions. 47:24 Are you following me? 47:26 And so it is with the gospel ministry I love, 47:29 I love the women of the church 47:32 and women in the church have many ministries 47:35 that they should be involved 47:36 in that God has opened them for them 47:39 but the gospel ministry is not one of them. 47:42 Does that mean the pastor Bohr is a male chauvinist pig? 47:46 No, you know that I'm not that way. 47:49 It simply means that we want to preserve here 47:52 the gospel order that God has established. 47:55 Now if God had not called women to the gospel ministry 47:58 and they are campaigning 48:01 to be the members of the gospel ministry 48:03 and they are looking to occupy that position 48:06 in the gospel ministry. 48:07 Let me ask you in what way is that different 48:10 then what Korah, Dathan and Abiram wanted? 48:15 I leave that for food for thought 48:16 it got very quite in here. 48:19 Do I believe that women are inferior than men? 48:22 No, what I believe is that 48:23 women have a different function than man. 48:26 And by the way I'm not alone there are many denominations 48:29 non-Adventist denominations that have gone down this road. 48:32 They have followed the Bible order. 48:36 Is the spirit still alive today of people 48:38 who criticize the preacher because he says thanks 48:41 that people don't like? 48:44 No, not at central all those people have left. 48:52 The spirit is still well alive 48:55 because many people come to church 48:56 because they want to hear smooth things. 48:58 They want to hear nice things. 48:59 They want to hear the preacher say 49:01 about how good they are and how wonderful they are. 49:05 You know one time somebody said to Ellen White 49:07 I think you should preach less about duty 49:09 and more about the love of Jesus. 49:11 And Ellen White said 49:12 "I will preach what God asked me to preach." 49:16 Yes the love of Jesus along with duty. 49:20 It's not either, or. 49:23 Let me ask you, is this spirit of rivalry 49:27 still alive at constituency meetings? 49:32 No, now George Johnson who is here 49:36 he can identify with this a little bit better. 49:38 Central California has had 49:39 very peaceful constituency sessions. 49:41 Not much politicking you know people go in 49:43 we vote everybody back in and in a matter of half-an-hour 49:47 and then we do our constructional 49:49 and bylaws business and then we are gone. 49:51 Praise the Lord. 49:52 But I have been conferences 49:54 where there are individuals maneuvering 49:57 to get those higher positions in the conference office. 50:01 Some individuals even wanting to knockoff 50:03 the president of the conference so they can be president. 50:07 Whose spirit is that? 50:09 That's a spirit of Lucifer. 50:11 It also happens in the local church 50:13 around nominating committee time. 50:15 Oh, bring it closer to home here. 50:19 There are people who aspire to a certain position 50:22 and if they are not elected to that specific position 50:25 they are offended. 50:26 They say how dare they not have placed me 50:28 as an elder this year 50:30 or how dare they place as a mere deacon 50:34 when I should be an elder 50:36 or I wanted to be a Sabbath school superintendent. 50:39 It happens the same today and all of these issues 50:43 really go back to the spirit of Lucifer. 50:47 The spirit of wanting to be up there, 50:50 the spirit of one to have a higher position, 50:52 not being satisfied with the position 50:55 which God has placed us in. 50:59 You know there is no better place 51:00 than the place that God has given to us to serve. 51:05 And Jesus taught that by saying that the greatest 51:08 is the person who saves the most. 51:12 Now allow me to get into another little controversial issue 51:15 before we come to end. 51:18 You know theirs is this common idea 51:21 that in marriage there was no order. 51:24 Do you know that God established a certain order in marriage 51:27 the man is the head of the wife? 51:32 And the apostle Paul said after Jesus died on the cross 51:35 that the wife is to be subjected to her husband. 51:38 Oh, no I may get in trouble here 51:40 I have to go up the backdoor. 51:44 Is that the order God has established? 51:46 Yes. 51:47 And when that order is not respected what do you have? 51:51 You have chaos, you have disorder. 51:56 Now at the same time God says 51:58 that wife should be subject to their husbands 52:01 but he also says husbands love your wives. 52:04 Let's look at the other side of the equation. 52:06 See it's not a problem being subject 52:08 if your husband loves you. 52:11 For Jesus there is no problem being subject to his Father 52:14 because He knows His Father loves Him. 52:16 His Father would only do 52:18 that which is in His good own good interest isn't right? 52:22 And so for Jesus it's a peace of cake 52:25 to be subject to the will of His Father 52:27 because He knows that His loves Him. 52:31 And so it should be in marriage 52:32 the man should be the head of the household, 52:35 the woman should be subject to her husband 52:38 but the husband should love his wife. 52:42 And apostle Paul says 52:43 "he should love his wife as himself." 52:47 You shall love your neighbor as yourself, 52:49 you should love your wife as yourself. 52:53 Basically the Lord Jesus expressed this concept 52:56 that I'm trying to share with you today. 52:59 when he says 53:01 "He who exalts himself will be humbled, 53:07 and he who humbles himself will be exalted." 53:11 This is the essence of the teachings of Jesus. 53:15 You see, Jesus gave the example. 53:17 Jesus was way up there in heaven 53:21 and it says in Philippians Chapter 2 53:24 that He made himself of no reputation 53:27 He emptied himself and He became a servant. 53:31 Then have to but He who is the ruler becomes a servant. 53:36 And then in Philippians 2 53:38 it says that it because He became a servant 53:40 the Father gave Him a name that is above every name 53:45 and He has called upon every knee 53:47 to bow in the name of Jesus. 53:50 Because Jesus humbled himself, He was exalted. 53:56 Lucifer was different because with Lucifer 54:00 you have him occupying this position down here 54:03 and he says I want that position up there. 54:07 And so instead of humbling himself 54:09 he exalts himself. 54:12 And where is he gonna end up? 54:14 In the pit down there. 54:18 So you have the mystery of godliness 54:19 and mystery of iniquity. 54:21 The mystery of godliness is when you are up here 54:26 and you come down to serve and then God exalts you. 54:29 The mystery of iniquity is when you're down here 54:32 and you want to occupy this high position 54:34 for which God has not called you 54:36 and as a result you will be humbled. 54:40 I'd like to end by reading a passage 54:42 from Patriarchs and Prophets, Page 404 54:45 where Ellen White making the final application 54:48 of this story of Korah, Dathan and Abiram says this. 54:51 "It is by sinful indulgence 54:54 that men give Satan access to their minds, 54:59 and they go from one stage of wickedness to another." 55:04 It is by sinful indulgence. 55:05 Notice, "The rejection of light darkens the mind 55:11 and hardens the heart, 55:14 so that it is easier for them to take the next step in sin 55:19 and to reject still clearer light, 55:22 until at last their habits of wrongdoing become fixed. 55:27 Sin ceases to appear sinful to them. 55:31 He who faithfully preaches God's word, 55:35 thereby condemning their sins, 55:38 too often incurs their hatred. 55:42 Unwilling to endure the pain 55:43 and sacrifice necessary to reform, 55:46 they turn upon the Lord's servant 55:48 and denounce his reproofs as uncalled for and severe." 55:54 Now there's when the preacher points out sin 55:58 stone the preacher don't change the sin. 56:02 She continues to saying 56:04 "Like Korah, 56:05 they declare that the people are not at fault, 56:09 it is the reprover that causes all the trouble. 56:13 And soothing their consciences with this deception, 56:18 the jealous and disaffected combine 56:21 to sow discord in the church and weaken the hands of those 56:27 who would build it up." 56:30 Folks, lets not be on that side. 56:33 Ellen White says that the emptying of self 56:37 is the essence of the teachings of Jesus. 56:40 Making self of non effect, making others first, 56:47 humbling yourself 56:48 and do you know what God some day is gonna exalt us 56:50 don't worry about it. 56:52 You know as "he who exalts himself will be humbled 56:57 and he who humbles himself will be exalted." 57:01 And so may God help us to be satisfied 57:04 with the position that we have 57:07 and do with the smiling with joy 57:09 as a result that the church will be much more coordinated. 57:12 It will function in the order that God has established 57:16 and we will have joy and we will have peace 57:20 in our personal experience in our walk with the Lord. |
Revised 2014-12-17