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NKJ Colossians 1:28 Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every
man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ
Jesus.
Both warning and teaching others
is the call of a teacher / preacher. This lesson serves to both warn and
teach concerning the danger in asking God for permission to do
something that He has revealed is against His perfect will. This
lesson may reveal some hidden bad desires in your heart or sin
in your life. However, God does not reveal to condemn or
embarrass but rather to heal.
NAS 1 Corinthians 15:56 The sting of death is sin, and the
power of sin is the law;
The power sin has over our lives is not due
to the flesh or the devil (Flip Wilson was wrong!). Our nature is to want what
we can not have – remember Adam and Eve. When you tell
a child they can not have something, that is the only thing they
want.
NKJ James 1:14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by
his own desires and enticed.
Satan can only tempt you with what you desire
(i.e. what you like or want in your heart). For example, you are going to have
a baby and someone offers you a free abortion. There is no
temptation but righteous indignation – NO! Later you
are offered a promotion at work, which you have been wanting for
ten years, with a liberal increase in pay. However, this
promotion involves moving away from the church in which the Lord
has planted you. Tempted? What happens to thriving
plants that are transplanted at the wrong time? They stop
thriving.
NKJ Psalm 92:13 Those who are planted in the house of the LORD
Shall flourish in the courts of our God.
The Lord plants you where you will grow and
to move outside of His timing will only slow or stop your growth. Jumping from
church to church will surely prevent the bearing of mature fruit. Many
do this knowing that the Lord has a calling of ministry on their
lives and they sincerely are looking to find the church that will
recognize it, too. However, they fail to see the connection
between many transplants and the failure of their ministry to mature
and bear fruit. We need to stay where the Lord has planted
us and trust Him to grow the ministry He planted in our hearts. Then
we will have fruit – fruit that remains!
NKJ Romans 7:5 For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions
which were aroused by the law were at work in our members
to bear fruit to death.
The law states what we can not have; therefore,
we scream out for it! However, this does not make the law
bad.
NKJ Psalm 19:7 The law of the LORD is perfect,
converting the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure,
making wise the simple;
The law reveals the hidden bad desires of our
hearts so that we, through the grace of God, can place them under
the cross thus converting our soul. However, if we choose not to place them under the
cross then the law will cause the desire to continue growing in
our lives. We can then create more laws and rules to prevent
living out these bad desires only to find them to have increased
in intensity.
NKJ Galatians 3:24 Therefore the law was our
tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified
by faith.
The law was our tutor to show man that keeping
rules could never save us. We can only be saved by a living faith in Jesus
Christ! This living faith only comes by an intimate relationship
with Jesus Christ.
What is the application to your life? Do you have to read
your Bible every day? What about having to go to church every
week? What about having to pray every morning, etc? What
about having to pay the tithe?
If you believe you have to do these things to please God
then you are under law! We have a personal relationship
with Jesus so we get to read the Bible (love letters from
your Beloved)! You get to go to church and corporately
praise the one you love! You get to go into His presence
and talk with the “Lover of Your Soul” early in the
morning. You get to be a business partner with the
King of Kings in giving your tithe. If you are living in
law (legalism) then repent and get on your face determined not
to get up until you have experienced this living relationship with
God. Call the 911 of the scriptures “333”
NKJ Jeremiah 33:3 'Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show
you great and mighty things, which you do not know.'
BIBLE STUDY TIP: If an Old Testament truth is
not mentioned at all or very little in the New Testament (e.g.
tithing) it is because the requirements have not changed or have
had minor changes. Perhaps
God is saying, what about giving the first ten percent do
you not understand? How much more clarification do you need
than I gave in the Old Testament? Think about it.
Let us study the life of the Prophet Balaam and further our understanding
of these principles.
NKJ Numbers 22:1 Then the children of Israel moved, and camped
in the plains of Moab on the side of the Jordan across from Jericho.
2 Now Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the
Amorites. 3 And Moab was exceedingly afraid of the people because
they were many, and Moab was sick with dread because of
the children of Israel. 4 So Moab said to the elders of Midian, "Now
this company will lick up everything around us, as an ox licks
up the grass of the field." And Balak the son of Zippor was king
of the Moabites at that time. 5 Then he sent messengers to Balaam
the son of Beor at Pethor, which is near the River in
the land of the sons of his people, to call him, saying: "Look,
a people has come from Egypt. See, they cover the face of the earth,
and are settling next to me! 6 "Therefore please come at once,
curse this people for me, for they are too mighty for
me. Perhaps I shall be able to defeat them and drive them out of
the land, for I know that he whom you bless is blessed,
and he whom you curse is cursed." 7 So the elders of Moab
and the elders of Midian departed with the diviner's fee in
their hand, and they came to Balaam and spoke to him the words
of Balak. 8 And he said to them, "Lodge here tonight, and
I will bring back word to you, as the LORD speaks to me." So
the princes of Moab stayed with Balaam.
Why did Balaam have to pray about cursing Israel? Could
it have been that Balaam wanted the money offered to him but knew
that you can not willfully disobey God and still be blessed?
NKJ Numbers 22:9 Then God came to Balaam and
said, "Who are these
men with you?" 10 So Balaam said to God, "Balak the son
of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent to me, saying, 11 'Look,
a people has come out of Egypt, and they cover the face of the
earth. Come now, curse them for me; perhaps I shall be able to
overpower them and drive them out.' " 12 And God said to Balaam, "You
shall not go with them; you shall not curse the people, for they are blessed." 13
So Balaam rose in the morning and said to the princes of Balak, "Go
back to your land, for the LORD has refused to give me permission
to go with you."
Look at the motive behind what Balaam was really
saying. He
really wanted to go but used God as his only reason for not going
with them. He talks to them the way a child tells friends
that he can not come out and play because mother want allow it. He
really wants to go but understands he must obey God to be blessed. This
is the picture of a person under law and not living in relationship.
NKJ Numbers 22:14 And the princes of Moab rose
and went to Balak, and said, "Balaam refuses to come with us." 15 Then Balak
again sent princes, more numerous and more honorable than they.
16 And they came to Balaam and said to him, "Thus says Balak
the son of Zippor: 'Please let nothing hinder you from coming to
me; 17 'for I will certainly honor you greatly, and I will do whatever
you say to me. Therefore please come, curse this people for me.' " 18
Then Balaam answered and said to the servants of Balak, "Though
Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could
not go beyond the word of the LORD my God, to do less or more.
19 "Now therefore, please, you also stay here tonight, that
I may know what more the LORD will say to me."
Now men that are more honorable are sent, with the promise of more
honor (and money), then Balaam decides asking God again would be
appropriate. Balaam does not know God’s ways only his
acts. This is because Balaam does not fear the Lord. Balaam
is afraid of the consequences of disobeying God; however, this
is not the same thing as the fear of God.
Wives have you ever disagreed with a decision
your husband was making? You believe him to be completely off base, based
on your intuition. You grudgingly go along – after
all he is the “head of the house” (or at least you
allow him to think he is). Later you see that it was God
who gave your husband the idea. He was correct. You
realize that God did this in order to change you from yourself
to Christ. You humble yourself and yield to this work of
brokenness that God wants to perform in your life. Over the
years you learn to see God operating in your husband’s life
and reverence him. You realize that there is nothing hidden
from He whose eyes are like fire. The one that discerns the
thoughts and intents of your heart. You grow to trust Him
without any masks on for He is the lover of your soul. A
bond of loyalty grows between you and your Lord like between a
horse and the owner that “meeked” him. A fear
develops from the realization that you are nothing in comparison
to His strength, power, and majesty. However, a bond forms
that transcends the fear until all you want is to live with Him
forever! That is the fear of the Lord.
NKJ Numbers 22:20 And God came to Balaam at
night and said to him, "If the men come to call you, rise and go
with them; but only the word which I speak to you -- that you
shall do."
Do you understand that God will give you the
desires of your heart even if it is not His perfect will and
even if it means certain judgment will follow? Israel wanted a king so they went to
the prophet Samuel. Samuel asked God on behalf of Israel
for a king. God said He was their King and sent Samuel to
tell of the misery a human king would bring. The people still
wanted a human king so God appointed Saul. Then Saul and
those that followed brought misery to the nation. God sent
Balaam because this was the desire of his heart even though it
was not God’s perfect will. God will tell you His perfect
will the first time we go to Him. Consider people that reject
God’s plan of salvation and trust in their plan. God
will go after this person for a long time but will ultimately let
them have the desire of their heart even though it means the judgment
of Hell.
NKJ Numbers 22:21 So Balaam rose in the morning, saddled his donkey,
and went with the princes of Moab. 22 Then God's anger was aroused
because he went, and the Angel of the LORD took His stand in
the way as an adversary against him. And he was riding on his donkey,
and his two servants were with him.
God did not change His mind. The angel of the Lord is there
to judge Balaam for going against God’s perfect will. God
will give you permission for His plan “A” without
judgment or your plan “B” with judgment. If
it were not for the mercy of God then Balaam would have been killed
on the spot. It is like that with salvation, too. God
will give you a chance to accept His plan of salvation for a long
time. However, after some time He will give you permission
for your plan of salvation knowing the judgment will be eternal
separation and confinement in Hell.
NKJ Numbers 22:23 Now the donkey saw the Angel of the LORD standing
in the way with His drawn sword in His hand, and the donkey turned
aside out of the way and went into the field. So Balaam struck
the donkey to turn her back onto the road. 24 Then the Angel of
the LORD stood in a narrow path between the vineyards, with a
wall on this side and a wall on that side. 25 And when the donkey
saw the Angel of the LORD, she pushed herself against the wall
and crushed Balaam's foot against the wall; so he struck her again.
26 Then the Angel of the LORD went further, and stood in a narrow
place where there was no way to turn either to the right
hand or to the left. 27 And when the donkey saw the Angel of the
LORD, she lay down under Balaam; so Balaam's anger was aroused,
and he struck the donkey with his staff. 28 Then the LORD opened
the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, "What have
I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?" 29
And Balaam said to the donkey, "Because you have abused me.
I wish there were a sword in my hand, for now I would kill you!" 30
So the donkey said to Balaam, "Am I not your donkey
on which you have ridden, ever since I became yours, to
this day? Was I ever disposed to do this to you?" And he said, "No." 31
Then the LORD opened Balaam's eyes, and he saw the Angel of the
LORD standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand; and
he bowed his head and fell flat on his face. 32 And the Angel of
the LORD said to him, "Why have you struck your donkey these
three times? Behold, I have come out to stand against you, because your way
is perverse before Me. 33 "The donkey saw Me and turned
aside from Me these three times. If she had not turned aside from
Me, surely I would also have killed you by now, and let
her live."
Except for the Lord God opening the eyes of
the donkey Balaam would have died. The donkey was not concerned
for her life but that of Balaam. Balaam is thinking of
only himself.
NKJ Matthew 23:23 "Woe to you, scribes
and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise
and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy
and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the
others undone.
Furthermore, note that even in judgment God
remembers mercy. Oh
God, great is thy faithfulness!
NKJ Isaiah 49:15 "Can a woman forget her
nursing child, And not have compassion on the son of her womb?
Surely they may forget, Yet I will not forget you. 16a See, I have inscribed you on
the palms of My hands;
God the Son has your name written on the palms
of His hands. Our
names were written there with the indelible ink of Roman crucifixion
nails! Jesus has chosen to wear these scars forever – He
is the lover of my soul!
NKJ Numbers 22:34 And Balaam said to the Angel
of the LORD, "I
have sinned, for I did not know You stood in the way against me.
Now therefore, if it displeases You, I will turn back." 35
Then the Angel of the LORD said to Balaam, "Go with the men,
but only the word that I speak to you, that you shall speak." So
Balaam went with the princes of Balak.
Balaam is sorry for being caught and having
to face the consequences. This
is called worldly sorrow in the Bible and it leads to death. Worldly
sorrow is being sorry for the consequences of our actions. Worldly
sorrow does not cause you to be delivered from sin for it does
not lead to repentance but rather regret. It is based on
law which arouses your desire for more of the same sin. The
focus of regret is self! What is going to happen to me! Juxtaposed
to this is Godly sorrow which leads to repentance and provides
the grace to escape strongholds of sin.
NKJ 2 Corinthians 7:10 For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to
salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces
death.
Godly sorrow focuses on your sin hurting a Holy God thus wounding
the lover of your soul.
NKJ Psalm 51:1 To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David when Nathan
the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. Have
mercy upon me, O God, According to Your lovingkindness; According
to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always
before me.
4 Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil
in Your sight -- That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless
when You judge.
Do you have a sin in your life that you can
not seem to get rid of after fasting, prayer, confession to others,
etc.? You
must get to the point that your motivation for ridding yourself
of this sin is not how the consequences will affect you or your
ministry, family, relationships, etc. Your motivation must
be that you are disgracing the one that paid for you at Calvary. It
is against a Holy God that you are sinning and bringing reproach
to the name of Jesus. In short, you must stop liking the
pleasure of your sin and this can only be done when He, who alone
is worthy, is your sole (soul) pleasure.
NKJ Proverbs 28:13 He who covers his sins will not prosper, But
whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.
We need to not only confess our sins but forsake them to receive
mercy.
NKJ Numbers 22:36 Now when Balak heard that Balaam was coming,
he went out to meet him at the city of Moab, which is on
the border at the Arnon, the boundary of the territory. 37 Then
Balak said to Balaam, "Did I not earnestly send to you, calling
for you? Why did you not come to me? Am I not able to honor you?" 38
And Balaam said to Balak, "Look, I have come to you! Now,
have I any power at all to say anything? The word that God puts
in my mouth, that I must speak." 39 So Balaam went
with Balak, and they came to Kirjath Huzoth.
Balaam says that he must speak only what God
says. Again,
this is an indication of a person living under law and not relationship. He
should have said that he only desired to say what my God tells
me to say and do what my God tells me to do (cf. John 8:28). Balaam
wanted the honor of a human king more than the honor of the King
of Kings! This desire for man’s honor led him to self-deception
and spiritual blindness.
NKJ John 5:44 "How can you believe, who receive honor
from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from
the only God?
NKJ 2 Corinthians 4:4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who
do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory
of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.
Balaam proceeds to bless Israel three different
times to King Balak’s chagrin. The Lord is speaking through this
corrupt prophet. Realize the anointing of God in a person’s
life is not God’s stamp of approval for everything that person
says or does! The fruit of godly character is God’s
stamp of approval! You must look beyond the pulpit and podium
to see if someone really has God’s approval. Many have
had the anointing in the pulpit only to live in sin outside the
pulpit. Those that live twisted lives will have a twisted
view of the Bible and will rationalize there sin. They will
through self deception and rationalization begin to believe that
their pet sin(s) must be excused by God or else He would not continue
to anoint them. Recall Caiaphas:
NKJ John 11:49 And one of them, Caiaphas, being
high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing at
all, 50 "nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that
one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation
should perish." 51 Now this he did not say on his own authority; but
being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die
for the nation,
Caiaphas was anointed by the Holy Spirit to
correctly prophesy that Jesus would die to save the Nation of
Israel. Then later
he was part of the process to condemn Jesus and turned Him over
to the Romans for crucifixion.
Danger: Many have thought that the presence of God’s
anointing upon the ministry is God’s stamp of approval for
all they are doing. This is a deadly mistake!
NKJ Matthew 7:15 " Beware of false prophets,
who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous
wolves. 16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes
of thorns, or figs of thistles? 17 Even so every good tree bringeth
forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a
corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 19 Every tree that bringeth
not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 20 Wherefore
by their fruits ye shall know them.
NKJ Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness,
self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who
are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and
desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying
one another.
Those that hang around the master become like the master (cf.
Acts 4:13):
NKJ Matthew 11:29 "Take My yoke upon you
and learn from Me, for
I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for
your souls.
Look for true humility in a person’s life. This
is a person who is selfless, kind, approachable, tolerant, etc.
However, some do a fair job of faking humility
in the pulpit or podium. Humility behind the pulpit or podium is not their
humility but the Holy Spirit’s. Their humility is only
revealed in the furnace of everyday life. Remember the saying, “fruit
does not fall far from the tree.” Look at their family
life. What about their children or spouse? Do you see
Christ working in their lives? I am not talking about perfection
but continuing spiritual progress.
Then Balaam sees a way to make a profit while
conducting his second discourse with God..
NKJ Numbers 23:21 "He has not observed iniquity in Jacob,
Nor has He seen wickedness in Israel. The LORD his God is with
him, And the shout of a King is among them.
Balaam realizes that if the Israelites will
sin then God will judge them with a curse. God will do what Balak is trying
to get Balaam to do – bring a curse upon Israel.
NKJ Numbers 31:16 "Look, these women caused the
children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to trespass
against the LORD in the incident of Peor, and there was a plague
among the congregation of the LORD.
Balaam sells this information to Balak and Israel
is enticed into sexual sin that results in judgment from God – the
plague at Peor.
NKJ Numbers 31:6 Then Moses sent them to the war, one thousand
from each tribe; he sent them to the war with Phinehas
the son of Eleazar the priest, with the holy articles and the signal
trumpets in his hand. 7 And they warred against the Midianites,
just as the LORD commanded Moses, and they killed all the males.
31:8 They killed the kings of Midian with the rest of those
who were killed -- Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, the five kings
of Midian. Balaam the son of Beor they also killed with the
sword.
Balaam reaps the error of his folly for God
is not mocked (Galatians 6:7). Sin pays a minimum wage – death
(Romans 6:23).
NKJ 1 Corinthians 3:17 If anyone defiles the temple of God, God
will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you
are.
NKJ 2 Peter 2:15 They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following
the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved
the wages of unrighteousness;
NKJ Jude 1:11 Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain,
have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and
perished in the rebellion of Korah.
NKJ Revelation 2:14 "But I have a few things
against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam,
who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of
Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual
immorality.
Balaam is remembered in the New Testament as
an example to us of a Prophet gone bad. The love of money is a root of all
evil (1Timothy 6:10) . Balaam, as many have done in this
hour, pursued the blessings and not the Blessor.
NKJ Hebrews 12:28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom
which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve
God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. 29 For our God is a
consuming fire.
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