Allowing a medium
Exodus 20:18-19 (NLT) When the people heard the thunder and the loud blast of the horn, and when they saw the lightning and the smoke billowing from the mountain, they stood at a distance, trembling with fear. And they said to Moses, “You tell us what God says, and we will listen. But don’t let God speak directly to us. If he does, we will die!”
Introduction: Glory be to God Who has redeemed us through our Lord Jesus Christ and gives us access to the throne of Mercy by Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and Help of the Holy Spirit.
🙏 The death of Christ shall not be in vain over our lives and families in Jesus name.
🛑 There is a critical question we need to personally answer as we embark on journey to eternity with the Saviour.
❓Do you allow any man to be a medium between you and God?
▶️ A medium is a means, channel or go-between.
No man in Natural state is infallible. Even Moses that Israelites asked to be a medium between them and God went wrong at the water of Meribah that cost him access to the promised land.
Numbers 20:8, 11-12 Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink. And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also. And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.
🛑 This is why every Christian must constantly hear and fellowship with God by His words.
Sometimes in 1995, we had someone in our fellowship whom we observed had gift of prophecy. One day after a wonderful fellowship, he followed me to drop along the way. Inside the car, he told me my wife had spirit of Abaddon which is a destructive spirit according to Revelation 9:11.
I told him that is not correct because as a child of God, contrary spirits cannot dwell with me for 8 years of courtship and 4 years in marriage as at then. Furthermore, as the redeemed of the Lord, I have a direct access to God without intermediary as Christ has broken down barriers to God. He kept quiet until he dropped along the way. That was the end of discussion.
Ephesians 2:18(NLT) Now all of us, both Jews and Gentiles, may come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.
▶️ Several Christian homes have been destroyed, some Christians have regarded their parents, spouses or children as evil due to messages received from prophets, spiritualists and fathers-the-Lord who claim to hear from God.
❓Do you know genesis of our text today?
🛑 After the children of Israel left Egypt, God told Moses to gather all of them together at Mount Sinai so as to speak to them directly because hitherto, Moses had been the intermediary. They all prepared as directed, but as God was coming and they saw “dispatch riders” such as thundering, blast of horns, lightning and smokes from the mountain before God’s arrival, they fearfully stood afar off and told Moses;
“You tell us what God says, and we will listen. But don’t let God speak directly to us.
❓Is this not what operates in the lives of most Christians today? They see and trust men of God as a medium to hear from God. They forget that men of God are human beings subject to errors. Even faithful Samuel committed error in the house of Jesse in choosing king for Israel.
1 Samuel 16:5-7(NLT) “Yes,” Samuel replied. “I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Purify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” Then Samuel performed the purification rite for Jesse and his sons and invited them, too. When they arrived, Samuel took one look at Eliab and thought, “Surely this is the Lord’s anointed!” But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t make decisions the way you do! People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at a person’s thoughts and intentions.”
🛑 Despite sacrifice at Calvary, why do you need anyone to tell you what God wants for your life? Do you send your siblings to your earthly father for your needs? If yes, then what kind of relationship exists between you and your father?
▶️ Some Christians stand afar off from God due to sins, worldly pleasures or ignorance of God’s Will due to neglect of the Scriptures. They ask pastors to help them hear from God about His Will for them.
▶️ Many Christians rush to hear prophecy from men of God whereas God calls for closer fellowship.
🛑 Whenever a Christian stops hearing from God due to departure of Holy Spirit as a result of disobedience or sin, and because there can never be a vacuum in life, spiritualist will take over as a medium in the life of such Christian for final destruction.
Saul who consulted a witch at Endor is an example written for our admonition.
1 Samuel 28:6-7(GNS) And so he asked the Lord what to do. But the Lord did not answer him at all, either by dreams or by the use of Urim and Thummim or by prophets.Then Saul ordered his officials, “Find me a woman who is a medium, and I will go and consult her.” “There is one in Endor,” they answered.
❓How close are you to the Saviour? Do you depend on what men of God say as you stay far from God?
▶️ Those who said Moses should be a medium between God and themselves perished in the wilderness of life due to unbelief, because it is impossible to please God without Faith.
1 Corinthians 10:5 Yet after all this, God was not pleased with most of them, and he destroyed them in the wilderness.
🛑 Christians that are far away from God will surely sit in the midst of ungodly and deny Him in times of trouble.
Matthew 26:58,60-70 But Peter followed him afar off unto the high priest’s palace, and went in, and sat with the servants, to see the end. Now Peter sat without in the palace: and a damsel came unto him, saying, Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee. But he denied before them all, saying, I know not what thou sayest.
❓Do you rely on men of God for hearing God’s word for your life? Are you accustomed to any man of God as a medium between you and God?
🔥 For every Christian, Jesus Christ is the ONLY medium to God through the Holy Spirit.
1 Timothy 2:5(AMP) For there [is only] one God, and [only] one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,
✋ Maranatha
