October 15, 2005
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We had an intense Discipleship class yesterday, one that I am going to share because the topic has been hard on my heart lately. Just looking at how much satan is invading our world these days, how defiant he is. And after hearing testimony after testimony of how we have been pulled out of the pit, out of satan’s grip by Jesus, I am so grateful. But it is still important to know our enemy.
Pastor Don remarked that we have to know our enemy, how to beat him, engage him, and prepare ourselves.
(an aside – in the 23rd Psalm when it says our cup runneth over, it means that it is an invitation to stay. For in those days you stayed with a host and ate with him. The host had to protect you and take care of your needs. In the morning when the host poured your drink, if he filled the cup part way it meant your visit was over and you had to leave, if the host poured the cup full and kept on pouring until the cup overflowed, it meant you stayed another day and received blessings abundantly). Isn’t that awesome, that God pours our cups to overflowing?
Isaiah 14 talks about the devil and his fall. In verse 12 we learn that his place was once in Heaven and he fell from Heaven. In verse 13 it says, “he said in his heart”, the problem was a heart problem. It involved pride, arrogance, jealousy and rebellion. In verse 14 you see that satan said, “I will be like the Most High.”
This is the same lie that satan told Eve, that if she ate the forbidden fruit (rebelled against God’s rule) that she would be like God. He opposed God and took down 1/3 of the angels.
Then Pastor Don talked about the political Hierarchy of God’s kingdom. It is not a democracy, but a benevolent monarchy. Where God rules for the benefit of the common good. We went into a bit of the history of our country and Pastor Don pointed out that when the founding fathers wrote the Constitution that they were thinking that they would be the ones having the democratic vote, there were major discussions about how could people who were uninformed of the issues vote, but the voting pool increased. Ultimately now all have the right to vote. Of course, today there are many who vote without knowing all the facts.
The problem for satan was who decides to rise up and take down God. Obviously angels have free will, for they had to chose to rebel against God, they couldn’t have rebelled if they did not have free will. So satan and 1/3 of the angels rebelled, the other angels made the choice to stay with God and obey God.
satan has a limited repertoire of behaviors, most of them involve getting people to disobey, move from he truth, and to not listen to God. He also has a vested interest in preventing Jesus from being born and from returning, so works hard to pervert the bloodline of Jesus.
Pastor Don then talked about Moses and the sin that he committed that prevented him from getting into the promised land. Relating it to Hebrews 6
Moses knew about the heavenly hierarchy, He knew God, and The Holy Spirit, and about Jesus whom he called the Rock. He knew that all three had the power of life and death, and that their Word is absolute.
Moses did not go into the promised land because he interfered with the picture that God was portraying about Jesus. Moses did repent of his disobedience, but God could not let him into the promised land because then it would have meant that there would have had to be two saviors, that it would mean that the law and good works could help one get into the promised land. It would have clouded the picture of the savior dying ONCE for ALL sin.
Moses followed God’s instructions at Meribah to provide water for the Israelites by striking the rock (Jesus) once and water gushed out, enough water to provide for over a million people. The second time during the 40 year wandering that Moses came to Meribah, God told Moses to SPEAK to the rock. Moses acted in anger, in the heat of the moment and struck the rock. Because of that, Moses was forbidden to go into the promised land.
Moses took it personally, lost his cool in the heat of the moment. Moses had enough person to person, face to face contact with God to know that God was doing something symbolic in these wanderings, that it was symbolic of something greater.
The Lies of satan:
1. There is an ultimate reconciliation. That even the devil can be forgiven. That you can appeal to foreign gods and receive forgiveness and reach Heaven (the promised land).
Moses struck the rock from which living water flowed. God did not punish the Israelites when their leader was in error. Moses is the equivalent of the LAW, and the only way the Law can enter the promised land is through the Living Water. You are clean because of the Word, and under the law you are only clean if you did not break the Law. The Spoken Word, under the New Covenant (the shed blood of Jesus), is what breaks the curse.
I will continue this tomorrow. Kids need computer NOW, sigh.
Heather
Comments (11)
It is good how you always get so much out of bible study. The pastor sounds very good. Hope all is well there.
Agree…if God has given us the capacity, we are to “study to show ourselves approved to God”…and to prepared for all “the fiery darts of the enemy”..
Blessings…Jim
Hi! Thanks for stoppin’ by my site. I enjoyed your bible study this morning. Have a blessed weekend. Lisa
That was interesting. Kids do like to have things NOW don’t they…
Excellent as always.
Good lesson, my friend!
BE blessed!
Steve
GOOD ONE HEATHER!!! Always love to come over and read!
HOPE your weekend and GREAT….YES I guess if the kids were here I probably would NEVER be able to do XANGA..lol!
HUGS………and GOD BLESS
OK it’s me again, just a few comments
I am not sure I am right or if you are right or what but just difference of opinion
Whe serpant was talking to Eve he was already crawling on ground; making him already part of the curse.
We are chosen byGod for redemption before foundation of earth, but we still have to deal with sin nature (still have free will, and just call me Mrs. Rebellion.
Jesus blodline in Matthew 1:——-
I don’t understand what you said about Moses somehow protraying Jesus???
Satan nows the the bible inside and out begining to end. stupid fool. knows and yet still shadows so many with blinders to the truth.
Jesus blood shed on the cross only way for our redemption.
I thing Meribeth very close to entrance of promised land, thought it was Moses got to Meribeth and thought he was going to promised land could see it and because of his problem with anger God said sorry no way . (they had already spent 40 years going in a circle, if you see map of land he was going through, hey folks shortest distance between two points a straight line; and oops (and it may have been Moses but thought it was someone else did a no no causing god to say none of those alive or their generation will see the promised land,
Don’t know mw not well versed in Old T.
Neither law or good works get you to heaven. (if someone telling you different than that, I’ll give you my phone # and we can talk about this)
LL
According to Genesis 3:14, God told the serpent that because he did what he did, “On your belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life.” I suspect before that the serpent walked, or else why would God waste words telling an already crawling serpent that he would go on his belly. Having had pet snakes, on boa constrictors if you look near the tail you actually see two tiny claws, remnants of legs.
I think the predestined, chosen by God does not negate free will. I think sometimes we try to put God into a box, and so we don’t see the whole picture. Because God knows the past/present/future simultaneously, He knows who will choose what, but He also will not force Himself on us, so we have free will to obey or rebel. And it has to be that way, because you cannot force someone to love you and feel that they really do love you.
Moses actions on the earth gave some pictures of Jesus. One example is that He talked about the Rock of His salvation (and Jesus is the rock of our salvation). God had Moses strike the rock (and Jesus was bruised for our iniquities). In another incident when the snakes were biting the Israelites, God had Moses raise on a pole a golden asp, and the people would look on that and be healed. Try hanging a snake on a pole, only way to do it is with a cross piece. The actions Moses did helped to paint prophetic pictures of the coming of Jesus. Does that make sense to you?
Of course, satan’s biggest sin was pride (that he could be like God), and satan wants to bring down as many people as he can and thwart God’s plan on the earth. But we have an advantage, we know the end of the story, that satan ends up in the pit.
Yes, it is remarkable but of the 3 million Israelites that left Egypt for the promised land, only two made it in Joshua and Caleb, the others murmured and rebelled, so that God could only let their children enter. So they wandered, and God got Egypt out of them. Egypt being a type of sin and idolatry.
Absolutely, it is only by Jesus that we can be saved, but Moses stood for the law (the 10 commandments, etc.) so therefore Moses could not enter the promised land under the law. He would have needed salvation from God. We have the law as a schoolmaster to teach us that we cannot by our own efforts achieve salvation. that we need a savior.
Have a blessed night.
Heather
I’m a little confused… Moses was to speak to the rock because it was symbolic of salvation coming from the ‘word’ – being Christ? Is that right? If so, does that mean that the first time (when he was told to strike the rock) was symbolic of something different? Or did I misunderstand?
I *love* the ‘cup runneth over’ information. Thank you SO MUCH. That’s incredible.
The first time the rock was struck had to do with Jesus being bruised for our iniquity (the whipping He took).
Heather