03.03.2006
Introduction
Tonight’s message comes from the time of prayer (5- 8 am) on the 24th of February. This began with a question (Carl Davies) “Why do so many people seem to fall at the height of their ministry?”
This is a very real question for a number of reasons. First, there seem to be many examples of this phenomenon both locally and globally. Second, if you consult the history of revival movements you will find many times that crises in the leadership of these movements – usually over money, sex and power, brought them to a crashing halt. This message is a warning so those praying for revival may intercede that spiritual success not become a prelude to divine judgement.
[It is not my business here to name people who have fallen; we do not need to do that because we have some outstanding example sin scripture, in particular, Adam, David and Peter. We will not only be examining why spiritual giants can fall, but what it is that keeps others from falling. As usual, we will need to come back to the cross.
The central issue will be found to be the nature of the lordship, more particular, temptations about humanity’s lordship on earth and how God exercises his Lordship through Jesus Christ from heaven.]
1. Created and Uncreated Glory
Genesis 2:10- 12 speaks of the winding rivers the “good” and other precious metals (possibly) pearls (see footnote NIV) found in Eden. [I first noticed this when one of the American prosperity teachers, John Avanzini, came to Perth some years ago and quoted this text whilst displaying his gold watch, necklace and bracelet.]
These images are picked up at the end of the Bible in two opposite ways. In Revelation 17:4 and 18:16 Babylon is “adorned with gold and jewels and pearls”, while the New Jerusalem has the same precious elements (Rev 21:18 -21). All these references to precious things are to objects of glory. Human beings must have glory, as children of God (Luke 3:38) they were “created for God’s glory” (Isa 43:6 – 7) Adam was “the image and glory of God” (1 Cor 11:7). To enjoy glory was the reason why we were created.
There one outstanding difference between Eden, Babylon[“stands on many waters”] and the New Jerusalem, is only the last has “river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb”. (Rev 22:1) The slain Lamb is the key to the difference between created, corrupted and eternal glory.
2. The Godly use of Satan
Whenever God wants to crown man he tests him through Satan. This was the case with Adam in Genesis 3; with David in 2 Samuel 24:1 anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, “Go and take a census of Israel and Judah.” 1 Chron.21:1 Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel, and with Peter in Luke 22:31“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat.” (Compare Job 1- 2; Zechariah 3:1, 2).
Paul understands this principle: 1 Corinthians 5:5 5 hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord.
The author of Revelation frames the book around the Lamb’s control of all evil powers (Revelation 6:1-7); e.g. 13:7 He was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation; 17:17
The process of education, discipline, correction and judgement via satanic forces is seemingly essential in a universe that knows evil because “God…himself tempts no one.” (James 1:13).
3. The Sin of Pride
Satan especially gains power over humanity through the sin of pride.
Isaiah 14 (11-20) and Ezekiel 28 (11 – 19) speak symbolically of a glorious being [Adam, Satan, primal humanity etc?] once in Eden arrayed with gold and every precious stone, whose “heart was proud because of your beauty and corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendour” i.e. to increase glory. Notice, for example, how men in ministries that become corrupt always seek a younger and “more beautiful” wife and a bigger house or more luxurious car. God brings this being down because it seeks to ascend to heaven to the throne of the Most High. (Compare Jesus’ warnings to the cities of his time “will you be exalted to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades.” (Matt 11:23).
Adam’s sin was that he thought he could be “like God knowing good and evil” (Gen 3:5, 22) without the help of God. David’s sin was that he exalted himself and sought to glory in the number of people God had given him.
Peter’s sin was that after he heard from the Master, “you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Luke 22:28- 34). “he thought he was a legend” and immune to Satan’s attacks.
4. The Sin of Pride is the Misuse of God’s Invested Glory
Their pride was a corruption of the leadership to which God had called them – Adam over the earth (Gen 1:26- 28), David over Israel (2 Sam 7:8), Peter over the kingdom of God (Matt 16:16- 18).
Satan is the master of this temptation. Immediately after Jesus is affirmed as “Son of God” and so heir of all the promises to Adam and Messiah (Gen 1:26- 28; 2 Sam 7:14ff; Ps 2:7- 8 etc.) the Spirit takes him into the wilderness so he may be tempted as to glory. “The devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory, and he said to him, “I will give you all of these, if you will fall down and worship me.”” (Matt 4:8-9). Secure in his Father’s love and the promise of an eternal kingdom Jesus felt no compulsion to rule the world for himself,
Current leadership obsession in the church e.g. “50 top leaders” email; “Youth Alive” brochure, is very dangerous.
5. At the Root of the Sin of Pride is Spiritual Prostitution
The enticement that is at the root of pride is exchanging eternal glory for earthly glory.
In Romans 1:21-25, [which seems to be Paul’s commentary of on the Fall] Paul says humanity “exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.” 25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
When temptations come (as in Eden), people start to visualise themselves in a more glorious way, that excludes the glory of God. The result of this exchange of glory is that God 24 God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. (Compare verses 28, 32).
Human sinfulness e.g. sexual sin, envy, murder, strife, disobedience to parents etc, is itself the punishment for idolatry. In other words, the “spiritual sin” of idolatry is at the foundation of all other sin. In scripture, all idolatry is a form of spiritual prostitution. If people “join themselves” to idols (Hos 4:17) they will surely join themselves to one another sexually. Materialism in the church will always be accompanied by sexual sin.
The Old Testament warns that spiritual leaders can become obstacles to God’s purposes,
Hosea 4:6, 10-12 6 my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. “Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests they have deserted the Lord to give themselves 11 to prostitution, to old wine and new, which take away the understanding 12 of my people. They consult a wooden idol and are answered by a stick of wood. A spirit of prostitution leads them astray; they are unfaithful to their God.
[Malachi 2:7, 8 7 “For the lips of a priest ought to preserve knowledge, and from his mouth men should seek instruction because he is the messenger of the Lord Almighty. 8 But you have turned from the way and by your teaching have caused many to stumble]
These dangers also reappear in the New Testament,
1 Timothy 4:1 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some (context is false teachers) will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.
Revelation 17:1-6 One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits on many waters. 2 With her the kings of the earth committed adultery and the inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her adulteries.” [3 Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a desert. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns.] 4 The woman [was dressed in purple and scarlet, and] was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls. [She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries.] 5 This title was written on her forehead: MYSTERY BABYLON THE GREAT THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. [6 I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus. When I saw her, I was greatly astonished.]
The danger of corrupted testimony follows the people of God from Egypt to the end of the age. Like Satan it is subtle and devious, it does not present as ungodly. This is what connects spiritual prostitution with blasphemy.
6. Spiritual Prostitution and Blasphemy
The first commandment is to have one God, the second is to have no idol and the third, which flows from these two, is Exodus 20:7 (NIV) 7 “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.
This is a solemn warning that God will judge those who misuse his name, i.e. blaspheme.
Moses was on his way down from Sinai with the tablets containing these very words when the Priest of God Aaron paid heed to the people made golden calf and said of this glorious image and said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.” and proclaimed “a festival to the LORD” (Exod 32:4-6). This represents a corruption of worship of Yahweh. God was very angry that he was represented and worshipped in this corrupt way. (No doubt, under the wrath of God , as the text suggests v.6, the people were engaging in sexual activity like bulls do with cows.)
Peter too is a blasphemer. In the courtyard of the High Priest but, Mark 14:69-72 He began to call down curses on himself i.e. he calls on God as his witness and he swore to them, “I don’t know this man you’re talking about.”
[Peter’s curses involved; something he had heard Jesus prohibit, Matthew 5:34 34 But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne]
In the letters this theme reappears,
Speaking to Timothy in Ephesus Paul speaks of 1 Timothy 1:18-20 19 holding on to faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith. 20 Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme.
These church – going men were not speaking against Jesus but misusing his name in prayer, prophesy, preaching etc, in order to rule the church for material gain.
[This is a very dangerous thing to do because God has no higher authority and glory to swear by than his own name (Hebrews 6:16, 17).]
Paul had prophesied to the elders of Ephesusthat these things would happen, Acts 20:23-33 28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. 29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. 31 So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears… I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing
The glorious harlot of Revelation 17:3 is “covered with blasphemous names”.
Blasphemy – appropriating the name, majesty and glory of God fro personal gain, is at the root of all fallenness.
7. The Corruption of Conscience
The heart problem of Adam, Aaron, David, Peter and the false teachers in Ephesusis revealed in these words of Paul,
1 Timothy 1:19; 4:1, 2 holding on to faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked their Faith…..
The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 2 Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.
Conscience is what separates man from animals, makes humans like God and gives them a sense of eternity.[P.T. Forsyth, “Conscience is what makes man man, makes him one and makes him eternal.”]
Luther, “Conscience is a far greater thing than heaven and earth. If it did not exist, hell would have no fire or even pain….Hell will be nothing other than a bad conscience. If the devil did not have a bad conscience he would be in heaven. But a bad conscience lights the fire of hell and causes inwardly in the heart the terrible pain and the infernal work of the devil.”
Most of the church has abandoned the theology of conscience for a theology of sensation. There are plenty of church leaders with a gift – based authority but few with the moral authority of holiness. What people fail to recognise is that no sensual experience can impart a sense of the eternal, because God is not essentially experiential but essentially holy i.e. moral. To be fully mature and God –like even Adam and Eve would have needed, as Hebrews puts it, “their faculties trained by practice to distinguish good from evil” (5:14). The fallenness of human beings is not that they have come to know good and evil (God knows good and evil, Gen 3:22) but they have come into this knowledge at the cost of losing the glory of God (Rom 3:23). This deadly combination means humanity is glory hungry and glory seeking even if it means going against one’s conscience.
The deep conscience of even the most depraved person made in the image of God is such that “they know that those who practice such things deserve to die” (Rom 1:32). That is, die the second and eternal death. Conscience reminds all human beings that they must face an eternal judgement (Heb 6:2). Without this witness in our hearts no one could ever be brought to repentance.
Paul consistently appeals to the witness of agreement between God and his conscience (2 Cor 1:18,23, 4:2; 5:11; 7:12; 11:11, 13; 12:19; Rom 1:9; 9:1; Phil 1:8; 1 Thess 2:5). Romans 9:1 I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it in the Holy Spirit. He knows all true spiritual authority is one with moral authority and at all costs maintain unity between his conscience and the Spirit.
A person of corrupt motives can still hear from the Holy Spirit. In the Old Testament, Balaam prophesied powerfully over Israel(Num 23- 24) but is also condemned as an occult practitioner and a taker of bribes (Num 31:8; Deut 23:4- 5; Josh 13:22; Jude 11). Judas likewise went out with the other 12 disciples and did mighty works. Jesus warned of miracle workers and prophets who would speak in his name (Matt 7:21 -23).
The false teachers that Paul speaks in 1 Timothy and those holding to the teaching of Balaam in 2 Peter 2:15 “ love the wages of doing wrong” (Compare in Pergamum , Revelation 2:14) When Simon Magus tries to buy the gift of the Spirit Peter rebukes him , “may your silver perish with you” (Acts 8:20). These people are corrupt because although they may still be able to sense the Holy Spirit bearing witness to their spirit –“pray for that sick person”, “cast out that demon”, “bring that word of revelation”, they know in their heart/conscience that they will use these gifts for their own profit and glory.
Bit by bit, degree by degree a gap opens up in these persons between spirituality and morality until their consciences are desensitised and they no longer fear the judgement of God.
We read these terrible warnings of judgement in the Psalms, 26 to the pure you show yourself pure, but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd. 27 You save the humble but bring low those whose eyes are haughty Psalm 18:25-28
17 You hate my instruction and cast my words behind you. 18 When you see a thief, you join with him; you throw in your lot with adulterers.
19 You use your mouth for evil and harness your tongue to deceit. 20 You speak continually against your brother and slander your own mother’s son. 21 These things you have done and I kept silent; you thought I was altogether like you. Psalm 50:14-21
People start to think God is corrupt like them and doesn’t care what they are doing- after all, the signs are still there of his favour.
8. The Blood Brings a Unified Witness to Eternal Things
The remedy for all these sins is unity between the witness of the Holy Spirit and the a blood soaked conscience.
Peter tells us 1 Peter 1:18- 19 “you were ransomed…not with perishable things like silver and gold, but with precious blood of Christ.” And Acts 3:6 “silver and gold I do not have, but what I have I give to you…” He commands church leaders not to “lord it over” the flock but tend them “not for monetary gain but service” (1 Peter 5:1 – 3).
In instructing the elders in Ephesus Acts 20:28 Paul speaks of “the church of God which he obtained with the blood of his own”.
(Compare Psalm 19:9, 10 9 The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the Lord are sure and altogether righteous. 10 They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.)
These apostolic men have grasped that the blood of Christ opens to humanity a lordship that no prosperity obsessed leader from Adam on has grasped –a lordship of a new heaven and earth.
Peter said 2 Peter 3:10 “the heavens will pass away with a loud noise and the elements will be dissolved with fire…”
Paul knows, 1 Corinthians 7:29- 31 “those who buy as though they had no possessions …for the present form of this world is passing away”
John, the great visionary of the new heavens and the new earth (Rev 21- 22) points us to the cross and the unity of Spirit and blood by saying “blood and water came out” of the pierced side of Jesus (John 19:34) – in John’s Gospel water prophetically represents the Holy Spirit (John 3:5; 4:14; 7:37- 39). In Revelation 22:1 we read of the “river of the water of life (i.e. the Spirit), as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb (i.e. from the blood sacrifice)”
“There are three that testify, the Spirit and the water and the blood, and these three agree.” This testimony is given to “the hearts” of the saints (1 John 5:6- 8 ,10). What God has joined together man must never put asunder.
How does the blood of Christ transform the conscience so that those we are no longer fascinated by the glories of this world?
How did the apostle reach this point? Galatians 2:19, 20 19 For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
The Old Testament law demanded blood as the means of forgiveness (Lev 17:11; Hebrew 9:22). The worshipper with sin on their conscience would approach the priest with a sacrifice, lay their hands on its head confessing guilt whilst blood was shed to make atonement (Leviticus 4). The shedding of blood symbolised that the life of the animal was taken violently as a substitute for the death the sinner deserved.
Hebrew 9:13 -14 testifies “if the blood of bulls and goats …sanctifies those who have been defiled so that their flesh is purified…how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself up to God, cleanse your conscience from acts that lead to death.”
When Jesus died on the cross he entered into the place of deepest sin, where there is no witness between the eternal Spirit and the human conscience; in his cry of forsakenness it is plain that he has lost contact with eternity –that is, with the glory of God. The river of life has ceased to flow.
He was offered up in the power of the eternal Spirit so that he might lose the consciousness of eternity in our place on the cross. That is the sacrifice for our sin.
9. The Promise is of a Heavenly Glory
All corrupted ministries forget that the glory enjoyed in Edenwas not the final glory God purposed for man. There is a “crown of glory that will not fade away” (1 Peter 5:4) (Compare James 1:12.) The kingdom the Father confers (Luke 22:29) is not of this world (John 19:36).
[Paul teaches, 2 Corinthians 4:17 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.]
In a long discussion on the resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15 Paul makes it clear that Adam’s created, perishable, natural body of dust was called to become an eternal spiritual and heavenly body. (1 Corinthians 15:35-49) These two bodies represent two perspectives – those who are bound to this earth and those who are bound for heaven.
Apostolic men speak of “God’s wisdom, secret and hidden, which God decreed before the ages for our glory.” (1 Cor 2:7).]
10. How is it Possible to Forget Eternal things?
According to 2 Peter 1:3-9, God’s 3 divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. This has made it possible for us to 4 participate in the divine nature. All sorts of godliness flows from this (verses 5 – 8). Yet he concludes the passage by saying 9 if anyone does not have them, he is near-sighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.
The glory and excellence God is looking for in people in this age is moral character; when people forget that God is after virtue, they also forget they are called to share in God’s eternal nature. Ultimately, the only way to successfully forget this is to intentionally forget the one thing that has given them eternal life – forgiveness of sin. And the only way to forget the gift of forgiveness is to forget the blood of the cross (Eph 1:7; Col 1:14).
1 John 1:7,8 (NIV) 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
Sin separates us from God and in guilt people have been given over to corruption and death. Once people forget that they are sinful (this is not the same as admitting a “mistake”) they stop seeking cleansing from the blood of Christ. Only where the blood of Christ keeps on cleansing the conscience is the Christian reminded that they are at one and the same time a sinner by nature and righteous by grace –this forgiveness keeps us in the knowledge of eternity.
10. The Blood reminds us we are not of this World
Hebrews 10:19-22 assures us that we have access to the eternal sanctuary in heaven “having our hearts sprinkled (by the blood of Christ) to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water”.
Two voices cry out across history Hebrews 12:22 – 24. The blood of Abel in union with all of oppressed humanity cries out from this earth for vengeance. The sheep of God’s pasture (Ps 100; Ezekiel 34; John 10:1ff; 21:1`6- 17) are crying out in pain because they are being fleeced by the false shepherds. The bad shepherds also have pain but have repressed and buried it by stifling their consciences with the glory of this world.
They turn their ministry to their own profit so as to stop feeling the pain of the loss of all things and the fellowship of the sufferings of Christ (Phil 3:1- 11). They think they are past the cross. They lose sight that the Spirit’s witness to the sons of God is of an eternal heritance with Christ that is only for those who “suffer with him in order that they may be glorified with him.” (Romans 8:16 – 17). Therefore they cannot hear the other voice, one that does not speak from earth but from heaven where he has taken his blood for us (Heb 9:11- 12, 23- 24), this voice cries for forgiveness.
11. The judgement of God on Corrupt Ministries
What does God do? The punishment for sin is (more) sin (Rom 1:24, 26, 28). The discipline and judgment of God on a corrupted ministry is that a person progressively ceases to hear the cry of the blood of Christ from the cross and from heaven. They cease to hear the cry of dereliction “Why have you forsaken me?” They fail to understand that Jesus must lose all things of this world that we might enter another. IN losing the glory of God in the cross (Gal 6:14) they are given over to themselves and to Satan – even while they continue to minister in the Spirit and his gifts.
Conclusion and Application
Degree by degree much of the church is in danger of falling away because it is falling away from the cross because of popular preaching.
Without a renewed testimony to the death of Christ nothing can renew the church. It is conscience that reminds all human beings that they must face an eternal judgement (Heb 6:2) and without its condemning witness no deep repentance is ever possible or can ever be owned as just.
God would not allow Paul to depart from the cross but plunged him into hardship after hardship so that he might live in resurrection power. (See 2 Cor 1; 4; 6; 12; Eph 3:13; Col 1:14; etc.).
2 Corinthians 12:9 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
We desperately need continual reminders of eternity and those reminders are of Christ’s blood. Jesus appeared to his witnesses as a crucified and resurrected human being with real signs of his death on his hands and in his side (John 20:27) . When Jesus is presented only as a resurrected Lord we are always tempted to take a crown without a cross.
Can the very identity of the church be corrupted? Jesus warns the Ephesian church that it is in danger of extinction (Rev 2:5). Years ago C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien discussed among themselves the difference between false myths (the Viking Valhalla; we might add Hitler’s Aryan race and Japanese cult of the Emperor sun – god or the Islamic view of the paradise of the martyrs) and the “true myth” of the gospel. All cultures have mythologies- the Cronulla race riots in Sydney broke out when Lebanese attacked one of Australia’s icons, a volunteer surf life saver.
A Jesus presented without the cross, even a “resurrected Jesus”, relies on mythology. A church that is failing to preach the cross and trying (versus Lewis and Tolkien) to appropriate mythological elements from films such as The Lord of the Rings, The Matrix, Narnia and The Passion of the Christ is projecting human desire into a realm that does not exist. This is idealism and idolatry.
The suffering of the Son of God revealed in the cry of a forsaken man was no myth. Few want to identify with a crucified Lord, but that is where God’s conscience transforming power is found. God’s ideal man is the crucified and resurrected Christ and people can only understand the discipline correction and judgement of God by living their lives in his image.
Created in the image and glory of God, as Adam walked through Eden everything reflected the glory of his Father. The good gold “my Father loves me” and he was secure in his Father’s love. His was initially a clear conscience. This is what is needed by those who have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. If you are operating through a corrupt conscience everything looks perishable and you need to be able to get what you can now. When we walk through the glory of the New Jerusalem in the eternal city our assurance in our Father will be our share in the Lamb who shed his blood for us. This same assurance can be ours now, through the gospel. We have no need to submit to the temptation to take the earth for ourselves.