Who is on the Lord's Side

Constantly Abiding on The Lord’s Side, Pastor Dr. Kumuyi

MESSAGE: PASTOR W. F. KUMUI

TEXT: EXODUS 32:26,7-8

The question was, “Who is on the Lord’s side?” Something had happened before this time. Moses went to the top of the mountain to collect the laws of God for the children of Israel. As he did not tell them when he would be back, they became weak and wondered what happened to him and when he would come back. So, they told Aaron to make gods that will go before them. God saw this and told Moses to go down and see what his people had done. Moses came down and saw their condition and gave the call, “Who is on the Lord’s side?”

The question which Moses put forward to the people required a practical answer. That means there should be:

  1. Separation from the world and full surrender unto the Lord.

They were not on the Lord’s side when this question came to them, so to be on the Lord’s side means they have to separate from the world and surrender totally unto the Lord.

  1. It implies their coming out of false worship into scriptural worship.
  2. That they must turn away from their backsliding and believe the truth.

They had turned away, backsliding from the Lord, so they had to come back to the truth.

  1. Seeking not to please religious sinners

They had to turn from religious sinners and seek to please the Lord wholly, always, and ever.

The children of Israel were saved before but they went back, this was why it was necessary to call them back. In our offices, corruption is there, fraudulent people are there, and the Lord is asking those who are on His side to recognize that corruption is evil and come out from among them. They are still working and interacting with them but will not practice their corruption with them.

There is corruption, idolatry, occultism, and false worship in families. Even though we are living in such a family, the Lord wants us to come out of such things and come to His side.

There is corruption is the schools from the lower classes to the colleges, and the Lord is calling those who would be on His side to shun it.

In various professions in the land and in the world, there are corrupt practices peculiar to every one of them. If you are on the Lord’s side, He expects that you will not partake in any of the corruption. We are not to just apply this to new converts who need to come out of their sins, it concerns every one of us.

After coming out to the Lord’s side, we constantly abide on His side so that He will see that we are living a life that is pleasing unto Him.

POINT 1:  THE PERVASIVE CORRUPTION OF THE LORD’S STANDARD.

Exodus 32:7,8; Deuteronomy 9:12,13,20; Hosea 9:9; Malachi 2:8,9; 2 Peter 2:17-20; Exodus 32:31-33; Joshua 24:20; Romans 11:22; Hebrews 10:38,39; John 15:2,6; Exodus 32:26

The Lord gave them a standard and the word. This was the Lord’s standard whether Moses was there or not. He had a covenant with them and wanted them to abide by the standard.

It is necessary for us to know the history and background of the story so as to understand what they did with the call that came to them. The corruption at that time was pervasive, putrefying, contagious, and defiled all of them. It affected them though it started in a little way with just a few selected people coming to Aaron to make gods go before them. From that little beginning, it spread to the rest of the people. Corruption permeated the whole congregation and a weak Aaron became the source and avenue through which corruption spread to the whole nation.

Aaron’s weakness became a weakening addiction. He was weak and his weakness spread to the people making them go from bad to worse. Here, God called the people Moses’ people. Because of their sins, they were no more God’s people, unlike when He sent Moses to Pharaoh, calling them His people. See how a personal choice became a national choice. These people were not corrupted by God or other nations but by themselves, it came from their hearts and depravity.

It was not only Moses who was angry with Aaron, God was also angry with him. When a leader deviates, turning away from the way of the Lord, the Lord will be angry with him because he will eventually make others to turn away from the right path. If Aaron had died in that condition, no matter what they said at the burial ground, or the mourning carried out in the nation, he would not have gone to heaven but perished under the anger of God. Moses prayed for him and God had mercy on him.

What Aaron did was peculiar, other people would have done the same and it would have had no effect..

A Leader’s Sin Is a Leading Sin.

If a pastor decides to change the standard and make things easier for the congregation by mutilating and modifying the word of God, it becomes a sin to him.

A Pastor’s Sin Is a Pervasive Sin. If he marries a second wife when the first wife is still alive, or he becomes fraudulent, the church members would follow suit.

A leader in any area of work in the church of God has a great impact on the people, just like Aaron.

A Minister’s Sin Is a Misleading Sin. People now hardly read their Bibles, they read the lives of the people preaching the word of God to them. So, if you do evil and go to places where you are not supposed to go, you will mislead many others.

The shepherd is a leader, pastor and overseer watching over the people but if he is not living straight or above sin, if he compromises and cuts edges and excuses it,

A Shepherd’s Sin Is a Shielded Sin. The members so respect him that no one can challenge him. They cover and shield him to damnation.

Parents should know that their children are watching them. They see what the father does when the mum is not around and vice versa. If a father who claims to be a Christian indulges in sin and evil in the family,

A Father’s Sin Becomes a Festering Sin. It becomes like canker and eats into the lives of the children.

When a mother leads a careless and sinful life and indulges in false worship,

The Mother’s Sin Becomes a Moulding Sin. The lives of the children and those living in that family will be moulded according to the mother’s life.

Eventually, the idolatry and corruption that came to Israel became open and everybody was involved. It became a naked sin, open and known to all, with no one to correct the other. Life just went on as usual.

A Naked Sin Became A Nurturing Sin. They nursed, protected and nurtured sin like a baby.

A Little Sin that came into the congregation became a licensed Sin. Because it is little, no attention was paid to it, so other members and workers also joined in.

An Open Sin Becomes An Operative Sin. When it started, when people did it the first time, they were shocked but later it became normal. Before, when anyone gives or takes bribe, it was done in hiding, but later, after doing it over and over, it became part of normalcy.

Corruption is evil and ends in eternal destruction, devastation and damnation. That is why the Lord is warning us to desist from it, and He is saying whoever is on His side should come to Him.

 Since the time of Exodus, it continued to the end of the Old Testament. It started on a small scale and continued until many people turned away from the ways of God. They are still religious but not worshipping the living God.

 

A believer who is attached to the Lord and goes back to the world will be taken away while the ones who abide will be purged and nurtured to bring forth more fruits. Corruption is punishable and leads to perdition and everyone who indulges and die in that condition will be lost forever.

Moses came back to the people. Something must be done because God has determined to destroy them. He came and stood at the gate of the camp and asked, “Who is on the Lord’s side, let him come unto me”. You cannot be on the Lord’s side and stay in your sins on the other side. You have to take a definite step by moving out.

POINT 2:  THE PURPOSEFUL CALL TO THE LORD’S SIDE.

Exodus 32:18,19; 2 Corinthians 6:17; Numbers 16:26; Ezra 10:11; Isaiah 52:11; 2 Timothy 2:21,22; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-7; 5:22-24

When the Lord gave a call through Moses, it had a purpose and implication. As the Lord is calling to know if you are on His side because He has work to do, He wants to know those who will fulfill His purpose. Moses called out, “Who is on the Lord’s side?” He was calling them to divine worship, to God’s perfect word and His perpetual will.

What does the call mean?

  1. They had made graven images against the will of God. So the call is to bring them out of disobedience to the word of God. They should not have made or worshipped the graven image in the first place.
  2. God has told them to never bow to any idol, which they have done, so they have to come and make a covenant to never bow to idols anymore.
  3. Aaron and the people have given the glory due to God to idols, so, coming to the Lord’s side, they must no longer give His glory to idols.
  4. They made a feast to idols, so with the question, “Who is on the Lord’s side?” you have to stop participating and eating in idolatrous feasts.
  5. The children of Israel had already started imitating the pagans, so, coming to the Lord’s side entails they stop behaving like them in their ceremonies and ways of life. They have to abandon all the scanty, idolatrous clothing of the pagans if they are actually on the side of God.
  6. The people of God were to stop participating in the songs and dances of idolatrous worship and do away with all worldly songs.

When you are on the Lord’s side, you kick out and abandon everything about the world and go in a righteous way. This is the instruction the Lord is giving us today.

Ensure that your children do not participate in anything that is against the will of God. In your office, and community, do not be part of anything that pollutes the heart and life. You have to come out first before the Lord will receive you (Numbers 16:26) You cannot continue to benefit from their evil ways and say you are out. You must come out of their camp (Ezra 10:11) To come to the Lord’s side is to make a confession to the Lord and do His pleasure. Our practice and lifestyle must show to the world that we are different.

Abstain from fornication, lusting, and the exchanges in texts and pictures between you and members of the opposite gender, the appreciation in your hearts and the way you go about things is exactly the way the people of the world do it. Don’t be like the Gentiles in any way. Do not defraud your fellow believer, you have to come out properly. God has not called us unto uncleanliness but holiness.

Abstain from all appearances of evil. Remember the example of the Israelites, how they followed and copied the lifestyle of the Egyptians. Abstain from any form of worship, dancing, singing, music, and styles of the Egyptians in your relationships, work of God in your hands, professions, skills, in the way the people of the world oppress others, how dangerous and terrible they are in the world, abstain from them all. We have the responsibility to come out.

POINT 3:  THE PROGRESSIVE CONSECRATION TO THE LORD’S SERVICE.

Exodus 32:29; 1 Chronicles 29:5; 2 Chronicles 29:15,31; Micah 4:13; 1 Corinthians 16:15; Ecclesiastes 4:13; Luke 21:36; 1 Thessalonians 5:2-6; Hebrews 12:10; Luke 16:10; Romans 6:11,12; 2 Peter 3:11; Psalms 15:1,2; Luke 12:2-4; Colossians 3:12; Matthew 10:26,27; Psalms 110:3.

The Levites gave a definite response to the general call when they came out, they were given an assignment to do and consecrate themselves as the days, months and years went by. The Lord also expected that they will make progress in their consecration.

Consecrate yourself and your children. Do not compromise because of anyone, be it your daughter, son or anyone close to you. Consecration demands that when your children decide to follow the way of corruption, you single yourself out. Consecrate yourself to the things of God.

 They came to the Lord’s service, consecrating everything unreservedly all that they had to God. Their skills, ability, and everything consecrated unto God (Micah 4:13) All that we have, possessed and amassed are to be dedicated to the Lord.

We need to grow in the service of God. The household of Stephanas addicted themselves to the service of God. That is absolute surrender.

If we are progressing in the Lord’s service, it means we are not static or stationery because our God Himself is not static or stationery.

  1. Teachableness. (Ecclesiastes 4:13) You will continue to serve God and grow in consecration.
  2. More Prayerfulness. (Luke 21:36) Praying today more than yesterday, and praying for spiritual things more than before.
  3. More Watchfulness. (1 Thessalonians 5:2-6)
  4. More Holiness. (Hebrews 12:10)
  5. More Faithfulness (Luke 16:10) We are watchful so that in case any Aaron (leader) attempts to mislead us, we will not allow it.
  6. More Deadness to the World. You will not allow the things that excite the people of the world to excite you (Romans 6:11) You are dead to the world and sin.
  7. More Godliness. Anywhere you go or whatever you do, you must ensure that they tally with the will and ways of God.
  8. More Truthfulness. Throw away anything that is not totally truthful. You must have no reason to change anything or lie.
  9. More Fearlessness. As the Lord calls out to who is on His side, we do not bother about what Aaron or anyone would feel about our decision to do the right things. We must be fearless and not compromise.
  10. More Humbleness. (Colossians 3:12) As we consecrate ourselves to the Lord, we need to be humbler.
  11. More Openness. (Matthew 10:26-27) As we consecrate, we must be more open. There must not be any secret or dirty thing in our lives. Everything must be done in the open.
  12. More Willingness.

You can read other article here in French. 

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