Sermons by Mike Blume

Numbers 17:2-5 KJV Speak unto the children of Israel, and take of every one of them a rod according to the house of their fathers, of all their princes according to the house of their fathers twelve rods: write thou every man's name upon his rod. (3) And thou shalt write Aaron's name upon the rod of Levi: for one rod shall be for the head of the house of their fathers. (4) And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle of the congregation before the testimony, where I will meet with you. (5) And it shall come to pass, that the man's rod, whom I shall choose, shall blossom: and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel, whereby they murmur against you.

Rebels felt Moses and Aaron should not be the only men allowed to enter the holiest, for htey were all holy.

So God informed Moses He woudl prove to the rebels who should be used in ministry in this fashion.

Being "Holy" means that one is consecrated to God.

One is separated from the rest.
And in this case, with the surrounding people being involved in sin, that separation to God is one that is APART FROM SIN.

The Levites separated themselves from the rest of Israel who worshipped a golden calf in the day when Moses was bringing the Ten Commandments from Sinai to them.

Exodus 32:26 KJV Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the LORD'S side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him.

HOLY simply means belonging to someone.

Anything that belongs to you is HOLY to you.
Not that you worship it, but that it is yours.
We belong to God.
So we are holy to God.
God looks at you as His own.
Holiness ios consecration and separate.
Since it is separation to God it involves separation from sin.
This is where we are familiar with HOLY - sinless.
But the Levites separated themselves and were holy while the rest praised an idol.

And the Levites' STAFF blossomed in indication that God chose that people to be his priests among all Israel after everyone railed on Moses saying God told them all would be priests.

Exodus 19:4-6 KJV Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself. (5) Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: (6) And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.

Evidently, they resorted to God's word in Exodus 19 where he said they would be an entire kingdom of priests -- every one of them.

But God put a stipulation on that.
If they would obey his voice and keep his covenant and be a peculiar treasure - special entity - to God.

So it is today.

Revelation 1:5-6 KJV And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, (6) And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

We are all priests and kings to God.

But we must advance to a certain degree of separation to him - or holiness - in order for him to be able to use us.
This is because man was created to be an extension of God's Spirit.
Connected to God.
Everyone has the capacity in them to be spiritual and supernaturally experienced.
You hear tidbits of such things every now and then, far too numerable to excuse away as nothing.
But when a person becomes dedicated and committed to God, that capacity heightens and is activated and really works in our lives.

Aaron's rod was a dead stick.

But it budded, blossomed and bore almonds.
It had resurrected life, since it was formerly a dead stick.
And this could not be counterfeited because nature cannot produce buds, flowers and almonds at the same time on a branch.
So this is not only resurrection life, but supernatural resurrection life.
We have a life inside of us that is not normal for us.
It is supernatural resurrection life.

The rod of Aaron had supernatural life in it that MANIFESTED FORTH.

Likewise it is in us and needs to come forth from our lives.
People need to see some FRUIT.
Evidence of the supernatural Life inside!
But it requires a committed holy life!
As the Levites stood apart from sin, and the fruit came forth from their tribal rod, we will see the blessings of God.

We each, as believers, have the capacity to be used supernaturally of God.

But we need dedication and commitment to our holiness.

Last week we mentioned that the journey of Israel from Egypt to the promised land is a powerful picture of the spiritual journey God informs us we must make in order to become what God wants us to be, in our need to deal with sin and all the damage accomplished in the Garden of Eden by mankind.

And this time JORDAN is divided by the power of God.

Both bodies of water were divided at the cost of the lives of others.
The Red Sea was divided when the Egyptian armies died.
The Jordan was divided with the deaths of Israel's own people, who DOUBTED GOD.

Egypt's armies represent the tormenting and enslaving SINS of our lives that God breaks off us, whereas the older generation represents the part of our own lives, as the elders were p[art of Israel, that doubts and murmurs and complains.

When we get saved, God removes our sins.

Oh, we can still sin alright, but we are forgiven and given a new start with God, when He forgets our past lives of sin.
But when we get to the place where God wants us to be, it is more than sins and mistakes God must remove.
IT IS A PART OF US, just as the elders were a part of Israel's own people.

Jesus spoke about more than just getting converted.

Getting converted is akin to crossing the Red Sea.

Exo 12:37-38 KJV And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, beside children. (38) And a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, even very much cattle.

The idea of a mixed multitude is literally a mixture race of people.

Part one nationality and part another.
This represents the Christians who are converted with MIXTURE in them of loving God but also being too caught up in the things of the world.

People get hold of Christ for various reasons.

We see here some people who came along due to the plagues.
Some wanted freedom from Egypt for whatever reasons they had.
It was not all Hebrew slaves.
Some probably just felt it was a cool thing to do at the moment.
And so it is with many today who get converted.
But these are weeded out as time goes by.

This is because beyond conversion, there is a dedication to God and a commitment.

All those too attached to the world, without desire to live holily to God and truly be what God created us to be, for all eternity, are so influenced by the world, they doubt and hesitate with God.
We either drop away with our doubts, or our doubts are set aside and we finally enter a walk of faith without those doubts.

In one instance of our text, the Levites separated from Israel's idolatry and in the other the ROD of Levi budded and blossomed while the others did not.

John 15:2-8 KJV Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. (3) Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. (4) Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. (5) I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. (6) If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. (7) If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. (8) Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

The rod of LEVI as it were, represents the dedicated child of God who so attaches himself to Christ that he or she brings forth blossoms and fruit!

After Joseph remedied the famine and fed the then known world in Egypt, and died, his people multiplied greatly.

Exo 1:7 KJV And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them.

God's people can fit into the world quite nicely and multiply in it.

But God wanted them to multiply alright, but in the promised land.

They were supposed to be in the promised land.
But they became disconnected, just like mankind was disconnected from the Garden.
And branches abounded everywhere, but were not connected to God any more.

We need to be a branch that gets connected to Christ!

So many were weeded out form the nation, and only the children could enter.

The pruning must occur.
Branches need to return to a most holy place of dedication to the Lord.
ABIDING in Christ -- not visiting.
See the fruit beginning to grow from their lives.

Rom 7:4 KJV Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.

Bring forth fruit to God.

That rod of Aaron/.Levi was taken through the outer court of the tabernacle -- the outermost section, the third section from the center.

But when it got past that inner veil and inside the most holy place, something miraculously happened.
It began bringing forth fruit.

Numbers 17:8 KJV And it came to pass, that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds.

Rev 1:10-13 KJV I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, (11) Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea. (12) And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; (13) And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.

Notice something about the seven candlesticks.

Exo 25:31-33 KJV And thou shalt make a candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work shall the candlestick be made: his shaft, and his branches, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, shall be of the same. (32) And six branches shall come out of the sides of it; three branches of the candlestick out of the one side, and three branches of the candlestick out of the other side: (33) Three bowls made like unto almonds, with a knop and a flower in one branch; and three bowls made like almonds in the other branch, with a knop and a flower: so in the six branches that come out of the candlestick.

THE CANDLESTICK showed branches exactly as the rod of Levi miraculously manifested.

Buds, blossoms and FRUIT ALL AT THE SAME TIME!

And Jesus is in the midst!

He is the vine and we are the branches.

Rev 1:20 KJV The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.

We read that God's WORD is like a sword that cuts away the UNBELIEF from our lives.

Heb 3:19-4:3 KJV So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. (4:1) Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. (2) For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. (3) For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.

Heb 4:11-12 KJV Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. (12) For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

We are told the people who could not enter had unbelief.

And they did not mix the word with faith.
And then we read we need to labour to enter because the word that we are supposed to mix with faith is a SWORD.
SWORDS CUT.
Why enter because what we need to mix with our faith is a sword that cuts?
IT CUTS AWAY THE DOUBT that messed up the elders!

That BRANCH is your life.

You cannot bear fruit with your unbelief and fleshliness.
God must CUT THAT AWAY with His word.
The sword there!

Joshua 5:13 KJV And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?

Gen 3:24 KJV So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

A SWORD IS IN THE WAY!

Let it cut away fleshliness, so you cling to God perfectly, and BEAR FRUIT.

Gen 2:8-9 KJV And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. (9) And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Gen 3:1 KJV Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

Gen 3:22 KJV And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:

The first issue and the last issue of Man's existence in the Garden is the TREE OF LIFE.

All surrounds that tree.

And although the last issue of the tree is associated with man's expulsion from the Garden, watch the ultimate last mention...

Rev 22:1-3 KJV And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. (2) In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. (3) And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:

The last chapter in the bible -- of God's word to mankind -- also includes the tree of life!

But this tree is now blossoming!
This tree is in a good association with man.
It is not there with man's fall.
But it is there with MAN -- or at least that part of humanity -- that is RESTORED TO GOD.

No more curse, which is another reference to the Garden where curses issued forth from God to the people and the serpent.

It is MULTIPLIED and planted by waters.

Psa 1:1-3 KJV Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. (2) But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. (3) And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

BRANCHES RECONNECTED TO THE VINE