“But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ‘Because you have not believed Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.'”-Numbers 20:12
Arguably, one of the greatest leaders spoken of in the Scriptures is Moses. Moses was called by the Lord to lead the children of Israel out of the house of slavery to a land that the Lord God had given them. The Lord did mighty signs and wonders through Moses such as the Ten Plagues that came upon Egypt, the splitting of the Red Sea, and the giving of the Ten Commandments. Moses spent forty days on Mt. Sinai with God, and also seen the glory of God pass by him while the Lord hid him in the cleft of the rock. Moses had what would be considered a close relationship with the Lord. Even in having this relationship, as well as having the intimate knowledge of the holiness of God as he did, Moses would not see the Promised Land because of his failure to revere the Awesome Holiness of the Lord God Almighty throughout his daily life.
Moses was given the task, not just to lead the people into the Promised Land, but to lead them to fear and give honor and praise to the Lord God. Moses was to be the example, and when he failed to treat the Lord as holy, the Lord chastised him and disqualified him from leading the people into the land beyond the Jordan. Just as the Lord held Moses accountable, so too, He holds you accountable to be what He has called you to be, holy. Perhaps you may thing that only those who are in positions or offices at your church are the ones who are held accountable. Yes, they certainly are, and, again, so are you! Did God call you specifically to be His own possession? Did Christ purchase your redemption with His own blood? Has God delivered you from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of His Son? Was the dominion of sin broken when you were born-again by the Holy Spirit? If you answered “yes” to these questions, which every believer should, then you are not your own but are commanded to pursue holiness in your life for the glory of God. The theologian F.F. Bruce made this statement in reference to the command to be holy: “Put into practice what the calling of God has made you.”
You are a leader to someone, Beloved. You are setting an example of what a Christian should be whether to your co-workers, children, spouse, other family members, or friends. You have received the truth of God and you are held accountable as a dispenser of that truth in both word and deed. Do you revere the name of God? Do you seek to treat Him as holy? The first petition of the Lord’s Prayer is, “Hallowed be Your name;” meaning, “Let Your name be holy.” God does not “let you off the hook” because you are not a pastor or preacher, or because you do not hold an office in the church. If you are genuinely a believer, God holds you accountable. God may not always have mercy on you for your irreverence toward Him. At some point, His mercy will end, and He will chastise you as He did to Moses. The Scripture makes this clear in Galatians 6:8: “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his won flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.” Knowing that you are held accountable by the Lord of glory who knows all things and sees all things should be a sobering reality. Live your life, friends, for the glory of God at all times, in all places. He, according to His grace an mercy, called you to be His own possession and granted you eternal life.
Writer Bio
Joshua Banks is senior pastor and founder of Shepherd’s Rock Bible
Church in Kingsport, TN. He holds a Bachelors degree in Ministry from
Luther Rice University, a Master of Arts in Theological Studies, and a
Master of Divinity both from Liberty University. Joshua and his wife
Amanda, along with their 5 children, reside in Gate City, VA
