GOD HAS THE FINAL SAY Part 3
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Exodus 24:9–11
Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and the elders encountered God’s presence.
They saw God’s glory and lived.
God gave very specific instructions for worship, the tabernacle, sacrifices, and priestly service.
Everything was designed to guard the holiness of God’s presence.
God has the final say - week 3.docx
1. When we treat as common what God calls holy, we offend God.
Leviticus 9:22–24
God’s glory appeared, and fire consumed the sacrifice as a sign of His acceptance.
Leviticus 10:1–11
Nadab and Abihu offered “profane” or unauthorized fire.
Scripture doesn’t tell us exactly what motivated their actions.
What we do know: God said, “By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy.”
The issue was approaching something holy as though it were common.
Key takeaway:
We must distinguish between holy and common.
What God calls holy should never be treated casually.
Mishandling what God calls holy can misrepresent His character.
God has the final say - week 3.docx
2. Just because you have had an encounter with God doesn’t mean you no longer have to honor Him.
1 Peter 1:13–16
We are called to holiness in all our conduct.
Intimacy with God should produce reverence, not entitlement.
We can come boldly before God without coming carelessly.
Passionate worship is not irreverent.
But we cannot call fleshly behavior “the Spirit” or assume our calling gives us permission to do whatever we want.
God has the final say - week 3.docx
Key takeaway:
Familiarity with God must never produce a loss of reverence for God.
3. We access God on His terms, not our own.
Numbers 20:12
Moses and Aaron failed to “hallow” God before the people.
Their disobedience misrepresented God’s holiness.
God defines what is holy.
Not our experiences.
Not tradition.
Not creativity.
Not what worked yesterday.
Not our assumptions.
We have access to God through Christ, but we cannot redefine God on our terms.
God has the final say - week 3.docx
We Are All Called to Holiness
1 Peter 2:5, 9
We are a holy priesthood.
We are a royal priesthood.
The call to honor God isn’t reserved for ministers.
Romans 12:1–2
Present your body as a living sacrifice.
Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
Seek God’s good, acceptable, and perfect will.
Key thought:
Obedience is not the price of access. Obedience is the response to having been given access.
God has the final say - week 3.docx
Familiarity Can Affect Our Discernment
Hebrews 5:14
Our spiritual senses must be exercised to discern good and evil.
What we continually consume shapes what feels familiar.
We can become so accustomed to the world that holiness feels uncomfortable.
We can also become so accustomed to one expression of spiritual experience that we mistake familiarity for authenticity.
God has the final say - week 3.docx
James 4:8–10
Draw near to God.
Cleanse your hands.
Purify your heart.
Humble yourself before Him.
Psalm 24:3–4
Clean hands.
Pure heart.
No idols.
No deceit.
God has the final say - week 3.docx
God May Reveal Himself Differently Than We Expect
God is not obligated to repeat Himself to prove He is present.
Sometimes He moves dramatically.
Sometimes He speaks through Scripture.
Sometimes He brings quiet conviction, repentance, or understanding.
Sometimes the greatest thing God does is something nobody else can see.
If we only recognize the spectacular, we may miss what God is doing.
God has the final say - week 3.docx
Key takeaway:
The issue isn’t whether God is speaking — it’s whether we are listening.
Final Thought
God has invited us near through the blood of Jesus.
We don’t want to become so familiar with His presence that we demand He meet our expectations.
We want hearts sensitive enough to recognize Him however He chooses to reveal Himself.
Holiness produces discernment.
An unsurrendered life can cause us to lose the ability to distinguish holy from common.
