We have mentioned previously Sodom, Egypt, and Jerusalem. These are the three bondages that prevent people from bearing a true witness of God.

Sodom speaks of the lusts and passions of the body. Many ministers and Christians in America have had their lampstand of testimony removed from them because they have not overcome the fires of sexual lusts, of drugs, of alcohol, of violence.

Egypt speaks of the desire for money and material luxuries. Many ministers and Christians in America have had their lampstand of testimony removed from them because of their desire to be rich. In fact, becoming rich seems to be a major goal of American Christians. They equate material riches with God's blessing. Books in the Bible book stores tell us how to become rich. Think of it, after all of Paul's warnings!

Jerusalem speaks of religious envy and self-seeking. Personal ambition in religious works, the need to be important, to have status, so drives the ministers of our day that they will do almost anything to add people to their congregation.

You do not often hear a minister say he will be faithful to the Word of God and leave it to the Lord to add people. This after all is the only sensible approach, because we have no way of knowing whether Christ wants a small assembly or a large one. We assume, in America, that He wants a large one and so we end up with many people under one roof and very few if any of them are coming to maturity as measured by the stature of the fullness of Christ. Am I correct or not?

We measure the worth of a church by the number of people who attend. In our heart we know better than this. But spiritual ambition is carrying the day.

The Pharisees no doubt had trouble with sexual lust, as all people have from the beginning of the race.

The Pharisees had problems of covetousness, we know from the Bible.

But neither lust nor covetousness murdered Jesus. It was the religious ambition of the Pharisees. For no reason other than a desire to be preeminent they cried, "Let his blood be on us and on our children."

Personal ambition is the sin of the worship of self. The lawless slew the Lawful One, Jesus Christ.

Rebellion, lawlessness, self-centeredness, the worship of self, is the root of all sin. Lust and covetousness, Sodom and Egypt, spring from the worship of self. The chains of sin are placed on us because of our rebellion against God.

Satan, because of his rebellion against the will of God, is hopelessly bound with lust ("dust shalt thou eat"); with lying (he is the father of lies); with rage (he was a murderer from the beginning); with pride, with treachery, with presumption, with thievery, with idolatry. In fact, the Ten Commandments are a judgment on Satan, and he understands this.

To be continued.