Ephraim Is a Cake Not Turned — Stephen Kaung

Prayer to See and Hear the Lord

That we may behold Thee, behold Thy Son, with unveiled face. We pray that this morning Thou wilt open our eyes to see Thee and be alone. Thou wilt open our ears to hear Thy voice, because Thou dost say, My sheep hear My voice, and they follow Me.

O Lord, we do pray that this morning Thou, as the Son of Righteousness, will rise in our hearts with healings in its wings. We do commit this time into Thy hand. We pray that we may be delivered out of ourselves and into Thyself.

Lord, we pray that Thou art able to finish Thy good work, which Thou hast begun in Christ Jesus in each one of us. We do desire that Thyself shall be exalted, seen and glorified, loved and adored. We ask in the precious name of our Lord Jesus.

Amen. This morning, we would like to just use one clause in the Bible. And if you are able to find it, try it. Hosea, chapter 7, verse 8. I'll give you one minute to find it. Hosea, chapter 7, verse 8.

The second clause. Can you find it? Well, if you cannot find it, it's very easy. I'll read it and you'll remember it. Hosea, chapter 7, verse 8, the second clause. Ephraim is a cake not turned. Ephraim is a cake not turned.

Seeing Ourselves in God's Light

Through the prophet Hosea, God gave his estimate of Ephraim, which represents Israel. It is the judgment of love, not of negative criticism. It is important that we may see ourselves in God's light. You remember that very precious verse in Psalm 36?

In thy light shall we see light. And in thy presence there is fullness of life. We can only see ourselves in the light of God. It is no use. It is unprofitable. It is even harmful. If we try to see ourselves in our own light.

Or in the light of others. Now of course the Bible does say, examine yourself and see if you are in the faith. If we judge ourselves, then we may not be judged. But that doesn't mean that we are to measure ourselves in our own light.

Or we are to measure ourselves in the light of other people. No. That only means that we have to place ourselves in the light of God. That we may see exactly where we stand, what we are, in the sight of Christ.

Examine me and know my heart. True me and know my thoughts. See if there is any grievous way in me. Lead me in the way everlasting. And I believe this is a prayer that we should always pray. One thing that is very important in our Christian life.

And that is to know ourselves in the light of God. Where we are and where we stand. Help us greatly in our progress in the Lord. So again I will say, it is good. See ourselves in the light. But never try to analyze yourself.

You will never be able to know yourselves with the light of your own soul. It is futile. It is unprofitable. Here you will find God gave his estimate of Ephraim. From time to time I believe we need God to give an estimate of ourselves.

And God's estimate of Ephraim was, you are a cake not turned. Now I believe the sisters know much better than I do. Of course you remember this is baking, not the modern oven. So there is a little difference here.

The Meaning of a Cake Not Turned

Now here you will find a woman. She makes the dough. She puts in all the ingredients for the cake. She may even put it in a pan of a certain shape. Whatever shape you want it to be. You will find that everything is ready.

And then she begins to bake it over an open fire. Not the oven that you get the heat all around. You don't need to turn it. But it is an open fire. So when you put the dough, you put the prepared material for the cake on that open fire.

Now it begins to bake. It suddenly comes to me. Is it King Bruce? When he fled from his enemy, he went into a lady's home, an old woman's home. And that woman said, alright, I have a cake baking on the fire.

Now you watch it. And the woman went away to some other errands. And King Bruce was so occupied with his kingdom and all his thoughts that he forgot all about that cake on the fire. So when the woman came back, he found that it was burning.

And of course he scolded. So you find that when you try to bake a cake, say, on an open fire, you have to be very watchful. If you don't, you'll find one side will be scorched, burning, and the other side is still raw and undercooked.

Now can you eat such a cake? Have you ever tasted such a cake? A cake not turned is a cake that is burned on the one side and raw on the other side. Such a cake is not fit for food. It can only be cast away.

What is the spiritual meaning of this metaphor? Well, to be very simple, the spiritual meaning of a cake not turned is spiritual imbalance. Spiritual imbalance has gathered us out of all nations of the field, the world.

He works upon each one of us. Grinds us. Mixes us. Mixes us. Mixes it with water, the word of God. That we may become a dough. And he may put some spices. More tasty. Now he prepares all the time in order to make us acceptable to himself.

Now you remember in the Old Testament, there is the showbread or the bread of the presence. The showbreads are to be put before God. For God. Now this is what God desires of his people. He saves us from the world.

He gathers us together. Unite us into one. He cement us. Make us a dough. He gives to us. The ingredients are mixed in that dough. Why is it that God has done all these works in our life? Individually and collectively.

Why? Because he wants to make us a cake. As food for himself. As well as for all the hungry ones. That is the purpose of God. Unite us together. After he has unite us together. After he has given us gifts.

After he has put us together. There is something more he has to do. We are raw yet. We cannot be eaten. He has to put us over the fire. He has to bake us. But dear brothers and sisters. Very often in the process of baking some forgetfulness comes.

We let the dough bake over. We forget to turn it. And the result is. We are in one way and undercooked in another way. We become unbalanced. Remember one thing. If we are unbalanced. In spite of all the works that God has done in our life.

We cannot be presented to God as his food. It is scorched on one side. It is raw on the other side. Spiritual balance is a very important principle in our Christian life. Lord Jesus himself is the most balanced person in the whole world.

The Balance Seen in Christ

Beautiful gospels. Does it strike you? How balanced is our Lord Jesus? The word became flesh. Full of grace. Inside you will find he is full of grace. And yet it doesn't mean he lacks in truth. Lacking in grace.

Yes he is the son of God. He is above everything. He can do everything. Nothing is impossible with him. And yet on the other hand he is the son of man. Man of sorrows. Acquainted with grief. So well balanced as our Lord Jesus.

Spiritual balance is the sign of spiritual maturity. The lack of balance is the lack of spiritual maturity. The most balanced person in the whole world. And this is what the Lord expects us to be. That we may not be a cake.

Not. That we may turn around and bow down. Let me illustrate with a few thoughts. To maintain a balance between life and the extreme. Very difficult to our natural life to be balanced. We either swing to one end or we will swing to the opposite end.

It takes some time for us to swing back to balance. We find people who emphasize so much on knowledge. Knowledge is power. Yes. They want knowledge. They search the scripture very diligently. Now do not say that we should not search the scripture.

Balancing Biblical Knowledge with Spiritual Life

You remember in the book of Acts. It is said the Bavarians were more noble than the Thessalonians. Why? Because they searched the scripture. It is important that we search the scriptures. Very diligently.

These people who emphasize until the testimony. You want to talk with them. The first thing they say, show me the verse. It is not in the verse. They cannot accept it. Testimony. That's their crime. They want to base everything on some bible verse.

Lot of the bible. Scribes and the Pharisees. They can recite the bible by memory. You remember when the Lord Jesus was born. The Magi. They went to Jerusalem and asked King Herod. Where shall the King of the Jews be born?

And he gathered the scribes and the Pharisees and said where? Without saying now let me go back and look up my concordance. They didn't do that. Immediately they said well. Christ shall be born in Bethlehem of Judea.

Why? Because it is said in the prophet Micah. I wonder if you can find the prophet Micah. But they know the scriptures. They pass on that information to King Herod. There to give King Herod an opportunity to kill the child.

They do not go to Bethlehem to worship the King. Knowledge can be purely mental. You do not go beyond your mind. The information of your mind to the mind of other people. There is very little if any spiritual value in such knowledge.

Knowledge as the bible says. If you are in the know. You feel yourself important. Knowledge but love. Do you profess to be full of knowledge? Do you think you really know? Do you think you know? You know nothing.

Knowledge is dead. Knowledge is useless. May I ask you how much knowledge you have? Probably you have very little. So you can dispense with it. Knowledge is dead is useless. Not much spiritual value. All these are true.

Knowledge without life is dead. The scripture or the letters. Without going beyond the letters to the spirit of it. It is dead. The word of God. Your knowledge will remain an outward thing. It will never become an inward knowledge which is of great value.

It is very true dear brothers and sisters. You can be a cake unturned in this respect. You can dig and dig and dig and dig and dig into the bible. And you can try to analyze and analyze and analyze the bible.

You can try to gather and accumulate information after information in your mind. Until you are the doctor of divinity. But dear brothers and sisters. If your hearts are not open to the Lord. And let the word enter into your heart.

It is completely useless. No spiritual value before the Lord. It can be very harmful. Why? Because it makes you self-important. Self-contented. Hard. Knowledge must be balanced with life. Dear brothers and sisters.

There are some people who emphasize life. Oh life is everything. Knowledge. We don't want to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Very good. Don't eat that. We want to eat the tree of life.

It is true. Life is of supreme importance. Objective knowledge. What's the use of filling your mind with information. If your life does not say that you are who you are to be. It is useless. It is very important.

But do you know what is life? It is the eternal life. Be the only true God. And Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. Is eternal life. Eternal life is an inward knowing of God and of Jesus Christ his son.

It is not that outward knowledge. That mental knowledge. That objective knowledge. Life is something more than that inward knowledge. But remember one thing. Life is nevertheless based upon outward knowledge.

Objective knowledge is based upon objective knowledge. If there is not the truth. There can be no life. Because there is the truth there. And in knowing the truth inwardly. That gives life. Not based upon the truth.

Is not the real life. With the word of God. Is not the life of God. You find the life of God is all his word. Objective truth. With this Holy Spirit. You get into it and beyond it. And you get that inward knowledge.

And you find life is very precious. Have you read the epistles? The Ephesians. For the believers. May the God of our Lord Jesus. Wisdom and revelation. That you may know. I pray. That you may abound more and more.

In the full and all intelligence. And he prays the same. Dear brothers and sisters. Sometimes in our emphasis on life. We despise knowledge so much. That we even throw the truth away. Remember. This is a cake.

Rejecting Experience Without Truth

Life is measured by truth. If it is not of the truth. Come to this world. And die on the cross. And fulfill the work of redemption for us. Nobody. However you try. You will not be able to enter into any experience.

Of Christ. If there is not the truth of Christ. Let me illustrate. The centuries. Middle age. At that time. A superstition. Was not read. The office of the Bible changed in the monasteries. And even the monks did not read the Bible.

It took an exceptional monk. Like Martin Luther. To read the Bible. People were ignorant. People who really had a heart. We call them. Christian mystics. Now don't be afraid of that. It is a little bit mystical.

But still don't be afraid of that. Now these so called Christian mystics. Throughout the centuries. Seeking for God. This knowing God. What did they do? They wore. Hair shirts. Jackets. They slept on nails.

They used sharp instruments. Flowed profusely. They fast. They were given up. And read many of their stories. I admire them. Their love for God. They inflicted. A lot. They wanted to know God. Do you think they could know God that way?

In the mercy of God. God came to them. And said. Children. You don't need to do that. Just believe in me. And they did. They did. Because they had no Bible to guide them. After they had experienced. A grace of God in a very real way.

Yet when they came out to teach and instruct people. You know what they did? They tell people. If you want to know God. You have to inflict. Sufferings upon yourself. Do penance. Through their own particular experience.

God in this way. Therefore you too must experience it in the same way. They know. The word of God. Do you see the point? Life is all I want. But you can be overcooked. To develop your life to such an extent.

That you get rid of the word of God. And insist on the traditions of the fathers. God is greater than your experience. Then God will lead you into further experiences. Limit God. There to be found. Except in your experience.

You are overcome. Brothers and sisters. Ephraim is a cake knocker. We easily can be that way. We can easily emphasize. Knowledge to the exclusion of life. And become dead. We can easily stress. Life is the word of God.

And that will make us well. Undisciplined. We need to maintain. A balance. Turn over them. Let one side be overcooked. And the other side. Let me use another illustration. Oh before I do that. I should give you a scripture.

Knowing Both the Scriptures and God's Power

Matthew 22 you remember. The seducers came to the Lord. With a very difficult supposition. I won't go into it. They thought that they had caught the Lord. The Lord can never get out of that. In Matthew 22 the Lord said.

You are. You are wrong. For what reason? Because you do not know. The word. We can be wrong. If we do not know the power. The spirit of well balance. Knowledge. Must be balanced. Let me use another illustration.

I'll give you the scripture verse first. 1 Corinthians chapter 14 verse 15. 1 Corinthians chapter 14 verse 15. What is it then? With the spirit. Also with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit.

With the understanding. This verse refers to. The way that God's people should meet. When God's people meet together. They should sing in the spirit. As well as with understanding. They should pray with the spirit.

As well as with understanding. I think the principle can be applied. Even over a wider area. It is a principle. There you'll find. We need to maintain the balance. Between spirit and understanding. Humanity is such.

Not for God. Our discussion. Humanity. God's people. Something living. In other words. If you may allow me to say it. The Pentecostal movement. Is sweeping. The whole world. Why? They want something living.

Something living. It is. He who worships God. Must worship him in spirit. Am I right in my quotation? Is spirit. He who worships God. Must worship him in. In truth. Don't forget. It is very true. Because God is spirit.

It is release. Contact with God. There is no other way. To worship God. No other way. That's very true. You may prostrate yourself on the floor for hours. Before a candle. Noble thoughts. And try to think and imagine God.

His mercy and grace. And leap before God. You may make a very strong denomination. I want God. That doesn't mean. You are in contact. You think you are. But you are not. Because God is spirit. He is to be worshiped.

The Spirit Must Be Joined with Understanding

Dear brothers and sisters. I do believe. That in these days. God's people ought to know more about the spirit. Not only the human spirit. But the spirit of God. God's people need to have some. Of the spirit.

Real to you. Otherwise. Spiritual things are just unreal. You need it. Desperately. You need it. But the Bible says. You sing. In the spirit. And you sing. In understanding. You pray in the spirit. And you pray.

With understanding. It is true that we. We must have spiritual experiences. We must touch spiritual things in a real way. Yet on the other hand. The Bible says. Remember. That doesn't mean you should get rid of your understanding.

How often we said. We want the spirit. We don't want the mind. As if our mind is sinful. God creates your mind. God means that you use your mind. But your mind alone is not enough. There must be the spirit.

May the spirit of wisdom. And revelation. Be given to you. That you may know Him. And that the eyes of your heart. May be enlightened. Spirit. It is never the will of God. That Christians should be people devoid of understanding.

The policy of fooling the people. Is not God's policy. God wants us to understand. But of course. Has to go deeper. It has to be in the spirit. As well as in the understanding. That is not enough. If you are in the Holy Spirit.

That's alright. Nothing can be wrong. But are you sure you are in the Holy Spirit? That's where your understanding comes in. What needs you to understand? It is not an end. Be released. That it may be the channel.

Of the spirit. Do you think God is so interested in your spirit to be released? Your spirit may have a free channel. Your spirit is just an orb. It's just a channel. One day the Lord Jesus. Immediately you find the sons of thunder.

James and John came to the Lord and said. Now Lord. This ought not to be done. Do you want us all to come down from heaven and burn them up? All full of spirit. Spirit is deeper. The Lord said. You do not know what kind of my spirit.

The spirit of the Lamb. Of love. Of selflessness. Of meekness. Of humility. You that doth demonstrate a spirit that is hard, selfish, critical. Cruel. Because you do not know what. Remember even our spirit needs to be purified.

2 Corinthians 7.

Not only your flesh needs to be purified. Your spirit needs to be purified. Because your spirit is just an organ. Your soul life. Occupy your soul. And me is the soul. Not the flesh. You need this understanding.

To understand. Spirit needs to be disciplined.

Discipline and Self-Control in Spiritual Life

1 Corinthians chapter 14.

The spirit of the prophet. Of the prophet. Has to exercise control over their spirit. With understanding. Who has the spirit. When to speak. And when to be quiet. Read further. Chapter 25. Verse 28. He says.

It's like a city broken down without walls. Have you ever read that verse? That is slow to anger. Is better against. But dear friends. With understanding. Knowing that your spirit is but. What God is.

Is the release of his own spirit. Hand out spirit. I give you one more. I can go on and on and on. If balance covers all areas. 2 Corinthians chapter 5. Verse 13. For whether we are besides ourselves.

It is to God. Or also God. It is for you. Here you find another balance. We are beside ourselves. It is to God. Dear brothers and sisters. We need to be beside ourselves. The trouble is we are too self-conscious.

We are thinking of ourselves. And what will people say of us? That one day we may be beside ourselves. What can I say? I will say that one day we may be so abandoned unto God. We may be so eternal towards God.

That we forget ourselves completely. David. Dance before the ark. David the king. Dance before the ark. And David's explanation of God. It is before the ark. I will make myself even more vile. I look at myself more abased than I have ever thought of.

Dear brothers and sisters. How we need to be beside ourselves. Delivered from ourselves. Reoccupied by God. This is what we need. But on the other hand. Paul said. If I am sober. It is for your sake. When you are alone before God.

Be beside yourself. But when you are with other people. Be sober. Remember. There are other people. Do not understand as you do. They may be offended. Stumbled. By your liberty. All things are lawful.

But not all things are profitable. All things are lawful. But not all. Let no one seek. Anything for himself. Another time. Oh. Many more. The spirit of God can do the work in you. Lastly. I would just like to mention a few things.

Centering Every Truth and Experience on Christ

As to how. We can. Number one. The secret spiritual value. To look. In other words. Is the whole. Experiences and knowledge. Remember. These are just parts. They are not the whole. If you focus your attention on it.

You lose the value. But if you focus your attention on the whole. You get the value. Christ is the value. You see a wheel here. These books. Of the wheel. These books of the wheel. Represents experiences and truth.

Many teachings and doctrines. Or many experiences. These books are necessary. In a wheel. But there are parts. Books must be. All centered. Out of the heart. Out of joints. Out of balance. It not only.

Does not profit. It hurts. It hinders. Every truth. Every experience. Must be centered upon Christ. The whole. And then. It must be joined together. By the rim. Of the wheel. Which is the church. This is the secret of balance.

Oh dear brothers and sisters. Allow me to say this. That Christ is disappearing. We are out. Let every truth. And experience. Be centered upon Christ. And be circumferent. That spiritual balance. Each one of us.

Remaining Open to God's Further Leading

Must be open. To what God. May lead us. First be flat. Do not take a hard position. And say this is it. Nothing else. You are finished. Come to the Lord. Oh the Lord has much more for you. Do not restrict the Lord.

As if he is just that small. And that's all. You are looking at the heaven. At the bottom of the well. Don't do that. Get up to the mountain. And see the horizon there. Limitless. Be careful of one thing.

Be careful of yourself. You know. We. We are our worst enemies. Try to go the way. The easiest way. The line of least resistance. Even in spiritual things. What is the line of least resistance? It is according to our natural temperament.

Be open to whatever the Lord may have to say to you. That's the only way. To reach a number of things. Not only in yourselves be open. To respect experience. And their understanding. Try to understand them.

Try to adjust yourselves to them. As they adjust to you. Dear brothers and sisters. You need your brothers and sisters to balance you out. I need your balance. And you need my balance. We have to balance one another.

That's the church. What's the use of talking about the church. If we do not balance one another. And all go one way or the other. Do not demand your brothers and sisters to adjust to you. Learn to adjust to them.

This is love. Spirit of Christ. They are very simple. But if we learn these secrets. By the grace of God. We can grow in spiritual life. The Lord will not say to us. Ephraim. You are a cake. Our Heavenly Father.

Closing Prayer for a Balanced Church

Put us in thy light. That we may see light. Deliver us from judging ourselves. Or judging others. But judge us with thy light. Cause where we are unbalanced. Over cooked on one side. Under cooked on another side.

O Lord. Give us that spiritual balance. Which belongs to thee. Teach us how to center upon thyself. Teach us how to be open to thee. Teach us how to tolerate. And to adjust ourselves to our brothers and sisters.

O that thy church. May be a well balanced church. As thou art balanced. Lord we commit these words into thy hand. We do not trust in the words of man. We trust in thy spirit. To finish thy work. Thy good work in us.

That thyself may be glorified and honored. We ask in the precious name of our Lord Jesus.