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Are You On The Lord's Side?
Contributed by Maurice Brown on Mar 14, 2001 (message contributor)
Summary: The Importance of making a definite decision to follow Christ.
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Introduction
A. One of the Greatest Questions in the Bible is
found in Ex.32
1. Asked by Moses when he came down from the
Mountain with 10 commandments.
2. What he saw angered and infuriated him!
And no wonder...
3. God’s People were worshipping a Golden Calf
and behaving immorally.
4. Even Aaron was caught up in this sinful and
shameful scene.
B. Many today think they are on the Lord’s Side
1. Many religious people claim to be on the
Lord’s side - Tit.1:16
2. Some nominal members of the Church also make
that same assertion
3. Jesus warned in Matt.7:21 that not everyone
who says Lord Lord will enter
4. Many will say....but Jesus will tell them “I
never knew you. Depart from me..”
C. Who is really on the Lord’s Side these days?
1. Don’t judge by appearances, what people say,
but rather what they do
2. We are to be doers of the word, not hearers
only! Jas.1:22,25
I. THOSE WHO WILL STAND ON THE TRUTH
A. Israel had turned their backs on the God who
brought them out of Bondage.
1. He opened the Red Sea, and led them
through, and defeated their enemies.
2. Now they were refusing to stand on the
truth that He was God alone.
B. God’s People today have the same problem
1. We say we love the truth but will not
stand on it. We quickly compromise on
matters of faith & doctrine. Instead
we are to hate every false way
Ps.119:1-4
2. Paul tells us to STAND against the
forces of evil - Eph.6:14 “Stand
therefore,having girded your waist with
truth, having put on the breastplate of
r’ness”
3. There really is no room for compromise
on the pure doctrine of Christ.
4. “He who is not with me is against me”
Matt.12:30
II THOSE WHO ARE SATISFIED WITH THE TRUTH
A. The Children of Israel were never satisfied!
1. From the moment they left Egypt all they
did was complain.
2. Here their complaint was that Moses wasn’t
coming back from the Mountain.
3. They went to Aaron, and got his
cooperation to make a molten calf.
4. Then he declared, “Tomorrow is a feast
to the Lord” Ex.32:1-5
B. God’s People today need to be satisfied with
the truth
1. Too often we are like the Galatians, “I
marvel that ye are so soon removed from
him that called you into the grace of
Christ unto another gospel” Gal.1:6
2. When we are satisfied with the truth, we
will not be looking for other options.
3. We will not be clamoring for change,
seeking to have things our own way.
4. Israel worshipped this Molten calf in the
Name of the Lord, which was blasphemous
and an insult against God. They “sat down
to eat and to drink,and rose up to play”
cf. Ex.20:3-4 - “no other gods before me”
5. False worship leads to worldly and sinful
behavior. That is why we must worship God
in spirit and truth, and be satisfied with
that. John 4:24
III. THOSE WHO WILL SPEAK FOR THE TRUTH
A. When Moses confronted Aaron, he started to
blame the people - Ex.32:21-24
1. The truth was that Aaron was very much to
blame as well!
2. He encouraged and cooperated with the
wishes of the people, instead of speaking
the truth, and warning them against what
they wanted to do.
3. This is the sin of weak leadership, and a
refusal to accept personal responsibility
when mistakes are made. 33:35 "which
Aaron made”
B. God’s People today are to Speak the Truth
in Love Eph.4:15
“Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man
truth with his neighbor, for we are members one
of another” Eph.4:25
1. There should be no dishonesty, deceit or
attempt to blame others.
2. Where we have done wrong, there must be
repentance sought, and then forgiveness
shared - Matt.18:15-17 Have the courage to
admit wrongdoing.
3. Those who are on the Lord’s Side are those
who will always speak the truth!
4. And not be afraid to tell around us of
Jesus, the way, truth & life - Jn.14:6
IV. THOSE WHO ARE SAVED BY THE TRUTH
A. Moses pleaded to God for the people’s sins -
Ex.33:30-33
1. They needed to be saved by the truth -
these were God’s People.
2. Forgiveness of sins was their greatest
need as it is for us today!
B. Have you been saved by the truth? - I Pet.1:22
“Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying
the truth through obeying the truth”
1. We are saved when we obey the truth Jn 8:32
2. The truth is the Word of God which teaches
that one must believe, repent confess, and
be baptized into Christ for the remission