"Gap Stander" Series

Pastor Dave Martin ~ Cross Creek Community Church ~ August 12, 2007

“Gap Stander”

Life of Moses part 11

Exodus 31-34

Entire series with Powerpoint at www.crosscreekcc.org

Key Principles from earlier weeks…

• God specializes in using broken vessels.

• God speaks to us today by His Holy Spirit.

• The Blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin.

• Predicaments teach us dependence upon God.

• God gave Divine rules for human conduct.

Exodus 31:18 When the LORD finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two tablets of the Testimony, the tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God.

I. God’s People are Prone to…

Exodus 32:1 When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, "Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him."

• Forget God’s Glory 32:1

o They forgot the glorious exodus, they forgot the miraculous parting of the Red Sea, they forgot the pillar of cloud & fire, they forgot the manna & quail, they forgot the Lord descending upon the mountain in blazing fire, earthquake, billowing smoke, deafening trumpet blast, they forgot the Lord, they became self-centered & sufficient, they forgot God’s Glory.

o This was 40 days after their consecration, 40 days after God’s appearance, after Moses went up

• Make unwise Decisions 32:2-4

o We see their next step in their downward slide… they began to make unwise decisions.

o Moses’ brother Aaron was in the center of it all (remember back when God just wanted Moses)

o V4… Aaron took the gold, he made, he cast an idol, he shaped a calf, he fashioned it with tools

• Indulge themselves in sin 32:5-6,19,25

o After Aaron built the golden calf, he also built an altar in front of the calf… lets party tomorrow!

o People were ready to celebrate… they rose early & sacrificed burnt offering to the Lord…

o Then they ate & drank and got up to indulge in revelry… “sahaq” suggests immorality.

o Immorality often accompanies idolatry… God gives them over to a reprobate mind…

o Vs 19,25…singing, dancing, unrestrained (v25 running wild is “pawrah” means: naked, uncover, expose, to bare) they became a laughingstock, a bad testimony to people around them.

Same Today They suppressed the TRUTH, Their thinking became DEPRAVED, They INDULGED in wickedness…

Romans 1:18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, Romans 1:21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Romans 1:22-23 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. Romans 1:28 Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. Romans 1:24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.

(Laden with various sin…Idolatry/homosexuality/lust/greed/wickedness/evil/gossip/arrogance/etc)

Slide – Stone altar & Golden Calf.

Exodus 32:4 He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, "These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt."

Slide – Petroglyphs of Egyptian Cattle

II. Bringing Judgment upon themselves

Exodus 32:8-10 8 They have been quick to turn away from what I commanded them and have made themselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. They have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and have said, ’These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.’ 9 "I have seen these people," the LORD said to Moses, "and they are a stiff-necked people. 10 Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation."

• The people became corrupt v7 (stubborn) and stiff-necked v9 (unresponsive)…

• God’s “anger burned against them”… He threatened to destroy them & begin a new nation with Moses

• Sin ALWAYS results in God’s wrath/judgment/chastisement… God has an immutable law…

Galatians 6:7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.

• Over and over again, throughout scripture and history we see Gap Standers…

• Those willing to pay the price to stand in the gap on behalf of individuals, groups or nations…