“GOD IS NOT MOCKED” (Outline)
August 6, 2023 – Pentecost 10 – EXODUS 32:7-14
INTRO.: There are various opinions about God. Is he a grandfather? One who sits in his rocking chair looking down on his children with only kindness and love. Or is God an angry judge? One who seeks only to carry out justice. To get revenge. Or is God even real? To be sure, God is real. The Lord is our loving, perfect heavenly Father. “Do not be deceived. God is not mocked. To be sure, whatever a man sows, he will also reap” (GALATIANS 6:7). (Galatians 6:7 here and at end 6:8.) “GOD IS NOT MOCKED.”
I. The Lord is serious about sin, judgment. II. The Lord is gracious with forgiveness, mercy.
I. THE LORD IS SERIOUS ABOUT SIN, JUDGMENT.
A. Moses and the children of Israel were beginning their 40 years of wandering in the wilderness.
1. Moses was on Mt. Sinai with the Lord. The Lord was giving Moses the laws for Israel.
2. Moses was on the mountain 40 days. God’s children were wondering if he would return.
3. Just in case he did not return they made an idol for themselves. A golden calf.
B. Verse 7. The Lord tells Moses to hurry back to your people whom you brought out of Egypt.
1. The Lord wanted to separate himself from these sinners who mocked God with a metal idol.
2. Verse 8. They have made a metal calf. False god. Worthless idol. They worshipped it.
3. Even worse: Sacrificed to it. Called calf your god who brought you out of Egypt.
C. Verse 9. A stiff-necked people. Reference to beasts of burden. Stiff necks only go in one direction.
1. Verse 10. The Lord’s anger was very hot. The Lord serious about sin. Destroying judgment.
2. The Lord ready to carry out his righteous wrath. Ready to judge with destruction of sinners.
D. Our world cares little about the Lord in respect to sin. Our society has decided to exchange God’s truth for the lie. The lie for the truth. What is good and right in God’s sight is considered as bad and wrong. God is not mocked. Our loving, heavenly Father is serious about sin. We cannot ignore sin. We dare not redefine God’s truth. Breaking the law, any law, is sin. Not doing what is right is sin. There are consequences. “Vengeance is mine. I will repay says the LORD. And again: The Lord will judge his people. It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (HEBREWS 10:30b, 31).
E. It is good and right for us to be reminded of the seriousness of sin. We might want to downplay our own sinfulness. One small sin isn’t so bad (i.e.: little white lie). The Lord does not differentiate between sins or sinning. Sin is sin is sin. There are no big sins. Little sins. All sin is dangerous. We daily sin. We sin much. Satan wants us to sin and to underestimate the danger of sinful living. “Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and temporary residents in the world, to abstain from the desires of the sinful flesh, which war against your soul” (1 PETER 2:11). Thankfully our gracious God has given us faith to know right from wrong. Our loving, heavenly Father gives us the strength to know and do what is right in God’s sight!
F. We all know how easy it is to point our accusing fingers at others. All too easily we think we are not as bad as our neighbor. Or those worldly. At least we would never, ever forget about the Lord. We also do have a sinful nature. Our Christian nature constantly battles against the desires of our sinful flesh. Against Satan. And against the temptations of this world. Sometimes, even believers live as enemies of the cross of Christ. “Their end is destruction, their god is their appetite, and their glory is in their shame. They are thinking only about earthly things” (PHILIPPIANS 3:19). All too often our thinking and our actions focus only on earthly things rather than heavenly. We want to take sin as seriously as the Lord does.
“GOD IS NOT MOCKED.” The Lord God is serious about sin and his righteous judgment.
II. THE LORD IS GRACIOUS WITH FORGIVENESS, MERCY.
A. Verse 10b. The Lord was ready to judge Israel. Offered to give Moses all of Israel’s blessings.
1. Verse 11. Moses refused the Lord’s offer. Instead, he begged the Lord to spare Israel.
2. Moses to the Lord: your people whom you brought out of Egypt.
B. Verse 12. Moses: Lord you did not plan evil for Israel. Destroy them, nations think only for evil.
1. Moses: Turn from your fierce anger. Do not bring judgment on Israel. Do not bring disaster.
2. Verse 13. Now Moses appeals to the promises he made to Abraham, Isaac, and Israel.
a. The Lord made his promise to Israel’s forefathers. Not to Abraham.
b. The Lord promised to bless them. Make them a great nation.
C. Verse 14. The Lord changed his mind. Actually, Lord changed what he would do to / for Israel.
1. Israel would not experience the Lord’s judgment this time. Would be forgiven. Mercy.
2. This took place with Moses pleading for them. One man who sought God’s mercy.
D. One man pleads for divine mercy. Moses asked the Lord to show mercy to the rebellious children of Israel. Rather than judgment for mindless sinning the loving, heavenly Father freely show mercy. Freely provides forgiveness. Not judgment. The Lord God is gracious with his forgiveness and mercy for sinners. “Who is a God like you, who forgives guilt, and who passes over the rebellion of the survivors from his inheritance? He does not hold onto his anger forever. He delights in showing mercy” (MICAH 7:18). God wants to show mercy. He does hold onto anger forever. Unlike us. All too often we hold on to anger for way too long. Allow divine mercy and forgiveness to replace any and all anger.
E. Every day we will want to remember Micah’s message: “Who is a God like you…forgives guilt… delights to show mercy.” This is our God. Amazing grace. Our sins certainly deserve eternal punishment in hell. Our sins are many. Sometimes the same sin(s) over and over. Again and again, we disappoint the one created us. Loves us. Bought us back from the power of Satan, sin, and death. Freely. Completely. “The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in mercy…He does not treat us as our sins deserve. He does not repay us according to our guilty deeds” (PSALM 103:8, 10).
F. Moses begged for God’s mercy. He interceded for God’s people. Pleaded only for these people at that time. God’s children were unaware of even doing anything wrong. Who among us may be the one person to plead at the Lord’s throne of grace for mercy? Mercy for a lost family member. Friend. Neighbor. Even our wicked nation. Our loving, heavenly Father may respond with forgiveness. We have One who pleads the case for all sinners of all time. “For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all” (1 TIMOTHY 1:5, 6a). Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior, paid perfect price for our sins. For the sins of the world. Our heavenly Father sees the blood of Jesus covering our black hearts of sin. God the Father sees the white robe of Christ’s righteousness hiding our sin-stained clothing. The Lord graciously forgives. Merciful.
CONCL.: “GOD IS NOT MOCKED.” Contrary to popular belief the Lord God is serious about sin. Judgment. Very serious. Conversely our loving, heavenly Father is also very serious / gracious about his forgiveness. Mercy. “Indeed, the one who sows for his own sinful flesh will reap destruction from the sinful flesh. But the one who sows for the spirit will reap eternal life from the spirit” (GALATIANS 6:8). “GOD IS NOT MOCKED.” Living (sowing) to sinfulness yields destruction. Living in (sowing for) the Spirit yields eternal life. “GOD IS NOT MOCKED.” Amen. Pastor Timm O. Meyer
PENTECOST 10 rdgs: 1 KINGS 17:1-6; EPHESIANS 1:3-10; MATTHEW 14:13-21; (PSALM 119)
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