Series: Have You Lost It “Direction for Those Who’ve Lost It” Exodus 32:1-9, 15-26 Last week as we began this new sermon series, I started with an illustration about something valuable that my family lost during our road trip out West. It wasn't something of great monetary value, but it was of personal value to my wife. However, along the journey we quickly allowed our vehicle to get cluttered with various items, and our attention was divided. Within the first two weeks of our journey, we had lost the item of value and it took us almost a week to even realize that there was a possibility of the item missing and another two and a half weeks before we knew for sure that it was indeed gone. The truth is that we can all relate to the feeling of losing something, and we can likely all relate to losing something so badly that it takes quite some time to even discover its absence. The question that we are looking at in this sermon series is simply this, “Have you lost it?” Have you lost sight of the glory of God? Is He still the purpose, the motivation, the reason that you do what you do? Or is He an afterthought, lost in the noise of the many distractions that clutter your life?

Today, I want to answer two specific questions from Scripture: How do we know that we have lost sight of God's glory, and what should we do about it? We recall from last week that God’s glory is described as His perfection, His beauty, His Majesty, and His power. It is a description of all that He is. His glory is not merely something that we watch and observe, but it is something that evokes a response from us. It is the glory of God that draws us to respond in awe and worship of Him and devotion to Him. Last week we saw many of the ways that God has revealed His glory and we saw the outcome of what happens when we lose sight of it. We are going to pick up today right where we left off because I believe that we need to pause and ask the Holy Spirit to show us where we stand. It is a time of evaluation and action. It’s easy to assume the best of ourselves and quickly determine that we’re doing ok because we typically do not want to believe or see the worst, much less deal with it. **ILL: I was reminded of this while we were on our sabbatical trip. We had been gone for a little over a week and I had begun to have some minor cold-like symptoms. I really thought nothing of it because I have asthma, and when I'm in different environments in a short period of time, it is common for me to have these symptoms. As we made our way West, we were able to go to the Grand Canyon, and from there we went to Phoenix where the temperature was 119°. Needless to say, going from the high elevation of the Grand Canyon to the ridiculous heat in Phoenix, I became a little bit light-headed and dizzy. So, I have minor cold-like symptoms and lightheadedness, but I'm still convinced that it's nothing major. Perhaps I'm getting a cold, dealing with elevation sickness, or some other logical explanation. I refused to stop and examine what was really going on. I just kept moving forward…until I woke up a few days later to notice that my sense of smell seemed a little “off.” Overall I felt ok, but not 100%. However, when I ate dinner later that night I knew it was time to stop and consider some things. I was eating a bacon cheeseburger with all the fixings, including a large slice of raw onion. I took one bite and knew something was wrong. I couldn’t taste a single thing. I immediately put down the burger, pulled out that huge onion and started chomping on it like an apple. I couldn’t taste a thing. It wasn’t until this point that I began to question what was really going on. I began to look up things online. I began asking the kids what/if anything they might be experiencing. That evening we spoke to a family member who had already overcome Covid. We later spoke to a nurse about what we should 2 take, do, and watch out for. My point is that it wasn’t until I sat down to really acknowledge where I was, what was really going on, and what we needed to do, that I was in position to move forward. I will save other Covid comments for later, but for now it does serve as a reminder that spiritually we don’t need to wait until we are in absolute crisis mode for us to sit still, examine where we are, acknowledge the truth, and find God’s plan for health.

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Exodus 32 comes on the heels of some incredible moments for the Israelites. They had been in bondage in Egypt for years when God heard their prayers. He had mercy on them and called Moses to go and set the people free. God called the Israelites to be His people and He established a covenant relationship with them. He promised to be their God and they promised to be His people. They had seen His great love for them, and they had witnessed His omnipotence by the many plagues He had sent against Pharaoh and the many works He had performed to set them free. In addition to this, He provided for them daily. Though they were in a bleak wilderness, God provided food daily for them and made sure they had water to drink. He protected them from enemies, predators, and even provided in such a way that neither their sandals nor clothes were aged as they wandered through the wilderness. He was so intimately concerned about their wellbeing that He led them moment-by-moment through a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. Then, in addition to all of this, God called Moses up to the top of Mount Sinai to meet and then to relay certain messages from God. God had already given the 10 commandments and established covenant. God has revealed His presence once again at the top of Mount Sinai and has called Moses to a meeting. This is where we pick up the story in Exodus 32. Remember, in Exodus 24:7b, the very last thing that the Israelites declared before Moses went to meet with God was this, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient!” We would think that they would be true to their word. After all, they were nothing without God and they would have still been in bondage if it hadn’t been for His deliverance. Yet, just over a month after their strong commitment, we see them making grave compromises. The truth is that we are all capable of falling into the same trap and, like them, many of us may already be there and not even know it.

I. What to Watch For (vs. 1-9) When I began to get sick on our trip, I wasn’t paying very close attention. I wasn’t watching for certain things because I was convinced it was no big deal. However, once I knew there was more to it, I started paying very close attention. The same is true here. The Israelites had lost sight of God’s glory – His beauty, His power, His majesty, His perfection, His worth in their lives. They could physically see the manifest presence of God on top of the mountain, but they couldn’t see the problems in their own heart. God shows us four things that they did that are symptoms of those who have lost sight of God’s glory. A. Those Who’ve Lost It Rush Ahead of the Lord (vs. 1a) Verse 1 tells us immediately that, “Moses delayed to come down from the mountain.” Moses has been on the mountain meeting with God for most likely 39 days. They still saw the evidence of God's presence there, so they knew God was still there. They also knew that God declared He was going to be speaking to Moses and that He was giving him instruction and direction for the people. The problem is that the people became impatient 3 waiting on the Lord. They seem to have already forgotten the many times that God had delivered them in His time and in His way. Yet, they can’t see what God is doing, aren’t certain of His plans, and are uncomfortable waiting to find out. Psalm 106:13 summarizes it simply, “They quickly forgot His works; they did not wait for His counsel.” When we refuse to wait on the Lord, we are choosing to have a poor outcome. **ILL: High school driving with a friend. I asked, “Can I get over?” However, before he could even answer I swerved into the lane and sideswiped another driver who happened to be a DJ of a local radio station. Needless to say, my fender bender story was broadcast all over Montgomery, Alabama. The truth is that the collision was my fault, and largely so because I impatiently rushed ahead without getting the answer I was needing.

Waiting is difficult. We live in a culture where everything is vying for our time and attention. Many of us have many responsibilities, so we go from here to there with constant tasks and situations in mind. Even still, that isn't enough. We have smartphones and gadgets-a-plenty, so that we can get additional tasks done while we are in route to fulfilling the next responsibility. In addition to that, we have more entertainment options available than ever in history. On our phones alone we can watch live television or movies, listen to music, play video games, have a zoom chat, manage our bank account, sell something on marketplace, make a social media post, send a text message, manage a calendar, take a selfie, and order a pizza – and most of it all at the same time. What was meant for our convenience has often made our life much more stressful and busy. It also creates a sense of instant gratification and immediate response. Something crosses your mind and you can look it up on Google. Need to purchase something? Push a button on your phone and it'll be here in 2 days. Most things in our life are moving quickly…too quickly. When it comes to the things of God, however, we discover that things that are hasty are not always healthy. In fact, on many occasions God calls us to wait on Him. It is in the waiting that we recognize our need for Him and humbly admit that we can’t do it on our own. It is also in the waiting that God prepares us for the answer. His answer is not always what we want, but it is always for His glory, and we can be certain that He will use it for good in our life. So, we must not resist the waiting as if it’s a punishment but embrace the waiting knowing that it’s part of God’s plan to prepare us and equip us for His purposes. We must understand, though, that waiting on God is not a passive thing where we sit by and do nothing. It is not sitting on the porch drinking lemonade watching the paint dry. Waiting on the Lord implies relationship where we study His Word, seek His will through prayer, and surrender our will to His. Often in life we are pressured to make hasty decisions, but the wise person stops, seeks the Lord, studies His Word, surrenders to His will, and waits on His direction. We’ve all been there, sensing the pressure to make the hasty decision, feeling the frustration from others for not moving quickly enough, personally doubting the direction you should go, etc. Please remember this: God takes full responsibility for those who wait on Him and seek Him first. His answer may not come when you want and it may not be what you want, but it will be best and it will bring Him glory. Lamentations 3:24- 25 says it best, “ ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘Therefore I have hope in Him.’ The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him.” To those who wait on Him, He imparts strength, speed, and endurance (Isaiah 40:30-31.), He works and acts on their behalf (Isaiah 64:3-5), and to them He shows His goodness and favor (Psalm 147:11). The Israelites looked at all of this and said, “Nah, we’re good.” They didn’t have 4 time to wait on God because they’d rather do their own thing. Let me ask you today, “Are you waiting on the Lord? Have you rushed ahead of God and gone your own way hoping in some way that He will still bless it?” If so, it is an indication that you’ve not been living for the glory of God.

B. Those Who’ve Lost It Rely on Man, Not on the Lord (vs. 1b) Before they got to this moment of impatience, there was already something wrong in the hearts of the people. It was something so subtle that no one recognized the problem. Remember, God called and raised up Moses to be a leader among the Israelites. However, it is vitally important that we remember that Moses was just a man. Not only had Moses sinned greatly by killing a man earlier in his life, but he showed his humanity through much of his leadership. At times he was insecure, at other times too confident. At times he was impulsive and hasty in his actions, and others he was doubtful and uncertain. Moses was an ordinary man, but God worked through him to accomplish extraordinary things. The people saw Moses as great and lost sight of the fact that it was God who was great through Moses. Moses was simply a vessel in God’s hand. In fact, all throughout the book of Exodus he was going back and forth between God and the people declaring God's message. Somewhere along the way, the people began to put their focus on and faith in Moses. After all, as God's messenger he was a representative declaring the ways of the Lord. So, when Moses is gone for 39 days, what do the people say? They say, “This Moses, we don't know what has happened to him.” There are many telling things about that statement: 1) It shows that their primary focus was on Moses and not on God. Regardless of what had happened to Moses, God was still God and He was still on the mountain. The evidence of His presence and His glory can still be seen from far and wide. If God called Moses, could He not call another leader? If God had already led them this far, could He not lead them further? 2) It shows that they didn't really know the heart and character of God. Did they honestly think that God had fed them in the wilderness only to neglect them and destroy Moses on the mountain? 3) It shows that they were clearly looking to Moses as their savior. So, assuming that he might be gone, they immediately look for some other person or object to be their savior. Psalm 106:19-21 says it simply, “They made a calf in Horeb and worshiped a molten image. Thus they exchanged their glory for the image of an ox that eats grass. They forgot God their Savior, who had done great things in Egypt.” This puts it in perspective. It doesn’t take long to forget the Lord when He isn’t the center of our focus in the first place. They have been so focused on man that they were no longer looking to God. So, when that man was gone, they quickly went their own way.

This might sound a bit extreme to us, but frankly this happens in our culture all the time. We quickly put our hope and trust in a man, a movement, or even a companion to be our savior. In Isaiah 42:8a God said, “I am the Lord, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another.” Only God is worthy of worship and praise because He alone is perfect, pure, holy, and true. Yet, we continually put man on these pedestals of praise. We speak of our churches and say, “This is our Pastor.” We may even boast of him in some way, but doing so is putting that person on a platform they were never meant to be on. Then if the pastor falls or the leadership goes in a wrong direction, people quickly leave the church and, even worse, at times begin deconstructing their faith. Why? They think it's because there's 5 something wrong with the Christian faith without realizing what's wrong was within their own heart. They had begun to focus on man and not on the Savior.

This desire to rely on man instead of God is seen in many more ways. We put our hopes in a candidate or a party. We support them completely and even discredit the other side. We are convinced that if this person or this party is in leadership then they're going to rescue us from the current problems that we have. Again, though, this focus on man will lead to failure and disappointment. In some cases, it even leads to personal compromise in our own lives because we begin condoning and justifying things because they are the actions of the one that we've held as a savior. Again, there is only one Savior and that is Jesus. Many people even do the same thing with their spouse. A young person has great aspirations and ambitions of what married life is going to be like. They might look at things lacking in their own life and say, “Well when I get married then I will not have this struggle in my life. This other person is going to complete me, and this current area of weakness will no longer exist. When I get married these are all the things my spouse is going to do for me and help me with.” Without realizing it, they are saying this person is going to rescue them in these areas. However, it doesn't take long in the marriage to realize that not even your spouse can fill the longing of your soul like Jesus can.

Thank God for the gifts that He provides through friendships and community. Praise Him for the work He does through people in our lives. It might be through a group of godly friends, a God-honoring, faithful, and servant-hearted spouse, or a shepherding pastor or small group leader, etc. But please understand, people in our lives will come and go for various seasons and reasons. Many of them God will use to accomplish His purposes in our lives for a season. Some of them Satan will use to try to deceive and destroy you. We must understand that there is only one Savior and His name is Jesus Christ. We must fix our eyes on Jesus, for He alone is the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2).

C. Those Who’ve Lost It Reflect the Ways of the World and Not the Lord (vs. 1-4)

I use the word “reflect” in the sense of what is on display. The things that we spend time thinking and meditating on will be reflected in our lives. We see this clearly in the text, though at first glance the scene takes a strange turn. We must understand the context. Doesn’t it seem strange that the people would go from worshiping God to making a golden calf? But look closely at what they ask. They have rushed ahead of God. They are more focused on man, which naturally leads them to take matters into their own hands. They go to Aaron and say, “Come, make us a god who will go before us.” Some translations say, “Come make us gods.” The primary point is that they wanted a manmade god to go before them. Aaron immediately gives in, calls for gold to be brought, fashioned the image of a calf, and all of a sudden you have a golden calf. Then the leaders exclaimed, “This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.” What a mockery of the name of God. How quickly they had forgotten the Living God of Heaven and all that He had done for them. How could they do this and why would it even be on their hearts to do this? The answer is a bit closer to us than we would like to admit. Remember for a moment, where had the Israelites been prior to their deliverance? They had been in Egypt for over 6

400 years. And what are the Egyptians known for? Their idols and false gods. In fact, ancient Egypt had over 2,000 gods they claimed to worship, and most of these gods or goddesses were gods of the moon, sun, stars, and of various animals and some that were half-animal, half-human. Here they are on their journey to the Promised Land, less than a year after their deliverance, and now that they are having to wait, they are already hungering for the world they had left. In other words, even though they had declared their devotion to God, they still had their old way of life - the ways of the world - on their heart and mind. Though they had been set free and were headed to a Promised Land, they had a lust for idols that was raging in their heart. Acts 7:39-40 explains the background of this, “Our fathers were unwilling to be obedient to him, but repudiated him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt, saying to Aaron, ‘Make for us gods who will go before us; for this Moses who led us out of the land of Egypt – we do not know what happened to him.’ ” This went completely against what God had called them to be. In Exodus 19:5-6a God said to them, “Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” They were to be a holy nation set apart by God and for God, yet their wandering hearts turned back to Egypt. Like a dog returns to its vomit, like a freed man turns back to his prison cell, like a sober man turns back to his drink, etc., the people turned their hearts towards Egypt and did what all the other nations of the world were doing – they built a false, manmade god to worship. In other words, they were called to be holy, but because their hearts were set on the world they looked no different than the world. Instead of living according to God’s ways, they lived according to the world’s ways. Instead of worshiping the one true God, they settled for a false god. Instead of surrendering their lives to God, they made themselves their own god. Yes, in this moment, they looked just like the world.

Let me ask you, do your ways reflect the Lord or the world? Do your attitudes and actions look more like Jesus, or do they look more like the world? Does your private life bring glory to Jesus, or does it look like the world? Does your speech reflect Jesus, or the world around us? Is your heart fully focused on Jesus and living for Him, or is it focused on things of this world? Jeremiah 17:9-10 says, “The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it? I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give to each man according to his ways, according to the results of his deeds.” Today, it is time to examine. If our we look sincerely at our lives and can’t see the difference in how we live, then we have clearly lost sight of the glory of God.

D. Those Who’ve Lost It Replace Relationship with Religion (vs. 5-6) Something startling is missing in this passage of Scripture. Not one time do we read anything about the presence of God. He is still there meeting with Moses, giving Moses instructions on the tabernacle, on the offerings, and on how to lead the people. In other words, God is still laying out His plans for the Israelites. Can you imagine Moses’ excitement as he listens to God? He is likely thinking that the people are going to love it. This is going to such a blessing to God’s people. Moses likely has wonderful thoughts of 7

how well the message would be received. Yet, while this is going on, Moses had no idea that the people had given up on God, rejected His call to be holy, denied His uniqueness and power, and had actually developed their own form of religion. Literally, as Moses meets with God, the people make a golden calf, declare that it is the god who delivered them, and then Aaron announces that the following day would be a feast to the Lord. Wait a minute! What’s going on? They have just literally made an image to bow down to, and now they are declaring a feast in the name of the true God. It’s almost like Aaron is trying save the situation by convincing himself and others that this is actually worship to the true God. The very next day, early in the morning, they begin bringing sacrifices and offerings. It sounds very ceremonial and religious. They sit down to enjoy a feast of celebration. They drink and live it up. It is a happy and fun time. Then they get up to play instruments. It’s an exciting show for sure, and all of this was apparently in the name of God. They were happy and certain that God must be pleased with their actions…but there was one major problem – God was not in it. God hadn’t given these instructions or permission, and in fact His will was the complete opposite of the way they had gone. Acts 7:41 explains, “At that time they made a calf and brought a sacrifice to the idol, and were rejoicing in the works of their hands.” In other words, they weren’t really worshiping God at all, they were worshiping themselves. They had made a religion that was all about how they felt. God spoke about this in Jeremiah 7:23-24, “But this is what I commanded them, saying, ‘Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you will be My people; and you will walk in all the way which I command you, that it may be well with you.’ Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but walked in their own counsels and in the stubbornness of their evil heart, and went backward and not forward.” Their religious practices were popular, but they weren’t accepted by God. Their religious practices were full, but the people were empty. Their religious practices were lively, but there was no life in their religion. Their religious practices pleased themselves, but they didn’t please God. The truth is that they thought they could do whatever they wanted and slap the name of God on it like it was His stamp of approval. Some might say, “But Pastor Matt, this is the Old Testament, what does that have to do with us today?” Paul answers this in 1 Corinthians 10:6, 11-12, “Now these things happened as examples for us, so that we would not crave evil things as they also craved…Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall.” II. What to Do When You’ve Lost It (vs. 20-26) When we began to drop like flies with our sickness, I knew it was time to act. We took our sickness seriously. We took medications consistently. I was constantly checking everyone’s status, because I was beginning to understand the dangerous possibilities. In the same way, there is a prescription for those who’ve lost sight of the glory of God. There is a whole additional message here on leadership lessons, but for now, remember that Moses was simply God’s messenger. Through his actions and his exhortation, there are three things that we must do. A. Remove the Idol (vs. 20a) 8

An idol is anything in your life that has taken your focus and devotion away from the Lord. An idol always divides your love and devotion to God. It is anything that you have put on a pedestal in place of the Lord. Whatever the idol(s) may be in your life, remove it. That removal may be a permanent removal, either because it is leading you to sin or because it is a major distraction in your life that you can’t overcome otherwise. It may be a temporary removal that you fast/abstain from because it is not a sinful thing, but your prioritization of it is. B. Repent of Sin (vs. 20b) Moses’ actions here seem odd to our culture, but there were similar actions with other sinful situations in the Old Testament. The point is that this is a visual image of the people owning their sins. They aren’t running from it, hiding it, condoning it, excusing it, dismissing it, or anything else. They are “taking it in” as an outward sign indicating, “Yes, we are guilty. We have done this sinful thing.” Many want to skip this point, but the only way that we can be right with God is to acknowledge and confess our sin and admit our need for Him. Many have gone to church all their lives, but they have never known the joy of salvation or the freedom of forgiveness because they have never repented of their sins. C. Return to the Lord (vs. 26) This is the final step. It isn’t enough to merely remove the idol and repent of sins. If you simply remove the idol and don’t replace it with something, you will eventually fill that space with another substitute or another idol. Moses basically draws a line in the sand and says, “Whoever is for the Lord, come with me!” What is he doing? He is calling them back to a total devotion and commitment to God. What incredible grace. God could have destroyed them right then and there. He would be justified in judging them on the spot, but in grace and mercy He gave them another chance to be right with Him and to walk in His ways. This same offer is being given to you today. If you’ve lost your way, lost sight of His glory, put your hope in other people, or gave your heart and devotion to other things – God still loves you. He is still inviting you back. He stands ready to forgive because of what Jesus did for us on the cross. Isaiah 53:6 states the reality, “All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him (Jesus).” Turn from your sins and turn wholeheartedly to the Lord, devoting yourself fully to Him.