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. Show Text 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.