Lack of Faithfulness!

Exodus 32

This shows the 3rd problem in Hosea 4:1 that is destroying us! Lack of faithfulness! Faith is assurance of things hoped for, in what we can’t see. Hebrews 11:1-2 If we can see it, no hope or faith needed. Romans 8:24 We create idols so we have something we can see and touch from an image we see regularly. Something we can create through our own strength. Deuteronomy 4:15-28 This is a total lack of faith in the God that saved us from the bondage of sin. Too often though, the second we can’t see far enough down the road, we are out of here! This is the first commandment and God actually calls it whoring after other Gods. Does that paint a strong enough picture for you? It is as much adultery as idolatry when dealing with God. Both mean you gave up on loving God just like we do with each other.

Also, look at how much God used Moses to teaching us about Jesus.

1When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron and said to him, "Up, make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him." “Make us Gods” is one not enough? Now we just had to talk about assembling together at church in the Genesis, but the second we feel forgotten or asked to be patient, we sure gather ourselves quickly to turn against him. All about us. No faithfulness! 2So Aaron said to them, "Take off the rings of gold that are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me." 3So all the people took off the rings of gold that were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. Jacob started the first revival with something that sounded simple “get up and go”. One act of obedience that grew into a revival of all. This second revival is needed because of something just as simple “go”. One act of disobedience grew into all turning away from God. Aaron followed the World instead of God and can sure go down hill fast after sin creeps in. Something is always growing! What struck me about the response of the people was that I never gave that easily when God asked. Much like them, I would blow every dime to support my idols. Sound Familiar? 4 And he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made a golden calf. I sure went to some effort in the past to make my sin look nice. If I tried that hard to please God I might not feel like Cain all the time? And they said, "These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!" 5When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made proclamation and said, "Tomorrow shall be a feast to the LORD." This is the part that makes God the angriest! They used his words and actions to make their idols sound acceptable. Sad thing is it worked. All of them worshipped it. Still works today! Bible says to be careful of people preaching a different Jesus. Sounds like Jesus, but not the one God sent. We can do that with money and anything else too. Well, doesn’t God want me to be happy and have fun? Not if it means cheating on him he doesn’t. He wants you to have JOY in what he gives you. 6And they rose up early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings. And the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play. I remember getting up and it was still dark out to go play golf or stay up all night doing something bad, but I couldn’t get up on Sunday and make church by 10ish or early to pray or read? Pitiful! Loved my idols more at that time! Don’t get me wrong, you can have things you like to do, but they can’t ever take away from God in any way or they are an idol! Listen, I love horses, but God first, family next and then horses. Any other order is wrong!
7And the LORD said to Moses, "Go down, for your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. 8They have turned aside quickly out of the way that I commanded them. They have made for themselves a golden calf and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it and said, 'These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!'" 9And the LORD said to Moses, "I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people. 10Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them, in order that I may make a great nation of you." I am glad Moses accepted his role as intercessor as Jesus does now. I am afraid, God the father has had about enough though. He will start over again with his chosen people if we do not turn back. The Gentiles are grafted in to makes the Jews jealous and return. The awesome part is God has compassion. He asked Moses to “let him alone” so he may consume them. He knew how much Moses cared for his people and would plead for them. God also knew he loved them even more. God forgives so quickly if we would just humble ourselves and ask.

11But Moses implored the LORD his God and said, "O LORD, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? 12 Why should the Egyptians say, 'With evil intent did he bring them out, to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth'? Unbelievers are watching. The lack of knowledge of God would lead them to believe he destroys unjustly. Like God sets people up to be destroyed. Way off, but he does have to punish sin. Moses was more worried about glorifying God first. We are the ones that make him have to destroy by choosing to disobey. If we will repent then unbelievers can see the power of his Grace! Somewhere it says God is feared because he forgives. Deep down we know that we would not forgive like he does. His mercy changes lives! Turn from your burning anger and relent from this disaster against your people. 13Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, 'I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your offspring, and they shall inherit it forever.'" 14And the LORD relented from the disaster that he had spoken of bringing on his people. Moses prayed and God did not destroy them. Moses begged and God changed his mind. God must feel tremendous compassion on simple sinners like me. The way we have been acting I sure am glad Jesus is way better than Moses at interceding for us! If we will repent and change, he will turn his anger away because God is faithful with his promises. Like the promise he made to Abraham, Isaac and Israel. This also shows the power of prayer! He does hear us and it can change his mind! That is simply what the prayer of salvation does. We all deserved death, but if anyone believes and asks he changes the sentence to life.

15Then Moses turned and went down from the mountain with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand, tablets that were written on both sides; on the front and on the back they were written. 16 The tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets. This is something I remember hearing debated in college and people keep taking it farther. The Bible is the word of God!!!! These are his words!!!!! Says it very plainly right here. He wrote them!!! New Testament says every word is God breathed and all of them for our instruction. I do not care who copied it for him originally, but Paul did not write all those books. God did! Makes it easier to not obey if you can talk yourself into “Paul is just a man”, huh? If all the words are not perfect the whole book is useless. That is why he promises all the plagues of this book on anyone who adds or subtracts from it in the last chapter! He says his word is pure. That means without blemish! People say there were some cool books that got left out. That is because they were flawed and sinful! Period! People wish they were in there to defend their sin. That is why God left those out! What kind of God do people think they serve if he can speak the universe into existence and raise people from the dead, but can’t get his own book published correctly? One more thing, if we needed to know Greek and Hebrew to understand it we would still speak them. Pharisees!! If you want to understand it more you beg like David did in the longest chapter in the Bible, Psalms 119 Hey, I started looking up the Greek and Hebrew too. Figured all the preachers do it. Guess what? There are ten possible means to most of the words! You can twist the words in those languages the same as ours! I understand we want it to be easier. It is hard though. It is supposed to be. The disciples had to go back and ask him to explain most things again. Ask God to teach it and keep reading it. The only thing that explains this book is the Holy Spirit and the rest of this book! He says his word is alive! It teaches itself. I started realizing I could not say much about it not making sense if I had not really read it and never asked God to teach me. That was foolishness!! 17When Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses, "There is a noise of war in the camp." 18But he said, "It is not the sound of shouting for victory, or the sound of the cry of defeat, but the sound of singing that I hear." I am getting the point God, we enjoy our sin too much. Many of our churches only sound like they are worshipping? Make it look nice like the calf though. 19And as soon as he came near the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, Moses’ anger burned hot, and he threw the tablets out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain. 20He took the calf that they had made and burned it with fire and ground it to powder and scattered it on the water and made the people of Israel drink it. You think Moses really understood how angry God gets until right then? He had just begged for their lives! Only then, when he was given a taste of what God feels he burned hot too! Jesus turned over the tables in the temple. What he did always seemed weird though. I understood burning the idol, but what is up with making them drink it? I finally was shown this. This is the test later for adultery in Numbers 5:11-29 and sums up this chapter. There is nothing more dangerous than a jealous God. Wrath is cruel, anger is overwhelming, but who can stand before jealousy? Proverbs 27:4, Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he? 1 Corinthians 10:22 If a man was concerned that his wife had been unfaithful he took her to the priest and he made this drink (a grain offering of remembrance and of jealousy to remember iniquity) and she was placed before the Lord and forced to drink it. If she was innocent nothing happened. If she wasn’t, it turned to bitter pain, swells up in her womb and caused her thigh to fall away. What just happened is her sin, that she thought she got away with and was hoping she could just forget about, was forced out into the open. She was forced to admit and deal with what she had done. We have been cheating on God for far too long and he has had enough! You have two options. Drink that bitter drink now and allow him to forgive and restore fellowship for the wrath of the Lamb is near. This is why God hates all unfaithfulness and is so serious about marriage. It is a fact we all usually love the world more than him. Therefore deep down we love our spouses and families more than God. He knows if we will not be faithful to each other on Earth we will never be faithful to him. Jesus is coming back – we are his bride - we will all give an account before him for our faithfulness! 4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, "He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us"? 6But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." James 4:4-6 This is talking about the church! He is jealous of the spirit he made to dwell in us! Until we deal with our past unfaithfulness, no peace! I promise it is better if you will. Swallow your pride and put away your fear and drink that bitter drink. Ask God to show you what you need forgiveness for. Get ready, he will show you a lot of things you wished he didn’t. (lol) Not much pride left when he shows you how awful you are and I have never been more excited about that! Guess what? We are all awful, but he always forgives! Do we not believe this?

21And Moses said to Aaron, "What did this people do to you that you have brought such a great sin upon them?" 22And Aaron said, "Let not the anger of my lord burn hot. You know the people, that they are set on evil. 23For they said to me, 'Make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.' 24So I said to them, 'Let any who have gold take it off.' So they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf." 1st thing, Moses said Aaron had brought a great sin upon them. Aaron was in charge and he is held accountable. Aaron’s reply is awfully familiar! Blamed the people for asking, blamed Moses for leaving them too long and then just flat lied about the calf. He said he just threw the gold in and the calf just came out like that. Verse 4 says he fashioned it with a graving tool. Actually took pride in his sin! Sure wanted to do a good job at that instead of leading. Eve blamed the devil. Cain said God was unfair and then lied about knowing where Abel was. This stuff is old! Every one of us does this same junk today when confronted with our sins. Bottom line was Aaron was held accountable for leading his sheep. Listen up, leaders. Your job is not to tell everyone what they want to hear or give them whatever they ask for. Your job is to make disciples and lead only with truth! So if you are not truly called to lead it is time to get out of God’s way! If you are actually called then you are held to a greater standard. Are you ready to stand before Christ and answer for his sheep?

25And when Moses saw that the people had broken loose (for Aaron had let them break loose, to the derision of their enemies), People are running wild, but If Aaron had done his job he would have had the help of God to stop them. No excuses. Instead he led them to shame before their enemies. You think unbelievers want our Jesus when they are whispering about our lack of faith in him? Sure, we all mess up, but it should not be so often and whether you like it or not, it does affect the belief of others. 26then Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said, "Who is on the LORD’s side? Come to me." And all the sons of Levi gathered around him. Repent and live! Don’t and die! This is the only question in this whole Bible and they were all given a chance. I can hear Satan now, he did not kill Adam and Eve. He doesn’t really kill people? Many forms of death, but only one that is eternal. Never promised a million chances. This is why he is to be feared! Man can’t serve two masters and there is no middle ground in my Bible. You are obeying and loving God, or disobeying and hating him! God is about sick of us calling him a liar and trying to make everyone happy. You will pick a side soon! 27And he said to them, "Thus says the LORD God of Israel, 'Put your sword on your side each of you, and go to and fro from gate to gate throughout the camp, and each of you kill his brother and his companion and his neighbor.'" Jesus said he did not come to bring peace but to bring a sword and put brother against brother. When he returns again he will cut down all that oppose forever. 28And the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. And that day about three thousand men of the people fell. People get upset when God kills people. God did not kill them. We kill ourselves! In the garden they were given the tree of life (Jesus) and the tree of knowledge of good and evil (the law). They had no sin yet so they could have chosen life in the garden (heaven) with God forever. They chose the wrong tree – we are still desiring the tree of knowledge too often. Woe you Pharisees! God asked them to choose Christ and to not choose themselves. Where is our faith? Jesus has always been and always will be, the only way to God and it is free and all you have to do is believe and ask. After they both blew it they did allow God to clothe them through a sacrifice. Jesus is the way back through the blood of the cross, but get this straight right now, we turned that tree into a cross! That same tree of life is in the New Jerusalem! Listen, all our souls live forever. You get to pick where. After salvation we still have to choose to obey. It is time to pick a side and act like it! He never promises he will keep asking though. Are you happy with which side you have picked so far? 29And Moses said, "Today you have been ordained for the service of the LORD, each one at the cost of his son and of his brother, so that he might bestow a blessing upon you this day." It will cost you to truly follow. If so, it is because others choose against Christ! Says they can’t hate you but they hate me because I tell them what they do is evil. Pride is the only thing ever in the way of forgiveness though.

30The next day Moses said to the people, "You have sinned a great sin. And now I will go up to the LORD; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin." JESUS! 31So Moses returned to the LORD and said, "Alas, this people has sinned a great sin. They have made for themselves gods of gold. 32But now, if you will forgive their sin—but if not, please blot me out of your book that you have written." Willing to give his life for theirs. 33But the LORD said to Moses, "Whoever has sinned against me, I will blot out of my book. We have only the most chosen of his people left at this point. They just seemed to take a stand, but God says he is the only one that knows their true hearts. If you’ve just been playing church, God knows your heart. If you are still breathing it is never too late.

If you have never asked Jesus to save you, it is as simple as this and you need no one’s help, but his! You must understand and accept that we all sin, which separates us from God and the penalty is eternal death (Hell) Romans 3:23 and Romans 6:23. He sent his son Jesus to die a horrible death on a shameful cross to pay for our sins. John 3:16 He was buried and three days later he rose and conquered death! Forever! So that we may have eternal life in heaven with God. All you must do is believe this in your heart and ask him to save you. Romans 10:9 There is no other way. John 14:6 and this is God’s desire for all. 1 Timothy 2:1-7 Please ask if you have questions though. I would not go to this trouble if it were not so important.

34 But now go, lead the people to the place about which I have spoken to you; behold, my angel shall go before you. Nevertheless, in the day when I visit, I will visit their sin upon them." 35Then the LORD sent a plague on the people, because they made the calf, the one that Aaron made. After repenting and getting back to serving only God their reward was an angel to go before and help clear the path, but no sin goes unpunished so they got a plague for the calf worshipping. If these revivals show you anything is that God will keep increasing the pressure until we repent or are destroyed. Up to us! We have not repented as a people yet. Surely I am not the only one feeling these plagues?

Listen, this lesson has been a real fight with me this week. I will be honest it still is. I have always gotten mad and quit. I truly wanted to give up Monday. I even told a couple people I was going to. I can’t explain how after allowing him to change me so much and all this work, I felt he left me more alone than ever in my life. I felt like no one cares anymore or ever listens. I know that is not true, but I sure understand how my pastor must feel too often. Nevertheless, I was ready to give up on God and everyone else. He told me if I ever really loved him like I claimed that I will never quit! He proved he loves by his actions. It is my turn now! The perfect example is God so loved he gave his son (a selfless action) and no greater love than a brother giving his life for another (a selfless action). God sent the most important thing he had and Jesus died willingly for us not for himself. Loved regardless of our response. I still don’t know much, but if he says don’t quit I just can’t ever quit again. How can I quit on the one saved my life? I am sure glad Jesus did not quit on us! He also showed me by sending some people out of the blue Monday that each just said God asked them to check on me and see if they could pray. I am still amazed he loves me as terrible as I can be! He is trying to show us every day if we will let him. No matter how we feel we need to show him our love!

Look, I ain’t married or never have been, but if you are and you really love that person, you should never quit showing them same as with God. If we give up on God or our families we just simply don’t love them the way we claim, do we? It is a deception to believe we do not need others. Once we believe we can handle everything on our own we are close to not needing God’s help either! I will fix that tomorrow is your next hurdle. Once again, you are not promised tomorrow! Everyone has bad days, but ask for forgiveness and keep working at improving. That truly shows you love someone! I read this and could not find quitting anywhere.

1 Corinthians 13 The Way of Love

1If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.
4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 11When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.
13So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

I love you cause Jesus loves us both and there is absolutely nothing you can do about that!

BEZ