Title: Redeemed and Forgiven

Focus: When God redeems us to him, he wants us to destroy the idols and other things in their lives that come between us and God and respresent a lack of faith.

Function: To motivate the hearers to destroy the things in their lives that they rely on instead of relying on God

Text: Exodus 32:1-20

Intro:
1.  Lots of thunder this afternoon
2.  Remember thunder growing up.
3.  Did something not supposed to do, go to parents room, sleep on floor
4.  Do not like being alone

I.  That perhaps what going on in the text (Ex 32:1-6)
	A.  People not intend to reject Yahweh
	B.  Moses gone for a long, time,  where is he????
		1.  They panic
		2.  They build a golden calf
			- Common image in Ancient Near East
			- Calves seens as “pedestals” for the gods
			- People built calf to do what Ark supposed to do
		3.  They felt lost
			- IN chap 20:19 - Moses to speak to them on behalf of God
			- Moses gone 40 days
			- Where is he?
		4.  So Aaron tries to act as priest with no instruction
			- build’s calf
			- build’s alter
			- Initiates a feast (probably like pagan feasts in Egypt)
	C.  They were not worshipping calf “instead” of Yahweh
		1.  v.5 - Feast to the LORD (Yahweh)
		2.  Guilty of breaking 2nd command, not first
	D.  2 problems
		1.  Broke 2nd command
		2.  Lack of faith - They supposed to “wait”
		3.  Not enough patience, they take matters into own hands

II.  God’s reaction and Moses’ intersession
	A.  (v.7-10) God has had it with these people
		1.  God’s conclusion - They are obstinate
		2.  He will destroy them and start all over again
	B.  (v.11-14, 30-32) Moses intercedes and atones for the people
	C.  (33:1-6, 12-14) Moses intercedes again, asking God to go with them
	D.  This is remarkable

III.  Ways this remarkable (compare to Abraham Gen 18:23-33)
	A.  Abraham intercedes for the righteous, Moses for sinners
	B.  Abraham appeals to God’s righteousness, Moses to his mercy
	C.  Abraham stops at ten, Moses bargains down to Zero
	D.  Moses includes himself among the the people an include his destiny
	      with theirs
	E.  Result - Sodom destroyed, Israel was spared

IV.  Can see many parallels in Moses and Jesus
	A.  Dt 18:15 - God will raise up a prophet like Moses
	B.  Moses offers self in place of people (Ex 32:31-32)
		1.  Shows the essense of atonement
		2.  Not about offering an animal, but a person
		3.  Sacrificial system a precursor to true atonement
	C.  But God rejects Moses offer of himself
		1.  Moses does not have the credentials
		2.  Only Jesus has the credentials

V.  This story tells us some remarkable things about our God
	A.  How do you describe God?
	B.  Most would say, omnipotent, omniscient, omnibenevolent, creator,etc.
	C.  How many would say, “prone to change his mind, argues with his
	      people, can be frustrated, can regret past actions, etc.
	D.  This says something profound about God
		1.  He “condescends” to us
		2.  He inclines his ear to us
		3.  He meets us and relates to us on our level!
	E.  He went to that great extent and change to come to us, and he wants
	     us to change so we can come to him

V.  It will take destroying all the things that come between us and God
	A.  (32:19-20) - Ground up calf, destroyed it completely
		- No destruction more total that eating and turning something
		  to refuse
	B.  When they repented, God renewed the covenant, and the last scene
	      in Exodus is God filling the tabernacle and living among his people
	C.  Maybe there are idols in our life we need to grind up and destroy