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This is ERC Sundays, the 
messages at Emmaus Rd. 

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Church in DeWitt, Iowa. 
ERC is a Church of people 

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striving to grow in Jesus and 
make him known to others through

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our faith, words and actions. 
Find out more about our church 

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at emmausrdonline.org. 
Here's this week's message. 

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Just last week we were talking 
about the 10 commandments and 

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Moses goes leaves the people 
Israel at the base of Mount 

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Sinai and goes up the mountain 
and says I'm, I'm going to get 

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these things this this way that 
God has for us to live, these 

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laws and these precepts and, 
yeah, other things that sound 

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like a checklist and A and a big
long thing of things to do and 

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things not to do and but it's 
really for our good, right? 

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Pastor Chris was talking about 
last week, It's all good for 

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human flourishing, right? 
It's, it's for our benefit. 

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It's this blueprint that if we 
could perfectly follow it, it's 

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the way that God designed us to 
live our lives. 

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Moses is up on this mountain for
about 40 days, which seems like 

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a long time for like, you'd 
think God could just snap his 

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fingers and put this stuff on 
some stone tablets and let it 

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be. 
But there's a process in in 

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there that we don't we don't 
see. 

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Maybe it was just good and 
perfect time with Moses. 

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He maybe needed that filling 
time as as their shepherd. 

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However it happened, we come to 
chapter 32 and the people of 

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Israel are in this place. 
Verse 1, chapter 32, when the 

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people saw that Moses was so 
long in coming down from the 

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mountain, they gathered around 
Aaron, Moses older brother, and 

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said come make us gods who will 
go before us. 

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As for this fellow Moses who 
brought us up out of Egypt, we 

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don't know what has happened to 
him. 

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They're out that Moses dude, 
never going to see him again. 

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We better find something else to
follow because he's not it. 

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It's not, it's not happening. 
It only took 40 days. 

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They've been wandering out in 
the desert for about almost 

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three months at this point. 
Got to deliver them from 

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captivity in Egypt, had parted 
the Red Sea for them to escape, 

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had provided them manna from 
heaven and quail to eat water 

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out of a rock. 
All of these things. 

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And it took a 40 day absence, a 
40 day period of waiting for 

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them to get to a point where 
they were looking for something 

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else that they could put their 
hope in, that they could put 

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their trust in. 
How long does it take us to 

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replace God with something else?
How long does it take our 

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wandering eyes or wandering 
thoughts to find something else 

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to put our hope in? 
In this story, it took the 

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Israelites 40 days and they were
done with God. 

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Who moved? 
Did God move? 

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Did the Israelites fixed eyes 
move? 

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They took God's plan and said, 
you know what, I got some better

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ideas. 
I got a way that we can make 

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this better. 
It's going to work better for my

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life, so let's do this instead. 
Aaron, who Moses trusted, left 

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in charge of the people as he 
was leaving and going to be gone

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up the mountain. 
Get into the 10 commandments. 

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Aaron answered them. 
Take off the gold earrings that 

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your wives, your sons and your 
daughters are wearing and bring 

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them to me. 
So the people took off their 

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earrings, brought them to Aaron.
He took what they handed him and

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made it into an idol cast in the
shape of a calf, fashioning it 

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with a tool. 
Then they said, these are your 

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gods, Israel, who brought you up
out of Egypt. 

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So this thing, how crazy is this
declaration, this thing that 

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didn't exist until yesterday, 
they are now declaring this is 

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what delivered you. 
This thing that we didn't even 

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know existed until yesterday. 
This is what we're going to 

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worship and give thanks to. 
This is what we're going to 

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trust in. 
This is what has delivered us. 

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It sounds nuts, right? 
What's the latest and greatest 

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thing that you've found in your 
life that all of a sudden is the

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fixation of your attention is 
the greatest thing that you've 

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ever come upon that is now 
replacing the God whose 

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faithfulness has brought you 
thus far? 

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Our eyes stray, our desires and 
affections stray in exactly the 

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same way, and it's really easy 
to look back. 

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Oh Israelites, you guys sound 
crazy. 

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And we do the exact same thing. 
We find things to replace God. 

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It certainly doesn't take 40 
days for us to replace God with 

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other things that divide our 
attention and affection for Him.

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So these are your gods, Israel. 
These are your gods, people of 

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God, who are going to deliver 
you, who you can put your trust 

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and your hope in. 
When Aaron saw this, this 

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declaration, he built an altar 
in front of the calf. 

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Give the people what they want, 
right? 

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That's what he's playing. 
That's how he's going to do it. 

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Not the strongest aspect of a 
leader, but it's what he did. 

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Tomorrow there will be a 
festival to the Lord. 

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He's trying to save it a little 
bit. 

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Hey, maybe you're right. 
Maybe we just need this image, 

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this thing that represents God. 
There's still Yahweh, there's 

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still this Lord that delivered 
us from Egypt. 

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But OK, we'll make this, we'll 
make this thing that represents 

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who he is so we can see it, so 
we can experience it and feel it

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and look at it. 
Meanwhile, up the mountain, 

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what's one of the first things 
that God is writing down on the 

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tablets for Moses to bring down?
First thing you don't do, make a

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thing in that replaces my image,
right? 

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Don't make something that 
replaces Yahweh, OK? 

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That's why we need boundaries. 
That's why we need guardrails 

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because we as broken, sinful 
people, we imagine each and 

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every way that we could rebel 
against God. 

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And most of the time it's at the
top of his list, right? 

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It's the first thing that we 
shouldn't have done. 

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So the next day the people arose
early and sacrificed burnt 

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offerings and presented 
fellowship offerings. 

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They're they're worshipping this
golden calf and calf is a little

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mild of a of a term. 
It's it was actually more 

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accurately, it was it was 
probably more like a small bull,

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like a like a three-year old 
bullet at the peak of it's just 

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like physical prowess and and 
angry and strong looking and and

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all these things. 
It wasn't so much as like a 

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small meek calf, but that's 
that's the word more literally 

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translated. 
It has more of those bull 

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attributes to it. 
So it was this fierce, strong 

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looking, hopeful thing that they
sacrificed burnt offerings and 

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presented fellowship offerings 
to, and afterwards they sat down

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to eat and drink and got up to 
indulge in revelry. 

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That doesn't sound good, but 
it's what they did. 

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Then the Lord said to Moses, 
while all this is going on, 

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Moses still at the top of the 
mountain, verse 7, the Lord said

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to Moses, go down because your 
people whom you brought up out 

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of Egypt have become corrupt. 
They've been quick to turn away 

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from what I commanded them and 
made themselves an idle cast in 

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the shape of a calf. 
They've bowed down to it and 

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sacrificed to it. 
And I've said, these are your 

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gods, Israel, who brought you 
out of Egypt. 

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Notice who God's pointing the 
finger at in this passage. 

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Go down because your people, 
Moses, the people that you're 

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supposed to be leading, the 
people that you're supposed to 

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be guiding in my ways, they 
didn't get it. 

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You didn't do it. 
Somehow along the way, you 

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tripped up, you messed up. 
You had them put their hope in 

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something that wasn't me. 
I hope and pray never at any 

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point in the history of this 
church, me or Pastor Chris, who 

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isn't here today. 
But if you haven't met him, you 

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know you will know him. 
Me, Pastor Chris, any future 

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pastors who happen to be at this
church, I hope and pray that you

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do not come here on Sundays 
looking to me as the figure of 

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your faith. 
Because the moment that I fail, 

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and I will, it might not be in 
spectacular grandeur or all 

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these things, but I will let you
down. 

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Or at least I'll let you down in
the eyes of someone else. 

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Because I'm not perfect, broken 
just like you, sinful just like 

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you. 
But if you put your hope in me 

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that day that I fail, your faith
is shattered. 

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What Chris and I are trying to 
do and trying to lead, we're 

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trying to follow in the 
footsteps of Jesus. 

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We're just dudes disguised as a 
dude pretending to be another 

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dude trying to lead you in the 
footsteps of Jesus. 

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But we got to keep our eyes 
fixed on him, right? 

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God's pointing out Moses. 
Moses, at some point you have 

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them take their eyes off the 
ball. 

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At some point you let them put 
their hope in things that 

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weren't me. 
So they're your people now 

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because they were following you.
I'm out. 

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God says he throws up his hands.
Verse 8. 

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I have seen these people and 
they are a stiff necked people, 

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a stubborn, obstinate, unturning
people. 

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God says now leave me alone so 
that my anger may burn against 

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them and that I may destroy them
and then I will make you into a 

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great nation. 
God's out threw up his hands. 

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Let's start over, guys, 
husbands, maybe if you've ever 

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been in a serious relationship 
with a girl, with a woman, 

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gotten a new argument, a fight, 
maybe, maybe sometimes there 

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comes a point where she says 
leave me alone. 

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Done with this. 
Don't want to hear anymore. 

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You should abide by those words 
for for a moment. 

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Red flags. 
OK, boundaries are going up. 

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Don't do what Moses did. 
Moses comes back. 

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But, but, but, but, but, but 
Moses bold sought the favor of 

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the Lord his God. 
He said, Lord, why should your 

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anger burn against your people, 
whom you brought out of Egypt 

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with great power and a mighty 
hand? 

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Why should the Egyptians say it 
was with evil intent that he 

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brought them out to kill them in
the mountains and to wipe them 

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off the face of the earth? 
Turn from your fierce anger, 

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relent, and do not bring 
disaster on your people. 

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Whoa, Moses is telling God what 
to do. 

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Leave that anger alone. 
God. 

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Relent. 
Do not bring disaster on your 

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people. 
It's interesting because God 

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certainly would have considered 
this as an outcome. 

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It's not as if God was fixated 
on one way to go about this, but

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he had come to a point that 
seems very limited. 

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Graciousness that he was ready 
to say, Nope, Moses, you get it,

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He said. 
He said I'll make you Moses into

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a great nation. 
We're we're still buds like you 

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understand? 
You get me. 

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But he doesn't want to include 
the people in it. 

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Moses goes on. 
Remember your servants Abraham, 

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Isaac and Israel, to whom you 
swore by our own self. 

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I will make your descendants as 
numerous as the stars in the 

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sky, and give your descendants 
all this land I promised them, 

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and it will be their inheritance
forever. 

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And Moses won. 
Moses won the argument somehow. 

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Then the Lord relented and did 
not bring on his people the 

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disaster he had threatened. 
God was even offering to Moses. 

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I will make you into a great 
nation. 

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Moses knew the promises that had
been made to Abraham, Isaac, 

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Israel to be the people of God 
and God saying I'm going to wipe

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the slate clean. 
I'm going to start over with 

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you. 
You are Abraham, you are Isaac 

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Israel, You are the one that I 
will make my people out of. 

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And the Lord relented and did 
not bring on his people the 

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disaster he had threatened after
Moses advocates them because 

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Moses stood his ground. 
Moses, caring, kind hearted, 

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kind hearted shepherd for these 
people, said, no, you've 

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delivered these people thus far.
And yeah, they got their 

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problems. 
They're they're broken and 

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they're mixed up and and prone 
to evil and they are sinful. 

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But you, you brought them this 
far. 

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You delivered them. 
I care about them. 

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May it not be. 
Moses went to advocate for the 

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people that he cared about and 
God listened. 

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Moses approached God in the same
way because he knew he wasn't 

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saying us and them. 
He wasn't saying me and them. 

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He was approaching God in the 
same way that he hoped God would

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look back on him. 
If Moses was in the position of 

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the people, Moses would have 
cried out for mercy for himself,

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and he's crying out for mercy 
from God for this broken, messed

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up people. 
So God relents. 

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All right, we're not going to 
hit the reset button, but now 

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what? 
Moses, why don't you go back 

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down the mountain, check out 
what's going on. 

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Maybe if you had seen what's 
going on, you'd be just as bad 

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00:14:54,840 --> 00:14:57,000
as I am. 
This is what God's saying. 

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00:14:57,840 --> 00:15:00,720
We're going to skip over a few 
verses not to like not cloak and

227
00:15:00,720 --> 00:15:03,600
dagger into anything. 
We're just going to summarize 

228
00:15:03,600 --> 00:15:06,440
the next little bit here. 
Moses goes down the mountain. 

229
00:15:07,200 --> 00:15:10,800
Here's rejoicing and celebrating
assumes that their Sabbath thing

230
00:15:10,960 --> 00:15:13,200
in festival to God and 
celebrating his goodness. 

231
00:15:13,200 --> 00:15:17,160
No, they're dancing around this 
golden calf and providing burnt 

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00:15:17,160 --> 00:15:20,120
offerings and and things to this
idol, which is like, guys, it's 

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00:15:20,120 --> 00:15:23,000
number one on the list. 
Like, what do you I just got 

234
00:15:23,000 --> 00:15:26,520
this thing and you're already 
checking it off and doing the 

235
00:15:26,520 --> 00:15:32,040
wrong stuff. 
Moses has a little bit of a 

236
00:15:32,040 --> 00:15:34,400
rager here after this. 
If you if you read the next part

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00:15:34,400 --> 00:15:37,200
of this passage in chapter 22, 
he gets angry. 

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00:15:37,280 --> 00:15:40,760
He takes the golden calf, He 
grinds it up into powder, puts 

239
00:15:40,760 --> 00:15:43,040
the powder in this water and he 
makes all the people of Israel 

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00:15:43,040 --> 00:15:46,000
drink this gold calf powder 
water. 

241
00:15:46,960 --> 00:15:50,600
Seems really weird, but he was 
just like, Nope, this is this is

242
00:15:50,600 --> 00:15:52,040
what you get. 
And this is how I'm going to 

243
00:15:52,040 --> 00:15:55,080
enact my rage on all of you for 
for making this thing. 

244
00:15:57,040 --> 00:16:01,280
Then he goes to Aaron, older 
brother Aaron, and he says, man,

245
00:16:01,280 --> 00:16:04,520
how did have this happen? 
I left you in charge. 

246
00:16:04,520 --> 00:16:07,120
Did they like, what are they 
threatening to burn you at the 

247
00:16:07,120 --> 00:16:08,240
stake? 
Like what? 

248
00:16:08,240 --> 00:16:13,600
What how did we get here? 
And Aaron says, OK, well, we 

249
00:16:13,600 --> 00:16:15,160
didn't know where you were. 
We thought you were gone. 

250
00:16:15,160 --> 00:16:17,000
We thought you were lost. 
It was it was hopeless. 

251
00:16:17,000 --> 00:16:19,760
We were just looking the people 
were looking for someone, not me

252
00:16:19,760 --> 00:16:24,480
to to guide them. 
So I told them to get their 

253
00:16:24,480 --> 00:16:27,480
jewelry and whoever has any gold
jewelry, take it off. 

254
00:16:27,480 --> 00:16:29,320
They gave me the gold and I 
threw it in the fire and out 

255
00:16:29,320 --> 00:16:33,520
came this calf. 
Just magically this calf just 

256
00:16:33,520 --> 00:16:37,120
appeared, which is not what the 
first part of this chapter. 

257
00:16:37,120 --> 00:16:39,120
There were there were tools and 
a cast. 

258
00:16:39,120 --> 00:16:48,120
He planned to make this calf. 
But in this moment, Aaron was 

259
00:16:48,120 --> 00:16:54,880
feeling all the weight of his 
brokenness of I really screwed 

260
00:16:54,880 --> 00:16:57,360
up, feeling the weight of sin 
and shame. 

261
00:16:59,320 --> 00:17:03,040
But he spits it out in a way 
that was just I don't know how I

262
00:17:03,040 --> 00:17:05,000
got here. 
It just it just happened right 

263
00:17:05,000 --> 00:17:08,119
when parents you got a kid who 
did something. 

264
00:17:08,119 --> 00:17:09,960
What's what's the first thing 
out of their face? 

265
00:17:09,960 --> 00:17:12,200
Well, how how did that vase 
break? 

266
00:17:13,480 --> 00:17:17,640
I don't know. 
Just jumped off the table like 

267
00:17:18,480 --> 00:17:21,599
calf, just calf just appeared, 
just came out. 

268
00:17:21,599 --> 00:17:26,800
I don't know, It seems like a 
comical reaction, and it seems 

269
00:17:26,800 --> 00:17:30,920
strange that he's trying to hide
up, hide what actually happened.

270
00:17:32,800 --> 00:17:39,000
But it's also a very natural 
reaction to our sin because 

271
00:17:39,000 --> 00:17:41,480
there's truth in that. 
I don't of that I don't know. 

272
00:17:42,560 --> 00:17:46,560
I don't know how I got here. 
I don't know how I got to this 

273
00:17:46,560 --> 00:17:48,800
point in my life or with these 
things in my life. 

274
00:17:49,760 --> 00:17:52,440
More pointedly, I don't know 
what to do. 

275
00:17:53,280 --> 00:17:55,800
That's really what Aaron's 
saying here. 

276
00:17:56,200 --> 00:17:59,040
I don't know how this happened 
and I don't know how to fix it. 

277
00:18:00,000 --> 00:18:03,600
The truth in that is we don't we
that that's a real feeling. 

278
00:18:03,600 --> 00:18:07,000
I don't know how to fix it 
because we can't. 

279
00:18:08,760 --> 00:18:11,680
We can't in and of ourselves fix
our sin. 

280
00:18:13,120 --> 00:18:14,600
So of course we don't know what 
to do. 

281
00:18:15,720 --> 00:18:20,000
Of course, we don't know how we 
got here, how to get out of it. 

282
00:18:24,520 --> 00:18:27,240
I met with several of you this 
week and not all weeks are like 

283
00:18:27,240 --> 00:18:29,200
this. 
I, I met with no less than 10 of

284
00:18:29,200 --> 00:18:31,800
you that came to me with 
something in your life that was,

285
00:18:33,640 --> 00:18:38,920
I am in this broken, messed up 
situation and I don't know what 

286
00:18:38,920 --> 00:18:42,560
to do. 
And that's not every that's not 

287
00:18:42,560 --> 00:18:44,800
every week. 
We're we're always available to 

288
00:18:44,800 --> 00:18:48,120
meet with and and shepherd 
through situations. 

289
00:18:48,120 --> 00:18:49,920
And some of you hear that and 
you're like, oh, wow, you 

290
00:18:50,480 --> 00:18:52,480
working out on Sunday? 
I didn't realize that. 

291
00:18:53,080 --> 00:18:54,880
And some of you are like, yeah, 
you better be. 

292
00:18:54,920 --> 00:18:56,200
I hope you don't only work on 
Sundays. 

293
00:18:56,200 --> 00:18:57,320
You better be meeting with 10 
people. 

294
00:18:57,560 --> 00:19:04,440
But the point is, Chris and I 
are here to care and shepherd 

295
00:19:05,600 --> 00:19:09,880
this people, this church, as 
Moses was charged to shepherd 

296
00:19:09,880 --> 00:19:14,480
that people, the Israelites. 
And each and every one of those 

297
00:19:14,480 --> 00:19:17,320
situations I encountered this 
week, it might not have been 

298
00:19:17,320 --> 00:19:20,400
that individual that was that 
was that fault or wrapped in 

299
00:19:20,400 --> 00:19:23,400
sin, but something related to 
the situation, whether whether 

300
00:19:23,400 --> 00:19:26,280
it was them or someone they were
in relationship with, or even 

301
00:19:26,280 --> 00:19:30,200
just the brokenness of the 
sinfulness of this world. 

302
00:19:31,680 --> 00:19:34,560
It had afflicted them. 
It had brought them to a point 

303
00:19:34,600 --> 00:19:40,440
of I don't know how I got here, 
but I don't like it and I don't 

304
00:19:40,440 --> 00:19:50,520
know what to do. 
Moses tells him what to do. 

305
00:19:51,680 --> 00:19:55,320
It's going to be hard, but 
there's going to be a way. 

306
00:19:56,520 --> 00:20:00,320
There's going to be truth in it.
The truth's going to hurt, but 

307
00:20:00,320 --> 00:20:03,360
there's going to be a way out. 
And each and every one of these 

308
00:20:03,360 --> 00:20:05,400
situations that I had this week,
there were none of them are 

309
00:20:05,400 --> 00:20:06,560
easy. 
I didn't solve any other 

310
00:20:06,560 --> 00:20:09,800
problems in an hour. 
I, I don't, I don't. 

311
00:20:09,880 --> 00:20:12,000
I'm not the magic man. 
Just be able to step my fingers 

312
00:20:12,000 --> 00:20:15,320
and make it good. 
But what I was able to 

313
00:20:15,320 --> 00:20:20,360
encourage. 
That Jesus has to be in the 

314
00:20:20,360 --> 00:20:23,760
middle of these situations. 
He has to be a focal part of 

315
00:20:23,760 --> 00:20:27,000
this relationship or this 
conversation or this scenario. 

316
00:20:28,400 --> 00:20:31,440
Otherwise we are going to wind 
up right back here in this 

317
00:20:31,440 --> 00:20:34,480
scenario that was already broken
with a lack of Jesus. 

318
00:20:35,600 --> 00:20:37,680
And then we are going to be here
and we're going to know exactly 

319
00:20:37,680 --> 00:20:40,520
how we got here because Jesus 
wasn't present in this thing. 

320
00:20:43,440 --> 00:20:48,240
So Moses Moses was a bit of a 
hot head still still on a little

321
00:20:48,240 --> 00:20:52,960
bit of a rager, anger and 
frustration with the Israelites.

322
00:20:52,960 --> 00:20:55,640
Verse 26, he stood at the 
entrance to the camp and said, 

323
00:20:55,640 --> 00:21:01,120
whoever is for the Lord, come to
me and all the Levites rallied 

324
00:21:01,120 --> 00:21:04,080
to him. 
The Levites were were the the 

325
00:21:04,080 --> 00:21:06,360
holy priesthood. 
They were they were one of the 

326
00:21:06,360 --> 00:21:09,160
tribes of Israel, Israel. 
That was they were the temple 

327
00:21:09,160 --> 00:21:10,880
workers. 
They were the lead worshippers. 

328
00:21:11,880 --> 00:21:15,120
All the Levites rallied to him. 
Verse 27 Then he said to them, 

329
00:21:15,120 --> 00:21:16,760
this is what the Lord the God of
Israel says. 

330
00:21:16,760 --> 00:21:20,800
Each man strap a sword to his 
side, go back and forth through 

331
00:21:20,800 --> 00:21:23,000
the camp from one end to the 
other, each killing his brother 

332
00:21:23,000 --> 00:21:26,960
and friend and neighbor. 
That sounds extreme. 

333
00:21:27,920 --> 00:21:31,240
If you're for the Lord, all 
right, get your sword. 

334
00:21:31,640 --> 00:21:36,520
We're going to use it. 
Verse 28, The Levites did as 

335
00:21:36,520 --> 00:21:41,000
Moses commanded and that day 
about 3000 of the people died. 

336
00:21:44,360 --> 00:21:47,920
Tragic, sad, confusing that God 
would act in this way. 

337
00:21:49,440 --> 00:21:52,240
But remember a few verses ago he
was ready to wipe them all out. 

338
00:21:52,760 --> 00:22:00,480
Lot more than 3000. 
The question that isn't in this 

339
00:22:00,480 --> 00:22:04,040
text that I think is also a part
of what God's commanding here. 

340
00:22:04,800 --> 00:22:07,800
Moses asks. 
All those that are for the Lord 

341
00:22:08,760 --> 00:22:16,200
come to me, and they rally 
around, but each one of them 

342
00:22:16,200 --> 00:22:23,360
left brother and friend and 
neighbor who weren't there right

343
00:22:23,360 --> 00:22:27,000
alongside them. 
These people, brother, friend, 

344
00:22:27,000 --> 00:22:30,120
neighbor, that you say are 
closest in your life, right? 

345
00:22:30,120 --> 00:22:32,240
Those are very close 
relationships. 

346
00:22:32,960 --> 00:22:36,880
Why aren't they here beside you 
for the Lord? 

347
00:22:39,800 --> 00:22:43,560
And more pointedly, it's because
they're not pointing you towards

348
00:22:43,560 --> 00:22:48,880
the Lord. 
What are the relationships, the 

349
00:22:48,920 --> 00:22:53,280
things, the activities, the 
things that you pay attention to

350
00:22:53,280 --> 00:22:58,120
in your life that you would say 
are near and dear to your heart,

351
00:22:58,120 --> 00:23:02,720
that are close to you? 
Maybe it is people, maybe it is 

352
00:23:02,720 --> 00:23:05,560
things, maybe it's whatever. 
A hobby. 

353
00:23:10,920 --> 00:23:15,520
But are they pulling you towards
the Lord, or are they fixing 

354
00:23:15,520 --> 00:23:20,080
your eyes elsewhere in a way 
that has become corruptible? 

355
00:23:22,880 --> 00:23:26,160
If so, I think what Moses is 
getting at here. 

356
00:23:26,160 --> 00:23:28,640
These, these things are not 
pulling you towards the Lord. 

357
00:23:29,480 --> 00:23:34,720
They're not for the Lord. 
Those things got to die. 

358
00:23:36,160 --> 00:23:40,520
Those things in each and every 
one of our lives that aren't for

359
00:23:40,520 --> 00:23:50,930
the Lord got to go away, got to 
be killed, got to be beaten 

360
00:23:50,930 --> 00:23:57,370
back. 
Then Moses said after they go 

361
00:23:57,370 --> 00:24:00,050
through this, after they root 
out these things that were 

362
00:24:00,050 --> 00:24:03,770
closest to them. 
Moses said, you've been set 

363
00:24:03,770 --> 00:24:06,050
apart to the Lord today for you 
are against your own sons and 

364
00:24:06,050 --> 00:24:08,130
brothers and he has blessed you 
this day. 

365
00:24:10,280 --> 00:24:13,080
Even Jesus said this is it's 
it's not that it sounds extreme,

366
00:24:13,440 --> 00:24:16,360
but this killing isn't that 
crazy because Jesus said truly, 

367
00:24:16,360 --> 00:24:19,840
truly whoever leaves father and 
mother and sister and brother, 

368
00:24:19,840 --> 00:24:21,640
whoever leaves his family for my
sake. 

369
00:24:25,120 --> 00:24:27,680
That's how you follow. 
That's how you are a disciple is

370
00:24:27,680 --> 00:24:31,600
truly my disciple. 
I'm not saying to sign up for 

371
00:24:31,600 --> 00:24:33,920
this Jesus train that you got to
leave everyone that you ever 

372
00:24:33,920 --> 00:24:36,360
knew or was ever close to you 
even a little bit behind. 

373
00:24:38,480 --> 00:24:43,240
But if they're not for the Lord,
if they're not rooted in Jesus, 

374
00:24:43,240 --> 00:24:46,920
I do think you need to consider 
where they fall on the priority 

375
00:24:46,920 --> 00:24:51,080
and influence in your life. 
If you're trying to make a big 

376
00:24:51,080 --> 00:24:55,320
decision who to date, who to 
marry, what job to have, where 

377
00:24:55,320 --> 00:24:56,840
to move, what to do with your 
life. 

378
00:24:59,360 --> 00:25:01,880
Do you have those that are for 
the Lord in your life that 

379
00:25:01,880 --> 00:25:04,520
you're going to and seeking 
counsel and and having them 

380
00:25:04,680 --> 00:25:06,720
refine your decisions and be in 
prayer with you? 

381
00:25:08,200 --> 00:25:11,800
Or do you have those that don't 
know the Lord as your chief 

382
00:25:11,800 --> 00:25:15,280
advisors, as the ones that are 
speaking most into your life? 

383
00:25:18,400 --> 00:25:21,760
We got to reorient that. 
And I'm not saying you need to 

384
00:25:21,760 --> 00:25:24,480
give up on the ones in your life
that don't know the Lord. 

385
00:25:24,480 --> 00:25:27,360
Of course we want to chase the 
one more. 

386
00:25:28,400 --> 00:25:29,840
We want them to come to know 
Jesus. 

387
00:25:29,840 --> 00:25:32,760
We want we want them to follow 
the Good Shepherd. 

388
00:25:35,480 --> 00:25:38,280
But until they are, they don't 
need to be your number one. 

389
00:25:38,280 --> 00:25:46,200
Go to God first, brothers and 
sisters and mother, Jesus said. 

390
00:25:46,200 --> 00:25:48,880
Those who love the Father, they 
are my brother and sister and 

391
00:25:48,880 --> 00:25:55,080
mother. 
Those who are for the Lord 

392
00:25:56,240 --> 00:26:00,400
should have the chief amount of 
influence in your life and in 

393
00:26:00,400 --> 00:26:04,120
your time. 
So verse 30, the next day Moses 

394
00:26:04,120 --> 00:26:09,320
said to the people, you have 
committed a great sin, please 

395
00:26:09,320 --> 00:26:15,880
calm down now anger fits over. 
Now I will go up to the Lord. 

396
00:26:16,480 --> 00:26:19,560
Perhaps I can make atonement for
your sin. 

397
00:26:23,960 --> 00:26:27,840
So Moses went back to the Lord 
and said what a great sin these 

398
00:26:27,840 --> 00:26:29,360
people have committed. 
You're right God, they're 

399
00:26:29,360 --> 00:26:33,040
terrible. 
They've made themselves gods of 

400
00:26:33,040 --> 00:26:36,040
gold. 
But now please forgive their 

401
00:26:36,040 --> 00:26:39,400
sin. 
Here's the twist. 

402
00:26:40,720 --> 00:26:46,320
But if not, then block me out of
the book you have written. 

403
00:26:48,320 --> 00:26:54,360
If you will not forgive them, 
take my life in their place that

404
00:26:54,360 --> 00:27:01,560
they be spared. 
The answer to the where's the 

405
00:27:01,560 --> 00:27:05,280
Jesus in this passage question 
is it's not that hard to answer.

406
00:27:09,400 --> 00:27:12,640
Jesus is a foreshadow or Moses 
is a foreshadowing. 

407
00:27:16,480 --> 00:27:20,800
The Christological implications 
in this passage are great. 

408
00:27:22,720 --> 00:27:25,760
Moses was willing to lay down 
his life. 

409
00:27:26,360 --> 00:27:28,560
Greater love has no one than 
this, that he would lay down his

410
00:27:28,560 --> 00:27:32,360
life for his friends. 
Moses was willing in their place

411
00:27:32,880 --> 00:27:38,440
to be that sacrifice. 
Please forgive their sin. 

412
00:27:38,440 --> 00:27:41,280
But if not, then block me out of
the book you have written. 

413
00:27:41,280 --> 00:27:44,440
Block me out of the book of 
life. 

414
00:27:47,680 --> 00:27:54,480
In a similar way, when Jesus 
disciples asked him, how then 

415
00:27:54,680 --> 00:27:58,920
can we go where you are going, 
how then can we enter into this 

416
00:27:58,920 --> 00:28:01,320
life? 
Jesus answered, I am the way and

417
00:28:01,320 --> 00:28:03,640
the truth and the life. 
No one comes to the Father 

418
00:28:03,800 --> 00:28:07,400
except through me. 
If you really know me, you will 

419
00:28:07,400 --> 00:28:09,040
know my Father as well from now 
on. 

420
00:28:09,160 --> 00:28:11,960
You do know him and have seen 
him. 

421
00:28:12,040 --> 00:28:18,520
Those who are rooted in the sun,
those who are rooted in Christ 

422
00:28:18,800 --> 00:28:24,360
Jesus and it's very appropriate 
that Jesus lists these three 

423
00:28:24,360 --> 00:28:29,560
things off because why God 
didn't move, God didn't change 

424
00:28:30,280 --> 00:28:32,760
even back to this passage in 
Exodus. 

425
00:28:33,920 --> 00:28:37,680
We have a way Moses was coming 
down the mountain with the way 

426
00:28:38,120 --> 00:28:40,960
these 10 commandments. 
This is the way to live your 

427
00:28:40,960 --> 00:28:43,640
life. 
This is the way that God has 

428
00:28:43,640 --> 00:28:46,840
commanded you follow him as his 
people. 

429
00:28:48,960 --> 00:28:52,320
The truth that's, that's hard to
hear because some of these 

430
00:28:52,320 --> 00:28:54,440
things, some of these things I'm
going to command you to do, 

431
00:28:54,440 --> 00:28:57,920
you're going to have to do away 
with other things that get in 

432
00:28:57,920 --> 00:29:03,800
the way of living out this way. 
The truth's hard to hear 

433
00:29:03,800 --> 00:29:06,800
sometimes. 
I may be upset a few of you in 

434
00:29:06,800 --> 00:29:11,000
here this morning by saying 
there's some things that got to 

435
00:29:11,000 --> 00:29:13,880
die in your life. 
There's some things you got to 

436
00:29:13,880 --> 00:29:18,080
kill away if you're going to 
follow the way in Jesus. 

437
00:29:20,400 --> 00:29:28,960
But at the end of all this, 
Moses being willing to be a 

438
00:29:28,960 --> 00:29:35,280
replacement, a sacrifice for the
people of Israel, Jesus, a few 

439
00:29:35,280 --> 00:29:44,160
thousand years later before the 
Father saying, Yep, these crazy 

440
00:29:44,160 --> 00:29:47,680
mixed up people, they still 
haven't figured it out. 

441
00:29:49,680 --> 00:29:54,440
They're still just as broken and
sinful as they were back with 

442
00:29:54,440 --> 00:29:59,320
your boy Moses. 
Somebody's got to die. 

443
00:29:59,480 --> 00:30:02,720
Something's got to die. 
Something needs to be killed. 

444
00:30:04,640 --> 00:30:15,680
Jesus says, it's me. 
Jesus says in my death there is 

445
00:30:15,680 --> 00:30:21,040
life after you know the way and 
you hear the truth of the things

446
00:30:21,040 --> 00:30:24,480
that have to die in order to 
follow Him, He offers life. 

447
00:30:26,360 --> 00:30:28,680
There's hope in him at the end 
of this. 

448
00:30:28,680 --> 00:30:31,080
Yes, there are hard things. 
There are things you're not 

449
00:30:31,080 --> 00:30:32,720
going to like to cut out of 
their life. 

450
00:30:32,720 --> 00:30:35,760
There are things you're going to
have to say no to that the world

451
00:30:35,760 --> 00:30:39,400
wants to scream yes to. 
It's going to feel hard. 

452
00:30:39,400 --> 00:30:44,360
It's going to feel weird. 
It's going to be unnatural, but 

453
00:30:44,360 --> 00:30:46,880
in order to follow in Jesus's 
way, we have to answer that 

454
00:30:46,880 --> 00:30:59,750
truth so that we may have life. 
There's a big difference. 

455
00:30:59,750 --> 00:31:04,110
There's a lot of differences 
between Jesus and Moses. 

456
00:31:05,350 --> 00:31:08,270
The biggest difference is, 
though Moses was willing to 

457
00:31:08,270 --> 00:31:12,110
sacrifice his life, he would 
have stayed dead. 

458
00:31:15,550 --> 00:31:19,430
Jesus sacrificed his life and 
rose from the grave three days 

459
00:31:19,430 --> 00:31:23,360
later, still perfectly lived out
the way. 

460
00:31:24,080 --> 00:31:27,200
He can say he's the way because 
God's 10 commandments, he 

461
00:31:27,680 --> 00:31:32,760
perfectly executed them, did not
come to replace the law, but to 

462
00:31:32,760 --> 00:31:38,600
fulfill it, to be a perfect 
life, to be the truth. 

463
00:31:42,000 --> 00:31:46,320
And he conquered sin and death 
by rising from that death three 

464
00:31:46,320 --> 00:31:50,320
days later. 
You might say that's what that's

465
00:31:50,440 --> 00:31:52,520
that's weird that such a 
technicality. 

466
00:31:52,520 --> 00:31:57,200
No, it matters. 
Each and every word in that book

467
00:31:58,120 --> 00:32:02,720
hinges on whether or not Jesus 
Christ actually rose from the 

468
00:32:02,720 --> 00:32:05,680
dead, because nobody else did 
that. 

469
00:32:08,800 --> 00:32:12,360
Nobody else rose from the dead 
and stayed living. 

470
00:32:12,720 --> 00:32:18,560
Nobody else can truly say I am 
the life that you can now have 

471
00:32:18,560 --> 00:32:23,240
hope in. 
The resurrection matters. 

472
00:32:24,480 --> 00:32:30,040
So while Moses had good 
intentions, he was not the true 

473
00:32:30,400 --> 00:32:36,960
Lamb of God. 
He was not the one who took all 

474
00:32:36,960 --> 00:32:40,480
of the sin. 
Because that's really what Jesus

475
00:32:40,480 --> 00:32:42,640
did. 
Moses would have been in place 

476
00:32:42,640 --> 00:32:46,040
and maybe God could have even 
reasoned it as a sacrifice. 

477
00:32:48,920 --> 00:32:52,400
But when the Bible says that you
are made new and clothed in the 

478
00:32:52,400 --> 00:32:57,720
righteousness of Christ, that 
means Jesus has taken taken your

479
00:32:57,720 --> 00:33:00,480
sin, taking your shame, taking 
your guilt, taking all those 

480
00:33:00,480 --> 00:33:02,400
things that you're like, I don't
know what to do with. 

481
00:33:02,400 --> 00:33:06,120
I don't know how to deal with 
this. 

482
00:33:08,120 --> 00:33:11,960
He took your sin, He erased it. 
It was on Him and it was nailed 

483
00:33:11,960 --> 00:33:15,560
to that cross. 
They could be washed away by His

484
00:33:15,560 --> 00:33:20,240
blood that you would be left 
with life and righteousness in 

485
00:33:20,240 --> 00:33:26,160
the eyes of the Father. 
Not some idol, not some golden 

486
00:33:26,160 --> 00:33:29,480
calf, not some 2 bit 
replacement. 

487
00:33:30,320 --> 00:33:37,360
The true Lamb of God. 
Thanks for listening to ERC 

488
00:33:37,360 --> 00:33:39,840
Sundays. 
To support the work God is doing

489
00:33:39,840 --> 00:33:44,440
an Emmaus Rd. church, visit 
emmausrdonline.org/giving.