Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz20101003.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Exodus: God's Forming The Nation Israel For His Abrahamic Covenant
Part II: God's Forming Israel To Heed Him, Exodus 15:22-40:38
L. Interlude: Correcting Israel's Waywardness From Heeding God
2. Guidelines On Succeeding In Humanly Staggering Crises
(Exodus 32:7-33:23)
    Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

    Many folk need insight on handling humanly staggering issues:

    (1) We often hear how many voters are concerned over what they see as a huge, seemingly impassable gulf separating them and their elected officials, and Charles A. Donovan's article, "Pledge to end abortion funding wars" in the September 27, 2010 Waterbury Republican-American, p. 6a reflects a sample reason for such a concern. Mr. Donovan marveled that, with decades of 70 percent or more of America's voters opposing taxpayer funded abortion, why federal legislators could not pass a permanent law that reflects such a strong, steady conviction by voters!

    This gulf between average citizens and officials led a national talk show host last Monday to say the "answer" has to be found "back in Small Town U. S. A. with its simple, honest people." He held that government, business and political institutions are so corrupt, there was no other hope for the nation! He urged his 15 million listeners to commit themselves to the become the next George Washington, that their country really needs them now!

    (2) People face staggering crises in regard to personal health issues. I visited an area clinic last week for regular treatment on a relatively minor issue, and in the lab was assigned a seat across from an elderly woman who was clearly suffering from a serious condition. Anxiety about her welfare was evident in her body language, and she hung on every word the nursing staff spoke as if she might do something, anything, to improve her chances of getting better! It made me wonder how many other people face similar, humanly staggering health crises they don't know how to begin to address!

    (3) One immense challenge we Christians face is explaining the age-old doctrine of the Trinity. We claim our Bible teaches, and the historic Christian faith asserts, that God is Three in Persons, but one in Essence, the "stuff" of which God consists. Yet, we cannot humanly comprehend that claim, so our critics charge that it must be erroneous!

    How then can we answer such formidable critics to such a foundational Christian doctrine as the Trinity?



    So, in preparation for this message, we ask, "What would God suggest on succeeding in staggering issues we face?!"

    Need: "How may I succeed in facing humanly staggering issues?!"

  1. When Israel fell into idolatry, God informed Moses of the crisis, and had him return to the people to salvage them, Exodus 32:7-8.
  2. Yet, for one man to salvage a whole nation is an overwhelming task, so God worked to make it possible for Moses to succeed:
    1. First, God moved Moses to be merciful in salvaging, Exodus 32:9-35:
      1. Before Moses could leave the mount, God told him not to hinder Him from destroying the whole nation of Israel, Exodus 32:9-10!
      2. Moses could not stop the Creator of the universe, so we know God said this to Moses to elicit his request for mercy on the people.
      3. God heeded Moses' consequent appeal for mercy (Ex. 32:11-14), thus moving Moses to be merciful toward the people, and Exodus 32:15-35 reflects this mix of wrath with mercy in Moses' actions:
        1. On the one hand, Moses angrily shattered the tables of the Law and ground the gold calf to powder and spread it on the people's drinking water to discredit their calf idol, Exodus 32:15-20.
        2. On the other hand, when Moses confronted Aaron about his bad leadership and saw some still practice idolatry, (1) in mercy Moses obeyed God in having the Levites kill only the 3,000 who persisted to sin (Ex. 32:21-28), and (2) put a blessing on the Levites who executed this limited discipline, Exodus 32:29.
        3. (3) Moses then interceded for the people, asking God to destroy himself if the Lord would not forgive them, Exodus 32:30-32.
      4. God declined Moses' offer, telling him to lead Israel to Canaan and promising to punish the guilty parties in the future, Ex. 32:33-35.
    2. Then, God moved Israel to forsake her stumbling blocks, Exodus 33:
      1. God said He would cease going with Israel to Canaan, but send His angel instead lest He be angry and slay them en route, Ex. 33:1-3.
      2. When Moses shared this unsettling news with Israel (Ex. 33:4a), it motivated the people to remove their ornaments in line with God's call that such idolatrous stumbling blocks be barred, Ex. 33:4b-6.
      3. Fear of losing God's presence even led the people to return to stand respectfully at attention as Moses met with God (Ex. 33:7-11 NIV).
      4. Finally, with Moses' added appeal for God to go with the people into the Promised Land (Exodus 33:12-16), the Lord agreed to go with them based on Moses' favor with Him, Exodus 33:17.
    3. Third, God moved Moses to be faithful in his duties, Ex. 33:15-23:
      1. God's threat not to go with Israel led Moses to see that fellowship with God was needed for meaning to the very existence of himself and of the entire nation of Israel, Exodus 33:15-16.
      2. Thus, Moses intensely sought God's fellowship, motivating him to be faithful in his duties to see that necessary fellowship preserved for continual blessing, Exodus 33:17, 18-23.
  3. However, besides God's sovereign work to make success possible, Moses had to perform his human role to salvage Israel:
    1. Moses had to heed God's current Word to salvage Israel, Ex. 32:7-8:
      1. God's immediate word to Moses was that he descend from the mount to the people to address their idolatry, Exodus 32:7-8.
      2. Moses had to heed this command for blessing like we today must heed God's Word in our daily Bible reading! (Deut. 17:18-19)
    2. When God threatened to slay all Israel, Moses had to rely on God's past guidance, His testimony and His past Word to salvage Israel:
      1. Moses heeded God's past precedents, objecting to God's wish to destroy the people as it was inconsistent with His own powerful deliverance of them from Egypt , Exodus 32:9-11.
      2. Moses upheld God's testimony, noting God's wish to destroy the people of Israel would harm His reputation, Exodus 32:9-10, 12.
      3. Moses heeded God's past Word to the fathers, Ex. 32:9-10, 13:
        1. Moses recalled God's past promises to appeal for the people.
        2. Noteworthy is the Genesis 15:13-16 pledge to take Israel from bondage and give her Canaan four generations after Abraham!
        3. Yet, God's offer to Moses to slay Israel and build another nation by him (Exodus 32:10) required more than four generations for Abraham's seed to take Canaan, a violation of God's promise!
        4. Thus, Moses relied on God's past promises to appeal for Israel.
      4. Moses' appeal then succeeded, and Israel was saved, Ex. 32:14.
Application: (1) May we trust in Jesus Christ to be saved, becoming children of God, John 1:11-12. (2) In staggering issues, (a) may we trust God sovereignly to make success attainable, (b) but then perform our human part to succeed in following Moses' example.

Conclusion: (To illustrate the message . . . )

 To illustrate this message, we address one of the most formidable challenges we face -- defending the doctrine of the Trinity.

We assert that Scripture teaches God is Three in Persons but One in Essence, the "stuff" of which God consists, and that this is a foundation doctrine of the historic Christian faith. However, strong critics have long argued we hold to an errant view because the Trinity is a humanly incomprehensible idea.

Well, to apply this sermon and answer our critics, (1) if we like Moses heed Scripture, we find Romans 1:20 NIV reveals that the created universe reveals God's "invisible qualities."

Taking our cue from this directive, (2) I followed Moses' lead in relying on God's past precedents in my life, turning to Josh McDowell's book on Christian apologetics, A Ready Defense , a book God has repeatedly led me and many other Christians to see is valuable on such issues! There I read that in regard to the universe, (3) God has sovereignly led scientists to find a threefold incomprehensible reality about subatomic particles! Physicists found that electrons that comprise the building blocks of the whole material universe have particle (P), wave (W) and quantum (h) properties. These three properties are in many ways incompatible with each other (particles do not diffract as do waves, etc.), but, even if they do not comprehend it, physicists describe electrons as PWh to give weight to all of the data! (Josh McDowell, A Ready Defense, 1990, p. 411)

Accordingly, we can answer critics of the Trinity doctrine with the following argument: if physicists must explain subatomic particles, the building blocks of the whole material universe, in a threefold way they do not comprehend simply because the scientific data requires it, neither must we be seen as errant for holding to the incomprehensible doctrine of the Trinity to describe the Creator of the universe simply because the Biblical data requires it! (Ibid.)



May we then trust in Christ as Savior to be a child of God led by Him, and may we trust God's work in the huge issues we face to pave our way to succeed in them. Then, may we do our part to steer through these issues by following Moses' example!