PIVOTAL MOMENT #3: MAKING YOUR OWN WAY TO THE PROMISE INSTEAD OF GOD’S WAY!
(From the current Message Series)
Here we are Week 3 of 5 in the series: New Year, New Opportunities, But The Same Old Problems. The Theme verse for this series is Exodus 13:21-22—The Lord went ahead of them. He guided them during the day with a pillar of cloud, and he provided light at night with a pillar of fire. This allowed them to travel by day or by night. Pay Careful Attention to Verse 22: And the Lord did not remove the pillar of cloud or pillar of fire from its place in front of the people.
Remember we are looking at those Pivotal Moments where they have the opportunity to spiritually grow—if they respond the right way. In week 1 they didn’t—they chose the end over the beginning. Last week we learned about Adverbs—God was ready for them—but they weren’t ready for God. Now, we are ready for another Pivotal Moment. But before we read about it—let’s think for a bit.
Imagine, if you will, 2 buzzards circling around, looking for something dead. That’s what buzzards do, you know. Nothing dead can be found anywhere. Finally, one says to the other: “Forget patience! Let’s go kill something!” What does my parable have to do with Pivotal Moments?
What’s your reaction when things come to a standstill? What are you to do when it seems like—I said Seems Like—that God is nowhere to be seen? Or maybe you come to a crossroads. You’re wondering, “Do I go left? Do I go right? Do I keep going straight?” But again—it seems like—God is silent. What do you do when you’re wondering what to do? Sounds to me like it’s another ripe Pivotal Moment. Let’s look at what The Hebrews did when they found themselves in that situation.
1 When the people saw how long it was taking Moses to come back down the mountain, they gathered around Aaron. “Come on,” they said, “make us some gods who can lead us. We don’t know what happened to this fellow Moses, who brought us here from the land of Egypt.”
2 So Aaron said, “Take the gold rings from the ears of your wives and sons and daughters, and bring them to me.”
3 All the people took the gold rings from their ears and brought them to Aaron. 4 Then Aaron took the gold, melted it down, and molded it into the shape of a calf. When the people saw it, they exclaimed, “O Israel, these are the gods who brought you out of the land of Egypt!”
5 Aaron saw how excited the people were, so he built an altar in front of the calf. Then he announced, “Tomorrow will be a festival to the Lord!”
6 The people got up early the next morning to sacrifice burnt offerings and peace offerings. After this, they celebrated with feasting and drinking, and they indulged in pagan revelry.
Exodus Chapter 32, Verses 1-6 (NLT)
We’ve been following the journey of a people from slavery to The Promise. And as in every journey, there are those Pivotal Moments—where the outcome could change. These are the moments where strength of character is found or lost—formed or abandoned.
Today we find them at Mt. Sinai—the place where Moses had encountered God—where he received his calling—his purpose—and his mission in life. A lot of things have happened along the way. That’s all part of being on A Journey. And as we’ve already seen—they haven’t always responded the right way in those Pivotal Moments.
A lot has happened—a lot of different things. But one thing hasn’t changed. Do you remember what that was? The Pillar! Always visible day and night. Always in front leading them. Of all that changed—THIS never changed!
They are getting closer to The Promise—not there yet—but they are in the vicinity. Don’t forget that all they’ve known was slavery. They’ve never been a nation before—and all of that is about change. But they aren’t going to be an ordinary nation—they are to be the Holy Nation that He will use to bring His Image Bearers back into that relationship with Him.
So, before they get there, God wants them to know how holy people are to live. And since Moses was God’s chosen leader—God wants to meet with Moses so he can let the people know what God expects from them. Moses lets them know what’s happening and where he’s going. Ok, they know the where—Mt. Sinai—they know the when—right now—and they know the why—to meet with God who wants them to know things!
What else do they need to know? Absolutely nothing! The only thing they don’t know is how long. Knowing how long is important to us—but—It’s Not Necessary For The Journey! I wonder how many times Moses heard, “Are we there yet?” Kids ask that—because they lack the maturity to understand time and distance. But when adults ask that question it’s a sign of immaturity. And now it’s a different question: “How long is this going to take?” And when it comes to the ways and means of God—that’s a question of spiritual immaturity.
Instead of waiting for what God wanted—Instead of WAITING for God—They chose to make their own way! And this is exactly what is happening with is now called Progressive Theology! People would rather make their own way to God—to The Promise—Instead of listening to God!
Have you ever known people who say they pray? But even before they pray—they’ve already made up their mind about what God is going to tell them. They’ve made up their mind about what they are going to hear. And then they act upon that belief and conviction. In life people tend to use this thing called Confirmation Bias.
Think about 2 circles. In one circle are our beliefs, and in the other are the facts—we call that The Truth. The only thing some people look for from The Truth is anything that fits into their beliefs. The rest of the Truth Circle is just ignored. It’s wanting only the things that supports our beliefs and convictions—and ignoring the rest of the truth.
Some want to say that it’s unintentional. But that’s not true. It’s a choice—THE Choice—to want our way. And that’s a costly mistake—one that these people here are about to make. Some think that the best way to learn from mistakes is to make your own. Really? How much sense does that make?
Here’s a novel idea: How About Learning From The Mistakes Of Others, Too! Wouldn’t we make fewer mistakes if we did? Of course! Even though The Hebrews are at Mt. Sinai where Moses received his calling, mission, and purpose—and even though they have had The Pillar with them every step of the way—they make 3 mistakes we need to learn from and avoid:
- THEY IGNORED WHAT GOD HAD ALREADY TOLD THEM!
Don’t forget what we learned—hopefully learned—from last week. After they had grumbled, God said in Exodus 15:26—“If you will listen carefully to the voice of The Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, obeying His commands and keeping all His decrees, then I will not make you suffer any of the diseases I sent on the Egyptians; for I Am The Lord who heals you.”
What had God decreed? He would lead them to The Promise. He would give them The Promise. And now He will heal their brokenness. That word decrees means to shout out loud! This wasn’t a secret God was keeping from them. He shouted it in their hearing. When you hear something, you can pay attention to it or ignore it. Well, they chose to ignore it. They didn’t see Moses—but where was The Pillar? In front of them!
And God has promised us that He will lead us to The Promise—Give us The Promise—and heal our brokenness. And this time—He shouted it from The Cross. Don’t ignore what He said from that Cross—That Sin Is Hideous—That Sin Is Wrong—And The Only Way We Can Be Healed From Our Brokenness Is To Surrender To Him! Don’t make their Mistake!
- THEY FOCUSED MORE ON THEMSELVES THAN THE JOURNEY!
I mean—yeah—there were times they wanted to go back. But now that they are this close—they are ready to move on. No hesitation here on their part. It’s going to be different. No longer slaves but a real nation. They just wanted to get there. They weren’t concerned about being ready to be that nation. They wanted what they wanted. They didn’t see the value of The Journey—The Only Saw What They Wanted!
And how do you see The Journey where God is doing all the leading and you are doing all of the following? Wouldn’t it just be better to get The Promise? How does The Journey help us? The Journey is where we learn about God—and about ourselves. The Journey is Teaching Time—Development Time. We can’t be ready for The Promise unless we take The Journey. The old heart—the sinful heart—focuses on what it wants. The New Heart—the one God puts in us—focuses on The Transformation that is happening IN The Journey. Don’t make their mistake.
- THEY THOUGHT THEY COULD MAKE IT THE REST OF THE WAY ON THEIR OWN!
I mean, the worst is over. They crossed the Red Sea. No Egyptian Army chasing them. Water and food whenever they need it—forget that it was God who provided it. They’ve faced battle and won. Some estimate that it would only take 11 more days for them to reach The Promised Land! That’s pretty close. But they didn’t want to wait any longer.
They took matters into their own hands. They made the decision that they were capable of handling those 11 days themselves. Now, I know they wanted Aaron to make them another god to follow. But why did they want another God? Because God wasn’t operating on their terms! They wanted a god who would do what they wanted.
There are a lot of dangerous things we can say. Would you like to know one of the most dangerous things we can say? I’m telling you anyway. “I was thinking to myself…” Our thinking is limited. Did you know that? Our thinking is limited by time and space—what we understand and what we see. But get this—God isn’t limited by any of those things. God isn’t where we turn when we don’t know what else to do—God is where we go to find out what to do! Their confirmation bias led them to think they could handle it themselves. Don’t make their mistake!
At last, we arrive at Today’s Big Idea: When Making A Decision, Always Act On What God Has Already Said! Don’t look for a new insight. Don’t wait for that billboard—complete with a flashing arrow sign! When you don’t know what to do next—just do what God has already said. And it’s all here in the Bible!
And since we can’t follow Jesus and stay where we are, Here’s Our Next Step:
MAKE ALL OF YOUR DECISIONS BASED ON WHAT GOD’S WORD HAS ALREADY TOLD YOU!
Don’t look for new insights–or explore other perspectives. Stay with and in God’s Word–you know–the one called The Bible.
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P.S. (from bruce) When there is no other place to turn…turn to God !! If you’re not a “born again” Christian, is the Holy Spirit urging you to open this link ?? Here is the truth about how God’s grace is received to become a Christian in God’s eyes; through understanding and obeying the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ… https://godsmanforever.com
To my brothers and sisters in Christ, please feel free to share this message of the cross with those in need…
You say you are a “born again” believer… BUT is your soul “ON FIRE” for the Lord ?? If not, open this link – https://godsmanforever.com/2020/08/01/are-you-a-christian-in-gods-eyes-and-on-fire-for-the-lord-or-not/
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