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Acts 7:37-43
Moses himself told the people of Israel, ‘God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from among your own people.’[a] 38 Moses was with our ancestors, the assembly of God’s people in the wilderness, when the angel spoke to him at Mount Sinai. And there Moses received life-giving words to pass on to us.[b]
39 “But our ancestors refused to listen to Moses. They rejected him and wanted to return to Egypt. 40 They told Aaron, ‘Make us some gods who can lead us, for we don’t know what has become of this Moses, who brought us out of Egypt.’ 41 So they made an idol shaped like a calf, and they sacrificed to it and celebrated over this thing they had made.42 Then God turned away from them and abandoned them to serve the stars of heaven as their gods!
Update – Stephen at this point
I titled this message Life Giving Words because Moses starts with an open opportunity
There is going to be a promotion.
“God will raise up for you a prophet like me among your own people”
I think this would be a great opportunity for people to want to be a lender like Moses, to have God be their guide, their 1 on 1 coach.
But nope- the people rejected Moses
Vs 39 “But our ancestors refused to listen to Moses”
Heart condition- The Israelites were in a bad place, they got rescued, fed in the wilderness, great miracles performed among them. Yet, they refused to listen to Moses.
They had an opportunity to be used by God, but their own desires wouldn’t let them
Well, how dare them – Not so fast because we do the same.
People are the same – We are so caught up with our own desire – that we have opportunities to be great- to do what God has called us to be, yet we choose to hear only what we desire
Opportunities to have an intimate relationship with God passes-
And instead we take only thinking of how we can ask Aaron to build an idol for us
40 They told Aaron, ‘Make us some gods who can lead us
We do the same, my self-included in days when I rush to go and do my own things. The opportunity for God to put His Word of – my day, my life, my family, for Him to order my steps
I get up of our bed and rush to the next job, It may have been miserable yesterday, and I had a bad day- But let me get early and fix it
Nothing wrong with getting up early and working hard, however, who/what are we depended on
Psalm 119:147 – I rise early, before the sun is up; I cry out for help and put my hope in your words.
Isaiah 50:4 – The Sovereign Lord has given me his words of wisdom, so that I know how to comfort the weary. Morning by morning he wakens me and opens my understanding to his will.
Matthew 6:32-33 – So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ 32 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs.33 Seek the Kingdom of God[a] above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
Vs. 39” But our ancestors refused to listen to Moses. They rejected him and wanted to return to Egypt
What opportunities are you leaving on the table because our heart desire is to go back to where we came from.
Our desire is not for God, or what He has done for us but for us to go back to our own creation.
Moses had life giving words yet they choose to create their own ways.
Bible that has all the life-giving words in it, yet we choose to ignore reading it
We have life giving words every week here at FVC – Yet our heart is to return to Egypt
You might not really say it out loud but as soon as we are done here – you run back to your tv shows, your friends and course talks, your drinking, your abusive behaviors, your meanness – Do you want to move on, or do you want to go to Egypt?
What happens when we don’t listen to the life-giving words?
40 They told Aaron, ‘Make us some gods who can lead us, for we don’t know what has become of this Moses, who brought us out of Egypt.’
They acknowledge that he did bring them out of Egypt by the power of God but now he is crazy
- out dated, he is too serious with the word,
- he doesn’t keep up with the changes,
- The world is changing. Get us another guy who can do what we want.
You may have gotten us out of 400 years of slavery but today you are just out of touch—-We got it from here!
- We need the worship to look like this,
- we need the service to be quicker, we need …a b c …
- The way this guy Pastor Matt has been doing church – He is too serious!
Pastor Matt, I want to meet with you…my life is just a mess- Well, let’s talk about your unrepented sins and the secret sin. I need you to die to self
Nope – What had become of Pastor Matt- What had become of Moses – Dude, you don’t know what you are talking about
Someone get me an Aaron so that I can have him do what I want
Run to your friends for advice, instead of seeking God first
Let me choose some different friends so that they can confirm what am doing is good
We have chosen to hear from other sources – The news, Facebook feed, we have come to believe being spoon fed instead of really seeking God
We don’t want to hear from God.
Exodus 19:9 – Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will come to you in a thick cloud, Moses, so the people themselves can hear me when I speak with you. Then they will always trust you.”
Exodus 20:18-20 18 When the people heard the thunder and the loud blast of the ram’s horn, and when they saw the flashes of lightning and the smoke billowing from the mountain, they stood at a distance, trembling with fear. 19 And they said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen. But don’t let God speak directly to us, or we will die!”
Deuteronomy 18:15-16 Moses continued, “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him. 16 For this is what you yourselves requested of the Lord your God when you were assembled at Mount Sinai.[a] You said, ‘Don’t let us hear the voice of the Lord our God anymore or see this blazing fire, for we will die.’
How is our prayer time – Your victories are weak because your prayer life is weak
They knew the truth, yet they denied the power (for we don’t know what has become of this Moses, who brought us out of Egypt.) – What has become of this dude
2 Timothy 3:1-5 But know this, that in the last days [a]perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, [b]unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!
What had become of these Christianity?
They refused to listen and wanted to return to Egypt and when they couldn’t, they made idol worship
41 So they made an idol shaped like a calf, and they sacrificed to it and celebrated over this thing they had made
They made a calf and celebrated over the things they “had made”
Think about it – They are complaining about the way Moses had been leading them – that its way better to return to Egypt – but when they make a calf they didn’t t ask the calf to lead them – they celebrate over what they made
Most of the time we are not looking for solutions…we are looking at a way to justify our action/desires
We want to celebrate our victories, our own creation. They celebrated what they had created
What is that thing that you have made “that you celebrate over”
Success doesn’t equal blessing (Sunday Preaching)
The enemy masks himself as the angel of light- You may be doing very well – Yet all you are doing is celebrating on what you have created – Is God in it? Is it of God?
Vs. 42 “THEN” God turned away from them and abandoned them to serve the stars of heaven as their gods!
Then God turned away from them. – What a patient God we serve
He waited and hoped that they would change their motives, He turned away when they celebrated over the calf
This evening God is patient with you.
You have been asking to leave where He has you now and go back to your old ways – He is tagging on your heart
He saw you last night doing the thing you did, this morning, during you day as you interacted, he watched you as you drove here and His love didn’t change for you…
Yet a time is coming when He will turn His face away from you and send you to exile
Vs. 42- 43 In the book of the prophets it is written,
‘Was it to me you were bringing sacrifices and offerings during those forty years in the wilderness, Israel? No, you carried your pagan gods—the shrine of Molech, the star of your god Rephan, and the images you made to worship them. So I will send you into exile as far away as Babylon
“God turned away from them and abandoned them”
This is that moment of Elvis has left the building.
Remember, they were given gifts –
Exodus 3:21-22 And I will cause the Egyptians to look favorably on you. They will give you gifts when you go so you will not leave empty-handed. 22 Every Israelite woman will ask for articles of silver and gold and fine clothing from her Egyptian neighbors and from the foreign women in their houses. You will dress your sons and daughters with these, stripping the Egyptians of their wealth.”
God favored them when they left -But they used what they were given to create idols.
What have you been given and what are doing with it?
A time is coming when He will turn His face away from you and abandon you so that you can serve what you have created
And He will give you over to the thing that you created.
Bible says that they were hit with Plague.
You will not be able to worship when you have plague…signs and symptoms
If you heed to these words – You will realize that these are life giving words
Fire!!! Run!! Fight!!! – Sounds negative but if you are in danger, this are indeed life-giving words.
Theme – Warning!!!
Romans 2:5 But because you are stubborn and refuse to turn from your sin, you are storing up terrible punishment for yourself. For a day of anger is coming, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.
Numbers 14:11 The Lord said to Moses, “I have done great things for these people, and they still reject me by refusing to believe in my power. 12 So they will no longer be my people. I will destroy them, but I will make you the ancestor of a nation even stronger than theirs.”