DO YOU HAVE A GOLDEN CALF AND WHAT DO YOU DO WITH IT?

March 31, 2014 else Sermons 2014 0

We can right away turn to Exodus chapter 32. The headline is called: The golden calf. Moses was on the mount of Sinai and received the Ten Commandments. He also received a lot of other instructions about sacrifices, how the tabernacle should be built and a lot of other rules and instructions. The people started mourning and thought that Moses was gone too long. They got impatient and gathered around the brother, Aron. The people wanted to make other gods and Aron agreed to make a golden calf. They collected gold and melted it and formed a golden calf. Aron built an altar in front of the calf and people sacrificed burnt offerings and peace offerings. The people sat down to eat and drink and then they played and danced around the golden calf. The Lord saw all this and He told Moses about it. He commanded Moses to get down from the mountain and to go to the people. The Lord called the people for a stiff-necked people and He said that He would consume them. Moses pleaded for his people and asked for God’s grace and God said that He would take back the words about consuming them. Moses left the mountains carrying two tablets written on both sides by the Lord Himself. When Moses came down, he heard the sound of shouting and dancing. He also saw the golden calf. Moses got so angry then that he broke the two tablets at the foot of the mountain. He then took the calf that they had made and burned it and made it into dust. Moses scolded his brother Aron. Moses punished them as well as cleansing the place. You may read the entire chapter.

You might have a difficult time understanding the headline since you never made a golden calf. Allow me to explain some points from this story. God had led the people out of Egypt and given them manna in the desert every day. The Lord had given clear instructions of how to worship Him They had experienced signs and wonder. The Lord spoke directly with Moses and Aron should take care of the people, but he wanted to be popular and listened more to the people than to the Lord. Aron molded an idol. The people were stiff-necked and unrestrained and Aron was a bad leader. He had no respect for the Lord and was disobedient to his brother and led the people into sin, a sin that had great consequences.

Do you have a calling on your life? Have you heard from the Lord, but think that it takes a long time? Do you think that you have heard wrongly or maybe you are making a substitution? I constantly hear people saying that the Lord has spoken, but if things do not happen right away, they say that the Lord has spoken and they constantly come up with new things that the Lord has spoken. They are presenting a God that is unstable and One Who constantly is changing His mind. The people are unstable and changing their mind, not God.

I believe that the golden calf is representing something that we worship or something that is more important than God in our lives. That is an idol.

The Bible is very radical when it says that we should leave everything, even our close family if necessary. I see people around me who have gotten several prophecies, but they are not able to follow these prophecies since they must be available for children and grandchildren at all times. We should really love our children and grandchildren, but they must not come before the words of the Lord. I really do not believe that we should leave small children, but I am now talking about adult ones. When the Lord has spoken and it confirms in our heart, we must obey. We cannot ask if we should obey, but ask where and when.

I have just experienced a church that got big problems because the main pastor changes his views. Many members had worshipped the pastor and followed him and ignored the fact that he changed his mind about his belief. He is faultless in their eyes. The pastor becomes a golden calf then. Many have dressed like him, talked like him, prayed like him and copied his good as well as his bad behavior. They have not done like the Bible says that we should: To go home and inquire into the Scripture. (Acts17:11) This particular pastor turned away from the Bible as the highest authority.

Many are those who worship saints, icons and statues of Mary, but the Lord says that we should not have any other gods. We read I 1.John 5:21 “Little children, keep yourselves from idols.” God calls idols for an abomination. We should honor Mary as the mother of Jesus and be thankful that she carried Jesus in her womb and gave birth to the most important person ever born, but we should not pray to her nor should we believe that she reveals herself at different places in the world. That smells of spiritualism. I know that people will disagree with me, but the Bible is so clear and it says that we should not worship anybody else than the Lord and the Bible is my highest authority. You can read Exodus 20:23-24 where God spoke to Moses saying that they should not make any gods of silver and gold. You can also read 1.Corinthians 10, verse 14-23. I have the headline: Idolatry. Paul says that we must flee from idolatry and describes that as worshipping demons.

Many are thinking of other religions when they hear about idolatry, but each and every one of us can have a golden calf. I mentioned children and grandchildren. Others pay more attention to friends than the Lord. They might be afraid and they might compromise with the Word of God in order to keep the friendship. If your friends can tolerate that you recite the Word of God, they are not really friends. I am not talking about discussions, but a proclamation of the truth being built on the Bible.

We read in Matthew 6:24 that we cannot serve two masters. We cannot serve God and mammon. Many have interpreted this to mean that we should not have much money, but it doesn’t say so. The kingdom of God needs a lot of money in order for God to fulfill all His plans, but we should not live for money. I have seen people working so hard that they have no time left for God. They might be driven by either fear or greed. Some people can’t give tithes to God since they think they must pay so many bills. Have you bought unnecessary things? Things can become a golden calf. It could be furniture, clothes or cars. Others must have expensive houses. None of these things are wrong, but if the Lord says that you should go on the mission field and you can’t because of things, it is wrong. We must not allow our own will to rule us instead of the will of the Lord. Pride can be such a golden calf. We might have made a mistake or sinned and it’s quite obvious for many, but we do not want to admit it in order to keep a façade. This is very wrong. I am worshipping my own self-image instead of the Lord then.

Others can’t forgive the sins of others. We worship our own self-righteousness then. Who are we to judge others? Read Matthew 18.21.

Some people have problems with addiction. It might be drugs, alcohol or sex. Many men are sitting in front of the computer watching pornography. Some people seriously want help to get out of these bad habits, but others find these things so important that they overshadow the will of the Lord. They become like golden calves then.

I have only mentioned a few examples of golden calves in our lives. My purpose is to examine your own life and see if you have any golden calves in your life. If you do, carry him out.

YOU AND THE HELPER CAN CARRY THE CALF OUT OF YOUR LIFE.

Mother Else

Golden calf