A Recipe To Ruin A Faithful Church?

Text: Exodus 32:1-20

In the name of Jesus.  Amen.

Let me give you a recipe for ruining a faithful church.  Yes, let me give you a recipe on how to ruin a faithful church. 

First, you will need a bunch of parishioners who are either bored with Christian theology or overcome by fear. It really doesn’t matter if they are bored or fearful, though, as long as they are willing to let go of the Word of God.  You know what I am talking about; you will need parishioners who don’t take theology, truth, or God’s good doctrine too seriously or will let go of these things in times of great fear.  You will need parishioners who are more interested in positive feelings, comfort, spiritual excitement, or ensuring everyone in a church is happy.  

Second, you will need a handful of parishioners who are very familiar and attracted to the pagan ways of the world.  You know what I am talking about: parishioners who already dabble in the popular spiritual trends and social themes of culture.  Yes, you will need a handful of parishioners who either have not left their former pagan ways or parishioners who have been exploring various forms of worldly spirituality – the kind of spiritual books on the New York Times Best Seller List or the kind of spirituality that the most recent movie star has been promoting on TikTok.  

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, you will need a weak-willed pastor to ruin a faithful church.  Now, please hear me clearly.  You actually do not need a heretical pastor, just a weak-willed pastor.  You know what I am talking about: a pastor who is gentle and sincere with an unwavering love for God and his congregation.  A pastor who faithfully preaches the Word each week; however, when he notices troubling trends in the church, he hesitates to address them clearly and directly.  Instead, he will passively drop hints of his disapproval or drag his feet rather than take firm action.  In the end, instead of speaking with clarity, he will leave his church in a state of uncertainty, allowing harmful practices and ideas to gain a foothold.  

And so, let’s review.  To ruin a faithful church, all you need is:

1) Parishioners who are either bored with sound doctrine or parishioners who will let go of sound doctrine in the face of trials. 

2) Several parishioners, who are well-versed and infatuated with worldly ways of spirituality. 

3) A weak-willed pastor who will drag his feet rather than take firm action.  

And so, a faithful congregation can be ruined with these three ingredients and a little bit of time.  

How can we be so sure, though?

Well, this is precisely what happened to the Israelites in our Old Testament reading from Exodus 32.    

In Exodus 32, the people of Israel had given up all hope regarding the leadership of Moses.  And, as we heard, many Israelites were familiar with the ox-worship of the Egyptians.  And finally, Aaron, certainly did not willingly promote the creation of the golden calf, but at the same time, Aaron did not put his foot down.  He allowed the people – who were functioning like a mob – to have their way.  Long story short, Aaron told them that if they wanted a golden calf, they would have to use the jewels worn on their body.  However, they called Aaron’s bluff, and the rest is all history – they gave themselves into a religious orgy of drinking, dancing, and naked partying before an Egyptian idol.  

Now, there is a very important detail that we must understand.  The Israelites did not necessarily reject God almighty.  That is to say; they created the golden calf right alongside God almighty.  And so, they mixed forbidden idolatry with the worship of God.  They mixed Truth and error. Again, this is how faithfulness is ruined: people doubt God’s promises, they turn to idolatry, and the leader does nothing to stop them – they mix Light and darkness.

So, how was this fixed?  Well, the Lord God had a very easy solution – they should be destroyed.  Now, that may sound a bit too excessive.  However, it really is not.  You see, the Lord God has never reacted lightly to the breaking of the First and Second Commandments.  False doctrine is not a laughing matter or something minor that only overly strict pastors get worked up over.  False doctrine mingled into a church is serious because false doctrine can lead a church to eternal death.  

Dear friends, please do not take this lightly.  Please let the story of Israel and the golden calf be a warning to you and me.  Let this story of Israel and the golden calf help you and me discern how easy it is for a church to be ruined and how easy it is for parishioners and pastors to stray down this dreadful path of ruin.  

So, considering all of this, whatever happened to Israel?  Were they destroyed?  

As we heard in our Old Testament reading, Israel was ripe for destruction – deserving to be wiped off the face of the earth for idolatry.  However, Moses interceded.  Yes, Moses arrived on the scene and showed himself as an advocate for the people of Israel.  Moses saw the calf and the people, and his anger flared, leading him to smash down the Ten Commandment tablets into pieces.  He then did what the weak-willed Aaron failed to do: he took the calf that they had made, melted it down with fire, and then ground it into powder and made them drink the idol so that the pathetic idol would pass through their bowels and come out as feces.  Yes, you heard that correctly, Moses destroyed the golden calf and reduced it to poo.  

But this is not all that Moses did.  He also cleaved to the sinful people and pleaded on their behalf for mercy before the anger of the Lord. Instead of throwing the people under the bus (which they deserved), Moses appealed to the Lord God for mercy.  And then, in chapter 32, verse 32, Moses said, 

“If you will not forgive their sins, erase me out of the book you’ve written.” (paraphrased)

I do not think we realize how profound this statement is.  Moses is saying to God almighty that he is willing to stake his own life for the deliverance of his people.  Moses said that if the Lord God would not forgive the Israelites, he would be willing not to live before God.  Do not let the weight of this pass by: even after Moses was wronged, after the Israelites had sinned so greatly, and after Aaron had failed the people, Moses was devoted unto death to his people.  

And so, right there with Moses, we see a picture of Christ. Yes, this is what Christ does for you and me.  

Please listen!    

Like Israel, we consistently fail in our thoughts, words, and deeds.  We confess this every Sunday – that we have not only broken the First and Second Commandments but all the rest, too.  Like the Israelites, we get bored with the sound doctrine of the Word of God.  We are often tempted to want to follow the spiritual fads of the day.  And your pastors, we fail because we often want to be liked and favored rather than put a foot down.  And despite all of this, the Lord God does not unleash His temper by burning this church to the ground and consuming us with His wrath.  Our sins are not even ground down and placed into a cup to drink.  But instead, Jesus advocates for you and me before the Father – declaring that He has cleaved to you as a sinner, died for you as a sinner, rose for you as a sinner, so that you might not perish but have everlasting life.  Your Jesus did not just offer to have His name blotted out but was blotted out on the cross for you, so that you may be His very own.  And instead of drinking down our idols unto defecation, we drink everlasting life unto salvation.  Like Moses, Jesus does not seek His own interests but binds Himself to you and me – to all sinners – with His divine charity, mercy, and love.  He cleaves to you more than Moses clung to Israel, because, in the end, your idols are damned, your sins need to be forgiven, and your faith needs to be sustained and strengthened.  

As your Christ, He is faithful when you and I are unfaithful; He is alive when our idols are dead and He advocates for us when we certainly do not deserve it.  And for that, we show Him Godly fear, love, and trust.  

In the name of Jesus. Amen.