Exodus 32:1-19, 30-33                       Growing in Love                  November 13, 2005

     The national news released a story this week from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.  A number of football players are charged with sexual assault.  In late October, there was a wild drunken party held by the legally underage students at the university.  Around 2 AM the party was breaking up and one young woman very drunk became separated from her girl friends.  By agreement or coercion, she ended up at the room of one of the football players along with half a dozen or more of his friends.  She protested and even hit at the boys, but she was assaulted by all of them.

     It is a horrible story of human sin, stupid decisions, and criminal behavior.  We are rightly shocked to hear of such and the public is right to demand punishment.  When Moses came down the mountain with the Ten Commandments, his eyes were greeted by a similar sight.  A wild party in the camp of the Israelites.  God was furious, ready to destroy the people, and start a new plan with Moses alone.  But here in this chapter, we see in Moses an incredible act of love for his people.  He is ready to give himself up, his own life, for his people.  Moses has reached a full spiritual maturity.  We will see next week how Moses will receive his greatest reward.  What can we learn here?  Three things—1. We must always guard against taking God’s love for granted.  2. God’s love comes at a cost.  3. Growth in God’s love comes at a cost.

     First of all, we must all guard against taking God’s love for granted.  God is love.  That is the supreme message of the cross.  But this love is not a fluffy, sentimental love that can ignore all the evil of the world.  Let me ask you—If your small child were about to stick a screwdriver in an electric socket, would it be love to say, “Oh, isn’t that cute.  You just go ahead and have fun, Johnny.”  Or at a more horrendous level, would it be love to say of those football players in Tennessee, “Oh, boys will be boys and they were just having some fun.”  No. No.  We will hear none of that.  And we must see that God’s great unfathomable love is for the good of the whole universe.  And when evil threatens to harm the world God loves, then God will act to end that evil.  God’s love is a burning love.  A love that purifies and refines until all the dross and contaminates are gone and only gold remains. 

     What did Moses find when he came down the mountain?  This was a full pagan drunken orgy.  What happened in Chattanooga TN was happening here. God had rescued them from Egypt, but they had complained since the day they escaped.  They had rioted and threatened to kill Moses and go back to Egypt.  And now they have made an idol and launched a pagan celebration.  And God says to Moses, “I will put an end to this people.”  I want to say this with the deepest love I can.  When you and I run against the ways of God again and again, there will be a judgment.  Romans 6:23 says, “The payment for sin is death.”  I have seen in my ministry how sin has caused so much death.  Sin is the death of our plans, the death of careers, the death of family unity, the death of churches and communities and whole nations.  And if we will not turn back, if we continue to plunge off this cliff, there will be eternal death.

       Well, that is all bad news.  Where is some good news?  Well, there is good news.  Very good news.   God’s love can take away our sin.  But the second lesson for today is that God’s love comes at a great cost.  The Israelites were deep in sin, but Moses stepped forward to speak on behalf of the people.  He said that if God would spare the people, he himself, Moses, was willing to die for the people.  Moses understood a great truth.  There is a cost for sin.  Oh, I guarantee you in the next weeks, the lawyers for those ball players in Tennessee will ask that girl to just forget about what happened. It was all just a misunderstanding.  The university officials will want to sweep it all under the rug.  The athletic department will not want those boys to loose game time.  Everyone will conspire to ignore the huge black spot and not have to pay the cost.  But evil is real and it demands a cost.  Moses offered to pay that cost, but God said, “No.”  God said no because someday, in the person of Jesus Christ, God himself would pay the cost.  God in Christ has done for us what we could not do.  God in Christ has died for us.  He has died for you.  Here is our escape from evil.  Our escape is in Jesus Christ who paid the cost.

     We should never take God’s love for granted.  It comes at a great cost.  Finally, if you and I want to grow in God’s love then we too will pay a cost.  Moses took a huge step forward in his spiritual maturity on this day when he offered himself on behalf of his people.  Can you imagine?  Moses offered to die in place of the people.  In fact, he told God to remove his name from the book of life.  Eternal death in place of his people.  Saint Paul showed similar love for his Jewish brothers and sisters in Romans 9 when he says that he would wish himself cut off from God if only all his brothers and sisters would come to know Jesus Christ.

     Let me share some deep truth with you about spiritual maturity.  It comes at a great cost of love.  I John 3:16 says—“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.  We ought to lay down our lives for others.”  Probably none of us will ever literally give our life for another.  But what are we willing to give in love for others?  What loving sacrifice will you make for your family?  For your Church?  For your community?  You will never grow to full spiritual maturity until you offer yourself in love.  Churches never grow to all they can be until church members, and especially church leaders, give themselves away in love.  Do you know how a handful of families were able to build this new church facility and move here three years ago?  It was a sacrifice, a real giving, of time, energy, and money.  Most of you do not know that.  Not really.  But a few of you do know what was required and the price that was paid.  And how will we take the next step of growth in our church?  When will it happen?  It will again be by sacrificial love when a few people step forward and are ready to give themselves away.

    There is no mystery here.  Every great business company, every great political movement, every growing church, every life that is successful requires self giving.  There is no short cut.  Most people will never see or know the cost that is paid.  Many will even be jealous of the success.  But I promise you, someone paid a price to build that success.  Moses paid the price in giving himself to lead his people out of Egypt.  What are you going to pay?  Are you going to lay down your life?  You will never reach complete spiritual abundance without that final step. 

      Let me ask you—To what extent are you taking God’s love for granted by living your own self-centered life?  Have you received God’s great gift of love in the cross of Jesus Christ?  Finally, to what extent are you loving others as Christ loved you—your spouse, your children, your brothers and sisters in Christ?   Where are you this morning?  Still in sin?  Ready to receive God’s new life?  Ready to plunge all the way in and give your life away.  Jesus said, “The one who looses his life for me will gain real life.”  Come.  Come get some real life.  Amen.