Sin and Mediation

Intro and Recap

Exodus 19:1-9 > 20-24 (Law) > 25-40 (Tabernacle)

Exodus 32 - 33

Becoming What You Worship: Israel - Golden Calf (32:1-10)

• Breaking Promises and Rewriting History (32:1-6)

 

Becoming What You Worship: Moses - YHWH (32:11-33:33)

• Keeping Promises and Remembering History (32:11-14)

1. Blessing and Judgment (32:15-29)

2. Solidarity with Sinners (32:30-32)

3. Starting Over (33:12-33)

 

New Covenant: Becoming What We Worship 

• Christ: Greater than Moses - Hebrews 3:1-3

• Church: God's Chosen Mediators - 1 Peter 2:9-10

Their Story ... Our Story

• Israel chooses its own mediator and becomes like it. Though Moses is God's chosen mediator and is like him in many ways, even he is unable to bring about the fullness of God's purposes for his people.

• Christ is God's true representative and mediator standing between God, a rebellious people, and a fallen world, bringing judgment and blessing through his death and resurrection. As those who are united to Christ, we live by his Spirit as a distinct people, mediating God's purposes in the world through joyful obedience, evangelism, and service. 

Community Meditation

Growing in Knowledge

• Describe Israel's sin with the golden calf (Exodus 32:1) by relating to the first two commandments (Exodus 20:1-6)

• How is Moses' mediation similar and different than Christ's? Consult Exodus 32:30-34, Numbers 20:10, 2 Corinthians 3:12-18, Hebrews 3:1-3, among other texts.

Feeling Life Deeply 

• For better or worse, where do we see ourselves "becoming what we worship?" Relationships? Success? Comfort? Christ?

• When is the last time that we gave considerable reflection to the specific ways that God's forgiveness is mediated to us through Christ? 

Living with Courage

• Discuss how our missional community (MC) are / are not being God's gospel mediators. Are we reflecting God's character and purposes by a) growing in truth, b) loving one another, c) seeking God so that people may come to know Christ, d) sharing the gospel, e) serving our city, etc. Hold each other accountable to making changes in these areas.