Aaron's Instant Bull
Preaching
Shaking Wolves Out Of Cherry Trees
And 149 Other Sermon Ideas
Purpose Statement: No one relishes being blamed for or taking responsibility for sin.
One of the great stories of the Old Testament is found in Exodus 32:1-24 where Moses is on the mountain getting the Ten Commandments from God. His brother, Aaron, is down below being bullied by the crowd into giving them a new god to worship. "We don't know if Moses is ever coming back." Aaron creates a golden bull to appease their idolatry. When Moses finds out (and drops and breaks the commandments) and gets angry with Aaron, Aaron responds with another one-liner that ranks up there with the best humorous comments in scripture. He answers, "I put this gold in the fire and out comes this bull." Why, it almost makes God responsible, doesn't it? Here are some handy ways of avoiding responsibility for sin.
a. Sin happens. Whenever we are blamed for wrongdoing, we look around for a quick fix, someone or something else to take the responsibility. And we find it convenient to divert blame, for sin is happening all around us. It is common. Everyone is doing it.
b. Blame Eve. Try original sin. The claims of this doctrine are that you and I are born wicked. Because Eve sinned (some blame poor duped Adam), it was a sin for all time and for all people. Man (sic) fell and thus we are all born as sinners. I have never been comfortable with the concept of original sin. I believe it to be a faulty doctrine. No one sinned for me. I do all right by myself! I was not born a sinner or in a sinful state, nor was I born good or a saint. We were all born neutral with a clean slate and did not start to sin until we were old enough to know right from wrong. A baby's "selfishness" is not a sin. Eve did not start me on the road to ruin. The world is so filled with temptations that sin is easy. However, we bear sole responsibility for our wrongdoing.
c. Just get over it. There was a great move a few decades ago, and it may still be with us, to say guilt was silly. "We should stop feeling guilty and get on with our lives." This philosophy, emanating from the psychology department, disturbed me. "An analyst will help you find out what you are feeling guilty over, and then you need to forget it. Stop letting it get in your way." How convenient. How foolish. Guilt is a necessary part of God's creation. 1) It makes us knowledgeable of sin, discerning right from wrong. 2) It causes us to be responsible for insults, wrongs, mistakes, and hurts to others. 3) It is necessary to recognize or there will be no real change, growth, or maturity. This careless philosophy (psychology) of uncovering guilt and forgetting it eliminates the repentance step necessary for becoming a new person. It dispenses with apologies and righting wrongs done to others. It ignores reconciliation. There is no instant bull in our lives; we created it.
One of the great stories of the Old Testament is found in Exodus 32:1-24 where Moses is on the mountain getting the Ten Commandments from God. His brother, Aaron, is down below being bullied by the crowd into giving them a new god to worship. "We don't know if Moses is ever coming back." Aaron creates a golden bull to appease their idolatry. When Moses finds out (and drops and breaks the commandments) and gets angry with Aaron, Aaron responds with another one-liner that ranks up there with the best humorous comments in scripture. He answers, "I put this gold in the fire and out comes this bull." Why, it almost makes God responsible, doesn't it? Here are some handy ways of avoiding responsibility for sin.
a. Sin happens. Whenever we are blamed for wrongdoing, we look around for a quick fix, someone or something else to take the responsibility. And we find it convenient to divert blame, for sin is happening all around us. It is common. Everyone is doing it.
b. Blame Eve. Try original sin. The claims of this doctrine are that you and I are born wicked. Because Eve sinned (some blame poor duped Adam), it was a sin for all time and for all people. Man (sic) fell and thus we are all born as sinners. I have never been comfortable with the concept of original sin. I believe it to be a faulty doctrine. No one sinned for me. I do all right by myself! I was not born a sinner or in a sinful state, nor was I born good or a saint. We were all born neutral with a clean slate and did not start to sin until we were old enough to know right from wrong. A baby's "selfishness" is not a sin. Eve did not start me on the road to ruin. The world is so filled with temptations that sin is easy. However, we bear sole responsibility for our wrongdoing.
c. Just get over it. There was a great move a few decades ago, and it may still be with us, to say guilt was silly. "We should stop feeling guilty and get on with our lives." This philosophy, emanating from the psychology department, disturbed me. "An analyst will help you find out what you are feeling guilty over, and then you need to forget it. Stop letting it get in your way." How convenient. How foolish. Guilt is a necessary part of God's creation. 1) It makes us knowledgeable of sin, discerning right from wrong. 2) It causes us to be responsible for insults, wrongs, mistakes, and hurts to others. 3) It is necessary to recognize or there will be no real change, growth, or maturity. This careless philosophy (psychology) of uncovering guilt and forgetting it eliminates the repentance step necessary for becoming a new person. It dispenses with apologies and righting wrongs done to others. It ignores reconciliation. There is no instant bull in our lives; we created it.
