WHO IS ON THE LORD'S SIDE?
My wife and I very rarely argue. I know, those that know me find that hard to believe! But it is true. Over the last 9 years of marriage, I have come to realize that she is right 99% of the time, and I have to accept that and say yes ma’am! BUT, there is one area that cause a lot of friction and disagreements in our marriage, and it happens when I pose this question—”What do you want to eat?”
That has caused many disagreements over the years, not just for us but a majority of couples around the world! Typically, it will end with me giving some options and having her choose between the two or three that I give her.
Throughout the Israelite history, and truthfully the history of humanity, we have been plagued by not being able to choose between God and this world. We want to be a hokey-pokey Christian, and keep one foot in the world, and the other in the church.
The reality is, if we do not make the choice, the choice will be made for us.
Moses in our text, is literally on the mountain receiving the commandments and instructions from the Lord. It was obviously a decent period of time as the people wondered where he had gone. Because of their growing weariness and impatience, they decided to worship false gods. And Aaron, who was supposed to be their leader, didn’t take a stand against this wrong, and made a golden calf as their “god” to worship.
Moses is told by God to go down to the camp and correct this issue. When Moses arrives at the camp of the people, and sees the false idol being worshipped and sung to, he became furious. He says to the people in Exodus 32:25-26
“Moses saw that the people were out of control, for Aaron had let them get out of control, making them a laughingstock to their enemies. And Moses stood at the camp’s entrance and said, “Whoever is for the Lord, come to me.” And all the Levites gathered around him.”
He had his moment, and a hard moment it is for a leader, to make the people choose between right and wrong. And this morning, I pose to you the same question, “Who is for the Lord?”
I believe being on the Lord’s side requires 3 things!
1. Intentional thought. We must make the decision in our minds to serve God and choose Him. I truly believe that the battles we face in life are either won or lost in the mind. That is why Paul tells us in Romans 12 to be transformed by renewing our mind! When was the last time you just thought about the Lord? His goodness. His grace. His power. His mercy. His salvation He freely gives to you. WE HAVE TO PURPOSEFULLY THINK of the Lord. If we don’t fill our minds with good, bad will eventually take over.
2. Insistent action. It is a good thing to think about the Lord, and to think about choosing Him. But thinking about it isn't good enough. We must act on it. We must make the choice to be on His side, and do everything we can to make that a reality. Will we mess up, yes! Will we choose the world over God at times, yes! But it shouldn’t be the marker of a follower of Christ, that they are doing things that they shouldn't.
My wife wouldn’t tolerate me just thinking about loving her. I must put that thought into action. I am thankful that God knows my thoughts and intentions. But, our thoughts and intentions MUST drive us to action!!
3. Important separation. Moses literally asked for those that were for the Lord to leave a certain place, and separate themselves from everyone else. That takes guts. We talk about peer pressure in the lives of teenagers, but imagine the peer pressure here that the Israelite people faced. When you and I decide that we are for the Lord and we will follow Him, we will have to separate from certain things, places, and even people. It is a tough decision, but one that is 100% worth it! What we “lose” when we chose Christ is not even comparable to what we “gain”.
Today, September 5, 2025, will you choose Christ? It’s a daily decision! It is also a case by case decision. You can choose the be on the Lord’s side at work, or at church. But, what about when you get home or around your friends? I get frustrated sometimes when we can’t decide where to go and what to eat for supper, and I know God gets frustrated, and disappointed, when we can’t choose between Him and this world!
WHO IS ON THE LORD’S SIDE?
Choose Christ today!