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• Moses' absence on the mountain created a frightened impatience in the people.
• God's presence seemed withdrawn from them, and so in response, they turned their attachment to something else.
• We often believe that Christians aren't supposed to have idols, and so we ignore or try to hide the idols that we have.
• Exodus is very clear in chapter 32 that it was God's people, and not pagans, that had a golden calf.

• First, an idol often reflects the culture that you live in.
  -You can generally find these idols by answering the question, What is it that the non-Christ followers in my culture worship?
  -We turn to the familiar to fill our needs, and that makes it an idol.
  
• Second, there is a repetitive nature to it.
  - We're driven back to this thing over and over again; it's addictive.
  - Ortberg's father was an alcoholic, and though he said he could quit any time, he was driven by the repetitive nature of this thing that had become an idol to him.
  
• Thirdly, it obscures and it competes with who God is.
  - We can be quick to turn our attention away from God and onto something else.
  - Scripture: Matthew 6:22-24
  - When I turn my attention to an idol and I give it the very best of who I am, that tells me that it is obscuring and competing with my relationship with God
  - Scripture: Ezekiel 16
  
• Fourth, it will be surrounded by rationalizations and excuses.

- Exodus 31: 22, 24: When Moses confronted Aaron, he made excuses and rationalizations for his actions.

• The god of materialism, or finding security in things.
  - The poor and the wealthy alike get caught up in the idol of materialism.
  - Every day, in many different ways, we are bombarded with the need to buy things.
  - At the top of our money is written In God we trust, because it is when we have money in our hands that we are most tempted not to trust in God.
  - Illustration: Ortberg's friends let their new house consume them.
• The god of winning or success.
  - Loren Shanks book, The Hunger for More, says that the bottom line is: More is never enough.
  - When we bow before success, we often worship others who have succeeded; not only in the celebrity cult the world has created—but in the church, too.
• The god of self, body, or "me."
  - This idol can take on a variety of different forms—comfort or leisure seeking, preoccupation with outward appearance—but it is always about me.
• The god of relationships.
  - There is another person in your life, real or imagined, to which you give an inordinate amount of your time, thought, energy, and attention.
  - Even in the most satisfying martial relationship, we still ought to hunger deeply for God.
  - Illustration: C.S. Lewis' comparison between a strip tease and plate of food being revealed to an audience.
  - Illustration: Ortberg's cousin was convicted to get out of his romantic relationship and make God his first priority.
  
• The god of religion.
  - Jesus accused the Pharisees of this idolatry; their need to be affirmed, accepted, and valued was more important than being transformed.
  - The dependency on the religious practice removes the need for dependence on God.

• In Exodus 32, the antidote was incredibly fast and severe.
• 1 Corinthians 10:13 tells us that it's not the idol that has a grip on us, but it is our grip on the idol that needs to be loosened.
• The first antidote is: don't allow the altar to be built.
  - When the first bricks are being set, you need to run somebody that knows you that is a Christ follower that will help you to flee from it.
• Second, begin to do whatever it takes to replace that idol with God.
  - Illustration: The song Turn Your Eyes upon Jesus tells us to look to Jesus and let the earthly things fade away.
  - Oftentimes idols take root in our lives simply because we forget; Christian community is a place where others can remind us of God's unfailing love and presence.
• The final antidote is forgiveness and cleansing.

• This story is told often in Scripture, to remind those of us who follow Christ that we, too, are in danger of idolatry.