Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: It's awesome to have a youth band leading us in worship. So you guys get to see that we want to be a church that's known for multiplication. And so in order to do that and multiply the glory of God, we've got to continue to raise up leaders. And it's incredible just to get to see these students being raised up, using their skills, using their talents, honing those skills, honing those talents in order to
[00:00:22] Speaker B: lead us to worship.
[00:00:23] Speaker A: And so it's incredible. Thank you guys for doing that and the many that have invested in them. Incredible. Getting to see our youth, trusting in the Lord. And so just an awesome morning to celebrate. If you've got a Bible, you can turn to Exodus 35. So we continue just our journey through this story together. And one of the things that we see in the book of Exodus, just over and over, then the character of God is lifted up, and we get to see who God is and how he interacts with his people and what he does. And he defines himself. He describes himself as we saw last week, that he's a God that, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding,
[00:01:02] Speaker B: overflowing with steadfast love and faithfulness, but who's a holy and just God, and
[00:01:07] Speaker A: who will not clear the guilty. And so we get to see his character. And so as we jump into Exodus 35, one of the themes that we're going to see in this is generosity. It's one of the things that we want to be a church known for, that's. That's characterized by this idea of radical generosity. And so I just have a question for you, that in order to have a generous heart, what does someone need to believe? What does someone need to experience?
[00:01:38] Speaker B: What is it that fosters generosity in people?
[00:01:43] Speaker A: I think there's a few things. I think one is just perspective.
Like, in order to be a radically
[00:01:49] Speaker B: generous person, you have to have a
[00:01:51] Speaker A: perspective of the things which are yours and the things which you're a steward of.
I think in order to be a radically generous person, you have to have actually a lot of trust.
Trust not in yourself, but trust in a God who cares for you, a God who knows what's best for you.
You have to have faith that this God who knows you and cares for you is also able to meet your needs, is also able to hear your cries. In order to be radically generous, you have to be able to trust that he's gonna take care of you.
If you give away the things which you might could build your trust in if you Use your talents and your skills for the Lord rather than for yourself.
And so, as we think about this
[00:02:45] Speaker B: idea of this generosity,
[00:02:49] Speaker A: I would just
[00:02:50] Speaker B: love for us to take a minute and just kind of prepare our hearts for that.
[00:02:55] Speaker A: There's probably going to be a few times where I'll step on your toes
[00:02:59] Speaker B: because the Lord's been stepping on my toes.
But I want our hearts to be receptive to hear from the Lord, not
[00:03:07] Speaker A: to hear from me, not a preacher talking about money, but to really look
[00:03:11] Speaker B: at God's word and see what does it look like to be a generous people. Would you pray with me, Lord? I'm keenly aware of my own inability because of my own heart, Lord, which is so prone to greed, which is so prone to.
To motives which in one moment can be good and then switch so quickly, Lord, that my own heart is so prone to trusting in myself. And so, Lord, we ask this morning that by your spirit and through your word, Lord, that you would soften our heart, Lord.
[00:03:56] Speaker A: That you would be the heart surgeon
[00:03:58] Speaker B: that would go in and remove that which is bad, Lord, and that by your spirit you might fill us with a perspective, with trust, with faith, Lord, that we might be a people that are characterized by radical generosity because of the generosity which we've received from you, Lord. Would you, by your spirit, make us into those people, soften our hearts, give us ears to hear this morning we ask it in Jesus name. Amen.
Let's jump into our text.
[00:04:31] Speaker A: As this text unfolds, I think it's just helpful for us to remember that in this context, we've just left this incredibly devastating, tragic event where the people of God that are supposed to demonstrate the character of God to the people, they've just turned aside and worshiped an idol.
And they've worshiped, they've given this gold in order to build this golden calf.
And they've seen the futility of that and the devastation of that. And God has said, do you want the blessings of God or do you want God's presence? And the people have repented and they've turned and they say that they want his presence. And so God has called Moses back up on the mountain and he's given him this instruction. And so where we pick up in Exodus 35 is Moses coming back to the people to tell them what God has said. So let's look at verses 1 through
[00:05:26] Speaker B: 3 of Exodus chapter 35.
[00:05:29] Speaker A: It says this, that Moses assembled the
[00:05:32] Speaker B: congregation of the people of Israel, and
[00:05:33] Speaker A: he said to them, these are the things which the Lord commanded you to do. Now, that's going to be a theme. And so if you're a Bible writer, there's a. We're going to hear that phrase quite a bit. This is what God has commanded you. And so as Bible readers, when we see repetitive things, we ought to pay attention to those. Those give us hints into what's the. What's the point of this? That God is commanding the people, how to be his people, how to live as the people of God. And so what is it that he commands them?
Six days work you shall be done.
But on the seventh day, you shall have a Sabbath of solemn rest holy to the Lord.
Whoever does any work on it shall be put to death. Whoa, that got serious real quick, right?
You shall kindle no fire in your dwelling place on the Sabbath day. We're like, okay, so God's giving them instruction. And the first thing that we get is this instruction about six days of work and one day of rest or a Sabbath.
And what we learn from this is that God cares about the means.
[00:06:40] Speaker B: Okay?
[00:06:41] Speaker A: God cares about the means.
That the people of God are about to get this instruction, that they're to build the dwelling place of God. They're to build this tent, this elaborate tabernacle, they're to build this place, and God's presence is going to dwell with them.
And if that was the instruction that I was given as a leader, I'd be like, all right, we're gonna go on rotations. We're gonna work 24,7. We're gonna have some fires burning so that we can.
That we are going to get this thing done so that God's presence will dwell among us. And we're going to work nonstop.
[00:07:15] Speaker B: And God goes, no, the ends don't justify the means.
[00:07:22] Speaker A: God cares about the means. He cares about how the things which he has commanded are to be done.
I was building some garden boxes last year.
And the goal of building the garden boxes was not the garden boxes in and of themselves.
[00:07:40] Speaker B: I was building them with one of my children.
[00:07:43] Speaker A: Now, I could have way more efficiently built these garden boxes. Probably had it done in half the time.
But that wasn't the goal.
[00:07:53] Speaker B: The goal was to spend time with my kid.
[00:07:58] Speaker A: The means was a part of the end that I would spend time. And what we see here is that God has commanded the people that productivity and accomplishing all the tasks is not the end goal.
That obedience to him, his presence, dwelling
[00:08:20] Speaker B: with him is the goal.
[00:08:24] Speaker A: That we are reminded of the purpose of the Sabbath, that the Sabbath was not a day to kick Back and do nothing and watch football.
The Sabbath was a day that was
[00:08:36] Speaker B: to remind you that God meets your
[00:08:39] Speaker A: needs, to remind you that God is with you. It was a day to be reminded of the presence of God. Actually, during the Sabbath, there were things that they were to do.
It wasn't do nothing. It was to focus your effort and
[00:08:54] Speaker B: your time on the presence and relationship with God.
That the Sabbath was all about worshiping and remembering.
Remembering that God was with them.
See, if we get that mixed up, then productivity becomes our end and we will justify our means in order to get there.
But let me challenge you.
The work of God will never undermine obedience to God.
[00:09:28] Speaker A: If God has called you to do
[00:09:30] Speaker B: something, be a great boss, be a great employee, be a great husband, be a great wife.
[00:09:39] Speaker A: If God has called you to do
[00:09:41] Speaker B: something, the means to get there cannot undermine obedience.
God cares about the means, not just the end. When we begin to justify our means, we begin to walk in sin. And there is no justification for disobedience. We see that clearly in this text.
[00:10:02] Speaker A: Right at the beginning, God clearly says
[00:10:05] Speaker B: there is no justification for disobedience to what I've called you to.
Even if you think the ends justify the means, they don't. Let's move on to the second point. The second point that we see here is that God cares about our heart. He cares about the means, but he also cares about our heart.
[00:10:22] Speaker A: From verse 4 to 29 we see this that let's pay close attention to the heart as we read this. Verse 4. Moses said, all the congregation of the people of Israel, this is the thing that the Lord has commanded. Sound familiar? This is the second time he said
[00:10:38] Speaker B: that take from among you a contribution to the Lord.
[00:10:42] Speaker A: Whoever is of a generous heart, let him bring the Lord's contribution. Gold, silver, bronze, purple, blue and purple and scarlet yarn, fine twilled linen, goat's hair, tanned ram skins, goat skins, acacia wood, oil for the light spices for anointing oil and for the fragrant incense, onyx stones and stones for setting the ephod and for the breastplace. What has God just said? He said, here's the command. You should bring an offering of all the things which I have commanded you to bring. There's a sub point here that if God calls us to it, he resources us for it. That what God calls you to obey, he gives you the ability to obey. And so he's calling them to bring a contribution to the Lord. Whoever is of a generous heart, that it's all about the heart.
Look at verse 10 let every skilled craftsman among you come and make all
[00:11:38] Speaker B: that the Lord has commanded, that there's
[00:11:41] Speaker A: a generosity of heart in resources, but then there's also a generosity of heart of skill for the people. But jump down to verse 20.
And then all the congregation of the
[00:11:55] Speaker B: people of Israel departed from the presence of Moses after he gave them this instruction. And let's look at how they respond.
And they came.
They came.
[00:12:06] Speaker A: Everyone.
Everyone whose heart stirred him. That it again is about the heart, that this is an offering that's coming
[00:12:16] Speaker B: out of a heart of generosity.
[00:12:19] Speaker A: Their heart stirred them and everyone whose spirit moved him. And they brought the Lord's contribution to
[00:12:24] Speaker B: be used for the tent of meeting
[00:12:27] Speaker A: and for all the services and for the holy garments.
So they came, both men and women. This wasn't a gender specific thing.
This is everyone, all who were of a willing heart. This isn't out of guilt, this isn't out of compulsion. This is out of a willing heart. They brought the brooches and earrings and signet rings and armlets and all sorts of gold objects. Every man dedicating an offering of gold to the Lord. Now, it's really interesting if you just think about, let's track this gold.
[00:12:58] Speaker B: If we start all the way back at the beginning.
[00:13:00] Speaker A: The people of Israel are in captivity in Egypt.
And God promises them. He says, when you leave Egypt, you will plunder Egypt. You will take its gold, its silver and its bronze, because I am the
[00:13:15] Speaker B: Lord and I will bring you out with my mighty right hand.
[00:13:18] Speaker A: So God tells them, I'm going to give you this.
[00:13:22] Speaker B: We move forward.
[00:13:24] Speaker A: Moses goes up on the mountain. He's gone for 40 days. The people wearing all this gold and jewelry and stuff like that. Then they go to Aaron and they say, aaron, Moses is gone.
Will you make us a God that we can worship? Aaron responds to them and he says, take off your gold and jewelry and
[00:13:44] Speaker B: give it to me.
He says, he just tossed it into
[00:13:47] Speaker A: the fire and out popped this calf.
[00:13:48] Speaker B: We know that's not exactly true, that he fashioned this thing in response to
[00:13:53] Speaker A: that, in response to the gold which God had given them. They use it for wrong purposes. Moses comes back down the mountain. It's God's judgment on the people. He burns the calf, he crushes it up, he puts it in their water. They drink this judgment.
[00:14:09] Speaker B: There's consequences to their sin.
God then responds and says, hey, now,
[00:14:15] Speaker A: take off all the jewelry so that
[00:14:18] Speaker B: I can see your heart.
[00:14:20] Speaker A: He says, don't wear the armlets and the earrings and the necklaces. Take that stuff off So I can see, do you worship this gold or
[00:14:29] Speaker B: do you worship me?
So the people, they responded, they repented. They took off all the jewelry. God saw their heart. Now we get to this place where God says, bring it back to me in worship.
[00:14:43] Speaker A: What God had given to them, they now give back to him in worship.
That this is the journey. It's not about the gold. The gold's not the problem.
[00:14:53] Speaker B: The heart was the problem.
And when their heart is in the right place, they offer up what God had given to them back to him in worship.
[00:15:02] Speaker A: Look at where it continues. Verse 23.
Everyone who possessed the blue or the purple or scarlet yarns, or fine linen or goat's hair, or tanned ram skins or goat skins, they brought them. So they're bringing all of this stuff.
Everyone who could make a contribution of silver or bronze brought it to the Lord's contribution.
And everyone who possessed acacia wood of any use in the work brought it. And every skillful woman spun her hands and they brought what they had spun in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twilled linen. Some people were like, I don't have anything, but I'll make it because I
[00:15:39] Speaker B: want to be a part of what God's doing.
[00:15:42] Speaker A: All the women whose heart stirred them to use their skill, they spun goat's hair. And the leaders, they brought onyx stones and stones to be set for the ephod and for the breastpiece and spices, for oil, for the light and the anointing oil, and for the fragrant incense.
All the men and women, the people of Israel, whose heart moved them in bringing anything for the work that the
[00:16:07] Speaker B: Lord had commanded by Moses to be done, brought it as a freewill offering to the Lord.
[00:16:16] Speaker A: It's a response of a generous heart that God cares about the heart and the heart that overflows.
[00:16:24] Speaker B: Because God is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
[00:16:32] Speaker A: This is all about a generous heart. Verse 5 says it. Verse 21 says it. Verse 22 says it. Verse 29 says it.
That what produces a generous heart is
[00:16:47] Speaker B: that it's a response to what God has done.
Now this is where we can jump forward to the gospel, where we see
[00:16:56] Speaker A: that God has provided what none of us could provide, that God did what none of us could do in accomplishing paying the penalty of sin. That he sent Jesus Christ on the cross, not because he owed us, not because we could pay him back, not because we were a great deal, not because we had put him in our debt. No, simply because he loves us.
[00:17:24] Speaker B: And so what is the heart's response to that?
It should be radical generosity.
God, you've given so much to me, now let me give it back to you.
It's a response.
See, we get an insight into this also because Jesus tells a story in Mark, chapter 12.
He's with his disciples and he goes to the temple. And he's sitting in the temple, and he's sitting by where people would bring their offering.
[00:17:59] Speaker A: And he sees these people with incredible wealth bringing their offerings, and they're dropping in these large coins or large sums of money into the pot, and they're bringing out of their abundance.
[00:18:13] Speaker B: Jesus is watching this, and then he sees this poor widow. That's how she's defined this poor widow.
[00:18:23] Speaker A: And he sees her come up and she drops in what's called a widow's mite. It's a copper coin. It's really like a penny. You know, we stop producing those because
[00:18:32] Speaker B: they're not worth anything, right?
[00:18:34] Speaker A: Like that.
She drops in less than a penny.
[00:18:41] Speaker B: And Jesus goes, now, that's what I'm talking about.
And we go, what?
What does that matter? You can't buy anything with that.
[00:18:50] Speaker A: Like, you can't buy anything with a penny.
Why does that matter? And Jesus says, because she didn't give
[00:18:56] Speaker B: out of the abundance. She gave everything.
There's a generosity of heart that she
[00:19:03] Speaker A: gave because of what she had experienced in the generosity of God.
[00:19:07] Speaker B: And it was glorious.
[00:19:09] Speaker A: Just imagine with me, you got this person sitting by their tent, and they've heard what Moses said, they've heard what God has commanded, and they're sitting there. But they don't have a generous heart. They have a greedy heart. So they're sitting outside their tent and they're just watching all these people just take all this gold and silver and bronze and this expensive fabric and this expensive yarn. And they're sitting there kind of crotchety. They're just like, I don't know why they're doing that.
Yeah, they're probably going to come to me with needs later, giving away everything they've got. Don't they know that they should be saving that so that they have something to depend on in retirement sitting there?
[00:19:49] Speaker B: Just, yeah, they should give because they have more than me. But I'm okay in not giving because, I mean, God's gonna take care of it. He's given all those rich people wealth to give.
[00:20:02] Speaker A: But me, I don't have much.
[00:20:06] Speaker B: Do you see the heart?
[00:20:09] Speaker A: The heart that would not respond in
[00:20:12] Speaker B: generosity of what can I give because of What I've been given but that turns to greed what can I keep because it's what I love?
The heart reveals our affections.
What do you long for?
What do you hold onto?
[00:20:36] Speaker A: What has the Lord lavished upon you
[00:20:40] Speaker B: which you view as an owner rather than a steward?
See, just like the gold which God gave to Egypt, God gave it to him.
[00:20:51] Speaker A: Many of us begin to justify and go, well, I went to school and I studied hard and I worked hard to get that job. And I can justify why I can keep what I earned.
[00:21:08] Speaker B: And God goes, I gave you the mind, I gave you the breath in your lungs, I gave you the opportunities. I put all those things together not in order that you would be satisfied in those, but in order that you might give it back to me in worship out of a generous heart, not out of guilt and compulsion, but out of generosity.
The third thing that we see in this text is exactly that, that God's blessings are given back to him in worship. Look at verse 30 to 35 says,
[00:21:44] Speaker A: Then Moses said to the people of Israel, see, the Lord has called by name Beelzaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. And he has filled him with the spirit of God. Look at this. God specifically grants talents
[00:22:02] Speaker B: in order to be used in worship to him.
[00:22:06] Speaker A: God gave this man Beelzaleel skills and talents. Not just resources, but skills and talents. Look at this. That God's spirit put in him with skill, with intelligence, with knowledge, with all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold and silver, in bronze, in cutting stones, for setting, in carving wood, for the work, in every skilled craft he's inspired him to teach.
Both him and Oholab the son of Ashmeath of the tribe of Dan. He has filled them with skill to do every sort of work done by an engraver or by a designer or by an embroiderer, in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twilled linens, or by the weaver, by any sort of workman or skilled designer. God put an incredible skill set in this person.
Not so that they could be like, I'm the top of the my field, but in order that they might use
[00:23:03] Speaker B: that for the glory of God, in
[00:23:06] Speaker A: order that they might use that to help others fulfill the skill which God has called them to do.
[00:23:14] Speaker B: How do you steward your talents?
[00:23:20] Speaker A: Some of y' all are top of your field.
Some of y' all are incredible with people. And in the field of work which you work in, you're not in ministry.
[00:23:34] Speaker B: Yeah, you are.
God has given you a skill set in order that you might give it back to him, to the glory of God.
I love it.
[00:23:47] Speaker A: What was the purpose of these people? They gave their resources and they gave their talents in order that they might build a place which would demonstrate the glory of God to the watching world.
[00:23:58] Speaker B: Catch this.
[00:24:00] Speaker A: God has put in us his spirit, and he's given you talents and resources so that you would be the temple of the living God in order that all people would see the glory of God through you.
Be the best at your craft to
[00:24:17] Speaker B: the glory of God.
Not to your own glory, but to his steward.
[00:24:22] Speaker A: All your resources for the glory of God.
He's given them to you.
[00:24:28] Speaker B: Give them back to him.
We're stewards, not owners.
Oh. That we would be a radically generous people because we've experienced the radical generosity of God.
Makes me think of the rich young ruler.
He comes up to Jesus and he says, what must I do to enter the kingdom of heaven? Jesus tells him, like, keep all the law, which was really just a way of revealing his heart. He says, I've done all of that. Jesus then tells him, go sell all that you have and come follow me.
[00:25:02] Speaker A: But he also says in that, go sell all that you have and store up treasures in heaven where moth and rust won't destroy you. See, he says, give back the little bit that God has bestowed on you, and you get the wealth of heaven.
[00:25:19] Speaker B: And the rich young ruler, he walks away sad that day because he loved what he had.
When you have the God who owns
[00:25:27] Speaker A: it all, who says, get rid of
[00:25:31] Speaker B: that little stuff that you might experience all of this.
It's about our heart.
It's about our heart that we get to give the blessings God gives to us back to him in worship.
This text ends with the people responding to the grace that God has shown them and the mercy that God has shown them.
[00:25:59] Speaker A: It says in the beginning of 36 that Moses then tells all the people to bring the contributions to Oholab and Beelzeil. And so the people bring an offering,
[00:26:10] Speaker B: and they've got all this gold and
[00:26:11] Speaker A: silver and bronze and all these things that are needed to build the tabernacle. And so then the people, the next morning, they bring more. They're like, oh, I can give more.
They bring more.
And each one keeps bringing and keeps bringing and keeps bringing and keeps bringing.
Bezalel and Ohab, they finally go back to Moses, and they're like, moses, look,
[00:26:31] Speaker B: we gotta tell the people to stop.
[00:26:34] Speaker A: Like, they're being radically generous, and they've Given too much, we have plenty.
And we just see
[00:26:45] Speaker B: that a heart that understands the generosity of God overflows in generosity back.
That the people had to be told, it's enough, that's enough.
Let me just give you three questions to help discern your heart.
[00:27:12] Speaker A: If God were to ask you these
[00:27:13] Speaker B: questions, how would you respond?
[00:27:18] Speaker A: Now remember, the giving is not out of guilt.
The giving is not to manipulate God. So I'll give this so that God will. Will be good, or God will love me more, or that God would do something.
If you're there, then you've missed it.
The giving is a response to what
[00:27:39] Speaker B: God has already given. That you're already loved, that you're already accepted, that you're already forgiven, that you're already his.
And then out of a response of that, you give.
Here's the first question.
If God were to ask you, what have I given to you that you could give back to me in worship?
[00:28:04] Speaker A: How would you respond if God were to ask you, what have I given to you that you could give back
[00:28:09] Speaker B: to me in worship?
[00:28:11] Speaker A: I think that puts us in a different perspective. Not what can I give, but.
Or what does God expect me to give?
[00:28:19] Speaker B: But the question goes like, well, he's given it all to me so I
[00:28:26] Speaker A: could give it all back.
[00:28:28] Speaker B: Ah, that puts our heart in the right posture. It's all his.
[00:28:34] Speaker A: He's given it to us.
[00:28:35] Speaker B: The mind, the opportunities, the skills, the resources, they're all his.
Then the question becomes, God, what do you want me to keep? Not what do you want me to give?
Question number two.
If God were to ask you, is
[00:28:58] Speaker A: your giving motivated out of guilt, or
[00:29:01] Speaker B: is your giving motivated out of grace?
[00:29:06] Speaker A: If it's supposed to be in worship to him, then doing that begrudgingly, is it really worship?
[00:29:15] Speaker B: I guess I've got to give this to you so that you don't punish me, right?
[00:29:19] Speaker A: Like, that's not it.
Is your giving motivated out of guilt or is it motivated out of grace?
Spend time reflecting and being reminded of the grace which God has bestowed upon
[00:29:31] Speaker B: us in Jesus Christ, that our heart might sing and generosity back to Him.
Number three, curl up your toes.
God's been stepping all over mine.
Is God getting my leftovers or my best?
If God were to say, in what you give me, is that your best or is that just what's left over.
In your time with him.
Sitting in his word, sitting in his presence?
Well, I've got five minutes left in the day. I guess I'll give that to God.
Or do you go, God, here's my best.
I'm giving it to you first.
Well, at the end of the month, this is what I've got left over. So this is what I can give.
Or you go, God, you're worthy of it all.
I'm giving it to you first.
Your talents and your skills.
Do you give the approval of people
[00:30:56] Speaker A: your best
[00:30:58] Speaker B: so that they'll love you?
Or do you give the one who has bestowed forgiveness and grace and mercy and love and steadfastness, do you give him your best in response to what he's given you?
Do you give him your best or do you give him what's left over?
He's worthy of our best.
And when we'll live that way, we will look like a radically generous people and God will be glorified. Let's pray.
Lord, our heart is desperately wicked.
Lord, we need your spirit in us.
[00:31:55] Speaker A: That we might be a generous people.
Lord, that we might think deeply, that we might spend regular times of rhythm, of just reflecting
[00:32:11] Speaker B: on who you are.
[00:32:13] Speaker A: Your holiness, what you've done in our life, your grace, your mercy, your steadfastness, your forgiveness.
Lord, that we would spend regular rhythms in our life remembering what you've done for us, that that might be our motivation
[00:32:33] Speaker B: of generosity, of giving back to you what you've given to us.
[00:32:38] Speaker A: Lord, as a church, we want to be a radically generous people.
That you would be glorified through it, that our friends, our neighbors, our city, that the nations might know you and know your generosity because they see it in us.
Lord, would you give us opportunities?
Would you lead us and guide us as a church into what that looks like? Would you lead us and guide us by your spirit, each individually, that we might steward our resources and our talents for you?
[00:33:16] Speaker B: Lord, we ask it all in Jesus name. Amen.
