WEBVTT 00:00:00.580 --> 00:00:01.540 Well, good morning, church. 00:00:03.560 --> 00:00:06.160 Would you turn with me to Exodus, chapter 35? 00:00:07.400 --> 00:00:09.259 That's page 75 in the Pew Bible. 00:00:12.679 --> 00:00:18.500 If you've been with us this summer, you'll remember that a few weeks ago we studied the plans that God gave Moses for what's called the tabernacle. 00:00:19.080 --> 00:00:26.600 The tabernacle was meant to be a portable tent, a portable worship site, really, where God would dwell in the midst of his people. 00:00:26.600 --> 00:00:40.320 And after the detour of the golden calf episode in chapters 32 through 34, we finally come in the story of Exodus to the construction of those plans, to the building of the tabernacle. 00:00:40.480 --> 00:00:46.880 So we're going to pick up that story in Exodus, chapter 35, verse 4. 00:00:48.079 --> 00:00:49.200 Let me read this for us. 00:00:49.200 --> 00:00:55.140 Moses said to all the congregation of the people of Israel, 00:00:55.660 --> 00:00:58.460 This is the thing that the Lord has commanded. 00:00:59.359 --> 00:01:02.120 Take from among you a contribution to the Lord. 00:01:03.240 --> 00:01:06.640 Whoever is of a generous heart, let him bring the Lord's contribution. 00:01:07.140 --> 00:01:08.640 Gold, silver, and bronze. 00:01:09.480 --> 00:01:12.060 Blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twisted linen. 00:01:12.760 --> 00:01:15.219 Goat's hair, tanned ram skins and goat skins. 00:01:15.219 --> 00:01:19.959 Acacia wood, oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense. 00:01:20.739 --> 00:01:23.980 And onyx stones and stones for setting, for the ephod, for the breastpiece. 00:01:25.640 --> 00:01:30.420 Let every skillful craftsman among you come and make all that the Lord has commanded. 00:01:31.280 --> 00:01:36.480 The tabernacle, its tent and its covering, its hooks and its frames, its bars, its pillars and its bases. 00:01:37.000 --> 00:01:41.140 The ark with its poles, the mercy seat and the veil of the screen. 00:01:41.140 --> 00:01:44.900 The table with its poles and all its utensils and the bread of the presence. 00:01:45.599 --> 00:01:49.780 The lamp stand also for the light with its utensils and its lamps and the oil for the light. 00:01:50.280 --> 00:01:53.680 And the altar of incense with its poles and the anointing oil and the fragrant incense 00:01:53.680 --> 00:01:55.799 and the screen for the door at the door of the tabernacle. 00:01:56.680 --> 00:02:00.840 The altar of burnt offering with its grating of bronze, its poles and all its utensils. 00:02:01.500 --> 00:02:02.799 The basin and its stand. 00:02:03.299 --> 00:02:07.140 The hangings of the court, its pillars and its bases and the screen for the gate of the court. 00:02:07.659 --> 00:02:10.520 The pegs of the tabernacle and the pegs of the court and their cords. 00:02:10.520 --> 00:02:15.840 the finely worked garments for ministering in the holy place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, 00:02:16.300 --> 00:02:19.320 and the garments of his sons for their service as priests. 00:02:21.740 --> 00:02:27.680 Well, we'll stop there. It must have seemed like a daunting task. 00:02:30.000 --> 00:02:38.840 In July of 1669, the architect Christopher Wren was commissioned to rebuild St. Paul's Cathedral 00:02:38.840 --> 00:02:45.659 in London, and the challenges before Wren were many. Much of London had been destroyed three 00:02:45.659 --> 00:02:51.219 years earlier in the Great Friar of 1666, which included destroying the old St. Paul's Cathedral. 00:02:52.599 --> 00:02:57.840 Also, the weak clay soil of London made building a large cathedral especially difficult. 00:02:58.379 --> 00:03:02.840 How do you build something that weighs hundreds of tons on sand? That's a challenge. 00:03:02.840 --> 00:03:12.819 But on top of all that, the expectations for Wren were sky high. The archbishop wrote and told Wren 00:03:12.819 --> 00:03:22.379 that this new St. Paul's had to be, quote, handsome and noble to all the ends of it and to the reputation 00:03:22.379 --> 00:03:29.480 of the city and the nation. So, in short, in the middle of a crumbling, burned-out city, 00:03:29.479 --> 00:03:34.000 Christopher Wren was supposed to build a cathedral that would epitomize the reputation of the entire 00:03:34.000 --> 00:03:39.679 country and still actually function as a church. It was a pretty daunting task. 00:03:41.839 --> 00:03:49.459 But after five rounds of architectural design and roughly 40 years of construction, 00:03:50.560 --> 00:03:58.959 and what I've read today would be over $150 million, Wren actually did it. He built not just one of the 00:03:58.960 --> 00:04:03.099 most impressive buildings in England, but probably one of the most impressive churches in the world, 00:04:04.340 --> 00:04:11.600 St. Paul's Cathedral in London. And it must have seemed like a daunting task for the Israelites, 00:04:12.000 --> 00:04:20.600 too, here in Exodus. Here they were, a band of liberated slaves, a group of refugees in the wilderness. 00:04:20.600 --> 00:04:29.040 All that they really knew for generations was the back-breaking work of brick making under the harsh 00:04:29.040 --> 00:04:38.680 whip of Pharaoh. And now, the Lord was asking them to make a beautiful, intricate, portable sanctuary for 00:04:38.680 --> 00:04:45.360 the living God. How were they going to come up with all of the fine materials that they needed, 00:04:45.360 --> 00:04:51.680 which is what we read in verses 4 through 9? And where would they get the skill to actually take those 00:04:51.680 --> 00:04:59.220 materials and make all the things that God lists in verses 10 through 19? I mean, you and I struggle to put 00:04:59.220 --> 00:05:06.040 together our IKEA furniture that comes in the box, even with those fancy wordless instructions and that odd 00:05:06.040 --> 00:05:14.439 amorphous guy who holds up the screwdriver, you know? Imagine being asked to construct a worship center in the 00:05:14.439 --> 00:05:21.360 middle of the desert for the living God when all you've known for generations is manual labor and 00:05:21.360 --> 00:05:33.459 slavery. It was a daunting task. And I think, too, for us, for the church today, our task seems just as 00:05:33.459 --> 00:05:41.860 daunting at times. Because what God is calling us to build isn't actually a physical building, a 00:05:41.860 --> 00:05:47.920 tabernacle or a temple. No, now that Christ has come, now that the new covenant is here, now that 00:05:47.920 --> 00:05:54.639 the Spirit has been poured out in fullness, the dwelling place of God isn't a building. The dwelling 00:05:54.639 --> 00:06:03.620 place of God is His people, the church. And God is calling us to build the church. In our reading from 00:06:03.620 --> 00:06:09.060 earlier in the service, the Apostle Paul put it this way. He said, so then, you are no longer strangers 00:06:09.060 --> 00:06:14.319 and aliens, but your fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the 00:06:14.319 --> 00:06:20.180 foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole 00:06:20.180 --> 00:06:28.459 structure being joined together grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In Him, you also are being built together 00:06:28.459 --> 00:06:32.079 into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. 00:06:32.079 --> 00:06:43.300 So, the dwelling place of God is no longer a building, but a people, a people united to Christ 00:06:43.300 --> 00:06:49.799 by faith, united to one another in love and looking ahead to the future in hope. 00:06:52.419 --> 00:06:55.959 If it was a daunting task for the Israelites to build the tabernacle in the wilderness, 00:06:56.519 --> 00:07:00.579 it's perhaps an even more daunting task for us, the new covenant people of God, 00:07:00.579 --> 00:07:07.039 to be about building the church today. Where are we going to find the resources and the skills 00:07:07.039 --> 00:07:09.319 for such a construction project? 00:07:12.159 --> 00:07:17.839 And yet, in these chapters of Exodus, we see something beautiful. 00:07:19.479 --> 00:07:28.419 In response to God's grace, the people give generously, and they build exactly, 00:07:28.420 --> 00:07:36.040 and they complete the work. And then we'll see next week in chapter 40, the glory of God 00:07:36.040 --> 00:07:42.360 comes down in their midst. So, let's actually pick up the story in verse 20. We're going to read 00:07:42.360 --> 00:07:45.460 through the rest of this section, and then we're going to look at four things that we learn. 00:07:46.120 --> 00:07:50.840 So, picking up chapter 35, verse 20, we're going to move through the rest of this narrative. 00:07:50.839 --> 00:07:56.679 Then, having heard the command that the Lord just gave through Moses, then all the congregation of 00:07:56.679 --> 00:08:02.759 the people of Israel departed from the presence of Moses, and they came, everyone whose heart stirred 00:08:02.759 --> 00:08:07.739 him and everyone whose spirit moved him and brought the Lord's contribution to be used for the tent 00:08:07.739 --> 00:08:13.139 of meeting and for all its service and for the holy garments. So, they came, both men and women, 00:08:13.279 --> 00:08:17.739 all who were of a willing heart, brought brooches and earrings and signet rings and armlets, 00:08:17.740 --> 00:08:22.400 all sorts of gold objects, every man dedicating an offering of gold to the Lord. And everyone 00:08:22.400 --> 00:08:27.199 who possessed blue or purple or scarlet yarns or fine linen or goat's hair or tanned ram skins 00:08:27.199 --> 00:08:33.180 or goat skins brought them. Everyone who could make a contribution of silver or bronze brought it 00:08:33.180 --> 00:08:38.759 as the Lord's contribution, and everyone who possessed acacia wood of any use in the work brought it. 00:08:39.299 --> 00:08:43.220 And every skillful woman spun with her hands, and they all brought what they had spun in blue 00:08:43.220 --> 00:08:47.639 and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twisted linen. All the women whose hearts stirred them to 00:08:47.639 --> 00:08:52.480 use their skill spun the goat's hair, and the leaders brought onyx stones and stones to be 00:08:52.480 --> 00:08:57.100 set for the ephod and for the breast piece and spices and oil for the light and for the anointing 00:08:57.100 --> 00:09:02.919 oil and for the fragrant incense. All the men and women, the people of Israel, whose heart moved them 00:09:02.919 --> 00:09:09.220 to bring anything for the work that the Lord had commanded by Moses to be done, brought it as a free 00:09:09.220 --> 00:09:16.600 will offering to the Lord. Then Moses said to the people of Israel, see, the Lord has called by name 00:09:16.600 --> 00:09:23.600 Bezalel, the son of Uri, son of Hur of the tribe of Judah. And he has filled him with the spirit of God, 00:09:23.800 --> 00:09:29.080 with skill, with intelligence, with knowledge, and with all craftsmanship to devise artistic designs, 00:09:29.080 --> 00:09:34.139 to work in gold and silver and bronze, and cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood for work in 00:09:34.139 --> 00:09:41.179 every skilled craft. And he has inspired him to teach. Both him and Aholiab, the son of Ahissamach, 00:09:41.419 --> 00:09:47.100 of the tribe of Dan, he has filled them with skill to do every sort of work done by an engraver, or by 00:09:47.100 --> 00:09:53.519 a designer, or by an embroiderer in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twisted linen, or by a 00:09:53.519 --> 00:09:59.340 weaver, by any sort of workman or skilled designer. Bezalel and Aholiab and every craftsman in whom the 00:09:59.340 --> 00:10:04.039 Lord has put skill and intelligence to know how to do any work in the construction of the sanctuary, 00:10:04.139 --> 00:10:09.819 shall work in accordance with all that the Lord has commanded. And Moses called Bezalel and Aholiab, 00:10:10.080 --> 00:10:16.720 and every craftsman in whose mind the Lord had put skill, everyone whose heart stirred him up to come 00:10:16.720 --> 00:10:23.539 to do the work. And they received from Moses all the contribution that the people of Israel had brought 00:10:23.539 --> 00:10:28.840 for doing the work of the sanctuary. They still kept bringing him freewill offerings every morning, 00:10:29.259 --> 00:10:33.319 so that all the craftsmen who were doing every sort of task on the sanctuary came, 00:10:33.320 --> 00:10:39.260 each from the task that he was doing, and said to Moses, the people bring much more than enough for 00:10:39.260 --> 00:10:45.200 doing the work that the Lord has commanded us to do. So Moses gave a command, and word was proclaimed 00:10:45.200 --> 00:10:50.960 throughout the camp, let no man or woman do anything more for the contribution of the sanctuary. 00:10:52.000 --> 00:10:57.900 So the people were restrained from bringing, for the material they had was sufficient to do all the 00:10:57.899 --> 00:11:05.659 work and more. And at this point in the narrative, the narrative recounts their construction of all 00:11:05.659 --> 00:11:10.559 the things, and we can just sort of fly high at 50,000 feet. In the rest of chapter 36, they build 00:11:10.559 --> 00:11:15.759 the tabernacle proper, the tent of meeting. In chapter 37, they build everything that goes inside the 00:11:15.840 --> 00:11:20.860 tabernacle, the ark, the table, the lampstand, the incense altar. Chapter 38, they build everything that 00:11:20.860 --> 00:11:25.699 goes outside the tent of meeting, the altar of burnt offering, the basin, the court. There's a summary of 00:11:25.700 --> 00:11:30.820 some materials there. And then in chapter 39, if you glance over that, they make all the priestly 00:11:30.820 --> 00:11:37.440 garments. But let's read how the story ends in chapter 39, verse 32 through 43. 00:11:41.300 --> 00:11:46.879 Thus all the work of the tabernacle at tent of meeting was finished, and the people of Israel did 00:11:46.879 --> 00:11:54.759 according to all that the Lord had commanded Moses. So they did. And then in that same order, 00:11:54.759 --> 00:12:00.899 God lists all the things that they built, the tabernacle, the ark of the testimony, the table, 00:12:01.259 --> 00:12:06.460 the lampstand, the golden altar, the bronze altar, the basin, the hangings of the court, 00:12:06.779 --> 00:12:13.720 the garments for the priests. And then in verse 42, according to all that the Lord had commanded Moses, 00:12:13.879 --> 00:12:20.399 so the people of Israel had done all the work. And Moses saw all the work, and behold, 00:12:20.399 --> 00:12:28.980 they had done it. As the Lord had commanded, so had they done it. Then Moses blessed them. 00:12:31.480 --> 00:12:37.379 So I want to point out four things that we learned from this passage as we today face our daunting task 00:12:37.379 --> 00:12:43.500 that God has placed before us of not building the tabernacle but building the church. The first thing 00:12:43.500 --> 00:12:54.100 is this. God gives what we need to do what he's calling us to do. God gives what we need to do 00:12:54.100 --> 00:12:59.039 what he's calling us to do. We see that first in chapter 35, if you turn back there, verses 20 through 00:12:59.039 --> 00:13:05.259 29. God commanded them to bring all sorts of valuable materials to bring the tabernacle. And then in these 00:13:05.259 --> 00:13:10.779 verses, in verses 20 through 29, we find that the people are able to bring exactly what's needed 00:13:10.779 --> 00:13:17.699 and more. Now, where did all this stuff come from? How did a community of liberated slaves get all of 00:13:17.699 --> 00:13:24.100 this rich resource? Well, ultimately, we know from the story of Exodus that God had provided it for 00:13:24.100 --> 00:13:29.120 them. Back in chapter 12 of Exodus, when God had liberated them from Pharaoh, God granted the 00:13:29.120 --> 00:13:35.259 Israelites favor in the eyes of the Egyptians, and the text says they let them have what they asked. 00:13:35.259 --> 00:13:43.179 God didn't just bring the people of Israel into freedom, but he provided richly for them as well 00:13:43.179 --> 00:13:50.259 from the Egyptians. And now we know why God did that. Why did God allow the Israelites to receive 00:13:50.259 --> 00:13:56.899 all these precious materials from the Egyptians? It was because he had a task for them to fulfill. 00:13:58.240 --> 00:14:04.620 They were going to build a beautiful structure for the Lord so that the Lord could dwell in their midst 00:14:04.620 --> 00:14:13.159 and God provided what they needed. But we see in these chapters, it's not just the materials that 00:14:13.159 --> 00:14:20.980 they need. God also provides the skill that they need. In chapter 35, verses 30 and following, God calls 00:14:20.980 --> 00:14:27.580 these two men with these awesome names, Bezalel and Aholiab. Any parents looking for names? There you go. 00:14:27.580 --> 00:14:32.920 You can give a Bezalel, give them Aholiab. You call them Oho for short. 00:14:35.379 --> 00:14:40.740 But God gives these two men the skill and the craftsmanship that they need through his own 00:14:40.740 --> 00:14:49.379 spirit to accomplish the work and so that they can teach others. They're not just appointed to do all 00:14:49.379 --> 00:14:55.759 the work, but to empower the people to do the work. But I think the highlight there is that God 00:14:55.759 --> 00:15:00.000 gives them not just the materials, the resources that they need, but he gives them the skill that 00:15:00.000 --> 00:15:09.100 they need. God gives us what we need to do what he calls us to do. And friends, I can't tell you how 00:15:09.100 --> 00:15:15.240 many times I've seen this at Trinity. You know, I've joked sometimes that these verses about Bezalel and 00:15:15.240 --> 00:15:20.879 Aholiab are going to become like my life verse for ministry because God always provides the right 00:15:20.879 --> 00:15:26.539 people at the right time to accomplish the work that he's called us to do. And the reality is, is that 00:15:26.539 --> 00:15:30.879 many of you are sitting in this room right now. And I don't want to name your names because then you'll 00:15:30.879 --> 00:15:40.179 get embarrassed, but there are some great stories. Seven years ago, we realized as a church, as we were 00:15:40.179 --> 00:15:45.759 praying as a leadership, that our mission in New Haven entailed not just reaching the university 00:15:45.759 --> 00:15:51.120 communities in New Haven, but also the international population of New Haven and the urban poor. 00:15:52.139 --> 00:15:58.100 And of course, at that time, we had no idea how God was going to do that. We had some ideas, but, you know, 00:15:58.600 --> 00:16:03.399 none of them were really highly formed. But we had no idea that God was going to bring along 00:16:03.399 --> 00:16:10.759 a godly Ethiopian pastor to shepherd and launch a ministry to Ethiopian Eritrean immigrants and refugees 00:16:10.759 --> 00:16:18.139 in Connecticut. But now, every Sunday afternoon, there's a growing church right here in our 00:16:18.139 --> 00:16:25.259 congregation doing just that. God provided what we needed to do what he called us to do. 00:16:27.179 --> 00:16:32.639 And little did we know seven years ago that as we started to feel an increased burden for those in 00:16:32.639 --> 00:16:40.139 our city who were poor and who were in need, that God was placing a similar burden for urban outreach on 00:16:40.139 --> 00:16:44.519 the hearts of other like-minded churches that eventually led to the formation of Bridges of Hope. 00:16:46.379 --> 00:16:50.600 And as Charmaine shared, it's a partnership of churches that reaches out in the name of Christ 00:16:50.600 --> 00:16:56.199 to meet real needs in our city together in the name of Jesus. So here we are, seven years later, 00:16:56.340 --> 00:17:02.740 seeing God providing what we need to do what he's calling us to do. And like I've said, I've seen this 00:17:02.740 --> 00:17:07.819 happen again and again, not just on these big-scale initiatives, but also on a smaller scale. 00:17:07.819 --> 00:17:14.480 Ministry leaders, God bringing just when we need them in youth ministry or music ministry or urban 00:17:14.480 --> 00:17:23.960 outreach or children's ministry, small group leading, and God bringing people with very specific 00:17:23.960 --> 00:17:30.119 skills, legal, financial, practical, to help the church navigate unforeseen changes or new opportunities. 00:17:30.119 --> 00:17:36.759 Friends, I look out at this congregation and I see a room full of Bezalels and Aholiobs. 00:17:38.239 --> 00:17:41.659 So if I forget your name and I call you that, it's a compliment. 00:17:44.339 --> 00:17:53.539 God, here's the truth, God has given you skill and wisdom to advance his kingdom and to build his church. 00:17:53.539 --> 00:17:58.259 And it is no accident that you are here now. 00:18:02.339 --> 00:18:07.039 And I think this reality that God gives what we need to do what he calls us to do should give us 00:18:07.039 --> 00:18:13.480 confidence as a church as we face the future. No matter how daunting the task might seem, 00:18:14.440 --> 00:18:20.720 no matter how uncharted the waters might feel, friends, we don't need to be afraid. 00:18:20.720 --> 00:18:31.380 We can move ahead with dependence on the Lord who provides, confident that he'll do so. 00:18:32.799 --> 00:18:38.400 So whether it's the construction happening around us, did you notice that? Did you notice they're 00:18:38.400 --> 00:18:44.019 building something around our church? See that when you came in? And all the opportunities that 00:18:44.019 --> 00:18:52.460 that's going to present for us, for outreach and ministry and evangelism, whether it's needs of our 00:18:52.460 --> 00:18:57.460 city that crop up. I mean, haven't we learned from the news this week that there are deep, painful 00:18:57.460 --> 00:19:05.980 needs in our city that need to be met with the hope and love of Christ? Or whether it's figuring out 00:19:05.980 --> 00:19:11.319 what to do with our physical space so we can maybe expand and grow and renovate to make it a little 00:19:11.319 --> 00:19:15.279 more useful for our ministry to be a little better stewards of the building that God's given us? 00:19:16.379 --> 00:19:22.879 Or maybe it's as we pray for wisdom to make decisions about how we expand as a church, how we grow 00:19:22.879 --> 00:19:26.939 as people keep coming to know the Lord here in our midst, in our congregation. 00:19:28.379 --> 00:19:35.240 No matter what challenges that are ahead for us, seen or unseen, friends, we can go ahead with 00:19:35.240 --> 00:19:38.419 confidence because God's going to give us what we need to do what he's calling us to do. 00:19:41.319 --> 00:19:45.519 But that brings us to the second thing we learn here in Exodus 35 through 39. 00:19:46.220 --> 00:19:51.700 Not only does God give us what we need to do what he calls us to do, but we see here that everyone 00:19:51.700 --> 00:19:58.839 has a part to play. Everybody has a part to play. You see this when the people are bringing in their 00:19:58.839 --> 00:20:04.879 contributions in 35 verses 20 through 29. It's a pretty comprehensive description of who comes. It's men 00:20:04.880 --> 00:20:12.780 and women. It's leaders. It's lay people. It's everyone whose heart is stirred. Everybody contributes 00:20:12.780 --> 00:20:20.300 out of the freedom of their hearts. And also among the craftsmen, as we said, it's not just a holy 00:20:20.300 --> 00:20:28.100 ab and Bezalel. Verse 36, 1, chapter 36, verse 1 refers to every craftsman in the Lord in whom the Lord 00:20:28.100 --> 00:20:32.200 has put skill and intelligence to know how to do any work in the construction of the sanctuary. There's a whole 00:20:32.200 --> 00:20:37.660 variety of tasks that need to be done, and it's not just a select few who have a part to play. 00:20:38.860 --> 00:20:43.640 And that gets re-emphasized at the end of this section if you kind of jump ahead to chapter 39. 00:20:45.019 --> 00:20:46.799 In verse 32, it says, 00:20:47.860 --> 00:20:53.660 the people of Israel did according to all that the Lord had commanded Moses. 00:20:54.960 --> 00:21:00.039 You see who's being pointed out there? Not just Bezalel and Aholiab. They're not the ones who get all the 00:21:00.039 --> 00:21:06.559 credit. Not just their team of particular craftsmen who worked on the tabernacle. No, the text says 00:21:06.559 --> 00:21:14.159 the people of Israel did it. They all were responsible for it. Everyone has a part to play. 00:21:17.859 --> 00:21:18.819 So what's yours? 00:21:22.299 --> 00:21:28.740 We often say that in Christ, believing is belonging. That is, to come into a relationship with Christ 00:21:28.740 --> 00:21:33.420 through faith, entails belonging to His people. And that is a beautiful truth. 00:21:35.259 --> 00:21:41.259 But belonging to His people, membership in the family of the church, membership, friends, is mission. 00:21:42.900 --> 00:21:47.620 We are all in this together, and everyone has a part to play. Imagine if all of us, 00:21:47.799 --> 00:21:50.779 even just those of us who were formal, committed members here at Trinity, 00:21:51.480 --> 00:21:53.940 committed to serving on just one ministry team on Sunday. 00:21:53.940 --> 00:21:59.320 What if we contributed to the work of the ministry just in that simple way, whether it was children's 00:21:59.320 --> 00:22:04.519 ministry, or welcome ministry, or hospitality, or music and AV, or rides ministry? What if all of us 00:22:04.519 --> 00:22:08.700 who were just members committed to one team on a Sunday? You wouldn't even serve every Sunday. 00:22:08.940 --> 00:22:12.860 You'd serve like once or twice a month. What would that be like? 00:22:15.140 --> 00:22:18.000 I think the result would be what we see here in Exodus 36. 00:22:19.539 --> 00:22:22.680 Wasn't that a great moment in the story when the craftsmen come to Moses and say, 00:22:22.680 --> 00:22:28.640 Moses, we have more than enough for doing the work that the Lord has commanded us to do? 00:22:29.100 --> 00:22:31.580 Tell the people to stop bringing stuff. 00:22:33.400 --> 00:22:36.140 Can you imagine a capital campaign that's run like that? 00:22:36.880 --> 00:22:39.580 Stop giving. We have too much. 00:22:40.400 --> 00:22:41.519 Give it somewhere else. 00:22:43.759 --> 00:22:47.560 So Moses does that. He has to command the people to stop giving because they've exceeded the amount 00:22:47.560 --> 00:22:52.600 that's needed. I mean, friends, what if Mona had to get up on Sunday and say, okay, church, 00:22:52.680 --> 00:22:58.279 you need to stop filling out children's ministry volunteer applications because we have volunteers 00:22:58.279 --> 00:23:03.920 just coming out of our ears. I can't squeeze you all into the rotations. I know you're clawing 00:23:03.920 --> 00:23:09.200 to get next door into the air conditioning to teach the kids, but stop. Go do something else. 00:23:10.620 --> 00:23:15.279 What if the next time Charmaine was here, she said, look, we love you, Trinity. You're great, 00:23:15.279 --> 00:23:21.879 but we don't need 400 more volunteers at the mentoring ministry. Wait until we start a new site, 00:23:22.019 --> 00:23:23.079 okay? Like settle down. 00:23:26.500 --> 00:23:31.839 And we laugh because it's funny, but why does that seem so incredible to us? 00:23:33.500 --> 00:23:35.819 It doesn't actually need to be that incredible. 00:23:35.819 --> 00:23:43.200 If believing is belonging and if membership is mission, 00:23:44.200 --> 00:23:47.659 we have more than enough. 00:23:50.579 --> 00:23:56.519 You know the old rule that 20% of the people do 80% of the work? It doesn't have to be that way. 00:23:58.659 --> 00:24:03.019 We were joking earlier this week in our pastor's meeting that maybe that's a sign of our fallen 00:24:03.019 --> 00:24:08.940 condition, that 80-20 rule, 20-80 rule, you know? But friends, it doesn't need to be that way. 00:24:10.879 --> 00:24:12.059 Everyone's got a part to play. 00:24:15.240 --> 00:24:22.200 What's your part to play? And do you need help finding it? That's okay. Talk to me. Talk to one 00:24:22.200 --> 00:24:26.440 of the other ministry leaders after the service. Talk to Charmaine. We'll help you figure it out. 00:24:27.379 --> 00:24:32.259 And sometimes finding your place takes some trial and error. You know, I imagine these guys 00:24:32.259 --> 00:24:37.500 among whom like God had sent his spirit and they'd been given this skill, you know, maybe some of the 00:24:37.500 --> 00:24:42.759 guys like hit the loom and they're like, man, this is not my thing. I don't think this was like what 00:24:42.759 --> 00:24:46.579 the spirit was giving me to do. They're like, okay, come over here and like hit this with a hammer. 00:24:46.660 --> 00:24:50.480 They're like, oh, that's it. I love it. You know? Sometimes that's what ministry in the church 00:24:50.480 --> 00:24:55.819 looks like. You get next door and we've had this happen. Great, brilliant people get next door in 00:24:55.819 --> 00:24:59.480 children's ministry and they're like, they give it a try for six months and then they come to us and say, 00:24:59.480 --> 00:25:07.779 this is not me. I can't do this. That's okay. We find something else for you to do where your gifts 00:25:07.779 --> 00:25:17.240 meet the need and there's joy. It's worth it to be a part of building the church and finding your 00:25:17.240 --> 00:25:23.259 part to play is really worth it because of what we see next in our passage. The third thing that we see 00:25:23.259 --> 00:25:27.700 here is not just that God gives what we need and that everyone has a part, but third, we see that 00:25:27.700 --> 00:25:34.720 there's blessing in obedience. We see this in that very last paragraph of the section in chapter 39 00:25:34.720 --> 00:25:43.160 verses 32 through 43. Five times in that concluding paragraph, it says that the people did exactly what 00:25:43.160 --> 00:25:48.860 God told them to do. In verse 32, the people of Israel did according to all that the Lord had 00:25:48.859 --> 00:26:00.179 commanded Moses. So the people of Israel had done all the work and Moses saw all the work and behold, 00:26:00.279 --> 00:26:07.639 they had done it as the Lord had commanded. So they had done it. Then Moses blessed them. 00:26:09.859 --> 00:26:15.039 The people don't just give generously here in these chapters, but one of the themes is they obey 00:26:15.039 --> 00:26:23.180 exactly. They follow the plans for the tabernacle to a T. They don't cut any corners. They don't 00:26:23.180 --> 00:26:30.480 reinterpret the plans and make improvements. They do just what God says. And that complete willing 00:26:30.480 --> 00:26:35.879 submission to what God says, that exact obedience brings at the end of this section blessing. 00:26:37.059 --> 00:26:43.000 Moses sees what they've done and he speaks a word of well done over them. 00:26:45.039 --> 00:26:50.839 Now it's important to know, and hear me loud and clear on this, that our obedience, our good works 00:26:50.839 --> 00:26:56.960 are never the thing that are going to earn God's ultimate approval. We can't be made right with our 00:26:56.960 --> 00:27:03.920 holy loving God on the basis of our moral performance. That right relationship with God, 00:27:04.019 --> 00:27:10.639 that acceptance with God only comes as a gift through trusting in Jesus and what he's done for us. 00:27:10.640 --> 00:27:15.960 That's how we get right with God. That's how we get the ultimate blessing of God. 00:27:17.360 --> 00:27:27.040 But as children of God, through faith in Jesus, when we obey God our Father, it does bring us joy. 00:27:28.740 --> 00:27:34.900 When we do things God's way as opposed to our own way, there's blessing, there's joy, there's peace there. 00:27:34.900 --> 00:27:41.580 Have you been trying to do things your own way? 00:27:45.500 --> 00:27:51.920 Or God's way? And what this section of Exodus is telling us is that even though God's way might be 00:27:51.920 --> 00:27:57.140 hard, even though it might require more of us than we thought we could give, even though God's way 00:27:57.140 --> 00:28:08.300 might be costly, we will never ultimately regret it. After all, the people tried doing things their 00:28:08.300 --> 00:28:15.160 own way when they built the golden calf, right? And what was the result? It was sorrow. 00:28:15.160 --> 00:28:25.000 But now, instead, they do things God's way, and the result is joy. 00:28:29.000 --> 00:28:38.680 It's a searching question to ask, but it's worth asking. Is there some area of your life that you've 00:28:38.680 --> 00:28:51.299 been knowingly holding back from God at home, at work, in private? Why not this morning confess that 00:28:51.299 --> 00:28:59.840 to God, and maybe to a good Christian friend or mentor or elder, and commit in the power of His Spirit 00:28:59.840 --> 00:29:07.100 to do things His way from now on, and to get people around you who are going to encourage you 00:29:07.099 --> 00:29:16.740 to run the race that way? It may be costly, it may be hard at first, but none of that will compare 00:29:16.740 --> 00:29:22.939 ultimately to the joy that you'll have in knowing that you're living in the way of your Heavenly Father 00:29:22.939 --> 00:29:26.959 who loves you and who provides for you. 00:29:31.559 --> 00:29:35.000 And that brings us to the last thing we see here in these chapters. God gives what we need. 00:29:35.000 --> 00:29:38.299 God gives us to the last thing. Everyone has a part to play. There's blessing and obedience. 00:29:38.839 --> 00:29:45.500 And fourth and last, it comes from the heart. Did you notice how often it says they did all this 00:29:45.500 --> 00:29:52.700 willingly in these chapters? In chapter 35, when people are giving, it says everyone whose heart 00:29:52.700 --> 00:29:58.180 stirred them, whose spirit stirred them to give, those are the ones who gave. And then in chapter 36, 00:29:58.259 --> 00:30:02.460 describing the craftsmen who did the building. Again, they're described not just as those in whom God put 00:30:02.460 --> 00:30:09.079 the Spirit, but those whose heart stirred them to come and to do the work. Their lavish, generous giving, 00:30:09.180 --> 00:30:15.539 their exact, precise obedience, all of it flowed from willing hearts. They wanted to do it. It was voluntary. 00:30:18.039 --> 00:30:25.200 Now, you've got to ask, what in the world would give them that kind of heart? To give generously, 00:30:25.400 --> 00:30:31.600 to obey exactly, where does that sort of heart come from? And how do we get it in our own lives today? 00:30:31.599 --> 00:30:40.719 It is strange, isn't it? It's a bit paradoxical. On the one hand, they're so liberal and so free and so 00:30:40.719 --> 00:30:47.959 lavish with their money. And on the other hand, they're so submissive and so exact and so complete 00:30:47.959 --> 00:30:53.179 in their obedience. We tend to sort of flip that, don't we? We want to be very sort of careful with 00:30:53.179 --> 00:30:57.419 what we give, and we want to be very sort of loose and sort of laissez-faire with how we obey. 00:30:57.420 --> 00:31:04.180 And yet, something's happened here in the Israelites where they have this wonderful mixture of lavish 00:31:04.180 --> 00:31:11.620 generosity and just complete obedience and submission to God. How did that happen? 00:31:11.619 --> 00:31:21.519 Well, I think the answer, as we look at the story of Exodus, becomes pretty clear. The people's hearts 00:31:21.519 --> 00:31:29.199 are stirred to this generous giving and this glad obedience because God had renewed His covenant with 00:31:29.199 --> 00:31:37.599 them. In other words, the people have just tasted firsthand, like never before, the grace of God. 00:31:37.599 --> 00:31:45.980 You remember the story. God brings His people out of slavery and brings them to Mount Sinai. And at 00:31:45.980 --> 00:31:51.779 Sinai, He makes them His own special people in a binding covenant the way a husband takes a wife. 00:31:53.240 --> 00:31:57.759 But then, while God is telling Moses about the house that He wants to build in order to dwell with 00:31:57.759 --> 00:32:02.419 His people, with His spouse, His people are at the bottom of the mountain building a golden calf, 00:32:02.420 --> 00:32:10.960 committing spiritual adultery, and breaking the covenant. And it seems like things are over before 00:32:10.960 --> 00:32:19.600 they've even begun. But then, in chapters 33 and 34, something wonderful happens. 00:32:19.599 --> 00:32:29.980 Through the mediation of Moses, rather than leave His wayward people, the Lord renews His covenant with 00:32:29.980 --> 00:32:38.319 them. He forgives them and He takes them back to Himself. And He shows His glory to Moses as a sign 00:32:38.319 --> 00:32:45.379 that He's not going to leave them. He's going to stay. And that glory is so brilliant that it makes the 00:32:45.380 --> 00:32:53.340 face of Moses shine when He comes back to tell the people. And you see, that's what melts the hearts 00:32:53.340 --> 00:33:00.640 of the people. That's what makes them give generously and obey completely with willing hearts, freely. 00:33:02.240 --> 00:33:06.500 It's the forgiving, renewing love and grace of God. 00:33:06.500 --> 00:33:12.599 Though they had broken their end of the covenant, God did not break His. 00:33:17.359 --> 00:33:25.519 And if that changed the hearts of the Israelites back then, how much more ought our hearts be changed now? 00:33:28.660 --> 00:33:31.180 Because the Israelites back then, they couldn't really see 00:33:31.180 --> 00:33:37.400 fully, fully, how much it would really cost for God to keep His covenant with us. 00:33:38.320 --> 00:33:43.120 What would it take for God to make a new covenant with sinners like us, 00:33:43.680 --> 00:33:49.240 outsiders and strangers? What would it require for God to take away our sin 00:33:49.240 --> 00:33:53.820 and bind us to Himself forever in an unbreakable, shakable commitment? 00:33:53.819 --> 00:34:04.720 As the New Testament opens and unfolds, we see that it would take nothing short of the giving of His own Son for us, 00:34:05.179 --> 00:34:12.159 which is exactly what the Father did. And Jesus, the Son of God, willingly comes. 00:34:13.079 --> 00:34:20.639 He obeys the Father exactly. And He gives Himself fully on the cross to take our sins away. 00:34:20.639 --> 00:34:27.759 And on the third day, God raised Him from the dead in power to show that now there was a new covenant 00:34:27.759 --> 00:34:32.960 between God and humanity. Christ had fulfilled the law's demands for us. 00:34:33.519 --> 00:34:37.440 Christ had taken away the curse of the law when He died on the cross for us, 00:34:37.519 --> 00:34:42.539 so that now everyone who turns and trusts in Him, they're forgiven. 00:34:43.379 --> 00:34:46.019 And they're given the Spirit, and they're given new hearts, 00:34:46.019 --> 00:34:50.219 out of which will flow this life of generosity and joyful obedience. 00:34:50.639 --> 00:34:54.179 As we see how greatly we've been loved. 00:34:57.019 --> 00:35:07.179 So we give and we serve in love because we've first been loved by God. 00:35:07.179 --> 00:35:16.379 And so friends, as we face this daunting task before us, this task of building the church, 00:35:16.379 --> 00:35:22.940 we can face it with confidence. And we can face it with joyfulness. Because ultimately, 00:35:24.299 --> 00:35:30.039 God's the one who's building His church. The risen Christ has done all that's necessary. 00:35:30.039 --> 00:35:35.539 And now He invites you and me to take our part in His great work. 00:35:38.920 --> 00:35:42.219 The story is told that when St. Paul's Cathedral was under construction, 00:35:43.279 --> 00:35:46.880 Christopher Wren, the architect, was touring the construction site to talk to the various 00:35:46.880 --> 00:35:50.380 artisans working there about how things were progressing. 00:35:50.380 --> 00:35:55.700 And he talked to the masons and the carpenters and the sculptors and the stained glass artists, 00:35:55.900 --> 00:36:00.420 you know, the people who were very skilled and probably had years and decades of training. 00:36:01.079 --> 00:36:06.140 But as he was finishing his tour, Wren came upon an old man whose job it was to just stir cement 00:36:06.140 --> 00:36:08.119 with his shovel to keep the cement from hardening. 00:36:09.460 --> 00:36:11.180 And the great architect asked the man, 00:36:11.179 --> 00:36:12.099 What are you doing? 00:36:13.279 --> 00:36:16.619 And this old man, not knowing that it was Christopher Wren who was asking, answered, 00:36:17.539 --> 00:36:18.099 Why, sir? 00:36:18.899 --> 00:36:22.219 I'm building a great cathedral to the glory of God. 00:36:25.379 --> 00:36:26.539 What a beautiful story. 00:36:27.539 --> 00:36:32.639 And brothers and sisters, if you are in Christ, that is true of you as well. 00:36:33.480 --> 00:36:36.419 No matter how humble your role may seem in the world's eyes, 00:36:36.799 --> 00:36:40.719 you are building a great cathedral, the church of Jesus Christ, 00:36:40.719 --> 00:36:42.199 to the glory of God. 00:36:42.659 --> 00:36:48.419 And God will go on giving us what we need in Christ until the work is done. 00:36:49.859 --> 00:36:50.339 Amen? 00:36:51.259 --> 00:36:51.959 Let's pray. 00:36:55.519 --> 00:36:58.859 Our Father, we pray that you would continue to pour out your Spirit upon us. 00:36:59.659 --> 00:37:02.939 Lord, just as you did all those years ago, 00:37:03.359 --> 00:37:06.359 we know that you promise now in the fullness of the new covenant 00:37:06.359 --> 00:37:08.859 to continue to pour out your Spirit upon your people 00:37:08.860 --> 00:37:13.720 so that we might go forth with the confidence and the joy 00:37:13.720 --> 00:37:15.579 and the glad submission to your will 00:37:15.579 --> 00:37:18.320 so that your church might be built 00:37:18.320 --> 00:37:21.079 and much glory might resound to your name. 00:37:22.059 --> 00:37:25.160 God, we ask that that would be the case for us here at Trinity. 00:37:26.539 --> 00:37:28.680 Lord, would you continue to grow your church here? 00:37:30.280 --> 00:37:32.720 And Lord, we pray that for the other cities and our… 00:37:32.720 --> 00:37:33.880 other churches in our city. 00:37:33.880 --> 00:37:39.500 God, we pray for those churches that preach the gospel and declare your word, 00:37:39.599 --> 00:37:45.280 that you would continue to grow them in joyful generosity and in glad obedience. 00:37:46.400 --> 00:37:50.980 Lord, we acknowledge that your church in this city is so much bigger than our congregation. 00:37:51.360 --> 00:37:53.619 Thank you for all the churches that you've raised up. 00:37:55.019 --> 00:37:56.800 Lord, would you give unity among us? 00:37:56.800 --> 00:38:02.560 Would you continue to bless the work that you've begun? 00:38:03.200 --> 00:38:06.980 And we pray this, God, in the confidence that you will carry it on to completion 00:38:06.980 --> 00:38:11.000 until the day of Jesus when you come and make all things new. 00:38:11.880 --> 00:38:13.320 We ask this in his name, Father. 00:38:13.640 --> 00:38:13.920 Amen.