Good morning, everyone.
It's good to see you, good to worship with you.
Please turn with me in your Bibles to Exodus chapter 31.
If you don't have a Bible, please raise your hand
and we will have one of our members bring a copy of the Bible over to you
that you can use while you're here.
We've been in a sermon series through the book of Exodus
for the last year or so, and we're actually almost done.
We're in Exodus chapter 31.
I'm going to read in the beginning verses 1 to 18.
I'm also going to preach on chapter 35 verses 1 to 3
and verse 32, chapter 36, verse 7.
But that second half is a repetition.
God speaks to Moses, and then Moses later relays the same information
to the Israelites, so a lot of it is word for word repeated,
so I'm not going to read that at the beginning,
but I will read chapter 31 verses 1 to 18.
Let me pray for the reading and preaching of God's word.
Heavenly Father, everything is ultimately from you and to you.
We are creatures of dust, made alive by your breath,
made new again by your spirit.
We can do nothing apart from you.
I cannot stand here and speak apart from you.
We cannot sit here and listen apart from you.
We cannot have the faith to believe and to obey you without your help.
So, Lord, from the beginning to the end, you deserve all the glory.
And we ask that you would be glorified and you'd be pleased by this time.
Lord, I stand here not as an author, but as a messenger.
Speak your word.
Help me to say only what you would have me say.
And incline our hearts to accept your word
and to live in accordance with it
so that Christ may be exalted in our lives.
It's in his precious name we pray.
Amen.
Please stand for the reading of God's word if you are able.
I will read Exodus 31 verses 1 to 18.
Amen.
Bye.
Amen.
Speak to the people of Israel and say,
Above all, you shall keep my Sabbaths.
For this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations
that you may know that I, the Lord, sanctify you.
You shall keep the Sabbath because it is holy for you.
Everyone who profanes it shall be put to death.
Whoever does any work on it,
that soul shall be cut off from among his people.
Six days shall work be done,
but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest,
holy to the Lord.
Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day shall be put to death.
Therefore, the people of Israel shall keep the Sabbath,
observing the Sabbath throughout their generations
as a covenant forever.
It is a sign forever between me and the people of Israel
that in six days the Lord made heaven and earth,
and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.
And he gave to Moses,
when he had finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai,
the two tablets of the testimony,
tablets of stone,
written with the finger of God.
This is God's holy and authoritative word.
You may be seated.
Twice a year or so,
our denomination,
Sovereign Grace Churches,
publishes a journal whose articles are written by various pastors
within our denomination.
You can buy a hard copy of it
or download a free PDF of it
at sovereigngrace.com slash journal.
In the latest issue,
whose theme was a passion for the church,
there was an excellent article by my friend,
Mark Alderton,
who pastors Sovereign Grace Church of Aurora, Colorado.
And I got the idea for my sermon introduction from his article,
so I wanted to make sure I give him credit
and encourage you to read the article.
So think for a moment
about what a typical Sunday morning looks like
in our ordinary church.
And if you have been part of other local churches in the past,
feel free to think back to what Sunday mornings look like
in those local churches as well.
People from various walks of life gather together
in the same place at the same time,
or at least mostly at the same time.
Some come early,
some trickle in late.
There are men and women,
young and old,
singles and families.
There are empty nesters,
young professionals,
as well as retired,
gray-haired saints.
They're all sinners and sufferers in their own ways.
Each carries his or her own burdens.
Sometimes they're standing during worship,
sometimes they're seated,
sometimes the auditorium
or wherever they're meeting is packed,
but more often than not,
there are many empty seats.
There are some people singing.
Some are in tune.
Some are not.
They clap in different rhythms.
The PowerPoint malfunctions
from time to time.
The pastor preaches a sermon.
Sometimes it's good,
sometimes not so good,
but it can always be improved.
Sometimes the battery dies in his microphone
at the most climactic moment.
Other times there's distracting feedback
on the speakers.
A young man gets up to walk around
to stop from dozing off.
And a young mother takes her crying child
outside to comfort her.
A typical Sunday morning.
Now contrast that
with what's happening
in our big,
fast world.
The advancement of artificial intelligence
and chat GPT
are shaking up industries
and schools.
There are wars
and rumors of wars
in Ukraine,
Russia,
Taiwan,
China,
Afghanistan,
and South Sudan.
There are mass shootings
in Texas
and Serbia.
Natural disasters
all across the world.
There are CEOs
becoming billionaires
and CEOs
going to jail.
There are athletes
winning MVPs
and vying for championships.
There are autocrats
up for election
and presidential hopefuls
making their case
and kings
being coronated.
With all of these things
going on
in the backdrop
in our world,
does the ordinary
local church
really matter?
Mark Alderton writes
in his article,
most of the world
has already answered
no to that question.
But the one
who created the world
and the church
tells us differently.
The ordinary,
imperfect,
gospel-believing
local church
as an embodiment
of the universal church
is the most important
gathering in the world.
Why?
Because it is
the blueprint
of a broken world
remade.
Continues,
the hope
for fallen humanity
is to have
God, our creator,
dwell with us
in peace
and unending joy.
And as we survey
the scriptures,
we find that God's
glorious plan
has always been
to do exactly that.
The local church
is the focal point
of that plan
being fulfilled.
There is nothing else
like it on earth
because the local church
with all its limitations
and flaws
is nothing less
than the lived out
realization
of God's glorious plan
to dwell among
his people.
The church
is not merely
the instrument
or the means
that God uses
to fulfill
his salvation purposes.
She is herself
the embodiment
and fulfillment
of God's
saving purposes.
The church
is God's
dwelling place
on earth.
As Ephesians
1.23 puts it,
the church
is Christ's
body,
the fullness
of God
who fills
all in all.
1 Corinthians 3.16
says that we
are God's temple
and that God's
spirit dwells
in us.
with the apostle
as the foundation
and Christ Jesus
himself as the
cornerstone.
It says in Ephesians
2.20-22
that we are being
built together
into a dwelling
place for God
by the spirit.
It's this
glorious reality
that our passage
this morning
about the tabernacle
points to.
It teaches us
that we are filled
with the Holy Spirit
to build God's house
and to rest
from our work
in remembrance
and anticipation
of God's
Sabbath.
So we're going to
first talk about
spirit-filled work
and then we're going
to talk about
Sabbath rest.
Chapter 31
verses 1-11
is the last section
of God's instructions
to Moses
regarding the tabernacle.
God has already
given Moses instructions
on what to make,
why,
and how to make them.
But now he gives
him instructions
about who is actually
to make those things,
those furnishings,
the tabernacle.
And God chooses
two skilled craftsmen
to lead the whole
construction project.
The first name
is Bezalel
and the second
is Oholiab.
The name Bezalel
means under the shadow
or under the protection
or under the shelter
of God,
which is quite fitting
for a man in charge
of building the literal
shelter of God
where the shadow
or the glory of God
will rest.
The name Oholiab
means protection
of the Father
or more literally
tent of the Father.
Again,
a very fitting name
for someone
who's going to be
in charge
of building the tent
or the tabernacle
for God.
So these men,
handpicked
by God himself,
were destined
for the work
that they are about
to embark on.
We're not given
many details
about Oholiab,
however we do know
that both men
are exceptionally
skilled in their craft.
Later in 3535,
when Moses is relaying
the Lord's instructions
to the Israelites,
he says,
the Lord has filled
both Bezalel
and Oholiab
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
in fine twine linen
or by a weaver,
by any sort of workman
or skilled designer.
So they're like
Renaissance men.
They're very skilled
in all artistic designs
and crafts
related to the tabernacle.
And the Hebrew word
translated skill here
is the word
that is most often
translated as wisdom.
And in Exodus 28.3,
when it spoke
of recruiting
all the skillful
whom the Lord
has filled
with the spirit of skill
to make priestly garments,
the word skillful
there literally meant
wise of heart.
Just as wisdom
comes from applying
the knowledge
of God's word
to one's life,
self.
So skill
comes from applying
one's technical knowledge
to repeated practice.
So God recruits,
calls the skillful,
the wise of heart
who have much experience
in their craft,
not novice craftsmen,
but these skilled craftsmen
to build the tabernacle
and its furnishings.
And the reason for that,
of course,
is what we talked about
a few weeks ago,
Exodus 28.2,
because these furnishings
and tabernacle
are meant for glory
and for beauty.
And a clumsy,
novice craftsman
cannot make that.
It has to be beautiful,
it has to be glorious
because our God
is the God of glory
and beauty.
There's something
to be said here
for doing our work
that we do
with skill
and excellence.
Colossians 3.23-24
commends us,
whatever you do,
work heartily
as for the Lord
and not for men,
knowing that
from the Lord
you will receive
the inheritance
as a reward.
You are serving
the Lord Christ.
Whatever your work might be,
not only if you're
a pastor
or a theologian,
but also if you're
a mom,
an academic,
a nurse,
a doctor,
a software engineer,
architect,
designer,
analyst,
lawyer,
artist,
musician,
scientist,
administrator,
sales rep,
or accountant,
accountant,
you are to work
heartily
as unto God
and not unto men.
We should do our work
heartily,
not half-heartedly.
A person who is
working directly
for a prominent CEO
is going to work
harder than someone
who is working
for a lowly manager.
How much more so
than if we are
working directly
for the Lord?
How much more
if we are serving
the Lord Jesus
who is seated up
above in the heavenly
places at the right
hand of God the Father?
We should not work
lackadaisically.
We should work
heartily with skill
and excellence
like Bezalel
and Aholiab
unto God
and not unto men.
Other than his skill,
we're not given
much information
about Aholiab,
but we do know
more about Bezalel.
Bezalel is the son
of Uri,
son of Hur,
of the tribe of Judah.
Hur, you might remember
from earlier
in Exodus 17,
is a man who,
along with Aaron,
held up Moses' arms
when he was raising
his arm
when they were battling
against the Amalekites
in Exodus 17.
It's when Moses
raised his arms
with the staff of God
in his hand
that the Israelites
were winning the battle
and so they held
his hand up
and Hur,
Jewish tradition has it,
even though Scripture
doesn't tell us explicitly
that he was the husband
of Miriam,
Moses' sister,
which would make him
Moses' brother-in-law.
Whether that's true or not,
Bezalel is Hur's grandson.
Between Bezalel
and Aholiab,
Bezalel was the more
important figure
of the two.
We know this
because of a number
of clues in Scripture.
One is that he is
always the one
that's mentioned first
and we are also given
much more information,
description of him
compared to Aholiab.
And according to
Exodus 37,
1-6,
Bezalel alone
is involved
in the construction
of the Ark
of the Testimony
and its atonement cover,
the two holiest items
in the entire
tabernacle structure.
So while both
Bezalel and Aholiab
are the craftsmen
and the craftsmen
who worked under them
and their supervision
were all filled
with the spirit of skill,
Bezalel in particular
is filled with
something more
than skill.
We're told twice,
once in chapter 31,
verse 3,
and again in 35-30
that God has filled
Bezalel
not merely
with the spirit of skill
but with the spirit
of God himself.
The Lord says
in 31-3,
I have filled him
with the spirit of God,
with ability
and intelligence,
with knowledge
and all craftsmanship,
to devise artistic designs,
to work in gold,
silver and bronze,
in cutting stones
for setting
and in carving wood,
to work in every craft.
Of course,
this is not the same
as the Holy Spirit
dwelling in the new
covenant people of God.
We have the fullness
of the spirit
in the way that
old covenant saints
never knew.
But this is still
an exceptional statement.
The only other time
previously in scripture
in the Old Testament
prior to this
that anyone has been said
to be filled
with the spirit of God
was in Genesis 41-38
when Joseph
was described
as a man
in whom
is the spirit of God.
Just as Joseph
was directed
by the spirit of God
and given his wisdom
to interpret Pharaoh's
dreams prophetically
and then to administer
the land.
So here,
Bezalel is filled
with the spirit of God
to provide prophetic
and creative vision
and practical management
for the construction
of the temple.
The mention of the spirit
of God also recalls
Genesis 1-2
when at the time
God was creating
the world
it said the spirit
of God was hovering
over the face
of the water.
In fact,
the Hebrew word
that is translated
variously throughout
Exodus 31,
35,
and 36
as craftsmanship
or craft
or task
or work
to refer to the work
of building
the tabernacle
is the exact same word
that is used
to describe God's work
of creating the universe
in Genesis 2-3
when it says that
on the seventh day
God rested
from all his work.
God rested
from all his craftsmanship
that he had done
in creation.
So then the work
that Bezalel is doing
in building the tabernacle
is modeled
after the work
that God did
in creating the cosmos.
The tabernacle
is a kind of
a microcosmos,
a microcosm
of the world
that God has created.
This parallel
is confirmed further
by the four attributes
that the Spirit of God
has specifically
endowed Bezalel with
in 31-3.
Ability,
intelligence,
knowledge,
and craftsmanship.
I already mentioned
to you that the word
craftsmanship
is the same word
that refers to
God's creative work
in creation.
But the other three words
have an even more
suggestive parallel
in Proverbs 3-19-20
which describes
how God created
the world.
And it says this,
the Lord by wisdom
founded the earth.
By understanding
he established
the heavens.
By his knowledge
the deeps broke open
and the clouds
dropped down the dew.
Those three words,
wisdom,
understanding,
knowledge,
though translated
differently in English
here,
are exactly the same
three things
that God has filled
Bezalel with
in Exodus 31-3.
In Hebrew,
they're the exact
same words.
So then all four words
used to describe
Bezalel are taken
from God's example
in creation,
his wisdom
in understanding
and knowledge.
Similarly,
later on,
when Solomon
commissions the building
of the temple,
the Jerusalem temple,
in 1 Kings 7-14,
he says that
Hiram,
who is the master builder
tasked with that,
was full of wisdom,
understanding,
and skill
for making
any work
in bronze.
Again,
the four identical
Hebrew words
are used to describe
Hiram to create
that intentional parallel.
Bezalel is constructing
the tabernacle
and Hiram is constructing
the temple
and they are both
imitating the Lord
who created
the heavens and the earth.
In fact,
we can even say
that the tabernacle
and later the temple
are models
of the created world.
For example,
we saw earlier
that the tabernacle proper
is modeled to be
a symbol,
a representation
of heaven itself.
The holy place
and the most holy place
represent heaven.
Moses was specifically
commanded to build
the tabernacle
in accordance
with the pattern
of the heavenly things
that he saw
on Mount Sinai.
And then,
the cherubim figures,
the angels,
that are on top
of the atonement
cover inside
on the ark,
or the cherubim
that's woven
on the veil
that separates
the holy place
from the most holy place,
and the cherubim
on the inner curtains
of the entire
tabernacle structure
surrounding the most holy place
and the most holy place.
They all suggest
that you are entering
into a heavenly place.
There are angels
floating all around you.
All the golden furnishings
point to the heavenly glory.
All the golden,
and where the ark of God is,
which represents
the footstool of God,
it's the very throne room
of God.
You are sitting
in his presence
in his heavenly throne.
And then,
when you descend down
the levels of holiness,
from the golden level
to the silver level,
to down to,
out into the courtyard,
the furnishings
are made of bronze,
which suggests
a more earthly character.
Because the courtyard
is a representation
of the earth,
in the same way
that the holy place,
and the most holy place,
the tabernacle
is a representation
of heaven.
The earth is where
the Israelites worship God
and make their sacrifices.
So they have
the bronze altar,
which looms large
as soon as you enter
the tabernacle
and represents
the Mount Sinai,
really,
where they worshipped God
and made sacrifices.
That's where they will
make sacrifices
and worship God.
The bronze basin,
beyond that,
the body of water,
later in the Jerusalem temple,
its equivalent
is called the bronze sea,
represents the waters
of the earth,
in particular,
the water that
Israelites crossed
in order to escape
from the Egyptians
and to enter
into the promised land.
So the tabernacle structure,
the whole thing,
is a symbol
of the heavens
and the earth
that God is bringing about.
Remember,
in the original creation,
in Genesis 1-3,
God was walking
among men.
He lived,
He dwelled among
Adam and Eve.
His presence
was not foreign
to the first human beings,
but because of their sin
and because of
their rebellion against Him,
they were exiled
from that community,
from that Garden of Eden.
And the question
that's been hovering
over humanity
ever since is,
will we ever be restored
to God's presence again?
Will God ever dwell
with His people again?
And the tabernacle
is a preview
of God's unfolding
salvation plan,
His answer to that question,
that He does intend
to dwell with His people again,
this time forever.
The tabernacle
is a temporary fulfillment,
temporary preview of that.
that promise,
what the tabernacle promised
is fulfilled
in the spirit-indwelled
church of Jesus Christ.
Remember how God
created the world
with wisdom,
understanding,
and knowledge?
And then the temple
and the tabernacle
were produced
with wisdom,
understanding,
and knowledge.
And then later
in Ephesians 1-17,
Paul prays
for the Ephesians believers
that God may give them
the spirit of wisdom
and of revelation
in the knowledge of Him.
so that they might
be built together,
quote,
into the dwelling place
for God
by the Spirit.
Paul, again,
plays on this same theme.
The church,
which is collectively
God's dwelling place,
is the final dwelling place
for God
that He is building.
And that building project
is right now going on
as we speak.
One day in the new heavens
and the new earth,
the building will be finished.
John recounts
his prophetic vision
in Revelation 21,
1-3,
when I saw a new heaven
and a new earth,
for the first heaven
and the first earth
had passed away
and the sea was no more.
And I saw the holy city,
New Jerusalem,
coming down out of heaven
from God,
prepared as a bride
adorned for her husband.
And I heard a loud voice
from the throne saying,
Behold,
the dwelling place of God
is with man.
He will dwell with them
and they will be His people.
And God Himself
will be with them
as their God.
Where will God dwell?
In the holy city,
the new Jerusalem.
And what exactly
is this new city?
It's the bride
adorned for her husband.
This is a reference
to the church,
which is referred to
throughout Scripture
as the bride of Christ,
who is our bridegroom.
We, the church,
the people of God,
are the dwelling place
for God.
And we are currently
being built together
into a dwelling place
for God by the Spirit,
as it says in Ephesians 2.22.
In the Greek translation
of the Old Testament,
the word that is used
to describe
Bezalel and Oholiab
as skilled designer
in Exodus 35.35
is the same word
that Paul uses
in 1 Corinthians 3.10
to describe himself
as the skillful,
the skilled master builder
who laid a foundation
for the Corinthian church
that others
are now building upon.
And Paul says
that he and Apollos
and others
are God's fellow workers
and that the Corinthian church
is God's building.
And by extension,
every local church
is God's building.
Bezalel and his building
of the tabernacle
are fulfilled
in the new building
of the covenant church,
the New Testament church.
And not only do Paul
and Apollos
have a role to play
as master builders,
every single one of us
as believers
who are filled
and dwelled
by the Spirit of God
have a role to play.
In the old covenant,
in Old Testament times,
the Spirit of God
only came upon
and filled
select individuals
to complete
particular God-ordained tasks
like Bezalel
who was charged
with building
in the tabernacle.
But in the New Testament period,
in the new covenant,
God had promised
through prophets Ezekiel
and prophets Joel
that he will fill
all of his people,
all flesh,
with his Spirit,
not only
some select individuals.
And that's why
Ephesians 4
says that
that day
has not been fulfilled
in Jesus
and Ephesians 4
teaches us that
grace was given
to each one of us
according to the measure
of Christ's gift
and God gave
the apostles,
the prophets,
and the evangelists,
the shepherds,
and teachers
to us
as a church
so that they might
equip the saints,
all of us,
for the work
of ministry
for building up
the body of Christ.
It means every single
one of us
is charged
with building up
the house of God,
the house of the Spirit.
And it's when we speak
the truth of the gospel
in love to one another,
it's when each part
it says in Ephesians 2
is working together
that the body grows
so that it builds
itself up in love.
Do you know this
grave task
that God's given you?
There are varieties
of service,
there are varieties
of gifts,
there are varieties
of activities
and God distributes
all of them
and entrusts all of them
to his various people
so that we would be
an interdependent whole
working together
side by side
for the sake
of the gospel
and building up
his house.
We are also,
like Paul and Apollos,
God's fellow builders.
Are you doing your part
in God's building project?
What are you doing
to build up God's house,
his church?
The church, again,
as I said before,
is not merely
a means to an end.
The church is God's end game.
The church is where God dwells
with his people again.
What gifts has God given you?
Do you share your tongues
and their interpretation
and prophecies
with the people of God
to build them up?
Do you contribute generously
to the ministry of the church
and to the poor in the church?
Do you use your biblical knowledge
and teaching ability
to share valuable insights
to people that you talk to informally
or more formally
in community groups?
Are you using your sociability
and friendliness
to draw people
into the bond
and the unity
of our church community together?
Are you sharing the gospel
with your neighbors
and friends
to convert new bricks
that can be added on
to this structure
that God is now building?
On YouTube,
there are thousands
of time-lapse videos
that show the construction
of a house
from start to finish.
Have you guys seen any of this?
Okay.
Some of you might be thinking,
well, that sounds really boring.
But actually,
it's like you watch it
and it's downright fixed,
like transfixing.
It's really hard to stop watching
once you start watching it
because,
and these videos,
these videos have millions
and millions of views
for a reason
because it's amazing
to watch the action unfold
from the beginning
to the end,
to see how something
is built from scratch,
to see skilled laborers
doing work
and seeing something appear
where there was previously
nothing before.
It's also a huge time sucker,
so don't get into it.
Sometimes when I'm reading
a children's Bible
to my kids,
I read the story
of God's creating the world
and there are these illustrations
and I imagine to myself,
man, it would be really cool
if I could have been there,
see God bring about
the heavens and the new earth
and the cosmos.
Well, we have an opportunity
to do exactly that
with God's building of the church.
This is God's work
of new creation.
If anyone is in Christ,
as we saw in the assurance of pardon,
2 Corinthians 5.17,
he is a new creation.
Everything that is built
out there in the world,
no matter how grand
and no matter how significant,
no matter how monumental
it might seem,
will eventually pass away.
Jesus tells us repeatedly
in the Gospels
that heaven and earth
will pass away.
When the new heaven
and earth comes,
Revelation 21 tells us
that the first heaven
and the first earth
will have passed away.
It says in 2 Peter 3.10,
the day of the Lord
will come like a thief
and then the heaven
will pass away with roar,
with a roar,
and the heavenly bodies
will be burned up
and dissolved
and the earth
and the works
that are done on it
will be exposed.
The monuments we build,
the schools we build,
the governments we build,
Fortune 500 companies we build,
the Eiffel Tower,
the Taj Mahal,
the pyramids of Giza,
the Golden Gate Bridge,
the Great Wall of China,
the Colosseum,
the Empire State Building,
the Palace of Versailles,
La Sagrada Familia,
the Burj Khalifa,
all of these things
will pass away.
But the church of Christ,
built on the foundation
of apostles and prophets,
with Christ Jesus himself
being the cornerstone,
will never pass away.
Because we are being built up
as a spiritual house
with living stones,
not dead stones.
Because we are being built up,
we've been born again,
not by a perishable seed,
but by an imperishable seat
of God's abiding word,
the word that remains forever.
And when the bride of Christ,
the church of Christ,
is revealed,
fully sanctified
in all of her glory,
and we get to behold
that holy city,
we get to be a part
of that,
she's going to be
more beautiful
than anything
you have ever
laid eyes on
on this earth.
And brothers and sisters,
we get to have
front row seats
for that construction project.
More than that,
we get to partake,
be part of
that glorious,
eternal
construction project.
Dear saints,
do you really believe that?
Do you believe
that the most important thing
being built
in this world
right now
is the church
of Jesus Christ?
If you want to be
part of something
that will truly
have lasting significance,
something that will
last forever,
join God
in the building up
of his house
by putting your faith
in Jesus,
repenting of your sins,
becoming a part
of this household
of God,
that you might be
indwelled by the spirit.
It says in Exodus 36,
verses 2 to 6,
Moses called
Bezalelah
and Aholiab
and every craftsman
in whose mind
the Lord had put skill,
everyone whose heart
stirred him up
to come to do the work
and they received
from Moses
all the contribution
that the people
of Israel
had brought
for doing the work
on the sanctuary.
They still
kept bringing him
freewill offerings
every morning
so that all the craftsmen
who were doing
every sort of task
on the sanctuary
came each from the task
that he was doing
and said to Moses,
the people bring
much more
than enough
for doing the work
of the Lord
that it has commanded
to do.
So Moses gave command
and the word
was proclaimed
throughout the camp,
let no man
or woman
do anything more
for the contribution
for the sanctuary.
So the people
were restrained
from bringing
for the material
they had
was sufficient
to do all the work
and more.
The Israelites
were so eager
to bring their contribution,
so eager
to take part
in this building project
of the tabernacle
that they had
to be restrained
from bringing
too much material.
If they were so eager
to be part of God's
temporary building place,
which is now gone,
how much more
should we be eager
in building God's
eternal dwelling place?
that's the tension
I feel
in pastoral ministry
all the time.
Like,
I can't believe
that I actually
have to
sell this
to people.
I don't have to
sell this
to anybody.
There should be
lines
after line
of people
just thronging
to come
to be a part
of this.
We get
to be a part
of God's
eternal dwelling place.
As I mentioned
last week,
throughout the
tabernacle narrative,
we find the phrase
the Lord said
to Moses
exactly seven times,
six times,
it's connected
to the various
instructions
regarding the
construction of the
temple.
We saw the sixth
occurrence in our
chapter,
Exodus 31,
verse 1,
when God gave
Moses instructions
about appointing
Bezalel and
Oholiad.
So this six-day
structure for the
instructions confirms
what we have already
observed,
that the tabernacle
is a kind of new
miniature creation.
And we find the
seventh occurrence
of that phrase,
the Lord said to
Moses here in
Exodus 31,
12 to 13.
And the Lord said
to Moses,
you are to speak
to the people of
Israel and say,
above all you shall
keep my Sabbaths,
for this is a sign
between me and you
throughout your
generations that you
may know that I,
the Lord,
sanctify you.
It's no coincidence
that the seventh
word that God speaks
to Moses is about
the Sabbath,
which is about
resting on the
seventh day.
This is following
the pattern of
God's work for
six days and
resting on the
seventh day because
the tabernacle
represents God's
new creation work
where he will dwell
with his people
again.
It points to his
ultimate new
creation work in
the church.
And note how
this command is
emphasized.
He says,
above all,
you shall keep
my Sabbaths,
for this is a
sign between me
and you.
I'm not going to
speak at length
about the Sabbath
because I've already
preached twice on
the subject when
we're in Exodus
16 and Exodus
20.
I encourage you to
listen to those
sermons if you want
to find out more
about what the
Sabbath means for
us today as
Christians.
But this repetition
shows how enormously
important this command
to observe the
Sabbath was for the
old covenant people
of God.
Right after the
Exodus, as they're
embarking on their
wilderness journey
toward the promised
land, God gave
them the Sabbath
command.
He didn't wait
long to give them
that command.
He gave it to
them even before he
gave them all the
other commands in the
Ten Commandments.
And then in the
Ten Commandments,
as one of the
Ten Greatest
Commandments, God
gave the command
to keep the
Sabbath again in
Exodus 20.
And here, after
completing the
tavern, when they
are about to begin
the work of
constructing the
tabernacle, God
gives them the
command again to
observe the
Sabbath.
That's how important
this command is to
the Israelites.
God says that it
is nothing less than
a sign between me
and you.
That's why in
verses 14 to 15,
expulsion from the
community of God,
God's covenant
people, and a
death penalty are
threatened for
violating it.
When God made
his covenant with
Noah, he gave the
rainbow in Genesis
9 as a sign of the
covenant with Noah.
And in Genesis 17,
when God made the
covenant with Abraham,
he gave circumcision
as his sign of his
covenant with them.
And here, as he
makes another
covenant with Moses
and the Israelites,
God gives another
sign, and that sign
is the Sabbath.
And the Sabbath had
the function of
sanctifying or setting
apart the Israelites
for God as his
special people.
Because no other
nation on earth
kept the Sabbath, a
strict weekly day of
rest.
Right?
I've said this a few
times before.
No, you know,
week is a very
unnatural unit of
time, right?
A year is based on
the earth's rotation
around the sun.
That's natural.
Right?
The month is based on
the lunar cycle.
That's natural.
A day is based on
the earth's rotation
around its axis.
That's natural.
Anybody just observing
the heavens and the
creation can come up
with those systems.
But a week, why a
week?
It's not based on
any natural phenomenon.
It exists by divine
fiat.
Because it's intended
to set God's people
apart from the rest
of the world, rest of
the nations.
The rest of the world
takes their, take
their orders from
creation.
They follow the
patterns that they see
in creation.
But the Israelites
God's chosen people,
they take their orders
from the creator
himself.
They follow the
patterns set by the
creator.
to work six days
and rest on the
seventh day.
This is why the
Sabbath is so
important.
Breaking the
Sabbath is like an
Olympic athlete
taking off his
country's uniform and
putting on another
country's uniform,
saying, well, I don't
belong there.
It's like someone
burning your national
flag.
Because it's the sign
of their covenant,
the covenant between
God and Israel.
This is why expulsion
is the appropriate
punishment.
You're cut off from
God's people because
essentially you have
renounced God and his
covenant community by not
observing the Sabbath.
And when you're cut
off from your
relationship with God,
who is the source of
all life, death is the
only appropriate
consequence, whether that
happens immediately or
eventually after you're
cut off from the
community of God.
And this all-important
Sabbath command applies
even to the God-given,
God-honoring work of
building the very dwelling
place of God.
Isn't that amazing?
We can see this in the
fact that the word work
used in Exodus 31, 14,
31, 15, 35, 2 is the
same word that was used
earlier to refer to the
craftsmanship of Bezalel
and Aholiab and the
other craftsmen.
God's telling them in the
Sabbath command to even
rest from that work of
building the tabernacle.
Lest the Israelites think,
well, we'll rest from all
other work, but surely God
wouldn't mind if we're
building his house.
This is such wholly
important work.
God tells them explicitly,
rest from that work.
Exodus 35, 3 says this,
you shall kindle no fire in
all your dwelling places on
the Sabbath day.
It's kind of a curious
command, right?
What's wrong with kindling
fire on the Sabbath day?
God's not saying that the
Israelites shouldn't cook on
the Sabbath day or eat only
cold food on the Sabbath day.
In the context of the
construction of the
tabernacle, the specific
prohibition is probably
referring to the work of
smelting and metalworking
that are happening day
after day to build the
gold and silver and bronze
furnishings of the
tabernacle.
God's saying you must rest
even from this special work
of building my own
dwelling place.
This is very helpful for me
personally, and I believe it
has applications for all of
us.
As a pastor, I can be
tempted to work, work, and
work, and to find my
identity in ministry rather
than in Christ.
It's work that has eternal
consequences.
It's such meaningful work.
I get to preach God's
eternal word, infallible
word, and I get to care for
God's people whom he
purchased with the price of
his only son, the blood of
his only son.
But by resting even from
this work, I'm reminded that
God is the ultimate builder,
not me.
I'm dispensable.
The church can get another
pastor.
The church can't get another
God.
I might not be a pastor
anymore one day, but I will
forever remain God's child,
adopted son of God.
There are days and seasons
of rest, even from the most
important work that we engage
in.
So no matter how important
your work might be in your
eyes, I think this could
apply to mothers as well,
Mother's Day, and fathers,
you could take your work so
seriously because you're
bringing up kids in instruction
and discipline of the Lord
and has eternal consequences.
But your identity is in
something more than that.
Whatever happens to your
kids as they grow up cannot
change your identity in
Christ, cannot alter your
standing in Christ before God's
eyes.
God is the ultimate builder, not
you.
We are not the ultimate builders
of our families.
We're not the ultimate builders
of our local church.
So even from this work, Christ
offers us rest.
The Sabbath is no longer the sign
of the covenant between us and
God because God has enacted a new
covenant.
Hebrews 8.13 says, by saying a
new covenant, he has declared
that the first is obsolete.
We no longer, we're no longer
under the law, but we are led by
the Spirit.
He says, Galatians 5.18.
Romans 10.4 says that Christ is
the end of the law for righteousness
to everyone who believes.
And Jesus says in Matthew 5.17-20
that he has fulfilled the law.
He's brought it to its proper
fulfillment and end so that we as
Christians are no longer under its
legal demands of the old covenant
as law.
And this is why in Colossians 2.16-17
Paul says specifically about the
Sabbath, therefore let no one pass
judgment on you in questions of
food and drink or with regard to a
festival or a new moon or a
Sabbath.
These are a shadow of the things to
come, but the substance belongs to
Christ.
The Sabbath was merely a shadow
cast by the reality, the real
substance of the rest we have in
Jesus, the eternal spiritual rest
that we have in Jesus as Hebrews 4
speaks of.
However, the fact that the
Sabbath has been fulfilled and it's
not legally binding on us as law
doesn't mean that it doesn't have
anything to teach us.
It's still part of God's inspired
word.
It's still profitable for teaching
and to make us complete, equipped
for every good work.
So in its Christ-fulfilled,
transformed form, the Sabbath still
has many important things to teach
us.
I think one application is that we
shouldn't be legalistic about its
observance since Christ has already
fulfilled it.
It's not something you have to
observe.
Sometimes the Sabbath can be a cover
for selfishness, an excuse for
self-centered self-care.
Sometimes it can be an expression of
pride like it was for the Pharisees,
a way of showing other people how
mature I am compared to others.
But we also shouldn't disregard the
Sabbath principle.
As Jesus says in Mark 2, 27, the
Sabbath, or 22, 7, the Sabbath was
made for man.
In other words, for our sake, for our
benefit.
We can see this in our passage in
Exodus 31, 17.
Please look there with me.
Exodus 31, 17 says,
It is a sign forever between me and
the people of Israel that in six
days the Lord made heaven and earth,
and on the seventh day he rested and
was refreshed.
God set this pattern for us so that we
might rest and be refreshed.
God wants to refresh you.
The cure for burnout is not necessarily
less work.
Sometimes people who serve the least are
the most burnt out.
The cure for burnout is more rest in
Jesus.
Jesus said in Matthew 11, 28 to 30,
Come to me all who labor and are
heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you
will find rest for your souls.
Rest for your soul is found in the
finished work of Christ on the cross.
We can rest only because Jesus declared on
the cross after paying for our sins there
and nailing it to the cross, he said,
It is finished.
You don't need to save yourself with your own
good works.
You don't need to justify your own
existence.
You don't need to justify your own status.
You don't need to justify your own
significance.
You can rest in Christ today.
Find your salvation in him.
Find your sufficiency in him.
Find your identity in him.
Find your all in all in him.
Find your soul in him.
It's then, and only then, that your soul
will be at rest.
Let's pray together.
Lord Jesus, thank you for the rest that you
offer us.
Lord, it is so easy for us to fall into our
old ways, our old habits of trying to
justify ourselves.
Trying to prove by our own works, by our
own efforts, that our lives mean
something.
That our lives are worth something.
That we are significant.
But Lord, teach us to live by grace and
not by the law.
Teach us to live by your spirit and not by the
law.
To find all that we need and all that we
have in Jesus.
Find our significance, our identity in him.
Lord, help us with that.
So that we would give ourselves eagerly to the work of
building up your house.
All the while trusting in and resting in the reality that
Jesus, you, God the Father, you are the ultimate builder.
Father, thank you for letting us be a part of this, Lord.
In Jesus' name we pray.
Amen.