Exodus 25: Obedience - Hearing, Believing, Doing
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LOGO DESIGNS…LET ME KNOW WHICH YOU THINK REPRESENTS OUR CHARGE THE BEST. THERE ARE 4 OF EACH TO SHOW HOW EACH CHURCH MIGHT INCORPORATE THE ICON…JUST TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK LOOKS/COMMUNICATES WHO WE ARE THE BEST.
Last week we talked about Bezalel and the others who gave and worked to complete the tabernacle. How they were motivated by their Love for God.
I invited many of you to make an offering of your gifts…your skills and abilities. I invited many of you to make a declaration, I am all in. and many of you did. Many of you though couldn’t in all honesty say that. This week I want to drill down a little more into the character of that work and what that character leads to.
Because it is something I believe we all struggle with…rather, most of us struggle with.
But first,
What do you think is the glory of God?
There are probably many ways we might describe it, for instance, when we refer to people we might refer to their wisdom, wealth, power, or beauty. The word KABOD in Hebrew means heavy or weighty. Another word they used was HADAR meaning splendor or sovereignty. Or the Greek DOXA, which had a much deeper meaning, combining the manifestations of God’s greatness and majesty as well as the Greek reputation and the Hebrew idea of weighty.
So when we think of the glory of God, it’s more than a reputation. There is a substance to it, a weight to God’s glory that comes because of who he is.
Power/Authority
Soveriegnty
Authority
Beauty
Flag - old glory - what it represents, because we give it that.
But the glory of God is something that He has because he has it. We might honor it, or not, experience it, or not; be moved by it, or not. But we don’t create it.
There is power in God’s glory because it isn’t a feeling, it is the result of God’s presence. So we have seen it at work in the fire and the clouds on Mt. Sinai, in the fire and clouds that led and protected Israel in the desert.
When the people obeyed God’s they experienced God’s glory.
Power to protect, and provide. But also awe and praise.
OK…that’s enough of some ground work on Glory…now let’s look at the text.
God’s glory is
Power of God’s glory
What drives obedience?
Love motivates obedience
We said last week that love motivates obedience.
Obedience defines the Christian life.
Obedience reveals the Glory of God
Here we see Bezalel at work.
Ark, Table, Lampstand, Altar of Incense, Altar of Burnt Offering, Basin for Washing, Courtyard, Priestly Garments, Ephod, Breastpiece…”as the Lord Commanded Moses.”
An important thing to see here is that Bezalel means “under the shadow of God”. His work is under the shadow of God…submitted to God
Another thing is he was from the tribe of Judah. Can you think of anyone else who crafted a sanctuary for God in the bible? Solomon…and Jesus.
Both accomplished their task JUST as God desired. And the result of both was that God was glorified in their obedience.
These three chapters are almost word for word what we have already read, with one very important change. Most of the verbs are in the past tense. Before they were in the future tense…you will make, you will build. But now it’s all he made, they made, they assembled.
Ark, Table, Lampstand, Altar of Incense, Altar of Burnt Offering, Basin for Washing, Courtyard, Priestly Garments, Ephod, Breastpiece…”as the Lord Commanded Moses.”
Sounds just like what we read before:
Ch 25-7: Heard
Ch 31 Wrestled and Believed…we know because in 32, they were tempted to turn away and worship the calf, but they didn’t…how do we know they didn’t…because they are alive.
Ch 36-39 Obeyed
That’s the phrase used over and over again in chapter 39...”as the Lord commanded Moses”.
That’s the phrase used over and over again in chapter 39...”as the Lord commanded Moses”.
Bezalel and his whole team’s obedience resulted in Tabernacle, God’s dwelling
Christ’s obedience resulted in God’s dwelling in us
Heard, Believed, Obeyed.
Obedience results in Joy (the presence of God)
Areas we might still be struggling:
Marriages…careers…finances…service...
These struggles don’t just stay there. They affect everything else because everything is connected. We don’t have a spiritual life and a work life and a home life and a church life. We have one life and if one area is out of wack, if there is one area that we are being disobedient, they are all affected.
In the same way, if there is one area we are obedient, they are all affected. IF you surrender your marriage to God, your finances aren’t going to be able to hide…your work will be affected when you surrender your gifts to God.
Then we begin to experience Tension…conflict. What’s needed is to fully surrender.
Perhaps we need...
Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
when we lose our first love - which leads to our willing obedience…repent and do the things you did at first…back when you believed.
Our obedience brings God’s glory to the earth…
I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.
Close:
Then we begin to experience Tension…conflict. What’s needed is to fully surrender.
IF we want the glory of God to be seen, the people of God must be obedient to his way.
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
…if we want us to be glorified, then we just need a good plan. But if we want God to be glorified, we need to stick to HIS PLAN.
…if we want us to be glorified, then we just need a good plan. But if we want God to be glorified, we need to stick to HIS PLAN.
His plan for our marriages, how we practice love and forgiveness.
His plan for sex, his plan for food, his plan wealth;
His plan for our work, how we deal with our customers, clients, and suppliers.
His plan for our children.
His plan for people in need, his plan for the kids in our community.
His plan for his church.
His plan for Rock Hall.
We need to follow his plan to the letter.
Where do we go to discover his plan? His word.
Just like Bezalel, we must first hear the word, then after we wrestle with the imiplications of believing, we either decide. Yes, whatever he wants…or I don’t know. We get started obeying his call on our lives or we get started avoiding his call for our lives.
So, let me ask you. Where are you? Are you actively obeying his call or not. there isn’t a third choice. There isn’t something in between.
With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith. We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.
If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
Experiencing the glory of God requires obedience.
Experiencing the glory of God requires obedience.
IF there is nothing else you had rather experience, you are well on your way to it.
We said last week that love motivates obedience.
Obedience defines the Christian life.
Obedience reveals the Glory of God