Exodus 35:21
And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing, and they brought the Lord's offering to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation, and for all his service, and for the holy garments.
Exodus 36:5-7
And they spake unto Moses, saying, The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work, which the Lord commanded to make. [6] And Moses gave commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, Let neither man nor woman make any more work for the offering of the sanctuary. So the people were restrained from bringing. [7] For the stuff they had was sufficient for all the work to make it, and too much.
We are approaching the New Year. We have all thought about ways we can be more successful in the coming year. There is much to be learned from the children of Israel as they prepared to build the tabernacle.
Often we want to blame Satan and the world for our lack of success, but I believe much of the problem comes from within. Many times we give Satan too much credit because we don’t like to admit that we aren’t accomplishing much for the Lord.
We are living in a day where the church needs to be gaining ground. We can’t expect to be successful without internal strength. Our churches are only as strong as its members. I trust this passage will encourage us to become stronger for the Lord in the New Year and years to come. I want to share the thought of: A Guaranteed Method for Success.
I. The Assembly of the Workers – And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing, and they brought the Lord's offering to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation, and for all his service, and for the holy garments. The people came together to fulfill the need at hand. They were faithful to God’s work.
We live in a day of “convenience Christians." They are willing to give of themselves if it is convenient. Our careers, hobbies, and personal interest have consumed our time so that there is little left for the Lord. We have more of everything than former generations except time.
The Lord Jesus set up the institution of the local church and we need to come together, in force, as a body of believers to stand for the things of God and resist the things of the world. We can make a difference, but we must come together.
Don’t take the church for granted. There is something special about gathering with God’s people. There is strength and help here not found anywhere else. You won’t get it at the ball game, hunt club, or the gym. You owe it to God, yourself, and your family to be there!
II. The Attitude of the Workers – Their hearts were stirred and their spirits were willing. They had a genuine love for God and were devoted to His service. They had a compelling desire to serve the Lord.
I wonder what the majority of folks come to church for? What do you come for? We need that inward desire to serve the Lord with gladness. Oh, how we need men and women of our day to have their hearts stirred by the Holy Ghost! I can assure you our attitude of service would change.
Many have rejected the voice of the Holy Ghost so long that their hearts have become cold and indifferent. It is no wonder our churches are losing more ground each year. We need a stirring of the Holy Ghost.
By the way, this wasn’t about being praised of men for their work, but an inward desire to serve God. These weren’t looking for “a pat on the back” for everything they did. Our service to the Lord should not depend upon the praise of men. If you are basing your service upon the praise of men, you won’t accomplish much. I’m not saying that we shouldn’t encourage each other, encouragement is good; but, if our service requires the recognition of others, we need a new attitude. Let us serve Him for who He is!
III. The Ambition of the Workers – Notice what they did; they provided for all of the Lord’s work: and they brought the Lord's offering to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation, and for all his service, and for the holy garments. There was a concern for every area of need. This wasn’t about just doing the bare minimum, but providing for every need.
The work of the Lord deserves the very best we have to offer. It is a privilege to serve God! I’m not working for the President, but the King of Kings.
Here, there was one thing in mind, fulfilling the Lord’s work. Our churches need people who will go the extra mile to ensure God’s work is being done. We need folks with ambition and a desire for service. Most will go all out for themselves, but want to sell God short. If anyone deserves our best, the Lord does.
Have you ever wondered what we could accomplish within our small congregation if everyone had a holy ambition for the Lord? I really believe we could turn this community upside down. David was small in stature, but big in heart. A genuine commitment to God’s service can overcome the giants that we face. As we look forward to a new year, let’s determine that we will give the Lord our best and not accept anything less than our best. We’ll see a tremendous difference in 2012.
IV. The Abundance of the Workers (36:5-7) – And they spake unto Moses, saying, The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work, which the Lord commanded to make. [6] And Moses gave commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, Let neither man nor woman make any more work for the offering of the sanctuary. So the people were restrained from bringing. [7] For the stuff they had was sufficient for all the work to make it, and too much. With everyone working together, they had brought more than was needed. God had blessed their efforts with abundance.
As we look back on 2011, how does it measure up? Have we accomplished all we could have for the Lord and His glory?
Have you ever seen a day when there were more willing vessels than could be used? Wouldn’t it be great for the people of God to bring such abundance that we had to search for a place to use it? You may feel that you don’t have much to offer, but God will give the increase. We can see that abundance in our churches with faithful service and a willing heart.
I would love to see a church so committed that they had to search for a need to meet. Lu.6:38 – Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye meet withal it shall be measured to you again. We’ll receive as we have given. We could see great things for the Lord this year, but we must do our part. Everyone should desire to bring something of benefit to God’s house each time we come.
What have you been bringing? Are you a help or a hindrance? Are you interested in contributing to the Lord’s work? There is a great need for Christians to give of themselves to the Lord. I believe the need is greater than it has ever been. What are we doing to help?
Preacher Chris
And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing, and they brought the Lord's offering to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation, and for all his service, and for the holy garments.
Exodus 36:5-7
And they spake unto Moses, saying, The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work, which the Lord commanded to make. [6] And Moses gave commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, Let neither man nor woman make any more work for the offering of the sanctuary. So the people were restrained from bringing. [7] For the stuff they had was sufficient for all the work to make it, and too much.
We are approaching the New Year. We have all thought about ways we can be more successful in the coming year. There is much to be learned from the children of Israel as they prepared to build the tabernacle.
Often we want to blame Satan and the world for our lack of success, but I believe much of the problem comes from within. Many times we give Satan too much credit because we don’t like to admit that we aren’t accomplishing much for the Lord.
We are living in a day where the church needs to be gaining ground. We can’t expect to be successful without internal strength. Our churches are only as strong as its members. I trust this passage will encourage us to become stronger for the Lord in the New Year and years to come. I want to share the thought of: A Guaranteed Method for Success.
I. The Assembly of the Workers – And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing, and they brought the Lord's offering to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation, and for all his service, and for the holy garments. The people came together to fulfill the need at hand. They were faithful to God’s work.
We live in a day of “convenience Christians." They are willing to give of themselves if it is convenient. Our careers, hobbies, and personal interest have consumed our time so that there is little left for the Lord. We have more of everything than former generations except time.
The Lord Jesus set up the institution of the local church and we need to come together, in force, as a body of believers to stand for the things of God and resist the things of the world. We can make a difference, but we must come together.
Don’t take the church for granted. There is something special about gathering with God’s people. There is strength and help here not found anywhere else. You won’t get it at the ball game, hunt club, or the gym. You owe it to God, yourself, and your family to be there!
II. The Attitude of the Workers – Their hearts were stirred and their spirits were willing. They had a genuine love for God and were devoted to His service. They had a compelling desire to serve the Lord.
I wonder what the majority of folks come to church for? What do you come for? We need that inward desire to serve the Lord with gladness. Oh, how we need men and women of our day to have their hearts stirred by the Holy Ghost! I can assure you our attitude of service would change.
Many have rejected the voice of the Holy Ghost so long that their hearts have become cold and indifferent. It is no wonder our churches are losing more ground each year. We need a stirring of the Holy Ghost.
By the way, this wasn’t about being praised of men for their work, but an inward desire to serve God. These weren’t looking for “a pat on the back” for everything they did. Our service to the Lord should not depend upon the praise of men. If you are basing your service upon the praise of men, you won’t accomplish much. I’m not saying that we shouldn’t encourage each other, encouragement is good; but, if our service requires the recognition of others, we need a new attitude. Let us serve Him for who He is!
III. The Ambition of the Workers – Notice what they did; they provided for all of the Lord’s work: and they brought the Lord's offering to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation, and for all his service, and for the holy garments. There was a concern for every area of need. This wasn’t about just doing the bare minimum, but providing for every need.
The work of the Lord deserves the very best we have to offer. It is a privilege to serve God! I’m not working for the President, but the King of Kings.
Here, there was one thing in mind, fulfilling the Lord’s work. Our churches need people who will go the extra mile to ensure God’s work is being done. We need folks with ambition and a desire for service. Most will go all out for themselves, but want to sell God short. If anyone deserves our best, the Lord does.
Have you ever wondered what we could accomplish within our small congregation if everyone had a holy ambition for the Lord? I really believe we could turn this community upside down. David was small in stature, but big in heart. A genuine commitment to God’s service can overcome the giants that we face. As we look forward to a new year, let’s determine that we will give the Lord our best and not accept anything less than our best. We’ll see a tremendous difference in 2012.
IV. The Abundance of the Workers (36:5-7) – And they spake unto Moses, saying, The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work, which the Lord commanded to make. [6] And Moses gave commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, Let neither man nor woman make any more work for the offering of the sanctuary. So the people were restrained from bringing. [7] For the stuff they had was sufficient for all the work to make it, and too much. With everyone working together, they had brought more than was needed. God had blessed their efforts with abundance.
As we look back on 2011, how does it measure up? Have we accomplished all we could have for the Lord and His glory?
Have you ever seen a day when there were more willing vessels than could be used? Wouldn’t it be great for the people of God to bring such abundance that we had to search for a place to use it? You may feel that you don’t have much to offer, but God will give the increase. We can see that abundance in our churches with faithful service and a willing heart.
I would love to see a church so committed that they had to search for a need to meet. Lu.6:38 – Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye meet withal it shall be measured to you again. We’ll receive as we have given. We could see great things for the Lord this year, but we must do our part. Everyone should desire to bring something of benefit to God’s house each time we come.
What have you been bringing? Are you a help or a hindrance? Are you interested in contributing to the Lord’s work? There is a great need for Christians to give of themselves to the Lord. I believe the need is greater than it has ever been. What are we doing to help?
Preacher Chris
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