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Message 5 The Tablets were Broken

Message 5: The Tablets were Broken

 

4.10.2022

Palm Sunday

Message 5/51

 

Exodus 32:7–29 (CSB)

7 The LORD spoke to Moses: “Go down at once! For your people you brought up from the land of Egypt have acted corruptly.

8 They have quickly turned from the way I commanded them; they have made for themselves an image of a calf. They have bowed down to it, sacrificed to it, and said, ‘Israel, these are your gods, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.’ ” 9 The LORD also said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and they are indeed a stiff-necked people. 10 Now leave me alone, so that my anger can burn against them and I can destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation.”

11 But Moses sought the favor of the LORD his God: “LORD, why does your anger burn against your people you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and a strong hand? 12 Why should the Egyptians say, ‘He brought them out with an evil intent to kill them in the mountains and eliminate them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your fierce anger and relent concerning this disaster planned for your people. 13 Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Israel—you swore to them by yourself and declared, ‘I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of the sky and will give your offspring all this land that I have promised, and they will inherit it forever.’ ” 14 So the LORD relented concerning the disaster he had said he would bring on his people.

15 Then Moses turned and went down the mountain with the two tablets of the testimony in his hands. They were inscribed on both sides—inscribed front and back. 16 The tablets were the work of God, and the writing was God’s writing, engraved on the tablets.

17 When Joshua heard the sound of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses, “There is a sound of war in the camp.”

18 But Moses replied,

It’s not the sound of a victory cry

and not the sound of a cry of defeat;

I hear the sound of singing!

19 As he approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, Moses became enraged and threw the tablets out of his hands, smashing them at the base of the mountain. 20 He took the calf they had made, burned it up, and ground it to powder. He scattered the powder over the surface of the water and forced the Israelites to drink the water.

21 Then Moses asked Aaron, “What did these people do to you that you have led them into such a grave sin?”

22 “Don’t be enraged, my lord,” Aaron replied. “You yourself know that the people are intent on evil. 23 They said to me, ‘Make gods for us who will go before us because this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt—we don’t know what has happened to him!’ 24 So I said to them, ‘Whoever has gold, take it off,’ and they gave it to me. When I threw it into the fire, out came this calf!”

25 Moses saw that the people were out of control, for Aaron had let them get out of control, making them a laughingstock to their enemies. 26 And Moses stood at the camp’s entrance and said, “Whoever is for the LORD, come to me.” And all the Levites gathered around him. 27 He told them, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says, ‘Every man fasten his sword to his side; go back and forth through the camp from entrance to entrance, and each of you kill his brother, his friend, and his neighbor.’ ” 28 The Levites did as Moses commanded, and about three thousand men fell dead that day among the people. 29 Afterward Moses said, “Today you have been dedicated to the LORD, since each man went against his son and his brother. Therefore you have brought a blessing on yourselves today.”

 

Introduction to a challenging passage:

1. It is easy for most of us to read this passage and have a lot of questions:
2. First, why does God give up so quick on Israel?
3. Why is God so angry?
4. Why is Moses so angry?
5. Why do the Levites kill a bunch of people?
6. How can this be the same God we worship in the New Testament who is doing these sorts of things (I’ll answer that one better next week on Easter Sunday).
7. What we do with challenging passages is really important to our faith.
8. What we will see today is that not only is God not harsh, He isn’t harsh enough.
9. In fact, God’s reactions are so much more loving and gracious than anyone of us would act.

1. Israel deserves to die for her sins.

1. While Moses is spending time with God, Israel is committing adultery and idolatry.
2. Israel is breaking every commandment, every promise, and every shred of trust that has been given in the recent days.
3. From God’s position, He sees what Moses doesn’t.
4. He sees their sin and their heart.
5. God calls them stiff-necked.
6. Stiff-necked refers to a “beast of burden that is too stubborn to wear its master’s yoke or do what its master says.”
7. This is the first time this phrase is used in Exodus.
8. But it will become one of the primary ways God describes His people in the Prophetic books.
9. Why does Israel deserve to die?
10. So what if they got drunk?
11. So what if they had a million-person sex-party?
12. So what if they sacrificed sacrifices on a false-altar to an image of an Egyptian God.
13. Sure, these are all bad, but doesn’t God forgive?
14. Isn’t God love?

God’s anger, Moses’ anger, and the killing of some of the people stemmed because Israel broke 3 important concepts.

2. First, Israel broke a covenant.

1. Just 50 days before, Israel had agreed to a Covenant with God.
2. They heard the terms, summarized in the Commandments.
3. They agreed to them “In all things we will do and be obedient.”
4. Then they offered sacrifices to celebrate and to seal the covenant.
5. Israel’s behavior and choice to follow a false-god broke this covenant.
6. Part of the covenant ceremony involved the cutting of an animal.
7. They would cut it and sprinkle the blood on the parties, signifying “if I break this covenant” then I should die in like manner.
8. When Moses comes off the Mountain, and he asks:

Exodus 32:26–29 (CSB)

²⁶ And Moses stood at the camp’s entrance and said, “Whoever is for the Lord, come to me.” And all the Levites gathered around him. ²⁷ He told them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says, ‘Every man fasten his sword to his side; go back and forth through the camp from entrance to entrance, and each of you kill his brother, his friend, and his neighbor.’” ²⁸ The Levites did as Moses commanded, and about three thousand men fell dead that day among the people. ²⁹ Afterward Moses said, “Today you have been dedicated to the Lord, since each man went against his son and his brother. Therefore you have brought a blessing on yourselves today.”

 

1. What about the Levites killing their neighbors?
2. The key to understanding this is the Covenant Israel had just entered.
3. Moses is asking “who will help God keep the Covenant and its terms.”
4. When the Levities stepped forward, they declared “we will fulfill the terms of this Covenant that we agreed to.”
5. This obedience resulted in this tribe being entrusted with the articles of the Covenant by assisting the priesthood.
6. We should never use this passage to justify murder or genocide.
7. What we need to glean from this passage is the seriousness of God’s promises and Covenant.
8. God could have killed them all, but He doesn’t.
9. He could have also “overlooked” their sin.
10. But if He had, he would have violated His own covenant and would have been a liar.
11. Because God keeps His Covenants, we know He also keeps His promises.

3. Second, Israel broke not only a Covenant but also a Marriage.

1. Over the past few months, I’ve been coming across more and more the theme of “wedding” and our “marriage” to Christ.
2. It’s a theme I hadn’t seen before.
3. But just like when you buy a car and notice that EVERYONE drives that car now, when the Lord started showing me the theme of Jesus and Groom and the Church as Bride, and the great wedding, I see it everywhere.
4. Apparently, I’m not alone and this isn’t a new theme:
5. One writer declares:
6. From the perspective of the biblical prophets, what happened at Mount Sinai was nothing less than a divine wedding.[1]
7. This makes sense when we read books like HOSEA, that is an enactment of Spiritual adultery.
8. Or all the passages in the prophets that talks about “unfaithful Israel”.
9. Or then in the New Testament, how John the Baptist declares the Bridegroom is coming.
10. Here’s the question: If Israel was committing adultery, then when was the wedding?

[Thus says the LORD:] “Therefore behold, I will allure her [Israel], and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her.… And there she shall answer as in the days of her youth, as at the time when she came out of the land of Egypt.” (Hosea 2:14, 15)

The word of the LORD came to me [Jeremiah], saying, “Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem, ‘Thus says the LORD,’ I remember the devotion of your youth, your love as a bride, how you followed me in the wilderness, in a land not sown. Israel was holy to the LORD, the first fruits of his harvest.” (Jeremiah 2:1–2)

I passed by you again and looked on you; you were at the age for love. I spread the edge of my cloak over you, and covered your nakedness: I pledged myself to you and entered into a covenant with you, says the LORD God, and you became mine. (Ezekiel 16:8, NRSV)

 

1. It makes sense that the events at Sinai was not only a Covenant ceremony but also a wedding.
2. This was where “YHWH became their God, and Israel became His people.” (Sounds like wedding language).
3. Furthermore, after the ceremony and the promises were made, the leadership went up the Mountain and had a dinner in the presence of God.
4. Sounds kind of like a wedding banquet, and a foreshadowing of the future Marriage Supper of the Lamb, doesn’t it?
5. If we view the events at Sinai has a wedding, a choosing of one spouse and one God, then what Israel does was spiritual adultery.
6. This helps explain why God was so mad, and even why Moses was angry.
7. Left to a few days by herself, Israel bound herself to another god in the image of a calf.
8. Israel gave her love to this god.
9. Israel gave her hopes to this god.
10. Israel gave her worship to this god.
11. Israel was unfaithful, and God was the spurned and jealous lover.
12. By understanding this passage through the lens of marriage, then God was more than just to leave Israel and to start fresh with a new marriage.
13. God could have started over again with Moses, and still kept His promise.
14. God would have been right and correct to have gone another direction.
15. But God didn’t.
16. Here is what this tells us:
17. God’s love for you is greater than you can imagine.
18. The enemy lies and says you are too far gone to be saved.
19. But GOD is merciful and gracious.
20. And His love endures forever.

4. Lastly, they broke God’s Heart.

Exodus 32:15–16 (CSB)

¹⁵ Then Moses turned and went down the mountain with the two tablets of the testimony in his hands. They were inscribed on both sides—inscribed front and back. ¹⁶ The tablets were the work of God, and the writing was God’s writing, engraved on the tablets.

 

1. Anyone who has ever written something knows that part of you is inscribed in the writing.
2. Whether I’m writing sermons or research papers, there is part of me in that writing.
3. The writer of Exodus provides great description of the Tablets in Moses’ hands.
4. Inscribed front and back.
5. They were the work of God.
6. The writing was God’s writing.
7. This was by no means the kind of writing that shows up on digital downloads or purchases that we click at the bottom just to move on.
8. When I bought my house last year, all my paperwork was digital.
9. I’ll be honest, I don’t think I read everything on those papers.
10. I wanted the house, so I digitally signed the paperwork.
11. The Law represented more than words but the heart of God.
12. As Moses comes off the mountain, in a moment of anger, he breaks the tablets of stone.
13. The breaking of the tablets signify the breaking of the covenant, the marriage, and the heart of God.
14. When we break God’s heart, excuses don’t matter.
15. Moses asked Aaron “what did these people do to you to lead them to this.”
16. But no matter what Aaron would have said, it wouldn’t have undone the damage.
17. Romans 1 tells us that all of humanity is without excuse before God.
18. We might justify our sin.
19. We might relabel our sin to sound more appealing:
20. Adultery becomes an “indiscretion”.
21. Theft becomes “financial mismanagement” or “misappropriation of funds”.
22. Gossip becomes “just tellin it the way I see it”.
23. Humanity is really good about reclassifying our sin.
24. Yet, the reality is “sin known by any other name is still sin”.
25. All sin requires the grace and mercy of God.

5. Even in the midst of great sin, there is still grace.

1. Moses sought the favor of God.
2. Next week, we focus on Moses ascending up the Mountain to “atone” for our sin.
3. But this week, you need to know, “Sin cannot take us where grace cannot reach us.”
4. No one is too hopeless or too far gone for God to save and redeem.
5. Romans tells us “All have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God”.
6. We all stand condemned before the just God.
7. We all deserve eternal death.
8. Yet, God in His mercy has made available forgiveness and redemption.
9. Last week, I preached hard on sin.
10. I can preach hard on sin and hard on grace because I know that, through Jesus, we find forgiveness of all sins.
11. Because of Jesus, I don’t have to atone for my own sin.
12. Instead, I can live for Jesus instead of against Jesus.

Apply: We live in a world that champions sin and vilifies righteousness.

1. But that is nothing new.
2. This is not a new phenomena.
3. So what are we to do?
4. Call sin what it is.
5. Michael Hyatt once said a mistake is pushing the gas when you meant to hit the break.
6. We can’t call our sin anything less than sin and expect to receive God’s forgiveness.
7. Then, receive forgiveness.
8. Stop thinking that your sin is too great or too costly to forgive.
9. Stop walking in condemnation and accept the gift of God already.
10. Then live for Jesus.
11. This is easier said than done.
12. But God has sent His Spirit to help you live for Jesus.
13. The sinful nature helps you live against Jesus.
14. The new nature, the Holy Spirit, helps you live for Jesus.
15. The Holy Spirit will help keep you from worshipping Golden Calfs.
16. The Holy Spirit will keep you from rising up to “play”.
17. The Holy Spirit will empower you to stand up for righteousness when even your own family is celebrating sin.
18. The Holy Spirit will lead you away from the pull of sinful influences and towards Godly influences.
19. Living for Jesus may not always be easy, but it’s always doable.

Prayer:

This morning, some of us need to confront our sin by confession and repentance.

Some of us need empowerment to live for Jesus, because that old nature wants to show its ugly head and you know you aren’t called to that.

All of us need empowerment to live for Jesus.

 

[1] Pitre, Brant James. Jesus the Bridegroom (p. 9). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

 

Click below for a PDF of Pastor Paul Richardson’s notes.

Message 4 Help Im Falling Fast

 

 

Help! I’m Falling Fast

4.3.2022

Message 50/4

Exodus 32:1–6 (CSB)

THE GOLD CALF

32 When the people saw that Moses delayed in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said to him, “Come, make gods for us who will go before us because this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt—we don’t know what has happened to him!”

² Aaron replied to them, “Take off the gold rings that are on the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters and bring them to me.” ³ So all the people took off the gold rings that were on their ears and brought them to Aaron. ⁴ He took the gold from them, fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made it into an image of a calf.

Then they said, “Israel, these are your gods, who brought you up from the land of Egypt!”

⁵ When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of it and made an announcement: “There will be a festival to the Lord tomorrow.” ⁶ Early the next morning they arose, offered burnt offerings, and presented fellowship offerings. The people sat down to eat and drink, and got up to party.

 

1. While Moses is having an amazing time in God’s presence, the people are being stupid.

1. This is part of the human story.
2. When we are seeking God and doing things right, it seems that the people around us go crazy.
3. Our proudest moments seem to be followed by moments of abject failure.
4. 40 days before, God spoke and all of the people agreed to obey.
5. 100 days ago, they were walking on dry ground through the Red Sea.
6. Just that morning, they ate manna from heaven.
7. Yet, in the midst of what should have been their best days, they were getting ready to have the worst day in their history.
8. I want to take a moment and speak to some of you today.
9. I don’t know, by name, who God is speaking to but I know He is speaking.
10. Someone here is really down because you sinned or failed recently and feel really down.
11. You are walking under condemnation, which tells you to quit, that you aren’t worth saving, that you will never change.
12. That isn’t the voice of the Holy Spirit:
13. The Spirit brings conviction which leads to repentance and change.
14. Where the Spirit convicts, He brings the power to change and to be changed.
15. The voice telling you to quit, to give up, to take your life, or anything like that is not the voice of God.

 

 

2. Delay doesn’t have to be deadly.

1. The people panicked during God’s delay.
2. They equated delay with death.
3. The “wait” sign was interpreted as a “no” sign.
4. Like most people, we panic when God says “wait”.
5. What we do during the “delay” can have long-term ramifications.
6. When it appeared that Moses was delayed, Israel turned to the wrong person.
7. Aaron was the priest, not the leader.
8. He was the helper, not the boss.
9. His calling was important and significant, but his calling was not to lead the people.
10. It was never Aaron’s calling or responsibility to lead Israel.
11. A friend of mine pointed out a difference between Aaron and Moses.
12. Same parents, but they were raised differently.
13. Aaron was raised as a slave, while Moses was raised as a prince.
14. Unfortunately, when the stress was on, Aaron led the people back to the only thing he knew which was slavery to idols.
15. When the stress is on, where do you turn?
16. Some of you here are in a season of delay and waiting.
17. Call it your Midian, or a wilderness, or a dry place.
18. There is nothing wrong with being in those places.
19. But in the moment, you are tempted to turn back to the only thing you’ve ever known.
20. Your stressed, so you start inching closer to the prescription meds that you DON’t Need.
21. You are worried, so you start asking your old friends what to do instead of leaning into Jesus and the community of believers you are part of.
22. People give advice according to their kind.
23. Sinful people will give you sinful advice.
24. But what they say sounds familiar.
25. Familiar is comfortable.
26. Comfortable is good.
27. The next thing you know, you are worshipping your old idols.
28. D. When it seems as if God is delayed, where does your “panic” take you back to?
29. You will fail to the level of your training is an axiom in the emergency services realm.
30. When we are under pressure, we will be tempted to go back to what was familiar.
31. This is the source of “relapse”.

3. The golden calf represented something familiar.

1. Remember, I’m always talking about context.
2. Context helps us figure out why Israel and Aaron created a calf.
3. Have you ever significantly wonder “why a golden calf?”
4. Some info from some commentaries:
5. “Presumably this golden calf, as it is usually called, was made in the Egyptian style. The Egyptians worshiped any number of bovine deities. They worshiped Hathor, who was represented by the head of a cow, and Isis, the queen of the gods, who had horns on her head. Then there was Menwer, the sacred bull of Ra, whose skin was covered with gold.² But according to John Mackay,

The ultimate in bull worship was probably the Apis bull, considered to [be] the manifestation of Ptah, the creator god worshipped at Memphis in lower Egypt. The bull lived in palatial quarters in the precincts of the temple; only the higher echelons of society were allowed to view it from special windows; its death was treated on a par with the death of pharaoh; and the remains were mummified. Images of calves or bulls were associated with the strength and power of the deity, and the idols as well as certain live animals came to be regarded as embodiments of the god.^[1]

1. Notice this:
2. This calf/bull was seen to be the creator.
3. The real bull, and its incarnations, was kept hidden in a secret part of the temple where only the elite of society could peak in.
4. Israel created their own Golden Calf/bull, their own god, to take the place of the One true God.
5. God declared Himself to be the creator.
6. God declared Himself to be so holy that normal people could not gaze into the Holy of Holies, but only the High Priest once a year.
7. But during this delay, the people gave God’s glory away to another God.
8. This was not only idolatry, but also adultery.

4. How do people fail and fall so quickly?

1. First, we look to the wrong people.

“Come, make gods for us who will go before us because this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt—we don’t know what has happened to him!”

1. Notice: “the man who brought us up from Egypt.”
2. Moses was God’s representative.
3. When Moses spoke or acted, it was usually on behalf of God.
4. It was through Moses’ words and actions that God did the miracles.
5. But the people couldn’t look past Moses.
6. In other words, they failed to realize it was God who had done these things and Moses was the conduit.
7. But before we condemn Israel, we must recognize that we too often are guilty of the same thing.
8. We elevate people far beyond the platform that God has given them.
9. We take people’s words and actions to be equivalent to the actions of God Himself, and then we lose hope when those people do peopally things.
10. Just because people are used by God, it doesn’t mean they are God.
11. This is true for pastors.
12. This is true for former presidents.
13. This is true for any person regardless of how anointed or successful.
14. To quote our friend Tommy Riley, “Spiritual giftings work outside of righteousness.”
15. Second, we look to the wrong things.

² Aaron replied to them, “Take off the gold rings that are on the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters and bring them to me.” ³ So all the people took off the gold rings that were on their ears and brought them to Aaron. ⁴ He took the gold from them, fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made it into an image of a calf.

1. It is shocking that in the heat of the moment, the first High Priest of Israel immediately thought, “Give me your jewelry.”
2. He didn’t pray.
3. He didn’t seek council.
4. He immediately asked for enough jewelry to make a golden idol.
5. Interestingly, it seems that Aaron made this and not the craftsmen, Bezalel and Oholiab, the men who are were anointed to create the Tabernacle furnishings.
6. No, this was Aaron leading where he wasn’t called to lead.
7. And this was Aaron leading people to look for hope where there never was any hope to begin with.
8. When we are under-pressure, we look for hope where there was never any hope.
9. Americans have been looking for hope in Government, but Government never was the source of our hope.
10. People look to YouTubers, TikTok, or other elements of cultural influencers for hope, for clarity, and for guidance; but there is no hope there, only confusion.
11. In times of trouble, we turn to old habits, old skills, and old friends for hope forgetting they were never the source of hope to begin with.
12. When we look to the wrong people and the wrong places, we fall and we fail faster than we ever can imagine.
13. Third, we cover up our sin with religion.

Exodus 32:5–6 (CSB)

⁵ When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of it and made an announcement: “There will be a festival to the Lord tomorrow.” ⁶ Early the next morning they arose, offered burnt offerings, and presented fellowship offerings. The people sat down to eat and drink, and got up to party.

 

1. Aaron somehow believed that if they bring God’s name into the situation, and declare the “party” to before the Lord, then it made everything alright.
2. Maybe Aaron honestly believed this.
3. It’s possible Aaron had the best intentions: but the people didn’t and the result was sin.
4. Ultimately, Aaron took something vial and used it to worship God.
5. Notice that this did not “redeem” what was evil.
6. This did not make it right or holy.
7. The Apostle Paul used the argument: Should we keep on sinning to glorify God or multiply grace? OF course not.
8. False gods and false-altars do not result in God being glorified.
9. You cannot put Christian language on Satan’s thing and expect God to bless it.
10. Just because you put Jesus’ name on things, doesn’t mean it brings glory to God.
11. Aaron tried to cover up sin by using God’s name, but God wasn’t fooled.
12. The people were fooled.
13. They probably believed what they were doing was ok because their priest blessed it.
14. But just because a religious leader blesses something, that does not mean God blesses it.
15. As your pastor, may I encourage you:
16. Read the Bible for yourself.
17. Pray and commune with God yourself.
18. Worship God, yourself.
19. Do not place your hopes, your understanding, and your relationship upon the shoulders of others.
20. The Gifts and Offices, like pastors, teachers, and prophets, are given by God to edify, to build up, and to support the people of God.
21. But we are not God.
22. Just like Aaron, even the best fail.
23. In the news are the very public moral failures of men like:
24. Brian Houston.
25. Perry Stone.
26. Bill Hybels.
27. Mark Driscoll.
28. Carl Lentz.
29. Just like Aaron, their intentions may have begun as honorable, but they ended up in terrible and sinful places.
30. This leads us to our fourth and last point:
31. Fourth, when we start falling, we go all in.
32. We never sin in isolation.
33. It’s nigh impossible to sin in just one way, and not in many others.
34. Sin isn’t just a downward facing hill, it’s a sheer cliff.
35. A person may think they are in control of their destiny and will, but sin doesn’t play fair.
36. The tools of the enemy are addictions, and strongholds, and increased depravity.
37. This is why Israel could go from “Oh no, where’s Moses” to, let’s get drunk, have a wild orgy, and act like there is no tomorrow.
38. “When we have no hope for the future, we are willing to make a mess of today.”
39. So we run as far and as fast as we can towards sin.
40. We forget that sin has a price-tag and that price comes do.
41. Sometimes the cost of our sin takes years or decades.
42. Sometimes, the cost of our sin shows up like a Will Smith hand across Chris Rock’s face.
43. But be sure, that your sin will find you out.

Apply: Where do we go from here?

1. If you are in a sinful place, You must first call it out.
2. I’ve been pastoring a long time:
3. I know that people what people do.
4. Although I don’t know everything that happens behind the scenes, I do know that some in this room are living or participating in sin and lifestyles that God is not happy with.
5. If that happens to be you, the first thing you must do is confess.
6. To confess means to say the same thing about your sin as that God does.
7. People do not go to hell because they made a mistake, so don’t call your sin a mistake.
8. Don’t “shrug” your shoulders and say, “I messed up”.
9. Before real change can happen, you have to confess your sin.
10. Scripture says, “If you confess your sin, Jesus is faithful and just to forgive.”
11. After you confess, you have to burn the calf down.
12. Throw out the porn, clean out the booze, break off the illicit affair, go tell the truth, payback the money, refuse to hate.
13. Whatever has become your golden calf, you have to get rid of it.
14. You have to clean your house and put it in order, whatever that might mean.
15. You cannot let sin live, you cannot give it a second chance.

Daniel Kolenda tells the story: In January 2018 an article in National Geographic was published with the following headline: “Why an 8-Foot Pet Python May Have Killed Its Owner.” It goes on to tell of how a man in England was killed by his yellow African rock python named Tiny. At one point this deadly serpent had been a cute little snake. Its coils could have easily been broken even by a child. But as it grew, fed and nurtured by the man it would eventually kill, no one realized the tragedy the man was inviting.[i]

1. You cannot give the enemy a foothold, otherwise it will gain hold over you.
2. But once you put things in order, there is one more vital step:
3. Confess, destroy the idol, and find a greater replacement:

Luke 11:24–26 (CSB)

AN UNCLEAN SPIRIT’S RETURN

²⁴ “When an unclean spirit comes out of a person, it roams through waterless places looking for rest, and not finding rest, it then says, ‘I’ll go back to my house that I came from.’ ²⁵ Returning, it finds the house swept and put in order. ²⁶ Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and settle down there. As a result, that person’s last condition is worse than the first.”

1. Jesus taught that when a person gets clean, puts their house in order, and deals with the problems that there becomes great opportunity and a great struggle.
2. The struggle is, that if you do nothing else, you will find out that not only are your demons back but they brought friends.
3. The addiction you had comes back worse than ever.
4. The fights with the spouse is worse than ever.
5. The cravings are worse than ever.
6. Jesus taught this as a spiritual truth: An empty life will soon be filled.
7. And it won’t fill up with good things, it will fill up with junk, trash, and demons.
8. That is why you must be filled with the Holy Spirit!
9. This is not optional.
10. Failure to be filled with the Holy Spirit leaves you open to be filled with spirits that are not of God.
11. We can no longer treat as optional what Jesus considered mandatory.
12. The days before us necessitate all of us to not only to receive salvation and forgiveness, but empowerment to live for Jesus.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

^[1] Ryken, Philip Graham, and R. Kent Hughes. 2005. Exodus: Saved for God’s Glory. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books. 972-973

[i] Kolenda, Daniel. Slaying Dragons: A Practical Guide to Spiritual Warfare (p. 117). Charisma House. Kindle Edition.

 

Follow along with Pastor Paul:

Click the link for the PDF.

Entering into Glory Message 1:47

 

God’s Glory: Where Strivings Cease

 

Exodus 31:12–18 (CSB)

¹² The Lord said to Moses, ¹³ “Tell the Israelites: You must observe my Sabbaths, for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, so that you will know that I am the Lord who consecrates you. ¹⁴ Observe the Sabbath, for it is holy to you. Whoever profanes it must be put to death. If anyone does work on it, that person must be cut off from his people. ¹⁵ Work may be done for six days, but on the seventh day there must be a Sabbath of complete rest, holy to the Lord. Anyone who does work on the Sabbath day must be put to death. ¹⁶ The Israelites must observe the Sabbath, celebrating it throughout their generations as a permanent covenant. ¹⁷ It is a sign forever between me and the Israelites, for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, but on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.”

¹⁸ When he finished speaking with Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two tablets of the testimony, stone tablets inscribed by the finger of God.

 

1. Context:

1. “The Lord said…”
2. This is the 7^th time this phrase is used in Exodus 25-31.[1]
3. The first 6 times all had to do with God’s instructions for building the Tabernacle.
4. The 7^th time was the command to Sabbath and rest.
5. Where else in the Bible does God speak 6 times about creating something and then, the 7^th time, declares a time of rest?
6. Genesis 1, and the creation narrative.
7. The creation of the tabernacle echoes the creation of the universe.
8. . Just as God created everything in 6 days and rested on the 7^th, now God is presenting Israel as his new creation with the tabernacle and worship at the center of that creation.
9. Think about what God created:
10. Sure, He created heavens, earth, animals, plants, and people.
11. But far from being distant, it says that God walked with Adam in the Garden.
12. At the center of the Garden of Eden, was God’s relationship with man.
13. At the center of Israel’s journey was God’s presence with man.
14. Very simply, worship and delighting in God was to be at the center of Israel’s life and existence.
15. Just as the Tabernacle was in the middle of Israel’s camps,
16. So God was to be at the center of Israel’s life and activity.
17. Sabbath reminded the people who and what was most important.
18. This teaching on Sabbath is located in a strategic spot.
19. God had just given all the details for making the Tabernacle and the clothing for the priests.
20. A project like this would be life consuming.
21. Yet, right after God gives the instructions to build, he gives this commandment: Don’t forget the Sabbath!
22. We must fight the temptation of being so busy doing and working that we forget that God has called all of us to pause, reflect, and worship.
23. Consider this: If all of the craftsman had worked all day on the Sabbath, creating perfect objects for the worship of God, yet disobeyed God’s call to rest and worship, their work would have robbed from God’s glory.
24. I’ve heard many times the phrase, “I’d rather burnout than rust out for Jesus.”
25. I understand the sentiment.
26. Better to do too much instead of too little.
27. But here is the reality: Either way, you are out.

2. Why Sabbath mattered to Israel.

1. #1 Sabbath was a sign for Israel.
2. God told Moses “this is a sign between me and Israel.”
3. Every week, when Israel was to Sabbath, it was a sign that they belonged to God.
4. Because they belong to God, God promised to protect and provide for them.
5. Weekly, Israel was reminded of the special relationship that God had for them.
6. The command to Sabbath was a blessing not a curse.
7. Its funny, parents make little kids take naps who do not want them.
8. But as adults, there are days when all we want is to take a nap!
9. Making a kid take a nap is intended for the good of the child, not to their detriment.
10. God gave the command to stop, cease, and rest not as a curse but as a blessing.
11. Resting was a sign for Israel of God’s presence and His love for them.
12. #2. Sabbath set them apart from the rest of the world.
13. Wherever Israel went, the neighbors would notice that they did not work on the Sabbath.
14. Their rhythms of life was drastically different than their neighbors.
15. No one else practiced a Sabbath.
16. Most cultures were expected to work every day.
17. Yet here Israel was expected to cease their labor one day a week.
18. By doing so, they brought glory to God.
19. If you are always fighting and striving to make stuff work, you aren’t bringing God glory because you don’t give God room to move.
20. Have you ever been part of a work project and they had you working as part of a “team”?
21. But there was one or two people who did everything and you were sitting there wondering, “why am I here?”
22. Too often, we say we want God’s help but then we still do all the work.
23. #3. Neglecting the Sabbath had drastic consequences for Israel.
24. Two things are mentioned: Cutoff from community and death.
25. Both are bad.
26. The message is that God was serious.
27. Just as God worked 6 days and rested/ceased on the 7^th, you are to do the same thing.
28. Israel was to tell the message of God’s glory and power every week when they paused on the Sabbath.

2. Why Sabbath matters to us.

1. #1 Resting in Jesus is a sign for believers.
2. I think every believer should have intentional days where they pause, worship, and reflect.
3. But more than that, a weekly day of rest and worship points us forward to an even greater day.
4. Hebrews 4 talks about believers entering a Sabbath rest.
5. This rest is more than a day a week.
6. It’s a rest that influences every part of our life and world.
7. To enter into God’s rest for us, means we:
8. We receive salvation, because we stop trying to save ourself.
9. We operate in God’s power and provision instead of doing it all alone.
10. To enter God’s rest is to enjoy a level of relationship and access to God that we cannot have in the midst of the hustle and bustle of normal life.
11. #2. Resting in God, sets us apart from the rest of the world.
12. Just as the Sabbath made Israel distinct, resting in Jesus separates us from everyone else.
13. What would it look like for our friends and neighbors to look at Christians and see them full of faith, trust, and calm in the midst of this crazy world?
14. Someone who is at rest in Jesus will have a calmness under pressure that is not normal or natural.
15. When we have entered into this rest, our identities are more secure.
16. When we have entered into this rest, our focus remains upon Jesus.
17. When we have entered into this rest, people will notice that something is very different.
18. #3. Neglecting this rest has consequences.
19. Spiritually, Hebrews says that if believers fail to rest and trust in Jesus, and instead try to earn their own salvation, that you will fall into the same disobedience as Israel and miss out on what God has for you.
20. Physically, when we neglect rest, we wear our bodies and minds down opening ourselves up to sickness and disease.
21. According to Cleveland Clinic
22. Some of the most serious potential problems associated with chronic sleep deprivation are high blood pressure, diabetes, heart attack, heart failure or stroke. Other potential problems include obesity, depression, impairment in immunity and lower sex drive.[2]
23. What we must remember is that God created the rhythm of 6 days to work and 1 day to rest and worship BEFORE the Law, Before Moses, and Before the Old Testament.
24. What this means for us is that, although we no longer have to keep Sabbath like the Jews did,
25. We neglect God’s created rhythm and order to our own detriment.

3. Sabbath creates a holy place and a holy time.

1. “The Sabbath was “a tabernacle in time,” as Göran Larsson calls it. It was God’s way of making sure that his people would take the time to get to know him.”^[3]
2. We all need a Holy Place and a Holy time.
3. “the tabernacle is holy space. The Sabbath, by contrast, is holy time. By building the tabernacle and setting apart one day in seven, God is truly recreating heaven in space and time. Weekly Sabbath worship is on holy ground in holy time.^[4]
4. This issue for you and I isn’t so much about what Sabbath or the Lord’s Day should look like.
5. This main issue is are you setting aside time and space for God to be in the center of your life?
6. A great place to start is 1 day a week, worshipping with brothers and sisters at a local church.
7. But during the week, how are you making Jesus the center?
8. How are you participating in God’s glory on a daily and weekly basis?
9. Next, in what areas might you be resisting the rest and space God is calling you to?
10. Just like a kid fighting a much needed nap or bedtime, are there areas where you are fighting that God is saying “be still”?
11. Are there doors you are determined to kick down, when God is saying let me open that for you?
12. Does your disposition reflect God’s working in your life, or are you just as stressed, just as worried, and just as fearful as everyone else around you?

Prayer:

1. I want to pray for you all this morning:
2. And I specifically want to pray for those of us who are saying, “Yes I want more of God’s presence and glory at the center of my life.”
3. For anyone who feels overwhelmed, I want to pray for you also.
4. Not just that you will be delivered from the situation, but that you will experience the presence and peace of God in your life and situation.
5. If you would stand:
6. I want to pray,
7. Then anyone who is feeling overwhelmed or anyone who is desiring to put God at the center of their life, I want to ask you tom come to the front and pray for you to enter into God’s rest and peace and promise.

[1] Together the tabernacle and the Sabbath put God at the center of Israel’s time and space. The Sabbath looked back to creation, when God made the world in six days and rested on the seventh. Peter Enns develops this point by showing how Exodus uses the phrase “Then the Lord said” to echo the story of creation, when God said certain things and they were so (Gen. 1). By using this phrase, the Bible is presenting Israel as God’s new creation. The words “Then the Lord said” appear seven times in Exodus 25–31. The first six times all relate to building the tabernacle (Exod. 25:1; 30:11, 17, 22, 34; 31:1). The seventh comes in Exodus 31:12, where God tells his people to rest. So Exodus repeats the creation pattern: There are six “days” to build the tabernacle, and then it is time to rest.  p 961  ^[1]

[2] https://health.clevelandclinic.org/happens-body-dont-get-enough-sleep/#:~:text=Some%20of%20the%20most%20serious,can%20even%20affect%20your%20appearance.

^[3] Ryken, Philip Graham, and R. Kent Hughes. 2005. Exodus: Saved for God’s Glory. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

^[4] Enns, Peter. 2000. Exodus. The NIV Application Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

 

Message 2:48 Bringing God Glory Calling

Bringing God Glory through our Calling

Message 2/48

3/6/22

Introduction to the Text:

1. These are the chapters of Exodus where Bible Reading plans go to die.
2. A couple of weeks, I could tell where many of you were in your reading plan because I had several messages regarding Leviticus.
3. My interactions with most Christians point to a similar realization.
4. You know this is important.
5. You know there has to be some kind of “glory” here, but where is it?
6. It’s like taking part in someone’s favorite hobby or obsession and wondering “what’s the big deal!”
7. What I love about us here is that, even though we may not understand what a Scripture means or if it even applies, we all appreciate that somehow, God has revealed some of Himself in this portion of the story.
8. Next week, a friend of mine named Doug Carmel will be reviewing the passages I skipped.
9. He is going to be teaching on “Showing Christ in the Tabernacle.”
10. His family is from Israel, and he has served as a missionary to Jewish non-believers.
11. Today’s passage serves as a summary passage.
12. Down the road, perhaps on a Wednesday night, we will go into more detail about the priestly garments.
13. Today, I want to show how God reveals His glory through us.
14. When all of the task before us looks impossible to complete, when the job too big or the obstacles seem insurmountable, God has a method to accomplish His work through His people for His glory.

 

Exodus 28:3 (CSB)

³ You are to instruct all the skilled artisans,^, whom I have filled with a spirit of wisdom, to make Aaron’s garments for consecrating him to serve me as priest.

Exodus 31:1–11 (CSB)

31 The Lord also spoke to Moses: ² “Look, I have appointed by name Bezalel son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. ³ I have filled him with God’s Spirit, with wisdom, understanding, and ability in every craft ⁴ to design artistic works in gold, silver, and bronze, ⁵ to cut gemstones for mounting, and to carve wood for work in every craft. ⁶ I have also selected Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, to be with him. I have put wisdom in the heart of every skilled artisan in order to make all that I have commanded you: ⁷ the tent of meeting, the ark of the testimony, the mercy seat that is on top of it, and all the other furnishings of the tent—⁸ the table with its utensils, the pure gold lampstand with all its utensils, the altar of incense, ⁹ the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, the basin with its stand—¹⁰ the specially woven garments, both the holy garments for the priest Aaron and the garments for his sons to serve as priests, ¹¹ the anointing oil, and the fragrant incense for the sanctuary. They must make them according to all that I have commanded you.”

 

1. Building a place for God.

1. Within the previous chapters, we see God’s details for His tabernacle.
2. The Tabernacle was a mobile temple, where God would dwell with Israel.
3. This was not even a temporary step.
4. It isn’t like God was saying “let’s put a mobile home on the property until we can build a house.”
5. This was God’s idea.
6. But God was very specific.
7. I am not a detail person for most things.
8. But the things I really care about, the details matter.
9. God is always a detailed person and He gave exact details for where He would be worshipped and how he would be worshipped.
10. God wasn’t looking for something that was just “good enough”.
11. It may be good enough for government work.
12. I laughed the other day when I received, in March, some IRS tax documents that were due January 31.
13. They violated their own laws by 2 months.
14. Good enough for government work.
15. Remember the military motto, “Never forget your weapon was made by the lowest bidder.”
16. We do not serve as God of “good enough.”
17. We serve a Holy God.
18. He is perfect in all His ways.
19. Where God steps, chaos is dispelled, and order reigns.
20. It makes sense that God cared about His dwelling.
21. If you do not understand anything else about those passages that seem mind-numbingly dull, just remember that God is greatly concerned with the smallest of details.
22. If God, in Leviticus was concerned about bodily fluids, God has vested interest in EVERY part of your life.
23. God invests where He has an interest.
24. This morning, we will discuss how God uses impossible tasks to bring Him glory through us.
25. When the details matter, the Spirit matters.
26. Furthermore, because God has an interest in you, He has invested in you.

2. The Calling of God

1. Sometimes we over-complicate this:
2. Calling is all about what God has asked us to do.
3. Some callings or aspects will be public.
4. Others behind the scenes.
5. Even though some people are called to serve or minister in very prominent ways, those callings are not more valuable but more prominent.
6. The value of your calling is not bound up in what you do but who called you.
7. When my leadership invites me to a committee or to do a task, the value is not in what I’m doing but that they asked me to do it.
8. If the Governor of MO called and called and asked me to clean the toilets at the Mansion, it would be an honor to serve.
9. If the President of the United States called and offered me the same thing, I would happily fly to DC and clean up his mess.
10. What God has for you is holy and will bring him glory.
11. This must involve every aspect of life.
12. Please do not separate secular and sacred.
13. This is a false dichotomy.
14. When believers engage and are called to something, we are called either because it is holy or we are to be agents to make it holy.
15. If it isn’t holy, or can’t become holy, then I’m not supposed to do it.
16. Holy doesn’t mean glamorous, it means set apart for God.
17. Ethan and Brandi dedicated their kids today because what they are doing in raising a family is holy.
18. Brother Shawn ministered to me this week by taking the trash out of my office. That blessed me and blessed the Lord.
19. Some callings are personal and some are corporate:
20. As a people, it was the calling of every Israelite to worship the Lord and to be a Nation of priests.
21. As a Church, we all share in a calling to make Jesus known.
22. We all share in a calling to serve our community.
23. We all share in a calling to see the blind see, lame walk, and the sinners saved.
24. Reminder: I need some people who will help with Foster gifts this month!
25. We also have callings that are personal and meant just for you.
26. By name! God called Bezalel and Oholiab.
27. God doesn’t always ask the most talented person in the room.
28. God usually doesn’t put spiritual leadership up for a vote.
29. In Acts, we see that Peter and Paul and John had the most amazing gifts and fruitful ministries.
30. But it was James, the brother of Jesus, who pastored and led the Church in Jerusalem and the Council of Jerusalem.
31. Your calling is Not a popularity contest.
32. You don’t need a clear calling to pick up trash in the parking lot or to do what anyone can and should do.
33. We live in a world that talks much about:
34. What are you passionate about.
35. Do what gives you bliss.
36. Often, God uses the natural giftings and passions we have as launching points for our callings.
37. This is not about “following your passion”.
38. Calling is about being obedient to what God is asking you to do.
39. Where there is God’s Call, there will be God’s supply.
40. God’s supply is not limited to money.
41. Money is often the easiest part of the equation.
42. Let’s see how, when God asks us to step out and obey, He also gives the supply.

3. Where there is a call, God supplies:

1. #1 The Spirit is the first supply mentioned.
2. First mention means most important.
3. Whatever your calling, don’t even try without the Spirit of God.
4. Spirit empowerment is distinct from Salvation.
5. True: When you are saved the Holy Spirit lives in you.
6. But there are a lot of Christians out there that are living underwhelming, un-victorious lives because they haven’t sought to be Spirit-filled and empowered.
7. Jesus told His followers to wait for the Promise: and you will receive POWER after the Holy Spirit comes upon you.
8. The 120 in Acts 2 were already believers, but they needed empowerment,
9. Acts 8:15-17, Philip goes to Samaria and tons of people get saved.
10. Then Peter and John come to make sure that the reports was true.
11. It was true that they accepted Jesus, but they were Spirit-filled.
12. In Acts 19, Paul asks some Ephesian believers “did you receive the Spirit when you believed?”
13. We didn’t even know there was a Spirit.
14. Illustration: Do you even lift?
15. Paul didn’t stop and say, “I’m so glad you have the Holy Spirit and now you are going to heaven. That’s good enough.
16. Paul wanted them to experience the same empowering he had.
17. For you to do what God is calling you to do, you must be filled with the Spirit.
18. Unfortunately, we have made optional what God considered essential.
19. The Empowering of the Spirit was not optional for the craftsman entrusted with the holy things of God.
20. How much more important for us who are also entrusted with the Holy things of God.
21. And when you discover that raising your family is a holy opportunity, you won’t want to raise your kids with the Spirit’s help.
22. When you discover that text messages, prayer requests, and even conversations are holy moments and holy opportunities, you won’t ever want to give casual or flippant advice you will want Holy Spirit empowered help.
23. When we understand that everything we do we are called to do for the Glory of the Lord, then we won’t want to live another minute of our life without God’s enablement and power.

Colossians 3:23 (CSB)

²³ Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as something done for the Lord and not for people,

4. Without the Holy Spirit’s empowerment, you will not have sustained victory or success.
5. #2. Then God Supplies Wisdom.
6. True wisdom is associated with God’s Spirit, and can even be translated “a spirit of wisdom.”
7. Wisdom is the application of knowledge.
8. Not just knowing what to do, but how to appropriately apply it.
9. Immature people know the mechanics of what to do, while wise people know how to apply the information in a way that honors God and blesses others around them.
10. You can be right without being wise.
11. A lot of Christians have this calling, and they have received the empowerment and enablement, but they haven’t received or applied any wisdom.
12. That’s why Paul forbid immature and new Christians from entering leadership:
13. they have the passion but not yet the wisdom.
14. Passion and calling without wisdom is dangerous.
15. The GOOD NEWS, is that Wisdom is available.
16. The Book of James says, if anyone lacks wisdom…ask for it.
17. God wants to empower the Calling He’s given you, and the Spirit He’s given you with the Wisdom.
18. Picture this:
19. Picture a divine puzzle.
20. On the box is this incredible scene.
21. It’s a picture of what God wants to do, fix, heal, accomplish, whatever.
22. This is what precedes or necessitates the call.
23. God could snap His fingers and make it come to pass, but He chooses to use people to bring this to pass.
24. Then imagine God says, “start putting this together.”
25. When we start putting it together, we notice that God has many of the pieces still in His hand.
26. Maybe grow frustrated because we don’t have everything we need, right now.
27. So we start blaming God.
28. We start accusing Him of withholding what we need to do what HE told us to do (sounds like the Exodus story, right).
29. But God is not some sibling who is throwing away the pieces to frustrate us.
30. God is holding on to the pieces not because He’s a jerk, but because He’s waiting for you to ask for what you need.
31. God, I need a corner piece.
32. God, I need this edge piece.
33. God I need wisdom.
34. I need understanding.
35. I need ability.
36. You know what His response is: Yes son, Yes Daughter.
37. Could it be that you are not operating with the wisdom, understanding, or ability that you need because you haven’t asked!
38. #3. God has promised Understanding and Ability.
39. In our culture, we distinguish wisdom, understanding, and ability more than the Hebrews did.
40. That’s why different translations all phrase this a little different.
41. ESV translates this “and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship,”
42. this refer to what the artist is thinking in his mind and feeling in his heart as well as to what he is making with his hands.^[1]
43. Has God called you to something that you don’t understand?
44. Ask for understanding and discernment.
45. Has God called you to a task but your gifts are presently lacking?
46. Then develop those skills through spiritual and practical disciplines.
47. No one wants this to work more than God.
48. All the ingredients are here.

4. God had supplied everything Israel needed to do what God had called them to do.

1. The project needed a tremendous amount of goods.
2. Lots of God.
3. Lots of dyed yarn and thread.
4. The incredible truth is that, before God told them to build this, He had already “plundered the Egyptians” and all of the material needed was with the people.
5. Later, we will see, that when they called for the people to give they gave so much they had more than enough.
6. But God had planned ahead for what He was asking them to do.
7. God planned the materials ahead and along with the needed people.

Exodus 31:6 (CSB)

⁶ I have also selected Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, to be with him. I have put wisdom in the heart of every skilled artisan in order to make all that I have commanded you:

1. Here is what I noticed:
2. God didn’t have to wait for some craftsman from somewhere else.
3. God didn’t have someone else do this (although Solomon used foreign labor to build the Temple).
4. God used PEOPLE who were already there to do what God was calling them to do there.
5. Many times as Pastor, I’ve said “I would love to do something, but I don’t have the right people.”
6. Here’s what I realized:
7. When the timing is right, the people will be there.
8. When the timing to fulfill that part of the journey is right, the right people will be there.
9. And they, too, need to be filled with the Spirit.
10. It isn’t enough for the Pastor to be Spirit filled.
11. Here’s what I’ve seen:
12. Churches who have a pastor who is Spirit filled, but refuse to be filled themselves will lose that pastor.
13. Pastors who are not spirit filled or led, but their Church is, will lose that Church.
14. But when a group of people who are all seeking the Spirit and Wisdom of God will prove to be unstoppable.
15. Not perfect, (nothing is ever perfect when people is involved).
16. But a called, empowered, and committed people will accomplish what God has called them to.

5. Stir up the Gift.

1. I can’t help but see that Calling and Empowerment are two parts that both must be mixed.
2. Like a cake mix: the ingredients are there but some assembly is required.
3. If the pictures on the box are the calling, the potential, the future, the end goal,
4. and if the individual ingredients is the Spirit, Wisdom, and Understanding, and the Ability,
5. then what is next?
6. It’s the “stirring up the gifts that God has given you 2 Timothy 1:6–7

2 Timothy 1:6–7 (ESV)

⁶ For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, ⁷ for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

2 Timothy 1:6–7 (NKJV)

⁶ Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. ⁷ For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

1. In other words, God has given the ingredients to fulfill the call.
2. Stir it up and Fire it up and DO WHAT GOD HAS CALLED YOU TO DO.

 

2. You can have all the ingredients and still miss out on your calling.
3. Tonight we have dessert.
4. I’m going to be TICKED if you bring the box, and the eggs, and the milk, and set them on the table and expect us to eat them.
5. The ingredients do not automatically become the result.
6. We stir up and we fan into flame the gifts and calling through:
7. Prayer,
8. Worship,
9. Fasting, Solitude, Silence, and
10. DRAWING CLOSE TO GOD.

Close:

1. I look around this room and see calling.
2. I see God bringing the ingredients from all over the US.
3. I see God preparing to bake a cake like we’ve never imagined.
4. There’s a divine puzzle God is putting together and it’s beautiful.
5. The Calling is here.
6. Now seek the empowerment.
7. The God who empowered the artisans of Exodus is the same God who is empowering us.
8. We must seek Spirit empowerment.
9. If you lack wisdom, ask for it.
10. If you lack knowledge, learn and receive it.
11. Whatever it is God is calling us to do as individuals and as a Church, it will require ALL of us to be Spirit empowered.

 

 

 

^[1] Ryken, Philip Graham, and R. Kent Hughes. 2005. Exodus: Saved for God’s Glory. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

 

Message 2:48 Bringing God Glory Calling

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Entering into Glory Message 1:47

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Not if But when you Forgive

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Not If But when FASTing

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Licensed Credential Orientation 2022

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Not If When Giving

Not If When Prayer

Prodigal Week 4

Prodigal Gift Week 3