“Cultivating the Relationship (Exodus 30-31)” | 7/9/23
Exodus 30-31 | 7/9/23 | Will DuVal
A quick survey of the magazine rack in the checkout aisle of your local grocery store would lead you to believe there must be an epidemic of APATHY in relationships today. Article titles like “10 Ways to Keep your Relationship Fresh” and “12 Tips for Spicing Up Your Marriage” abound. In our sinfulness, we are prone to grow tired and bored in even the best of relationships, and sadly, that can apply to our relationship with GOD as well.
Christianity, at its core, is all about having a RELATIONSHIP with God. Indeed, the entire story of the BIBLE is really the story of humanity’s relationship with God, throughout 5 overarching “chapters”.
Chapter 1: Creation (Relationship BORN) - We were CREATED for relationship with God.
Chapter 2: Curse (Relationship BROKEN) - Our sinful rejection of God ruptured our relationship with Him.
Chapter 3: Covenant (Relationship RESTORED) - In his mercy, God re-established relationship with us through his covenants, with Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David.
Chapter 4: Christ (Relationship SECURED) - Through the life, death and resurrection of His Son Jesus, God has now permanently UNITED us with Him, if we are indeed IN Christ.
And finally, Chapter 5: Consummation (Relationship PERFECTED) - One day Christ will return and eradicate sin, and we will experience perfect relationship with Him for the rest of eternity.
That’s the Bible, in 5 sentences. And since January now, we’ve been camped out in “Act 3, Scene 4” of God’s great unfolding Drama, namely, the Book of EXODUS, in which God makes GOOD on his covenant to Abraham from Genesis by increasing Israel exponentially and liberating them from slavery in Egypt, and for the past 15 or sochapters now, God has been UPDATING His covenant with MOSES; further blessing His people with His LAW now, to GUIDE them. And as part of His divine instructions, God has shown Israel “How to Have a Relationship with Him” (covenant; ch 24), “How to Be in God’s Presence” (tabernacle; chs 25-27) and “How to Live as God’s People” (priesthood; chs 28-29).
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So now we come to chs30-31, and to be honest, at first glance, they appear a bit out of place. The 6 sections we find here - about the “Altar of Incense”, the “Bronze Basin”, the “Anointing Oil” - SEEM like they should have been included either back in chs25-27, with God’s blueprints for the tabernacle, or perhaps even back in chs20-23, with the 10 Commandments and the other laws. But here’s the unifying thread for this morning: If the last 10 chapters have been all about God calling Israel back into DEEPER relationship with Him, in these next 2 chapters, God is gonna show them how to keep that relationship “FRESH”, how to CULTIVATE their love relationship with Him. To cultivate is “to promote or foster the growth of [something] by labor and attention.” (dictionary.com).
Relationships take WORK, don’t they? (Can I get an “AMEN!” from my married brothers and sisters?!) Relationships take “labor and attention”, if they’re gonna “GROW”. The same is true of our relationship with GOD. And this morning, God is gonna show us 5 MARKS of a relationship with him, with 5 accompanying MEANS for GROWING that relationship.
#1 - The first mark of a healthy relationship with God is WORSHIP → therefore, God has given us PRAYER as a MEANS of cultivating it (30:1-10, 34-38). We pick up in ch30 with the altar of incense; I’ll read it, and offer you some VISUALS…
30 “You shall make an altar on which to burn incense; you shall make it of acacia wood. 2 A cubit shall be its length, and a cubit its breadth. It shall be square, and two cubits shall be its height. Its horns shall be of one piece with it. 3 You shall overlay it with pure gold, its top and around its sides and its horns. And you shall make a molding of gold around it. 4 And you shall make two golden rings for it. Under its molding on two opposite sides of it you shall make them, and they shall be holders for poles with which to carry it. 5 You shall make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. 6 And you shall put it in front of the veil that is above the ark of the testimony, in front of the mercy seat that is above the testimony, where I will meet with you. 7 And Aaron shall burn fragrant incense on it. Every morning when he dresses the lamps he shall burn it, 8 and when Aaron sets up the lamps at twilight, he shall burn it, a regular incense offering before the Lord throughout your generations. 9 You shall not offer unauthorized incense on it, or a burnt offering, or a grain offering, and you shall not pour a drink offering on it. 10 Aaron shall make atonement on its horns once a year. With the blood of the sin offering of atonement he shall make atonement for it once in the year throughout your generations. It is most holy to the Lord… [then we skip down to v34…]
34 The Lord said to Moses, “Take sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum, sweet spices with pure frankincense (of each shall there be an equal part), 35 and make an incense blended as by the perfumer, seasoned with salt, pure and holy. 36 You shall beat some of it very small, and put part of it before the testimony in the tent of meeting where I shall meet with you. It shall be most holy for you. 37 And the incense that you shall make according to its composition, you shall not make for yourselves. It shall be for you holy to the Lord. 38 Whoever makes any like it to use as perfume shall be cut off from his people.”” [God makes it clear: this incense was ONLY to be used for HIM; quite LITERALLY for “SPICING UP” their relationship with God!]
WORSHIP is an essential - indeed, the MOST essential - ingredient in a healthy relationship with God. To worship literally means to “assign worth”, and according to the Bible, that’s why you and I are here. It’s why EVERYTHING exists: to give God GLORY.
Psalm 150: “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!” (v6)
Hebrews 12&13: “let us offer to God acceptable worship… let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.” (12:28; 13:15)
So the MEANS by which we worship God, then, one the primary means anyway, is PRAYER. Using our “breath”, our “lips”, to “PRAISE” Him.
That’s what the priests would DO, as they offered this incense before the Lord: they would PRAY.
*In Luke 1, we meet John the Baptist’s father, Zechariah, the priest, who was offering incense on this very altar, and praying, when the angel of the Lord appeared to Him.
*The altar’s LOCATION is yet another hint; in v6, God says ‘place it right “in front of the veil that is above the ark of the [covenant]... where I will meet with you.” This was the CLOSEST that MOST priests (other than the high priest, once a year) would EVER get to God’s presence, in the Holy of Holies. So by approaching this altar, they were symbolically approaching God Himself; Leviticus 16:18 even refers to it as “the altar that is before the LORD”. They couldn’t go past the veil, but this altar was like a direct line in, whereby they could access God thru prayer.
*Moreover, all throughout the Bible, incense is used as a symbol to represent PRAYER:
*In Psalm 141; David prays: “Let my prayer be counted as incense before you”. (v2)
*Revelation 5:8 recounts John’s vision of 24 elders “holding… golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.” (cf Rev 8:3-4)
That’s what the altar of incense represents: PRAYER… and WORSHIP. Prayer inherently “assigns God worth”. Prayer is talking to God. It’s taking time out of your day to say, “God, I’m gonna spend the next 5, 10, 15 minutes now with YOU. Because you are WORTH it.”
And this altar and incense attest to God’s SUPREME “worth”; these were precious, EXPENSIVE spices that God told them to blend for His incense. The altar was to be made of PURE gold.
But there’s one other important note about the altar’s design; did you notice how SIMILAR it was to the BRONZE altar, out in the tabernacle COURTYARD, that we examined 3 weeks ago? Both square, both had 4 horns in the corners, both CALLED “altars”. They were even used at the same time of day; vv7 & 8: first thing in the morning, and last thing at twilight - such that sacrifices were being made outside on the one altar WHILE PRAYERS were being offered INSIDE at the OTHER. Why?
God wants us to see the CLEAR CONNECTION between our prayers… and our ATONEMENT. The first is USELESS without the second. Prayer is communicating with God. They say “communication is the key to a healthy relationship”, right? Well that may be true, but only after the relationship has been ESTABLISHED. And THAT’S what atonement is for. These priests could not pray - they literally couldn’t even get INTO the tent of meeting - without BY-passing the bronze altar for SACRIFICE first. So God commands them in v10: “Aaron shall make atonement on its horns [the altar of incense] once a year. With the blood of the sin offering of atonement [from the BRONZE altar] he shall make it”.
Philip Ryken explains (927): “This shows that not even our prayers are acceptable to God unless our sins are [first] forgiven… The basis for access to God through prayer was the blood that made atonement for sin… [That’s] what secures a place for us before the throne of God’s grace… That is why God hears our prayers.” (cf Heb 10:19-20)
And friends, that’s why Hebrews 10 in the NT can now declare: “Since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh [his body, HIS sacrifice, on the cross, for us]… let us now draw near [to God] with a true heart”.
You and I can now draw near to God, with confidence, in prayer, ONLY by the blood of JESUS. His sacrificial death made atonement for our sins, and He brings sinners like you and me back into right relationship with our holy God. Worship BEGINS with faith in JESUS.
And worship is CULTIVATED through PRAYER, through time spent WITH God. Did you know God LOVES the SMELL of your prayers? They are a fragrant AROMA to Him. The best part of my day, MOST days, is coming home from work, walking in, and hearing my kids’ screams of JOY as they RACE up the stairs to tell me about their day: “Daddy, Daddy - come look at this FORT I built…!” “Daddy, listen to what happened at CAMP today…!” Even BO is starting to recognize me, and jump and squeal with delight.
It brings me such JOY when my kids want to be WITH me, want to share their LIVES with me. That’s how your heavenly Father feels about your prayers. So offer him your INCENSE, first thing in the morning, last thing at twilight, and as much as possible in between - 1 Thess 5:17 encourages us to “pray without CEASING”!
#2 - Relationship with God necessitates a COST → therefore, God has given us the gift of Giving (30:11-16). We read now about the “The Census Tax” in v11:
11 The Lord said to Moses, 12 “When you take the census of the people of Israel, then each shall give a ransom for his life to the Lord when you number them, that there be no plague among them when you number them. 13 Each one who is numbered in the census shall give this: half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel is twenty gerahs), half a shekel as an offering to the Lord. 14 Everyone who is numbered in the census, from twenty years old and upward, shall give the Lord's offering. 15 The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less, than the half shekel, when you give the Lord's offering to make atonement for your lives. 16 You shall take the atonement money from the people of Israel and shall give it for the service of the tent of meeting, that it may bring the people of Israel to remembrance before the Lord, so as to make atonement for your lives.”
Relationships aren’t CHEAP, are they? Not the meaningful ones, anyway. There is a COST involved - time spent, trust built, vulnerability - relationships are COSTLY. Especially a relationship with GOD; we’ve already SEEN the cost: LIFE. Death. BLOOD. That is our only means of ATONEMENT, literally, “at-one-ment”; the only way you and I can be made “at-ONE” again, with God, because of our SIN, is by means of sacrifice.
That’s what the “atonement money” here is meant to remind Israel of: that their lives are NOT their own; they were purchased by GOD, when he redeemed them, literally, “bought them BACK”, out of slavery in Egypt. Now Israel belongs to Him. That’s the idea with a census. In the ancient world, to “number” something was a sign of OWNERSHIP. In 2 Samuel 24, King DAVID got himself in trouble, because he decided to take a CENSUS, so he could compare HIS army with that of the surrounding nations. But God had already TOLD David, “Your strength isn’t in the size of your army, or the number of your chariots… I am your strength! And also: it’s not YOUR army to BEGIN with, David; Israel belongs to ME!” So David incurred God’s wrath, and God sent a PLAGUE upon Israel. That’s what God was trying to WARN them of, SPARE them off, here in Exodus 30.
Israel belongs to GOD. He alone has the right to NUMBER them, which He WILL, in… (guess which book of the Bible…) NUMBERS! (another one to look forward to here, coming up…)
But even in the process of Israel being counted, God wants to remind them that they're BELONGING to Him - their atonement - wasn’t CHEAP. So he requires an offering
Likewise, the apostle Paul reminds believers TODAY, “You are not your own, for you were bought with a price” (1 Cor 6:19-20), and Peter reminds us what that price WAS: “you were ransomed… not with perishable things such as silver or gold [like God’s OLD covenant people] 19 but with the precious blood of Christ” (1 Pet 1:18-19). Friends, God paid the highest price IMAGINABLE - the infinitely valuable blood of His perfect SON - in order to ransom… redeem… ADOPT us, back into relationship with Him, as His own children.
And how are we to respond when we REALIZE all that God has done for us - the ultimate price He paid? WE, in turn, give BACK to him. God is the One who gave us these lives in the first place; so we surrender them back to Him in obedience, to be used for HIS glory. God has given us gifts, abilities; we USE them to honor Him. And yes, God has blessed us financially; so we give back of THOSE gifts as well, to bless HIM, in return.
That’s why giving is so important; it’s not primarily about making sure the church’s bills get paid. No, first and foremost, giving is ITSELF a gift that God has given US to help us remember the HIGHEST price that HE paid in order to redeem us. That’s why giving is one of the best indicators of a person’s spiritual maturity. Every time you give, what you’re saying, in a very tangible way, is “God, I belong to YOU. This MONEY - IT belongs to you; I recognize that it was all a GIFT from you in the first place. So now I’m giving some of it BACK, like you INSTRUCTED me to, as my meager, humble “thank you” for ALL that YOU have done for me.”
And God LOVES that; “God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Cor 9:6) It’s a very practical sign of a HEALTHY relationship with Him.
Two other quick notes here:
First, you may recall the story of “Jesus and the Temple Tax” from Matthew 17. Basically, Jesus gets confronted about whether or not he’s gonna pay this half-shekel tax from Exodus 30, and do you remember how Jesus replies? He asks, “From whom do kings take the tax? From their sons or from others?” In other words, “The reason God asks Y’ALL to pay the tax is to remind you that YOU had to be ADOPTED into His Kingdom; but I’M actually the legitimate HEIR. I’m his SON; what’s GOD’S is MINE,” Jesus was saying. And then He PROVED his divinity by performing a miracle and pulling a shekel from a fish’s mouth, and paid the tax anyway.
Last point - notice v15: “The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less, than the half shekel”. This was a FLAT TAX; why?
Because the COST associated with restored relationship with God was IDENTICAL for every single Israelite. No one was BEYOND redemption - irredeemable - and no one required anything LESS than a sacrifice of atonement.
The same is true of US today, friends. “The ground is level at the foot of the cross”. We ALL come to Jesus on equal standing, spiritually speaking. There is none so righteous as to NOT require His blood, and there is no one so VILE as to be “beyond the pale”. Christ’s sacrifice is AVAILABLE to all, and it is DEMANDED for all.
#3 - A healthy relationship with God will entail Sanctification → thus, God’s prescription of Scripture-saturation (30:17-21). We read about “The Bronze Basin” now, in v17:
17 The Lord said to Moses, 18 “You shall also make a basin of bronze, with its stand of bronze, for washing. You shall put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and you shall put water in it, 19 with which Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet. 20 When they go into the tent of meeting, or when they come near the altar to minister, to burn a food offering to the Lord, they shall wash with water, so that they may not die. 21 They shall wash their hands and their feet, so that they may not die. It shall be a statute forever to them, even to him and to his offspring throughout their generations.”
What’s all this about? Ryken explains (938): “The priests had already received a once-and-for-all cleansing from sin at their ordination. [You remember that from LAST week, ch29…] Before they were ever allowed to set foot in the courtyard to the tabernacle, they were washed from head to toe. This was their baptism, their consecration for the priestly service to God. At their ordination the priests also received atonement for their sins; seven bulls were sacrificed to pay the debt they owed God. So why did the priests need to keep washing? …The answer is that they needed to be SANCTIFIED for their service to God. Even after they were forgiven… they still needed God to make them holy.”
Once again, the very LAYOUT of the tabernacle structure attested to this. The first furnishing the priests would have encountered upon entry was the bronze ALTAR, symbolic of JUSTIFICATION, where atonement was made for sin; “they were accepted by God ONLY on the basis of a sacrifice.” But NEXT they would come to the WASHBASIN, symbolic of SANCTIFICATION, where they “cleansed themselves from the corruption of ongoing sin in their lives” (Ryken, 939).
John J Davis (in Ryken 939) helps apply this principle to OUR lives: “So it is with the believer in Christ today. He is freed from the guilt of sin and its penalty by the application of the blood (of Christ), yet there remains defilement of sin that comes through daily living. This is cared for by continuous washing of the water which IS (according to Ephesians 5:26) the Word of God.”
Just as Jesus prayed for us, in John 17:17 - “[Father], Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.”
Sanctification is growth in Godliness; becoming more HOLY, as God is holy. Growing TOWARDS Him, in our relationship with Him. And the spiritual FOOD that powers that godly growth is God’s WORD. Jesus declared, “Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matt 4:4).
IMMERSING ourselves, being SATURATED in God’s word, is the best way to ensure our sanctification. David prays in Psalm 119:11 “I have HIDDEN your word in my heart, [God,] that I might not sin against you.” That I might instead be SANCTIFIED.
2 Corinthians 7:1 “Let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.” And how do we DO it? Take a spiritual SHOWER?
With God’s WORD. Last week, the INITIAL cleansing agent we needed for our atonement was BLOOD. But our ONGOING cleansing is now accomplished by the washing of water which IS the WORD.
Jesus alluded to this in John 13, when he washed his disciples’ feet. “Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet [Lord; that is BENEATH you!].” But Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” [Peter: relationship with me requires SANCTIFICATION] So Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” [“Wash my whole BODY then!] 10 But Jesus said to him, “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean.”
In other words: “Peter, once you’ve been bathed, BAPTIZED, in my blood, you are COMPLETELY CLEAN - “Sin had left a crimson stain, but now I’ve WASHED it white as SNOW.” When God looks at you now, He no longer sees you as covered in your guilt and sin and FILTH, but rather, as clothed in the perfect, spotless righteousness of CHRIST.
And YET, you can’t walk through a world this DIRTY without picking some of it up on your FEET, can you? So we go to life group, we come to church on Sundays, we study His word DAILY… we IMMERSE ourselves, in order to clean our FEET.
Last point here: did you notice that no dimensions were given for the wash basin? It’s the only tabernacle furnishing listed without specific measurements. Why? Because there’s no LIMIT to the MEASURE of the cleansing that God is offering us through His WORD. The Bible is the only book in the WORLD that you can read through cover to cover, once a year, every year of your LIFE, and NEVER stop growing, NEVER stop uncovering pockets of DIRT, hiding there in the corners of your heart, that need to be washed.
UNLIMITED CLEANSING, only available, right **HERE**.
#4 - The fourth mark of a relationship with God is His Anointing → and God encourages and empowers our Spirit-led Service as a means of GROWTH. (30:22-31:11). We read about “The Anointing Oil” now in v22:
22 The Lord said to Moses, 23 “Take the finest spices: of liquid myrrh 500 shekels, and of sweet-smelling cinnamon half as much, that is, 250, and 250 of aromatic cane, 24 and 500 of cassia, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and a hin of olive oil. 25 And you shall make of these a sacred anointing oil blended as by the perfumer; it shall be a holy anointing oil. 26 With it you shall anoint the tent of meeting and the ark of the testimony, 27 and the table and all its utensils, and the lampstand and its utensils, and the altar of incense, 28 and the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils and the basin and its stand. 29 You shall consecrate them, that they may be most holy. Whatever touches them will become holy. 30 You shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may serve me as priests. 31 And you shall say to the people of Israel, ‘This shall be my holy anointing oil throughout your generations. 32 It shall not be poured on the body of an ordinary person, and you shall make no other like it in composition. It is holy, and it shall be holy to you. 33 Whoever compounds any like it or whoever puts any of it on an outsider shall be cut off from his people.’”
We’ve talked SO much in recent weeks about CONSECRATION, and anointing here is essentially the same thing - to “set something apart, to dedicate it, specifically for God’s service”, so I won’t belabor the point. Let’s go straight to the application in our OWN lives: here’s the NT fulfillment, what this ancient anointing oil prefigured: 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 declares “[God] has anointed us, and has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.”
THAT is how God now “sets us apart, dedicates us to His service”: by SEALING us, MARKING us with His HOLY SPIRIT.
We read 1 Corinthians 6:19 already - “You are not your own, for you were bought with a price”. We belong to GOD; we are to be consecrated to serve HIM - but listen to how that verse BEGINS: “your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God… [THEREFORE] glorify God in your body”. In the same way that every single part of the tabernacle was to be anointed with this OIL, so too, every single part of our LIVES - heart, mind, soul, and strength - are to be dedicated to the LORD.
Now, some of you may be thinking, “Well… v30 says that AARON was to be anointed. So maybe God calls SOME people - PASTORS - to dedicate their whole lives to Him. But what about ME?”
First, I would remind you that 1 Corinthians wasn’t written to a bunch of PASTORS - that YOU TOO were “bought with a price” (at least I hope and PRAY you have been!)
If SO, then second, I would refer you back to the past TWO Sunday’s sermons, about the “priesthood of ALL believers”. YOU ARE AARON! God’s anointing - His spirit-led service - is for YOU!
And third, just in case you DON’T go back and listen to those sermons, let’s just read on in ch31; juuust when you thought maybe God had forgotten about the OTHER 99% of Israelites who WEREN’T priests, we read:
31 Then the Lord said to Moses, 2 “See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, 3 and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, 4 to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, 5 in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, to work in every craft. 6 And behold, I have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. And I have given to all able men ability, that they may make all that I have commanded you: 7 the tent of meeting, and the ark of the testimony, and the mercy seat that is on it, and all the furnishings of the tent…” [And then he relists them all again.]
Did you KNOW this is the very first time in all of Scripture where someone is said to be “filled with the Spirit” (Ryken 948). Not ADAM, not NOAH, not Abraham or even MOSES. Not even AARON, or any of the PRIESTS. It was BEZALEL, the artist. So if you’ve ever wondered if God is into ART, there’s your answer.
There are SO many application points here, and I wish we had more time: notice - God empowers these guys for all KINDS of art, cuz unlike some of US, God appreciates all KINDS of art.
Did you know God loves good Christian RAP. I do too, you might NOT, but GOD does. We’ve got some Christian METAL fans at this church; I can’t appreciate it AT ALL, but GOD does.
Notice, too: God fills them not only with His Spirit, but “with SKILL and intelligence… and all craftsmanship”. I’m convinced that God enjoys a skillful, intelligent, beautiful, well-made SECULAR movie more than a crappy “Christian” one. And let’s be honest, there are PLENTY of them out there! And they are an EMBARRASSMENT to the faith, and I believe, a disappointment to the Lord. GOOD art brings God glory.
But the two most important takeaways for us here are:
First, that God EQUIPS those He CALLS! God called Bezalel and Oholiab to the work, therefore he EMPOWERED them FOR the work. If you enlisted in the Army tomorrow, they wouldn’t ask you to provide your own WEAPON; No, they EQUIP those they call on to SERVE. Likewise, if God is truly calling you to something - some vocation or A-vocation, some ministry inside the church or OUTSIDE our walls - He WILL fill you with His Spirit, to empower you for the job.
Second, consider v6 - “I have given to all able men ability” -
EVERYONE has a role to play! Not just the priests, not just Bezalel and Oholiab… EVERYONE!
Isn’t it amazing, how God’s anointing Spirit gifts us so DIFFERENTLY. I praise GOD for the Tara Bleekers and the Andrea Pattons and the Melissa Kees of this church; I would rather go the DENTIST - any day of the WEEK! - than decorate for VBS. I hate crafting with a PASSION. But they LOVE it! And so does GOD.
If the elders added “Decorate for Easter” into my job description, I’d QUIT. You couldn’t PAY me enough! But Lindsay Stewart did it FOR FREE! And she ENJOYED it! And that’s wonderful, because it’s IMPORTANT. Art, beauty, craftsmanship - they MATTER to God.
Everyone has a role to play. 1 Peter 4:10 exhorts us “As each has received a gift, [of the Holy SPIRIT] use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace”. And if you’re not sure WHERE God is calling you… or HOW He’s gifted you… or WHY your work MATTERS to God… I’ll just add another plug here for Austin Gooch’s “Faith & Work” class at 10:45. 😌
Lastly, and quickly, #5 - A healthy relationship with God requires TRUST → HENCE, God calls us to REST (31:12-17). We conclude with vv12-17:
12 And the Lord said to Moses, 13 “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. 14 You shall keep the Sabbath, because it is holy for you… Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the Lord.”
Why is the Sabbath so important to God… DEATHLY important (“Whoever does any work on the Sabbath shall be put to death”!)? God TELLS us why, in v13, why we so desperately need to keep it, honor it, observe it: “that you may know that I, the Lord, sanctify you.” The Sabbath is God’s reminder to us - regular, weekly reminder - that HE has done the necessary work of saving and sanctifying us. It’s all about TRUSTING Him. Will the sermon still get finished, will the crops still grow, will the homes still get sold, will the portfolios still get managed… will the world keep SPINNING, if I simply take a DAY OFF? Do I trust GOD enough, that He can hold things together WITHOUT me for 24 hours?
Ryken sums it up well (965): “We stop working and instead rest in God’s peace. We stop producing and rest in God’s provision. We stop accomplishing and rest in our identity in Christ. We stop acquiring and rest in God’s care. We stop worrying and rest in God’s sovereignty. People who refuse to do this… trust in their own strength rather than in God’s grace.”
Don’t be that guy. Friends, you can trust in God’s grace. His peace-filled, providing, centering, caring, sovereign, sustaining GRACE.
Conclusion: Do you want to grow in your relationship with the Lord?
Worship him by praying.
Remember the cost he paid to purchase you, through your giving.
Grow in godliness by saturating yourself in His word.
Put those spiritual gifts He’s given you to good USE, by serving God and others.
And most important of all: learn to TRUST God, by RESTING in HIS ALL-sufficient grace. Amen.