HOW TO GET GOD’S WORK DONE

Text- Exodus 36:1-7

Introduction

During this last month our church has been having a special time and talent commitment campaign. Today has been designated as "Commitment Sunday".

At the beginning of this campaign each one of our church members were given a leadership census in order to indicate what areas of our church's ministry you would like to volunteer your time and talent during this New Year.

Attached to this census was a special commitment card that you were to sign if you wanted to commit your time and talents to one of these ministries.

This morning before our service has concluded I will ask those of you who have brought these to bring them forward and place them in the basket as a token of your willingness to commit your time and talents to the service of the Lord.  As you can see, some have already done this.

After all the information has been collected you will then be contacted and given an opportunity to use what God has given to you for him.  A precedent for this is found within our text in Exodus 36:1-7.  But before we look at our text I would like us to understand the context of this passage.

In chapter 35 we find Moses coming from Mount Sinai where he had received the tables of the law and assembled together "all the congregation of the sons of Israel".

He then instructed them in God's commandments concerning the Sabbath and the building of the tabernacle.  The tabernacle was a portable tent used by Israel for worshiping God.  It was not a dinky pup-tent made out of cheap materials, but rather a very large and elaborate structure of incredible beauty and expense.

Assuming as many scholars believe that a talent weighed about 75 pounds and that a shekel weighed about .4 pounds, this would mean that there was about 2,480 pounds of gold and about 8,250 pounds of silver used in building the tabernacle.

Using our lowest value for gold and silver without considering the cost of the wood, brass, precious stones and textiles used in the construction of the tabernacle, it is estimated that it would cost between 12-15 million dollars for the gold and silver alone to build the tabernacle today.

Where was all of this supposed to come from?  How was Israel supposed to build such a magnificent structure?  Look at this next passage and see the plan God gave to Moses.

Exodus 35:4-19 Moses said to the whole Israelite community, "This is what the LORD has commanded:  5 From what you have, take an offering for the LORD. Everyone who is willing is to bring to the LORD an offering of gold, silver and bronze;  6 blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen; goat hair;  7 ram skins dyed red and hides of sea cows; acacia wood;  8 olive oil for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense;  9 and onyx stones and other gems to be mounted on the ephod and breastpiece.  10 "All who are skilled among you are to come and make everything the LORD has commanded:  11 the tabernacle with its tent and its covering, clasps, frames, crossbars, posts and bases;  12 the ark with its poles and the atonement cover and the curtain that shields it;   13 the table with its poles and all its articles and the bread of the Presence;  14 the lampstand that is for light with its accessories, lamps and oil for the light;  15 the altar of incense with its poles, the anointing oil and the fragrant incense; the curtain for the doorway at the entrance to the tabernacle;  16 the altar of burnt offering with its bronze grating, its poles and all its utensils; the bronze basin with its stand;  17 the curtains of the courtyard with its posts and bases, and the curtain for the entrance to the courtyard;  18 the tent pegs for the tabernacle and for the courtyard, and their ropes;  19 the woven garments worn for ministering in the sanctuary--both the sacred garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons when they serve as priests." (NIV)

This morning I’d like us to focus our attention on how God intends for us to get His work done.  Here in this passage we find three ways this is accomplished.

Let's look now at our text and see how we can apply it to the occasion today and our own personal lives.