SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the Preaching the Cross Radio Podcast, featuring the radio ministry of Pastor James W.
SPEAKER_00: Knox of the Bible Baptist Church of Delano, Florida.
SPEAKER_00: Our prayer is that these half-hour Bible study programs will bring the lost to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ and enable the saved to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Savior.
SPEAKER_00: Now here's your host, Pastor James W.
SPEAKER_00: Knox.
SPEAKER_01: I'm Brother James, and I greet you one more time in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world.
SPEAKER_01: This is the preaching of the Cross Radio Broadcast.
SPEAKER_01: We're heading through the Bible book of Exodus.
SPEAKER_01: We've been on this journey for quite some time now.
SPEAKER_01: We are in the 35th chapter, Exodus chapter 35.
SPEAKER_01: We're at verse number 20.
SPEAKER_01: And if you can follow along in your Bible, that would be a blessing to you and a help to you.
SPEAKER_01: If you cannot, we will do our very best to read it just as it's written and comment thereupon to God's glory, and we trust to your help.
SPEAKER_01: And so we're in Exodus 35, starting at verse number 20.
SPEAKER_01: As you recall, we were given in earlier chapters the instructions.
SPEAKER_01: God gave Moses the instructions for the building of the tabernacle.
SPEAKER_01: Now he is repeating some of those instructions, and we're getting down to the actual construction work on that place where God and man would meet together.
SPEAKER_01: These chapters contain Exodus 35 to 40, a recapitulation of the various parts of the tabernacle and its furniture.
SPEAKER_01: We're not going to add a great deal to the comments that we've already made, but there's two things in this section that we can gather that I think would be a profit to us.
SPEAKER_01: First, it's the voluntary devotion of the people, their willingness to do this work for God, and second, their strict obedience with respect to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation.
SPEAKER_01: Now, first, we're going to read that all the congregation of the children of Israel departed from the presence of Moses, and they came everyone whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing.
SPEAKER_01: Those are great words.
SPEAKER_01: Take a look.
SPEAKER_01: The Bible says, Exodus 35, verse 20, and all the congregation of the children of Israel departed from the presence of Moses, and they came, every one whose heart stirred him up.
SPEAKER_01: Oh, that's what we long for.
SPEAKER_01: That's what we desire.
SPEAKER_01: That's what God's looking for.
SPEAKER_01: People who are doing his work because their heart compels them to do so.
SPEAKER_01: And everyone whom his spirit made willing.
SPEAKER_01: You see, it's not it's not against their will by force or by threat.
SPEAKER_01: They want to.
SPEAKER_01: What a joy.
SPEAKER_01: And they brought the Lord's offering to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation for all his service and for the holy garments.
SPEAKER_01: Isn't that great?
SPEAKER_01: And they came, both men and women, as many as were winning hearted, and brought bracelets and earrings and rings and tablets, all jewels of gold, and every man that offered offered an offering of gold unto the Lord.
SPEAKER_01: What a great change from the golden calf disaster.
SPEAKER_01: When they brought their golden earrings to Aaron to make a false god and an idol.
SPEAKER_01: Now they're gladly and willingly devoting themselves and their property to the work of God.
SPEAKER_01: And every man with whom was found blue and purple and scarlet and fine linen and goat's hair and red skins of rams and badger skins brought them.
SPEAKER_01: Every one that did offer an offering of silver and brass brought the Lord's offering, and every man with whom was found in his shitamwood for any work of the service brought it.
SPEAKER_01: And all the women that were wise hearted did spin with their hands, and brought that which they had spun, both of blue and of purple and of scarlet and of fine linen, and all the women whose hearts stirred them up in wisdom spun goats' hair, and the rulers brought Onix stones, and stones to be set for the ephod and for the breastplate, and spice and oil for the light, and for the anointing oil, and for the sweet incense.
SPEAKER_01: What an amazing thing.
SPEAKER_01: Look, the people are excited about this work.
SPEAKER_01: Everybody's not doing the same thing, but everybody's doing something.
SPEAKER_01: They're not all trying to do what another can do.
SPEAKER_01: Each is trying to do what they can do.
SPEAKER_01: That's how it ought to be in the New Testament church as well.
SPEAKER_01: Different gifts, different operations, different administrations, but every member working together for the benefit of God and for the benefit of the whole body.
SPEAKER_01: Verse 29, the children of Israel brought a willing offering unto the Lord, every man and woman, whose heart made them willing to bring, for all manner of work which the Lord had commanded to be made by the hand of Moses.
SPEAKER_01: Now in this chapter, we read about willing hearts, verse 5, verse 22, verse 39.
SPEAKER_01: We read about wise hearts, or 29, I'm sorry, wise hearts, verse 10, verse 25, verse 35.
SPEAKER_01: Stirred hearts, verse 21 and 26, a teaching heart, in verse 34.
SPEAKER_01: We read about people who are exercising their free will in the work, verse 5, 21, 22, 29.
SPEAKER_01: We read about people whom God fitted for the work.
SPEAKER_01: Verse 10, verse 25, verse 31, verse 34, verse 35.
SPEAKER_01: Isn't that great?
SPEAKER_01: We read about people who were fired up on fire to do the work.
SPEAKER_01: Verses 21 and 26.
SPEAKER_01: Now, in verses 4 through 10, we have qualifications for partnership in the Lord's work.
SPEAKER_01: First of all, they've been brought out of Egypt, redeemed by blood.
SPEAKER_01: Second, they've been commanded by God to do the thing.
SPEAKER_01: Third, they are willing hearted to give.
SPEAKER_01: Fourth, they are wise-hearted to make.
SPEAKER_01: And five, they are eager-hearted to act.
SPEAKER_01: I'd say this.
SPEAKER_01: Men would murmur less if they worked more.
SPEAKER_01: They'd have less time to complain and find fault if they spent more time busy about God's work.
SPEAKER_01: The Bible says in verse number thirty, and Moses said unto the children of Israel, See, the Lord hath called my name Bezalil, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, the tribe of Judah, and he hath filled him with the Spirit of God.
SPEAKER_01: That happened sometimes in the Old Testament.
SPEAKER_01: It wasn't the norm, but it happened.
SPEAKER_01: And God gave him wisdom and understanding and in knowledge and in all matter of workmanship.
SPEAKER_01: I guess some people could get skill from the devil, I know they get opportunity from the devil.
SPEAKER_01: I guess some people could have uh uh talent and and not acknowledge where it came from.
SPEAKER_01: But the truth of the matter is, your ability to breathe, to think, to walk, to handle, to form the fashion, your special skills and talents that set you apart from anyone else and everyone else, God should get the glory for all of that.
SPEAKER_01: We are fearfully and wonderfully made, formed and fashioned by a great creator.
SPEAKER_01: And this man was especially blessed by God, qualified by God, made able by God to do this work for the Lord.
SPEAKER_01: Now, this man was given wisdom and understanding to devise, verse 32, curious works, to work in gold and in silver and in brass, and in the cutting of stones to set them, and in carving of wood to make any manner of cunning work.
SPEAKER_01: Now he could have used this God given skill to devise curious works, to create idols, monstrosities, public this, private that.
SPEAKER_01: This man was especially enabled by God to work in brass, to cut and set stones, to handle wood and carved work.
SPEAKER_01: That talent and that ability given by God is made much greater, is is far more blessed when we consider that it was devoted to the work of God and used for the honor and glory of God, praise the Lord for his gifts, praise the Lord for the talents that we all possess, praise the Lord for the abilities that he's given to each and every one of us.
SPEAKER_01: But now, now will we take those abilities, will we take those talents, will we take those opportunities and give them back to God and use them for his honor and for his glory in his service?
SPEAKER_01: You know, the Bible says in Romans 12, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, God has been very good to every one of us, that you present your bodies, it's a present, he's not going to take it, he's not gonna force you, but will you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, completely, entirely, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
SPEAKER_01: It was not unreasonable for a man with the skill and the talent of Bezalil to devote that back to God, and he did.
SPEAKER_01: Now, listening to me right now, you, my friend, have talent.
SPEAKER_01: You have ability, you have skill.
SPEAKER_01: God gave you your special gifts and abilities.
SPEAKER_01: Will you use them for his honor and his glory?
SPEAKER_01: Would you?
SPEAKER_01: You can, you can, would you?
SPEAKER_01: Verse 34, and he has put in his heart that he may teach.
SPEAKER_01: Both he and a holiab, the son of Ahishmach, the tribe of Dan.
SPEAKER_01: So not only did they have this ability, but they had they had they had the skill, the teaching skill, to show others how to do what God had showed them.
SPEAKER_01: This is what the Holy Spirit wrote through the Apostle Paul when he said, We've we've committed, we've committed God's words, God's truths, the work of God to you, so that you may commit these things to others.
SPEAKER_01: Some people have talent, they they want to be selfish with it.
SPEAKER_01: Some people have skill and ability, they want to hoard it.
SPEAKER_01: Others delight, delight to do all they can to help others to know and to understand and to do what God has given them by way of gift.
SPEAKER_01: Verse 35, themeth he filled with with wisdom of heart to work all manner of work, of the engraver, and of the cunning workman, and of the embroiderer in blue, and in purple, in scarlet, and in fine linen, and of the weaver, even of them that do any work, and of those that devise cunning work.
SPEAKER_01: Then wrought Bezalil and Aholiab, and every wise hearted man, in whom the Lord put wisdom and understanding to know how to work, all manner of work for the service of the sanctuary, according to all that the Lord had commanded.
SPEAKER_01: Now I'm gonna be very careful here, I'm gonna try to be very careful what I say.
SPEAKER_01: So I want you to listen very carefully.
SPEAKER_01: If we believe that God governs all, if we believe that what God does not do directly, He at least allows, because He could intervene, if we believe that, then there are two things that you could do when you looked at one whom the world considers handicapped.
SPEAKER_01: I hope that word is still acceptable.
SPEAKER_01: It's so hard anymore to know what words to use for anything.
SPEAKER_01: People are so, so ready and willing to be offended.
SPEAKER_01: Listen, here's what I'm saying.
SPEAKER_01: If God is in direct control, or if God allows a human being to be born without full mental capacity, if that's true, then you could do one of two things if you possess full mental capacity.
SPEAKER_01: You could, in foolish pride, ridicule the one less gifted and glory in yourself as though somehow you went out and found intelligence and the other man did not.
SPEAKER_01: You went out and acquired the ability to advance intellectually while the other one did not, or you could give honor and glory to God and say, if the Lord chose to bless me with a sound mind, I'm gonna use it to study his word and to reach others for Christ.
SPEAKER_01: I'm gonna use the sound mind that God gave me in a way that would please the God who gave it.
SPEAKER_01: Now there are those, there are those we see round about us who lack the ability to hear, to see, to speak, to walk, to use their hands.
SPEAKER_01: All of these sad and tragic consequences of Adam's sin.
SPEAKER_01: That's what that's what Jesus said in John 9.
SPEAKER_01: It's not punishment.
SPEAKER_01: Somebody isn't born blind because their parents did something particularly offensive to God.
SPEAKER_01: Everybody's sinned.
SPEAKER_01: So the point is this: if you can hear, what are you doing with those ears God gave you?
SPEAKER_01: If you can see, what are you doing with those eyes God gave you?
SPEAKER_01: If you can walk, where are you going for God?
SPEAKER_01: If you can use your hands, if you can use your voice, how are you using those God-given special abilities for the God who gave them?
SPEAKER_01: Bezalel and a holy ab, they were gifted by God.
SPEAKER_01: Many wise men in Israel, what did they do?
SPEAKER_01: They used what God had given them for God.
SPEAKER_01: And Moses called Bezalel and a holy ab, and every wise-hearted man in whose heart the Lord had put wisdom, even everyone whose heart stirred him up to come unto the work to do it.
SPEAKER_01: Everybody that can work doesn't work.
SPEAKER_01: Everybody that could work won't work.
SPEAKER_01: These that could did.
SPEAKER_01: And they received of Moses all the offering which the children of Israel had brought for the work of the service of the sanctuary to make it with all.
SPEAKER_01: So they're men of integrity.
SPEAKER_01: You could trust them with the money.
SPEAKER_01: You know they'd use it right.
SPEAKER_01: And they brought yet unto him free offerings every morning.
SPEAKER_01: Man, it wasn't once a week, it wasn't once a month.
SPEAKER_01: They had people coming every single day to donate what they could to help with the work.
SPEAKER_01: And all the wise men that wrought all the work of the sanctuary came every man from his work which they made.
SPEAKER_01: And they spake unto Moses, saying, The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work which the Lord commanded to make.
SPEAKER_01: Now, when have you heard that?
SPEAKER_01: When's the last time you heard that?
SPEAKER_01: We have too much money freely given by God's people to the work of God.
SPEAKER_01: We can't spend it all.
SPEAKER_01: How about that?
SPEAKER_01: That's what happens when people's hearts are right.
SPEAKER_01: And Moses gave commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, Let neither man nor woman make any more work for the offering of the sanctuary.
SPEAKER_01: So the people were restrained from bringing.
SPEAKER_01: We've got all we can handle.
SPEAKER_01: Hallelujah.
SPEAKER_01: Like to see that happen again, wouldn't you?
SPEAKER_01: Verse seven for the stuff they had was sufficient for all the work to make it.
SPEAKER_01: And and too much.
SPEAKER_01: They had too much.
SPEAKER_01: Verse eight.
SPEAKER_01: And every wise hearted man among them that wrought the work of the tabernacle made ten curtains of fine twined linen, and blue and purple and scarlet with cherubims of cunning work made he them.
SPEAKER_01: The length of one curtain was twenty and eight cubits, and the breadth of one curtain four cubits.
SPEAKER_01: The curtains were all of one size, and he coupled the five curtains one unto another, and the other five curtains he coupled one unto another, and he made loops of blue on the edge of one curtain from the salvage in the coupling.
SPEAKER_01: Likewise he made in the uttermost side of another curtain in the coupling of the second.
SPEAKER_01: Fifty loops made he in one curtain, and fifty loops made he in the edge of the curtain, which was in the coupling of the second.
SPEAKER_01: The loops held one curtain to another, and he made fifty thatches of gold and coupled the curtains one into another with the tatches, so it became one tabernacle.
SPEAKER_01: Now, two things we've got to remind you of.
SPEAKER_01: But in addition to all that, he is not freelancing or trusting in his skill or his ability.
SPEAKER_01: He is following God's instructions precisely.
SPEAKER_01: God not only wants you to dedicate the life, the talents, the abilities that he's given you and give them back to him for his use, his work, his service, but he wants you to serve him in accord with his words.
SPEAKER_01: Not freelancing, not doing your own thing and hoping God blesses it.
SPEAKER_01: He wants us to act in accord with his word.
SPEAKER_01: And he made curtains of goat's hair for the tent over the tabernacle, eleven curtains he made them.
SPEAKER_01: The length of one curtain was thirty cubits, and four cubits was the breadth of one curtain.
SPEAKER_01: The eleven curtains were of one size, and he coupled five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves, and he made fifty loops upon the uttermost edge of the curtain and the coupling, and the fifty loops made he upon the edge of the curtain with which coupled of the second, and he made fifty tatches of brass to couple the tent together that it might be one, and he made a covering for the tent of ramskins dyed red, and a covering of badger's skins above that, and he made boards for the tabernacle of shit'em wood standing up.
SPEAKER_01: The length of a board was ten cubits, the breadth of a board one cubit and a half, one board had two tenons equally distant one from another.
SPEAKER_01: Thus did he make for all the boards of the tabernacle.
SPEAKER_01: And he made boards for the tabernacle, twenty boards for the south side southward, and forty sockets of silver he made under the twenty boards, two sockets under one board for his two tenons, and two sockets under another board for his two tenons.
SPEAKER_01: Now, I'm probably the only preacher on the radio today that has read those verses.
SPEAKER_01: I may be the only preacher on the radio in the last fifty years who's read those verses.
SPEAKER_01: They matter.
SPEAKER_01: If one of those boards is the wrong size, it causes the entire project to be delayed.
SPEAKER_01: If if one of those curtains is the wrong shape, it affects the entire job.
SPEAKER_01: If one of those catches doesn't touch, if one of those ouches, our sockets, isn't made to precision, then everything around it is affected.
SPEAKER_01: Are you a part of the Lord's body?
SPEAKER_01: Are we part of a whole?
SPEAKER_01: 1 Corinthians 12 says we are.
SPEAKER_01: God, the wise master builder, has told these men to do it this way, and they just trusted and obeyed.
SPEAKER_01: For the other side of the tabernacle, which is toward the north corner, he made twenty boards, and there forty sockets of silver, two sockets under one board, two sockets under another board.
SPEAKER_01: For the sides of the tabernacle westward, he made six boards, and two boards made he for the corners, the tabernacle and the two sides, and they were coupled beneath and coupled together at the head thereof to one ring.
SPEAKER_01: Thus he did to both of them in both corners, and there were eight boards, and their sockets were sixteen sockets of silver, under every board two sockets.
SPEAKER_01: They're joined together.
SPEAKER_01: Are you saved?
SPEAKER_01: You're joined to me, and I'm joined to you.
SPEAKER_01: The Bible says the whole body, the whole body of Christ is fitly framed together, and it grows up together unto Jesus Christ, the head of the body.
SPEAKER_01: We got to fit together just right.
SPEAKER_01: We can only fit together just right if both of us, if both of us are in accord, not with each other, but with the word of God.
SPEAKER_01: If we're not in accord with the word of God, we won't be in accord with each other.
SPEAKER_01: If these boards were not made, precisely as the scripture said for them to be made, they couldn't be joined properly when the tabernacle was put together.
SPEAKER_01: The only way, the only way we can get God's people together is not to throw out the directions, is not to ignore the instructions, but rather it's to make sure that each and every one is following those directions and living in accord with those instructions precisely.
SPEAKER_01: How about that?
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SPEAKER_01: All right, the announcer be on now in just a moment to let you know when this program will be heard again over this radio station.
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SPEAKER_01: Until that time, I'm Brother James.
SPEAKER_01: May the Lord richly bless you and good day.
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SPEAKER_00: Until next time and throughout eternity, may Jesus Christ be praised.