Giving God's Way

In Exodus 25:2, God told Moses, “Tell the children of Israel, everyone who wants to, may bring me an offering.” (NLT). As God instructed Moses in the details of worshipping, bringing a voluntary gift to God was certainly a significant part of true worship.

From Genesis, and the offerings brought by Cain and Abel to the Apostle Paul’s instructions to the early believers in I Corinthians 16, we are told that bringing our offerings is a part of our expected worship of our God.

In Exodus 36, God instructs the children of Israel to build a special place of worship called the Tabernacle. The Tabernacle was to be the place where God would meet with His people for regular worship. God gave Moses specific directions, detailing the design of the Tabernacle and its furnishings.

(GOD CARES ABOUT HIS SANCTUARY OF WORSHIP).

The Bible tells us this is exactly what the people did. They built the first public place where a community of people could come together to worship their God. In the New Testament, the church is called the “ekklesia,” a Greek word meaning, “the called-out ones.”

God is still calling out His children to worship Him and a part of that worship is to be through the giving of sacrificial offerings. That has always been God’s plan for financing His kingdom work.

I want us to look at the example of these first called-out ones today. As we do, please notice, number one, God’s expectations for giving, our example for giving, and finally, the extravagance of giving.

(Read Exodus 36:3-7)

I. GOD’S EXPECTATION FOR GIVING

In verse 3 we are told the response of the children of Israel to God’s expectations

found in verses 1-2. (Point out the phrases in verses 1-2) Read NIV of verse 3

“They received of Moses all the offering which the children of Israel had brought for the work of the sanctuary. And the people continued to bring free will offerings morning after morning.” Exodus 36:3, NIV

Notice first that their response of giving was “for the work of the sanctuary.” Their giving was intended to fulfill God’s expectations for a special tent of meeting in the wilderness. In order for there to be a place of worship, a place of beauty, of blue, purple and scarlet yarn, a place of gold, silver and bronze, of fine linens, and the highest quality of building materials and fabrics, the people of God were called upon to bring an offering to God. A pretty amazing feat when you consider that every last one of them was presently unemployed.

Exodus 35:4-9

Then Moses said to all the people, “This is what the Lord has commanded. 5 Everyone is invited to bring these offerings to the Lord: gold, silver, and bronze; 6 blue, purple, and scarlet yarn; fine linen; goat hair for cloth; 7 tanned ram skins and fine goatskin leather; acacia wood; 8 olive oil for the lamps; spices for the anointing oil and the fragrant incense; 9 onyx stones, and other stones to be set in the ephod and the chestpiece.

Exodus 35:22-29

20 So all the people left Moses and went to their tents to prepare their gifts. 21 If their hearts were stirred and they desired to do so, they brought to the Lord their offerings of materials for the Tabernacle and its furnishings and for the holy garments. 22 Both men and women came, all whose hearts were willing. Some brought to the Lord their offerings of gold—medallions, earrings, rings from their fingers, and necklaces. They presented gold objects of every kind to the Lord. 23 Others brought blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, fine linen, or goat hair for cloth. Some gave tanned ram skins or fine goatskin leather. 24 Others brought silver and bronze objects as their offering to the Lord. And those who had acacia wood brought it.

A. Reflectiveness Marks God’s Expectation for Giving.

In verse 20 we are told that each person returned from the assembly to his tent to meditate on what he should give. Their liberality was premeditated, not impulsive. God desires planned giving, not implusive.

B. Inclusiveness Marks God’s Expectation for Giving.

Second only to the freewill character of the gifts and the word emphasizes the inclusiveness of the givers and the gifts. All the people gave—the men, women, and the leaders. All kinds of the gifts were given. Some were so poor they only gave goat hair. Others were so rich they could give precious stones. It was not equal gifts, but equal sacrifice.

When Keith Stanford, pastor of the Logan Street Baptist Church in Mount Vernon, Illinois, went to Korea to visit the churches there in order to try to understand the tremendous growth occurring there, he asked a South Korean pastor about his church’s tremendous giving. In fact, he asked if Korean churches taught their people the principle of the tithe. At which the pastor responded, “Oh no, that’s too Old Testament.” Then the Korean pastor laughed and said, “We expect our people to give like Christians—around 30 to 40 percent!”

But that’s not all notice not only God’s expectation for giving, but also, our example for giving.

SLIDE

II. OUR EXAMPLE FOR GIVING

Simply put, our example or our motivation for giving comes from “a willing heart.”

No less than eight times in chapters 35 and 36, we are told the people of Israel gave from a willing heart, or because their “heart stirred” them up. Literally, every man’s heart “drove him to give.” No obedience is pleasing to God unless it is voluntary.

Exodus 35:5

‘Take from among you an offering to the Lord. Whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it as an offering to the Lord:

Exodus 35:21-22

1 Then everyone came whose heart was stirred, and everyone whose spirit was willing, and they brought the Lord’s offering for the work of the tabernacle of meeting, for all its service, and for the holy garments. 22 They came, both men and women, as many as had a willing heart, and brought earrings and nose rings, rings and necklaces, all jewelry of gold, that is, every man who made an offering of gold to the Lord.

Exodus 35:29

The children of Israel brought a freewill offering to the Lord, all the men and women whose hearts were willing to bring material for all kinds of work which the Lord, by the hand of Moses, had commanded to be done.

In 1 Chronicles 29:9, King David rejoiced in the generous and willing offering of the people of his day.

Then the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly, because with perfect heart they offered willingly to the Lord….

Would it surprise you to learn that the New Testament teaches the same example of giving for a Christian? 2 Corinthians 9:7 says,

Every man according as he purposed in his heart, so let him give, not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loves a cheerful giver.

I want you to notice something. Look again at verse 7 in chapter 36. The reason there was a sufficiency for the work of the tabernacle is because the people had given sacrificially!

Our giving is to be measured—not by it’s count, but its cost—not by it’s amount, but by our attitude—not by what is given, but by what is kept—not by money alone, but by motivation. God does not count the coins. He weighs the heart.

Finally, see today, the extravagance that should characterize our giving.

III. THE EXTRAVAGANCE OF GIVING

Exodus 36:5-7 (NLT)

5 “We have more than enough materials on hand now to complete the job the Lord has given us to do!” they exclaimed. 6 So Moses gave the command, and this message was sent throughout the camp: “Bring no more materials! You have already given more than enough.” So the people stopped bringing their offerings. 7 Their contributions were more than enough to complete the whole project.

Please don’t miss this. It’s too good to miss. Moses was forced to send a message throughout the camp of the Israelites, and the message read something like this, “Stop giving!” “Please don’t give anymore.” You’ve already given all that’s needed!

I preached a message from this passage back in the early 90’s entitled, “Please, Don’t Pass the Plates.” Wouldn’t it be wonderful if, as a church, we could reach the level of extravagant giving that we could say, “we’re not taking an offering today.” “We’re not passing the offering plates!”

Notice what their giving was for:

The Ministries of the Tabernacle, “the service of the Lord,” v. 5 The Ministers of the Tabernacle, “the holy garments,” 35:21

You might wonder how could they achieve such tremendous support? The answer is simple. Each person gave something. Every individual member of the congregation contributed out of their own resources and abilities.

CONCLUSION

Alan Redpath tells the story of a couple talking to a friend who felt that their church cost too much to run and demanded too much of them. The husband said to the friend, “We had a son who cost us a great deal at birth. When he started to school he cost us even more with school fees and expenses. When he started dating, his needs were even greater. When he went to college he cost us a small fortune. Now he is dead and he doesn’t cost us anything.

Would you be happier with a church that is alive and makes demands on you, or a dead church, thus costing you nothing?”

FBI SERMON NOTES

TEXT: Exodus 36:1-7

TOPIC: Giving God’s Way

Bobby Earls, First Baptist Icard, November 4, 2001

BIBLE SURVIVORS SERIES, Message 9

In Exodus 25:2, God told Moses, “Tell the children of Israel, everyone who wants to, may bring me an offering.” (NLT).

In the New Testament, the church is called the “ekklesia,” a Greek word meaning, “the called-out ones.”

EXODUS 36:1-7

1“And Bezalel and Aholiab, and every gifted artisan in whom the Lord has put wisdom and understanding, to know how to do all manner of work for the service of the sanctuary, shall do according to all that the Lord has commanded.”

2 Then Moses called Bezalel and Aholiab, and every gifted artisan in whose heart the Lord had put wisdom, everyone whose heart was stirred, to come and do the work. 3 And they received from Moses all the offering which the children of Israel had brought for the work of the service of making the sanctuary. So they continued bringing to him freewill offerings every morning. 4 Then all the craftsmen who were doing all the work of the sanctuary came, each from the work he was doing, 5 and they spoke to Moses, saying, “The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work which the Lord commanded us to do.” 6 So Moses gave a commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, “Let neither man nor woman do any more work for the offering of the sanctuary.” And the people were restrained from bringing, 7 for the material they had was sufficient for all the work to be done—indeed too much.

I. GOD’S _______________________________ FOR GIVING

A. ________________________Marks God’s Expectation for Giving.

B. ________________________ Marks God’s Expectation for Giving.

II. OUR __________________________________ FOR GIVING

Exodus 35:5

‘Take from among you an offering to the Lord. Whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it as an offering to the Lord:

Exodus 35:21-22

Exodus 35:29

1 Chronicles 29:9

Then the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly, because with perfect heart they offered willingly to the Lord….

2 Corinthians 9:7

Every man according as he purposed in his heart, so let him give, not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loves a cheerful giver.

III. THE __________________________________ OF GIVING

Exodus 36:5-7, NLT

“We have more than enough materials on hand now to complete the job the Lord has given us to do!” they exclaimed. 6 So Moses gave the command, and this message was sent throughout the camp: “Bring no more materials! You have already given more than enough.” So the people stopped bringing their offerings. 7 Their contributions were more than enough to complete the whole project.

1. The ______________ of the Tabernacle, “the service of the Lord,” v. 5

2. The ______________ of the Tabernacle, “the holy garments,” 35:21

BIBLE SURVIVORS READING ASSIGNMENT: LEVITICUS 1 - 10

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