The Kind of Heart We Need

With the Right Heart, We Can Do Anything for God!

Exodus 35 & 36

I. Introduction ()

A. Look back over this past month and tell me that the devil hasn’t been working overtime to get us financially “broke”

B. Look back over your life and try and tell me that the devil hasn’t tried to ruin your health, your attitudes, your potential, so that you couldn’t serve God like you could have!

C. It doesn’t matter how broke you are, or how broken your health is – it’s the HEART that needs the most work tonight! We need God to fashion in us, to mould and shape in us four kinds of hearts:

1. Willing hearts

2. Wise hearts

3. Stirred hearts

4. All so that we can start enjoying some FULL hearts as Christians, instead of empty, regretful hearts

D. Israel learned this – not too long after they had come out of Egypt

II. Background

A. Israel had just left Egypt – delivered from slavery

B. Arrives at Mt Sinai

C. Moses goes up and stays for 40 days – long time

D. Things go wrong

1. Waiting makes for idleness

2. Idleness opens up the opportunity for idolatry

a. Idolatry of pleasure – work cures that!

b. Idolatry of people – made no time for prayer, or preaching – they looked to each other instead of to God

c. Idolatry of things – wanted to see and hold their gods

1) Like people do their money in their pockets

2) Like in RC churches

3) Like in almost all religions – God is a THING they can see and feel – puke!

3. Aaron calls for “AN OFFERING” of all things (32:2,3) – had no problem with it as long as it was for RELIGION – people give to causes, not to God anymore!

4. They end up making a solid gold calf/bull – a COW!

5. And people “spontaneously” break into

a. Rejoicing

b. Dancing

c. And ultimately NAKEDNESS and DRUNKENNESS

E. God gets pretty upset – and rightly so – send Moses down

F. Moses totally and utterly destroys the idol

1. Notice that he didn’t keep it around as a help or aid in worship

2. Notice also that the people were to associate bitterness with idolatry from then on – same with anybody here!

G. Up until this point, you have seen Israel’s “Old man” – now let’s take a look at the “New Man”

H. You see, God has only begun with His people

1. They had thought that the things they had learned from the Egyptians were the normal way of worshipping

2. And so they just carried on the same old way

3. But God told His people, that they were starting completely over

I. And He starts with an offering

1. Not a sacrifice of an animal

2. But a sacrifice of the people’s money

3. You see, God wanted them to BUILD a tabernacle – a place where Man would be able to meet with God at a blood-sprinkled Mercy Seat

4. He could have just dropped the Tabernacle out of the sky

5. But instead wanted to teach us three things:

a. God’s work is accomplished by God – full stop!

b. The reason why people find it hard to give money (not everyone, but most everyone) is because money, and the THINGS it buys are all our idols

1) Computer stuff

2) Bigger TV’s

3) Newer cookers – when your cooker is working fine, a newer one is only an idol!

4) Pleasure

c. There is great joy when you actually see your money going for something worthwhile, and eternal!

J. So, where did the ability of these folks who had just given so much to their idol-worship, where did their ability to give for God come from? Note:

1. The devil seeks to suck away all your money on bills and things so that you have nothing left for God

K. The source of their ability to give, was the kind of heart that GIVING creates in the life of the Christian! Watch!

III. Message – The Kind of Heart We Need (Exodus 35 & 36)

A. Willing Hearts – To Give of our Substance (35:4-9)

1. They were willing, yielded, just waiting for a good excuse to give something back to God – because they were loving God

a. They finally started using their heart and love on God instead of wasting it on the things of this world

b. They saw the Lord’s work as priority – not something fanatical

2. They gave of their own stuff – they reached into their mattresses, and into the bank-accounts – not just their pockets, and gave

a. They gave the best of their stuff

1) First day of the week is for the Lord

2) First-fruits

b. They gave the most beautiful of their stuff – God was worth it

1) Holiness (1Chron 16:29; Ps 29:2)

2) Precious things – that’s what you give to someone you love

B. Wise Hearts – To Give of our Abilities (35:10-19)

1. Wise hearts have a wisdom that is deeper than just the intellect – it reaches the fingers and toes

2. Here were men and women who had wise HEARTS, giving of themselves to work as a team together building this Tabernacle

a. Builders, carpenters, engineers

b. Designers, architects, interior designers

c. Clothing and fabric manufacturers

d. Leaders

1) Of the entire process (35:30-35) – you need this!

2) Of music (1Chr 25:4-7)

3) Of Soul-winning – organized

4) Of various ministries in a church

3. We need lots of leaders as we grow – so we need the Lord to give us WISE hearts, so that we can be the right kind of leaders!

C. Stirred Hearts – To Simply Act, and do Something!

1. These people were not robots – activated by God

2. No! They were stirred into action by:

a. The preaching of the word of God by Moses

b. The opportunity to give to God – what a joy!

c. Them getting right – repented, and just naturally wanted to start doing something that was GOOD for a change!

3. So that got off their derrières and started GIVING

a. Their time

b. Their Talents

c. Their Money

d. Themselves

D. Full Hearts (35:22,30,31; 36:3-7)

1. The people had more than they thought they did

2. The people had to be stopped from giving – now THAT is a great problem to have!

3. The “fun” of the world, and its religions leaves you empty – but giving to God leaves you full, and with you going back and getting some more, and finding there is more to give (Lk 6:46)!