it's good to be gathered uh with you all<\/p>\n
today for us to be able to come together<\/p>\n
to worship the lord through songs uh<\/p>\n
sing songs of praise and worship to god<\/p>\n
and to hear from his word<\/p>\n
[Music]<\/p>\n
i've already met some new people here<\/p>\n
today i want to say a big welcome<\/p>\n
to those who are visiting and welcome to<\/p>\n
all of you<\/p>\n
today we're going to be continuing<\/p>\n
a series that we've been in for a few<\/p>\n
weeks on work<\/p>\n
and faith<\/p>\n
we've been looking at what the bible<\/p>\n
teaches about work how the truth of who<\/p>\n
god is and and what god has done<\/p>\n
shapes<\/p>\n
our very lives<\/p>\n
how the principles found in the bible<\/p>\n
lead us<\/p>\n
how they guide us<\/p>\n
in every aspect every area and aspect of<\/p>\n
our lives<\/p>\n
i recently did a google search let me<\/p>\n
see if i can get this to work on is this<\/p>\n
going to work for<\/p>\n
me let's see here on is this the clicker<\/p>\n
going to work for me today<\/p>\n
there we go<\/p>\n
i recently did a google search uh query<\/p>\n
asking this question how much time<\/p>\n
does the average global human spend<\/p>\n
working over the course of their entire<\/p>\n
life<\/p>\n
and the answer<\/p>\n
is<\/p>\n
90 000<\/p>\n
hours over 90 000 hours<\/p>\n
now there are a lot of factors uh that<\/p>\n
vary from person to person life to life<\/p>\n
but suffice to say this is a significant<\/p>\n
portion<\/p>\n
of our lives<\/p>\n
studies say about a third of our life<\/p>\n
now this statistic was merely focused on<\/p>\n
work for which one is employed or<\/p>\n
compensated you know like working for an<\/p>\n
employee<\/p>\n
receiving the salary receiving payment<\/p>\n
for one's labor<\/p>\n
and support<\/p>\n
but if we add to this other uh areas of<\/p>\n
real work like projects and tasks and<\/p>\n
volunteer efforts and and other roles<\/p>\n
that have serious hours beyond the walls<\/p>\n
of an office like parenting caregiving<\/p>\n
and so on we can easily see just how<\/p>\n
much of our lives is spent working<\/p>\n
on<\/p>\n
during this series we've looked at<\/p>\n
various aspects of this theme of work<\/p>\n
the work we do can be looked at as a<\/p>\n
calling from god given unto us by god<\/p>\n
and that we can glorify god through the<\/p>\n
work that we do that when we find<\/p>\n
ourselves doing what god has made us to<\/p>\n
do given us to do there's a response of<\/p>\n
joy and of fulfillment<\/p>\n
people<\/p>\n
today we turn and look at the way that<\/p>\n
god gives us or enables us<\/p>\n
for the work that he gives us to do<\/p>\n
and not just live but how we are to<\/p>\n
spend the years that you have given to<\/p>\n
us<\/p>\n
the truth of who you are has<\/p>\n
ramifications for every aspect of our<\/p>\n
lives<\/p>\n
help us today to see the truth of who<\/p>\n
you are and how you are at work in our<\/p>\n
own hearts and minds lead us in this we<\/p>\n
pray amen<\/p>\n
amen<\/p>\n
our text today is from the book of<\/p>\n
exodus<\/p>\n
exodus is the story of god delivering<\/p>\n
his people from captivity and<\/p>\n
enslavement in egypt<\/p>\n
it's the story of god saving his people<\/p>\n
and leading them toward the land that he<\/p>\n
had promised<\/p>\n
one major event uh in detailed in the<\/p>\n
book of exodus is the building of the<\/p>\n
tabernacle<\/p>\n
now the tabernacle<\/p>\n
was a portable<\/p>\n
temple<\/p>\n
the hebrew term for the tabernacle<\/p>\n
translates into<\/p>\n
residence or dwelling place<\/p>\n
and god instructed moses to oversee the<\/p>\n
construction of this mobile sacred space<\/p>\n
this this physical place this physical<\/p>\n
place that god would inhabit<\/p>\n
but<\/p>\n
he contained<\/p>\n
another term given to the tabernacle was<\/p>\n
the tent<\/p>\n
of meetings<\/p>\n
to dwell among his people<\/p>\n
and our text today is is but a portion<\/p>\n
of exodus chapter 31.<\/p>\n
i'll read the text in english and the<\/p>\n
tie is also on the slides for us<\/p>\n
the lord said to moses<\/p>\n
see i have called by name bezalel the<\/p>\n
son of yuri the son<\/p>\n
of her<\/p>\n
of the tribe of judah and i have filled<\/p>\n
him<\/p>\n
with the spirit of god with ability and<\/p>\n
intelligence with knowledge and all<\/p>\n
craftsmanship<\/p>\n
to devise artistic designs<\/p>\n
to work in gold silver and bronze<\/p>\n
in cutting stones for setting it and<\/p>\n
carving wood to work<\/p>\n
in every craft<\/p>\n
and behold i have appointed with him o<\/p>\n
holiab the son of ahisamach of the tribe<\/p>\n
of dan<\/p>\n
and i have given to all able men ability<\/p>\n
that they may<\/p>\n
make all that i have commanded you<\/p>\n
the tent of meeting and the ark of the<\/p>\n
testimony<\/p>\n
and the mercy seat that is on it<\/p>\n
and all the furnishings of the tent the<\/p>\n
table and its utensils and the pure lamb<\/p>\n
stand with all its utensils<\/p>\n
and the altar of incense<\/p>\n
and the altar of burnt offering with all<\/p>\n
its utensils and the basin and its stand<\/p>\n
and the finely worked garments the holy<\/p>\n
garments for aaron the priest and the<\/p>\n
garments for his sons<\/p>\n
for their service as priests<\/p>\n
and the anointing oil and the fragrant<\/p>\n
incense for the holy place according to<\/p>\n
all that i have commanded you<\/p>\n
they<\/p>\n
shall do this is the word of god<\/p>\n
as we look at this passage<\/p>\n
today let us consider<\/p>\n
god's work in this world and in our<\/p>\n
and our role<\/p>\n
to steward cultivate<\/p>\n
and utilize the gifts that god has given<\/p>\n
up<\/p>\n
in this chapter of exodus we're<\/p>\n
introduced to two men two artisans two<\/p>\n
craftsmen<\/p>\n
and the text says that god called<\/p>\n
these men out by name by their<\/p>\n
specific people for a specific task<\/p>\n
god called these two bezel and a holy<\/p>\n
ebb to a specific work<\/p>\n
and all the holy components the sacred<\/p>\n
components that would be used in worship<\/p>\n
before god la<\/p>\n
in a book called art for god's sake he<\/p>\n
writes this<\/p>\n
if he had wanted to do so the creator<\/p>\n
god could have built the tabernacle all<\/p>\n
by himself<\/p>\n
without using bezalel or a holy app or<\/p>\n
anyone else to do it instead god called<\/p>\n
artists to make the tabernacle and to<\/p>\n
make sure that they did it well he<\/p>\n
equipped them with every kind of<\/p>\n
artistic talent<\/p>\n
by doing this god was putting the<\/p>\n
blessing of his divine approval on both<\/p>\n
the arts<\/p>\n
and the artist<\/p>\n
the work god does is perfect and good<\/p>\n
and true<\/p>\n
the creator god has made all things<\/p>\n
and in his goodness god calls his<\/p>\n
creation to the work he has given us to<\/p>\n
do.<\/p>\n
and god gives gifts and skill and<\/p>\n
ability and wisdom and intelligence in<\/p>\n
order that the work may be done<\/p>\n
um<\/p>\n
look at how god worked in this specific<\/p>\n
instance<\/p>\n
of seeing that the tabernacle was built<\/p>\n
god filled them with his spirit<\/p>\n
god appointed them to a specific work<\/p>\n
god gave them what was needed to<\/p>\n
accomplish the work so<\/p>\n
even we see in this passage the role of<\/p>\n
aaron and of his sons mentioned here a<\/p>\n
very specific role of of being priests<\/p>\n
and moses's role<\/p>\n
i remember his role<\/p>\n
see god had called moses to lead the<\/p>\n
israelites out of egypt<\/p>\n
and that was his work to do and god gave<\/p>\n
the ability the wisdom and helped him to<\/p>\n
do that very work<\/p>\n
but remember how moses pleaded with god<\/p>\n
to send someone else<\/p>\n
i'm not eloquent moses said<\/p>\n
i can't go before pharaoh and and speak<\/p>\n
before him<\/p>\n
moses said i'm slow of speech<\/p>\n
but god had called moses<\/p>\n
called him to that very work<\/p>\n
and gave him the ability to do<\/p>\n
what was necessary to see that work<\/p>\n
accomplished<\/p>\n
and here in this specific instance in<\/p>\n
moses is given the task<\/p>\n
to record the details<\/p>\n
of what the tabernacle should be and all<\/p>\n
the details involved<\/p>\n
if you read more of the account uh<\/p>\n
regarding the tabernacle and all the the<\/p>\n
details you'll see that it's it's quite<\/p>\n
specific and it's vast i mean all these<\/p>\n
minute details<\/p>\n
very precise measurements<\/p>\n
ornamentation<\/p>\n
for this very specific sacred<\/p>\n
but moses wasn't supposed to build or<\/p>\n
make any of this<\/p>\n
he was to record it and to communicate<\/p>\n
it<\/p>\n
in verse 11 here we we read you know<\/p>\n
according to all that i have commanded<\/p>\n
you god said they shall do<\/p>\n
i'm<\/p>\n
that were called<\/p>\n
specifically by god to be the artisans<\/p>\n
to create and to make and to construct<\/p>\n
the tabernacle<\/p>\n
living in a large city like bangkok we<\/p>\n
can easily see just<\/p>\n
this is a picture that justin took so i<\/p>\n
just want to give a little credit and<\/p>\n
shout out to justin that we're getting<\/p>\n
to use your photo here<\/p>\n
but getting to see the city<\/p>\n
uh we can understand how and live in the<\/p>\n
city we understand how we're just<\/p>\n
especially when we think about our work<\/p>\n
how we serve and are served by others at<\/p>\n
really every moment<\/p>\n
think of the truck driver that brought<\/p>\n
the rice to market last week<\/p>\n
and the farmer that that planted and<\/p>\n
harvested that rice la<\/p>\n
or the taxi driver that drove you to<\/p>\n
work<\/p>\n
or the engineers that designed the air<\/p>\n
conditioners that we're using right now<\/p>\n
you don't need or the architects that<\/p>\n
designed this building and those<\/p>\n
buildings<\/p>\n
or the medical workers helping to combat<\/p>\n
the spread of kovid while treating other<\/p>\n
illnesses as well and the list goes on<\/p>\n
and on and on<\/p>\n
god is working through his good plan and<\/p>\n
sovereignty<\/p>\n
over his creation to sustain<\/p>\n
provide and allow for human flourishing<\/p>\n
and as god works through his creation he<\/p>\n
provides what we need to accomplish his<\/p>\n
work and his plan<\/p>\n
we see it detailed in this passage and<\/p>\n
if we look around us<\/p>\n
we see it in the lives of others and<\/p>\n
even in our own life we see<\/p>\n
how god is at work<\/p>\n
so then what is our calling what is our<\/p>\n
calling<\/p>\n
steward cultivate and utilize the gifts<\/p>\n
that god gives us<\/p>\n
author and theologian uh friedrich<\/p>\n
beekner has a a quote in his book<\/p>\n
wishful thinking that's this<\/p>\n
there are different kinds of voices<\/p>\n
calling you to all different kinds of<\/p>\n
and the problem is to find out which is<\/p>\n
the voice of god rather than that of<\/p>\n
society say or the super ego you know<\/p>\n
our self interest the self<\/p>\n
by and large a good rule for finding out<\/p>\n
is this<\/p>\n
the kind of work god usually calls you<\/p>\n
to<\/p>\n
is the kind of work that a you need most<\/p>\n
to do<\/p>\n
and b that the world most<\/p>\n
needs to have done the place god calls<\/p>\n
you to is the place where your deep<\/p>\n
gladness and the world's deep hunger<\/p>\n
where do we see<\/p>\n
need<\/p>\n
around us<\/p>\n
what are we passionate about<\/p>\n
what are we drawn to in the professional<\/p>\n
realm and how many of the gifts skill<\/p>\n
ability that god has given us serve our<\/p>\n
communities<\/p>\n
one beautiful truth about the christian<\/p>\n
faith is that when we're faced with a<\/p>\n
question like this<\/p>\n
it's a question that we may ask of god<\/p>\n
what are you<\/p>\n
calling me to in my life<\/p>\n
what is my role in this community in<\/p>\n
this world<\/p>\n
how am i to love and serve my neighbor<\/p>\n
ask seek and pray as you look<\/p>\n
to god in faith for wisdom<\/p>\n
on how you are to live times<\/p>\n
6 8 we read this he's told you o man<\/p>\n
what is good<\/p>\n
and what does the lord require of you<\/p>\n
but to do justice and to love kindness<\/p>\n
and to walk humbly with your god<\/p>\n
again<\/p>\n
as followers of jesus we're called to<\/p>\n
walk in humility<\/p>\n
before god and to love<\/p>\n
that is the overarching work that we<\/p>\n
have been given<\/p>\n
and our profession our vocation is but<\/p>\n
one area where we are to live out this<\/p>\n
truth<\/p>\n
in colossians chapter 3 we read this in<\/p>\n
verse 17<\/p>\n
and whatever you do<\/p>\n
in word or deed do everything in the<\/p>\n
name of the lord jesus giving thanks to<\/p>\n
god the father through him<\/p>\n
nebuchadnezzar<\/p>\n
to do something in the name of the lord<\/p>\n
jesus with thanks to god is is to<\/p>\n
acknowledge god's good and perfect work<\/p>\n
in and through jesus<\/p>\n
and in and through our lives<\/p>\n
we're to honor god by cultivating and<\/p>\n
utilizing the gifts that he has given to<\/p>\n
these are gifts and abilities to be used<\/p>\n
for his glory and for the good of the<\/p>\n
world menku<\/p>\n
they've spent significant time growing<\/p>\n
in their ability to impart knowledge to<\/p>\n
others<\/p>\n
the medical professionals here at grace<\/p>\n
city they didn't just decide one day to<\/p>\n
start treating patients<\/p>\n
no it took years of study and<\/p>\n
preparation to be able to diagnose and<\/p>\n
to treat those who are suffering<\/p>\n
think about the gifts that that are<\/p>\n
utilized by those who provide care for<\/p>\n
children or for the elderly<\/p>\n
you know they exhibit patience and<\/p>\n
kindness and and self-sacrifice<\/p>\n
others are working to help large<\/p>\n
corporations and financial institutions<\/p>\n
to serve their clients honestly and with<\/p>\n
integrity<\/p>\n
i think you can see that this and so<\/p>\n
many other<\/p>\n
occupations require<\/p>\n
certain gifts and even the honing of<\/p>\n
various competencies<\/p>\n
what gifts passions skills has god given<\/p>\n
you<\/p>\n
and how may you use these particular<\/p>\n
gifts to help serve and care for a<\/p>\n
hurting world in the name of jesus<\/p>\n
christ<\/p>\n
and and how do the abilities that you<\/p>\n
have that you've been given how do they<\/p>\n
need to be cultivated and even utilized<\/p>\n
more than maybe they are right now<\/p>\n
further on in colossians uh we read this<\/p>\n
whatever you do<\/p>\n
work hardly as for the lord<\/p>\n
and not for men knowing that from the<\/p>\n
lord you will receive the inheritance as<\/p>\n
your reward<\/p>\n
you are serving<\/p>\n
the lord christ<\/p>\n
you there's no doubt that some of us<\/p>\n
right now we don't feel<\/p>\n
very fulfilled in our work<\/p>\n
or maybe we just feel exhausted in the<\/p>\n
midst of our work we allow lucid online<\/p>\n
would find anything kill autumn<\/p>\n
and you know it's possible too that that<\/p>\n
maybe<\/p>\n
god would lead you to something else you<\/p>\n
know<\/p>\n
he would lead us god would lead us to<\/p>\n
various work and different roles over<\/p>\n
the course of our lifetime<\/p>\n
but be encouraged by this today<\/p>\n
that god is at work in this world<\/p>\n
that he calls us to know him<\/p>\n
to worship him and to have new life in<\/p>\n
him and he gives us work to do for his<\/p>\n
glory<\/p>\n
with my name<\/p>\n
so as you think about these things and<\/p>\n
wherever you find yourself today be<\/p>\n
encouraged by this<\/p>\n
whatever you do whatever you are given<\/p>\n
to do work heartily is for the lord and<\/p>\n
not for men<\/p>\n
and as we work for the lord and serve<\/p>\n
we are demonstrating<\/p>\n
the love and the care of christ in this<\/p>\n
world<\/p>\n
like<\/p>\n
you know the bible<\/p>\n
the scriptures are full<\/p>\n
of stories of people<\/p>\n
like you and like me<\/p>\n
then<\/p>\n
some were gifted in certain areas<\/p>\n
for the work that god called them to do<\/p>\n
and that demonstrates god's goodness<\/p>\n
right and giving them those gifts<\/p>\n
and some were not<\/p>\n
skilled<\/p>\n
or they were lacking abilities for what<\/p>\n
god called them to do<\/p>\n
which demonstrates god's power and his<\/p>\n
work in their<\/p>\n
god accomplished his work in spite<\/p>\n
of their weaknesses<\/p>\n
friends as we use what god has given us<\/p>\n
for his glory<\/p>\n
as we seek to steward and cultivate the<\/p>\n
gifts god has given us<\/p>\n
god is honored<\/p>\n
and the world is blessed by him<\/p>\n
god<\/p>\n
your labor unto god<\/p>\n
is not in vain<\/p>\n
the work done unto god is never in vain<\/p>\n
some years ago i read a story uh<\/p>\n
about a man<\/p>\n
who was<\/p>\n
telling a story from his childhood<\/p>\n
he tells a story one summer as he was<\/p>\n
growing up his father<\/p>\n
invited him to to be part of a project<\/p>\n
to build a shed<\/p>\n
a storage shed out behind their home<\/p>\n
uh<\/p>\n
and the boy recounts of course he's a<\/p>\n
man now when he's recounting this story<\/p>\n
but he recounts how they were working<\/p>\n
hard that summer they were out there<\/p>\n
building this shed<\/p>\n
and he said he had his plastic saw and<\/p>\n
his little toy hammer out there and he<\/p>\n
was right in the middle of all the<\/p>\n
construction work the members<\/p>\n
and he realized later in his life<\/p>\n
that he wasn't doing that much work at<\/p>\n
all<\/p>\n
but he had been there he had helped move<\/p>\n
the materials around and he would bring<\/p>\n
his father more nails as he needed them<\/p>\n
but what he remembered all those years<\/p>\n
later<\/p>\n
was how he loved that time<\/p>\n
working with his dad<\/p>\n
maybe he caught<\/p>\n
his father had invited him to be a part<\/p>\n
of something larger even something<\/p>\n
beyond his own abilities and what really<\/p>\n
stood out all these years later was his<\/p>\n
father's love<\/p>\n
for him<\/p>\n
good<\/p>\n
god in his goodness and plan often<\/p>\n
chooses to work<\/p>\n
through people<\/p>\n
and in the lives of people<\/p>\n
for the good of society and for the good<\/p>\n
of this world<\/p>\n
he doesn't need us to accomplish his<\/p>\n
good purposes<\/p>\n
but he calls us<\/p>\n
he leads us he equips us and he helps us<\/p>\n
to do that<\/p>\n
which we're given<\/p>\n
oh god our father<\/p>\n
help us<\/p>\n
take all that we've heard today from<\/p>\n
your word and and to reflect deeply upon<\/p>\n
help us to seek to know you and and what<\/p>\n
you're calling us<\/p>\n
however to work in specific areas to<\/p>\n
love and care<\/p>\n
for this world that you have created<\/p>\n
give us wisdom on how we are to use<\/p>\n
these abilities for your glory and for<\/p>\n
the good of others<\/p>\n
help us to follow you<\/p>\n
as you lead us<\/p>\n
in all of this<\/p>\n
we ask and pray this in your holy name<\/p>\n
lord jesus amen<\/p>","english_search_text":"","":"","original_publish_date":"20211114","video_url":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=d24Ay70_lj4","video_id":"d24Ay70_lj4","video_duration":"39:13","channel_name":"Grace City Bangkok"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/907","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=907"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/907\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":908,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/907\/revisions\/908"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/906"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=907"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=907"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=907"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}