Living Sacrifice
Notes
Transcript
My mom loved kids. I really wish some of that would have rubbed off on me. She worked in daycare for quite a few years, she helped raise one of my cousins when she was very young. She was so passionate that she could ignite passion in others just talking about kids.
One day we were talking a couple years ago. I asked her a question that is so important for us to ask ourselves from time to time. “How long are you going to rob the Church of your gift?” You see my mom had a lot of hurt from church people. It really broke my heart. She never knew the gift she would have been to a body of believers. Her ability to love children and invest in families was an amazing, God-given gift. She shared that gift all the time.
Last week we talked about being generous with your time, because it’s not yours anyway. How are you spending your time? Is it beneficial? Does it honor God? Matthew 25 talks a lot about not wasting the time we have, because we never know when it will be gone.
There are 3 primary things with which we can be generous. Time, Talent, and Treasure. And since I love all the type A people out there, we are talking about our talent today.
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Look, I have specifically chosen Bezalel son of Uri, grandson of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. I have filled him with the Spirit of God, giving him great wisdom, ability, and expertise in all kinds of crafts. He is a master craftsman, expert in working with gold, silver, and bronze. He is skilled in engraving and mounting gemstones and in carving wood. He is a master at every craft!
“And I have personally appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, to be his assistant. Moreover, I have given special skill to all the gifted craftsmen so they can make all the things I have commanded you to make:
Christians can spiritualize anything can’t we? We often think of spiritual or God-given gifts as strictly the gifts of the Spirit outlined in Scripture. The funny part is, Paul tells us there are more than what is listed in just that section.
It’s easy for us to overlook our own abilities, right? To us they are no big deal. But to others, they are life saving.
I am not a skilled crafts man or handy man. I can get things done, but not fast. I can’t remember how many times I’ve been shocked when I thought I turned the right breaker off. And if you want me to replace your toilet, please allow 3-5 business days for completion.
Veronica walks into the nursery, sees the door needs t o be fixed, and Paul fixes it better than it was before. To me, that is a huge gift. Why? I don’t have those skills.
What I love about this story in Exodus is that God told Moses to build something. A tabernacle that would be portable for the people. He also provided the way to build it. He filled specific men with His Spirit to amplify their skills. He also provided the resources
Then Moses said to the whole community of Israel, “This is what the Lord has commanded: Take a sacred offering for the Lord. Let those with generous hearts present the following gifts to the Lord:
gold, silver, and bronze;
Moses began to list off the supplies the craftsman would need to accomplish this project.
So the whole community of Israel left Moses and returned to their tents. All whose hearts were stirred and whose spirits were moved came and brought their sacred offerings to the Lord. They brought all the materials needed for the Tabernacle, for the performance of its rituals, and for the sacred garments.
Then the people respond. Usually we think of a sacrifice as something we are losing or something dying. What we sacrifice goes away. Really, sacrifice is giving up something good for something greater. Here, people gave up jewelry, goods like wool and thread, and animals to help build the temple.
So the people of Israel—every man and woman who was eager to help in the work the Lord had given them through Moses—brought their gifts and gave them freely to the Lord.
Moses used his gift, which was the people, and the people used their gifts, which were the supplies and skills necessary for the work God had given.
And the Lord has given both him and Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, the ability to teach their skills to others.
This is very important. Just because you have the skills and abilities to do something, doesn’t mean you are the only one who can or should do it. These 2 men would not have been able to do this entire project alone. So God gave them the ability to teach others those skills.
God has given us each talents and abilities. Skills that are a blessing to others. The blessing cannot be fully realized until it is given away.
You are blessed to be a blessing. You have a God-given gift, therefore you are a God-given gift.
Here are the 3 takeaways from today:
Not all Spirit-given gifts are spiritual gifts.
Helping someone move a couch is just as spiritual as praying for the sick.
Give away your gift
Having a gift includes giving away the gift. 1 Peter 4:10-11
God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.
Do it all for Jesus
Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do, whether we are slaves or free.
We work for God not man. He is our Provider, not man.
And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.
The thing here is that we are called to be a living sacrifice. That means all of our life is given to God for His glory. The problem with being a living sacrifice is that living things move and change direction. Daily we have to make the choice to lay down our gifts and abilities for God and others.
Our life is a sacrifice to God for God. That means our preferences are not as important as His purposes. When we are generous with the gifts, talents, and abilities God has given us we are honoring God and benefiting humanity.
Did you know that God is not going to give you specific direction on every single thing you do? We have been given principles, like this one, that should guide our loves.
Ex: My sister in law calls at the last minute to help watch my niece. Dest and I have plans. Should we pray about it? Or do we help out family? God has shown over and over and over again the principle that loving others more than yourself. So we help. Didn’t need to pray about it.
Say your car is having issues. You take it to a friend that knows vehicles really well and works on them regularly. What are you going to do if he says “let me pray about it.” ?
We must be a people of prayer, yes. But we must also be people of action. God is always speaking to us and guiding our actions. We just need to listen.
