Learning Holy Spirit Empowerment

Exodus 35:20–36:7 NASB95

20 Then all the congregation of the sons of Israel departed from Moses’ presence. 21 Everyone whose heart stirred him and everyone whose spirit moved him came and brought the Lord’s contribution for the work of the tent of meeting and for all its service and for the holy garments. 22 Then all whose hearts moved them, both men and women, came and brought brooches and earrings and signet rings and bracelets, all articles of gold; so did every man who presented an offering of gold to the Lord. 23 Every man, who had in his possession blue and purple and scarlet material and fine linen and goats’ hair and rams’ skins dyed red and porpoise skins, brought them. 24 Everyone who could make a contribution of silver and bronze brought the Lord’s contribution; and every man who had in his possession acacia wood for any work of the service brought it. 25 All the skilled women spun with their hands, and brought what they had spun, in blue and purple and scarlet material and in fine linen. 26 All the women whose heart stirred with a skill spun the goats’ hair. 27 The rulers brought the onyx stones and the stones for setting for the ephod and for the breastpiece; 28 and the spice and the oil for the light and for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense. 29 The Israelites, all the men and women, whose heart moved them to bring material for all the work, which the Lord had commanded through Moses to be done, brought a freewill offering to the Lord. 30 Then Moses said to the sons of Israel, “See, the Lord has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. 31 “And He has filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding and in knowledge and in all craftsmanship; 32 to make designs for working in gold and in silver and in bronze, 33 and in the cutting of stones for settings and in the carving of wood, so as to perform in every inventive work. 34 “He also has put in his heart to teach, both he and Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. 35 “He has filled them with skill to perform every work of an engraver and of a designer and of an embroiderer, in blue and in purple and in scarlet material, and in fine linen, and of a weaver, as performers of every work and makers of designs. 1 “Now Bezalel and Oholiab, and every skillful person in whom the Lord has put skill and understanding to know how to perform all the work in the construction of the sanctuary, shall perform in accordance with all that the Lord has commanded.” 2 Then Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab and every skillful person in whom the Lord had put skill, everyone whose heart stirred him, to come to the work to perform it. 3 They received from Moses all the contributions which the sons of Israel had brought to perform the work in the construction of the sanctuary. And they still continued bringing to him freewill offerings every morning. 4 And all the skillful men who were performing all the work of the sanctuary came, each from the work which he was performing, 5 and they said to Moses, “The people are bringing much more than enough for the construction work which the Lord commanded us to perform.” 6 So Moses issued a command, and a proclamation was circulated throughout the camp, saying, “Let no man or woman any longer perform work for the contributions of the sanctuary.” Thus the people were restrained from bringing any more. 7 For the material they had was sufficient and more than enough for all the work, to perform it.

INTRO: I often wonder—when the founding members of LRBC gathered for worship nearly two centuries ago, could they have imagined this? Could they have pictured padded pews, HVAC, livestreams, or kids' ministry rooms with colorful murals? But more than that—could they have dreamed that 187 years later, people would still gather in this very place to worship the same faithful God?

If they were to walk in today, what would they say? I hope they’d be encouraged. Not by the buildings or the bulletins, but by the evidence that the flame they lit is still burning—that worshipers still gather, prayers still rise, and the gospel still goes forth. Anniversary Sundays like this one remind us: This is not our church. It’s His.

Jesus declared it clearly in Matthew 16:18: “I will build My church, and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it.” Paul echoed this truth in 1 Corinthians 3, writing, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.” This is Christ’s church. He builds it. He sustains it. And by His grace, He invites ordinary people—you and me—to be a part of that work.

Over the past year, I’ve shared a vision with you: to take the gospel to every single household in Little River by the year 2030. That’s not just a goal—it’s a calling. Can you imagine the eternal impact if even 5% of our community turned to Christ? But that vision won’t become reality just because we have a plan on paper. Plans that stay on paper never change lives. Plans require movement, obedience, and most of all—power.

That’s why today’s passage from Exodus 35–36 is so timely. It’s not just a history lesson about the building of a tent in the desert—it’s a blueprint for how the Spirit of God empowers His people to do His work. God took a crowd of former slaves—untrained, unqualified, and unremarkable—and moved in them by His Spirit. The result? A holy dwelling place constructed, a people unified in purpose, and God's glory revealed among them.

In the same way, if we’re going to see gospel transformation in our homes, in our community, and in our generation—it won’t come through strategy alone. It will require the movement of the Holy Spirit in us.

So I invite you today to lean in—to listen not just with your ears, but with your heart. The same Spirit who stirred the hearts of Israel in the wilderness is here with us now. Today’s message is titled “Learning Holy Spirit Empowerment,” and we’re going to explore three ways the Holy Spirit moves in God’s people to accomplish His work. I’ve included a sermon guide in your bulletin—grab it now, and let’s walk this path together.

The first way we observe in this passage is:

God’s Spirit Stirs Obedience (20-29)

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When Moses called for a contribution to build the tabernacle, he was not calling for obedience by obligation. You see, if you give only because you are obligated, it is likely you will resent the recipient of the gift. Moses’ call for a contribution was one of deference to God’s desire.

Basically he asked people to give based upon their belief that God is worthy of worship and obedience. Now remember, this people group came from a land of false gods and had just encountered God’s presence in some pretty awesome ways- fire and smoke on the mountain, earthquakes, lightning… then there was Moses’ shining face we talked about a few weeks ago. But more than a logical progression of thought, the scriptures say that the people responded in obedience because their spirit and hearts were stirred to do so.

This is the work of God’s Holy Spirit. You see, God moves people from “I ought to” to “I want to.” The Israelites were not begrudgingly giving, they were moved to be a part of God’s plan and purpose. This desire to see God’s will be done is a gift of God. That why when Jesus taught the disciples to pray, he taught them to pray for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.

So, I want to ask you this morning, Do you desire to be part of God’s purposes here at LRBC? Do you want to see God’s will be done right here in this valley enough to obey the call of God on your life?

ILL: Jesus taught that obedience to his commands was evidence of our love for him. But friends, I cannot create that want and love for you. You cannot create that want or live for yourself. Only God can, through His Holy Spirit draw you to Him and stir your heart to obedience.

187 years ago, God stirred the hearts of His people at Beulah Baptist Church to start a new church here in LR. And friends, it will take the spirit of God to move in our hearts today to stir us in obedience for the sake of the next generations!

So, what must we do? We must pray. Pray that God would stir our hearts to obedience; that as He shows us His instructions and His desire for our church to be set apart and impactful to our neighbors and the nations, that He will give us a desire for that. That He would remove our lusting after the world and replace it with a desire to please Him; That He would stir in us an uneasiness in our disobedience so that we submit ourselves wholly unto Him.

God’s Spirit Stirs Obedience, and so I pray today that LRBC would experience a renewed stirring of our hearts to obey God. Now, I know that some of you might be thinking, I do want to obey… I just don’t know what to do or how to do it.

The good news is that the Spirit doesn’t just move us to obedience; He also equips us to fulfill that calling. As we return to our text, we see that:

God’s Spirit Supplies Abilities (30-2)

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Remember how I told you that these were all uneducated slaves? They had only one known skill: brick-making. But look here, God took those men and women and filled them with His Holy Spirit and gave them wisdom and understanding and knowledge in all that they needed to know!

ILL: Have you ever tried to build something and realize you have no clue what you are doing? Youtube doesn’t seem to help and you are just lost? If you’ve ever watched a true craftsman- a welder, a carpenter, a drywall finisher, etc.- you know that there is more to their craft than DIY tutorials can explain.

You see, God gives not just the desire to obey, but the “how to” that transforms desire into action. And look here (34), he not only fills them with the abilities, he gives them a willingness and ability to teach others also. In this way, the work could be multiplied and the obedience that stirred in the hearts of the Israelites began to take shape into something they had never thought possible.

Now, don’t miss this: These folks now got the joy of their saying “Yes” to God multiplying into “purpose” and satisfaction because God made them adequate for the work He called them to.

Listen, there are some of you in this room today that God has placed a desire in you to serve - perhaps as a teacher, deacon, or small group leader, but you have not said yes because you do not believe you have the ability to do what God has placed in you to do.

I get that. I still wrestle with feeling adequate as a pastor- it’s a heavy responsibility. But God says, 2 Corinthians 3:5 “Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God,”

God gives His Holy Spirit that equips us for His purposes. He will not call you to a work that He will not supply your abilities to do it! Friends, what greater confidence can you and I ask for? God will never ask you to teach a SS class and leave you hanging as you submit to Him and give Him yourself, your “Yes”. He will never ask you to lead a mission project or a team and not supply the wisdom and understanding you need to do it well.

Let me ask you something: What is preventing you from following God’s call on your life?

I want to encourage you to, right now, pray that God would fill you with his spirit. That you would not only want to obey, but that he would transform your desire into action by giving you the wisdom, understanding, knowledge and confidence you need.

Folks, you can trust God, for through His Holy Spirit, He will stir us to obedience and supply the abilities to match His call. Before we make our last observation, I want you to know that God never does anything part-way. He doesn’t open doors part way, he doesn’t provide part way, he doesn’t save part way.

And this is important because what God demonstrates to us, He desires to see reflected in us. Let us look now to our final point:

God’s Spirit Spurs Generosity (3-7)

I want you to understand that even in the days of Moses, construction costs were high. This tabernacle called for gold, silver, fine linen, quality wood, oils, etc. And, here’s the thing: Moses didn’t have a budget. He had no bank to get a loan from.

That money needed to come from somewhere. The contribution called for earlier in the passage demonstrates that people responded to the need. But what we see here is that their response was not minimal.

(READ)

The people gave freely and abundantly. The wanted to give. They had the ability to give of their possessions and of themselves. They were ready to give.

When we talk about generosity, oftentimes we chalk it up to one who is giving. And sometimes we use the word generous when we mean frivolous. A frivolous person gives without purpose. But a generous person gives with intention and toward a goal.

But generosity is not simply an action, it’s a state of mind. Here’s what I mean: When someone is generous, they are a state of readiness to give abundantly toward a purpose.

In our passage, we see that the Israelites were spurred to give generously to ensure the tabernacle could be constructed. They didn’t just give once, they gave regularly. It wasn’t just that they gave a lot- it’s possible that you could give more money and still not be generous. They gave so generously that there was more given than could be used.

ILL: We witnessed this kind of generosity during Hurricane Helene. We had volunteers giving generously of their time and talents. We had more supplies come in than we could store or give away. And we had more food donated than we could handle. We had to turn away tractor trailers full of supplies, volunteer teams looking to do chainsaw work, and others simply because those particular needs in our area were met with abundance.

But one thing we must acknowledge is that generosity can often run its course. The cause is accomplished or the purpose is fulfilled. But here’s the thing: unlike the Israelites who worked toward the tabernacle, we are workers with Christ as He builds His church.

What would it look like if we lived generously toward the purpose of reaching every household in Little River with the Gospel? What if local churches around the globe generously gave to ensure that there were never any volunteer shortages, never any budget shortfalls, never any unfunded missionaries?

What if we were ready to give it all to Christ? To say, as our memory verse last month reminded us, “Here am I Lord, Send me!”

What we need on this homecoming Sunday is a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit in this church. What we need is for the power of Almighty God to convict us and compel us to His purposes!

As King Jehoshaphat said, “Lord, our eyes are on You!”

My friend, as we reflect on the Spirit of God stirring obedience, supplying ability, and spurring generosity, we must not miss the most important work the Holy Spirit does: He convicts hearts and draws people to Jesus.

The greatest gift God offers you is not a role in the church or a task to accomplish, but a relationship with Himself through His Son, Jesus Christ.

The tabernacle we read about today was built so that God could dwell among His people — but now, through Jesus, God doesn’t just dwell among us, He dwells within us.

Jesus came, lived the life we could not live, died the death we deserved, and rose again so that we might be forgiven, restored, and made new. And He offers that salvation today — not by your effort, but by His grace.

If today you hear the Holy Spirit stirring in your heart — not just to serve, not just to give, but to surrender your life to Christ — I urge you, do not ignore His voice. The Bible says, “Now is the day of salvation.”

If you're ready to trust Jesus as your Savior — to turn from your sin and receive His grace — you can do that right now. In a moment, I’ll pray, and you can pray with me. Or, if you have questions, come speak to me or one of our leaders after the service. We would love to talk and pray with you.

[PRAY]

Lord, we thank You for the gift of Your Holy Spirit — who stirs us, equips us, and makes us generous. But most of all, we thank You that through Christ, You have made a way for us to be saved, to be made new, and to be filled with Your presence. For the one here today who knows they need forgiveness… who feels You drawing them… I pray that today would be the day they surrender fully to Jesus. Stir us all, Lord — to obedience, to boldness, to generosity, and to faith in Christ. For Your glory and the advance of Your kingdom. Amen.

Discuss: What areas of obedience might God be stirring in your life or in the life of our church today?

Discuss: Have you ever felt called to serve but doubted your ability? How might this passage encourage you?

Discuss: The people gave more than enough. What would it look like for the church today to live with that kind of readiness and abundance in generosity?