Sermon Tone Analysis

Title: The Nearness of God

Context: If you weren’t here last week… we have moved back into our Exodus series.

If you remember from last summer/Fall we had just taught through the giving of the law… the People of God have been delivered from Egypt and are now at Mt. Sinai where God is giving the law to the people through Moses.

Last week Pastor Nate set the stage talking about the Covenants and now for the next few chapters God is giving Moses instructions on how to build the tabernacle… the home of God.

Context: If you weren’t here last week… we have moved back into our Exodus series.

If you remember from last summer/Fall we had just taught through the giving of the law… the People of God have been delivered from Egypt and are now at Mt. Sinai where God is giving the law to the people through Moses.

Last week Pastor Nate set the stage talking about the Covenants and now for the next few chapters God is giving Moses instructions on how to build the tabernacle… the home of God.

/Read Text/Pray

/Read Text/Pray

Illustration: In 2004 I lived in a small apartment in Everett… near the water and near downtown.

It was my first apartment so even though it was tiny, it was mine and I loved it.

And I remember like it was yesterday one particular moment sitting there on my couch.

I was having an all time low moment in life.

These general feelings of depression, and wondering what I was doing with my life caused me to doubt God’s existence….

Was God really there?

Did he exist?

If he did exist why was he so silent?

And as I sat on the over large couch in my 500 sq.ft apartment I prayer and asked God to show himself.

I asked God to come down from heaven and make a light flicker or something… maybe a small tremor… nothing crazy… just give me something to strengthen my faith… help me know that you are near… and as I sat there staring intently… as if I was trying to use the force or something… guess what happened?

Nothing.

Absolutely nothing happened.

Perhaps you have had a moment like this in your life… one where you struggled with feeling like God is not near too.

Maybe this is you now… where are you God? Do something.

Illustration: In 2004 I lived in a small apartment in Everett… near the water and near downtown.

It was my first apartment so even though it was tiny, it was mine and I loved it.

And I remember like it was yesterday one particular moment sitting there on my couch.

I was having an all time low moment in life.

These general feelings of depression, and wondering what I was doing with my life caused me to doubt God’s existence….

Was God really there?

Did he exist?

If he did exist why was he so silent?

And as I sat on the over large couch in my 500 sq.ft apartment I prayer and asked God to show himself.

I asked God to come down from heaven and make a light flicker or something… maybe a small tremor… nothing crazy… just give me something to strengthen my faith… help me know that you are near… and as I sat there staring intently… as if I was trying to use the force or something… guess what happened?

Nothing.

Absolutely nothing happened.

Perhaps you have had a moment like this in your life… one where you struggled with feeling like God is not near too.

Maybe this is you now… where are you God? Do something.

In these moments… in these moments of silence… we can be tempted think God is far off.

That he is sitting up there… wherever up there is… sipping his mead… choosing to act in our lives sometimes… but not others… and we end u[p living our lives as if God isn’t with us.

We live lives that are hidden from God…

In these moments… in these moments of silence… we can be tempted think God is far off.

That he is sitting up there… wherever up there is… sipping his mead… choosing to act in our lives sometimes… but not others… and we end u[p living our lives as if God isn’t with us.

We live lives that are hidden from God…

But here in exodus we have a challenge for this… what if God is not so far off even in his silence… what if God is actually near.

This is what we find here in this passage.

we find the God who is near.

And in this section on the building of his home, we find a God who is eager to dwell with his people.

A God who wants his home built among his people.

There are three things we learn about the heart of God and his desire to be near to us in this passage….

But here in exodus we have a challenge for this… what if God is not so far off even in his silence… what if God is actually near.

This is what we find here in this passage.

we find the God who is near.

And in this section on the building of his home, we find a God who is eager to dwell with his people.

A God who wants his home built among his people.

There are three things we learn about the heart of God and his desire to be near to us in this passage….

The first way we see God’s desire to be near to us… is….

The first way we see God’s desire to be near to us… is….

1. God Invites Us to be near through our participation in his work.

1. God Invites Us to be near through our participation in his work.

We draw near to God in our participation with his work because we are working right beside him.

His invitation to work beside him… is an invitation to draw near.

Like a child drawing near to their parent in the kitchen, or yard or shop… Children love it… Why?

Because they want to be near to their parent.

We draw near to God in our participation with his work because we are working right beside him.

His invitation to work beside him… is an invitation to draw near.

Like a child drawing near to their parent in the kitchen, or yard or shop… Children love it… Why?

Because they want to be near to their parent.

And we find the invitation to be near in our participation in two ways in this passage.

And we find the invitation to be near in our participation in two ways in this passage.

a. Contribution – vs 2-7

a. Contribution – vs 2-7

i. God didn’t need the stuff of the people… like a parent doesn’t need the help of a child… but out of love invites us to contribute.

He didn’t even command them to give it… he says, if you are lead to give from your heart… then give.

This seems like an optional thing… it isn’t written in the law book for them… but it is an above an beyond gift of the heart…

i.

The unique thing about this contribution is that he didn’t command them to give it… he says, if you are lead to give from your heart… then give.

This seems like an optional thing… it isn’t written in the law book for them… but it is an above an beyond gift of the heart…

ii.

And so we might be tempted to think… phew… I only have to if I feel like it.

But if I feel like I want that other thing I can use my resources for that instead… or I can save them up… or I can invest them or…

ii.

And so we might be tempted to think… phew… I only have to if I feel like it.

But if I feel like I want that other thing I can use my resources for that instead… or I can save them up… or I can invest them or…

iii.

The idea of the heart in the ancient world was not just a mere feeling… but it was the seat of the will.

The heart truly exposed someone.

Why Jesus says, where your money is, there your heart will be also… he is asking “what drives you as a person?

Money?”….

So here God is saying… do you really want me?