Promises For the Future Exodus 23:23-33 Part 2

The Demand for Faithful Service vs.25

Believers Are Demanded to Serve

What does it mean to Serve? To toil or to Work---Serving or working for the Lord has always been the purpose of man from creation. Genesis 1:26-28 “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”

After the image of God—God is a worker. The First thing we learn about the nature of God is concerning His activity. God created, God moved upon the face of the deep, Let us make man.

Man’s job was to have dominion—To “RULE”

Man’s job was to Be fruitful--

Multiply—Become powerful or to increase

Replenish—Consecrate as a priest

Subdue it—Subjugate is to bring in subjection

Who are they To Serve? The Lord: (yahweh)-The Existing One—The God of Personal Relationship—At this point God is the only God. Man wasn’t God and therefore was not to serve himself. Satan’s design was to get man to serve himself.

Our God—Elohim—Ruler---This means that God has the right to Assign you to the job he wants you to do. We are assigned jobs based upon abilities (Gifts).

How Are We To Serve Him?

Through Fear (Respect; reverence) Deut.6:13 “Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name.” Deut.10:12 “And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul,”

Through Partnership—Deut.10:20 “Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God; him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his name.” : This is the term used in Genesis 2:24 “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” (The Hebrew word for cleve is “dbq” it means to stick to or to join with. The idea of partnership between a man and woman in making a life together. As we think about work we are to think about it as a partnership with God. 1 Cor.3:9 “For we are labourers (fellow workers) together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.”

Through Your God Given abilities---Matt.25:15 “And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.”

Pay for Your Labor—1 Cor.9:1-11 “Am I not an apostle? am I not free? have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? are not ye my work in the Lord? If I be not an apostle unto others, yet doubtless I am to you: for the seal of mine apostleship are ye in the Lord. Mine answer to them that do examine me is this, Have we not power to eat and to drink? Have we not power to lead about a sister, a wife, as well as other apostles, and as the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas? Or I only and Barnabas, have not we power to forbear working? Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock? Say I these things as a man? or saith not the law the same also? For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen? Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; an…”