Exodus (Lesson 58)

Welcome to the Preaching the Cross Radio Podcast, featuring the radio ministry of Pastor James W.

Knox of the Bible Baptist Church of Delaney, Florida.

Our prayer is that these half-hour Bible study programs will bring the lost to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ and enable the saved to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Savior.

Now here's your host, Pastor James W.

Knox.

I welcome you once again to the preaching of the cross radio broadcast.

It is our great honor to be entrusted with God's holy word.

It is the joy of our heart to know that God has spoken to man, that those words are not some deep, dark, hidden mystery available only to some select few, but that God has made his word available to all men everywhere, that he's put his truths in our hands.

We may read them, live by them, love them, study them, preach them, memorize them.

What a thrill, what a thrill to have God's holy words.

We are studying together the Bible book of Exodus.

We have made our way all the way to chapter number 31, Exodus chapter 31, and I hope that you'll be able to stay with us for the full half an hour.

Exodus 31 · chapter mention

Follow along if you possibly can in your own Bible.

If you're not able to do that, we'll do our best to just uh stick right with the text.

We're not going to change it, not amend it, not alter it, not one time ever by the grace and help of God.

Now, uh Exodus 31 is a short chapter.

It records the divine call and divine qualification of Bezalel and Aholia to do the work of the tabernacle of the congregation.

The Bible says in verse 1, the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, See, I have called by name Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, to devise cutting works, to work in gold and in silver and in brass, and in cutting of stones to set them, and in carving of timber to work in all manner of workmanship.

Remarkable, remarkable.

What we see and understand from this is first of all, there should be the divine selection, whether for the work of the tabernacle of old or the work of the ministry now.

And there should be a divine qualification, divine appointment.

Everything must be done according to the divine commandment.

Man could not select or call or qualify or appoint to do the work of the tabernacle, neither can he make such a calling to do the work of the ministry.

Furthermore, no man could presume to appoint himself to do the work of the tabernacle, neither can he to do the work of the ministry.

It was, it is, it must be holy and absolutely divine.

Now men may run as they are sent by their fellow man, or men may run as they are sent by their parents, or men may run as they are sent by themselves.

But we should keep in mind that all who run without being sent of God shall one day or the other be covered with shame and confusion of face.

Such is the plain and sound doctrine suggested by the words, I have called, I have filled, I have given, I have put, I have commanded.

The words of John the Baptist in John 3 27, when he said, A man can receive nothing except it be given him from heaven, are very important.

He can therefore have little room to boast of himself, and just as little to be jealous of his uh fellow workers.

Now, listen, please listen carefully to what I'm saying.

And I want to try to get this right, because uh there's so much confusion and misunderstanding.

I am not opposed to the notion or the idea that God calls men to preach and to teach and perform special service in his work.

I'm not opposed to that idea.

It's taught in the Old Testament and in the New.

I am opposed, I am opposed to treating men differently, giving men an exalted position or place just because they say God has called them or because they say they are called of God.

I am fully persuaded from the study of scripture, and I am fully persuaded from observing Christianity for over three decades.

I am fully persuaded that if a man is called of God to any field of service, that calling will be evident not by the man saying so, not by the man earning a degree in some school or university, not by the man uh applying for and obtaining some job in a church or in a ministry, but by a God-given ability to ably and properly perform the task to which he claims to be called.

If he is called, there'll be more than a claim to that calling, there will be a genuine evidence of that calling.

Now look, suppose, suppose Bezaliel had said, I've been called by God to build the tabernacle, but he lacked the wisdom and the understanding to get it done.

Suppose, suppose uh Bezaliel said, God, it's God's will, God's ordained me, spoke to me, and and God wants me to build the tabernacle, but he lacked the knowledge and he lacked the ability to get the job done.

You'd have to say one or two things is true.

A, or one, God didn't call him, or two, God called him, but God made the wrong call.

That's that that's the only two choices you could have.

So, brother, it's wonderful for you to stand in the church service and with tears in your eyes and excitement in your voice say that God has called you to preach.

If there is never any ability to make sense of the scriptures and to proclaim them in a way that edifies the saints.

You you had an experience, you had a feeling, you had a desire, you had a persuasion from someone somewhere, but God did not call you.

Where God calls God equips.

Where God calls God enables.

So let's make certain, let's make certain that we don't substitute someone saying they've been called for someone producing the evidence that they have been called.

You say, Well, Brother James, how would we know if somebody hasn't been called?

Oh, just uh pick churches at random and visit them, and and uh 15 out of 20 uh you'll see after one service that a good, sincere, dedicated man or or a dishonest, corrupt man, but in 15 out of 20, you'll see a man standing in a pulpit who lacks the ability to perform the task that's been given him.

I'm not I'm not saying that'd be hateful to be critical.

Why do you think we have all these dead, liberal, modernistic, lifeless, powerless, compromising, carnal, money-loving outfits dotting the landscape of our land?

You know as well as I do.

Alright, so this Bezaliel, he uh his life uh brings honor to his father, and to his grandfather, and to his tribe.

You know, it's a great thing for a man to serve God, and when that man serves God, when that look, if the Lord wrote Bezaliel, Bezaliel was an extortioner, Bezaliel was a common thief, Bezaliel was a kidnapper, it would it would be a horrible thing to then say, son of Uri, son of her.

A foolish son brings dishonor to the family name.

But when a man, when a man is used of God to do a great work for God, Yuri, the father, is glad of it.

Her, the grandfather, glad of it.

He's an honor.

Live a life that's an honor to the family name.

That's what the Bible said.

That's the command of God.

Honor thy father and thy mother.

Notice also that uh for Bezalil to do this work, the first thing in the list is not knowledge.

The first thing in the list is not the ability to work in gold, silver, and brass, to cut stones, to carve timber.

Oh no, no, the first thing, the first thing is that he be filled with the Spirit of God.

That's the first order of business.

You know, in the book of Acts, chapter 6, when the church had to seek out some men to oversee ministering meals, fellowship meals to church people.

Acts 6 · chapter mention

You know what the first thing they looked for was?

Seek out men full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom.

You know, whatever we do in word or deed, we are to do it to the glory of God.

And the only surefire guaranteed way to do what we do for the honor and the glory of God is to make sure that we are filled with the Spirit of God.

Now, who does that filling?

God does.

He filled this man with the Spirit of God and gave him understanding and knowledge.

And you know, if you're gonna do work for God, you you may have to know more than one thing.

You know, to pastor a church, to perform missionary work, you're gonna have to know how to deal with God and how to deal with people, how to deal with lost people and saved people, worldly saved people and dedicated saved people, and how to get them, uh keep them uh in fellowship with each other, getting along with each other.

You're gonna have to know something about buildings and laws and community and finances, and uh look, you you say, well, I just I just want to preach.

Well then find you a street corner, find you a rescue mission, and preach your heart out.

But if you're gonna be in the ministry, you're gonna have to be given knowledge from God and understanding from God and wisdom from God in all manner of workmanship.

And I hope uh I hope that God will use you in a great way.

Now there's a profitable lesson to be learned from comparing this chapter, Exodus 31, with Genesis 4.

Tubal Cain was an instructor of every artificer in brass and iron.

The descendants of Cain were endowed with unhallowed skill to make accursed and a groaning earth a beautiful place without the presence of God.

But Bezalel and Aholiab, on the contrary, they were given divine skill to beautify a sanctuary, which was to be hallowed and blessed by the presence and glory of the God of Israel.

Now let me ask you, just stop a minute, and let's put this question to our consciences.

Am I devoting, are you devoting, are we devoting whatever skill or energy we possess to the interests of the church, which is God's dwelling place, or to beautify an ungodly, Christless world?

Now don't say I'm not divinely called or divinely qualified to the work of the ministry.

Remember that though all Israel were not Bezalils or Holiabs, yet all of them could serve the interests of the sanctuary, there was an open door for all to communicate, and so it is now.

Everyone has a place to occupy.

Every one of us has a job to fulfill, every one of us has responsibilities within the body of Christ.

Are you and I at this moment giving our lives to promoting the interests of the house of God, the body of Christ, the church, or are we giving our all to help with the godless schemes of a world, yet guilty of the blood of Jesus Christ and the blood of all his martyred saints?

Now, we need to think about that.

We need to ponder that.

Whoever you are right now, listen to my voice, whoever you are and wherever you are, you have some wisdom, you have some understanding, you have some knowledge.

Why, if you if you possess the intelligence to listen to and comprehend this program, you have an intellect, you have a mind.

Everyone listening to my voice right now has the ability to do some kind of work.

You have some talent, some gift, some enabling that came to you from God.

Now here's what I want to know.

Are you using that for God?

Or are you using that only for self?

That's some that's that's something we've all got to ponder.

Verse six, and I, behold, I have given him given with him a Holiab, the son of Hesamak, of the tribe of Dan, and in the hearts of all that are wise-hearted I have put wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded thee, the tabernacle of the congregation, and the ark of the testimony, and the mercy seat that is thereupon, and all the furniture of the tabernacle, and the table and his furniture, and the pure candlestick, with all his furniture, and the altar of incense, the altar of burnt offering with all his furniture, and the labor and his foot, and the cloths of service, and the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons to minister in the priest's office, and the anointing oil, and the sweet incense for the holy place, according to all that I have commanded thee shall they do.

My friend, not only do we need Bezalil to lead the way, but we need a holy ab and countless unnamed assistants to get that work done.

You know, the great task of building and preparing and fashioning everything that was required by God for this sanctuary, for this tabernacle, it could not all be done by one man.

Now there needed to be one man to oversee and direct the operation.

There needed to be one man to make sure that things were done according to God's scriptures.

But one man didn't do it all.

Aholiab was not resentful of Bezaleel's lead position, and Bezalel was not threatened by Aholiab's position as assistant.

And those nameless, those unnamed multitudes who had their various parts in the work that God gave the people to do.

We don't read of any revolt, we don't read of any work stoppage, we don't read of any strike or uprising.

Why, why should uh Bezalel and Aholiab get all the credit?

Why should Bezalel and Aholiab get the recognition?

Why should Bezalel and Aholiab be, oh no, none of that.

Each one was glad to labor as he was able for his God.

Each one was happy as they had opportunity to put their hand to the work of building this tabernacle for the honor and glory of the Lord.

Now again, let's fast forward to this New Testament day.

If you could find a place where a God-gifted and God-ordained pastor led the way, encouraged the people, made certain that all things were done in accord with God's word, and if that man had around him other trusted, gifted, enabled leaders, who were not resentful of his position, who were not a threat to his position, and who were not viewed with suspicion and distrust by the pastor, and if, and if working in association with those men were a congregation full of people who needed no recognition, who needed no praise, who needed no acknowledgement, who needed that none should glory in them, who didn't whine when they didn't get bragged upon, who didn't complain when they didn't get a A gold star on their uh on their paper hanging on the wall.

What could be done for God in a community?

Where each one filled his place, where each one was filled with God's Spirit, where each one did what they were enabled by God to do, where each one did that thing for God, not for man, where each one did what they did for the furtherance and the promotion of God's tabernacle, God's church, not for the world and not for vain self-glory, what a place that would be to fellowship, and what an impact that place could have upon a lost and dying world.

What is your place in God's church?

Are you filling that place?

And are you doing so with the right heart and with all your heart?

Verse 12.

And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, say, Verily my Sabbaths ye shall keep.

For it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you.

Now we talked about the Sabbath at length, when it first came up in this book of Exodus.

This is repeated verily on occasions of importance.

The manna, chapter 16, the giving of Allah, chapter 20, following the making of the tabernacle, here in chapter 31, God reminds them to keep his Sabbaths.

Verse 14, you shall keep the Sabbath, therefore, for it is holy unto you.

Every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death.

So nobody in your town is a Sabbath keeper.

And the way you know that, as we said previously, if you don't kill Sabbath breakers, you're not keeping the Sabbath law.

For whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people.

Six days may work be done, but in the seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord.

Whosoever doeth any work in the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death.

Wherefore?

The children of Israel should keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations for perpetual covenant.

So Christians don't keep it, Gentiles don't keep it, Americans, Africans, Europeans don't keep it, Asians, Pacific Islanders don't keep it.

Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath.

God gave it to them for them, a sign between them and God, nobody else, nobody else.

It is a sign between me and the children of Israel, forever.

For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.

Interesting.

And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon Mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone written with the finger of God.

So God does two things.

Vital things, massive things, incredible things, spoken of at the close of Exodus thirty one.

God made the heaven and the earth.

No accident, no chance, no exploding dust cloud, no evolution, no Darwin, no Huxley, no National Education Association, no National Geographic Society, no PBS.

God made the heavens and the earth.

And for all you theistic evolutionists, they won't so badly be accepted by a Bible-rejecting world of confused and unbelieving scientists.

There is no theistic evolution.

God made it in six days.

That's what he said.

Six literal days.

So the first great thing we see that God has done as we look at the end of this 31st chapter is that God created the heavens and the earth in six days.

The second, just as grand and just as glorious and even more important to us as individuals, he gave his words in writing.

He wrote them with his own finger on tables of stone.

You say, Brother James, you believe that?

Of course I believe that.

I have absolutely no reason not to believe that.

I don't believe it because the Bible says it.

I believe it because I have searched the pages of this Holy Bible throughout the course of my lifetime, every single day of my life, and then I have compared what that Bible says to what men do, to what men don't do, to how men act, to how men react, to uh every aspect of the life of every man.

I have laid that Bible down next to the pages of history, next to the pages of science, next to the pages of philosophy, next to the pages of psychology, and next to the ravings and pronouncements of religions.

And that Bible's right every time, every time it never misses the mark by a by a degree, by a percentage point, by a fraction, not one time, ever, in not one field of study, ever, in not one place of observation.

Does the Bible ever fail?

Does it ever come up short?

Is it ever found lacking?

That Bible is the pure and perfect word of God.

It is absolutely right in all ways, in all things, in all its statements, and all its pronouncements, and all its judgments, and all its promises.

The Bible stands.

It's God's Word.

God has given his words to man.

Rejoice in them, study them, believe them, live by them, stake your soul to them.

They are sure, they are certain, they are infallible.

They are what you need.

And when heaven and earth have passed away, you'll find that only God's words have not passed away.

Everything else is temporal, passing vanity.

Amen and amen.

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