Sabbath Rest, Offerings, And Worship

Please open your Bibles to Exodus 35….

We have noted that God was teaching the Israelites how to live by giving them instructions. God revealed Himself through Moses and through miracles in the dessert as the Hebrews traveled toward the Land of milk and honey promised by God.

You know, we have Scriptures (God’s Word) and our church is based on it but really, we need to also share with each other on a regular basis miracles God has done in our lives; God still reveals Himself through Scriptures and miracles today; let us pray how we can incorporate sharing those miracles to share here at church, no matter how small (e.g. simply being able to help someone is a miracle)

God is the same yesterday, today and forever and God is teaching us as well as we read and learn from our Bibles, God’s own words put in writing by people. What can we learn today? Read along with me Exodus 35….

There are basically 5 important things to note from this Chapter.

v2-3: 7th day of the week is to be a holy day, a Sabbath of rest to the Lord for everyone; and strongly note, anyone who does work that day is to be put to death! God is a Holy God!

v4-9: offerings of whatever was needed for worship were to be given to God

We note precious metals, colorful materials, animal hides, oils, spices, precious stones and gems; all thing to be used in the Worship Tent and for the actual acts of worship!

v10-19: Whatever skill God has gifted people with were to use them for worship!

v20-29: offerings and work were done with willingness and a love God

• v20: everyone went to worship BUT….

• v21: only those who were willing and had true love for God gave offerings and did work (we can read it often in the passage… “all who were willing…. all who were willing…. all who were willing””)

In other words, not all had right hearts in their worship! (similar to what happened to Cain and Abel)

And in v30-35: God chose and skilled specific people for specific tasks

Let us reflect on these 5 main points from Exodus 35 and note how we are to apply them to our lives today.

1. There needs to be a Sabbath Rest for everyone! God desires every person to rest with their Creator! We read that for the Hebrews of Old, Sabbath is the 7th day of the week and complete rest in God. We noted from Exodus 35 that if anyone works on a Sabbath day they are to be put to death! Are we supposed to still practice this?

Let us note a few things to understand the Sabbath for us today:

a. The Sabbath Day of rest in the Old Testament was when the Messiah was still just a promise.

b. The Messiah Jesus Christ came to us about 2000 years ago!

c. Jesus said in Matthew 12 that He (the Son of Man) is the Lord of the Sabbath!

i.e. – No person can truly have rest until they truly believe and accept Jesus Christ as God and Only Savior! I trust that you have already accepted and believed that Jesus Christ is your only Lord and Savior! If not, get the final and perfect rest you need by believing and accepting Jesus Christ as your only God and Savior, no one or nothing else can give you perfect rest now and forever! And like the warning for the Hebrews of Old, if a person today does not believe in Jesus Christ who is the Lord of Sabbath Rest, that person is dead to God!

d. In Hebrews 4, Believers of Jesus Christ, the Lord of the Sabbath, is to continually depend on and live in Christ!

2. We are to offer whatever we can to worship Jesus Christ! How is our worship of Jesus Christ every Sunday and everyday?

3. Worship of God is not just offering of money but whatever God has gifted us with, time, skills, other abilities, etc.

4. “Worship” that is just an act or production will be meaningless to God unless done with a right heart, of willingness and love for God! We must always check our hearts when we worship! Ask, why am I doing what I am doing in worship? Am I really focused on pleasing God in my worship?

5. God will choose and skill specific people for specific tasks in worshiping God!

a. we must not be surprised to only have specific people do specific jobs for worship!

b. we must not be jealous of not being able to do certain tasks in worship!

c. we must always ask ourselves, “What skills and resources has God given me to worship Him with?”; then let’s pray together and talk about how you can minister; then just do it!