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Sermon Outline: Serve God In God's Way (Exodus 35:30-35)

I. His Calling

II. His Spirit

III. His Glory

1. Overall Summary

The sermon is an expository message based on Exodus 35:30-35, focusing on the calling of Bezaleel and Aholiab to construct the Tabernacle. The central thesis is that believers must serve God in God's way, which is defined by three principles: serving through His specific calling, serving in the power of His Spirit, and serving ultimately for His glory alone.

2. Structural Breakdown

The sermon follows a classic, clear, and effective three-point structure:

• Introduction (Context & Hook): Sets the scene by contrasting the world's monuments (Pyramid of Giza) built for human glory with God's Tabernacle, built for His glory. It connects the Tabernacle to Christ (John 1:14) and the modern believer (indwelt by the Spirit).
• Point 1: We Serve Through His Calling: Focuses on the specificity of God's call to Bezaleel and Aholiab. Distinguishes between general calling (to salvation) and specific calling (to a unique task). Application: View your role in the church/workplace as a divine assignment.
• Point 2: We Serve Through His Spirit: Focuses on the enablement for the task. Distinguishes between natural talent (common to all) and spiritual gifts (given to believers at salvation). Application: Discover your gifts through surrender and use, and rely on the Spirit's power, not your own strength.
• Point 3: We Serve For His Glory: Focuses on the purpose of the service. Highlights that Bezaleel and Aholiab taught others, avoiding self-promotion. Their names ("in the shadow of God," "my tabernacle is my father") perfectly reflected their God-centered mission. Application: Leave a legacy of faithfulness that God remembers, even if people forget.
• Conclusion: Summarizes the three points into a personal challenge about the legacy believers will leave. Ends with a prayer that reiterates the main applications.

Transcript:

Our text for today's message is taken from Exodus 35:30-35. In our previous message, we had considered how the children of Israel were commanded to bring forth their resources and services, and it was for the purpose of building the Tabernacle.

In ancient times, there were several buildings or structures that were renowned for their excellent artistic, architectural, and engineering work. For example, the great pyramid in Egypt, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. It was located in the city of Giza, the third largest city in Egypt after Cairo and Alexandria.

Pyramid vs. the Tabernacle

Consider the differences between the pyramid and the Tabernacle.

• The pyramid was built in a city called Giza. The Tabernacle was built in the wilderness.
• The pyramid was built by force on the backs of slaves. The Tabernacle was built by willing hearts, love, and hands that were ready to serve.
• The pyramid was made of rocks and stones. The Tabernacle was made with treasures of gold, silver, precious stones, and other valuable resources.
• Most importantly, the pyramid was built for the glory of the pharaoh, while the Tabernacle was built for the glory of God.

There was no building more significant than the Tabernacle. Why? Because God was the architect, and it was built to tell the story of His salvation: how sinful men and women could approach His holy presence by offering an atoning sacrifice. All these were done in preparation for the coming Jesus Christ.

Interestingly, the Gospel of John 1:14 said, "And the Word”—that is Jesus—”was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." The original Greek word for ‘dwelt’ is ‘tabernacled.’ In becoming a man, Jesus became the true tabernacle and dwelt amongst men.

Today we do not have a physical tabernacle, nor do we need one, for we have the indwelling of the Spirit of Christ. And when we come together as a church, each one filled with the Holy Spirit, what an amazing experience that would be. So as we come together to worship and serve as a church, we want to serve God in God's way, which is the title of our message.

I. His Calling

Firstly, we cannot serve except through His calling. The children of Israel had brought their gifts to build the Tabernacle, and now the actual construction would commence. Exodus 35:30, "And Moses said unto the children of Israel, See, the LORD hath called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah."

There were two names mentioned in this passage: Bezaleel and Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. In verse 30, notice the Bible said, "The LORD hath called by name." In other words, these two men were specially called by God. They were not chosen by Moses, Aaron, or the children of Israel. They were called by the sovereign will of God. Their calling was so important that God had recorded for us in this passage for our encouragement and edification.

The general and specific calling of God

When we speak about the calling of God, there are two main things. There is the general calling and the specific calling.

• The general call refers to God's calling us to salvation: to believe in Him, to walk with Him, to worship and obey Him.
• The specific call refers to the call of God for a particular individual. It applies to that person and not anyone else.

For example, if you are called to be the husband of a particular wife, or the wife of a particular husband, or the father and mother of a particular child, or to a particular career path, or to attend a particular school and university, or to serve in a particular area in a church—what God has called you to do, He has not called someone else. That is His specific call for you.

Both Bezaleel and Aholiab were called for a specific work: to build the Tabernacle. They were craftsmen, and they were skilful in the works of gold, silver, brass, stones, timber, and the sewing of garments. Most likely they had learned those skills while living in Egypt as slaves. We all know the Egyptians were known for their construction of monumental structures like the pyramid.

So these two men were specially called to be responsible for the construction of the tabernacle itself, with all the furniture that went inside and outside the tabernacle: the Ark of the Covenant in the most holy place; the table of shewbread, the golden candlestick, and the altar of incense in the holy place; the altar of sacrifice and the brasen laver in the outside courtyard; the holy garments of the priests, Aaron and his sons; and the holy ointment that anointed them to prepare them for their sacred duties.

Most certainly there were other skilful craftsmen in the multitude of the children of Israel, but God had specially called these two persons. In the same way God had called Bezaleel and Aholiab, He has also called you and I for a specific work.

Dear friend, have you ever considered the work you are doing in the church or in the workplace as a calling? There may be others who are just as talented or skilful as you are, if not more capable than you. But God has specially called you to do the work. And what He has called you to do, He has not called someone else. You must recognize it as a calling.

God may call you through His Word, through the prompting of the Holy Spirit, through the leaders and the people around you, through the circumstances of life, through prayers—but it always begins with this irresistible desire in your heart to serve in that particular area.

Most of the time when something was done and, over the passage of time, people would forget who were the ones responsible for the work done. For 40 years, the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness as they moved from place to place with the portable Tabernacle. Surely after four decades, the next generation might have forgotten about Bezaleel, Aholiab, and their team of co-labourers. But there is one who never forgets, and that is the Almighty God.

Have you ever been discouraged that people have forgotten about the work you have done, or they do not even know that you were the one who did the work? Perhaps you were the one who started the Sunday school, or established a particular ministry or fellowship group, or initiated and supported the missions in Myanmar, or brought up your children in the fear of God, or ministered to your unbelieving colleagues in the workplace. No one knows and remembers. But God knows, and He never forgets, and He takes into account everything we have done in His precious name, because that is His specific call for us.

II. His Spirit

Our second point is: we serve God through His Spirit. Verse 31-33: "And he hath filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship; and to devise curious works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, and in the cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of wood, to make any manner of cunning work."

‘Curious’ and ‘cunning’ works mean the same thing. It is the work of design. It took a lot of skills to melt and cast the gold and silver into the right shapes and sizes; to cut and engrave the stones and wood; to sew the garments together; and so forth.

As mentioned earlier on, both Bezaleel and Aholiab might have learned those skills while living in Egypt as slaves, but perhaps they were blessed with natural artistic skills. We must understand the difference between natural talents and spiritual gifts. Both believers and unbelievers may have talents, but spiritual gifts are special abilities bestowed upon us at the point when we were born again by the Spirit of God. That is why it is called spiritual. Therefore, only believers have spiritual gifts.

Spiritual gifts may in some ways be associated with natural talents, but not necessarily. For example, someone who has the talent to teach in a secular school may also be gifted to teach the Bible in church. But another excellent school teacher or lecturer may have little or no ability at all to teach the Bible.

What we need to know is that every believer is given a spiritual gift. Some believers have multiple spiritual gifts. Someone may have the gift of teaching and yet also be gifted in administration, logistics, hospitality, and so forth. There are diversities of gifts, and the spiritual gifts that God gives to each believer is unique.

A hundred believers with the gift of teaching will not have the same teaching ability or emphasis. One may be good in public teaching in the church. Another may be effective in teaching the children in the classroom. Yet another may be gifted in teaching one-to-one. And the list goes on and on.

And no Christian can replace another Christian in God's plan, just as you cannot find another Bezaleel or Aholiab. Both were specially called and gifted by God. And those whom God had called and gifted, He would also fill them with His Spirit so that they would be able to accomplish the work in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of workmanship. In other words, they were empowered by the Holy Spirit to serve. It is not based on their own strength, but by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Dear friend, no one can replace us in God's plan. I'm not saying we are indispensable; God can raise up another person to take over our work. But what I meant is that what He has called us to do, He has not called someone else. God has His sovereign place for each and every one of us. He has specially gifted us accordingly, and He has filled us with His Spirit to empower us to accomplish the work.

When a believer does not exercise his gift faithfully as God's steward, the ministry of the church suffers in that area because God has not gifted another Christian in exactly the same way. Every believer is on the team. We are all important in God's plan, with our unique gifts and responsibilities.

There are two common problems when it comes to spiritual gifts. Firstly, some people would have their spiritual gifts stored up rather than use them to glorify God who has blessed them.

Dear friend, if you have been blessed with a beautiful voice to sing for the glory of God and you refuse to surrender that voice, soon you will grow old and you can no longer hit the same high pitch that you used to be able to. And you will never be able to render your service in that area again. If you have been blessed with the gift to teach and you refuse to teach, soon your memory will fail you. The faculty of your mind will not permit you to articulate God's truth in such clarity. Do not store up your spiritual gifts.

Some people may ask, "How do I know my spiritual gift?" God does not give His children gifts without letting them know what those gifts are. If we are unsure of our gifts from God, it is most likely because we have not totally surrendered to Him. When your life and my life are on the altar of sacrifice, we will have no problem discovering and using our gifts. Our spiritual gifts cannot be recognised except when we use them. When a believer walks in obedience to the Lord, filled with the Holy Spirit and serving God, it will become apparent to him and to others what his spiritual gift is, and how it can bless the body of believers.

It has been estimated that even the brightest people use only about 11% of their brain capacity, leaving nearly 90% unused. Sadly, in a similar fashion, this is the way some Christians would use their spiritual gifts. May the Lord forgive us.

The second common problem is that some people may be blessed with spiritual gifts; however, they try to serve God with their own strength rather than in the power of the Holy Spirit. How do we know if we are serving with our own strength or in the power of the Holy Spirit? When we fail to pray. No matter how busy we are or how much we are lacking in time, we must never rush into the church and start serving without praying for God to fill us with His Spirit.

Now if we are filled with the Holy Spirit to serve, that will remove any idea and motivation to claim credit for ourselves. The gift comes from God. The empowerment comes from Him. So we must never be proud just because we are able to sing, teach, and play the piano.

III. His Glory

This brings us to our third and final point: we serve God for His glory. The amount of work in building the tabernacle was massive, extraordinary. Obviously, Bezaleel and Aholiab could not have done those things all by themselves. Therefore, they had a team of faithful co-labourers. How do we know? Well, verse 34 said, "And he hath put in his heart that he may teach, both he, and Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan." Teach who? Teach others.

No doubt, according to verse 35, God had filled both men “with wisdom of heart to work all manner of work of the engraver, and of the cunning workman, and of the embroiderer, in blue, and in purple, in scarlet, and in fine linen, and of the weaver, even of them that do any work, and of those that devise cunning work.” However, they did not keep their spiritual gifts to themselves. They were not only willing to exercise them, but to teach others as well.

They could have used their spiritual gifts to promote their own names, to advance their own agendas, or to enhance their own reputation. But they did not do that. They were empowered by the Holy Spirit, exercising their spiritual gifts, and teaching others to do likewise for the glory of God. This is what you and I must do. When we exercise our spiritual gifts faithfully, our spiritual gifts will also affect others to serve God for His glory.

Today people do not put much emphasis on names. Oftentimes it has little or no significance at all. Parents who name their children after famous celebrities, or they just love those names or the way those names are pronounced. Even Christians who name their children after biblical characters without taking into consideration what those names mean.

But in those days, in biblical times, the names of the people meant something significant, and they would always relate to God and their lives. For example,

• The name Abraham means ‘the chief of a multitude’ (Genesis 17:5), and he truly became the father of a great nation.
• The name Isaac means ‘he laughs,’ a reminder of how he was born to Abraham and Sarah who did not believe that they would be able to have a son in their late evening years. (Genesis 17:17, 18:12, 21:6)
• The name David means ‘the beloved,’ a reminder of how he was chosen as the beloved one of whom the greater Beloved, the greater Son of David, would come, and that is Jesus Christ.

So biblical names were very significant. But it is one thing to name a child with a meaningful name. It is another thing altogether to live up to that name.

Bezaleel means ‘in the shadow of God.’ The significance of his name can mean two things. Firstly, he was a man who walked in the shadow of God. Wherever God leads, he follows. The shadow will always follow. God had called him, filled him with the Spirit, blessed him with wisdom, understanding, and knowledge, and he faithfully followed God's call and did as he was told.

Secondly, he was in the shadow, as in he was not the main character. A shadow is the projection of an object or a person. God was the main character. And so Bezaleel lived his life in His shadow, not to bring glory to himself, but to God.

Aholiab means ‘my tabernacle is my father.’ In other words, ‘the Tabernacle that I'm building is for the glory of my God, my Father. And I'm called to build it for His glory.’ His parents gave him this name when he was born without knowing what would happen in the future. But it was not by chance or coincidence, but by God's design. He was the one who built God's tabernacle, His dwelling place.

This tells us a lot about the sovereignty of God. Thousands of years before you and I were born, even before the foundation of the world, God already knew us, and He has a sovereign purpose for our existence on this earth.

Needless to say, both of them lived up to their names. They faithfully followed God's call and did as they were told. They lived their lives to serve the one sole purpose: for the glory of God. And how do we know? Because that was how the Tabernacle was built, with all the furniture, holy garments, and holy ointment. The Tabernacle stood as a testimony of their faithfulness.

Like Bezaleel and Aholiab, one day we will have to leave this world, unless our Lord Jesus comes for us in the rapture. But the question is,

• What legacy will we leave behind?
• Have we obeyed God's call?
• Have we exercised our spiritual gifts faithfully?
• Have we served God in the power of His Spirit?
• Have we glorified His precious name?

Perhaps we have played a part in the church, in the fellowship groups and ministries, or in missions through our giving and our services. People may not remember us, but God never forgets. Just as He remembered Bezaleel and Aholiab, He will remember what we have done for His glory. And to that we all will say, ‘that is all that matters.’

God has called us. He has blessed us with spiritual gifts, empowered us with His Spirit, and we serve to glorify Him. People may not remember, but He knows, and that is all that matters. May this always be the way you and I will live our lives on this earth until we see our God face to face. Let us pray.

Our Father in heaven, indeed as we learned about rendering our resources and services today, we have learned from this passage about these two characters, Bezaleel and Aholiab, and also their team of co-labourers. Thou hast called them, gifted them with gifts, empowered them by Thy Spirit, that they may serve to glorify Thee, and they had lived up to their names. One had lived in the shadow of Thee. The other had lived knowing that his tabernacle is for the glory of his Father.

Likewise, we who name our Lord Jesus as our Saviour, call ourselves Christians, we ought to live up to our names, too. In a similar fashion, Thou hast also called us, gifted us, empowered us by Thy Spirit, so all of us must live and serve for Thy glory. Though man may forget about our work, doesn't matter. God never forgets. He remembers whatever we have done in His precious name and for His glory, and that is all that matters.

So let us, and help us, that we may all live such a life until we see Thee face to face. We give Thee thanks, and we pray all this in Jesus' name. Amen.