Exodus 31:1–11Scripture
There is a healthy balance to be achieved between our love for the Lord and our service for the Lord. And oftentimes we can use our love for the Lord and our service of the Lord as an excuse for self-glorification. And we run the risk then of disobeying him, of dishonoring him, of robbing him of glory. And it's very easy to do it.
You can have a healthy adoration of God and still have a healthy portion of self. And the reality is you can be filled with his Spirit, and the Spirit is doing work to empty you of you.
Pastor Shawn Gray · 0:28
And this is a lifelong process. Amen. It takes time. I mean, the reality is that we would all like to be saved and to be perfect, but he is doing a work in us, and it is gradual. So then, as we live life from salvation to delivery into his presence one day, when he either comes and takes us home or we die and we stand in his presence and we're judged, and hopefully we are in Christ, and so we are redeemed and saved, and we are able to enter in: from this moment to that moment, he is doing a work in us, and he's purifying his people. And there are going to be many times, although you love him, although you desire to serve him, although you are filled with his Spirit, you are wrestling with flesh. And the reality is we can take the things of God, and we can use them for selfish gain and selfish purposes. Then in the life of the church, we begin to see all sorts of abuses of the things of God. Have you seen them?
If you look on social media any amount of time, and if you're a scholar of the word and you look on social media, we're talking about people who may or may not love the Lord. Oftentimes it's hard to distinguish the difference between those who are lost, those who don't
Introduction
Have knowledge, those who don't have wisdom, and those who are false teachers. There is a reality today, though: there are people who, with the best intentions, do the wrong thing, because we are dealing with flesh. And I know that you want to give yourself a pass for those moments where you oopsy-daisy, and we want to give the church little passes when they oopsy-daisy, that the church is filled with lost people, and the church is filled with saved people who are still dealing with flesh. But it becomes problematic when you have young people in the fellowship or in the life of the church who are being influenced by your behavior. So how you engage the Holy Spirit, the way that you view the Holy Spirit, the way that you view the word of God, the way you view his commands, the way you view his purposes, the way you view his will, and the way that you live your life in accordance with it, communicates something to the younger generation about who God is and how we should function in relationship with him. We are raising up, honestly, in our generation, the next generation of those who will base their biblical narrative, their biblical worldview, on your life and your choices. May it be led by the Spirit and not by selfish gain.
We preach sermons. We lead devotions. We have conversations around dinner tables. And we are raising the next generation and shaping their worldview. What are you saying about the God that you serve? It is important. Amen. Now listen to this, and now let that be your framework for how you hear the words that are coming out of my mouth. And actually, the words that are... Sorry, I'm a little ADD, so sometimes I've got to throw in stuff. Like, I've got issues. But really the words that are coming from God, in 1 through 11. Listen to this. I have to stand back here, because I put contacts on, and I really need readers. Okay. "The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 'Avenge the people of Israel...'" No, wait. That's Numbers. That's the whole wrong book. I was like, "No, that's not what happened here." I've at least read the Scripture. Okay, here it is. "The LORD said to Moses, 'See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah.'" Now, catch this. They are the tribe of who?
This is the line that Jesus comes from. This is pertinent, because they are involved in constructing that thing which God's presence resides in. This is the Old Testament shadow of a New Testament type we see in Christ, where he now constructs and builds for himself a people that God's presence can reside in. This is beautiful. All right, that's not what I'm talking about, but it's really cool. "And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship." Now, notice the flow of this. You can take notes. You can put marks on here. Notice, go back to verse 2. See, the Lord spoke to Moses, and he says this in verse 2: "See, I have called." Everybody say "called." That's the first thing that happens. "I have called by name Bezalel the son of uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have," listen to this, "filled." Everybody say "filled." He was already filled before he called. You know how frustrating... Okay, I can't preach. Okay, just read it. Just read it. Okay. "I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, to work in every craft. And behold, I have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan." So maybe I should practice reading these names before I come up here. But whenever I get there, I kind of go, when I read it, and just skim over it. Does anybody else do that? Okay. So maybe, since I'm preaching, I should act like I know who I'm talking about. But "of the tribe of Dan. And I have given to all able men ability," I've given all able men ability, "that they may make all that I have commanded you." "I've given all able men." You see, when I read this the first several times, I read "all men," but there are men, and there are men who are able. Okay. Very interesting. "The tent of meeting, and the ark of the testimony, and the mercy seat that is on it, and all the furnishings of the tent, the table and its utensils, and the pure lampstand with all its utensils, and the altar of incense, and the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the basin and its stand, and the finely worked garments, the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments of his sons, for their service as priests, and the anointing oil and the fragrant incense for the Holy Place. According to all that I have commanded you, they shall do." They shall do it. I think it's interesting, because here we have three characters that are called by name. They are called by name, and they are called by God. What a wonderful thing it is to be called by God. In Romans we discovered that it is his call that beckons us to him, and it is a call we cannot resist, because when he calls, we come, and when he calls, we come and we are saved. And that's good news, because his call has power. His call, listen, his call is sustaining and empowering. Now, that's good news too, because when we're called, he does the work. And notice that this faith is not a works-based faith. It is a grace-based faith. And then the work of God is what accomplishes what he wants accomplished in the hearts and in the lives of men.
This should unburden you from the duty to save yourself.
Pastor Shawn Gray · 9:24
And honestly, if we had people who understood this more, we would have churches that did not lead people astray as much. The reality, there's so many things out there. And then I love this, and I don't know if you caught this, but I wrote it in my journal. I wrote that these three men are briefly mentioned, and then they fade into biblical obscurity. That doesn't work that way in our culture, because men that are used mightily by God are glorified beyond death. We elevate men to such a regard that we forget God. But God doesn't allow that here. You just don't hear about him anymore, because the point of you being involved in God's purposes is not for you to get glory.
The point of you being involved in God's purposes is because he chooses to use us, empower us to do the work, that he might get the glory.
Pastor Shawn Gray · 10:33
I mean, what better way to get the glory than to use a bunch of broken men who couldn't even do it on their own if they weren't gifted with the things they needed to do the work they needed to do? Can I just say this too?
If you're somebody who feels unseen, unnoticed, uncared for, it's okay. That doesn't mean God's not using you.
Pastor Shawn Gray · 10:55
And the first thing that comes to mind, and I'll be honest, and I ain't a mother, but fathers have their own little story, and I'll try to tell that. And since there ain't a woman up here, I'll try to tell the mother story through the voice of my wife in seasons of her life: that oftentimes being a mother seems like an unseen, unvaluable job. But did you know that God called you? He gifted you with that child, and he established you to do what you cannot do on your own. And oftentimes it's done in obscurity. And you don't need to megaphone everything that you do, because the life of your child becomes the marker of your work. It's valuable. It might be obscure. The work might be obscure. But it is infinitely valuable. Men, I know sometimes you go to work, you come home, you eat, you play with the kids a little bit, kiss your wife. You should kiss your wife. You should say hello to your wife. Don't be mean to your wife. Be nice to your wife. Don't take out your hard day on your wife. You go through the motions. You repeat the next day and the next day and the next day, and you think that what you do doesn't matter. You matter. Men, you won't get this much from me, so just soak it in today. I'm just hearing myself preach, going, "Where is this coming from?" You matter. Your work might seem obscure, but it is impactful in the lives that you touch. And God has a purpose with your work, as mundane as it seems. Did you know that, and I've mentioned this a couple times in the church, but I just can't get past it, one of the things that Enoch was known for is that he walked with God? That's all that we know of him. But God loved that he took the mundane things in life and treated them with such holy reverence that God just took him and didn't even let him taste death. And all that we know about him is he walked around and God was with him. He treated the mundane with holy reverence. Do you do that?
Your work might seem obscure, but take the mundane things of your life and treat them with such holy reverence that it pleases God, because he has a purpose with your work.
Pastor Shawn Gray · 13:41
Even though we don't hear their names anymore, God knows their names. Matter of fact, that's how he starts this section off. He fills them with his Spirit, and he empowers them for specific sacred work. Now, when he fills them with the Spirit, this is not post-salvific work. We see in the Old Testament the Spirit of God, like here's an example: the Spirit of God coming to these three men, filling them that they may accomplish his purposes. We also see Saul is filled with the Spirit, then the Spirit leaves. This is not a sign that you're saved or not saved. This is a sign of God filling Old Testament people with the Spirit that they may accomplish his purposes, for his plan and for his will and ultimately for his glory. He has a plan, and he will accomplish his plan, and he'll do it by hostile takeover. A timely word in a culture obsessed with visibility, recognition and platforms. And this has really just kind of seeped into the life of the church. I mean, we're not just talking about the stage. We're not talking just about the pulpit. We have people that sit in the pews that want to have a place. And we understand that comes from a good place, and it is also tainted by a bad place. Everybody wants to serve. Of course we want to use our gifts for God's glory.
The Bible says that your gift makes room for you. You don't make room for your gift.
Pastor Shawn Gray · 15:32
And God gives the gift, and oftentimes that gift is given before you're called. Are you with me? And there are a lot of seasons in life where people are sitting in obscurity and in darkness, filled with the gift and the ability to do something, but not the call to do something. And when you try to shove yourself and your gift into a place before the call, it doesn't serve God's purposes. It serves yours. Are you with me today? Now you're like, "Now that's the
Point 1Filled with the Spirit but not yet called
Shawn I've come to grow and scratch myself about." You know what I mean? A couple points I want us to think about is this: filled but not called. In verse 3: "I have filled him with the Spirit." They have been filled. They're already filled. He filled them at some point prior. They were filled with the Spirit. "Well, I'm filled, and I'm empowered, and I'm in touch with the Holy..." Back in the day, we used to say, back when I grew up, it was "Holy Ghost," you know, but the Holy Spirit of God. These men weren't prophets and priests. They were craftsmen. See, everybody wants to be a prophet and a priest and a pastor and a teacher, you understand what I'm saying, and a worship leader, and everybody wants a platform. But he calls craftsmen too. Are you with me today? He calls craftsmen. Did you know that sometimes God can put a desire for a hobby in your heart to become a minister of his glory? See, you think you're just chilling and having fun. You didn't know he's going to use you to minister to people. Everything is an opportunity. Now, you've got to be careful to not take your hobby and try to jam God into your hobby. God is in you.
And everywhere you show up, God shows up.
Pastor Shawn Gray · 17:46
You don't have to beat your fist. You know, you don't have to do none of that. You don't have to. I declare, while I was reading the Scripture, you don't even have to do that. Your presence alone is enough. They weren't prophets and priests. They were craftsmen. Notice that they worked with their hands, not their mouth. And that served a purpose for God. It glorified God. Okay, let me just narrow this down.
And young men in here, just listen to me for a moment, because there's this idea that you should just have merit before you've worked for merit, have credibility before you've worked for credibility, have a position before you've worked for a position, have fame before you've done anything. And I came here today to tell you, if your first job... And I know you want to just be CEO of a company immediately without being the janitor of the company. But young men, if you get a job as a janitor, clean them toilets as if you're cleaning them for the Lord, with everything you have. Be the best with your hands, because you're telling a story about your Lord. Don't be lazy. If you're going to a job, wake up early, show up early, be there early. I'm preaching to myself. Anyway, because your life and your choices communicate something. Sometimes we wait for a calling when God has already filled us for the task. You may not feel called in a grand, public sense, but you are filled with the Spirit for holy work.
Listen, never despise quiet assignments that glorify God, because they tell the best stories.
Pastor Shawn Gray · 20:08
They tell the best stories. I currently have the opportunity of working with a lot of people who are doing Bible translation around the world, particularly techs. And these techs travel for two weeks. They travel, and they help make sure that Bible translation is taking place, with applications, with computers, with printers, and then they print off books of the Bible they've translated at these events. These events last two weeks. We have somewhere in the neighborhood of 70 techs that fly around the world, and they run these events.
It's fascinating. One tech we brought on, and it was one of... A friend of mine, Michael, who's on our team, he went to a college. He preached and shared a story about the work he was doing for Bible translation around the world, for people that didn't have the Bible translated in their tongue. And so he shares a story, and he says, "I would like to ask you, I know you're kind of like a Bible school, and many of you want to be pastors, but I would like to ask you to forgo doing that and get involved in Bible translation, and we're going to pay you nothing." Sounds like an awesome call, right? I mean, that's why they're in college: to get paid nothing, so they can pay back their college with nothing.
Fifteen people came forward, signed up and began to go through training, in the last two and a half years, after six months of training and going to four events and learning English in six months, enough to be conversational, because that was part of the demand. They had to learn another language, specifically English, because a lot of the techs are English-speaking. They learned enough to be conversational in six months and were trained on how to do everything. And then they began to travel, for two and a half years. One of our techs did 48 events, each event being two weeks long, in two and a half years. Flew all over the world, from one end to the other, to multiple countries. He's gone. And he's done it for nothing. Don't even ask me how that works. I'm not really sure. We had some openings open up for a regional manager position. This young man thought he was unseen. He began to ask questions. I didn't know all this till later. He asked questions about whether or not his work mattered, but stayed faithful in his work. We had a regional manager position open up where he would move from Latin America over and serve Africa, a large portion of Africa actually. And his job would be to go find techs in that area, where we could fly techs in the area that speak the gateway language in that area, so that we don't have to fly people around the world. We can fly people from that region. And I thought of Paco, or Francisco, but he calls himself Paco. He now speaks three languages, and he's currently learning French so that he can do the work in his region. When we called him, he said, "I thought I was unseen and my work didn't matter." A lot of times you think your work doesn't matter, and you're doing tasks that seem insignificant, like troubleshooting computers. "Turn it off. Have you tried turning it off and turning it back on again?" But because of him, 22 villages have their Bible in their native language, because of his work. It seems insignificant if you take one, if you extrapolate one day out of your life. That seems insignificant. But as they pile up, the fruit it produces is crazy. Did you know that you're valuable? And listen, I've got to be careful about this, because the last thing I want to do is become a meme. It's like, "You're awesome." Because God's awesome, and your value is because he fills you and he accomplishes purposes with you for his glory, not because you're awesome.
He don't pick you because you're awesome. He picks you because he's awesome.
Pastor Shawn Gray · 25:00
And actually, he often picks people who aren't awesome, so that he can do something awesome with them, so that only he gets the glory. Because there ain't nothing crazier than picking some mess-up to do something valuable with, because the funnel goes upwards, not inwards. Are you with me? Okay. Filled but not called. You're accomplishing something, and God is empowering you to do stuff, and it might seem as if it's in obscurity, but God takes the things that are obscure and glorifies his name for his purposes. Okay, that's the first one:
Point 2Empowerment is never in isolation
Filled but not called. Number two: empowerment is never in isolation. Verse 6: "And I have given to all able men ability." Now, you don't just have Bezalel or, oh, thank you, Oholiab. You don't have just them. You have a bunch of able men. You have a body of people called and gifted. Your gift and your call don't work in isolation. It's always paired in a group. Why do you think we encourage almost weekly... And I understand we're in a group here, but there's something beyond Sunday that causes our calling and our gifts to work together in such a way that iron sharpens iron and lives are changed, and God's mission is fulfilled to go make disciples of all nations. Where does that happen? In community. I'm not talking about showing up where people are at. I'm talking about doing life together. Are you with me? Empowerment is never in isolation. God never empowers in isolation. His work is communal and collaborative. We are each part of a larger purpose.
There are no solo ministers of the gospel. Our gifts are designed to complement, not compete.
Pastor Shawn Gray · 27:37
Oh. Oh, just hold on just a second with this. This is important. Have you ever been at a place where you're like, "God, I don't mean to be rude or anything," I'm telling you a prayer I prayed, "I don't mean to be rude or anything, but I kind of would like the gift you gave over there. Kind of not feeling what you did for me over here. You reached the bottom of the bucket where the mold started growing when you threw this gift over here. I'd like the stuff that was at the top. Like, you're the cream at the top. I want that stuff. Give me that stuff. Hook a brother up. Hook me up with something good." Have you ever found yourself wanting someone else's gift while denying yours, and failing and resisting to use yours according to how he intended?
What makes a body is the hand ain't trying to be a foot.
Pastor Shawn Gray · 28:50
Unless you're doing a handstand, but then that's another point. Just walking around like Bruce does in his pastime. He's like, "Check this out, guys. Handstand." Have you ever seen him do it? It's crazy. Most nimble guy. He cannot do that. I'm just joking. He can't do that. Can you do that? No, he cannot do that.
Also, we shouldn't want somebody else's gift. We should be happy with our own. We should also know that wanting somebody else's is a denial of the gift that God gave, and it's a denial of God himself and his will. All right? Don't envy another's gift. And then here's the second part of this: stop desiring and trying to force everyone to operate like you operate. "Well, I just don't know why the pastor doesn't care about homeless people. I just want to feed the homeless and help the homeless and do that. And this church doesn't do that. So this pastor, he must be satanic." That's why God put you here, man. What are you doing about your passion and your desire to serve the down-and-out and the homeless people? Is what you're doing trying to make me operate in your gift? Is that what you're doing? And vice versa. God gifts us to complete something, and he doesn't gift us the same. Can I get an amen? So you've got to get comfortable with your gift, and you've got to get comfortable with people being different than you. And I know you want to live in a world... That's why it's so funny when people come to church. People that are like each other find each other in five minutes. I mean, you could be brand new to a church, and here's who find each other the fastest: those with a particular dysfunction find another with the same dysfunction in five minutes. Watch it. No, don't watch it, because that can make you judgmental like me. But you just need to watch it happen. Watch it. Because we want to be with people like us so we can be more comfortable with us. See, comfort. See, when you read the Bible wrong, you think comfort is your aim.
And you can't even get on board with God's mission, because getting on board with God's mission requires discomfort.
Pastor Shawn Gray · 31:38
There were people that were different. Empowerment is never in isolation. And being in community is uncomfortable. You ever been in a small group and somebody doesn't operate like you do, and you don't like it, and you wish everybody operated like you? That's the benefit of a small group. Everybody's different. And did you know that you're growing in differences? We grow in maturity. We grow in maturity. And Brook's like, "Yes, and I live with you too. You're not only in my small group;
Point 3It's God's work, not our work
I live with you." Just kidding. Just kidding. Number three... Maybe. Maybe I'm kidding. I really don't know what's in her head. Number three: it's God's work. It's not our work. Verses 7–11: "According to all that I have commanded you, they shall do." Okay, notice here it doesn't go, "They shall do it if they want to. They shall do it if they love me. They shall do it if they choose to." When God empowers, when God gifts, and when God calls, he accomplishes everything his word was sent out to do. Are you with me? So is it as far as it depends on you? That's works-based theology. What it is if God gifts, if God calls, if God empowers, if God fills, he does what he intended to do, because his ways are higher than your ways. Bet you didn't see that verse like that. And he accomplishes everything he wills, and he does that through you. Now, this should unburden you a little bit, because it's not your doing that accomplishes. It's his doing through you that accomplishes. The Spirit empowers for God's plans, not for our own ambitions. God doesn't ask Moses to ensure obedience. He declares, "I'm going to do it. And here's how I'm going to do it. And in case you forgot, I'm going to do it." Confidence in ministry should rest not in control but in God's sovereignty. You know why a lot of ministers and Christians and people in the church can't have peace? Because we're trying to control everyone and everything around us, and
We don't trust God and his sovereignty. We don't manage God's work; we submit to it.
Pastor Shawn Gray · 34:34
Okay? In case you didn't know, he could do it
Point 4The Spirit empowers for humble service
By himself. He's looking for a people, in an act of worship, to submit. Okay. Number four: the Spirit's empowerment is for humble service. Not narcissistic, egotistical, selfish service, but humble service.
The purpose of the Spirit's filling was not for spectacle but for sanctuary.
Pastor Shawn Gray · 35:12
The Holy Spirit equips for holy service, not personal glory. It's not about being seen. It's not about being noticed. It's not about being powerful. And it's not about looking more spiritual than everybody else because you got a special tap into the Holy Spirit. It's about service. It's about humility. When the Spirit is abused, and it is, and it's often abused, it becomes about fame and emotion and ego.
Real spiritual power, listen, in Scripture is quiet, steady, purposeful, and glorifies God, not the person.
Pastor Shawn Gray · 36:01
And when that gets offline, a flag should pop
Point 5Serve God's purposes, not your own
Up. A flag should pop up. Okay, moving on. Number five: serve God's purposes, not your own. Verse 6 says, "that they may make all that I have commanded." Serve God's purposes, not your own. Your gifts, your skill, your influence, it's all to serve God's purposes.
Listen: faithfulness is greater than fame, and obedience is greater than outcome.
Pastor Shawn Gray · 36:43
Let me ask you a few questions to consider. Who are you more concerned with glorifying, yourself or the God who filled you? Are you content to be forgotten by men if you are found faithful by God? These two men that are mentioned here in Exodus may not be household names, but they helped build the dwelling place of God. What are you building with your gifts? And whose kingdom are you building? There's a story of an unknown stonemason. Years ago, a pastor visited one of the great European cathedrals. As he walked through the towering structure, he marveled at the artistry: the high arches, the stained glass windows, the intricate carvings on every column and wall. It was breathtaking. He noticed an old man hunched over in the corner, quietly chiseling stone, dust clinging to his clothes, and his hands were rough and calloused, making a ruckus, disturbing the grandeur of the sight at hand. The pastor approached him and asked, "Sir, what are you doing?"
The man didn't even look up. He simply said, "I'm shaping this stone so it will fit into the wall way up there." The pastor looked up and saw a small, barely visible crevice high in the cathedral wall, so high, in fact, that most people wouldn't even notice it. The pastor could hardly see it, even though the craftsman had pointed it out. And he asked, "Do you ever wish you were working on something more visible, something people would see and admire?"
The old man paused and smiled and said, "No, sir. The master builder gave me this assignment. My job isn't to be seen. My job is to be faithful."
1 Corinthians 1:31 says, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord."
You are filled not for fame but for faithfulness, empowered not to be celebrated but to serve.
Pastor Shawn Gray · 39:21
Let us be faithful to build what glorifies him.
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