Contributions for the Tabernacle

 

 

Exodus 35:4-29

 

November 9, 2024

 

Contributions for the Tabernacle

Moses said to all the congregation of the people of Israel, “This is the thing that the Lord has commanded.  Take from among you a contribution to the Lord. Whoever is of a generous heart, let him bring the Lord's contribution: gold, silver, and bronze;  blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen; goats' hair,  tanned rams' skins, and goatskins; acacia wood, oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense, and onyx stones and stones for setting, for the ephod and for the breast piece.

 “Let every skillful craftsman among you come and make all that the Lord has commanded:  the tabernacle, its tent and its covering, its hooks and its frames, its bars, its pillars, and its bases; the ark with its poles, the mercy seat, and the veil of the screen;  the table with its poles and all its utensils, and the bread of the Presence;  the lampstand also for the light, with its utensils and its lamps, and the oil for the light;  and the altar of incense, with its poles, and the anointing oil and the fragrant incense, and the screen for the door, at the door of the tabernacle;  the altar of burnt offering, with its grating of bronze, its poles, and all its utensils, the basin and its stand;  the hangings of the court, its pillars and its bases, and the screen for the gate of the court;  the pegs of the tabernacle and the pegs of the court, and their cords;  the finely worked garments for ministering^[ in the Holy Place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, for their service as priests.”

Then all the congregation of the people of Israel departed from the presence of Moses.  And they came, every one whose heart stirred him, and everyone whose spirit moved him, and brought the Lord's contribution to be used for the tent of meeting, and for all its service, and for the holy garments.  So, they came, both men and women. All who were of a willing heart brought brooches and earrings and signet rings and armlets, all sorts of gold objects, every man dedicating an offering of gold to the Lord.  And every one who possessed blue or purple or scarlet yarns or fine linen or goats' hair or tanned rams' skins or goatskins brought them.  Everyone who could make a contribution of silver or bronze brought it as the Lord's contribution. And everyone who possessed acacia wood of any use in the work brought it.  And every skillful woman spun with her hands, and they all brought what they had spun in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen.  All the women whose hearts stirred them to use their skill spun the goats' hair.  And the leaders brought onyx stones and stones to be set, for the ephod and for the breast piece,  and spices and oil for the light, and for the anointing oil, and for the fragrant incense.  All the men and women, the people of Israel, whose heart moved them to bring anything for the work that the Lord had commanded by Moses to be done brought it as a freewill offering to the Lord.

The key is the generous heart, and willing heart;

 

Have you ever witnessed such a movement of people with generous hearts?  We the body of believers at Oakwood in New Braunfels or watching that happen.  Our present facilities or not meeting the needs, we have been for a long time running over 80% on most services, and need to build a much larger building for 29 million dollars.  That is a lot of money, but as a community, we have had unbelievable growth, and we have a school and apartments and housing being built at the very back of our facilities.

 

The plan was to begin the building at about the time of COVID, and we all know what took place at that time.  So, I’m not surprised that the cost has increased, but what has been amazing is how the Lord has moved on the hearts of our body, the Church, to engage this challenge.  

 

First, it is leadership: our pastor never talks about money or asks people to give, but of late he has talked a lot about the bold mission of preparing for a future generation to have a place of worship, and many in the leadership have joyfully given to the project.  We are witnessing a willing spirit of giving, and Jan and I have been giving to the Bold Mission Fund before it became a fund.  I say that only to tell you how the Lord has been moving in our hearts; as of this day, we have felt led to increase our monthly gift three times, and we are committed to give not for three years but till the Lord tells us to stop.  That makes it impossible to fill out an amount or a pledge, for Scripture is very clear that one is not to be a fool and promise something they are not able to do.  “When you vow a vow to God, do not delay paying it, for he has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you vow.  It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay.” Ecclesiastes 5:4-5

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

Sabbath Regulations

 

 

Exodus 35:1-3

 

November 8, 2024

 

Sabbath Regulations

Moses assembled all the congregation of the people of Israel and said to them, “These are the things that the Lord has commanded you to do.  Six days' work shall be done, but on the seventh day, you shall have a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on it shall be put to death.  You shall kindle no fire in all your dwelling places on the Sabbath day.”

 

We have come a long way, as the American people, in many ways, some good and others not so good.  Remember to set aside a day, just one day, to worship the God who is, not the one you may have designed.

 

So, the question to the Church is not a building or denomination but the people who by faith in the finished work of Christ on the Cross.  Is Sunday a day of worship and rest for you?  Or is it just another day to work, mow the yard, and if so, when is your day of rest?

Western Christianity: The Sabbath is observed on Sunday, the first day, and is called the "Lord's Day". This is the majority practice of Christians. (Taken from the internet)

 

Scripture gives us direction on how we should worship and rest. Often, the ones who have the hardest time are the Pastor and his staff; for them, Sunday is a very busy day.  And if you have not allowed your Pastor and staff time to rest, like a day off, you have done them a great injustice.

 

In Colossians 2:16-17,  “Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.” Is that telling us all about Jesus, and how we look to Him as our life?

 

What about a day of rest?   In Exodus 20:11, “For in six days, the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”  Blasé Pascal lived in the 1600s, so being too busy to sit and rest is not a new thing; it has been man’s problem for many years.  “All men's miseries derive from not being able to sit in a quiet room alone.”  I would add to Blasé's quote: that most men’s miseries come from not finding time to be still before their Creator and give him thanks for His many blessings.

 

From our Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

The Shining Face of Moses

 

 

Exodus 34:29-35

 

November 7, 2024

 

The Shining Face of Moses

 When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God.  Aaron and all the people of Israel saw Moses, and behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him.  But Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him, and Moses talked with them.  Afterward, all the people of Israel came near, and he commanded them all that the Lord had spoken with him in Mount Sinai.  And when Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face.

Whenever Moses went in before the Lord to speak with him, he would remove the veil until he came out. And when he came out and told the people of Israel what he was commanded,  the people of Israel would see the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face was shining. And Moses would put the veil over his face again until he went in to speak with him.

 

I have heard a pastor tell their congregation that God had told him to do certain things, and I’ve never doubted them.  For one thing, if they lied, it was not on me but on them.  The Holy Spirit often comes to us. I’m fearful that our ears are not open to hear or do what He is telling us.  But I’ve never seen anyone whose face shone like Moses'.  God was making sure that these people knew that Moses had been with Him.  

 

Now, pastors have told me some strange things that people have tried on them, such as God told me to leave my wife for a younger woman.  That person's god was his flesh, for that would not be in keeping with the Word of God.

 

From ​our Back Porch,

Bob Rice

The Covenant Renewed

 

 

Exodus 34:10-28

 

November 6, 2024

 

The Covenant Renewed

And he said, “Behold, I am making a covenant. Before all your people I will do marvels, such as have not been created in all the earth or in any nation. And all the people among whom you are shall see the work of the Lord, for it is an awesome thing that I will do with you.

“Observe what I command you this day. Behold, I will drive out before you the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.  Take care, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land to which you go, lest it become a snare in your midst.  You shall tear down their altars and break their pillars and cut down their Asherim  (for you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God),  lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and when they whore after their gods and sacrifice to their gods and you are invited, you eat of his sacrifice,  and you take of their daughters for your sons, and their daughters whore after their gods and make your sons whore after their gods.

“You shall not make for yourself any gods of cast metal.

“You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month Abib, for in the month Abib you came out from Egypt.  All that open the womb are mine, all your male livestock, the firstborn of cow and sheep.  The firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, or if you will not redeem it you shall break its neck. All the firstborn of your sons you shall redeem. And none shall appear before me empty-handed.

 “Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest. In plowing time and in harvest you shall rest.  You shall observe the Feast of Weeks, the first fruits of wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the year's end.  Three times in the year shall all your males appear before the Lord God, the God of Israel.  For I will cast out nations before you and enlarge your borders; no one shall covet your land, when you go up to appear before the Lord your God three times in the year.

“You shall not offer the blood of my sacrifice with anything leavened, or let the sacrifice of the Feast of the Passover remain until the morning.  The best of the first fruits of your ground you shall bring to the house of the Lord your God. You shall not boil a young goat in its mother's milk.”

And the Lord said to Moses, “Write these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.”  So, he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights. He neither ate bread nor drank water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.

God’s promise to Israel was to honor the covenant, the Ten Commandments.  And even after God’s instruction on what to do and not do, they chased the gods of the nations around them, and it brought judgment on them.

 

God’s ways are higher than ours, but a wise person would examine what God has said about work and rest and follow his leadership.  Much of the illness in today’s world is not believing and doing what God has said to do, in all areas of life.  He has given us wise counsel and a handbook on how to live life to the full.

 

The period of forty days and forty nights is important in the Bible, being found 24 times throughout Scripture. From the 40 days and nights that Moses spent in the wilderness when given the Ten Commandments to the same period that Jesus spent in the wilderness when tempted by Satan.  (Taken from the internet)

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

Our Relationship to God Should not be Circumstance Dependent

 

Our Relationship to God Should not be Circumstance Dependent

 

1 Thessalonian 5:16-18 states “Be joyful always; also, Philippians 4:4 pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

 

Our basis for this is that Our Past Has Been Taken Care of: 1John 1:9) “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” In Psalm 103:12, “as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”

 

Our Present is Provided For: Matthew 6:33, “But seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things (the necessities of life) will be given to you as well.”

 

Our Future is Guaranteed:  In John 5:24, Jesus says: I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.  He also tells us in Ephesians 4:30, “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”

 

We can also be at Peace: Philippians 4:6-7, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christi Jesus.”

 

HAVING GOD’S HOLY SPIRIT LIVING IN US:  Romans 8:9, tells us that the Holy Spirit resides in us the moment we are saved; “You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you.  And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.”

 

The Holy Spirit will manifest Himself in A VERY DELIGHTFUL LIFE FULL OF FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT:  In Galatians 5:22-23, we see, Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Gentleness, Faithfulness and Self-Control illustrated in such a life.

 

 

It is my understanding that Bill Graham often stated that 50% of people in Churches on Sundays do not have a personal relationship with God.  This I have witnessed since the beginning of the coronavirus; the Church, you, and I, have allowed circumstances to control us mostly.   

 

“The 1918 influenza pandemic was the most severe in recent history.  It is estimated that about 500 million people, or one-third of the world’s population, became infected with this virus. The number of deaths was estimated to be at least 50 million worldwide, with about 675,000 occurring in the United States. Mortality was high in people younger than 5 years old, 20-40 years old, and 65 years and older. The high mortality in healthy people, including those in the 20-40-year age group, was a unique feature of this pandemic.”  What I read was different, was that people who went by the name of Christian, in other words, the church, took care of those who were sick; they did not lock themselves in their homes, but risked their lives to minister to the sick and dying.  Or as the song goes, they will know we are Christians by wearing a mask and having our groceries delivered.  NO, that is not the song; it goes “They will know we are Christians by our love.”  

 

I am sick of those who tell me when I share Jan and I will obey the law but will not live in fear. But you have to use “Common Sense”.  As I shared with my daughter, what I always believed was Common is no longer Common.  The Church is under attack, and yet people who go by the name Christian are too busy watching the news on the virus to know or care.  How do you distinguish yourself from your lost neighbor, who has every right to be fearful? This is home for him, and many Christians are acting as if earth is their home.  Fear not, for God has promised to watch over you; do you not believe that?

 

 

From our Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

Moses Makes New Tablets

 

Exodus 34:1-9

 

November 5, 2024

 

Moses Makes New Tablets

The Lord said to Moses, “Cut for yourself two tablets of stone like the first, and I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke.  Be ready by the morning, and come up in the morning to Mount Sinai, and present yourself there to me on the top of the mountain.  No one shall come up with you, and let no one be seen throughout all the mountain. Let no flocks or herds graze opposite that mountain.”  So Moses cut two tablets of stone like the first. And he rose early in the morning and went up on Mount Sinai, as the Lord had commanded him, and took in his hand two tablets of stone.  The Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord.  The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,  keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation.”  And Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped.  And he said, “If now I have found favor in your sight, O Lord, please let the Lord go in the midst of us, for it is a stiff-necked people, and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for your inheritance.”

 

Can the Church identify with God’s attributes, sure a God of mercy, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness?  But no longer does God visit the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.  Ezekiel 18:19-20, “Yet you say, ‘Why should not the son suffer for the iniquity of the father?’ When the son has done what is just and right, and has been careful to observe all my statutes, he shall surely live. The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.”  That is good news, but the sins, poor performance, and dad missing from home can have a lasting effect on the child.

 

The Church is a chosen people, a holy priesthood; you will find that in 1 Peter 2:9: “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”  One must wonder, when looking at their lives, are we not like the people of Israel? Forgetting the love and mercy of our God, who has promised to never leave us or forsake us.  Who has pardoned our iniquity and our sins, and has brought us out of darkness into the light.  We are now heirs with our Lord, Jesus Christ.  And we are sealed and enveloped in Christ; all things must go through Him to get at us.  One must never forget that our free will needs to be examined often, to make sure that, as a child of our Father in heaven, we are being obedient to His calling and plan for our lives.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Moses' Intercession

 

 

Exodus 33:12-23

 

November 4,  2024

 

Moses' Intercession

 Moses said to the Lord, “See, you say to me, ‘Bring up this people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.’  Now therefore, if I have found favor in your sight, please show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight. Consider, too, that this nation is your people.”  And he said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”  And he said to him, “If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here.  For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?”

And the Lord said to Moses, “This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.”  Moses said, “Please show me your glory.”  And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.  But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.”  And the Lord said, “Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, and while my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen.”

 

It seems to me that those who had earthly dads that they went to for advice may have a leg up on those of us who did not seek our dads’ advice, when it comes to our Father in heaven.  Those who had dads with whom they had built a relationship of trust, on his wise counsel, it seems, would have an easier time doing the same with their Father in heaven.

 

We do not know that much about Moses' dad, in that he was taken away from him at birth, but we do know that Moses' mother poured her wisdom and understanding of God into her son while she cared for him as Pharaoh's daughter's nanny.  One might see this as a hindrance to a close relationship with God, but in Moses' case, God had picked him as his man before he was in his mother's womb to lead a nation out of darkness into the light.  

What is God’s plan for you and me that is worth pondering over?  Could it be we have, like Moses tried to do things in our own strength, and like Moses have run away from our calling?  Maybe we need to recall the relationship with the Lord, the promises, and do as Moses did, have a faith walk with God.  I believe you and I would be wise to pray this prayer; please show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight.

As a member of God’s family by His grace and the faith that He has given us, to understand our calling and identify in Christ.  First, let us address the name God has given us: Saints. The word saint is used 67 times in the New Testament, always in the plural, and it is all about relationships, not performance. “Therefore, scripturally speaking, the 'saints' are the body of Christ, Christians, the church. All Christians are considered saints. All Christians are saints—and at the same time are called to be saints.” (Got Questions)

Next is your real Identity, beginning with birth, as all things, but not from your Mother, but the second birth when you ask Jesus into your life by faith in the finished work of the Cross.  2 Corinthians 5 16-17, make that clear.  ^“From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer.  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

If that old man dies, you are now a new creation, and you must allow the Holy Spirit to break the habits of your flesh.

My friend and mentor Bill Gillham put a list of Scripture on your Identity.

 

Your True Identity in Christ

·      Romans 3:24  You are now justified and redeemed.

·      Romans 6:7     Free from sin’s power.

·      Romans 8:1     Indemnified (God does not reject

·      Rom.    15:7     Accepted in Him

·      1 Cor.   1:30      Have wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, redemption

·      1 Cor.   2:16      Mind of Christ is in you

·      1 Cor.   6:11      Washed, sanctified, justified

·      1 Cor.   6:17      One with the Holy Spirit

·      1 Cor. 15:22      Alive ( formerly dead)

·      2 Cor.   2:14      Always led in His triumph (whether it appears so or not)

·      2 Cor.     3:3      His Laws are written on your heart

·      2 Cor.    3:14     Your hardened mind is removed (mind transplant)

·      2 Cor.    5:17     A new creation (not an old garment with a new patch)

·      2 Cor.    5:21     The righteousness of God (cannot get more righteous)

·      Gal.       2:14     Have liberty (not a peaceful feeling, but a knowledge)

·      Gal.       3:28     All are one (no inferiority)

·      Gal.       4:7       A son/daughter and heir of God

·      Eph.      1:3       Blessed with every spiritual blessing

·      Eph.      1:4       Chosen, holy, blameless before God

·      Eph.      1:7       Redeemed, forgiven

·      Eph. 1: 10-11   Have an inheritance in heaven

·      Eph.      1:13 ​   Sealed with the Spirit

·      Eph.      2:6      Seated in heaven (now)

·      Eph.      2:10    Created for good works (which He can do through you)

·      Eph.      2:13    Brought near to God

·      Eph.      3:6      A partaker of the promise

·      Eph.      3:12    Have boldness and confident access to God

·      Eph.      5:30    A member of His body (not inferior)

·      Phil.      4:7      His peace guards your heart and mind (not a peaceful feeling, but knowledge)

·      Phil.      4:19    Have all needs (not greed) supplied

·      Col.       3:1      Raised up with Christ

·      Col.       3:3     Your life is hidden with Christ in God (see this by faith)    

 

From our Back Porch,

Bob Rice