Sermon Notes: Exodus 35:4-29

Exodus 35:4-29 – Generosity, The Overflow of a Thankful Heart

Good Morning, Everyone. I’m happy to see everyone here this morning. If I’ve never met you before, my Name is Stephen Galloway, and I have the privilege of serving as one of the Ministry Directors of the Student Ministry here at Three Rivers.

I’m excited to be back here to help us through this pilgrimage that we have been taking through the book of Exodus. Here is the good news, though: we are in the home stretch now. We only have a few more chapters to go, but man, it’s been a journey through this thing, hasn’t it?

We have been wading through these waters for a long time now and have worked through a lot of things in this time! I mean, just think about the progression of the story for a minute! I mean, I remember that the first Exodus passage that I personally got to preach was the Birth of Moses, all the way back at the start of this story in Chapter 2.

Think about that progression as we have watched, Moses, Aaron, Pharaoh, that’s a name we haven’t heard in a little while now, but this nation of people. We have gone from Israel being in a Harsh Slavery under Pharaoh, to the people being brought out of Egypt into the Wilderness, to where they are now as they have received these instructions from God to build this incredible structure. This Tabernacle, where God himself is going to dwell with his people.

We have been through a lot with this book have been challenged in a lot of ways, in the way that we think, in the way that we approach the texts, and approach the Lord. It’s been a journey.

And throughout these passages and Chapters, we have had a lot of transitions take place over and over again, where we have an audible shift in what is occurring, and today we are taking our first steps into the really one of the final sections of the text, which is the construction of the Tabernacle.

How many of you have ever built something of significant size, like a house or a building, before?

There is a process to that, right? There is a step 1 all the way through to step completed.

The First thing that you always have to do in the process is you have to decide that you want to build something, that there is a need in the construction of this thing, this building, or home or whatever it is that you may be building. Then you go and start to put pen to paper, start ideating, start sketching out what this thing could look like, then you have to actually make the plans, make the blueprints that show where the pipes are going to go. How many toilets are going to be in the building? Is it going to be up to code, all the things that you have to make sure as you dot your T’s and cross your I’s.

Then once you have done all of that, you need to gather, gather up resources, get funding, materials, everything that is needed for you to begin to bring this idea to fruition. From there, its putting the jigsaw puzzle together, holding the blueprints in one hand and a hammer in the other and getting after it until its completed. Until its ready for something to come and exist inside of the structure that you have created. A Business, a place to store something, a home for a family to live in you prepare it to be inhabited by something or someone.

This, more or less is the process that the Israelites are in the midst of right now, They have been given the directive, the instruction to build this remarkable structure, this tent, for the Lord to come and take residence in so that he can dwell with his people, and they are getting ready to start the building process, but they first need a few things before they can really get into it.

Now before we read our text there is a few things that I want to say as we move into the Israelite people beginning to construct the Tabernacle. In these next few chapters of 35-40 there is going to be a ton of redundancy and repetition to things that we have already covered already as we have walked through the text.

Repetition can sometimes get boring, we have already talked about this why is this a thing that we need to talk about again? When we are reading the biblical texts, when things are repeated it is to show its significance and importance. Think about Isaiah chapter 6, the seraphim worshiping before the Lord. Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty. Its repeated three times there to communicate that he is the Most Holy, there is no one, no thing that is in comparison to the Lord. He is Holy above all else.

So as things are repeated and as we spend more time in each of these, recognize the significance in the action of repeating it but also recognize that the more time that we spend on an idea or concept in the biblical texts the more that we ought to pay attention to it. The Lord, in his authorship of the Bible, thought it was important for us to talk about this more than once! That has to hold a great significance to the weight of things as we peel back these layers.

Exodus 35. Today we are looking at together verses 4-29.

I typically don’t name my sermons and teachings just because I’m not good at it but for some reason I named this one: The title that I would give this sermon is:

Generosity, the Overflow of a Thankful Heart

So what we have here is the next step in the progression of building the Tabernacle. The Lord through Moses, has been given this directive to build this thing, this place where He, Yahweh, is going to dwell with his people, and its time for the construction of this thing to begin.

So we have the plans, Moses has been given the Vision and shown what this is supposed to ultimately look like. He has the blueprints. But now comes the next part in this building project that is being undertaken.

Now we do have to pause for a moment and recognize the purpose of the tabernacle because that plays a significant impact into how we look at its construction of it. This Tabernacle like we already said was meant to be where God, Where Yahweh, the great I am, was going to come and Dwell, and be with his people. For his divine presence to be near. But even if you took God out of the building for a moment, this building, this tent, was an incredible and a amazing testament on its own to Gods Awesome Holiness.

Its existence was a constant reminder to the People of who he is, as their amazing, wonderful, Holy God who wants to know them. And from that it was also a constant reminder of the peoples need to be cleansed and that they needed a provision for the atonement of their own sin in light of his awesome Holiness.

So that’s the primary purpose of the tabernacle.

1. The Tabernacle was to be built by a freewill offering from what the Israelites had.

Moses has come down from the Mountain, with this call of the Lord to the People to construct this Tabernacle, this dwelling place, for God to come and be with his people.

Moses lists out everything that is needed and calls to the people and says to them Listen, this is a freewill offering, go from here back to your tents and if your heart is stirred to give them please give to this construction of it.

Now some really cool things to think about while we are looking at this. If God wanted to, could he have just dropped a tabernacle down for them to carry around for him? That is something that he 100% could have done if he had wanted to. But instead, he chooses to include the people not only in the construction of the tabernacle but in the provision of the materials as well.

So Moses tells them we need “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.”

Go back to your tents, and if your heart stirs you, then come and offer it as an offering to the Lord.

So that’s what they do, they go back to their tents and consider, they look around at what they have and if the spirit stirs in their heart then they came back and they gave.

Now here is what I want to highlight from this because there are so many things that I want to talk about and things that we will talk about in a few minutes.

When they are to give what are they to give from? What they have.

If they had some acacia wood, they gave the Acacia wood; if they had some Gold, then they gave some Gold. If they had a setting stone for the Ephod, then they gave they the stone. From what they had, they gave. They didn’t give what they didn’t have.

Moses isn’t up here, hey, we need to go and gather up some things for this, we need to go and work harder so that this gets done. No, no, they gave from what they had, which is all we are ever called to do. We don’t give what we don’t have.

Listen, seasons in life are a real thing, and there will be times when you have and some times when you don’t have much.

But here is the really cool thing to recognize about this text for both of those seasons.

These Israelites are giving from what they have, right? Where did they get what they have? They were slaves walking out of Egypt, right?

The Lord provided what they had, Remember they plundered Egypt as they walked out.

Exodus 12:35–36 (ESV)

35The people of Israel had also done as Moses told them, for they had asked the Egyptians for silver and gold jewelry and for clothing.

36And the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked. Thus, they plundered the Egyptians.

They just walked out and asked them for their precious treasures, and they ruined Egypt in the process. And it was all provided by the Lord. Every bit of it.

Like, just said, God doesn’t need their stuff, right? If he wanted to, he could do whatever he wanted to construct this tabernacle; instead, he provides the resources to the people for the people to give to the building of the tabernacle. To be able to participate, to be able to do this work for the Lord with this giving. Giving back the resources that were first given to them by the Lord.

Do we view our resources in that way? Our Money, our food, our clothes, cars, families? Who owns the house that you live in? Is it you? Is it your bank that you pay your mortgage to? Is it your rental agency that you rent from?

Psalm 24:1–2 (ESV)

1   The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, 2 for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.

Everything that we have is stamped with the seal of God. Everything that the Israelites had was provided by the Lord, and it was the Lord’s before it touched their hands and the minute it left them.

Abraham Kuyper said it the best I think, when he said, “There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, Mine!”

When David gets involved with the construction of the Temple in 1 Chronicles chapter 29 he says

14 “But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you. 15 For we are strangers before you and sojourners, as all our fathers were. Our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no abiding. 16 O Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a house for your holy name comes from your hand and is all your own.

1 Corinthains 4

What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?

For what do you have? What God has given to you.

On every inch of the Universe, God’s ownership is established.

2: The giving that the Israelites are participating in is a direct result of Grace and thus is an act of Worship and an Overflow from a thankful heart.

Remember what just recently happened: Moses brought the people out of Egypt, brought them to this mountain where God is re-establishing his covenant with His people. And in the middle of that happening, the people participate in this abhorrent moment with the Golden Calf.  

It’s in that moment that it could have been over for the people, but Moses pleaded on their behalf. And the Lord’s Wrath relented. This is ringing in the people’s ears as they are hearing this call from Moses to give to the construction of the Tabernacle.

They have been shown a true measure of grace     

And their response? They worship.

Their giving is their response of Worship, it’s a response to the grace that has been shown to them.

Even in picking up these materials, this Gold, Silver, Wood, incense, in all of it they feel the weight of what the Lord has done for them over and over again. In the Exodus, in the Wilderness and now on the mountain.

He could have destroyed them in a moment, he should have, and yet he relented and showed them grace. So when the call is made to give they give and they give abundantly.

So much to the point that we will find out later that they had to be told to stop giving in Chapter 36 because they had given to much to the construction.

Listen, if you want to know what it is you worship, go look at your bank statements and it will tell you. Your time and your money. Those are the two things that will tell you the most about it is that we idolize.

As I considered more and more about this text here is what I slowly came to realize about his text and I think is honestly the main idea of what we are looking at here.

Money is a hard topic, that tension that we were identifying earlier that’s a real feeling that is sitting in your chest right now, I know I felt it in every letter I typed for this. But here is the thing that I came to get from this text.

God isn’t concerned with your Money. This isn’t about your money, this is about the condition of your heart.

This is a condition of your heart above all else. You can give whole a lot of money, cold hard cash to the church, to your favorite nonprofit, to someone without a home out on the street corner downtown, and that’s all great and wonderful and moral things to do to make the world a better place if that is your goal in it. I bet it will even make you feel like a good person as you hand over that check.

But if you have an unrepentant heart, then it’s all in vain.

This isn’t about your money, this is about your heart. God doesn’t want your money; he doesn’t want your acacia wood or your Gold or your Incense. He wants you.

He so desperately wants to be with you, that he sent the most perfect, wonderful, glorious human that has ever walked this earth to die so that he could be reunited with us.

John 3:16–21 (ESV)

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

So I ask you, this morning, what is the state of your heart? Is it Dead? Or is it alive in Christ? Repent and believe this morning, I’m begging you.

3. Those who responded in giving willingly responded and out of a response of their heart.  

They gave willingly; this wasn’t something that they were forced into doing. This wasn’t a tax; this wasn’t anything that was forced.

In fact, go back to Exodus 32 and look at the way that Aaron actually was the one who was heavy handed in dealing with their contributions. He was the overbearing one that forced them to give them specifics and how much.

Exodus 32:2–3 (ESV)

2 So Aaron said to them, “Take off the rings of gold that are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” 3 So all the people took off the rings of gold that were in their ears and brought them to Aaron.

He told them what to give and how much to give and commanded it from them. Bring them to me.

In contrast you have Moses, “Take from among you a contribution to the LORD. Whoever is of a generous heart, let him bring the Lords Contribution. “

There is no command, there is no militant hand ruling over you sitting here making sure that you place the cash that you have in your wallet in the offering box or else you cant go home this morning.

No that’s not it at all.

2 Corinthians 9:7 (ESV)

7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

We give because we have a God, a Father who gave for us more than we can ever understand. We give out of the overflow of our heart that has been stirred by the spirit, transformed by the blood of salvation. We give abundantly not because we have a lot, but because he is enough.

Exodus 35:20–21 (ESV)

20 Then all the congregation of the people of Israel departed from the presence of Moses. 21 And they came, everyone 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.

This is one of the few times in the Old Testament where the people of Israel did what they were asked to do. Not only did they do the right thing, but they did it for the right reason, too.

Their obedience came from the heart. It was a willfulness that was birthed out of their hearts; they wanted to give.

They wanted to give everything they had and then some to the Lord for this work. They were heaving their offering, they were bringing everything they had and throwing it before the Lord.  

Generosity is a response of the heart. It is an overflow of Gratitude, an Overflow of Thankfulness revealed in overflowing Generosity.

How do we know if we are overflowing with thankfulness? By our overflowing Generosity.

The Lord, who is in need of nothing, is willing to receive from those who are the beneficiaries of everything. When we, the beneficiaries of Grace, as an expression of overflowing thankfulness, reveal our hearts in overflowing generosity, God is Glorified.

I have 4 Application Points from our text today for us to consider this morning.

Application #1: Have an unreserved Commitment to Christ.

An unserved commitment means nothing is held back. If there is any part of me that is not fully in control of Christ, then he is not my Lord. If my wallet is not involved, I am not committed to Christ.

This is the second time in the last couple of weeks that I have used this quote, but it keeps coming up over and over again for me. A.W. Tozer from his book Obedience to Christ.

“If Jesus is Not Controlling all of me, the chances are very good that he is not controlling any of me. I do not want to be cruel, but I must be honest: Jesus Christ wants to be and must be Lord. He must be the head of and Lord of all departments of our lives. We cannot have a girlfriend or a husband or a home or a job shut up in an airtight compartment that Jesus cannot control. If Jesus is not Lord of all of us, we are not real disciples.”

Think about the rich young ruler who came to Jesus. He asked all of the right questions about eternal life. What must I do to have eternal life?

But here is where he fell short: he wasn’t prepared for unreserved commitment to Christ.

Any giving that does not start with unreserved commitment to Christ isn’t biblical giving.

So we first have to, we must fully commit every inch of ourselves to Christ. Hold Nothing back from him. If he is the sovereign Lord over everything, then everything we have and are is completely laid at his feet.

Application #2:  We give from what we have, not from what we don’t.

Go back and look at our first observation point, and see that the Lord desires us to have a generous heart, to give to the Lord to recognize that every resource, every penny that I have every wall that holds up my house belongs to the Lord and the Lord alone.

And yet, he didn’t command the Israelites to go and find all of these things that they didn’t have. Everything they had was first provided by the Lord and was exactly what we needed. And some had what others didn’t. The Not everyone had the precious stones to be set in the Ephod. The text is explicit about that. Verse 27-

Exodus 35:27 (ESV)

27 And the leaders brought onyx stones and stones to be set, for the ephod and for the breastpiece,

And yet they were not elevated higher than anyone else, the Oil and the wood that was given was received all the same and used for the work of the Lord.

You don’t give because you have much, and you don’t not give because you have little.

You give, to the Lord for the Work, because we have been given more than we an ever imagine.

Luke 21 is a prime example of this. Let me just read it for us.

Luke 21:1–4 (ESV)

21 Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, 2 and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. 3 And he said, “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. 4 For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”

Jesus looked at them and said listen, you don’t get it, I don’t need the money, the size of their gift does not represent their hearts. I can do more with her 2 copper coins because she gave with a generous heart.

Application #3: True Generosity can only come out of a New and Transformed Heart.

There is a lot of people who can give. In fact, I was curious about this, in 2024 there was almost $600 Billion Dollars Donated to Charities.

Now, don’t hear me say that donating to Charities is a bad thing. Donating to some charities are probably not wise but we can have that conversation another time.

What I’m getting at is that there are a lot of reasons that people, companies, Governments donate and give away money, time and resources. Sometimes its for personal Gain, recognition, a little plaque on the wall that says that this person or organization is Generous. Sometimes, its to be a payment to relieve someone’s guilt of something.

They give money away as a sort of penance of something that they have done.

To truly give, with no expectations, with nothing in return is not about what is being given and who it is being given to, but it is first because of what has been given to us on the cross.

And its out of that overflow that we give, not because we have much, not because we even want to just help someone, but we give our time, talents, money, resources, everything we have because it was never ours to begin with.

Application  #4: In order to be a Holy People we Root out the Idols that live in our Wallet and we keep killing Sin.

We pray through every week Ezekial 36:37-38. And we pray to increase us, to make us a Holy People, and to send us.

That entire prayer terrifies me, I just want to say that because I have seen what the Lord does with that prayer.

But if we want to be a Holy People then we have to be constantly rooting out the idols that live in our hearts. That has been a theme that has been so prevalent throughout our study of exodus. Rooting out Egypt from our hearts. And If we were honest with our selves there are a lot of idols that live in our bank accounts and in our wallets.

And every time we give, we aren’t just putting a check in the offering box. We our laying idols that sit in our hearts out in the open and we are rooting them out so that we can be a Holy people who are after Gods heart.

We lay everything at his feet, and we hold nothing back.

Remember that tension that we identified earlier? As you go to identify it see if there is an idol that is deep in there that you need to root out. And don’t do that work alone, join into the work together as brothers and sisters in Christ who are pursuing holiness together. 

Finally, we worship.

Romans 12:1–2 (ESV)

12 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

As the Band comes up and we pray together, take an inventory of the condition of your heart this morning. What am I holding back that needs to be exposed, what needs to be laid at the foot of the cross this morning?

I hope that this morning you have heard what it is that I am calling you to do, don’t give more just to give. Run to the foot of the cross and let Jesus direct your every step.

Lets Pray.

Ezekiel 36:37–38 (ESV)

37 “Thus says the Lord God: This also I will let the house of Israel ask me to do for them: to increase their people like a flock. 38 Like the flock for sacrifices, like the flock at Jerusalem during her appointed feasts, so shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of people. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”

Three Things that the Lord says Ask me to do, Increase us.  Make us holy.   Send us.  

Lets Pray.