to cut gemstones for settings, and to carve wood, so that he may be a master of every craft.and in cutting of stones for setting, and in carving of wood, to work in all kinds of workmanship.And in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of workmanship.and in cutting of stones for setting, and in carving of wood, to work in all manner of workmanship.
3 sermons cite this verse
This is the word of God for you, the people of God. Thanks be to God. So there are two other readings listed in the bulletin for this morning. We'll come back to them in a minute. First, let's talk Exodus. When I went to Divinity School, first-year students were tasked over their first two semesters of study with reading the entire Bible, the whole thing, Genesis to Revelation. It was quite an experience. I had, of course, read portions of the good book before, although whenever it got too boring or too strange, I would set it aside. Reading the Bible from start to finish as an assignment was a different experience. It exposes you to wild and unsettling stories. Did God really send a worm to eat the prophet Jonah's only source of shade? Did Paul really preach such a long and boring sermon that a member of the youth group fell asleep and then fell out the window? Book of Acts. Traveling the arc of scripture, you encounter all sorts of things. …
God has not just given him the template for building the tabernacle, but he's also let him know that he has given him resources that he may not have realized were there in order to build the tabernacle. So this message, Nothing Into Something, is a revelation that God has given me that I believe is going to be helpful for those of you who God is calling to build, whether they are ministries or businesses or just a different version of yourself. Last week, we talked about doing something unnatural, and I want to talk a little bit about what it takes to build nothing into something. Spirit of the living God, you know I need you, and I know you're here. So i'm asking that where anxiety where nerves where fear where doubt or worry would try to distract me from your presence That you would remove it now in the name of jesus God and i'm asking that not just for me, but for everyone who is connected to this word That they would have a divine encounter with you that fills them to the overflow That they would leave this place with clarity with power with strength with peace god and that you would release us to build with our hearts, with our minds, with our hands, that which you have assigned to us. God, I thank you for your spirit resting in this room. …
That was a wonderful scene when Joseph said that Benjamin should not go back with his brothers, but should remain in Egypt as his servant because the silver cup had been found in his sack, and Judah pleaded with Joseph, not knowing that "the lord of the land" was his own brother! You remember how he pictured their old father at home, who would certainly die of a broken heart if Benjamin did not return to him in safety and how, at last, he offered to be a bondman to Joseph if he would but let Benjamin go free. You see, he pleaded for substitution, and he also told Joseph how he became surety for the lad unto his father—and his plea was so effectual that Joseph could refrain himself no longer, but bursting into tears declared that he was their long-lost brother! So, dear Friends, if the great Lord of Heaven and earth seems angry with you because of your sins—"and He is angry with the wicked every day"—put your case into the hands of the sinners' Advocate, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and when He stands up to plead with His Father for you, He will soon bring a smile of forgiveness upon the righteously severe Countenance of His Father and you shall gladly say, "Jesus, You are He whom Your brethren shall praise because of Your almighty power in pleading for them." We find that at a later period, the tribe of Judah was foremost in wisdom and skill. If you turn to Exodus 35:30, you will see that when the tabernacle was to be erected in the wilderness, "Moses said unto the children of Israel, See, the Lord has called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. And He has 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." And, surely, I may metaphorically apply this description to our Judah-Jesus! What wisdom there is in Him and what skill! What is there that He cannot do? Bezaleel could cut, polish, and set precious stones—but Jesus can take the worthless pebbles of the brook and transmute them into diamonds! Jesus takes "base things of the world, and things which are despised," and works such marvelous changes in them that the Lord of Hosts says concerning them, "They shall be Mine in that day when I make up My jewels." He is a wonderful Lapidary! Some of us have been upon the wheel under His hand for a long time—and we are apt to think that He has cut us most cruelly— but the cutting is intended to bring out our brilliance and to make us fit to shine in the diadem of the King in due time! Bezaleel was also a worker in wood—and our great Judah-Jesus came to us when we were growing wild in the forest of sin. It was His axe of conviction that cut us down and it has been His hand of skill that has been fashioning and carving us to make us worthy to be pillars in His Temple! …