Anthony's Memorial Day Sermon

Read Scripture:  Exodus 31:1-11

Main idea of the message:  God will use 4 C's in your life when He calls you into ministry.
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1.  When God calls you, He will make it a Personal Calling. 

Notice how God called the two men by name, (v. 1-2) Bezalel & (v. 6) Aholiab. 

This is not uncommon in the Bible, as God called many great people by their names.  Whether it was Jeremiah, Moses, or Isaiah, they were all called by name.  Don't lose fact that Jesus continued this in the NT when he called each one of His disciples by their names. 

This teaches us that God is a personal God, intimate with His people. 

When God calls people today, He still calls by name. 

Q- If God would have a great ministry for you to participate in, would you be ready like these two men? Would God entrust you to something that matters so much, like he did for Bezalel & Aholiab?

2. When God calls you, he will make it a Special Calling. 
In v. 3, we see that God equipped Bezalel & Aholiab with specific gifts. 

They could work with their hands...they were skilled craftsmen.  No doubt there were many many Israelites there that day and out of the crowd, God had equipped these two men with the talents & gifts to build His Tabernacle.  Paul says in Romans 12: 4-6 that there are many members of the body but not all have the same function.  How true.  Just think back to the book of Exodus and keep in mind how many different roles your read about.  Moses was the mediator.  Aaron was the mouthpiece.  Joshua was a fierce and loyal leader & fighter.  And so on...

There is a common misconception that individuals should be well rounded, but that is simply not true.  Think of a sports team.  Take a great hockey goalie and put him in a different position.  If you did this, you will effectively turn a great player into a terrible one.  That goalie is skilled in one position and he can perform in that one position better than anyone else on his team.  The lesson here is that teams should be well rounded, people should not. 

-This rings true in the church where we often want the pastors to be superhuman.  If the body of Christ is to function in a healthy way, then everyone on the team must step up and use their unique gifts so that the Church can thrive.

3.  When God calls you to a ministry, He often calls others too.  This teaches us that God has a Cooperate Calling. 

In verse 6, God called other folks to join Bezalel & Aholiab.  You are not alone when you get a call from the Lord, He equips others with gifts that will often balance, strengthen and give insight to your uniqueness. 

-Oftentimes I hear people in the church talking about 'burn out' because it seems that the same people are always the ones doing all of the work.  This is a tragedy because all this tells me is that someone in the body of Christ, is not using what God has given them.  When you do not use what God has given you, you are not only hurting yourself --you are also hurting your brothers and sisters as they take on the extra burden left behind. 
 -Remember what Henry Ford said, "Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress."

4. When God called these men into His service, it was a Submissive Calling. 
In verse 11 we read that God wanted the Tabernacle erected according to His will. 
The Tent had specific requirements, that means the workers had a to follow the guidelines given from God and in doing so, they were bowing to God's Will. 

-Sadly, most of American Christianity is based on God making us happy. 

I think we have this backwards.  The perspective given from Genesis to Revelation is man bowing to God and His will ... not the other way around.

-Remember the way Jesus prayed in the garden on the night He was betrayed?  "Father take this cup from Me, but if not, then Your will be done" 

This is the ultimate picture of a relationship with God. 
 

 So there you have it!  The 4 C's to God's calling.
Hope you were inspired by it!