God’s Glory
“The LORD said to Moses, “Depart; go up from here, you and the people whom you have brought up out of the land of Egypt, to the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, ‘To your offspring I will give it.’ ” – Exodus 33:1
“I will send an angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanites, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; but I will not go up among you, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people.” – Exodus 33:2-3
Exodus 33:4
“For the LORD had said to Moses, “Say to the people of Israel, ‘You are a stiff-necked people; if for a single moment I should go up among you, I would consume you. So now take off your ornaments, that I may know what to do with you.’” – Exodus 33:5
“Therefore the people of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments, from Mount Horeb onward.” – Exodus 33:6
At a time when the American dream of affluence is falling apart, when Americans trust each other less and many do not know their neighbors, when we feel as untethered as an astronaut floating in space and struggle from chronic stress so viscerally that some adults are now sleeping with stuffed animals, many young adults are choosing a different path.
“According to a Free Press profile, “zoomers” (adults under thirty years of age) are “quitting the rat race, skipping the $8 lattes, and buying homes in towns you’ve never heard of.” In choosing family over career, many are leaving cities for smaller communities and rural living.They know what happiness research has resoundingly concluded: healthy relationships are the key to flourishing. Billionaire investment guru Warren Buffett could have told us this long ago. He still lives in the same Omaha house he purchased in 1958, calling it the third-best investment he’s ever made. The top two? His and his wife’s wedding rings.” – Jim Denison ; The Daily Article
God’s Grace
“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?” – Exodus 33:16
Exodus 34:5-7
Exodus 34:8-9
John 1:17
“And the word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” – John 1:14
Generosity of God’s People
“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; ” – Exodus 35:4-5
“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 fragrant incense, and onyx stones and stones for setting, for the ephod and for the breastpiece. ” – Exodus 35:6-9
Exodus 35:10
Exodus 35:20-21
Motive of Generosity
Measure of Generosity (2 Corinthians 9:7)
- Because I ought to (reluctant givers)
- Because I have to (compulsive givers)
- Because I want to (cheerful givers)
Methods of Generosity (John Tyler)
- generosity (Gal. 6:10)
- generosity (Acts 2-4)
- generosity (Matt. 6:3)
- generosity (2 Cor. 8:1-7)
Three Important Questions:
- Do you seek the glorious presence of God over the things of the world?
- Are you constantly amazed at the endless grace and mercy you have in Jesus?
- Is your life marked by a character of generosity towards the Lord and others?