We're gonna put you through a
little Bible drill tonight. Turn with me to Exodus 28, and
also, if you would, turn with me to Hebrews chapter five. We've
often said that scripture itself is the best commentary on scripture. That is so true. So if you would,
maybe stick your marker or, Keep your thumb or finger somewhere
there in Hebrews chapter five, and we'll bounce back from Exodus
28 to Hebrews five tonight. I'll give you a moment to get
both of those, and then we'll look at the first two verses
of Exodus chapter 28, talking about the priesthood tonight.
Studying for this was real blessing to me. I hope that God gives
me the grace and the ability to convey to you what has been
so encouraging to me in studying it. If you'll look at verse one
in Exodus 28 with me, God here speaks to Moses and he says,
and take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother and his sons with
him from among the children of Israel. that he may minister
unto me in the priest's office, even Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar,
and Ithamar." Aaron's sons. Now I went ahead and wrote down,
I thought it very interesting to tell you what each of those
names mean. So I just jotted them down here
quickly. I won't elaborate on it, but
the name Aaron means very high or high mountain. Nadab means
willing. Bihu means my father is he. Eleazar means help of God. And
Ithamire means land of the palm or lofty and righteousness, bringing
forth fruit in the desert. Those names all are very appropriate
for the priest of God. And verse two says, and thou
shall make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and
for beauty. Now, in Hebrews chapter five, We read in verse one, for every
high priest taken from among men is ordained for men and things
pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices
for sins. Who, that's speaking of the priest,
who can have compassion on the ignorant and on them that are
out of the way, for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity. And by reason hereof, he ought
as for the people, so also for himself to offer for sins." Right
off the bat here, we see that the priest of God, the same as
God's preachers, along with every other man and woman in this world,
born of Adam, are nothing but sinners. They have to be redeemed. They have to be cleansed by the
blood of Christ and given Christ's perfect righteousness, the same
as every other sinner in order to have their sin put away. There
are no exclusions. We've all sinned to come short
of the glory of God. We know that. God's grace is
seen in the choice here that God makes. The Lord said to Moses,
we read it there in Exodus, take Aaron thy brother and his sons.
And it was not Moses that was chosen for this honor, but Aaron,
some commentators called him the lesser brother, but I would
say more of the behind the scenes brother. He was with Moses from
the pretty much the beginning when Moses went to Pharaoh. But
here it's very obvious that he was chosen of God for this office
of high priest. Even the tribe of which Aaron
and his son belonged to, the Levites, was one of the least
honorable among the 12 tribes. I find it very interesting that
when God told Moses about his choice of Aaron as the high priest
was during the very time that Aaron was making the golden calf
for Israel's idolatrous worship of it. You say, does that mar
the picture and the type here of the priesthood in any way?
Absolutely not. It simply reveals to us that
the giving of the high priest was a gift of God's marvelous
grace, not something earned, not something merited. Here in
Hebrews 5 verse 4, it says, and no man taketh this honor unto
himself. No man puts himself in the priesthood. Just the same as no man puts
himself in the ministry, not a true minister of God. Now,
I know a lot of men that have been called by grandma and mom
and dad, but not by God. But a true preacher of God, a
true minister of God is called by God and put into the ministry
by God. But it says here, no man taketh
this honor unto himself, but he that is called of God, as
was Aaron. So also Christ glorified not
himself to be made an high priest, but he, God, that said unto him,
thou art my son, today have I begotten thee. And he saith also in another
place, thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek,
who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers
and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him." Now
that's speaking of the Lord, particularly as to what Christ
endured in Gethsemane's garden. He says that was able to save
him from death. His prayers, his tears, and the
sweating as it was, great drops of blood. You remember that?
It kept him from dying from his anguish and was heard in that
he feared, he reverenced his father. And though he Christ,
verse eight, were a son yet learned he obedience by the things which
he suffered. and being made perfect, he became
the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him."
Now, you know and I know there are many religious groups and
organizations today who still hold to an earthly priesthood,
Catholic for one. This actually, and I'm not trying
to be ugly, it's just true, it exposes men and women's ignorance
of the scriptures. and their lack of knowledge in
the accomplishment of Christ. A believer doesn't need a priest.
If they have Christ, Christ is their priest. Now, turn over
a page or two to Hebrews chapter 9, and look at verse 10 with
me. It talks about the earthly priesthood
after the tabernacle and the Mosaic pattern, and they're called
carnal or fleshly ordinances. And then it says that they could
not make them that did the service perfect as pertaining to the
conscience. Verse 11 reveals, but Christ
being come, a high priest of good things to come, verse 11,
by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands,
that is to say, not of this building, neither by the blood of goats
and calves, but by his own blood, he entered in once into the holy
place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. Our Lord and
Savior, the Lord Jesus, came into the world and He fulfilled
everything pictured in the mosaic priesthood and perfectly, perfectly
finished His high priestly work in His life, in His death, in
His burial, and in His resurrection. And it was then that our Lord
ascended unto heaven. And He sat down on the right
hand of God. We know what that means. That
means His work was finished. We sat down when we're finished
with our work, and he sat down at the right hand of God forever
making intercession for us, his people, as our great high priest. And this is so crucial for us
to understand for this reason. If you and I, the sinners that
we are, are given life to come to God, and it's gonna take life
for us to even come. No man can come because they're
dead in trespasses and sin. But if we are given life to come
to God, the Father, it will be through Christ, our high priest,
no other way. The Lord said, I am the way,
the truth, and the life, and no man cometh to the Father,
but how? But by me. And if we're given this life
to come to God through Christ, our great high priest, it'll
be him alone that represents us in the presence of a thrice
holy God. Now, back in Hebrews chapter
five, verse four, We're told that no man takes this honor
unto himself, we just read that, but he that is called of God
as was Aaron, verse five, so also Christ glorified not himself
to be made a high priest, but he said unto him, thou art my
son, the day of I begotten thee. So the point I'm endeavoring
to make here is that it's God who ordained, and it's God who
separated, and it's God who chose his high priest and priest. Men
didn't choose who would be the high priest, nor did the high
priest choose that honor as a vocation. Being a high priest is not like
a young man deciding in his youth to one day be a lawyer or a doctor. It wasn't a career choice. The
high priest was ordained to this office by God himself. And that's
exactly what we read there in Exodus 28, verse one. Again,
turn back there if you would. I told you it's gonna work you
out on this. God says, and take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother
and his sons with him from among the children of Israel that he
may minister unto me in the priest office, even Aaron, Nadab, and
Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar, Aaron's sons. Now, we see that
no man takes that honor unto himself. And our Lord in response
to the Jews, asking him if he thought he was greater than Abraham.
You remember that? In John chapter eight, verse
54, the Lord said, if I honor myself, my honor is nothing. It's my father that honors me
of whom you say that he is your God. In John 7, verse 18, the
Lord Jesus said, he that speaks of himself seeketh his own glory,
but he that seeks the glory of the one that sent him, the same
is true and no unrighteousness is in him. So that's why God
gets all the glory. and everything that He does.
Our salvation, the matter of salvation, God gets all the glory.
For it was God who chose and ordained and called every saved
elect child of God according to His will, His counsel, and
His purpose. And it's the same with this high
priest. Matter of fact, every sinner saved by God's sovereign
grace has been made a priest unto God. That's who Aaron's
sons here typify in picture. And if God's own son did not
take that honor into himself, then we can be sure, we can be
sure that God didn't leave it up for us to do so either. And
that's exactly what John meant when he wrote, herein is love,
not that we love God, but that he loved us and he sent his son
to what? Be a propitiation for our sins.
Peter said this, he said, you're a chosen generation, a royal
priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people, that you should show
forth the praises of him, now listen, who hath called you out
of darkness into his marvelous light. Remember, we've not chosen
God, but he's chosen us, John 15, 16. You remember King Uzziah? King Uzziah found that out the
hard way. You remember that story? When
King Uzziah was lifted up in his pride, he tried to bypass
the high priest. You remember what happened to
him? God killed him. God gave him leprosy and he killed
him. You see, the priest here in Exodus
28, as we see, were sons of the high priest. And it's very plain
to see here that Aaron typifies the Lord Jesus Christ, and Aaron's
sons typify every sinner saved by God's mercy and grace. In
Isaiah chapter nine, verse six, you don't have to turn there,
but the Lord Jesus is called our everlasting father. His name
shall be called wonderful. Oh, and he is wonderful, isn't
he? His name shall be called wonderful counselor. He is a
wonderful counselor, isn't he? the mighty God, the everlasting
Father, the Prince of Peace. You know, Adam was our father,
but he plunged us into sin and death. When he did, he ceased
to be our father. And it was Christ, Christ our
Lord, who saved his sons from that sin and death that Adam
sold them under. In our first father, Adam, we
died. But in Christ, our everlasting
father, we're made alive. And Christ remains our everlasting
father. You know, I was thinking about
that today. I know that can be confusing
to folks who say, well, Christ is the son of God or God the
son, but he's also the everlasting father. Such is Christ's union
with God. And the Godhead is so one that
even though the three persons of the Godhead are uniquely individual,
they're also uniquely one. Christ is God the son, but also
the everlasting father. And I don't understand that,
but I believe it. Because the scripture here in
Isaiah calls Christ the everlasting Father. But here's the beautiful
thing. Our union with Christ is so that
we're uniquely one with Him. Behold what manner of love the
Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called what?
The sons of God. We're sons and daughters of God
because of Christ and our union with Him. Therefore the world
knoweth us not because it didn't know him, knew him not. And Christ
is not only our everlasting father, but he's also our everlasting
high priest. We just read in Hebrews chapter
five, thou art a priest forever. How long? Forever, after the
order of Melchizedek. Every earthly priest died by
reason of sin. I don't know if you know this
or not, but fleshly speaking, physically speaking, we're not
going to get out of this alive. But Christ lives forever is our
high priest. And because he is perfectly holy,
perfectly righteous, perfectly just. He perfected the law forever
for us, his people. The law has no claim on me because
Christ fulfilled it for me. And by my union, my oneness with
him, God looks at me and says, well done thou good and faithful
servant. It's just as if I fulfilled the
law. No, it is that I fulfilled the
law perfectly in Christ. He satisfied God's justice forever. God's justice can never charge
me with breaking the law. For by one offering, he has perfected
forever. How long? Forever. Them that
are sanctified, Hebrews 10, 14. And Hebrews 7, 25. Wherefore he is able also to
save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing
that he ever liveth to what? Make intercession for us. He's
making intercession for his people. Christ is the only high priest
that can save. Why? Because he ever lives to
make intercession for them to come to him. And what a glorious
subject this is. God's high priest are chosen
from among men. That's the first thing I want
you to see. And again, God said in verse one, take thou unto
thee Aaron, thy brother and his sons with him from among the
children of Israel. And again, Hebrews chapter five,
for every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men
and the things pertaining to God that he might offer both
gifts and sacrifices for sin. God chose his high priest from
among a particular people. Now Aaron was called from among
the children of Israel. And Christ was chosen from among
Abraham's seed. And that's exactly what Hebrews
chapter two, verse 16 tells us. It says, for verily he, speaking
of Christ, took not on him the nature of angels, but took on
him what? The seed of Abraham. Why did
God choose Christ from among men to be our high priest? You
ever thought about that? It was to represent his people
to God. You see, a man had to die for
man. For every high priest taken from
among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God,
that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins. Our
Lord was born sinless. Only Christ could make the necessary
offering and the necessary sacrifice to God for His people. Why? Because it must be perfect to
be accepted. We can't give God that which
God requires. God requires perfection. And
that's what the Lord did when He laid down His life on the
cross. He provided for us a perfect
righteousness because he was sinless. He perfected the law
on his elect's behalf. And only a perfect man could
do that. He satisfied God's divine justice
for us. Listen, only a perfect man can
do that. We couldn't do it for ourselves.
Now those for whom Christ died shall never die because of our
union with him and his substitution for us. And also the Lord Jesus
was chosen from among men so that as our high priest, he can
know something of our infirmities and comfort his people. Now,
our Lord was made a man and he was tempted in all points as
his people, yet without sin. That's the difference, big difference. He was without sin. Why was that
so? So that he could personally experience
just how weak and just how helpless The chosen sinner really is.
On the cross, he was touched with every feeling that our sin
causes, though he never himself sinned. Hebrews 4.15, you're
right there, look at it. For we have not a high priest
which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities,
but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. How wonderful to know that Christ,
our high priest, not only knows what we need, but knows how to
comfort us. Hebrews 2, 18, look at that. For in that he himself hath suffered
being tempted, he's able to succor, that word means support, help,
relieve them that are tempted. It's very important for us to
understand that the high priest alone was the only one that could
enter into the Holy of Holies to minister unto God for God's
elect people. And again, in verse one, God,
speaking of Aaron, says that he, Aaron, may minister unto
me in the priest office. Listen, we cannot represent ourselves
because of our sin. We cannot save ourselves by our
own personal law keeping. We cannot save ourselves by our
good works, because all our works are filthy rags. We cannot save
ourselves by our own will, because we will not come to Christ that
we might have love. It's not our will to come by
nature. We must be represented to God
by Christ, our great high priest. God demands it. And that's what
the Mosaic priesthood pictures. someone had to go before God
for us with the offering of blood and that is Christ our Lord.
Again Hebrews chapter 5 verse 7, who in the days of his flesh
when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong
crying and tears unto them that was able to save him from death
and was heard in that he feared, though he were a son, yet learned
he obedience by the things which he suffered, and being made perfect,
he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that
obey him." Why did the Lord suffer? He suffered because He bore our
sins. He had no sin of His own to suffer for. He suffered for
our sins. That's what Peter said, who his
own self bear our sins in his own body on the tree. How glorious
is the thought that God Almighty, the very one that we've offended,
the very one that all our sin is against. Against thee and
thee only have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight, David
said. How amazing, how glorious is it that the very God that
we hated without a cause is the very one who died for us on Calvary's
cross, who His own self bore our sins. It was our sins that
put Him on the cross. That should have been me that
hung on that cross. That should have been you that
hung there. And because of that, I hope that we can see here what
Peter is saying. He was saying that we being dead
to sins should live unto righteousness, unto Christ. Why? Because by
his stripes, we were healed. Those stripes, the thrashing
of the whip, the cat of nine tails, that should have been
me. That should have been my flesh that was ripped. It's by
the stripes of Christ in our place that we were healed. And
it was only the high priest who could enter into the Holy of
Holies. He did it once in the year and not without blood. No,
sir, you don't come to God without blood. Why? Because without the
shedding of blood, there's no remission of sins, no atonement,
no forgiveness. Aaron is Israel's high priest,
did it representing God's particular people. He didn't represent the
whole world. He represented the chosen people of God. And when Christ redeemed us,
brothers and sisters, he entered not into God's presence with
the blood of goats and calves, but he entered into God's presence
with his own blood. Christ is our perfection. Christ
is our acceptance with God. How are we accepted in Christ,
the beloved? I never grow tired of hearing
that, do you? Here in Hebrews, look at chapter nine. Look at
verse 24. For Christ is not entered into
the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the
true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence
of God for us, nor yet that he should offer himself often as
the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with
blood of others. For then must he often have suffered
since the foundation of the world, but now once in the end of the
world, hath he appeared to put away sin," look at this, by the
sacrifice of himself. and it is appointed unto men
once to die, but after this, the judgment. So Christ was once
offered to bear the sins of many, and to them that look for him
shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation."
Oh, I hope that God has shown you and truly shown me our need
of Christ, our great high priest. He alone's the only one that
can represent us to God. He's the only one that God could
ever be pleased with. And lastly, tonight, I want us
to see the necessity of holy garments back in Exodus 28, verse
two, and I'll finish up. God told Moses, and thou shalt
make holy garments for Aaron, thy brother, for glory and for
beauty. You know, I was thinking about
this this afternoon. Moses in the scripture pictures
the law. We know that. It's the law of
God that shows us something of our sin and shows us something
of Christ's perfect righteousness. The law was given to show us
that we couldn't keep it. It was to reveal to us our sin
and the law was given to show us the standard of perfect righteousness. to show us what perfection truly
is, and to bring us to Christ who was perfectly righteous.
The law was our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, to show
us the standard of perfect righteousness. So in that sense, God made the
law, pictured by Moses, to make the holy garments of Christ,
pictured by Aaron, the holy garments picturing the perfect righteousness
of Christ. We'll get further into the attire
of the high priest in our next study, the Lord willing, but
I do want us to understand this. These garments were absolutely
necessary. Without them, God would not receive
the high priest, as we'll see, or the ones that he represented.
And without the perfect righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ, our
great high priest, God will not accept us. Why? Well, we've said, how many times
have we said? Because it has to be perfect to be accepted.
And we cannot be what God requires. But Christ, our high priesthood,
that's the only way we can be accepted in, by, and through
Christ's perfect righteousness. But I also want you to rejoice
in this. Under the Mosaic priesthood,
the priests were a special class appointed to minister to God
on behalf of the people. They enjoyed privileges that
were not shared by others in Israel. They had a nearness to
God that others didn't share. They were given authority and
they were allowed to do that which those whom they represented
could not do. But at the cross, the cross of
the Lord Jesus, a radical change was brought about. The old order
ended. and a new one began. Judaism
stopped and Christianity began. In Matthew chapter six, we're
told that the high priest rent his clothes. Well, that was forbidden
by the Levitical law. You can read that in Leviticus
chapter 21. But God permitted this in the
New Testament to show Israel that the Mosaic priesthood had
ended. Clothes were only rented or torn
to pieces when there was no further use for them. and something else
for us to consider. That veil between the holy place
and the holy of holies that when the Lord gave up the ghost, remember
it was rent in two. The veil between the holy place
and the holy of holies. The barrier into God's presence
no longer exists for God's people. And that's what the apostle meant
when he said that we can come boldly into the throne of grace.
By the substitution and sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ, God's
elect people can now come boldly into God's presence to find mercy,
obtain mercy and find grace and help in time of need. Or do you
have a need? come boldly into God's throne
of grace. Christ has given us access to
God. Christ has done away with the
veil by making us priest unto God. We can now come to God in
and by and through the perfect and righteous work of Christ
for us. After all, our great high priest
sits on God's right hand and makes intercession for our every
single need. Next time you have a need, you
come boldly into God's throne of grace and you think about
that. Who it is that's sitting right there who has God's ear.
Oh, I tell you friends, I'm in over my head on this, but this
is the most glorious thing I've ever heard in my life. May God
enable us to truly believe and rest in these things.