All right, if you wish to follow
along, turn to Leviticus chapter 21. Everyone here this morning, as
far as I know, probably is aware that my text includes Leviticus
21, the whole chapter, and it goes through chapter 22 and verse
16. I'm not going to read all of
those verses, but this is my subject for this morning. The
sanctity the priesthood The sanctity of the priesthood now as I've
been doing these series starting in Genesis and In a way working
our way all the way through Genesis and Exodus now. We're in Leviticus
I've listened to a lot of other men preach on many of these passages
that I have preached upon and and others that I will preach
upon and And there are many different approaches which you can approach
these passages. But one thing is always for certain,
they always speak in some way or demand in some way the necessity
of the person and work of Jesus Christ. Now, the summary of this
passage That is, chapter 21, verse one through chapter 22,
verse 16 is found in three, actually four verses. Look at chapter
21 and verse six. It will summarize this section
of the book of Leviticus. Speaking of the priest, and remember
you have the priest and then you have the high priest. And
there were many priests, no doubt hundreds of priests, but there
was always only one high priest. And it says, they shall be holy
unto their God and not profane the name of their God. For the
offerings of the Lord made by fire and the bread of their God
they do offer. Therefore they shall be holy. Verse eight again. Thou shalt
sanctify him therefore. For he offereth the bread of
thy God. He shall be holy unto thee. For I the Lord which sanctify
you am holy. And then again we read in chapter
22 verses one and two. The Lord spake unto Moses saying,
speak unto Aaron and to his sons. that they separate themselves
from the holy things of the children of Israel, that they profane
not my holy name in those things which they hallow unto me. I am the Lord. I want you to consider the following
few statements in light of the Levitical law. And I pray that
I can make some comparison to us. Number one, first statement,
the Levitical law, by default, the very nature of the Levitical
law, exalts God's holiness. And of course, that's clearly
seen in verse eight. Thou shalt sanctify him therefore,
for he offereth the bread of thy God, he shall be holy unto
thee, for I, the Lord which sanctify you, am holy. And we really do
not fully comprehend the holiness of God. Now, Joe preached on
it, that was his message for this morning's TV broadcast at
6 a.m. And it was a good message. But
we really don't comprehend the holiness of God. One of the, if not the greatest
examples of God's holiness is this. When Jesus Christ, the
spotless, unblemished Lamb of God, hung on Calvary's tree,
God Almighty, and I will say God the Father, because He is
holy, when He seen the sins of God's people in the person of
His Son, God turned His back upon the Son. He, and I can't
explain it. I don't have the words to explain
it. Christ said, my God, my God,
not just why did you leave me. Why hast thou forsaken me? And the Levitical law, by default,
it exalts God's holiness. God's holiness, you cannot read
this with any true sense of at least I want to know what these
words say. You cannot read this and not
pick up that somehow, in some way, God is far above all of
humanity. Because God, through the Levitical
law, makes it clear, he demands that we approach him in a specific
approach. It was never get to me in whatever
way you can. Never! Never. And yet, sadly,
that's probably what is most preached in this day and age.
Get to God in whatever way you can. It doesn't matter as long
as you're trying to get to God. And that is not so. Here's the second thing to consider.
The Levitical law decries man's unholiness. That's the truth
of the Levitical law by default. Even Israel, as a nation, as
a special nation, a nation that God created, and that God created
for the purpose of bringing Messiah into this world, even Israel
must have a priest. You see that? Even if you had
the right sacrifice, you didn't offer it yourself. You didn't offer it yourself.
You had to have a priest offer the offering for you. That lets me know something's
wrong down in here in me. in me. Somebody says, what about
those priests? They had to offer for themselves
as well. But the priest we're talking about, the actual priest
that the priests, plural, and the high priest, singular, represent,
he had no sins of his own. But we still have to have a priest.
And that don't make me Roman Catholic. but that does make
me a believer in the truth of God. And I plan on preaching
that, Lord willing, one Sunday morning at 6 a.m. here before
too long. Israel, even Israel, must have
a priest. Here's the third statement. The
Levitical law demands sanctity in the priesthood. You see it? In the priesthood, the Levitical
law demands sanctity in the priesthood to approach God on behalf of
sinners. You see it? On behalf of sinners. That's the default when you read
the book of Leviticus. If you haven't seen these, now
maybe you haven't noted them as these three specific points
so far. Maybe, but I'm saying you recognize,
when I say this to you and you've read this, and God's given you
any kind of eye to see whatsoever and a heart to perceive and ears
to hear, you know that what I've told you is the truth thus far. The Levitical law demands sanctity
of the priesthood. Think about it. Remember, some
Israelites brought lame animals and God said I won't have it.
Brought one with a broke leg or scurvy Part of their fur is
gone. You bring the best to God or
you're bringing nothing. God will not have our cast off. God ain't in the business of
rummage sales. Is he? We don't offer to God
what we're not going to use anyway, because it's of no real value.
And yet this is what Christianity, so-called Christianity, is taught
over and over and over. They'll have rummage sales at
their churches. And what do you usually sell at a rummage sale?
Your best? No, it's your worst. What you
don't wear anymore. What you don't want. But oh, ain't we're
doing the work for the Lord. God said even when it come to
those animals, this, Joe, an innocent animal, this animal
had nothing to do with my sin, your sin, or anyone else's sin.
But God said if it's not without blemish, I won't have it. It's
an abomination unto me. And we also remember that there
are illustrations of those in the priesthood who defiled the
priesthood, and their priesthood was not only of no value, but
it defiled the things of God itself. It demands sanctity in
the priesthood, to approach God on the behalf of sinners. Think
of it, even the repentant must have a priest. See, repentance
don't get you to God. You got to have Christ. You got to have Christ. You could
repent from now until the cows come home, as they say, and you're
not gonna get to God by your repentance. As a matter of fact,
we're told of one man who sought repentance with tears, but he
never found it. And I believe it means exactly
what that says. He wished he could have changed
things and himself, but he could not. But I'm saying that even
the repentant must have a priest. I don't care how repentant you
were, you have the sacrifice, you bring your turtle doves or
a lamb or a goat, whatever it is, it's got to come through
the front gate of the tabernacle and it's got to be put in the
hands of the priest. Here's the fourth thought to
consider, the repentant, the contrite, those broken because
of sin. And those are the only ones that
ever have really any true part in the gospel of the Lord Jesus
Christ. The repentant, the contrite,
those broken because of sin, their hope is in the sanctity
of the priest. Is it not? You say, preacher,
that's a tall order. It is. But this is a great comfort
to those who know the great high priest, Jesus Christ the Lord. The repentant, the contrite,
those broken because of their hopes in the sanctity of the
priest. Get a bad priest, you're in trouble
from the get-go. You're in trouble from the get-go. There must be the sanctity of
the priest who offers the correct sacrifice in the correct way. And somebody says, and you want
to try to get to God by this law? You really, is that what you
want? Then knock yourself out. Knock yourself out. Think of
it, Christ. His perfections, His work, His
person, His sacrifice is the only hope of any repentant, believing
sinner. I rest my soul fully on His person
and work. Now because I am constrained
by His love for me, and by a God-given love for him, God put in me. I want to serve him. But let
us remember, who really does, did, according to Levitical law,
who really performed the service of God? The priest. The priest performed the service
of God. Again I say, Christ's perfections,
his work, his person, His sacrifice is the only hope of any repentant,
believing sinner. If you're not repentant, if you're
not believing, you got no reason to even think that this applies
to you. That's just the way it is. For
there is one God and one mediator between God and men, and that's
under Levitical law as a type. That was a real thing, but it
was a type, it was a figure. Under Levitical law, you had
to go through the priest. And you had to lay your all upon
the priest. Even if you brought the right sacrifice, he might
defile it in some way if he defiled himself or defiled the sacrifice. You were totally dependent upon
who? The priest. And then the scripture
comes along and tells us, for there's one God and one mediator
between God and men, the man, Christ Jesus. So, let's examine
Christ's sanctity, and it's his sanctity. Let's examine Christ's
sanctity in our text in just two facets. I mean, there's much
more here that I have time to give, and there's much more here
that I'm able to give. I'm not trying to make it all
fit. There are those who try to make everything fit. Remember,
there are some things in the law that don't fit. If you were
going to be a priest, you had to be of the tribe of Levi. Our Lord is the great high priest,
but he was not of the tribe of Levi. He was of the tribe of
Judah, and Paul says, in Hebrews, there's no mention of priesthood
in the tribe of Judah. He said there's a necessity that
there must be a change of the law. Isn't that what he said? That's what Paul said, or whoever
wrote Hebrews said. I'll trust that God-inspired
writer. But here are two facets in which we see Christ typified
in our text. Number one, we will see it in
chapter 21, verses 16 through 23. There could be no blemish
in the priest. You see it? 21, verse 16. And
the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto Aaron, saying, Whosoever
he be of thy seed. Now Aaron is of the tribe of
Levi. That's the Levitical priesthood,
Levi. Whosoever he be of thy seed in
their generations that hath any blemish, let him not approach
to offer the bread of his God. For whatsoever man he be that
hath a blemish, he shall not approach. You see that? A blind man, don't approach. A lame man, don't approach. Or he that hath a flat nose,
don't approach. Or any thing superfluous. Or a man that is broken-footed,
don't approach. Or broken-handed, don't approach. Or crooked back, don't approach. or a dwarf, or that hath a blemish
in his eye, or be scurvy, or scabbed, or hath his stones broken. No man that hath a blemish of
the seed of Aaron the priest shall come nigh to offer the
offerings of the Lord made by fire. He hath a blemish. He shall not come nigh to offer
the bread of his God. Now he can eat. He can eat, and
his family, immediate family in his house can eat, but they
don't approach God on behalf of the people of Israel. What
is that here? Some effeminate, liberal-minded
person, well that's not very nice of God. God never says,
I am nice. God is love, but God's love is
a holy love. God is merciful and compassionate,
but his mercy and compassion are based upon the standard of
his absolute holiness. And these things weren't given,
these prohibitions of approach weren't given because God's just
mean-hearted. These things picture our Lord
Jesus Christ, and that's the dearest thing to the heart and
mind of God the Father, is the person and work of his son. You're
gonna be a priest, under Levitical law, you not only couldn't have
any outward blemish, some of these things are inward problems.
Things you wouldn't just normally recognize if you walked up and
down the street and seen someone. There is no blemish. Christ had
no inner, I-N-N-E-R. Christ had no inner sin. 1 John
3 and 5. And in him is no sin. Now let me say that Christ's
perfection was not something that was visibly recognizable,
especially by the unregenerate. especially by those whom God
had not already performed a work of grace within their soul. Our
Lord lived for about 30 years in absolute perfection, and even
his half-brothers and sisters didn't catch it. You understand that? And as Tim
James said, his holiness, his unblemishedness, I'll make up
a word if that's not one, His perfection was something inside. When you looked at him outside,
he was not a charismatic looking person. Not even looking person. There was no physical, I figure
he going to be an ugly child. Physically. But he's the Lord
of glory. He's God almighty manifest in
the flesh. Peter puts it this way, Christ
did no acts of sin. Even when he was reviled, he
didn't retaliate. And he had the right to. As a
matter of fact, I can't even explain all that. He said I could
write, he told people on a specific instance, when it come to this
work at Calvary, he said I could cry out unto the Father and he
would send legions of angels. God would have wiped this whole
world out had Christ desired to do that. He was God. The Father always, always gave
him what he desired. But he said, I set my heart like
a flint toward Jerusalem. He did no sin. But even more than that, the
apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians chapter five puts it this, he
didn't even have a relationship with sin. He knew no sin. He didn't even know it. That
means, not he didn't know what sin was. We're not talking about
a lack of knowing in ignorance, but it's a lack of relationship
with. But Paul says something else
there too. And let me just start, I don't
want to misquote that one. 2 Corinthians chapter five, and
I know you all here know it well, but there may be some that don't.
2 Corinthians five, verse 21. For he, speaking of God the Father
we could say, for he hath made him to be sin. Who knew no sin? Mason, I can't explain that.
But I know it's true. Whatever it is, it's true. He
bore our sins in his own body on the tree, and he felt the
guilt and the shame and the judgment of God against them. For he made him to be sin for
us, and he knew no sin. Even when he was there, he despised
the shame. He didn't fall in love with our
sins when they were put in him. Oh, no. Oh no, and anybody who
says when he was made sin, he became sinful and began to lust
and hate, no, other than a perfect hatred. But you understand what
I'm saying? For he hath made him to be sin
for us who knew no sin, but there's a reason for this, that we might
be made the righteousness of God in him. I'm telling you,
God's priests can't have no blemish. They can't have no blemish. Flat
nose, crooked back, scurvy, not even God's high priest. Think
about it. The sacrifice had to be the right
one. The way it was offered had to be done the right way. The
one who was doing the offering of it had to have sanctity about
him. and the person who gave the animal
to be sacrificed had to be repentant. Contrite. Broken. Believing. Believing. Here's the fourth thing. Christ
alone fulfilled the law's type. Hebrews chapter seven. This is
the end of the first point. Hebrews chapter seven, verse
26. For such an high priest became
us. That's an amazing, he became
us. He became real bonafide flesh and blood. He had a human nature. For such a high priest became
us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners. But he
came to save sinners. But he was absolutely separate
from them. and made higher than the heavens,
who needeth not daily as those high priests to offer up sacrifice,
first for his own sins and then for the people's. For this he
did once when he offered up himself. For the law maketh men high priests
which have troubles, infirmities. They got sinned just like the
people did. Therefore no man was ever truly justified by the
Levitical law. The Levitical law is saying something
better's got to be coming. Even more, someone better's got
to be coming. For the law maketh men high priests,
which hath infirmity, but the word of the oath, which was since
the law, remember Melchizedek, of which that is the order of
Jesus Christ, priesthood. The Melchizedekian priesthood
existed before the Levitical priesthood. And then David, being
moved of God's spirit, even says, in one of the Psalms, thou art
a high priest forever, after the order of what, Levi? No,
after the order of Melchizedek, a superior priesthood. For the law maketh men high priests,
which hath infirmity, but the word of the oath, which was since
the law, maketh the son who is consecrated forevermore. Now there's you a high priest.
There's you a priest. You need somebody to engage in
the service of God for you? There's you one. You hear me?
There's you one. This man right here, there's
you one. But here's number two. Here's number two. There was never allowed in the
priesthood Those who were sanctified, those who had sanctity ordained
of God, they were never allowed universal union with everyone
without exception. Did you read some of that? Did
you catch that when you read it? Look at chapter 21, verses
one through three. And the Lord said unto Moses,
speak unto the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say unto them,
There shall none be defiled for the dead among his people. That
if somebody in your community died, you don't mess with the
body. Except it's your kin. But for
his kin that is near unto him, that is for his mother or his
father or for his son or for his daughter or for his brother.
and for his sister a virgin that is nigh unto him, which hath
no husband, for her may he be defiled, but he shall not defile
himself, being a chief man among his people, to profane himself. He was not allowed to join himself
just to any dead body. Now that's given here, right?
That's what it says. All right, let's look at another
one. Verse seven. They shall not take
a wife that is a whore, or profane, neither shall they take a woman
put away from her husband, for he is holy unto his God. He couldn't just join up with
just anybody. If he did, he defiled himself.
He could no longer practice the service of God, right? That's what this is saying. Clear
enough, correct? Clear enough. Verses, verse 10. And he that is the high priest
among his brethren, upon whose head the anointing oil was poured,
and that is consecrated to put on the garments, shall not cover
his head, nor rend his clothes, neither shall he go into any
dead body, nor, now this is the high priest now, nor defile himself
for his father, or for his mother. Neither shall he go out of the
sanctuary, nor profane the sanctuary of his God, for the crown of
the of the anointing oil of his God is upon him, I am the Lord,
and he shall take a wife in her virginity. A widow, or a divorced
woman, or profane, or a whore, that's a harlot, these shall
he not take, but he shall take a virgin of his own people to
wife, neither shall he profane his seed among his people, for
I the Lord do sanctify him. The high priest and the priest
could not join to anyone or anything universally. Is that statement
correct or not? That statement's correct. Chapter
22, verse 10. There shall no stranger eat of
the holy thing. A sojourner of the priest, or
a hired servant, shall not eat of the holy thing. But if the
priest buy any soul with his money, he shall eat of it, and
he that is born in his house, they shall eat of his meat. If
the priest's daughter also be married unto a stranger, she
may not eat of the offering of the holy things, but if the priest's
daughter be a widow, or divorced, or hath no child, and is returned
unto her father's house, And as in her youth, she shall eat
of the father's meat, but there shall no stranger eat thereof. Does this not say that the priest
was not allowed universal union to just anyone or anything? Now turn to John chapter two. John chapter two. Christ Jesus, our great high
priest, will never unite to just any kind of belief. Did you hear what I just said?
Jesus Christ, our great high priest, will not unite to just
any kind of belief. There are those out there today
that are perpetrating upon the souls of men and women, young
and old alike. Well, it really don't matter
what kind of doctrine you believe, just as long as you believe.
Is that true? Look at what it said about Christ.
John chapter two, verse 23. Now when he was in Jerusalem,
this is speaking of Christ, at the Passover, in the feast day,
many believed in his name. when they saw, and here's the
problem, when they saw the miracles, which he did. Now how many people
today do you know of that come to believe in the Lord Jesus
Christ? And I'll even give them the benefit of that whole phrase.
Come to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, because they were sick,
and all of a sudden God healed them, and they decided to go
start believing in the Lord. No, it pleased God by the foolishness
of preaching to save them that believe. If you believe merely
because of some miracle, some miraculous thing you suppose,
whether it's real or not, that is not a valid belief. Look, look. But Jesus did not
commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, and needed not
that any should testify of man, for he knew what was in man. So this belief was flawed. Is
that not true? He didn't even, what? He's the
high priest. He don't just commit himself
to anything. He does not disunite to anything
and everything. Laws it has a little tinge of
Bible or religion. Turn to Matthew chapter 11. Now
there's far more than what I have time to give you this morning,
but let me move along. Matthew 11, Christ, our great
high priest, never sought to unite to all men universally. Would you wanna, you wanna say
it? He never sought to unite to all men universally. Look
at it, Matthew chapter 11, and these are his own words. Let's
begin at verse 20. Then began he to upbraid the
cities, that is, rebuke them severely. That's what it's talking
about. This wasn't just a little bit
of good advice, this was a severe rebuke. Then began he to upbraid
the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because
they repented not. Woe unto thee, Chorazin! Woe
unto thee, Bethsaida! For, now think about this, for
if the mighty works which were done in you, had been done in
Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth
and ashes. Look, but I say unto you, it
shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment
than for you. And thou, Capernaum, which are
exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell. This is
strong language, is it not? For if, now look at this. For
if the mighty works which have been done in thee had been done
in Sodom, it would have remained unto this day. You see that? But I say unto
you, that is Capernaum, that it shall be more tolerable for
the land of Sodom. The Sodomites, do you hear what
I'm saying? It shall be more tolerable. He
didn't say they won't be judged. They haven't been judged, but
it'll be more tolerable. I don't know what that means,
but I know it has meaning. I can't define what that is,
but I know there's a definition to it. But I say unto you that
it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day
of judgment than for thee. And I think I heard it one time,
I may have read it. I heard some fellow say, see
this right here proves free will. And I was like, Huh? Really? I'll tell you what
it does prove. The Lord of glory knew these
places would have repented had he sent them the mighty works
that he gave to these cities and he did not. Now that's a fact that's right
here. Free will, that's putting into the text what you want in
the text. What I've just said to you is the text. God did not
send these places, these mighty works, even though He knew they
would have repented. Why? Because God's sovereign
and does as He pleases. And those cities were judged
rightfully so and justly so. If God withholds His grace, it
is not injustice that men perish. Because men perish because of
their rebellion against God. But look, that's not the end
of it. At that time, With this mindset, okay? At that time, Jesus answered
and said, I thank thee, oh Father. Lord of heaven and earth, because
thou hast hid these things from the wise and the prudent. You mean God hides some things
from some people? Yes, he does. And yes, Jesus thanked him for
it. So if you do not, you are not
in lockstep with Jesus Christ. Now are you? Look at it, you've
hid these things from the wise and the prudent and has revealed
them unto babes. Notice the babes are not better
because they're babes, because this must be revealed even to
them. Do you see it? And what's the answer for this?
Now if anybody could give us several chapters on the divinity
of the sovereignty of God and versus or compared with human
responsibility Here's the man that could have done it Right
Right But what's the answer even so father? For so it seemed good
in thy sight There it is in other words rebel rebel Walter Pendleton
rebel you there, rebel anybody out there, just bow down. Just bow down. All things are
delivered unto me of my Father, and no man knoweth the Son but
the Father, neither knoweth any man the Father save the Son,
and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him. You see, he
has to be your high priest before you ever even know him to be
the high priest. And he had to be performing the
service of God for you and for me before we ever knew what even
the service of God was. And if you ever come to see him
as great high priest, it's because he revealed himself as that to
you. Come unto me, then he says, all
ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you what? Just
rest. Take my yoke upon you. Now this
is not You come to me and then you can just serve yourself.
No sir, you will be my slave. You'll be my mule, my ox. You
will go under my yoke. Take my yoke upon you. Is there something for the sinner
to do? Yeah, there is. Bow down. Put the yoke on. Submit to Jesus
Christ. I don't care if that's good Arminianism
or good Calvinism. That's the truth of God. Bow
down to Jesus Christ. Submit to him. Take my yoke upon
you. And what, learn about me. That is, I'm the teacher, but
I'm gonna teach you about myself. Both are these included. And
learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you shall
find rest for your soul. Here's a servitude of what? Rest. You see it? Rest, for my yoke
is what? Easy, and you don't know it till
you put it on. because the old self says, I
don't like any yoke. Now you know that's true. Come
on now. You women be honest when you
hear that the husband's the head of the house. Come on now. Put
that thing off my neck. You husbands, you gotta love
your wives as Christ loved the church and didn't just die for
it, he gave himself for it. His life was for her cause. Don't put that responsibility
on me. But that's the yoke you take on. But when you do, you'll
find out it's easy. It's light. For my yoke is easy
and my burden is light. Christ never sought to unite
all men universally. He thanked God, the Father, that
God the Father had hid it from some folk. Yes or no? I'm not asking you, can you enter
into the depths of that as Jesus Christ did, but I'm asking you,
can you believe and bow down to who Jesus Christ is, manifest
to be, right here in this passage? Number three, God has ordained
union to a specific people only. He told the woman at the well,
if you're gonna worship God, you must, you must worship in
spirit and in truth. Is that not what he said? He
said, woman, you worship you know not what. That's what he
told her. He said, you're full of it. Your
religion is vain. It's wrong. Isn't that what he
told her? And he put, for the father seeketh
such to worship him. Now let me give you something
here. I'm gonna give you a defining phrase, but then I have to give
you the passage to illustrate it, because all I can do is use
the words. I don't have enough vocabulary
to explain it in a big paragraph. This seeking by God is not for
discovery's sake. God's not trying to discover
who will worship him in spirit and truth. It is unto manifestation
for the people's sake. Hear what I said. This seeking
by God is not for discovery's sake, but unto manifestation
of the fact to these people. Go to Luke sometime, chapter
15, verses one through 10. Jesus Christ began to associate
with publicans and sinners, and they began to want to hear him.
And people murmured, this man receives sinners and eats with
them. And then what's he do? He gives
us at least two, there's more, but gives us two illustrations
of God seeking the sinner. A sheep, man's got 100, one of
them goes into the wilderness. It's lost, what's the shepherd
do? He goes and finds it. And he brings it home. Now it's
already his sheep. He knew where it was lost at.
Didn't he? It wasn't lost over there and
he went looking over here. He knew where the sheep was.
And he went and found the sheep. He sought the sheep. He got the
sheep. He picked the sheep up. He put
it on his shoulders. He came home and then he said,
everybody, you be happy with me. My sheep was lost, I found
it. I brought it home. Here's a woman,
she got 10 pieces of silver. She loses one. She sweeps diligently
till she, not hoping, till she knows it's lost, we're in the
house. She wasn't in somebody else's house looking for the
lost coin. It's lost here. She sweeps, Mason,
how long? Till she finds it. I need a high
priest like that, don't you? That's what I need. And she comes
home, she said, everybody, rejoice with me. And then our Lord said
these words. I wanna read those to you. And
I'll close with a brief statement. Verse 10, likewise I say unto
you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one
sinner that repenteth. And it means repent. Turn from
yourself and bow down to him. One amazing, I'll just point
out something. Paul preached on Nicodemus, or no, Zacchaeus. Notice that it says Zacchaeus
hurried up, he came down, but then it says he stood. So what's
that? Let me know. He was in the dust
before the feet of Jesus Christ, and he stood. You see, God will put you in
the dust. first, before you ever stand
united to him hand in hand. You will find yourself at his
feet, just like that old wretched whore come and washed his feet
with her tears, anointed his head with that alabaster box
of ointment, and then wiped his feet with the hair of her head.
Yes, God seeks such as that to worship him, and they'll worship
him in spirit, that is gonna be an inner thing. Spirit ain't
this. It ain't this. Spirit's down
in here. That's where the spirit's at.
The spirit ain't out here. It's down in here. And it's truth. And you miss either one of those,
you missed it all. But God's got some folks. And
he's seeking them out. And he's bringing them to himself.
All who deny this, they reject the sanctity of the priesthood.
People who believe in universal redemption, they deny the sanctity
of the priesthood. According to the Apostle Paul,
all who love Christ as he is, they love his sanctity as well. So much so that in 1 Corinthians
16, verses 22 through 24, he summed it up this way. If any
man love not our Lord God, Jesus Christ. There's a lot of people
loving Jesus, but they don't love the Lord Jesus. There's
a lot of people that will say, I love the Lord Jesus, but they
don't know he's really the Christ. He came to do something in particular. That's the whole purpose of the
coming of the Christ. He came to accomplish some things. But if any man loved not our
Lord Jesus Christ, what did Paul say about that man or that woman?
Young or old, let them be Anathema maranatha. Let them be under
the curse of God until God comes again. So you either love Christ
as Christ is or you don't love him at all. But if you love him
as he is, I don't care how weak it seems to be, that love's beyond
your ability and my ability. That's a gift of God. Isn't it
not? That's a gift of God. Father,
bless us, teach us, strengthen us. In Christ's name, amen.