Well, good evening. Hate to interrupt, good fellowship. If you would, let's begin our service looking at our Bibles at Psalm 110. Psalm 110. The Lord said unto my Lord, sit thou at my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool. The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion. Rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power. In the beauties of holiness, from the womb of the morning, thou hast the due of thy youth. The Lord has sworn and will not repent. Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. The Lord of thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath. He should judge among the heathen. He shall fill the places with the dead bodies. He should wound the heads over many countries. He should drink of the brook in the way. Therefore, shall he lift up his head.

All right, Jonathan. Turn with me, if you would, to page number 10. Page number 10. Oh God, our help in ages past, we'll sing together. O God, our help in ages past, our hope for years to come, our shelter from the stormy blast, and our eternal home. Under the shadow of thy throne, still may we dwell secure. Sufficient is thine arm alone, and our defense is sure.

? Before the hills in order stood ?
? O'er earth received her frame ?
? From everlasting thou art God ?
? To endless years the same ?
? Time like an ever rolling stream ?
? Bears all its sons away ?
? They fly forgotten as a dream ?
? Dies at the opening day ?

O God, our help in ages past, our hope for years to come, be thou our guide while life shall last, and our eternal home.

Let's turn over now, if you would, to page 39. Page 39. This is My Father's World. I looked this up today to prepare for this evening. This song had been in my head all day. This is my father's world, and to my listening ears, all nature sings and round me rings the music of the spheres. This is my Father's world, I rest me in the thought Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas, His hand the wonders brought. This is my father's world. The birds their carols raise. The morning light, the lily white, declare their maker's praise. This is my father's world. He shines in all that's fair. In the rustling grass, I hear him pass. He speaks to me everywhere. This is my father's world. Oh, let me ne'er forget. That though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet. This is my father's world. The battle is not done. Jesus, who died, shall be satisfied, and earth and heaven be one.

Let's open our Bibles to Exodus chapter 28. Exodus chapter 28. Tonight we'll be looking at the first three verses. 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 and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron's sons. And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, for glory and for beauty. And thou shalt speak unto all that are wisehearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron's garments to consecrate him, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office." We'll end our reading there.

Let's bow before our Lord together. Our great God, our holy, sovereign, merciful Heavenly Father. Father, we've gathered here together this evening in the name of your son, our Lord Jesus Christ. We've gathered together to worship your matchless name. We've gathered together with the heart's desire to hear a word from thee, to hear a word that you would apply to our hearts that would reveal to us more of the Lord Jesus Christ.

And Father, I beg that you would mix faith with everything that that we hear tonight of our Savior, that that each of us may believe on him, that we may rest our souls in him. Fathers, we go through your word this evening. I pray that you would make it so obvious to the just the mind, but to the heart of each one of us. that the Lord Jesus Christ is everything that we need. He's fully able to save even the worst of sinners like we are from all of our sin by offering himself as a sacrifice for the sin of his people.

Father, give us faith to trust him, to find our all and in all in him who is able, the only one who's able to save us to the uttermost. Father, and as we ask that you would bless us tonight, we ask that you would bless your people wherever they're meeting together tonight. Father, cause your word to go forth in power to end this dark day in which we live, that you might reveal to us the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, your redemptive glory in the person of Christ our Savior.

Father, if it could be possible that you'd cause the word to go forth and in such power that there'd be a revival across this land. We know it'll happen, Father, if you would be pleased to reveal yourself in our midst. And Father, we continue to hold up to thee those that are in times of great trouble and trial and heartache. Father, we freely confess we're the most blessed people on the face of this earth. How you've blessed us in every way, especially spiritually, even physically, material, how you blessed us. But in this flesh, we're a poor and a needy people. We are never past the point that we need you every second. And Father, for those that you brought into the valley, we pray that you would be with them in a special way, that you'd comfort their hearts with your presence. And Father, soon as it could be thy will that you deliver, that you bring them out according to your will for your glory and for our learning. Father, all these things we ask, and we give thanks in that name which is above every name, the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, amen.

Now, I've titled the message tonight, The High Priest and His Sons. Now, there are three offices in Israel of old that were very important offices, and all three of them are pictures of Christ.

There had to be a king. Now, there's not, at this time, there's no king, not gonna be a king for many years until David comes along, But there had to be a king to rule. And I know Saul was the first king of Israel, but David was the first one in the picture of Christ, wasn't he? The man after God's own heart.

But there must be a king to rule. There must be a prophet, that prophet, like unto Moses, that represents God to the people. It's the job of the prophet to tell the people what it is that God says. If the prophet doesn't tell us what God says, we'd never know, would we?

And then there has to be a priest. There has to be a priest like Aaron that represents the people to God. The job of the high priest is to offer sacrifices and to make intercession for the people.

And the salvation of our souls require that Christ be all three of these to us. He's our prophet. The only way that we understand God's word and have any faith in it, any understanding of it, any belief of it, is God's our teacher. God's our teacher. He takes his word and applies it to our hearts. Then we'll believe.

He's got to be our prophet. He's got to be our priest. He's got to be the one that offers a sacrifice to God that will put away sin. And then he's got to be our king, the king that we bow to, the king who rules sovereignly over us.

Salvation requires that Christ be all three of those offices.

And tonight I want to look at Christ, our great high priest. And the first thing that you see here, as you start reading about the priest, is the high priest was elected by God. He was chosen by God. Verse one, the Lord told Moses, and take thou unto thee Aaron, thy brother, and his sons with him, for among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office. The father chose Aaron to be the priest, the first high priest over Israel. He could have chosen anybody, I reckon, but he chose someone from the tribe of Levi. He chose Aaron to be his first high priest. And that's just exactly what happened when the father elected a savior for his people. The father's the one that chose a savior for his people. He didn't leave salvation up to the doing of his people. The father elected a savior that would save God's elect from their sin. It's Christ, our great high priest.

If you look over Hebrews chapter five, You might wanna mark the book of Hebrews. We're gonna be looking at several places in the book of Hebrews tonight about this priest. Hebrews 5, verse 4. And no man taketh this honor unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron, so also Christ. Just like God chose Aaron, so also Christ, the Son of God. He glorified not himself to be made a high priest, But he that said unto him, thou art my son, today have I begotten thee. As he saith also in another place, thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. The father chose a high priest for his people and he chose his son. Now you can either hold your place there or let me read it to you. Isaiah chapter 42. When the father chose a high priest for his people, he chose wisely. He chose the only one who could get the job done, his son. He says in Isaiah 42 verse one, behold my servant, whom I uphold, mine elect. He's talking there about his son. The son is the first of God's elect. God chose him to be the savior, to be the high priest of his people. And he can't fail. In whom my soul delighteth. I put my spirit upon him. He shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.

So the father chose the only one who's capable of doing the job of a high priest to offer sacrifice for sin that will actually put sin away and satisfy the father's justice. Now, the best Aaron could ever be is a picture of Christ, isn't it? He offered animal sacrifices, animal blood, which can never take away sin, but he was a picture of Christ to come who would offer that sacrifice that would put away the sin of his people. And when Christ came, now remember, he's the only one who could get the job done. He's the only priest who can offer sacrifice that'll put sin away. He's the only priest that's able to make intercession for the people. When Christ came, he didn't pick a lamb or a bullet from the field somewhere. He offered himself as a sacrifice for the sin of his people. He offered himself because he's the only perfect sacrifice. Now try to get your head around this. The high priest offered himself as the sacrifice upon the altar, which is him. Now try to get your head wrapped around that, but that's amazing, isn't it? That can't be understood with the natural mind. It can only be understood or believed with God-given faith. And if God's given you faith to believe Christ, you understand exactly what I just said. He's the priest that offered himself upon the altar of himself. He's all of our salvation. This is the high priest, the high priest that the Father chose. He's the only one able to put away sin. This is the high priest that I can trust to put my sin away.

Look at Hebrews chapter three, verse one. Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the apostle and the high priest of our profession, Christ Jesus, who was faithful to him that appointed him. As also Moses was faithful in all his house, for this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, insomuch as he who hath builded the house hath more honor than the house. This man, this high priest, was faithful to him. He was faithful to the father that appointed him. He's faithful to do everything that it took to put the sin of his people away. He's faithful. Now you can trust him. Trust your soul to him.

Look at Hebrews chapter four. You know, if the Lord will really enable us to consider Christ, our great high priest, we'll trust him. Hebrews four verse 14. Seeing then that we have a great high priest that's passed into the heavens, Jesus, the son of God, let's hold fast our profession. For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was at all points tempted, like as we are, yet without sin. So let us therefore come boldly under the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. This is the high priest you can trust. If you consider his sinlessness, how he was the sinless sacrifice, he's the sinless lamb of God. He was tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin. Every single time you and me are tempted, we sin. Our high priest never did once. He never sinned once. It makes him the perfect sacrifice. And you can trust him and you can always trust him.

Look at Hebrews chapter seven. Hebrews seven verse 24. But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. Now Aaron wasn't always the priest. He died, didn't he? His son had to take his place and Maybe the son's not gonna be as good as the daddy. You never know. Christ isn't the high priest who dies and somebody else takes his place. He's got an eternal priesthood. He's always been and always will be the high priest of his people, so you can always trust him. He hath an unchangeable priesthood.

Wherefore, because of that, he's able also to save them to the uttermost, that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth. to make intercession for them. For such a high priest became us. This is the kind of high priest we need, who's holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, 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. Christ had no sin of his own that had to be atoned for. on the day of atonement, we'll look at in the coming weeks. The high priest, if he's gonna be ceremonially clean, first thing he had to do is offer a sacrifice for himself. Then he could offer a sacrifice for the sins of the people. Christ had no sin of his own. No sacrifice needed to be made. His sacrifice put away all of the sin of all of his people, wherefore he's able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him.

Now you trust him. You can always trust him. He's got the unchangeable priesthood. Now you come, come, come to him, believe him, trust him.

You can trust this high priest because he's the only high priest that ever finished the job. Look at Hebrews chapter eight. Hebrews chapter eight, verse one. Now the things which we have spoken, this is the son. We have such an high priest who is set on the right hand of the throne of the majesty in the heavens, a minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched and not man. The Lord, Jesus, our great high priest was not ministering in a sanctuary made with hands. This is a spiritual sanctuary. This is a spiritual transaction between him and the father and his sacrifice that he offered for the sin of his people, put their sin away. Not one other thing needs to be done to put your sin away if Christ died for you. Not one single thing. And the proof of it is in verse one. We have such an high priest who is set on the right hand of the throne of the majesty in the heavens. You know why our savior's sitting down? There's no more work left to do. There's no more work. He finished it. Now you can trust this high priest to put your sin away Cause he's already successful. The father has already accepted his sacrifice and he's sitting on the right hand of the father in heaven. You can trust him.

Look at Hebrews 9 verse 11. This high priest is not dealing in types and pictures and shadows. He's dealing with the real thing. But Christ, being coming high priest of good things to come, 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, not these types and pictures and shadows, but by his own blood, he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

One sacrifice is all it took. One more scripture here, Hebrews 10 verse 11. This is the point I'm trying to make. He's already finished the work. Now trust him. Verse 11, Hebrews chapter 10. Every priest ain't a daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But this man, but this high priest, our great high priest, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, he sat down on the right hand of God from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool, for by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified."

It's done. This high priest was the only one who could get the job done, and he did get the job done. He offered that himself as a sacrifice for the sin of his people. The Father's already accepted it. Now you trust him. And if you're trusting him, I can tell you this, you're rejoicing. Every time you hear about how Christ made satisfaction for his people, how his death put away your sin, how his obedience, he is everything that God requires of you. You rejoice, don't you?

Peter wrote about that in 1 Peter 2. Verse 24, who his own self bear our sins in his body on the tree. that we being dead to sins should live under righteousness by whose stripes ye were healed. Now here's why, here's where you see how we're rejoicing because the sacrifice of Christ is effectual. Peter didn't say by whose stripes you'll be healed someday when you awaken Christ's likeness and glory. He said by whose stripes you were healed. It's already done. The blood of Christ, if you're one of God's elect, has already healed you. from every spiritual disease, every wound and bruise and putrefying sores, now you come to him. You come to him.

And you know, it's the person of Christ that makes a sinner comfortable coming to him. You know that? Self-righteous people never were comfortable coming into the presence of the Savior, but sinners always were. Now, if you're a sinner, you come to Christ And that brings me to my second point.

Look back in our text, Exodus 28. The high priest was taken from among the people. In Exodus 28 verse one, and thou shalt take unto the heir thy brother and his sons with him from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office. When the father chose a high priest to be a picture of his son, this first high priest, he chose Aaron. He chose somebody, I won't say everybody knew. I mean, I don't know 3 million people. How can you know everybody? But many, many, many people in Israel knew Aaron. He had been instrumental in this thing of being with Moses as the Lord delivered the children of Israel from Egypt.

The Lord chose somebody that people already knew. It wasn't somebody from a far away place. It wasn't an angel. who came from heaven and a nature that's different than ours, that would awe us, you know, and everything that he was doing as a high priest. The Lord chose a high priest from among the people, somebody who was just like him, had the exact same nature, so that when he's offering sacrifices, he understands why he's offering sacrifices, because the rest of the people are just as sinful as him. He understands why he's making intercession with God for the people, because the people are just like him.

I can't please God. I need forgiveness of my sins every day, every second. He understood because he was taken from among the people. When the father chose the high priest to be the savior of his elect people, he selected someone, the son of God, But if he's going to be the representative of his people, he's got to become a man so that he can be taken from among the people, so he could have the nature of the people to offer a sacrifice for them. God can't be our representative. He can't be our substitute. He can't be our high priest because he doesn't have the same nature we do. So God had to become a man. How do you talk about that? God became a man. And this is something that I would imagine is at least mentioned in every gospel message, how that the son of God became a man so he could be our representative. But I hope we don't hear that so often that we don't stop and think about the awesomeness of what he did. The son humiliated himself to give up his glory as the glory of heaven. I mean, John said when he saw heaven, he said, it doesn't need a son, the Lamb's the light thereof. And he gave up his glory as the son of God and appeared in human flesh. He humiliated himself to confine himself to a body just like ours. Now he still had all the power of God, but he never one time performed a miracle for himself. because I can't and you can't. He performed miracles for the benefit of others, but never for himself.

He humiliated himself to be limited to a human body, to live and be tempted in every way just like we are, yet without sin. He's bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh. The difference between him and us is he never sinned. And he humbled himself. Now you think about him being in glory. And he humbled himself to come live in this world that is under the curse of sin, to live amongst sinners, to not just live in the cesspool of this world, but live right up with them, have them right up just next to him. And even his closest friends and followers who really, truly believed him, they banned him at the drop of a hat, didn't they? Peter, how many times did Peter quit the ministry? I mean, you know, they're all just, Oh, the love of our savior, that he did that knowing the humiliation that he was gonna suffer because he's determined to save his people from their sin.

He went so far as to take the sins of his people into his own holy, precious body on the tree and suffer the wrath of his father for those sins, to suffer and die. And that body that had never sinned It didn't die because sin killed it. It died because his sacrifice for sin was complete. Sin was gone and he gave up the ghost. And he said, it's finished. Life himself died. The creator gave himself into the hands of the creature to do with what they would so that his people would be saved from their sin.

After our high priest went to those extremes, to do everything that it took to save his people from their sins. He's not gonna fail you now. He's not going to drop the ball now. You can trust him. Christ is the great high priest. He's not just a picture like after the order of Aaron. He's the great high priest. Look again at the book of Hebrews. Hebrews chapter two. Well, I think we've already read this. This is not the passage I was, I don't think I was looking for about how he was made a priest after the order of Melchizedek, but Paul says here, or the writer says in verse 17, wherefore in all things it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren. He was made a man so that he could be taken from among his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, not just in picture, but things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of his people.

This man, our great high priest, he's not serving in types and pictures. He's the God man come, who is able to save. It didn't say here that he tried to make reconciliation for the sins of his people, or he gave it a good run. He's gonna offer reconciliation. He made it. He already made reconciliation for the sins of his people. by his precious blood that took away the sin that made the father angry. Now the transaction's already done. Now you trust him, trust him.

Then the third thing about the high priest is this, back in our text, Exodus 28. He wore holy garments. Verse two says, and thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, for glory and for beauty. Now the garments that Aaron wore says here are called holy garments. They were a solid white linen. All the priests wore the solid white linen pants and girdle and all this stuff, you know, as a picture of holiness. But all Aaron can be is a picture of Christ. Those solid white linen garments that he put on, they're just a picture, aren't they? He's wearing the garment. It looks like he's wearing the garments of somebody else. He's wearing somebody else's righteousness, somebody else's holiness. That's you and me, isn't it? What Christ made his people to be.

And the high priest garments. Now, all the priests wore the same outfit every day, but on the Day of Atonement, the high priest wore garments that were especially holy. that were especially glorious, that are special pictures of Christ, and we'll be looking at those in the next couple of weeks. But all of this is a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ redeeming his people by his sacrifice. That sacrifice that he offered to the Father. If you and I could really see what Calvary looked like, it didn't look like anything any artist has ever painted. It was more gory and I don't even know the words, just breathtakingly awful. What would that look like? But the father said, that's beautiful. That's beautiful to me because of that sacrifice satisfies my justice and that sacrifice that Christ offered to put away the sin of his people. That's the glory of God. His glory is seen in his death as a substitute for his people. He's holy, he's harmless, he's separate from sinners, yet he loves sinners enough to save them by sacrificing himself for their sin.

Now I tell you again, you come to him, you come to him. I tell you again, who was comfortable in the presence of the Lord Jesus? It was sinners, wasn't it? Are you a sinner? Then you come to Christ. He's the one that saves his people from their sins.

And the fourth thing about this priest is this. God gave people special skills to make these garments. It says in verse three, thou shalt speak unto all that are wisehearted, whom I filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron's garments to consecrate him, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office."

Now, here are former slaves. When you think about the children of Israel, they spent their whole life as slaves. They were stonemasons, or they were gathering straw, you know, to help make brick and so forth. And suddenly, somebody's able to work in gold and make all these things in the tabernacle that the Lord had called for. And I'm assuming it's women. are these skilled seamstresses that the Lord gave them special skill and wisdom to make these beautiful garments. Garments for the high priest.

And kind of show you the skill that it must have taken to make these. Look over at verse eight. And the curious girdle of the ephod, which is upon it shall be of the same according to the work thereof, gold, of blue, of purple, and scarlet, and fine twine linen. The Lord calls this the curious girdle of the ephod. Now I look that word curious up, it means it's an ingenious work. Something that somebody didn't know how to do before. To be able to take these threads of blue and gold and purple and fine twine linen, and this wasn't like a golden thread, it was gold that they hammered into this you know, real thin strand and that they would weave in with all this stuff. Somebody was given wisdom and ability they didn't have before to be able to make these high priest garments.

Well, those high priest garments, all those things are, are pictures of the Lord Jesus Christ, of who He is and the body that the Father prepared for His Son. Our Savior said, a body hast thou prepared me. This sinless body conceived in the womb of the Virgin by the Holy Ghost is a curious work, an ingenious work, a body that only the Father could prepare in the womb of the Virgin. And that body, that man that was born, he's beautiful. He's beautiful. He's beautiful in holiness. He's beautiful in his righteousness. He's beautiful in how He forgives sin. He's beautiful in His love, His love for the Father, His love for His people. He's beautiful in His faithfulness that He'll never fail you. There's none like Him. The Father made that body, that beautiful, glorious body for His Son. So that body could die in our place. What a curious work. So that he could be the high priest that would offer himself as a sacrifice so that we would have eternal life.

Doesn't that make you want to worship him? I mean, it does me. He did that. He did that on purpose. Oh, and the only people who see the glory of that are people that God's caused to be born again. and given eyes to see him. The only people who ever saw the high priest in those glorious garments were the people of Israel. And the only people that see the glory of this one that I'm describing to you are people that God's given eyes to see, a heart to believe.

Now when you see him, I mean if God saved you, now you see him, hearing who he is, doesn't that thrill you? Doesn't that give you Comfort needs for your soul hearing who he is. I want you to get a hold of your seat. If the Lord will show you this, like he showed it to me, this will be a blessing, something you can take home with you and thrill you the rest of the week. This is a real blessing for sinners.

The high priest's sons were made just like their daddy. Verse one, and thou shalt take unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him. For among the children of Israel that they may minister unto me in the priest's office, even Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar, Aaron's sons." Now Aaron's sons here are pictures of every believer. He's made us kings and priests unto our God. Aaron's sons are pictures of every believer.

Now here's the thing that thrilled my soul so much. When the Lord elected Aaron, He elected His sons, too. He elected His sons in Him, just like Christ, our great high priest, our Savior. When the Father elected a Savior for His people, He elected the people in Him, in Him, so that His people had never been seen outside of the Savior. They've always been accepted in the beloved, in Christ. Now Aaron's sons were not the high priest, not yet. One of them would be the high priest when Aaron died, but as long as Aaron lived, Aaron's sons were not the high priest. But you know, they dressed just like their daddy in the same white linen, the white linen, which is a picture of the holiness and righteousness of Christ. Now they weren't dressed like him on the day of atonement. And we'll look at this glorious dress in the coming weeks that the high priest wore on the day of atonement. On that day, Aaron's a special picture of Christ, offering the sacrifice for the sins of his people, but the rest of the time, Aaron's sons look just like him.

God's people, every one of God's elect, look just like Christ. You think of that, made the righteousness of God in him. I wrote an article on this, the bulletin from last Sunday, trying to explain and understand and enjoy this thing that when the father sees me, all he sees is Christ. The father doesn't even see Christ in me, in Christ, like, oh, you know, there's Frank, but you know, he's awful, he's wretched, he's sinful, he's vile, but he's in my son, so I have to accept him. When the father looks at me, all he sees is Christ. And that's all I want Him to see. So that I've been made just like Him, hidden in Christ. Made just like Him. I still don't know another way to say it, but I hope you get what I'm trying to say. This is so thrilling. If I'm made just like Christ, the Father will always accept me.

Look at 1 Peter 2. This is what Christ has made all of His people to be. 1 Peter 2, verse 7. Unto you, therefore, which believe, he is precious. He is preciousness. But unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of a corner, a stone of stumbling, and a rock of a fence, even to them which stumble at the word. Being disobedient, weren't you? Also they were appointed. But you, you're a chosen generation. You're elected in Christ. When the father elected the savior, elected the people in him, you're a chosen generation. You're a royal priesthood, a holy nation. He's made you a royal priest. No man on earth could ever be both king and priest, except Christ our savior. And he's made his people just like him, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar, a purchased people, that you should show forth the praises of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light, which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God, which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

See, the father has always seen his people as holy, as righteous, as justified in Christ, the lamb slain from the foundation of the world. In the fullness of time, Christ came and did what he promised his father that he would do. He made his people just like him. He put their sin away and made them righteous in him. When he obeyed the law as our representative, his people did too. That's our righteousness. When he died, he washed his people in his precious blood, cleansed us from all of our caused us to be born again with a new nature that is so much better than being one of Aaron's sons.

Aaron's sons wore the same outfit that their father wore, and it was just an outward covering. First chance Nadab and Abihu got. Wearing that same outfit that their father wore, they offered strange fire before the Lord, and the Lord killed them. That's not a believer. Wearing Christ's righteousness covering up your sinful, rotten, dead nature. This is as brother Scott Richardson used to say, not a pasted on righteousness. It's been given a righteous nature in the new birth, a nature that is just like Christ.

Now that's salvation in Christ, our great high priest. It's what he's done for his people. And that's all Aaron ever could do. Do something for the people, offer a sacrifice for them, make intercession for them. but he couldn't put their sin away. He could offer a sacrifice and make intercession for someone and pray for them, but he couldn't apply mercy to their souls. He couldn't apply life for their souls. Christ has done a work for his people, and he's done a work in his people. He applied what he purchased on Calvary's tree.

And I know it does not yet appear what we shall be. You know, I look at myself, I don't see an old man and a new man. All I see is sinful man. I mean, I know he's there. I know he's been, I know it's, but when you look at me, you don't see it either, do you?

But that new man born of God is there. And when Christ returns, his people are going to see him as he is. And then we'll be like him. No more of this carrying around the new man inside of this Adam's carcass. We're gonna be made just like him. We're gonna see him as he is and be made like him, body and soul.

And we think that's wonderful now. We think that's wonderful now. I talked about that Sunday. You think about the Lord's return as a believer and all you can say is, even so come, even so come, Lord Jesus. This is, it's gonna be so much more glorious than we can ever imagine. And the only thing that we'll be able to do is spend eternity trying to say thank you. Praise his matchless name.

All right, I hope that'll be a blessing to you. Let's bow together. Our Father, how we thank you for your wisdom, your mercy, and your grace in sending a high priest who's able to save to the uttermost, whose sacrifice has put away the sin of his people, who's reconciled you to your people, Father, how we thank you.

Father, I pray you take the message as it's been preached tonight to take your word and apply it to your hearts of your people that our hearts would be overjoyed at thinking of Christ, our great high priest, the one who's ever faithful, the one who cannot fail. Father, cause it to thrill our hearts, cause it to calm our hearts and comfort our hearts, cause it to draw us ever closer to Christ our savior. For it's in his precious name we pray and give thanks, amen.

Okay, Jonathan. If you would, let's stand together and turn to page 226. 226.

my Savior. I am not skilled to understand what God hath willed
What God hath planned
I only know at His right hand is one who is my Savior.

I take Him at His word. Indeed, Christ died for sinners. this I read,
for in my heart I find a need of Him to be my Savior.
That He would leave His place on high and come for sinful men to die,
you count it strange, so why did I before I knew my Savior.

And oh, that He fulfilled, may see, the travail of His soul in me,
and with His work contented me, as I with my dear Savior.
Yea, living, dying, let me bring my strength, my solace from this spring
that he who lives to my King, once died to be my Savior.