Christ our Great High Priest

Now let's turn in our Bibles to Exodus chapter 28, please. It's very nice to be with you folks again. Nice prayer meeting.

Interestingly, the older you get, your dependence upon God grows, doesn't it? Something about human nature. When you're young, you think you've got all kinds of energies to conquer everything, right? And then the mind gets weak and the body gets weak and you realize the greatness of God was there all along. Anyways, a few thoughts about the Lord Jesus, our great high priest.

Of course, of late there's been a lot of death and suffering, trials. It doesn't matter whether you're on the East Coast or the Mid or the West, it's all the same. And we need to be encouraged.

Exodus 28, of course, this is just going to reflect a greater person, the Lord Jesus. Aaron, look at verse number 28. Exodus 28, verse 28.

And they shall bind the breastplate by the rings thereof onto the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, that it may be above the curious girdle. That's the belt that was on the outside of the ephod, a curious girdle of the ephod. That is a very interesting word, the curious girdle, curious.

Behind that word curious is the, you ever look at something and it's like you can't look away? There's something about it that just, you're not too sure what you're looking at, but there's something intriguing about it? Well, this belt that is on the outside of all of this gorgeous apparel, called the curious girdle, the curious belt. There was something about it that just captivated the eye. Well, keep on reading.

Verse number 28, may above the curious girdle of the ephod, and that the breastplate be not loosed from the ephod. So the ephod is what is underneath and the belt is over, and then you have this breastplate that is just out front here. Verse 29, and Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart.

Notice that, upon his heart, when he goeth in unto the holy place for a memorial before the Lord continually. And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim. Those are two stones, probably a black and a white stone.

There's a few ideas on that, but just for simplicity's sake. And they shall be upon Aaron's heart when he goeth in before the Lord. And Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart.

There it is, the third time, before the Lord continually. And thou shalt make the robe of the ephod. So this is what's underneath the ephod now, that solid blue robe from neck to ankles.

And thou shalt make the robe of the ephod all of blue. And there shall be a hole in the top of it. In the midst thereof it shall have a binding of a woven work round about the hole of it, as it were the hole of a habregon, that it be not rent.

And beneath upon the hem of it thou shalt make pomegranates of blue and of purple and of scarlet, round about the hem thereof, and the bells of gold between them, round about a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, upon the hem of the robe thereof. And it shall be upon Aaron to minister. Please highlight this.

And his sound shall be heard when he goeth in unto the holy place before the Lord. And when he cometh out, that he die not. I almost don't know where to stop reading.

And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, engraven upon it like the engravings of a signet, holiness to the Lord. And then you've got this lace of blue that is going to hold it upon his head. And look at verse 38, the last expression.

Another interesting expression. And it shall be always upon his forehead that he may be accepted before the Lord. Now, if time allows, we might go to chapter 30.

I don't know whether you spend much time thinking about Christ as our great high priest. I was recently in a Bible study back home, and we were in the book of Hebrews, and there's a lot in the book of Hebrews about Melchizedek, our high priest. Not Aaron, but Melchizedek.

Normally when you and I think of the high priest, our minds go to the tabernacle structure, and it goes to Aaron. But when you're in the book of Hebrews, you're going to discover that once the expression order of Aaron is used, but what precedes it? Not after the order of Aaron. The Lord Jesus is not fashioned after the order of Aaron.

But what do you find six times? After the order of Melchizedek. Does that mean anything to you? So after the Bible study, this is what kind of got me. I heard a sister talking to another sister.

You know, you hope the Bible study meets people where they're at. I don't know what the big deal is about this Melchizedek man. I thought, oh dear, we failed.

We have failed. I want you to appreciate tonight. It's a wonderful thing to know that the Lord Jesus died for your sins.

That's a marvelous thing. But there's something greater. There's a living man in heaven that lives for you.

And his sound is so beautiful. That's the thing that God wanted these people to notice. We can look at this man Aaron, and only one man would dress like this.

All the other Levites, all Aaron and his sons. Aaron had four boys, and then there was the tribe of Levi. They were all just in solid white.

They had four things, the underneath white, and then the robe of white, and then the girdle, the belt of white, and the bonnet of white. But this man Aaron was at the top. And on top of all of that, he would put this lovely thing of blue that went right down to the ankles.

And on the bottom of that blue robe, there was all of these golden pomegranates and all these different colors of bells, sorry, golden bells, and red, blue, purple pomegranates all around the base. It's interesting you go through the tabernacle. I'm sure you've done this.

God is a very detailed God. And I'm amazed at how often he tells you exactly what this is going to be and the height of this and so on and so forth. But when it comes to the bells and the pomegranates, there's no number.

We have no idea. Sure, we can start to speculate what the size of them were and the length of material, and anybody here that does any work with sewing, you could probably come to a number. But we're just left wondering.

There's an endless almost of this. And as that man moved, there was this constant sound. It wasn't for the people.

It was for the ear of God. Maybe the people heard it. Maybe they looked at it, but that's fine.

But it's picturing something greater. You and I could never begin to comprehend the joy that is in the heart of the Father with his son at his right hand, glorified, moving as our great high priest. Think of the upper room ministry.

But I have prayed for thee. We've heard of individuals that are going through trials. I'm sure our brother Kent felt nice when you heard so many people pray your name and your dear wife as well.

Can you think of your Savior praying for you? What a sound! There's no motive. There's no ulterior motive in his praying. Maybe I prayed and used somebody's name because I'm trying to get points.

Let's just be honest. Sometimes we're praying to impress others. When the Lord Jesus prays for you and I, he's not trying to impress anybody.

He genuinely loves you. He lives for you. He wants nothing but the best for you and I. That's the big deal of Melchizedek.

You still might not be wondering, just figuring it out. Listen, why wouldn't the book of Hebrews naturally pick up Aaron? Why? That was the one that they were so familiar with in the Old Testament. Like this man, Melchizedek, he just comes out of nowhere in Genesis 14.

There's not even a word mentioned about him. And all of a sudden he just, boom, he just pops out of nowhere. And then he interacts with Abraham for maybe half an hour and, poof, gone.

Off the pages of Scripture. And you kind of wonder, where did that man go? And then David, Psalm 110. After the order of Melchizedek.

That just sort of came out of nowhere. And then you come over into the New Testament. And then the book of Hebrews just picks it up over and over and over again.

Why? Aaron dealt with the sin of the people and the sin of the nation. He was linked with law. That comes hundreds of years after Melchizedek.

There's no tabernacle system when Melchizedek is walking on the earth. No. That was all hundreds of years down this way where Aaron's involved.

It all has to do with animal sacrifices. And here's this man, Aaron, that's literally overcome daily by the sins of the nation and of the people. And dealing with this steady stream of sacrifices.

When I come and read about Melchizedek, he doesn't have one sacrifice. What does he have? He has bread and wine. First time in the Bible it comes together.

Prior, the first time you read of wine, there's a tremendous curse linked with it. No one naked on the ground. First time you read of bread, a curse back in the garden with Adam, the sweat of thy brow.

Here is a man that has removed the curse associated with those two things. And he's brought them together. Now think about what's happening in the early part of Genesis 14.

Here's this man Abraham. And all of a sudden lots and a whole bunch of people were taken captive by these kings. And you've got a small band.

We might wonder why in the world are we told 318 trained servants? Like what is that small number in relation to these five kings that swept down out of the north and took captive these four kings and they're sweeping them all back up into the north? What's 318 people going to do? You have to notice the name that Melchizedek introduces Abraham to. The Almighty. The Almighty God.

Numbers don't matter when you've got the Almighty God on your side. And here's Abraham. He just went after and through God's power.

He recovered all of the products and everything that was taken away. And now he's on the way back. And you know what Abraham doesn't know? The king of Sodom is getting ready to go out to meet him.

And he's going to try to tempt him. And on be known to Abraham, just around the bend is the king of Sodom coming toward him. That's where Melchizedek comes out of nowhere and meets him first.

Who are you? Well, I'm a king and I'm a priest. From where? From Jerusalem. What? Jerusalem? Where's that? I mean, that doesn't come into prominence until much, much later in the Old Testament with King David.

When he takes the city of Jerusalem from the Jebusites. God already has a king and a priest linked with a city. Guess what, when you come into the New Testament, the Old Testament.

What two cities are linked with the Lord Jesus? Bethlehem and Jerusalem. What two cities are linked with David? Bethlehem and Jerusalem. Like is anybody sitting here going, Whoa, just a minute now.

There's something going on here. Even this man, Melchizedek, is prefiguring God's son. And the incarnation hasn't even happened yet.

And here's Abraham. What does he do? Abraham, who pictures the entire nation of Israel, gives tithes to this man. Never met him before.

He gives him a tenth of everything. What ends up happening? Melchizedek blesses him. Gives him wine and bread.

Strengthens him. I'm not going to take time because my time is going. Go back to Genesis 14 and notice the words that Melchizedek quotes to Abraham.

And then notice when Abraham, Melchizedek leaves him, Abraham now is nourished. He's got these blessings from the God of heaven introduced to the mighty God. And all of a sudden the king of Sodom meets him.

Do you know what Abraham does? He quotes the very same thing that Melchizedek said to him. Do you know what was happening? Abraham didn't realize it, but he was being strengthened before the temptation. Abraham didn't know about it.

But God knew about it. Our high priest knows what is around every one of our corners. I don't, and you don't.

That's the benefit of being at a conference. That's the benefit, dear child of God. I hope you have read the Bible today.

We don't read the Bible for the sake of reading the Bible. Oh, good Christians read the Bible at least once a year. Okay, whatever, gold star, fine, move on.

No, no, no, no, there's more to it. I notice the young man there, he's writing with a pen and a notepad. Good for you.

Get beyond the preacher. Listen to the content. Is there anything that speaks to you? That's your high priest.

In the 21st century, he's trying to strengthen you. Do you take advantage of the midweek Bible study in your assembly? You know, if I have time, I feel sorry for you. There's a reason why God has given us these assembly gatherings.

It's how he strengthens us and feeds us. Yes, you have the individual aspect, but there's something as well as a corporate aspect. Tremendous thing, you know, in the 21st century, that the God of heaven still wants to communicate with us.

And strengthen us. So don't approach your Bible as sort of like, Oh, I'm something I have to do. Oh, well, Lord, I got 15 minutes.

I'll just sort of cram a little bit. Please take advantage of the only person that loves you fully, your Savior. Did you notice in Exodus 28? Let's bring this now connected over to Macalester Day.

So on top of the blue, there's that beautiful sound. I don't have time to develop it now, but brethren, that was not heard on the Day of Atonement in Leviticus 16. You go and read these old rabbis that don't know the first thing about the Bible, and they try to tell you that there was a rope tied on the high priest's leg, and on the Day of Atonement, he went into the holies of holies, and if they heard those bells, he must have died.

And they pull him out of the holies of holies. You're not reading your Bible. On the Day of Atonement, he took that off.

There was no sound. 359 days of the year, there was that sound. On one day, there was no sound.

Anyway, that's quite significant. So you've got this blue, and then you've got this lovely ephod, almost like a double apron thing. And then on top of that, you put the belt around.

Then on top of that, there was this double folded breastplate. You all know the pictures. You had those 12 gems, and they were all within compass by a hand's breath.

Where were they? They were right on his heart, bound to his heart. That's emphasized. When he would lean over, it wouldn't fall.

It was held tightly to his heart. Do you know that nobody loves you like your Savior? Your wife or your husband doesn't even come close. Not even close.

Do you know what we read three times? Inside that double pouch, there was these two stones. Do you know what they did with that? Individuals would come to the priest, and they had a problem. They needed direction.

This is how God would show his mind. I would like to do this. They're looking for a yes or a no.

The priest would take his hand, and he would put it inside that pouch, and he could feel those two stones. And all of a sudden, he would grasp one of them. Let's just assume it was white.

The answer is yes. Where did it come from? His heart. All direction that God did through this high priest, it came from the heart.

Do you understand, dear child of God, when you read this Bible, and you get direction from your Savior? It's from his heart because he loves you. I don't understand that all the time because sometimes God wills us to go through deep valleys, and it's still from his heart. Do you know what is a great encouragement to me? I fear trials.

I'll just be honest with you. I'd rather just take me home to heaven, God. Anyways, but when I visit saints that are going through deep valleys, and I get so impressed with the grace that God is pouring in.

I have sat with people, and you know what they've said to me? I wouldn't trade this experience for anything. What? What? It just doesn't make sense. There is the work of the great high priest, nourishing, strengthening, not only before the trial, but right in the middle of the trial.

Oh, dear child of God, wouldn't it be a wonderful thing, the business of life, just as a result of this weekend, we all heard the sound. What a sound. And then I thought, my time is gone, I thought of this golden thing.

What a sight. It was almost like it was the leading thing. Holiness to the Lord.

I was going to talk a little bit about, you think of how sin affects our thinking. Can you imagine the thinking of the Lord Jesus? Absolutely sinless. Holiness to the Lord.

It's tremendous. That's our Savior. Each one of us, I don't have any more of Him than you do.

All of us have the same Savior. That's why in the book of Hebrews, it's almost like you come to a pinnacle. We have such a great high priest.

May the Lord help us to feel the comfort from our high priest this weekend.