Our Great Hight Priest — Don McClure

Exodus 28 and the Ministry of the High Priest

Exodus chapter 28 though is where I would like to ask you to turn. And I want to look at our great high priest the one who goes into the holy place for us the one who takes us in before him as his great work of atonement is accomplished.

But here Exodus chapter 28 I'll read out of there here the Lord speaking to Moses giving him instructions on the ministry going on within the tabernacle and here specifically of the ministry of the great high priest.

And take thou unto the 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, Eliezer 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 wise hearted 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.

And these are the garments which thou shalt make a breastplate and an ephod a robe and a broidered coat miter and a girdle. They shall make holy garments for Aaron thy brother and his sons that he may minister unto me in the priest's office.

And they shall take gold and blue and purple and scarlet and fine linen. They shall make the ephod of gold and blue and purple and scarlet and fine twined linen with cunning work. And it shall have the two shoulder pieces thereof joined at the two edges thereof and so shall it be joined together.

And the curious girdle of the ephod which is upon it shall be the same according to the work thereof even of the gold of blue of purple of scarlet and fine twined linen. Thou shall take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the children of Israel six of their names on one stone and the other six names on the rest on the other stone according to their birth with the work of an engraver in stone like the engravings of a signet shalt thou engrave the two stones with the names of the children of Israel and thou shalt make them to be set in pouches of gold.

The Old Testament Revealed in Christ

We'll hold it there and and catch up with it here. One of the things that I heard I believe it was way back in Bible school many years ago. But a wonderful little phrase about the Bible that the new is in the old and contained in the old is in the new explained.

And it's really quite true in one sense there's not an awfully lot that is new in the New Testament. Much of what is in the New Testament it's already contained in the Old Testament. The New Testament really merely records for us that so many things that were prophesied and laid out in the Old Testament did happen hold keeps the record straight.

And so there isn't an awfully lot new in the New Testament. And so in one sense you can say the new is in the old contained but also the old is in the new explained. That is there's many wonderful pictures types symbols in the the Old Testament that gain their understanding in the new.

The writer of Hebrews says God who at sundry times and diverse manner spake unto us by his prophets now hath in these last days spoken unto us by his son. But here the writer tells us that different times in different ways it was all God speaking there by his prophets.

But now all that the prophets are really speaking of where it's finally fulfilled in Christ he's now his son has come to make it quite clear. That's why Jesus of course later on in the Sermon on the Mount as we are usually going through he tells them think not that I've come to destroy the law of the prophets he says far from it there won't be one jot or one tittle that I won't fulfill.

And there as far as Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament. Jesus once of course told the Pharisees he said you know you search the scriptures for in them you think you have eternal life. But they are they that speak of me the Old Testament it's all about Christ it's all pointing to him in many times only look at in the Old Testament.

We don't quite understand it as well as when we have the New Testament to look at those two together whether it is of course the Passover lamb which is perhaps the central and perhaps one of the greatest types of Christ and all the Bible that there are these hundreds of thousands indeed millions upon millions tens of millions of animals of lambs sacrificed year in and year out at the Passover.

And yet finally there is John the Baptist when he looked upon Jesus his first words behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world. Man had presented his lambs by the millions. But now all of those were merely pointing towards the lamb that one day would come.

We know that whether that to the children of Israel whether you know the rock from which they drank were told in first Corinthians 5 that with was Christ it was all about Christ. He was the he's the water of life he is the bread of life he is the man.

There is so many things that he fulfills that are so beautiful. And I suppose one of the most remarkable and wonderful things that we have of all is the high priest of which of course is one of the greatest pictures to me of Jesus and his glory and his ministry I suppose in all of the Old Testament.

Christ as the Heavenly High Priest

And we know of course now as we pick up the New Testament the writer of Hebrews tells us in Hebrews 3 1 it says. Wherefore holy brethren partakers of the heavenly calling consider there the apostle and high priest of our calling Christ Jesus he said there when we are now looking at Jesus we are looking at the high priest and here the high priest in the Old Testament he was merely a type and a symbol of the great high priest that would one day come.

We know from Hebrews 4 14 says. Therefore it's a scene then that we have a great high priest that is passed into the heavens Jesus the Son of God here he tells us that our great high priest is not merely one that was but he is a high right now this very moment he is passed into the heavens.

And perhaps one of the most wonderful pictures is the book of Revelation tells us there of the tabernacle that is right now in heaven and that there it sits it is merely the way it's a picture in the Old Testament we're looking at that tabernacle there of the real tabernacle that is in heaven that when here we have Aaron dressed up in all of these robes and so beautifully standing out there and all of human glory that you try to put together it is something there that is to speak of the heavenly glory and of the ultimate high priest doing his work in heaven Jesus for us.

In Hebrews 9 11 it says. But Christ being become a high priest of good things to come by a greater and a more perfect tabernacle not made with hands that is to say not this building here he says that right now Christ is it is a high priest in the heavens in a heavenly real tabernacle.

And so when we're looking here at Hebrews or permit Exodus 28 with the wonderful thing is now we can look at and realize it's all about Christ it's all about Jesus Christ when we are looking at it at him.

And we're looking at this with everything that we see of it in there to be able to realize it is a portrayal in one way or another of our Lord reveals something of him and so we're not stealing or changing or messing with it at all.

Then when we're merely wanting to see all we can of Jesus. And so here when we're looking here at the high priest and we see these garments as God speaks to Moses is here these are going to be garments for Aaron and for his sons and he says there that they were to have a glory about them.

The Glory and Beauty of the Priestly Garments

And I suppose there's a couple aspects of the glory. There's a natural glory but there's also a spiritual glory. I think as we'll see as we get into it first of all there's a natural glory in the sense that they were made of the costliest the most beautiful of materials gold blue purple scarlet fine twined linen here these were all of these things were of the the greatest in the and the most beautiful of all materials.

The blue and the purple and the scarlet were colors essentially usually set aside for royalty. And if you are aware you probably know that back in the Old Testament time the deepest and the richest in the most beautiful of dyes were also very costly that just to have a an outfit of a natural color was you know that just taken of the the wool or if something that they would make it up of the fabric was no great expense.

But to come up with the richest in the deepest of dyes like purple and blue and scarlet these were extremely extravagant processes very costly. We go buy an outfit and the color isn't fit into the price very much.

But it certainly did then. And the the deepest in the richest that's why they were they themselves were set aside for royalty and very beautiful very expensive. And also notice that there's a sense there's no expense of labor or of riches there to make these.

And of course the reason now we know is here God is making these unbelievably beautiful garments as we'll see as we look at them there are ones that they're simply speaking of Christ. But now to look at them a little closer here in verse 6 it says.

And they shall make an ephod of gold of blue of purple of scarlet and fine twined linen with cunning work. And it shall have two shoulder pieces thereof joined at the two edges thereof. And so shall it be joined together.

The curious girdle of the ephod which is upon it shall be the same according to the work thereof even of the gold blue and purple and scarlet and fine twined linen. But here we have once again these materials the richest in the deepest there that go into the ephod is it is first of all given to us.

But then is this. This first garment is made. It is a covering essentially there that covered Aaron from head to foot. A single piece there of a garment joined together there with the edges thereof. It is joined there for him.

But essentially as his head would kind of come through it it was essentially like a robe that covered him entirely here. Aaron of course being a human being representative there of our Lord he had to therefore be covered essentially you might say and hidden entirely that when he went before God it wasn't Aaron.

It was there a picture of our great high priest and all the royalty and all the beauty and all the wealth and all the preciousness of Jesus Christ as he went in. And I suppose again that when you would stop to look at the high priest there are the real high priest Jesus.

Obviously we have got to be looking at the costliest of all materials there have ever been. Who could even begin to dream of telling a price for him. How could you begin to put a price on his redemptive love for you and me.

How could you begin to put a price on his sacrificial act you know of offering up his life for us. How can you begin to put a price on the on the fine twined linen of his spotless obedience. Here's something there is even of linen again an extremely precious fabric.

And particularly if it was fine twine linen there's something where it absolutely perfect in you know many of their fabrics you know they'd have all sorts of inconsistencies the the wool would be thick and thin and all you know sorts of things even is in many of our garments still sometimes.

But linen particularly a fine twine linen absolutely perfect absolutely consistent. You could look at it and just see that the magnificence of it in here when you were again we're looking at Christ. We're looking at one that you can't even begin to guess the price.

How would he have all the things that you would ever put a price on. And all the world of all the things what could ever be come near to the story of our redemption the story of God's love for you of his sacrifice of his life for you.

Of his promise to come and gather you together unto himself to take him home. To take you home to be with him forever and there one day to wake up in his likeness to be conformed into his image and to share his life forever.

How could you guess the price is priceless. It's beyond anything notice as well of the ephod that it was something there as were all of the garments. But they essentially they were. They were spiritually made made by God's Spirit.

For it says in verse 3. And thou shalt speak unto all that are wise heart to do my a 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.

But notice here that each one of these people actually making these garments is as good as they may normally be at their craft as good as they may be working with stones and polishing the stones in as wonderful as they may be working with gold and as talented as they may be it.

You know it weaving the fabrics and making the linens and dying the the fabrics or it's sewing and putting things together. We are told here about this specific garment that the Holy Spirit endowed them with wisdom the craft there to do it.

All the skill of heaven is gone into making this garment. And of course when you stop and realize here is those that have the spirit of wisdom again what a wonderful picture I think is we stop and we're looking again in Jesus the spirit of wisdom going in there to making the great.

They're making the high priest because there's never been a wiser act I suppose a greater act a greater proof of wisdom. Then it's gone once again into our great high priest. Sit there and realize that when you and I are looking at Jesus Christ we are looking at the wisdom of God as the Bible says Christ was the power and the wisdom of God.

And to think here a holy God a pure God who could not so much as look upon sin. And yet there he loved fallen man sinful to the core hopelessly lost. How do you take a holy God and not infringe for a moment on his holiness and yet allow his love to capture and redeem and restore the hearts of his lost back to himself.

And yet there when you're looking at Jesus Christ you are realizing all the wisdom of the ages is gone into this wonderful ministry of our high priest who he is on how we can come in love and approach sinful men all of our weaknesses all of our inconsistencies all of our wretchedness.

And yet there when you look at him you realize that that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself. The Bible says the wonderful thing is we see this high priest. What wisdom. No wonder the angels.

Peter tells us in the New Testament the angels love to just sit in heaven and they literally watched the unfolding drama of redemption. Is there the angels looked and watched how is God going to do this.

Even themselves couldn't understand that there was such wisdom that was to be revealed that that the angels themselves would see. But yet they did notice as well that this garment essentially is already said it covered the priest completely.

And once again we're speaking of Jesus in a sense there that what Jesus is what he was what he will be he you know he is completely always totally. There's no shadow of turning in him what he is he just is thoroughly totally the high.

The ministry of being a high priest is something when you pick up your Bible and you begin to look at it you realize that this role covered Jesus from eternity past all the way into the incarnation. It covered him from cradle to cross to an empty tomb to the ascension.

And now he ever lives to make intercession for us. He has no other service he has no other ministry. In a sense you might say it entirely is overtaking him what Jesus is. He's a high priest. And he's it from cover to core he's it thoroughly totally completely is entirely covered in it.

When you watch and you realize his life day in and day out every day that's recorded for us. You watch the high priest wake up and go out to minister love restore redeem encourage fill draw people to himself unendingly.

Christ’s Intercession and the Believer’s Future Glory

So and you know this the wonderful thing is the Bible tells us one day he'll take us in his glorious image and we'll awaken his likeness his when his ministry of being high priest is done when it is at his fullest point every one of us will awaken his likeness.

I remember years ago my mother she'd say I don't know why she said it but I can remember her saying at times you know maybe there's something would happen and she'd say boy I'd love to be a fly on the wall for that one whatever it was.

And and I you know that's when you go to bed at night you look at your brothers and say hey something's wrong with mom. She wants to be a fly on the wall. That's not much to look forward to. But you know I think a lot of us we actually even when you think of heaven many of us we'd be willing just to be a fly on the wall.

If I could just go if I could just be there to wake up in heaven I just just to know I can go and be there. I don't. I'm just a fly on a wall. But let me tell you Jesus will have none of that. He'll have none of that.

Every one of us see when he we will awaken his likeness we will share his identity we will share his glory. We will have all of his life within us nothing less. And that's his high priesthood ministry.

He couldn't stand to have it anything different than that. And to think there that that is his business. And he is somebody that he being a lover of men a forgiver of sins being an advocate being an intercessor for us it's not a side job with Jesus.

It's not like it's something that he can just do when it's called upon. But he has another occupation or another interest redeeming restoring forgiving interceding being an advocate presenting faultless.

It's all he does. It's all he wants to do. It's all he seems to be really concerned about. And that's his ultimate glory. It's his ultimate identity of having to love that is so selfless. And into our conversion and our restoration into our for the full measure of every one of our lives today how it ought to be as we prepare our own hearts for communion to realize this is his work tonight is our priest want to take us before God and they want to pour out his love upon us.

Are we sinners. Of course nobody. On the only qualification you fundamentally have to take communion. You got to be a sinner. What is what's communion to anybody. But a sinner it's certainly not much of a meal.

If you're hungry you know I mean there when you start to look what else could this be. It is of only a value to a sinner who needs an intercessor who needs a high priest. That's the qualification. And tonight as we take it communion realize that there is one who's not just stepping aside and say oh it's the first Thursday of the month and it's time now for me to put on my priestly robe and go and do my duty of cleaning up these dirty sinners you know something so and then get back to something else.

This is what he does. This is what he loves doing. And when you think there you know how phenomenal this is. Then notice as well verse 9 of church chapter 28. There is this and I'll show take two onyx stones engrave on them the names of the children of Israel six of their names on one stone and the other six names of the rest on the other stone according to their birth with the work of an engraver and stone like an engraving of a signet.

Thou shalt engrave the stones with the names of the children of Israel. Thou shall make them to be set in pouches of gold. Now we have here is the high priest came in before God as he would enter into the holiest of all there.

He didn't come in with it for himself or his own glory for his own beauty. He didn't come in for that. He came in with his people with his loved people as redeemed to people. And how wonderful here as we see the high priest notice there that a couple things about as he came in with these stones that first of all they were precious stones.

The Precious Stones and God’s View of His People

Precious stones. You know as we look at these onyx stones that are there and there's something there. Well I think the wonderful thing he doesn't go out and just get a you know go get just some dirt or go get some stones or go get a piece of granite and do something.

No he was instructed. There are these a God instructed Moses he said you get onyx. You get these beautiful stones there and as you get them because this is something that this is representing the redeemed two stones one on each shoulder six of the first thing.

The first six according their birth and then the other six according their birth on the other shoulder. But there as they came in it was something there is the high priest presented them. He presented them as precious before God precious before him.

Malachi 317. The Lord says to the children of Israel they should be mine. Saith the Lord of hosts. When I make up my jewels God looks there at his own redeemed. He looks at his people. He says when I make up my treasures my jewels you'll be mine.

They weren't acting like it. Exodus 19 5. The Lord says he says you should be a peculiar people to me above all people all the earth is mine he says. But you you're peculiar you are special to me. Oh maybe some are in there as we would look around.

And I suppose you can look around tonight and you know summer and simmer cuter or prettier or smarter or more talented or a little more or less of all of this other stuff as we measure each other. But the wonderful thing is from God's perspective in his eyes there's none so fair when he looks at you tonight and he looks at another he is the preciousness that you have.

In his eyes it is no less precious than any other being. I suppose one of the most astounding truths to me of all the Bible. And I wouldn't believe it if it wasn't for Jesus saying it himself I could.

I don't think anybody else could convince me of it. But in John 17 and when Jesus is praying for us he says. Father for thou lovest them as thou lovest me now that's an amazing thing. I mean to sit there and to think that God looks at you tonight and he loves you as much as he loves his own son.

Again. I would think that would be heresy to say it if it wasn't that Jesus said it. And then I've got you know to realize this is what he said. It wasn't Paul who I could argue with him. I think that's blasphemous.

But to think there that as far as Jesus is concerned he looks and God is no respecter of persons. Maybe as you would look up and down the aisle you can see why. I know why God would love them. Right. I think I know why I may love them.

But to stop and realize from God's perspective he sees something that none of us none of us have seen. He sees the pearl of great price in Matthew chapter 13 or as well the treasure that was hit in a field that they're the merchant near.

Are they the another. The man there who found the fee. When he found this treasure in his field he went and he sold all that he had to buy the whole field for a treasure that was hidden it right now you know you and I were we're like a pearl in a sense that we don't see anything.

You know a pearl all it really is a pearl is just a piece of sand that somehow another got in an oyster and started causing it great irritation so that it begins to cover it over to try to soften there the tender and insides there of the oyster in there because of the pain it covers it.

And it covers it over and over and over. And there he is. Certainly there that piece of sand knows that it's very core. I'm just a piece of sand. I don't know what's going on around me. It doesn't see the pearl that is being formed.

It doesn't see the beauty that one day there in heaven when that it's oyster is opened up and what it has become by day by the making of that oyster. By the way a pearl is the only precious stone that actually cost the life of the creator of it.

And that's what you and I are. We're precious. We cost the life of the one who created us and the one who gave us and converts us and and makes us what we shall be. But at the same time he looks in the at it and from his perspective what he's doing.

We see ourself. We're just buried out in the field or something. God sees a treasure hidden. It buys the whole field dies for the sins of the whole world for those that will come to him how precious we are.

And wonderfully. And I'm so grateful that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. I'm so grateful that God looks and he says I'll decide who's beautiful not you. I'd certainly mark myself out. And as I look around number of you to know but the but I mean we look there and when we want to if we were doing the picking who would who would think of this.

But God. The wonderful thing is God has an eye like no other. I God doesn't just simply see what it is. He sees what it will be. I remember I had been married very long only a couple of months. It's that we've been married 34 years now.

34 wonderful years for me about five or six for my wife I think. But anyway the but we hadn't been married very long and I was at a time in my life where I thought I understood women. I think a lot of guys for the first couple of months of marriage think that.

And then you give up after a while. But the but I had something happen to me after only a couple of months of marriage one of the most phenomenal things I think ever happens to a human being their entire lifetime.

First of all we got married and we're dirt poor. So what the extra gifts we had or things we didn't want there we had duplicates of we took them back to get these all the cash we could and we got a pretty good haul.

You there you know that but wanted to see the wisdom of God in all of this. One day an opportunity came to me on that I think most most people never have in their entire life. But an opportunity was granted to me by God to do something and again few people ever even dream of having happened.

But an opportunity came for me to buy a 1953 Porsche and that and all of our money was enough to get this. I mean talk about God's hand you know doing something. And to me I'll never forget is I went and did this no discussion with the other parties of the house and I came home with this thing.

I was out of this world in this. I couldn't believe what had happened. This is so exciting to me and I it wasn't a great shape either that but it it actually pretty figured about 10 paint jobs that had during its lifetime so far because you could see about that many different colors of paint somewhere on the car.

It had a few dents in it and the interior was pretty rotten. And the headliner I remember how it kind of hung down and the fabric of that and it sounded pretty bad. And burned oil and leaked oil and the brakes squeaked and the clutch slipped.

But other than that but I remember when I came home with this thing I was just a huge and you never seen a human being more thrilled more blessed than when I drove up in. When Jean looks at this thing she walks out and she's of course mystified but she says what is this.

I said honey don't say that out loud. Somebody might hear that you don't know what this is. You know how could you talk this way. This is a Porsche. It's a 53 Porsche. Do you. These are not around. These are not available for American humans.

Once in a while somebody is bequeathed a blessing like this and this is us. And she's what. Well how did we. How did we come by this. God provided for everything with what. Well the money what money. Well did you know the money.

You mean the money that was for food and for for utensils and for table and a chair to eat on and and pots and pans to cook with. I said I'm looking there said that's the problem with so many people you can get that stuff anywhere anytime that is always going to be around.

53 Porsches are not around. And then I realized the difference between men and women and one of the major differences to me is I look there. And I realized that my wife as precious as she is had no faith had no comprehension of either what this was and what it was going to be.

Yet again she just had worldly eyes that just saw it for as it sat there I had no such eyes. I would literally sit out. This is true. I would sit out. I had a little beach chair and I would sit out there and just stare at this thing.

I was so excited with this and this thing. What she saw what I saw were entirely different. I could go right up to that Porsche and I could go up there and just kind of you know brush it with it. I could see through 15 coats of lacquer my face shining right back at me smiling in this beautiful paint job.

I could listen that engine and it just purred like a kitten. I could sit inside of it and smell the new leather and just and she couldn't do any of that. She looked at it and she sought for it was I sought for what it was going to be.

It never did become that in my keeping. But to tell you the truth is and is she she does remember this is that we did sell it for enough that bought our tickets but going to and back from England to school over there so God provided and did use it and you wouldn't have got anything for old pots and pans.

God’s Vision of the Redeemed

I assured her that but the but the thing is so. But the wonderful thing is is he did you see Jesus when he looks at you. And when you are upon his shoulder he sees two things you've never seen. He sees your created glory from which we all fell.

And he also sees your future glory that only he can restore you to. We don't see that but there is a preciousness there is a beauty that is there within each one of his redeemed there that when you sit and realize now unto him who is able to present you faultless without flaw to realize that one day you and I will awake in his likeness in his image there will be something that the beauty that we would look at it and what we see of our life now and as we see it dented and scarred and the engine you know makes noise and we burn oil and drip oil or all the you know and we're the brakes squeak in the transmission slips and everything seems to fail.

We say what could God ever see in this. Well God made it God made you. And what he sees you will yet see notice as well that these stones that they're fastened there they're there they're settings and gold and they're fastened with chains.

There's that they're set upon the high priest shoulder and set in these wonderful beautiful you know pouches of gold there God he tells the children of Israel. And Jeremiah says therefore with loving-kindness have I have I drawn thee.

And the wonderful thing to realize that God's love he looks at you. And he looks at me seeing and knowing what only he can see and know mystery to the rest of us. But there is he sees he sees something that he said I'm going to draw you to me.

I'm going to draw you to my love. And when we stop and realize how great the love of Christ is no wonder Paul once said the love of Christ constrains me to think that there is somebody who sees in me what I have yet to see who has a plan for me that I have yet to imagine it unfolding that has yet for me what no one in the world would even suspect let alone me.

And yet what he sees he loves. And I'm upon his shoulder. The wonderful thing notice as well about them is that these stones as I said they're on the high priest shoulders. He puts the redeemed and the strongest part of his body.

You know you go maybe buy something you some things you maybe carry out with a finger. You know you go to the market and give you one a little plastic bag. You hook your finger through it and you walk out with it.

Some things you may take your whole hand. Some things you may take two hands. But there when there's something there that when you take it and you put the full weight of it on your shoulder you are now putting it upon the strongest part of your body.

Even as Jesus tells in the parable of the lost sheep there that when the shepherd went and he found the sheep what did he do. He laid it upon his shoulders rejoicing. That's what he does with you. That just to think there if a shepherd would just do it with a sheep how much more to realize that God takes you and me and he puts us on his shoulders.

And he rejoices over Isaiah 46. For Isaiah says even in your old age I am he even your to your gray hairs. Will I carry you. I have made and I will bear. And even I will carry and deliver you. God looks at you and he says I'll carry you.