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Source: https://www.sermonindex.net/speakers/eric-mccullough/the-garment/
Years ago at a Bible reading in Scotland, of course it had to be Scotland, a brother said about the Savior, speaking about his exaltation to the right hand of the Father, he said there was a day when if he had to move at all, he would have to move downward.
And we know that he came, but today he is higher than all, higher than all. Chapter 28 of the Exodus and verse 1. And take on to the air and 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, Eliezer, and Nethemar, Aaron's sons.
And thou shall 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.
And these are the garments which they shall make, a breastplate, an ephod, a robe, a broidered coat, a miter, a girdle. And 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, and they shall make the ephod gold of blue and the purple of scarlet and fine twined linen with cunning work. Verse 3. And the curious girdle of the ephod, which is upon it, shall be of the same.
Verse 9. And thou shall take two onyx stones and grave 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.
Now look down again to verse 15. Thou shalt make the breastplate of judgment with cunning work after the work of the ephod. Thou shalt make it of gold of blue purple and scarlet and fine twine linen. Verse 17.
And thou shalt set in it settings of stones, even four rows of stones. And then he names them the sardis, or the ruby, the topaz, the carbuncle, the emerald, the sapphire, the diamond, the agate, the liqueur, the agate, and the amethyst, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper.
The end of verse 21. Every one with his name shall they be according to the twelve tribes. Verse 29. And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart when he goeth in unto the holy place for memorial before the Lord continually.
And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and Thummim, 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 before the Lord continually.
And thou shalt make the robe of the ephod all of blue. There shall be a hole in the middle and the top of it, in the midst of it. Verse 33. And beneath upon the hem of it thou shalt make pomegranates of blue and of purple and scarlet round about the hem and bells of gold between them round about.
Verse 36. Thou shalt make a plate of pure gold and grave upon it like the engravings of a signet holiness to the Lord. And thou shalt put it on a blue lace that it may be upon the mitre, upon the forehead.
Verse 38. It shall be upon Aaron's forehead that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things which the children of Israel shall hollow and all their holy gifts that shall be always upon his forehead that they may be accepted before the Lord.
Now shalt embroider the coat of fine linen. Now shalt make the mitre of fine linen. And thou shalt make the girdle of needlework. Finally verse 42. And thou shalt make them linen breeches to cover their nakedness from the loins even onto the thighs shall they reach and they shall be upon Aaron and upon his sons.
Now one verse in the New Testament the epistle to the Hebrews chapter 7. Perhaps more than one. Hebrews 7 verse 26. For such a high priest became us who was 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. Verse 1 of chapter 8. Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum.
For the chief we have such an high priest which 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.
Now you'll excuse the lengthy reading but I felt we had to touch some of those verses. I want for a little while to draw our attention to these garments of glory and beauty that the priest wore as he functioned in his service before God.
I noticed in reading this sometime recently that before there's mention made of the golden altar after the writer deals with all of the holy vessels of the tabernacle he mentions the garments of Aaron and his function as a priest and his sons as well before there was that golden altar.
So before there was worship there had to be a priest and I want to think of the person of the Lord Jesus and us that he exemplifies in the various parts of his clothing. Aaron functioned you remember on the day of atonement he went in not without blood he sprinkled it before and on the altar and apart from Moses he was the only one that had access into that holy place.
Once every year on the great day of atonement but how wondrous you and I know that there's one that's living for us today an eternal priesthood. He bears our name as we'll see this priest did on his shoulders and upon his breast.
He's in the presence of God representing his erring people. He knows every circumstance in your life and in my life. We often remember that he ever liveth to make intercession for us. Our great high priest.
Now Aaron went in on the day of atonement as I have said you remember he would trim those lamps so that they would burn brightly. He would arrange the loaves on the table, the table of showbread and he would appoint service to various divisions of the sons of Levi so that their ministry would be for the people.
Now that's what our Lord does for us. You have heard ministry from our brethren today and it's our great high priest the Lord Jesus that lays his hand upon individuals with an exercise and eventually thrusts them into his service.
I often say if I had ever had any notion of the Lord's work that I've been trying to do for nearly 60 years now I wouldn't have spent five years studying anatomy and chemistry and physiology and all this stuff.
I'd have spent a little more time on the Greek and maybe a little on the Hebrew. But what I'm trying to say is for young brethren today if you have any thought at all of doing something for the Lord, keep yourself ready, keep yourself ready.
The late William Williams who spent many years in Venezuela where there are at least 160 assemblies today, I heard him tell on one occasion it might have been right at this conference that when he was a young man he would write to an English missionary that was in Venezuela and at times he would send them a gift and then he would get an acknowledgement but one time when the gift was acknowledged the missionary said this, brother it's good to send of your means but it would be better to come yourself.
And that caused an exercise in the heart of that young man and that's what he eventually did. Moved to the land of Venezuela and rode donkeys and lived on black coffee and beans sometimes for days. But you see God is still looking for those that he can use.
I said to a brother recently if the Lord tarries ten years in this part of the vineyard some of us are getting older. I am wise enough to know that I'm on the down slope. You know when you're 70 and you start to misspeak they say well he's losing it.
But when you get to be 80 they say oh well. In other words what do you expect? But we're wise enough to know that we're nearing the end of the road. And I could name a number of my brethren here that in ten years could be in the glory.
But where are the young man with an exercise for God's things? To do what we were reminded of this morning. Not only to bring gold but to buy gold and lay it up as treasures in heaven. So Aaron functioned in the priesthood.
As I have said he was mentioned even before the golden altar was mentioned. But he had no fitness in himself. None of us would say we have any ability other than what God gives. You notice we read those words in our reading.
The writer tells us this. God consecrated him that he may minister unto me in the priest's office. It wasn't his own ability. It was God given. And that's what gift is. Maybe you're asking the question well what gift do I have?
When do I get a spiritual gift? Well I believe gift is given the moment of conversion and the thing to do is to try to discover what that is. And young men that have ability in the gospel for example, brethren recognize that.
And older men should encourage that. Foster it. Fan it into a flame. Don't discourage them. Pray for them and encourage them. And maybe the day will come when the Lord will lay his hand on you. So that every one of us like Aaron have what God has made us.
You remember the first thing I want you to notice is down in verse 39 of the chapter. Thou shalt embroider a coat of fine linen. Fine linen. That reminds us of the motions of Christ. The one who was sinless.
He did no sin. In him was no sin. You know that's what the life of the believer should be. We've been reminded of that. Being a friend of God. Cultivate that. I was telling one of the brethren today. There was a man named John Stott and Stott in the last statement.
One of the last statements he made in his last message was Christ likeness is the will of God for all the people of God. That's what God wants in you and in me. Likeness to the person of Christ. You know you get like who you live with.
You know that. Husbands and wives eventually they begin to resemble each other. After a time. Something about it. There's a molding. There's a conformity. And the more you get to know this glorious person.
The more you'll become like him. That's what God wants. Christ likeness that I may know him. Paul says. Didn't Paul know Christ? Certainly. But he wanted to know him better. And the more I get to know him.
The more I find him true. And the more I long that you may know what he will do for you. And so there's that linen coat that was woven. Fine linen. You remember John in the Revelation talks about those that are in heaven clothed with the righteousness of saints.
And you know what it says about that heavenly garment? It's granted to them. It's granted to them. You see we're weaving down here what we're going to wear up there. Never get the idea that when we get to heaven we're all gonna be the same.
Our relationships in that coming day. Not only in heaven. But when he inhabits that new earth. That I believe will be inhabited. You say what will be on it? Well the Bible tells me about boys and girls playing in the streets.
And it talks about the wolf and the lion lying down together. And a little child shall lead them. So there's gonna be children there. You see there are mysteries. Much that we don't understand. When Paul writes to the Ephesians he says that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace and his kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
In the ages to come? How do you encapsulate that? How do you explain it? It's forever. I was preaching some years ago in Ireland with the late Mr. McKelvey. Godly man that he was. And I heard him say one day in a ministry meeting that God is never going to come out wringing his hands and say there's no more to unfold to his people.
There will always be more and more and more. That's Romans chapter 5. Much more. There's no end to it. And so you and I are weaving down here what we're gonna wear up there. Then notice quickly verse 42.
Thou shalt make linen breeches. That reminds me of our inward purity. A covering for their nakedness. Not only the motions of Christ but the motives of Christ. Paul writes to Timothy, we heard it quoted today somewhere along the line, flee youthful lusts.
That's what Paul writes to Timothy. We're to abstain from all appearance of evil. No familiarity. Young man you be careful with your relationships with young sisters. Be careful. The devil is still alive and well and he would like to trip you up.
I know two brethren that have been disciplined because of what they clicked on that little mouse on their computer and brought up and they were defiled and they were put out of assembly fellowship. Purity.
That's what the linen breeches remind us of. You remember Joseph and that occasion with the daughter of Pharaoh, the wife of Pharaoh. Joseph fled and he left this quote, you see he didn't want to sin against the Lord.
And all of the daughters of Pharaoh are not dead yet. You and I need to be careful in every sphere of our Christian living to watch our motives. To be recognized that we belong to him. Then notice what we read in verse 37 about a miter.
Thou shalt put on a blue lace, put it on a blue lace that it may be upon the miter. It was a signet and engraved on it were these words, holiness unto the Lord. That reminds me of the mind of Christ. It suggests to me Romans chapter 12.
Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus. I beseech you therefore, says the writer. You remember? I beseech you. You remember those words that have been quoted at times, if the mind of the master is the master of my mind, I'll be the master of every circumstance in life.
You see everything comes from the thought life. That's what the miter suggests to me. Our thoughts, renewing of the mind, subjection to the word of God. The Lord Jesus says about him, in his mind he knew no sin.
He was God. We've been reminded of that over and over today. God, humanly perfect, yet perfectly human. He took upon him what he never had before, manhood. And yet he never ceased to be what he always was, the eternal son of the Father.
And brethren don't forget, my brother has said already, he had no beginning. He always was. He always was. Eternal with the Father, with the Spirit, the triune God were eternal. But the writer says about that miter, it was to be at the forefront.
That holiness unto the Lord was to be displayed. It was always there. Always to be there. And so you and I, as we move in a godless world, we must remember that we bear the name of a blessed Savior. 24 hours of the day, not just when we gather with the people of God, we bear his name constantly.
Constantly. You see, people are looking at believers' lives. How often? Where I live, they call it a retirement community, but I don't find that I'm quite retired yet. Maybe tired. But there's lots of Lutherans there, and several have said to me, especially the officers, Eric, we're going to make a Lutheran out of you yet.
And I told them, you just keep trying. Because if you Lutherans had what Martin Luther had, you'll be in heaven. He was a true believer. But they watch us. They know the night of the Bible reading, the prayer meeting.
If you don't go, they wonder, well, what was wrong? Were you sick last night? Don't be mistaken. The ungodly are looking on. And they want us to make some slip up, so that they can find fault. And so these are holy garments that he's wearing.
Then there was the girdle. Notice that down in verse 39. A girdle of needlework. Actually, there were two girdles. There was a curious girdle that I could have read about over in a few chapters over in the book.
That girdle that was woven, that curious girdle, it was blue and purple and scarlet and fine twine. You remember what Paul writes to the Ephesians? To be girded with truth. Peter says, gird up the loins of your mind.
You see, the devil likes to attack our thought life. The devil doesn't know what we're thinking, by the way, until we speak. Then he knows. But he puts thoughts into our head. And we can't stop that. I think it was Spurgeon that said, you can't stop the birds from flying over your head.
He was comparing the birds to thoughts. You can't stop them from flying over your head, but you can keep them from building a nest in your hair. That is, if you have any. You can't stop those thoughts.
But you don't have to cultivate them. You see, we have the indwelling spirit. One that intercedes for us. And so, we're to gird up the loins of the mind. You remember in John 13, the Lord himself took a towel, and he girded himself, and he washed the disciples' feet.
And brethren, if you're washing the feet of the people of God, you make sure you don't have scalding water or a rough brush. They're God's people. Treat them kindly. They belong to him. And so, the girdle of truth suggests to me our service.
And not only do we need to hold the truth of God, as Paul wrote to Timothy, the truth needs to hold us. We're living in a day when the truth of God is being set aside. And people are doing what they want to do.
And there's assembly difficulties, and some brethren think, well, I don't care about others. This is what we're going to do. Brethren, the word of God is still the acid test. See to it that all that you do is according to this book.
Then in verse 31, quickly, I want you to think of that robe of the ephod that they were to wear. No hems in it. All of one piece, reminding us again of the perfections of the Lord Jesus. There's no material mention for the robe.
It doesn't tell us what it was made out of. And so Christ is absolutely perfect. It reminds us of him. It was made by those two men. I didn't read it, but you can look it up yourself over several chapters in the book.
Two men, Bezalel and Ahaliab. The scriptures tell us they made it all. It was their doings. They put time and effort into it. And you remember the women, when it came to the gold of the tabernacle, they brought their looking glasses.
And all of that was melted down and went into the gold of the holy vessels. So there's a work that our sisters can do. A very important work. Sometimes when we're preaching the gospel and there are certain sisters absent from the gathering, there isn't the same liberty to preach.
Because there are sisters and we know them, they know God. And they can bring the very presence of God into our gatherings. That robe, we read there were golden bells reminding us of the gospel sound going out.
And pomegranates reminding us of the fruit that they would come into when they eventually were in Canaan. And then one other thing I want to mention. I've heard brethren say, and they don't read their Bible too closely, they talk about the priest going into the holiest of all.
And they can hear those bells on the bottom of the robe. They know he's there. But you know the Bible says when they went into that holy place, they took off the garments of glory and beauty. And they put on linen garments.
There were no bells in there. They didn't hear anything until they appeared again. But there was that ephod that is mentioned in our reading. Listen to what it says about it. That ephod that was on the breastplate, there were twelve stones on that breastplate.
On the shoulders there were the onyx stones. The tribes were named on the onyx stones from Judah, from Reuben to Benjamin according to the march. And then on the breastplate there were twelve stones according to their birth.
The other way around. On the shoulders there were those twelve stones. Reuben to Benjamin. Then the breastplate, it was according to the march from Judah to Naphtali as they moved through the desert. That breastplate reminds me of our affections.
You remember the Colossian epistle? Set your affection, singular, on things above. In other words, God wants it all. Where's your affection today dear brother, dear sister? What's the object of your affection?
What's your interest in this life? Those stones were acknowledged by God as that priest went into the holy place, representing the people. So there's one there today. He's living for us. He bears our names upon his shoulders and upon his breast.
He knows every circumstance in your life and in my life. I didn't mention it. We read about the Urim and the Thummim, evidently stones that were in the breastplate. You remember there were occasions when David and others called for the ephod?
And those stones apparently indicated an answer of some kind as to which stone they took up. They might have been two colors, I don't know. Nobody knows. But it gave the answer to spiritual problems to those leaders.
But we have one today, and he's living. He knows every circumstance in your life. There's not a sorrow rends the heart, but the man of sorrows shares a part. Well, my dear wife went home to heaven about five months ago yesterday, the day before.
The day before she died, she opened her eyes. She was in her rest home. She always called me air, short for Eric. Not hot air, but air. She said, air, I think I just saw the hand of Jesus. And I thought, I wonder.
You know what I thought of? Stephen, the first martyr. When he was stoned, he saw the glory of God. And I wonder if she just got a little glimpse. But you know very soon you and I are going to be there.
Sooner than we realize. This world is in such a mess. Look at our own state. The other day at the prayer session down in Des Moines, they usually have someone that opens in prayer and they're allowed one minute.
They had a priestess from a satanic cult pray. And I honor those senators, about one third of them boycotted, didn't go at all. And others turned their back as she tried to pray to the earth and to the heaven and to a God that she didn't know.
Our world is in an awful mess. And the coming of the Lord Jesus is very, very near. We wait to see the morning star appear in glory bright. One day soon, we'll say goodbye to this earth. I said somewhere recently, I don't know, maybe it was out in Culver City, Stan.
When the Lord comes in some halls, there's going to be an awful clang as all these pacemakers and artificial hips and knees and they all fall to the ground. The law will be left behind, will be taken up in a moment, changed into his likeness.
And we shall be with him and like him forever. The Lord help us to live in view of that glad day for his name's sake.