Tabernacle Studies, Lesson #9
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I. Introduction.
I. Introduction.
No tent and no temple are compete without a priest!
As we near the end of our Tabernacle Study and before we explore the Ark of the Covenant itself, let us first consider the priest himself!
“The consecration of the Priests.”
“The consecration of the Priests.”
Leviticus describes how that the priests were consecrated or made ready for service.
And Moses brought Aaron and his sons, and washed them with water.
First, let us notice that the priests did not consecrate themselves.
Moses did the work.
In the same way, we who wish to become “priests unto our God,” cannot consecrate ourselves!
One man said: “If you find a tortoise on top of a fence post, you know that he did not get there by himself!”
Well, we cannot get good and right and clean and Holy on our own!
As hard as you may try, you need the help of Almighty God!
We cannot change our own hearts or make ourselves fit for the service of the Lord!
All they did was present themselves to Moses!
And we are also commanded to present ourselves to God:
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Jesus will help you!
He is ready to help you!
For example, there are those who have found that after baptism, they no longer struggle with or need some of the things that they did before!
Then there are those who find they very much want to continue to do what the used to do BC or (Before Christ.) And they learn, that if you are just willing to try, Jesus will help you overcome!!!
He has a role for us and that role is a high and Holy!
He helps us move closer and closer to that place of spiritual maturity and authority!
(What is consecration again?) It is becoming fit for God’s service!
In the consecration of the priets, water, blood and oil were used, which typifes, or symbolizes the operation of the water, blood and Spirit in the life of a Saint of God.
And there are three that bear witness in earth, the spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.
In order to become the man or woman that God has designed you to be, it will require the righteousness of God, that is imputed to us, by the shedding of His blood and the New Birth Pricess.
Yes, you need that blood and it is applied through baptisms of both water and Spirit!
These three also bear witness before all the devils of hell, and your own past: This man, this woman is no bystander or civilian any longer!
They are a priest unto God!
They have a right to lift their hands in worship and when they do, something powerful and spiritual is happeneing!
Lifting you hands and your heart to God is vital!
There is a transfer, when you do!
Love, worship, kinship, gratitude, faith that He can, all this rises before God as a sweet smelling savor, when you praise and worship HIm!
After Moses washed the priests, they were clothed in beautiful, priestly garments.
And did you know: Moses took blood from the altar of sacrifice and applied it to Aaron and his sons.
It was put upon the tip of the right ear, the thumb of the right hand, and the toe of the right food!( Lev 8:23)
And still today, those who would be priets unto God must have ears to hear God’s Word and God’s voice as it speaks to our hearts!
You need to listen and pay attention until you can recognize the voice of God in the many forms it will take to help you!
As you read Scripiture and consider patterns, you will see that Satan applies to the eyes.
It is the light of the soul after all!
Your eyes are a super highway to your inner man!
But God applies mostly to the ear....
Ever notice that?
Mark 4:24 (KJV 1900)
And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear...
Luke 8:18 (KJV 1900)
Take heed therefore how ye hear...
Revelation 2:7 (KJV 1900)
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.....
To be the servants that God wants us to be, we have to learn to filter and set boundaries around the things that we see and the things that we hear!
I read something a long time ago that has convicted me at times:
If Jesus came to your house to spend a day or two
If He came unexpectedly I wonder what you'd do
When you saw Him comin'
Would you meet Him at the door with arms outstretched and welcome
To your heavenly visitor
Or would you need to change some things before you let Him in
Like chuck some magazines and put the Bible where they'd been
Would you let Jesus walk right in or would you rush about to hide your worldly music
And put some hymn books out
Oh, I know that you'd give your nicest room to such an honored guest
And all the food you would serve to Him would be the very best
And you'd keep assuring Him that you were glad to have Him there
That serving Him in your house was a joy beyond compare
But would your family conversation keep up its normal pace
And would you find it hard each meal to say a table grace
And what about the song would you sing, the books you like to read
Would you let Him know the things on which on your mind and spirit feed
Would you be glad to have Him meet your very closest friends
Or hope that they'd stay away until His visit ends
Would you take Him with you everywhere that you'd planned to go
Or maybe change your plans for just a day or so
Would you be glad to have Him stay forever on and on
Or sigh or sigh of great relief when finally he had gone
You know it might be interesting to know the things you'd do
If Jesus came in person to spend some time with you
Folks, that one has cut me a time or two!
And everyone once in a while, we need to inventory and evaluate our way of living!
I want Jesus in my life!
I want Him in my home and in my relationships!!!
I am not interested in anyone else giving me some rule book that they say I have to live by!
Laws and legalism were a different dispensation!
That was how God dealth with man before He remitted sin and cleansed us in this age of grace!
If someone comes to you with a bunch of rules and they’re not talking about a relationship with Jesus, that’s not where its at!
A man fell into a ditch.
The realist said: “That is a ditch.”
The Optomist said: “Things will get better.”
The Pessimist said: “Things will get worse.”
The Philospher said: “You only think you are in a ditch!”
The News reporter said: “I’ll pay you for an exclusive story about the ditch!”
The city official asked: “Did you get a permit for that ditch?”
The Mathmetician said : “I’ll calculate the length and depth and width of the ditch.”
The preacher said: “I see three noteworthy things about your ditch.”
The IRS Agent asked: “Did you pay taxes on that ditch?”
Then Jesus came by..
He gave you His hand, and pulled you out!
Jesus does not come to condemn you, He comes to rescue you!
Now I don’t know how you feel about this, but I do not believe the answer it so make a simple rule:
Thou shalt not ever listen to music.” or “Thou shalt never ever watch a movie or a documentary or a comedy with your family and your feet up on the couch!”
Rather than condemn a specific form of media: TV, or internet for example, (And good luck trying) I see practical consecration when people consider and choose what kind of content they will allow through the eyes and your earts into your spirit!
There may be some things that please your eye or ear that do not please God!
If so, he will let you know that! Recognize his voice And you can make changes accordingly!
It takes a process to make a priest, but then no tent and no temple are complete without one!
Before you came to the Lord, it was normal for you to use your hands to pop the top off one beer after another.
It was an option to use you hands to grab someone or punch them in anger.
Maybe it wasn’t physical violence but a worst kind: Using your hands to pick up the phone for a nice session of Gossip, “Did you hear…)
Here’s an exercise for you, child of the King: Look at your hands and remember: The blood has been applied!
“My hands belong to Him now!”
If the blood has been applied to your feet, then just like those other priests, your walk oughta please God!
This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
When the priests were washed with water, we see a type or shadow of baptism!
When the oil of annointing was poured on the head of every priest, it was a type and shadow of the baptism of the Holy Ghost, still to come!
Each of us here tonight are special and unique!
One may have a ministry of intercession. Another a ministry of teaching or some other area, but regardless of your specific ministry, each of us need the Holy anointing of God!
Each of us are to be clothed, not with a literal garment, but we are clothed with something else:
I will greatly rejoice in the Lord,
My soul shall be joyful in my God;
For he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation,
He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness,
As a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments,
And as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.
1 Corinthians 1:30 (KJV 1900)
But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:
But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
So all of that has to do with the consecration of the priests. It is how we are made fit for his service!
And service is important!
God has put it inside of you!
He has designed you to serve in His Kingdom!
And you won’t be happy or feel fullfilled until you do it!
The great violinst Nicolo Pananini willed his marvellous violin to Genoa, the city of his birth.
But only on one condition:
That beautiful violin, would never be played!
How sad! Because it is a peculiarity of wood that as long as it is used and handled, it shows little wear.
But as soon as it is discarded, it begins to decay.
That exquisite mellow-toned violin has become worm-eaten in it’s beautiful case.
No value, except as a relic.
The moldering instrument is a reminder that a lifew withdrawn from service, a man or woman who chooses not to serve, looses meaning.
Now let us look some more at the gaments of the priests.
Now let us look some more at the gaments of the priests.
Our text Sunday referenced a “Mitre.” which is basically a headress made of fine linen.
The word “Mitre” means “to wrap.” The the headress of the priest was not a ball cap or a beret. The fine linen was wrapped in folds around the priests head.
It was a turban!
Now here is a principle: It’s important!
The covering of the head in the Scripture symbolizes obedience to higher power.
Now Paul has some more to say about this as it applies to both men and women, and He gives us clear outlines as to hair in the New Testament, but that is another lesson.
Still here are the cliff notes: The covering of the head in the Scripture symbolizes obedience to higher power.
I will tell you that you that your submission to God can be communicated to the world and to the devils and to the angels, without you saying one single word!!!!
Wanna know how? It’s found in 1 Corinthians 11!
You oughtta read it this week and then ask me any questions you might have!
Now on the Mitre itself, was golden plate.
How bout that?
Engraved upon it were the words: “ HOLINESS TO THE LORD.”
So much meaning in four words.
Holiness yes, but why? Where to and for what?
All this is answered: Holiness to the Lord.
We do not persue Holiness to please the pastor, a spouse or parent.
We do not do it as a mere formality without a purpose and a destination!
Your Holiness has a purpose and a destination!
We do it for Him!
It is his character!
It is his being!
Holiness why? For Him!
To Him!!!
Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name:
Bring an offering, and come before him:
Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.
Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name;
Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.
Now there are those who have cast off Holiness.
They say it no longer matters.
And some have got most everything right, other core doctrines even, but they disregard Holiness.
The sad fact is, at the coming of the Lord, they will be bitterly disappointed!
For the writer of Hebrews tells very reader: “Without Holiness, no man shall see the Lord!” (Heb 12:14)
Now folks if I am being honest, I have to tell you that my favorite is a good old pair of blue jeans!
I get them from walmart for $12 and they last for months and months of hard work until they get thin enough that the knees fray and split apart.
Now that is when I chuck them!!!
I refuse to walk around like a teenager who’s jeans were shredded by their cat!
Perhaps you were scrubs or a suit every day.
Outside of church, My uniform is blue jeans!
But the priest now, they wore something called an ephod.
It was a robe of blue, woven material with a hole for the head to go through.
And thou shalt make the robe of the ephod all of blue. And there shall be an hole in the top of it, in the midst thereof: it shall have a binding of woven work round about the hole of it, as it were the hole of an habergeon, 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 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 round about. And it shall be upon Aaron to minister: 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.
Blue is the color of heaven.
In the robe, we have a picture of Christ as the heavenly Man.
His throne is in heaven’ His Kingdom, at present, is a heavenly Kingdom.
Now, there inside the Tabernacle, as the priest moved about, performing his service behind the veil, those standing outside the Tabernacle could hear the ringing of the golden bells.
As the priest lifted the veil and entered the Tabernacle, he was completely hidden from the view of the people!
If God had refused to accept the sacrifice that the preist had made for himself and for the people, He would have struck the high priest dead, and all the pople would have then had to bear the fuilt of their own sin!
Tense moments!
Their acceptance before God was not a given!
Their acceptance depended upon the high priest successfully ministering behind the veil on their behalf!
At each movement of the priest, the bells pealed out the news that their high priest was alive, the the offering had been accepted, and that he was ministeing before God to stay the hand of judgement from a guilty people!
What a beautiful sound those bells!
The people were assured that the transgressions of another year were “covered” although the priest was hidden from their view.
Likewise, our high priest, theLord Jesus, left this world at the time of the ascenscion.
On the Mount of Olives, the disciples saw theier high priest disappear out of their sight as He entered into the Holy of Holies, in heaven itself!
You have to realize: Whether or not we can obtain forgiveness of sin depends upon whether or not Jesus is alive and in heaven!
For two thousand years He has been invisible to His church.
How do we know that He is alove, that God has accepted HIs offering, and that He is now in heaven?
If Jesus fulfills in every way the high priestly types, then in some way, He must send forth a testimony from the Holy Place in heaventhat parallells the ringing of the golden bells on the high priet’s garment!
And that is exactly what He did:
And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Many of these had witnessed with their own eyes, the ressurrection of Jesus, but it was impossible for them to see Jesus ministering in heaven for them!
Their human eyes could not pierce the clouds and through the veil of the natural into that heavenly place!!!
But that day, even though they could not see Him, they knew that the glorified Christ was in heaven, for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit accompanied with tongues, announced the fact, just as the bells had told of the well-being of the high priest!
Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound:
They shall walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance.
The heathen who heard the sound of the bells, who heard the sound of people praising God in different languages were not overjoyed, for they did not understand its significance!
It was kind of a novelty to them!
Two thousand years have passed and nothing has changed!
When we are praising God at the beginning or the end of service, or anytime, I understand that people think it is wierd at best and very strange at worst!
sometimes visitors even split before the end of service.
I get it! I don’t judge them!
I realize it is becasue they do not understand the significance of the bells!
That’s why we want to get them in the Bible!!!!
Let the Word of God take root down deep, and soon, they will recognize the sound of the bells!
Listen, when we pray, the angels are rejoicing with us!
When you are speaking in tongues, it is more than it seems!
Not only is it a sign that God has baptized you with His Spirit, speaking in tongues is a celebration!
It is proof that Jesus Christ ever liveth!
It is proof, that even though you cannot yet see him with your natural eyes, He is ministering right now!
Your sins are forgiven!!!!
He fights for you!
He has sprinkled His blood on mercy for you!!!!