Three Offices, One Christ: Priest

Wearing and Bearing

Exodus 28:1-5 “1 “Then bring near to you Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the people of Israel, to serve me as priests—Aaron and Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. 2 And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty. 3 You shall speak to all the skillful, whom I have filled with a spirit of skill, that they make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him for my priesthood. 4 These are the garments that they shall make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a coat of checker work, a turban, and a sash. They shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother and his sons to serve me as priests. 5 They shall receive gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen.”

Exodus 28:21 “21 There shall be twelve stones with their names according to the names of the sons of Israel. They shall be like signets, each engraved with its name, for the twelve tribes.”

Exodus 28:29 “29 So Aaron shall bear the names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece of judgment on his heart, when he goes into the Holy Place, to bring them to regular remembrance before the Lord.”

I Peter 2:18-25 “18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. 19 For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. 20 For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. 21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. 22 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. 23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”

Hebrews 10:11-14 “11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. 14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.”

Hebrews 10:19-25 “19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

Introduction:

Preachersnsneakers:

Made famous when he revealed the price some pastors were paying for their wardrobe. Nike Airs worth $5,600, or pastor affording to pay for designer suits every single week…

God had his own clothing line, and he certainly wasn’t in it to stroke local celebrity priest’s egos.

For God, his divine clothing line was not about name branding,

It’s about name bearing!

Importance of the Role of Priest, particularly in their representative role for Israel:

OUTLINE:

1. Going Together

Exodus 28:1-5 “1 “Then bring near to you Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the people of Israel, to serve me as priests—Aaron and Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. 2 And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty. 3 You shall speak to all the skillful, whom I have filled with a spirit of skill, that they make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him for my priesthood. 4 These are the garments that they shall make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a coat of checker work, a turban, and a sash. They shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother and his sons to serve me as priests. 5 They shall receive gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen.”

Picture:

Now, all of what you see here is written in striking detail in Exodus 28. Like, this blue string here. That’s a divinely prescribed blue string, intended to hold together this pure gold plate and the white turban.

Even the tassels at the bottom of the colorful outer robe are explicitly detailed in the text. Golden bells and decorations hang at the bottom. God demanded that pomegranates hang there in between the gold bells. The clothe-stuffed pomegranates would bounce back and forth hitting the golden bells like an alarm clock- awakening God’s presence from within the Most Holy Place. The bells serve like a warning to God that a human being is getting closer…

Even the pomegranates are valuable details- the fruit conjuring up a time when Adam and Eve walked with God in the Garden of Eden. So everything has a purpose.

I want to draw your attention to two particles of clothing here:

EPHOD and the BREASTPLATE

There are three layers of robes. The white inner layer. The blue middle layer, and then this elaborate robe made from blue, purple, and scarlet yarn. This outer robe was called the ephod.

The ephod had a hole in its center so the priest could place the fabric over his head just so.

And on the ephod were two professionally cut onyx stones on the shoulders. The stones were mounted on gold fittings and then attached to the ephod. Inscribed on these two onyx stones where the 12 sons of Jacob- 6 names on the one stone, 6 on another. So resting on the shoulders of the priest were the names that represented the entire nation of Israel.

And this describes the theological purpose of these names:

Names resting on his shoulders

BREASTPLATE:

Hanging from the two stones of the ephod was a golden chained. Golden hoops attached the chain to the breastplate. This breastplate had 12 stones on it. Each individual stone had the name of the sons of Israel as well. But rather than Israel as a collective whole like the names inscribed on two onyx stones on the shoulders, these 12 stones represent the individual tribes of Israel.

Names resting over his heart

29 So Aaron shall bear the names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece of judgment on his heart, when he goes into the Holy Place, to bring them to regular remembrance before the Lord. 30 And in the breastpiece of judgment you shall put the Urim and the Thummim, and they shall be on Aaron’s heart, when he goes in before the Lord. Thus Aaron shall bear the judgment of the people of Israel on his heart before the Lord regularly.

What a weight to bear for the High Priest, right? Like, he’s the only human who could be with God. Only he was the bridge. Only he was the mediator. No other could introduce God’s people before God’s face. Everyone was brought into God’s presence through one person.

The names of Israel were attached to one priest brought forward through the conduit of God’s divine line of design.

Now, as I started off with this morning, this outfit is not merely out of style, it’s completely obsolete! Because in the early 1st Century while ministry activity was buzzing from within the temple courts in Jerusalem, a new High Priest emerged walking through the hillside of Galilee. This High Priest came from a different line of priest.

Breastplate of Judgement

Exodus 28:21 “21 There shall be twelve stones with their names according to the names of the sons of Israel. They shall be like signets, each engraved with its name, for the twelve tribes.”

Exodus 28:29 “29 So Aaron shall bear the names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece of judgment on his heart, when he goes into the Holy Place, to bring them to regular remembrance before the Lord.”

Bearing a Name and the ability to transport those name is important

He wears them in the Holy Place…

Sense of responsibility

Sense of representation

BUT NOT THE MOST HOLY PLACE:

Only one man goes in alone to make atonement.

He’s not bearing Names. He just comes by himself...

2. Going Alone

Explain Process of Entering into the Most Holy Place

High Priest Preparation:

Take Bull and Ram

Wash (Lev 16:4)

Dress: Lev 16:4 “4 He shall put on the holy linen coat and shall have the linen undergarment on his body, and he shall tie the linen sash around his waist, and wear the linen turban; these are the holy garments.”

Take Two Male goats (sin)

Enters Most Holy Place More than Once:

First time: Take censure of coals into Most Holy Place, and sprinkle blood of bull.

Leaves and kills the goat

Second Time: Bring goats blood, sprinkle it over the mercy seat seven times.

Leaves again...

But after the whole thing:

vv.23-25: “Then Aaron shall come into the tent of meeting and shall take off the linen garments that he put on when he went into the Holy Place and shall leave them there. And he shall bathe his body in water in a holy place and put on his garments and come out and offer his burnt offering and the burnt offering of the people and make atonement for himself and for the people.”

Atonement=Lit. “Atonement”

POINT: He’s completely stripped down. He presents himself as covered with righteousness. His sins are covered...

ROBE: Some say that the clothe wrapped around his heart lest he his heart thinks impure thoughts going into the Most Holy Place...

But when he comes back out, he puts on his priestly garments again, bearing the names of Israel…

Shadows

2. Together, Alone, and for the Last Time

Hebrews 9:11-14 “11 When Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) 12 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.”

Effect of the Cross:

1. One and Final Sacrifice

2. Purify our conscience from dead works to serve the Living God.

He went alone.

Bearing the weight of our sin.

Taking our deadness, and purified our conscience.

John:

Resurrection:

John 20:6-7 “6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, 7 and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself.”

Dresses himself, just like the High Priest had to....

Leaves those clothes behind, and has a new set of clothes.

John 20:12-14 “12 And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. 13 They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” 14 Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus.”

Most Holy Place is no longer a place! It’s a person!

God’s presence isn’t left in their between the 2 angels. No, he’s out and about, bringing the Most Holy Place to the WORLD!

What does he do with Mary:

He speaks he name: MARY. And instantly, she recognizes who Jesus is as her Rabboni. Her teacher.

He bore her name going to the cross, and now he speaks her name in the resurrection.

Seeing Jesus

So What?

Hebrews 10:19-25 “19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”