Week 2 - Priestly Service

Are You Ready to Serve?

Leviticus 8

Uniforms - illustration

Show slides of different uniforms and talk about roles and responsibilities.

Make a Public Declaration to Serve

8:3 - God calls

8:6,13,24 - Moses presents

God calls all His people to serve Him,

and we respond by publicly committing ourselves to serve,

consecrating ourselves for service,

living pure lives befitting servants of God,

and walking in fellowship with Him as we serve.

Commit to a Position of Service

8:5-9 - Priestly garments

Exodus 28 - more detail about the garments

Turban - Made of linen with a plate of pure gold across the front with the words “Holy is the Lord”

Robe - The robe was made of blue cloth. At the bottom of the robe were pomegranates made of yarn with small golden bells. The bells served a practical purpose.

Ephod - Long vest-like cloth that hung over the blue robe.

Breastplate - Hung over the Ephod. Twelve gemstones representing the 12 tribes of Israel.

The uniform was made of blue, purple, scarlet, and gold. This wasn’t just for snappy fashion sense. The colors matched the tabernacle. Meaning - it was very clear that the priest and tabernacle went together. Their services were intertwined focusing on worship of God.

The priest had special clothes because he had a special role to play. He was the mediator of sin for the people of Israel.

God has a special place of service for every follower of Jesus in the New Testament church.

- Body of Christ

Be Consecrated to Serve

Consecrate - make something sacred

8:10-13 - anointing Priests and all parts of the tabernacle with oil.

By anointing the Priests and tabernacle with oil God is symbolizing pouring out his blessing on this people and place.

- “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord as long as I live.”

- “The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor.”

Anointing is a symbol that refers to God blessing us with position and power.

- “You have an anointing from the Holy One.”

This is not about getting the latest information from the latest self-help book. Or speaking words of affirmation to yourself to get through the day.

When we accept Jesus Christ as our savior the anointing has already happened. We become sealed with the same Holy Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead, that worked the miracles in his life, and that conceived the savior of the world. That is a powerful anointing!

First, in Christ, God has eliminated the need for mediation by human priest.

Second, the New Testament teaches that all followers of Jesus are priests in that we all have direct access to God, we all speak to people about God, and we all speak to God about people.

- “and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has set us free from our sins by his blood, and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father–to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

- “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”

- “Therefore, through him let us continually offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name.”

God’s word says that followers of Jesus are priests, and we do the work of priests–we live holy lives and proclaim the praises of God. All who know Christ are called to serve.

Seek Purification for Service

In order for old covenant priests to be ready to serve God, they had to be cleansed from sin.

8:14-17 - bull offering

8:18-21 - ram offering

This is the big difference between the OT priests and Jesus as our great High Priest. Jesus is the only one who has no sin, and didn’t need a sacrifice for himself to do the work of God.

- “For this is the kind of high priest we need: holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. He doesn’t need to offer sacrifices every day, as high priests do—first for their own sins, then for those of the people. He did this once for all time when he offered himself.”

- “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin.”

God wants clean vessels to carry his living water to thirsty people. Doesn’t that make sense?

Say you had a pure water you wanted others to experience. Wouldn’t you want to put it in a cleanses pitcher? Or would you just go grab anything, maybe the oil can or gas can from the garage. Maybe the the container your kids make mud pies from. No we would wash the pitcher make it clean so that those who got the water would have the best experience.

Demonstrate Dedication to Serve

8:22-29 - describes ordination offering

Blood from head to toe - dedication to God from head to toe. Complete dedication.

Ear

Toe

Thumb

Take My Life, and Let It Be

Take my life, and let it be Consecrated, Lord, to Thee; Take my moments and my days, Let them flow in ceaseless praise.

Take my moments and my days, Let them flow in ceaseless praise.

Take my hands, and let them move At the impulse of Thy love; Take my feet and let them be Swift and beautiful for Thee.

Take my feet and let them be Swift and beautiful for Thee.

Take my voice, and let me sing Always, only, for my King; Take my lips, and let them be Filled with messages from Thee.

Take my lips, and let them be Filled with messages from Thee.

Take my silver and my gold; Not a mite would I withhold; Take my intellect, and use Every power as Thou shalt choose.

Take my intellect, and use Every power as Thou shalt choose.

Take my will, and make it Thine; It shall be no longer mine. Take my heart; it is Thine own; It shall be Thy royal throne.

Take my heart; it is Thine own; It shall be Thy royal throne.

Take my love; my Lord, I pour At Thy feet its treasure-store. Take myself, and I will be Ever, only, all for Thee.

Take myself, and I will be Ever, only, all for Thee.

Hebrew for ordination - to fill the hand

Filling the hand meant that someone was placing in the hands of the priests what they needed to serve as priests, giving them the tools of their trade.

- For you were called to be free, brothers and sisters; only don’t use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love.”

To be obedient, we must serve. If your not serving somewhere, find a place and start serving.

Don’t be like this guy who I heard about as he was going to apply for a job. The prospective boss asks his former boss if he is a steady employee? The former boss replies “Steady? He was so steady that he was virtually motionless.”

Unfortunately many followers of Jesus are like that. We need to dedicate ourselves to service and look for the opportunities that arise.

Enjoy Communion with God in Serving

8:31 - ordination meal

Eating symbolized fellowship and so this meal represented their communion with God.

They were at peace with God. Are we?

Do you have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ?

Are you in close fellowship with him?

Are we serving him like he has asked, commanded?

We are his royal priesthood () we need to be serving like his priests.