Priests (Exodus 28-29)

Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.

Exodus 28-30 Priests

Chet Phillips

Transcript

Good morning grab your Baubles and head to Exodus chapter 28. we're going to be looking at Exodus 28 and 29 together today so we're going to go through two chapters we're going to be looking at God as he's giving the instructions to Moses about the garments for the priests and the consecration ceremony for the priest so they're going to do this later but they're going to give the instructions now we're going to study this now as we look at this and I know that as we start going through Exodus and we say hey we're going to work through a book of the Bible that some of y'all were like I'm really looking forward to kind.

Of hearing the the ten plagues and some of you were like I I'm kind of interested to see how we talk through what happens with the golden calf and I know that some of y'all are like I want to talk about those Priestly garments well today is your day we're talking about Priestly garments today so I hope that you are ready as we go through this one of the things that we see in the Bible is that God is preparing since eternity passed.

For what he's going to accomplish in Christ and he's working this out in the story of human history and he's got all of these things that he's putting in place that ultimately get fulfilled in Jesus and there are some movies that have been very popular where there's this kind of twist ending this surprise ending so um Planet of the Apes the original Planet of the Apes was like this it had a surprise ending that was startling for people or maybe the The Usual Suspects to the to the best ones that I've seen that I really appreciated were the sixth sense and Shutter Island had this twist ending and the twist in those what made it.

Particularly good was that you were like oh it made a lot of things make sense some things you were like I should I should have seen that coming I should have kind of known that was and when they went back and showed it and so if you watch the movie the second time it's a completely different movie you're seeing all this stuff that you didn't see the first time and that is a lot of how the New Testament treats the Old Testament the Old Testament informs the New Testament.

But the New Testament looks back at the Old Testament and says see it's like you're watching a friend who's just super geeked out about the sixth sense and they pause it every 30 seconds and go see did you see the way his eyes went that's because that's what the the New Testament does with the Old Testament they're constantly going do you see how God was doing this you see how he's accomplishing this and one of the main things that they point out is that.

Jesus is the Fulfillment of the priesthood that he is the high priest that's what Hebrews goes out of its way to clearly articulate repeatedly Jesus is our high priest he fulfills this so as we read this this morning we're going to pause it and we're going to stop and we're going to say do you see Jesus here do you see how this is ultimately fulfilled in Jesus because there's some interesting things that go into the Garment the clothing that the priests are going to wear.

So as we start this morning I want to read from Hebrews 3 before we get into Exodus 28 here's Hebrews 3 verse 1. therefore holy brothers that's Church family you who share in a Heavenly calling consider Jesus the Apostle and high priest of our confession and so we're going to do that this morning we're going to consider Jesus the high priest of our confession that as Christians he's our high priest so as we learn about the inauguration of the priesthood we're going to consider.

Jesus so let's pray and then we'll do that together father we thank you for your fulfillment of your promises and that what we have in Christ is infinitely eternally better than what you gifted to your people of Israel that you have accomplished what we're going to read today you've accomplished in Christ for us so may we Delight in the Fulfillment of these things and may we worship you as we study them together in Jesus name amen Exodus chapter 28. God's talking to Moses and he says.

Then bring near to you air in your brother and his sons with him from among the people of Israel to serve me as priests Aaron and Aaron's sons naidab by who eliasar and ithamar a priest is someone who stands in God and the people so to be a priest in this role at times the priests would stand representing God to the people and then at times the priest would stand representing the people to God but as a mediator is an intermediary.

And so that's what this role of a priest is is someone who's in between God and the people and so he says this is going to be given to Aaron and his sons ultimately it's going to be given to the whole tribe of Levi to be levitical priesthood which is where they're the tribe they're from but Aaron and his sons are going to be the line of high priests and it's given to them so we're going to talk first about as we.

Look at these garments we're going to see the representation of the priest representing God to the people as he stands in the middle and faces the people on behalf of God we're going to look at some of the indications of that in the way that the garments are made so verse 2. and you shall make holy garments for you air in your brother for Glory and for beauty now this is interesting because that word glory is used throughout the Book of Exodus and it is used to describe.

God and His glory and the glory that he's going to get from what he does and the glory that he has in his person and himself the glory that's displayed on the mountain and then it's used in two places to describe the clothing that will be given to the priests and so in a way God is sharing some of his glory with the priesthood that there to have a bit of Glory as they represent God to the people that the priesthood is going to stand in in a way to represent him and he's going to make them garments specifically.

For their Glory now if they had done this on their own it would have been bad if they were like you know what I want some glorious garments I'm going to elevate myself I'm going to be the fanciest person that would be bad that would be frowned upon but when God says no I'm intentionally doing this they're going to have special garments for Glory and for beauty as they stand in to represent him and it says this you shall verse 3 you shall speak to all the skillful whom I have filled with a spirit of skill that they may make Aaron's garments to consecrate him.

For my priesthood consecrate means to set aside to place him in this role these are the garments that they shall make a breast piece an ephed 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 now an effort is translating the word ephed much like our word taco means Taco ifad means if it it's this special garment given to the priesthood so if you were like I kind of understand some of these things I got an idea of what a turbine is what's an aphid an iFit is going to be explained to us.

Because it's a special garment that goes here with the high priest so it says verse five they shall receive gold blue and purple and Scarlet Yarns and fine-twined linens here are the Glorious garments they're going to make it's going to look something like that huh that thing in the middle there is the breast piece the iFit is the thing that is uh woven multi-colored around it um or that hangs underneath it but they're going to make this and it's intentionally designed with a bunch of imagery that I think.

Because because God knows what he's doing and ultimately Jesus is going to fulfill this there's a bunch of images that go into this that ultimately point to the finished work of Christ now he is dressed like a walking Tabernacle that phrase that we just read received gold blue and purple and Scarlet Yarns and find twindling and we're going to read that over and over again but we already read it over and over again when they were making the Tabernacle that this is how they made the covering of the Tabernacle and the inside veil in between the holy place and the most holy place.

And so he's dressed up to look like the Tabernacle and I don't think that's on accident that if the Tabernacle is the place where God meets Earth where he's going to put his footstool where he's going to be present in his particular specific way then the priesthood is also going to represent him so if the Tabernacle is the representation of him meeting with the Earth then the priesthood the high priest is a walking representation of that and those are some of the things that help us understand that he's intentionally set up to be leading and standing in between.

God and the people that's it's used in Exodus 21 verse 6 Exodus 26 verse 31 so he's dressed for Glory and for beauty in a way that looks like the Tabernacle but he's also giving a breast piece of judgment and so we're going to read about that look at verse 6. and they shall make the ephot of gold of blue and purple and Scarlet Yarns and find twine Linens skillfully worked and she'll have two shoulder pieces attached to its two edges.

So that it may be joined together and the skillfully woven band on it shall be made like it and be of one piece with it of gold and blue and purple and Scarlet Yarns and fine twined Linens you shall take two Onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel six of their names on the one stone and the names of the remaining six on the other Stone in order of their birth as a jeweler engraves Signet.

So you shall engrave the two stones with the names of the sons of Israel you shall enclose them in settings of gold filigree and this is gold filigree well yeah there it is so they're going to have two stones with the names of the sons of Israel encased in that on his shoulders pretty verse 12 and you shall set the two stones on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as stones of remembrance for the sons of Israel and Aaron shall bear their names before the.

Lord on his two shoulders for remembrance verse 13 and 14 will talk about how to attach it let's move to verse 15. you shall make a breast piece of judgment so he's going to have this breast piece of judgment that's that square thing you saw in skilled work in the style of the ephid you shall make it of gold and blue and purple and Scarlet Yarns and fine twine linen shall you make it it shall be square and doubled a span its length and a span its breath this is a span tip your thumb pinky a span cubits tip your fingy thingy finger that's a thingy twice that's awesome this is a finger elbow nailed.

It all right I didn't hear it till the second time I might have just moved on with my life and not knowing I did that all right all right shouldn't have told you what a span is okay verse 17 you shall set it in four rows of stones then it's going to talk about how the stones are what stones to use in verse 21 it says there shall be 12 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 so there's two stones six names on each shoulder and then there's a breast piece that has 12 Stones with engraved names of each tribe then it's going to take some time to tell you how to attach it so it doesn't fall off and then go down to verse 29. so Aaron shall bear the names of the sons of Israel in the breast piece of judgment on his heart when he goes into the holy place to bring them to regular remembrance before the.

Lord and we're going to talk about this bringing them to Remembrance in a minute and in the breast piece of judgment you shall put the urum and the thumbem 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 and we'll talk about that again in a second that he's bearing their judgment but the urum and the thumbum are specifically given to the high priest to discern the will of.

God they consult urum and thumbem to understand God's will so this breast piece of judgment is not just bearing judgment but it's also making judgment that you would bring someone to the high priest so in Exodus 22 it says that if someone borrows some property and then it ends up gone that you then would bring them before God bring them near to God and whatever God decided would tell you whether or not they had stolen and there's just some questions there as to like how did they do that.

Well most likely they did that with yerman where the high priest would use yerman to understand God's will now we don't know worked we can outline we can trace out a few things and we'll walk through that but anything that tells you this is exactly how they worked is some speculation because we really don't know but what we do know is enough to know how they worked and we have enough to know what we need to know so they would use this to make judgments Ezra 2 we.

See this says the governor told them that they were not to partake of the most holy food until they should be a priest to consult urem and thumbem that they would go before God and ask questions and the yerman thumb and would help them know a judgment from God as Moses is handing over the Reigns of leadership to Joshua in numbers 27 it says and he that's Joshua shall stand before Elias are the priest who shall inquire for him by the Judgment of urum before the.

Lord so even though Joshua is going to lead the nation he would still go to the priest to understand what they were supposed to do to answer questions about God's Will and God's desire for them this is still going when Saul's King in first Samuel 14. says therefore Saul said there's a dispute between him and his army and he says oh Lord God of Israel why have you not answered your servant this day if this guilt is in me that was answered in they lost the battle as.

If this guilt is in me or in Jonathan my son O Lord God of Israel give urum but if this guilt is in your People Israel give thumbem and Jonathan and Saul were taken but the people escaped so it's some way of casting lots of discerning truth of finding reality empowered by God it's not as simple as like flipping a coin because in first Samuel 26 it says when Saul inquired of the Lord the Lord did not answer him either by dreams or by urum or by prophets which means there's a way.

For you to use urum and thumbem and get no answer for God to not respond so it can't be flipping a coin just right or left yes or no because that always would give an answer so that's about all we have we know they used it we know that God specified it and that God empowered this for judgment now some of you as we were talking through that might have thought that's crazy they made decisions by like rolling some dice and some of you might have thought that sounds wonderful can we do that can I just get some dice and be like all right.

If it's a seven I take the job and the answer to the first person is that's not crazy because it was God's specific given way to discern his will that he empowered so he gave this as a gift to his people of Israel and specifically to the priesthood to make judgments on behalf of the People by God that God would make these judgments for them so it was an empowered gift given to them for them to be able to discern God's will and to the.

Second person no we can't make decisions like that first of all because this was only given to the high priest not as just the way that everybody got too many decisions and secondly that's not the means by which we are given to make decisions we are we have something so much better we have been empowered by the Holy Spirit and been given the Church that the Church collectively for Jesus says where two or more of you are gathered in my name there I am in the midst of you and whatever you bind on Earth is bound and whatever you lose is loose this this gift given to the Church that we might collectively make decisions.

So that you're empowered by the spirit and that you can walk under the guidance of the spirit but you also get your Church family to help make decisions to help discern the will of God and so that is how we are designed to make these decisions but we see in him having this judgment that God was empowering the high priest to stand in his stead and to render judgments based off of God's will and so the high priest stood representing God to the people.

Now pause Jesus fulfills this beautifully infinitely more because it's not a walking representation of the Tabernacle he's not just a representation of God he is God himself this is what Hebrews 1 says he is the radiance of the glory of God he's not just shared a little bit in the clothing he wears he's the display of God's glory is seen in Christ he's the radiance of the glory of God the exact imprint of his nature so that where he the uh the high priest would wear clothes made of the same stuff as the Tabernacle that.

Jesus is made of the same stuff he's the same exact imprint he is God not just a representation of God he is God who has come to redeem and to work on our behalf and so that our high priest is not a person who's a stand-in and we hope he does his best but he is God who has come to redeem and to work on our behalf it says he upholds the universe by the word of his power and so our high priest Christ is.

God he's not some sort of representation but he is fully and completely accomplished this but the high priest didn't just represent God to the people but he also represented the people to God and you'll see this we already read some of this but look back at verse 12. it says you shall set the two stones on the shoulder pieces of the epha the stones of remembrance for the sons of Israel and Aaron shall bear their names before the Lord on his two shoulders.

For remembrance and then in verse 29 it says so Aaron shall bear the names of the sons of Israel in the breast piece of judgment on his heart when he goes into the holy place to bring them to regular remembrance before the Lord so the high priest wears the names of the tribes of Israel before God to bring them to remembrance and to Bear their judgment so that if you were in the tribe of Reuben or if you were in the tribe of Simeon or.

If you were in The Tribe of Benjamin that you knew that knew the high priest when he went in before God took you with him that he represented you before God in his sacrifices and in his offerings that you were covered too and it doesn't tell us why the names are on him twice says he's going to have their names on their shoulders for remembrance and he's going to have the names on his heart for remembrance and for judgment but when I consider.

Jesus I think it's beautiful that he carries Us in the same way he carries Us in his heart that he loves us that he cares for us that he carries judgment for us but he also carries our weight he Bears our guilt that he carries the cross on his shoulders to Calvary that he takes with us takes our sin with him and takes us with him when he represents us before God so that we have a high priest who carries you.

If you belong to Jesus your name is written and it is carried before the Lord and you are atoned for and cared for as John says in first John that he wrote these things that we might not sin but if anyone does sin we have an advocate with a father we have someone who's standing before the father right now that bears our names before him to forgive us to be our propitiation for our sins so that our high priest does this as.

Well verse 31 you shall make the robe of the ephid olive blue it shall have an opening for the head in the middle of it with a woven binding around the opening like the opening in a garment so that it may not tear on its hymn you shall make pomegranates of blue and purple and Scarlet Yarns around a Tim with bells of gold between them a golden Bell and a pomegranate a golden Bell and a pomegranate around the Hem of the robe and it shall be on Aaron.

When he ministers and its sound shall be heard when he goes into the holy place before the Lord and when he comes out so that he does not die now I think if I was Aaron and Moses was walking me through this and he was like Oh and around to him was going to be a pomegranate and then a bell and then a pomegranate and then a bell I'd be like all right cool and then he'd say and the bells are going to make noise.

When you walk right yeah yeah so that you don't die and now let me tell you about the turban I think I'd have been like wait go back to the bells part but you see Aaron and Moses understood that Aaron and all the high priests are doing dangerous holy work because they're sinners and sinners don't just get to be in the presence of God this would be a very real thing to consider that that you don't get to just uh presume to be in the presence of.

God but I think it's really interesting that woven into him of this garment is pomegranates and bells I want to show you all this is a pomegranate I had to look it up I didn't know what pomegranates look like that's the pomegranate it's red I think it's about the size of like an orange it's uh that's not to scale that's way bigger than they are in real life it is full of seeds just full of them and so a pomegranate is a promise of life and blessing and fruitfulness that it holds This Promise of.

God fulfilling his promises that he's going to bless them he's going to multiply them he's going to provide for them that there's something good to come it's got seeds it's all these promises that are held inside of it and so in His Garment he has promise of blessing and life and fruitfulness right next to a bell that clings reminding him of his sinfulness and the danger that he has when he approaches God and I think that's beautiful he walks around with the Garden of Eden a place of promise and beauty and God's desire to love humans and to bless them and also the place of our greatest failure where sin enters the world and we're.

Up for Destruction and y'all Jesus has that woven into his person blessing and life and fruitfulness and the Fulfillment of promises and he carries our sin and our guilt and our death in him when we get into eternity we will be unmarked by sin but Jesus won't Jesus carries in his resurrected body the scars on his hands and on his side that when John sees him in the Book of Revelation and they declare look it's the line of the tribe of Judah and John says I looked.

But what I saw was a lamb that looked like he'd been slain that our high priest carries life and death in himself as well blessing and fruitfulness and promise and Hope but also a reminder of the sinfulness that would separate us from God verse 36 you shall make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it like the engraving of a Signet holy to the Lord and you shall fasten it on the turban by a cord of blue it shall be on the front of the turban it should be on Aaron's forehead and Aaron shall bear any guilt from the holy things that the people of Israel consecrate as their holy gifts it shall regularly.

Be on his forehead that he may be accepted before the Lord so the high priest is going to carry the people on his shoulders and on his heart he's going to carry the Judgment of God on his heart he's going to carry their guilt on his forehead and he's going to have pomegranates and bells around the Hem of His clothing and so when the author of Hebrews says he's our high priest we get to look and go yeah he's done that he Bears our guilt before the.

Lord that he carries Us in remembrance before the Lord that he carries in himself life and our death as he has conquered death so that we might be able to conquer death in him that he carries promise and hope and fulfillment and resurrection and that he brings us before the Lord in Hope just as the people of Israel would be able to look to their high priest and see the work that he was doing and trust that God was allowing it to work we get to.

Look to our heart our high priest and know that God has blessed and worked as well in verses 39 through 43 is going to talk about the clothes that will be made for Aaron's sons and the undergarments that they will have to wear all taking into consideration the unholiness of the priests which leads us to okay but how does this priest get to go be in the presence of God and that's where chapter 29 comes in he's going to be consecrated he's going to be set apart.

For it there's going to be sacrifices made on behalf of the priests and so God's going to tell Moses how to go about that so we're going to read the first part of Exodus 29 we're going to read the first part in the last part and I'll explain the middle chapter chapter 29 verse 1. now this is what you shall do to them to consecrate them that they may serve me as priests take one Bull of the herd and two Rams without blemish.

If you're reading the Old Testament and animals are introduced do not get emotionally attached to them this is a pro tip and unleavened bread unleavened cakes mixed with oil and unleavened Wafers smeared with oil and you shall make them a fine wheat flour you shall put them in one basket and bring them in the basket and bring the bull and the two Rams you shall bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting and wash them with water.

So the first thing they're going to do is be washed with water then you shall take the garments and put on air in the coat and the robe of the effort and the e-fit and the breast paste breast peace and gird him with the holy crown on the turban you shall take the anointing oil and pour it on his head and anoint him and then they're going to bring the sons and do the same thing and it says the priesthood shall be theirs by a statute forever sorry they're going to dress them in their clothes they're not going to point anointing poor anointing oil on the on the sons.

So they don't do exactly the same thing but it says there the priesthood should be there is by a statute forever thus you shall ordain Aaron and his sons they're going to set them apart and then they're going to lay their hands on the head of the bull and sacrifice the bull and they're going to place the blood of the bull on the corners of the altar the horns of the Altar and then they're going to put the blood against the altar to atone.

For the altar then they're going to burn up parts of the bull and burn up the rest of the bull outside the camp as a sin offering they're going to take the sin out and they're going to burn it up to help a tone for them and to Mark the altar is Holy then they're going to take the first Ram lay their hands on its head which is signifying that they're passing their sin over to it that this land is lamb this Ram is representing them.

And then that Ram will be sacrificed and burned as a burnt offering to the Lord and they'll see the smoke Ascend up to the Lord just as Jesus ascends up to the Lord the smoker sends up to the Lord in a pleasing fashion to him and then they're going to take the third Ram Place their hands on its head and it will atone for their sin as well some parts of it they will burn some parts of it they will cook and they will partake in a meal and it says they will eat of the ram that atoned from them and I'm reminded of something that we do quite often as we read through that.

That Jesus Christ dies for our sins and then he says if you don't partake in me then you have no part with me and he says that you will this is my body broken for you this is my bloodshed for you and one of the things that we do is we partake in Jesus our sacrificial lamb who atoned for us and we remind ourselves that we are welcome in by what he has done and that's what they do they kill this Ram.

Then they partake they eat a meal before the Lord then they go through a ceremony the last seven days with evening and morning sacrifices and then God says that these evening and morning sacrifices are going to continue forever that that's what they're going to do they're going to have an evening and morning sacrifice the evening and morning sacrifice go to verse 42. oh sorry the ram that they eat they put blood on their ears blood on their thumbs and blood on their uh big toe on their right side and they sprinkle blood all over them.

So they are covered in the blood of this Ram that has atoned for their sin and this is a picture of the fact that their sin deserves death they are covered in the blood this is why we sing songs about blood that were washed in the blood we're covered in the blood because this is what Jesus has done for us that he has washed us clean set us apart and paid for and atone for our sins by his blood and they did this with a ramp.

So they're covered in blood and then they eat a meal um together verse 42. it shall be a regular burnt offering throughout your Generations at the entrance of the tent of meeting before the Lord where I will meet with you to speak to you there there I will meet with the people of Israel and it shall be Sanctified by my glory I will consecrate the tent of meeting in the altar Arrow Aaron also and his sons I will consecrate to serve me as priests I will dwell among the people of Israel and will be their.

God and they shall know that I am the Lord their God who brought them out of the land of Egypt that I might dwell among them I am the Lord their God if you were an Israelite at this time you could look to the Tabernacle you could look to the Smoke rising in the morning and the smoke rising in the evening and you could trust that there was a high priest there representing you before God and that your sins were being atoned.

For that you could see this and Trust but the sacrifice had to happen again the next day it had to continue to happen that he had to continue to to go before the Lord and receive this sacrifice and this hope that had to happen over and over and over again through all their Generations this had to happen but you could trust that the high priest was placed there by God that God was accepting the sacrifice that he was representing you before.

God bearing your guilt carrying your judgment bringing your name in remembrance and you could watch as this happened over and over and over and over again and Christians we get to look to Christ the Fulfillment of all these things who has perfectly accomplished our forgiveness I want you to see this this is Hebrews 10 and this is where we're going to end we're going to end in Hebrews 10 and we're going to take some of the conclusions that the author of the Hebrews draws from us having.

Jesus as our high priest and we're going to consider them as we finish up this morning Hebrews 10. 11 verse 11. and every priest stands daily at his service offering repeatedly the same sacrifices which can never take away sins so they can help pay for sin short term but they have to happen against tomorrow again tomorrow and they can never take it away they can't fix the problem so while this was a blessing to the people of Israel and a reminder of God's love and presence that he was doing all this.

So that he might dwell with them they never fix the problem when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins he sat down at the right hand of God waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet for buy a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified this is we talked about this earlier this year when we talked about the Ascension but that Jesus Christ dies on the cross he's buried on the.

Third day he rises and then he ascends into heaven and he takes a seat because he has perfected once for all time those who are being Sanctified he has fixed the problem of sin he has does not have a need to do this repeatedly and this is wonderful this is why Protestants when you look at a cross Jesus isn't on it because he's not there he's seated at the right hand of God the work is finished when you see an empty cross you get to be reminded that this isn't a work that has to be renewed.

For you but that it has been accomplished there is no smoke rising up daily it's been accomplished that we get to trust in the finished work of Jesus who has seated at the right hand of God who has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified we have a wonderful glorious high priest move down to verse 18. it says where there is forgiveness of these there is no longer any offering for sin verse 19 therefore brothers so because of this since we have a since we have.

First thing confidence to enter into the holy places by the blood of Jesus now the only person in the Old Testament who had confidence to enter into the holy places was the high priest the priest could go with him into the holy place but never could go into the most holy Place only the priest could do that but he says in the book of Hebrews the author of Hebrews says that we now because of the work of Jesus are welcomed in it's the.

First thing it says since we have confidence to enter into the holy places by the blood of Jesus by the New and Living Way that he opened for us through the curtain that is through his flesh and since we have a great high priest over the house of God then he's going to tell us because of those two things because we get to walk in like a high priest and since we have a great high priest then he's going to give us some conclusions.

So I want to to try to help us what do we do with this other than see how glorious Jesus is and how much better he is as a high priest what do we do with this how do we respond and since the author of Hebrews says since we have a great high priest let's do these things I thought hey let's do those things so you're welcome we're going to read those three things quickly to see what we're supposed to do with the fact that.

Jesus is our high priest and that he's made a way for us to enter verse 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 the consecration ceremony of the priests was that they would be washed and then they would be sprinkled with blood in our faith in Christ we've been covered by his blood and we walk that out in baptism and what he says is you've been consecrated to enter into the presence of.

God you've been set apart so that you might enter into the presence of God and so he says with confidence and full Assurance do that pray with confidence and full assurance not Pride because it's not based in you it's confidence because it's based in Christ so with confidence and full Assurance go walk in speak to the Lord relate to him love him that's the first thing that we should do we should have full Assurance because it's worked out in Christ and that we've been consecrated and set apart by the Gospel the.

Second thing he says is let us hold fast the confession of Our Hope without wavering for he who promised is faithful let us hold fast the confession of Our Hope what's the confession of Our Hope it's that Jesus has accomplished this Jesus has worked this out on our behalf our hope is in him and it says the reason we can hold fast to this is that he who promised is faithful I grew up in the Aitkin North Augusta Edgefield area of South Carolina and there's a drag strip in Jackson where buddies of mine would go drag race.

And if you went to the drag race and sat in the car and let's say I don't know if they let you have passengers but this is imaginary so imagine that you could be a passenger let's say I'm the passenger in one of my buddies cars and we're about to race somebody and the guy next to us is Rev in his car because he's cool and you're supposed to do that so he's doing that and I look at my friend he's about to drive and I say I just don't know I just don't know.

If I can do this he says we got this and I said I just don't know if I'm fast enough my friend would look at me like I was stupid because that has nothing to do with what we're doing I don't have to run I'm pretty sure we're disqualified if I get out of the car I don't even know if I'm allowed to be in the passenger seat we've already established that this isn't a foot race and I'm not driving it's based off the car and this person driving.

And when we as Christians at times say things like I just don't know as I'm in sin I just don't know because I'm struggling I just don't know I have these doubts what does that have to do with it he who promised is faithful we just get to sit in the passenger seat it's based off of our confession of Hope which is Christ and what he has accomplished if we were in the tribe of Reuben and I looked at you and just said I just don't know.

If I'm going to be a good high priest you'd say bro I don't think you have to worry about that you're you're not you're not gonna so we're good and so when we at times go I just don't know I just yo we have a great high priest who has opened the way we get to hold fast to our confession and we get to do this with full Assurance because it's not based off of us and when we walk with confidence.

And when we hold fast Our Hope and when we do it with full Assurance we give great glory to Christ because we magnify his work not ours and our trust and our hope is in him not us so because we have a great high priest sleep well at night repent of sin with delight that he forgives and walk in confidence that you're okay not because you're great that's not the point you don't walk in confidence because you're well behaved you're welcome confidence.

Because Jesus forgives Sinners and you have a great high priest who has perfected once for all those who are being sanctified the third thing he says and let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works I find it so interesting he says because we have a great high priest and because we get to enter in let us consider how to stir one another out to love and good works it's not about our love and good works it's not accomplished by us.

But let us consider this and y'all do we do that do you give intentional thought and effort to how to stir up your brothers and sisters in Christ towards love and good works with your community group before you're going over there to spend time with them before your group meeting time before y'all going to go get dinner together do you think how can I stir them up to love Jesus more to to go about accomplishing good works If we're honest I think more often we give consideration not about what they're getting from us.

But what we're getting from them that we might more often think I just don't I mean I just don't know what I'm getting out of that I know we're to consider what they're getting from us we're to consider how we might encourage and build up and drive them on it says this 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 not neglecting to be together.

If we're going to consider and be give effort towards stirring one another up to love and good works you know what you have to do to stir one another up be around one another and so if you've gotten in the habit of being around on Sundays once a month or hanging out with your group every third time or every other time or when it's you've had a long day and it's tiring and you're frustrated you're just thinking I just don't know.

If I want to do that right now I don't think you're considering how to stir them up I think you're considering how it applies to you and I think we're forgetting and neglecting to make this a regular habit that we're around God's people because we have a great high priest who works on our behalf so that we might walk in love and good works behind him and he says all the more as you see the day Drawing Near we ought to outpace the New Testament Believers in stirring one another up and an encouragement.

Because the day is nearer to us than it was to them and there is a day there is a day when we stand before the king washed of our sins covered by his blood and welcomed eternally because we have a great high priest who's entered in before us and may we praise His name let's pray Lord Jesus thank you thank you for surprisingly shockingly fulfilling what you had intended to do since eternity passed to wreck to Res to rescue and to redeem sinners.

Lord may we walk with confidence because of your sacrifice and your glory and may we draw near in hope to the praise of your name amen

The Tabernacle (Exodus 25-27)

Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.

The Tabernacle

Spencer Cary

The Mosaic Covenant (Exodus 24)

Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.

The Mosaic Covenant

Spencer Cary

Transcript

Good morning my name is Spencer I am one of the pastors here we are continuing to walk through the book of Exodus and we are in Exodus chapter 24 uh today which in your blue Bibles is page 37 if you want to follow along there the text will also be on the screen one of the things that I get to do as a pastor that's very fun is about once or twice a year I get to perform wedding ceremonies and they're a lot of fun it's a it's a big powerful moment to be a part of and one of the things that I do in weddings is I use traditional wedding vows I try to.

Find more traditional language for the vows that uh that the husband and wife can are going to commit to do in with one another so here's a few of the lines from what I use I promise to love and support you in times of Plenty and in want in sickness and in health till death do us part and what's powerful about that moment is that as the husband and the wife are saying those words there's no way they have absorbed how weighty and how hard and how wonderful and how difficult it is going to be to live out those vows there's nothing that can prepare you.

For being able to live that out like I promise to love and support you through all kinds of things what if he gets really into like weird Niche Hobbies like puppetry Sports which is a thing what what if she decides to be a mom fluencer and goes hard after that like what through all of that like how do you love and support someone through things that you may not care about at all in times of Plenty and a want we all think about the plentiful times where things are going to be great where he gets a raise.

When she gets a raise and he gets six figures and all of a sudden we can buy a boat like that you have in mind is everyone as they're projecting out their marriage and say over time we're going to keep growing in income but what about the times when you were in want what about the times where he loses his job he can't find work for four or five months what happens when the bills are mounting up and a kid sticks a bean in his ear and has to be taken to the ER in the middle of the night.

And then all of a sudden you've got a thousand dollar medical bill that just gets put on the stack what about times of sickness and in health one of the moments at the end of life where five six seven years she's fading away from dementia she's not even remembering who you are what about till death do his part when you're holding his hand as he breathed his last breath no you're not ready for all of that when you take those vows you're taking a leap of faith to.

When the time comes you're going to be ready those are powerful in weighty words that you commit to as you enter into the Covenant of marriage today where in Exodus 24 and we're going to watch the nation of Israel enter into the Covenant relationship with their God and it's going to be like a bit of a like like a wedding where they're going to commit to following God and there's a lot that's built into that that they can't even begin to.

See yet so we're going to look at the details of this Covenant ceremony that we're going to see in Exodus 24 and then we're going to look at it as Christians looking back at that and what that means for us in our Christian faith now so let me pray and then we'll walk through this together Heavenly Father we thank you for the good news of the Gospel that we just got to sing for the truth of the Scriptures that opens our hearts.

God I pray that you help us be present I pray that you'd help us here and receive so that we can walk out your word and faith and in Repentance and in worship and delighting in you we answer this in Jesus name amen all right so the back end of Exodus we've said we're taking a little bit differently we've moved around a little bit we've taken mostly topically so let me just kind of reorient where we are in the Book of Exodus uh as we step into 24.

So in Exodus 19 God calls the people to Mount Sinai the Israelites are out Mount Sinai and then they receive the Ten Commandments which is really the header of the law we walk through those Ten Commandments one by one now what follows that for that is some laws pertaining to a few different things we looked at the laws pertaining to servitude we look at some of the laws last week that pertained to the feasts and then at the end of chapter 23.

God previews what's going to happen when they enter the promised land when God pronounces his judgment on the people of the land and creates a a promised land and a space for his people to be in his presence he's previewing that this is what's coming and then we get to chapter 24. we pick up in verse 1. then he said to Moses come up to the Lord you and Aaron nadab and abihu which neighbor and by who are the sons two of the sons of Aaron in 70 Elder seventy of the elders and worship from afar Moses alone shall come near to the.

Lord but the others shall not come near and the people shall not come up with him all right so again it's hard to remember where we are but Exodus 19 all the way up until really verse 4 of chapter 24 is actually all one day we've been in this for months but this is all one day and there's a lot that's happening in this one day and he's calling them as they're going to ratify this Covenant that he makes with his people a covenant is an agreement the treaty that he's making with his people.

But this Covenant that he's about to ratify the people are about to finalize that started in Exodus 19 earlier in the day which for us was months ago but if you can remember back when Exodus 19 this is when it all begins in verse 5 and 6. now therefore if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my Covenant you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples for all the Earth is mine and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.

So this is when the Covenant began earlier in the day saying you are going to be my treasured possession my kingdom of priests my holy nation that's what they're going to be to the lord they're going to be a kingdom of priests so that means that the surrounding Nations that will be around the promised land they do not know God they do not honor God you get to be a kingdom of priests that declares the glory of God to the surrounding Nations he did not know him as my holy people in keeping this Covenant keeping the Ten Commandments and the law.

And then when we get here to chapter 24 this Covenant is being ratified it's being finalized and what we're about to witness and the ceremonial events that are included in this are a little bit foreign to us it's it may seem even weird if you've never encountered this in the Scriptures before but we have to remember we're very far removed from the context of the people three thousand years plus removed from an ancient nearest in context where this would have been more familiar ceremonial aspects.

For them it's foreign to us in the same way that if you took the Israelites and put them in a time machine and brought them to today and if they're out in front of a building and then there were people in front of this building and then all of a sudden they stretched out this long red ribbon and then somebody came in with giant swords that had handles and then cut that ribbon and then all the people clapped and they walked inside that would be pretty foreign to them.

Because they're not they don't know what that is but we know what that is it's a ribbon cutting ceremony it's a business opening up that's so we're removed from the context here and some of these details are going to be difficult to wrap our minds around what's happening but I just want to give you the highlights of what we're about to see we're about to see God come together with his people his kingdom of priests they're going to come together both parties will be represented there will be sacrifices that are made the terms of their agreement are going to be read The Ten Commandments.

And then they're going to come together and celebrate and a big Feast that follows and that's the gist of what we're going to see the details we're a little bit removed from so let's walk through this together verse 3. Moses came and Moses came and I told the people all the words of the Lord in all the rules and all the people answered with one voice and said all the words of the Lord has spoken we will do and Moses wrote down all the words of the.

Lord so this is what we're seeing right here is the rehearsal before the ceremony which is going to be the next day so he he reads the words and says all right are y'all in are we doing this and the people like at a rehearsal or saying yes all the words the Lord has spoken we will do it's all right come back tomorrow next morning and we're going to finalize this he rose early in the morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain and 12 pillars according to the 12 tribes of Israel.

So he builds an altar and this altar represents the presence of God this represents God's presence as a part of this Covenant agreement that he's making with the people then he builds in Rex 12 Stones 12 pillars and these 12 pillars represent the 12 tribes of Israel now both parties are present for this agreement verse 5. and he sent young men of the people of Israel who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen II the Lord so then he sends out young men and they gather sacrifices animals to be slaughtered.

Now and if you keep reading you're going to learn more about what these sacrifices are later in the Book of Leviticus but they offer burn offerings and peace offerings burnt offerings which you we can learn about later if you keep reading these are are for atonement the idea of this animal's death and its its death is covering your sin and Rebellion so this is atonement and also peace offerings which is meant to celebrate the fellowship that they have with God so they have burnt offerings and peace offerings which is foreign to us.

But that's what it represents that you all have sinned and you need covering for that sin and also fellowship with God those are offered together and then Moses does something very specific with the blood of the sacrifices for six and Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins and half of the blood he threw against the altar so he takes some of the blood of the sacrifices puts in the basins represents the people and then on the altar which represents.

God in this transaction and this Covenant ceremony blood goes on both bringing them and tying them together now super smart nerdy commentators theologians debate what's the significance of the blood and what's happening here and bringing them together and you can read some commentaries they're going to make compelling arguments about what's actually happening here is the inauguration the beginning of the kingdom of priests that some of the language here similar similar to later in Exodus 29 when the levitical priesthood the actual Priests of the people are consecrated.

When they are really inaugurated as the priests will represent the people and carry out the sacrificial system and all the responsibilities but actually What's Happening Here is that the whole nation is the kingdom of priests they're going to be a kingdom of priests to the surrounding Nations so a lot of the rituals here that this this Blood that's being spilled here it's meant to signify that and that's fairly compelling and then you see other commentators that go no what's actually happening here is that this is very very ancient near Eastern Covenant uh marital type ceremony stuff this is the coming together of two parties together as one.

And then the feast that follows after this which we'll read about in a moment this is actually this is more of a wedding and they'll make compelling arguments on both sides but guess what both are true because it is a little bit shades of the kingdom of priests who are going to represent God people and it is also to come together of two parties God and His People Israel together in holy Union that's what's happening in this ceremony and the ceremony continues in.

Verse 7. then he took the book of the Covenant and read it in the hearing of the people and they said all the Lord has spoken we will do and we will be obedient so no longer rehearsal we're in it now they are giving their vows all that the Lord has spoken we will do and we will be obedient we're talking about The Ten Commandments and What flows out of the Ten Commandments the rest of the law they're saying we're in I do we're doing this we're going to be obedient.

God we're going to follow your laws and your words and your statutes I do so it's red they commence their vows and Moses took the blood and threw it on the people and said behold the blood of the Covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words and that becomes a very tangible reminder of what is at stake in this Covenant part of what's Happening Here is is that in this Covenant you need covering so some of this is atonement type being poured out on the people.

But also this is a sign of what's going to happen if you break this Covenant it's a sign of judgment that you've committed to follow the law you've committed to be obedient but if you aren't obedient this is what's going to happen judgment is going to come so shades of atonement and shades of judgment are found in the pouring of the blood on the people and then we pick it up and verse 9. that Moses and Aaron nadab and abihu in the 70 and 70 of the Elders of Israel went up.

So we're going to see them actually go up and they're going to now leave this part of the way of the ceremony and they're going to have a reception they're going to have a feast to commemorate this ratification this I do this commitment in this Covenant relationship with God and his people verse 10. and they saw the God of Israel there was under his feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone like the very heaven for clearness and he did not lay his hand on the chief men of the people of Israel they beheld.

God and ate and drank and boy oh boy when you read verse 10 11 there's a lot of what what's happening at this this reception this and there's a lot going on here and there's a lot of debate over what's happening here because the Hebrew kind of gives some flexibility on interpreting how this is I don't want to get caught in the weeds of this section I just want to give you a general idea of what's Happening Here the people of.

God represented by the seventy Elders the priesthood which is Aaron and his two sons the beginning of the priesthood and Moses they go further to have reception before God and they behold the glory of God they behold his wondrous Glory we sang that Revelation Song earlier holy holy holy and all the imagery that went with that from The Book of Revelation they're catching a glimpse of that they're they're getting to eat a meal before the glory of God it says before his feet not his face which we.

See later on in Exodus 32 that if you see the face of God sinner is in the presence of a holy and perfect God in the face of God cannot stand and live but they are before the feet of God in ways that kind of break our brains and they have this meal before the glory of God and I can't the the imagery here and how spectacular and wondering how all filled this is that after this holy ceremony and commitment they have this wonderful glorious all-inspiring reception it's powerful.

And then once that's done it continues in verse 12. the Lord said to Moses come up to me on the mountain and wait there that I may give you the tablets of stone with the law and the Commandment which I have written for their instruction this will be the tablets The Ten Commandments are written upon so Moses rose with his assistant Joshua and Moses went up into the Mountain of God and he said to the elders wait here for us until we return to you.

Behold Aaron and her are with you whoever has a dispute let him go to them so the Elders of the people Moses Aaron Aaron's two sons they moved up the mountain to have this feast this reception and then they Moses and Joshua continue to ascend up the mountain further and we're going to see in a moment that Moses is going to be the one that keeps going and this is symbolic here because Moses is the one who's leading them in the wilderness and later on Joshua is the one who is leading them and to the conquest into the promised land.

So both of them enter up the mountain further verse 15 then Moses went up on the mountain and the cloud covered the mountain and this is where I think Moses keeps going Joshua doesn't go the full distance verse 16 the glory of the Lord dwelt on Mount Sinai and the cloud covered it six days and on the seventh day he called out to Moses out of the midst of the cloud now the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain and the sight of the people of Israel which just imagine being an Israelite deep at the base of the mount looking up and seeing the.

Glory of God like a like a devouring fire encircling the mountain maybe you can see in the distance there's a tiny little person that's Moses and he he's going to enter into the presence of the glory of God and that's how this chapter ends in verse 18 Moses entered the cloud and went up on the mountain and Moses was on the mountain 40 days and 40 nights and this is the finalizing of the Covenant that began in Exodus 19. the Covenant that.

God is making with his people that's called the mosaic Covenant the Covenant through his servant Moses to the people and the two parties coming together and it's an awesome event it's a Monumental event the people of Israel would remember for years would tell of for Generations that they committed to following God they committed to being obedient to God to display the Holiness of God unlike any other people and it began back in Exodus 19 but there's something very significant there's something very significant back in Exodus 19 that gets brought into what we read in.

Verse 24 and we can't miss it he says now if you will obey my voice and keep my Covenant you will be my treasure possession now if now therefore if you obey my voice if if is a conditional statement which shows this Covenant is what is called a bilateral Covenant the Covenant that they're making here is a by lateral Covenant it is a two-sided Covenant it means that disagreement to be held in place it's responsible upon both parties which is familiar to us almost every contract you can think of that we would sign and this world both parties have to fulfill the obligations in that contract that's what's happening here this is a bilateral Covenant.

If you obey my voice if you keep my Commandments if you do this then God will find favor upon them will protect them will provide for them that's the exchange here obedience favor if this is very different than the Covenant of Abraham which is back in Genesis 15. that if you are reading through the Bible and you get the first really or the second Covenant that you see in the Bible in the Book of Genesis chapter 15. God makes a covenant with Abraham and that one is not a bilateral Covenant that is what's called a unilateral Covenant one that.

God chooses Abraham in order that he might bring he might bless the Nations through Abraham by building a great nation through him and in that Covenant that God makes only God is responsible it is not incumbent upon Abraham to keep that Covenant God is going to keep that Covenant promise I am going to bless the Nations through you that is only the work of God but in this Covenant it is different in the Mosaic Covenant that we just read that we just saw celebrated and ratified that is a two-party Covenant the Covenant of Moses clarifies the people must live in right relationship with.

God and if if they break their marital vows if they don't abide by the law if they don't obey the voice of God the marriage is over if they become an adulterous people and chase after foreign Gods this Covenant will be shattered one of my favorite I always actually say my favorite rom-com is the breakup the breakup throwback to the 2000s just show a fans raise your hand if you've seen the breakup so I know what I'm working with all right generally half.

Okay I love that movie my family we love that movie if you haven't seen it just go to YouTube and type in the breakup dinner scene that's all you need the rest of it's good but I could literally look at my parents and go tap tap tappy tap tap tappy and they're gonna go Gary on the kick drum it's wonderful it's hilarious we love that movie but when I saw that movie in theaters and then other people saw other people did not like it and it's not.

Because they were dumb it's because it's because they were disappointed they're like they they break up why do you want to watch a rom-com or about a breakup they break up and it's like did you not see the title yeah did you not it's literally in the title it's called the breakup I mean goodness if if Old Yeller was called he shot the dog you would not be disappointed at the end when he shoots the dog you see it coming it's in the title The Breakup.

But it makes the rest of the movie difficult to watch at times because you're watching a couple just break up and that's what it feels like if you know the rest of the Old Testament and when you read Exodus 24 in light of the rest of the Old Testament man it can be a painful read because you're seeing them take this vow I'm gonna we're gonna be obedient God we're going to do it and you know they're going to do everything they're going to do exactly what.

God told them not to do but they're going to forsake God they're going to chase after foreign gods and you also know that ultimately God's going to bring judgment upon them the Assyrians the Babylonians and judgment is going to be poured out on the people all the Lord has spoken we will do and we will be obedient this Earnest desire we will be obedient and then the looming word that's attached to that in Exodus 19 is if if and when you.

See that for what it is it's like how could the people commit to this all the how how did they know what they were getting into and there's a little bit of when you read it it's like what is God doing calling this people into this Covenant knowing good and well that they are such a wayward people knowing that they're so driven to chase after other idols they're going to so deeply struggle to fulfill this what is God doing and even calling these people into this Covenant there are a few reasons I'm going to give you three quick ones.

First God is Creator he is the God The Sovereign God over all things he gets to dictate the terms of the relationship so when the people say we'll be obedient they should God is Holy and we should be holy as God as holy so when he says that he absolutely is with they should want that they should agree to do that but there are unable due to their sin they're unable this Covenant will be shattered and that's the second thing is they just the Mosaic Covenant reveals that the people of.

God couldn't do this in the first place they could not obey the law which means that which doesn't mean that this Covenant has no purpose if they cannot obey the law But ultimately what that does reveal is is that there is someone who is going to have to obey the law there is someone who's going to have to say all the Lord has spoken I will do and be obedient and it's going to have to come through Abraham because that Covenant is a promise that will come true and ultimately it's going to come from the tribe of Judah ultimately he's going to come from the household of David in the Covenant that is made there.

Later on and of course the descendant who comes to fulfill this Mosaic Covenant in a way that the people could not fulfill it is Christ that ultimately this Covenant was made so that Christ could come and fulfill it for the people so that Christ could obey the law perfectly and at the right time Jesus is born and for the next 33 years he lives under the Mosaic Covenant and obeys it perfectly every single law every single marking he spotlessly righteously.

Then instead of having another oxen slaughtered and blood spilled to cover the sins of the people Jesus Takes that perfect record and he goes to the cross goes to the Cross where his blood is poured out to cover the sins of the people there's a reason we as Christians sing songs like there's a fountain-filled blood there's a reason that we're seeing as Sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains for those who do not know the Gospel that sounds weird.

But the hope that we have in Christ is is that that's our only hope we could not obey the law we could not fulfill the Mosaic Covenant we are sinners in need of mercy and the blood of Jesus is poured out on us on the cross and that's our hope and then when Jesus is buried and Rises on the third day and conquers the power of death and its grip that is held upon us he ultimately is fulfilling Exodus 24 he's fulfilling this Covenant which means we as Christians get to.

Look back at Exodus 19-24 we get to look back at this Mosaic Covenant differently and the key to understanding it and our relationship with the law is in a few places but one of them is Romans 7. so go to Romans 7. start again verse one this is how we as Christians get to approach the law or do you not know Brothers for I am speaking to those who know the law and specifically context here in Romans this is he's really talking to Jewish Christians right.

Now Jewish Christians who had spent their lives trying to fulfill the Mosaic Covenant on their own he says I'm speaking to those who know the law that the law is binding on a person as long as he lives four verse 2. a married woman is bound by the law Bound by law to her husband while he lives but if her husband dies she's released from the law of marriage highlighting that the Covenant that you make in marriage is binding until death do you part.

But when he or she dies it's no longer binding verse 3 accordingly she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive but if her husband dies she is free from that law and if she marries another man she's not an adulteress meaning that if her husband dies and then she remarries she's not adulterous because that Covenant of marriage is over and a new covenant begins in its place and this Paul takes that understanding.

And then explains the law likewise verse 4 my brothers you also have died to the law through the body of Christ so that you may belong to another to him Jesus who has been raised from the dead in order that we might bear fruit for God he's saying your relationship with the law is over it's over that marriage is done you have died when you place your faith in Jesus death to life happens and you were born again into something and someone knew a new creation in Christ.

Therefore because of the death of Jesus is because this new established Covenant of Faith you aren't married to the law anymore you're wedded to Christ you belong to Jesus and not the law of verse 5 4. while we were living in the flesh our sinful passions aroused by the law we're at work and our members to to bear fruit for death verse six but now we are released from the law having died to that which held us captive so that we serve in the new way of the spirit not in the old way of the written code.

So Christians we have a new covenant in Christ we have a new relationship in Christ the Israelites served under a bi-lateral covenant that required both sides there is no if in Jesus there is no if in Christ there is no two-sided agreement in Christ Jesus unilaterally unconditionally saves us he redeems us and then sets us apart to be a people for his own possession and then he puts his Holy Spirit in US and then God carries us and Carries us and Carries us and Carries us all the way and to our future Promised Land which is eternity with.

God that is a unilateral Act of God that is not a two-sided Affair God unilaterally saves us the bilateral Mosaic Covenant ultimately was meant for Christ to come and fulfill it so that we would not be a people that worked for our salvation but trust only in the finished work of Christ which means brothers and sisters some of you need to stop treating your faith like it's a bilateral Covenant some of you need to stop treating your faith like it's a two-party transaction some of you need to stop treating your faith like it's a conditional faith it's not and some of you some of you have this misunderstanding that being a Christian means being a.

Good person that you bring your good works and you maybe even see yourself as a good person that I'm a Christian because I go to worship on Sunday or I'm a part of a community group I read my Bible or I pray or I serve others or I give or I do all these things which are good things to do and you say I'm a Christian because of all these things that I do and your misunderstanding that's that's not the Gospel you're a Christian.

Because God and His Rich kind Mercy saved you in spite of your sin he redeemed you and some of you may not see yourself I'm okay now I'm not I'm not like that I don't I don't see myself as I actually see my sin but like I just I I feel this need like I've got to do I gotta prove I gotta I gotta grind I gotta I gotta I gotta keep earn like I'm gonna lose the favor of God because of the sin of my life I just got I gotta and it's this endless toil and this endless striving where your soul is never at peace and it's never in rest and you keep.

Thinking that your side of the agreement you've got to fill and the works that you do I've got I've got to keep filling it up as if it's some type of scale that's going to balance out and there's not enough good works in the world that could ever outdo this in our lives and then there's some of you that have you know I have some of you like I have this I understand this by Grace have been saved through faith it's not of works I'm not saved by works I'm not saved by works.

But all you can see in this relationship with Jesus is your sin that all you can see is is the sin beneath you this indwelling sin that's in all and it leads you to a place of no longer actually seeing Christ in in overshadowing your sin you you all you can see is your sin and therefore it leads to this pattern of self-loathing of self-hatred that in this relationship with Jesus all you see is your sin and you don't like yourself at all and that's all you can.

See and you might protest but you don't you don't know me if you knew the thoughts there in my head if you knew what I did in the quiet of the night if you saw my sin if you knew there's no reason that God should want me and all you see is your sin and I want you to hear the words written by a pastor named Dane ortlin that describes the unilateral love and mercy of Christ that you so desperately need to hear.

So I just want you if that's you this morning I want you to hear this so very clearly he says that God is rich in Mercy means that your regions of deepest shame and regret are not hotels through which Divine Mercy passes but homes in which Divine Mercy abides that the parts of you where you feel the most shame and regret that your life is not a hotel where God's mercy comes from a moment that Fades away it is a home where it abides it means that it means the things about you which make you cringe the most make him hug hardest it means his Mercy is not calculating and cautious like ours it is.

Unrestrained flood-like sweeping magnanimous it means our haunting shame is not a problem for him but the very thing he loves most to work with hear that again The Haunting Parts the parts that make you cringe the most are the parts of you that Jesus Delights in working with the most it means our sins do not cause his love to take a hit our sins cause his love to search forward all the more it means on that day when we stand before him quietly unheardly we will weep with relief shot at how impoverished a view of his Mercy Rich heart we had that is the unconditional unilateral Mercy of.

God this is not a two-party agreement it's a one-sided affair with a deep Abiding Love of God that we sang about earlier where his Mercy is so much more than we could ever possibly imagine that's the God who loves you that's the God that loves you so much that He sent Jesus to die for you and to rise for you so that you might not stare at your sin so that you might not put your works in your hope and works.

So that we might be a people that when we see our sin we see our glorious savior that's the Savior that fulfills Exodus 24 that's the Savior who died for us and that's the Savior we get to sing about let me pray for us Heavenly Father I pray that you would help us see how wonderful it is that we don't live under the law that we don't have to fulfill the obligation the requirements of the law that we get to when we.

See our sin look to you as our only hope and I pray that for the Christian in here that is so deeply troubled by their sin in a way that they cannot seek you clearly that today you would absolutely open their eyes to the mercies of God that they so desperately need to see and I pray that you would go to work in the hearts of anyone that have not that has not experienced this yet who asks in Jesus name amen we're going to sing one more song and the reality is that some of you have never actually tasted and seen that the.

Lord is good some of you have never actually seen the good news of the Gospel and made that your only hope that maybe you've thought all along that being a Christian means I got to clean myself up or being a Christian means I've got to bring I gotta get back into Church I got to do good things I gotta be a good Christian and I want you to hear so clearly this morning that's not the Gospel the Gospel is you seeing your sin and seeing Christ as your only hope we're about to sing a song called all I have is Christ in it and it says you looked upon my helpless State that's our confession.

God you looked upon my helpless state because I could not fulfill the law because I could not be obedient enough you looked upon my helpless state it led me to the Cross some of you have never made that decision some of you have never actually made that commitment to say I need Christ I'm a helpless State I am a sinner and this morning the invitation is there our God is before you sang Come experience my mercy and my goodness and my love and my grace it is offered.

But you have to take it you have to take a step of faith and place your hope and the life and the death and the resurrection of Jesus and my hope is this morning so as we sing this song some of you need to sing this as a confession of what you believe but something you need to confess it for the first time foreign.

Feasts! (Exodus 23:14-17)

Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.

Feasts! (Exodus 23:14-17)

Chet Phillips

Transcript

Good morning my name is Chet I'm one of the pastors here grab your Bibles go to Exodus chapter 23. we're working our way through the book of Exodus and we're studying Exodus and we're trying to as we go through ask what does this mean for Christians how do we learn from this how does this point us to Jesus what how can we grow as God's people as we study this and we're going to look at a section in Exodus today that I think would be pretty easy to read.

If you were reading through the book of Exodus on your own I think it'd be pretty easy to read and not give it much thought and just keep right on moving but I think that it's very interesting that while God is giving the law and training this nation is what it looks like to follow him that he gives them what we're going to look at today this past week I was assaulted there's a person in my community group named Parker Bramlett and after our group met he was talking to us a handful of people had left and there's only a few of us left and he was talking to us about he's got a fight.

Coming up he's been practicing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and so I said you want to show me what you got which he he agreed to so quickly uh it seemed as if he had been wanting to beat me up for some time and so he went into my backyard and uh you know scoped out the spot and then he told me a few things about how we were supposed to start and then we rolled which is what it's called it's not called wrestling it's Brazilian Jiu Jitsu you roll.

And so we rolled and there were a couple of times where it was very evident if you were watching us that one of us had been practicing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and one of us had been watching TV on his couch at one point I did something I kind of shot in to grab him and he he leapt on to me and I had two thoughts pretty quickly one was oh no he was very prepared for me to do that the second thought was I cannot breathe.

And so uh it was it was over pretty quickly that evening I was sitting on the couch holding my neck going back and forth like this after he had left I was like I hope I'm gonna be able to move my head tomorrow and my sweet wife I was sitting you know over there and she's looking at me and she said something and this is a paraphrase I don't remember exact words but it was something along the lines of you're dumb and this was your fault um the things that we practice the things that we rehearse the things that we repeat become the things that are ingrained in us that become the things that are.

A part of us become the things that stick with us the things in your life that you're best at are the things that you've rehearsed they're the things that you've practiced they're the things that you've repeated the things that you've done over and over again and some things are mundane tasks that you've repeated over and over again some of these are bigger things but I mean I I'm willing to bet there are some of you that still remember a poem that you learned in middle school.

But it was because you had to say it in front of everybody some of you still know lines from plays that you were in in high school some of you still know plays from sports that you were in that you practice you repeated them over and over and over again and we're going to see that God on a very zoomed out level for the nation of Israel gives them things that they're going to repeat he gives them things that they're going to rehearse.

So that they'll remember and so that they'll become a part of who they are he builds in practices for them commands practices of them to build into them who they are as a people and that's we're going to look at this morning so let's pray and then we'll we'll jump into the text together God we're thankful that you rescued a people out of slavery or that you taught them what it meant to belong to you and we're thankful that as we study that we get to.

See that you've done that all over again gloriously through Christ that you've rescued a people for yourself out of slavery and that you're at work and teaching us what it means to belong to you so may we grow in that together this morning in humility and worship to your glory amen Exodus chapter 23 we're going to start in verse 14. now we're going to look at verse 14 it's starting at about verse 10 as he's finishing up some of the regulations of the law where he's telling them this is how you'll act this is how you'll handle things this is what you do.

If someone steals this is what you do someone murders he reiterates the Sabbath which is a weekly practice of rest and in it he talks about you're going to rest so you might be refreshed and so he builds in this pattern of rest for them every week which is significant when you consider that these were slaves that God is adopting them and teaching them what life is going to look like as they belong to him and as slaves they used to belong to Pharaoh they used to belong to the Egyptians and their value came from their productivity.

But God says no you belong to me now and you're going to rest you're going to have normal patterns of healthiness it's almost as if you considered someone who was adopted out of a very difficult situation into a home where there was peace where there was Joy where there was going to be food today and food tomorrow and the parents are teaching them no that's you don't have to stick that in your pocket you don't have to hide these things from us you don't have to act this way anymore this situation is different and that's some of what God's doing with the people of Israel he's saying no no this is how we're going to.

Act because you're in a better situation because you belong to me now and so as he's doing that he says this verse 14. three times in the year you shall keep a feast to me now in the Old Testament there's two Hebrew words that are translated feast and the best way I could think to think of it is is there's like a lowercase f feast and a capital letter F Feast so there's Feast which means eat a lot have a feast.

So this is the Book of Esther uh aha Suarez has a feast then Esther holds a feast it just means we're going to eat a lot then there's the capital F Feast which is these the man did holidays and so these include the idea lowercase f feasting but they're bigger in this word here when it's used as always referring to these specific ones that God has commanded so three times in the year you shall keep a feast to me you shall keep the Feast of unleavened bread as I commanded you you shall eat unleavened bread.

For seven days at the appointed time in the month of a bib for in it in that month you came out of Egypt None Shall appear before me empty-handed you shall keep the Feast of harvest of the first fruits of your labor of what you sow in the field you shall keep the Feast of in gathering at the end of the year when you gather in from the field the fruit of your labor three times in the year shall all your males appear before the.

Lord God okay a couple of things on this as a whole and then we're going to walk back through what each one of these was about three times the entire nation of Israel stops and holds feasts but these were feasts where they had to gather these are the pilgrim feasts they had to go from wherever they were to where the Tabernacle was or eventually where the temple was so all productivity stopped and all the males had to show up now there's a couple reasons why it's all the males one is the males LED In Worship in their civil society and in the household.

So he's saying y'all are going to lead in this as well which is a part of all of those things you're going to lead your family well you're going to lead the nation well you're going to lead in worship well you're going to lead well in all of you are going to present yourselves before me this did not exclude females they were invited but there was an invitation for females and an obligation for males just some practical things men don't get pregnant or nurse children.

And so there would have been times where it would have been very difficult for women to be able to travel and do this but we do see that all families at times would Worship in this way we see that throughout the Old Testament we see it with Jesus's family his family was there so it's an invitation to females but an obligation for males the other thing that goes along with this all males will appear is that they will have no defense of their Nation.

If you read through the Old Testament they were consistently losing land losing cities reclaiming land reclaiming cities and there's a promise in Exodus 34 where he says you're going to appear before me and no Nation will covet your land during this time because it would make a lot of sense if you were someone who hated the Israelites and you knew three times out of the Year all the men are going to be gone for about three weeks they've all got to travel into Jerusalem they've got to hold a feast.

For a week they're going to be there then they're going to have to come on back that would be the time to attack them and God says I want you to trust me that I'll protect you that ultimately you're going to live out you're going to embody that your protection comes from me anyway I need you to trust me that your protection comes from me not from you you're all going to appear and so three times they had week-long Feasts now most of us have jobs where we might get two weeks of vacation three weeks of vacation maybe over time you build it up this was built into the nation of Israel that they were.

Not just going to have vacation they were going to have Feasts worshipful celebrations for weeks at a time and this is just the three Pilgrim ones they had other ones that they would have to celebrate throughout the year these are the ones that had to all show up together that God built into them this pattern of worship and celebration so let's look at what each one of these was doing as they were rehearsing and remembering what God had done for them and who he was.

So go back to verse 15. you shall keep the Feast of unleavened bread as I commanded you you shall eat unleavened bread for seven days at the appointed time in the months of abib for in it you came out of Egypt None Shall appear before me empty-handed okay so this is the Feast of unleavened bread or it's also called Passover and this is a remembrance Feast the reason that's their first month of the year is because it's the month that he rescued them out of Egypt.

So they're going to hold a feast that's going to celebrate what God has done for them at the Passover judgment was coming on Egypt and the people of Israel were told you're going to take a lamb had to meet certain specifications had to be without blemish had to be a certain age and you're going to sacrifice this lamb and you're going to paint your door with the blood of the Lamb and you're going to stay in your house and when judgment comes by it's going to pass over you.

Because the blood will stand between you and judgment and it'll keep you safe but if you don't do this if there's no blood between you and judgment you will receive judgment and it was at this time that very night that when this happened that God rescued them out of slavery and he says you're going to gather as a nation forever and celebrate you've been rescued out of slavery and that judgment passed over you and they had certain parts that went along with that they ate unleavened bread.

Because they didn't have time for it to rise they made the bread but they didn't have time for it to rise so they had to go ahead and cook it they had to eat it quickly so when they would eat this some of the practices they had meant that if anyone asked why are we doing this which if you have children they ask why are we doing this why are we sacrificing a lamb why are we eating unleavened bread why are we having to go how long are we going to be there are we there yet all of these kind of questions and they had answers the reason we eat unleavened bread the reason we.

Sacrifice a lamb which might be different from some of our holidays why are we bringing a tree inside of our house because it's Christmas okay but why are we putting lights on it I already told you it's Christmas yeah but why hey eat some candy and shut up like we might need to grow a little bit and some of the practices we have but they had reasons behind all of the things they were reenacting and that was that feast and we're told that they celebrated it in.

Second chronicles and a couple of the things that they said was that they celebrated it with great gladness and that the priests and the Levites were daily singing with all their might which I don't know if you've ever done that sung with all your might but it's actually one of the most wonderful things about being a human and if you're ever singing with all your might in the light of the Lord it's excellent and that's what they were doing verse 16 the.

Second one they had you shall keep the Feast of harvest of the first fruits of your labor of what you sow in the field all right so this Feast of harvest is kind of a two-part Feast they had the Feast of first fruits that would actually take place during the Passover feast and what they did was with their barley and grain Harvest you were not allowed to to eat any of the barley or grain Harvest any of the new barley or grain until you had.

First brought together as a nation the first bit of barley and grain and presented it to the Lord they actually would take the first Sheaf of grain and wave it to the Lord and then they would sacrifice his food offerings to the Lord before they were able to eat any of it now if you've been waiting a long time for your barley and your grain to show up and the first bit of it shows up you're going to be tempted to eat that or to save that you're probably not going to be super tempted to devote all of that to the.

Lord but the reason they did was because they were saying this is a down payment this is a promise that God's the one who provides for us that he's the one who's in charge of the Harvest that the rest of this stuff will grow won't get blighted won't get eaten won't get locusts won't get stormed won't get knocked down that the rest of this will actually will have a harvest and so they would bring this and it was a down payment in faith that.

God was going to provide for them and so they did that and then seven weeks or 50 days later they had what was called the Feast of Weeks because it was seven weeks or Pentecost because it was 50 days same thing so the Feast of Weeks the Feast of the first fruit and the Feast of Pentecost is all the same thing then they would get together and celebrate and eat and worship together for a week and they would have all these sacrifices that were going on that were sin sacrifices and sin offerings and food offerings and they would celebrate that the wheat and the barley that they.

First waived that God had fulfilled his promise and they would celebrate together at Pentecost it's actually also Pentecost is the same time when the law is given that was actually seven weeks after the first Passover God gives the law and then every year they're going to celebrate that God provides for them both at the Feast of the Harvest which would be Feast of first fruits to Feast of Weeks or Pentecost in Deuteronomy for the Feast of Weeks and for the Feast of the end Gathering they're commanded to Rejoice which I think is very helpful.

Because if you're reading some of these you might would ask what's the tone how are we supposed to approach God and he says Hey in this house that you've been adopted into we're going to celebrate and the things that you would celebrate anyway like our Harvest has come in I'm going to celebrate with you we're going to celebrate together and Delight together in provision and protection and guidance back half of verse 16 you shall keep the Feast of in gathering at the end of the year you shall keep the Feast of in-gathering at the end of the year.

When you gather in from the field the fruit of your labor so this was olives and grapes and it was the end of the harvest season so it's not the end of their calendar year but it's the end of the Harvest year and so at the very end of the Harvest year they're going to have another week-long feast and this became it's the Feast of end Gathering but also because they rebel against God I don't want to ruin the rest of Exodus.

For you but they rebel against God and then they have to wander in the wilderness for 40 years it also becomes the Feast of booths or Tabernacles which would be like the Feast of tents they they go stay in tents they camp out for a week together to remember that in the in gathering and in their wandering in the wilderness that God provides for them so they rehearse and reenact as a nation for a week that God is the one who provides.

God is the one who protects and so they as a whole people yearly weeks at a time had to rehearse over and over again had to remember over and over again our God rescued Us From Slavery Our God pays for our sin our God is the one who provides for us so we can trust him that he'll take care of us our God is the one who protects us and gives us all good things we celebrate and rejoice with our God and they did this over and over and over and over again.

God specifically commands to them this is what it's going to look like as you all belong to me now we're Christians so what do we do with that first we don't have to practice the Feast of Passover or in gathering or first fruits or booths we don't practice those things we don't have to do that as a people who belong to Jesus there's specifically that kind of question what do Christians do with the law is asked repeatedly in the New Testament.

Because it was a bunch of Jewish people who the Christ came out of the Jewish people and it was a bunch of Jewish people who were then seeing that Gentiles to non-jewish peoples were becoming Christians and so they were asking hey what do we do with the law because the Holy Spirit's rescuing people they're believing in Jesus what do we do with the law in Acts 15 they get together and they have a whole big meeting that says what do we do with the law do these people have to submit to circumcision do they have to submit to the law of Moses Peter at one point stands up and says why would we put on.

Them first of all the Holy Spirit has already redeemed them and already given them Faith why would we put on them something that we and our fathers could not stand under the weight of we believe that they'll be saved by the grace of Christ just as we are and so the law is fulfilled by Christ but does not come to us in full force and we talked about that two weeks ago we talked about it some in part last week we'll probably keep saying it as we go through the book of Exodus.

So it's fulfilled for us so what do we do with this Paul actually says this in Colossians is he's talking to people he's talking to a Church that had Gentile Believers and Jewish Believers and they're dealing with some of how do we work this out what does it mean to follow Christ who is the Messiah he's the Jewish Messiah but are we supposed to still follow the law Paul says this in verse 16. therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath.

Now that therefore is coming after it's coming in conclusion you can go read Colossians 2 it's coming in conclusion to a big argument he's making which is the mystery has been revealed the mystery is Christ that all of it is in Christ and so as we try to follow him he's what it's about and so he says with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath basically with regard to the Jewish calendar no one passes judgment on you with regard to this these these practices that.

God put in place are a shadow of the things to come but the substance belongs to Christ they were ultimately meant to be markers that prepared and pointed to Jesus that's what they are so let's talk for a second about the substance of these belonging to Christ and then we'll just talk about how do we get to as Christians respond to what it looks like for us to remember and to rehearse what it looks like for us to belong to Jesus.

So Jesus is crucified on the Passover Corinthians tells us he is our Passover Lamb he's the blood that covers Us covers our household stands in between us and death stands in between us in judgment he is the sacrifice for the people of God there is no other one to come it is Christ he's the high priest he's the sacrifice he's the one who has rescued us he is our Passover we're also told that he is the first fruits that this idea of.

First fruits is used three times in the New Testament where they're just taking you know that concept of first fruits here's how this applies to us we're told that Jesus is the first fruits of the Resurrection meaning that we can look at him and know because he rose will rise we're also told that the Holy Spirit at work in you now as a Christian is the first fruits of what's going to ultimately happen that he's going to rescue and redeem and make you whole completely we're also told that the new Believers in the Church at the.

First century were the first fruits of us that they were a promise of what was to come that more people were going to be rescued by Jesus so they just take this idea of first fruits and keep saying that's fulfilled that's applied that's at work and Spirit comes at Pentecost 50 days after Passover so where the law came and was written on tablets of stone and ultimately I don't want to give too much away three thousand people are going to die in Rebellion the spirit Falls written on hearts and three thousand people are Made Alive.

God is fulfilling his work through the cross through the calendar through Pentecost and he is fulfilling and being the substance of these in Christ and then in the Feast of booths we get to trust God where we are right now that he's going to get us home that he's going to provide for us that he's going to make it we're going to make it to the promised land and then the in gathering we we believe that he's the one who ultimately provides all good things.

For us that the substance belongs to Jesus that our story is a bigger story a better story and that we belong under that so what are you rehearsing Christians aren't given a calendar we're not even given in the Old Testament a full Jewish calendar so we're not meant to follow this we're not told we have to follow these festivals we aren't given any holidays whenever anybody's like people have before said to me you know Jesus probably wasn't even born on the 25th it's like good you have just proven nothing according to the Bible.

Because it doesn't tell us so the odds are if you I mean probably good there's 364 other days you know so good you did it like we don't we're not told that we have to practice any of these we're not told that we we can we're not commanded to we're commanded to practice what we practice in faith we're commanded to practice what we practice and joy and Delight we're commanded to be people who are under this story and rehearse this story.

So let's just take a second and consider what are you practicing what are you rehearsing let's think about your day I want to tell y'all something about my day every single day I'm a full-grown man yes sometimes I get beat up in my backyard but I'm a full-grown man and every day I get all tuckered out and I need to eat and I need to sleep or I'm going to be pretty grumpy every day I stayed up one time for 24 hours straight and I hated it is the worst we had a son at the end of the day and that was fine.

But it was a long day every time in college people are like we're going to pull an all-nighter I'm like I'm not if I'm dumb at 10 o'clock at night I'm just going to be dumb at nine in the morning I'm not staying up for this you have to sleep you have to eat and you rehearse this over and over again and in those moments do you remember your strength isn't found in you your hope isn't found in you your provision is brought to you by.

God your protection is brought to you by God and that you get to live under a bigger story and a better family every day you think things every day and all of us are mentally rehearsing things and some of you are mentally rehearsing things that are contrary to the Gospel you are over and over again in your head you would tell me if I asked you do you belong to Jesus you would say yes and I would say are you sure and you would say yes.

And then you would leave and in your head you would say things to yourself like I'm a failure I'm the worst no one loves me I'm going to ruin everything I mess everything up I'm unloved I shouldn't show up they don't want me there that's not the Gospel what are you rehearsing are you speaking and acting as if you belong to Jesus as if you have a better story as if you've been brought into a better family let's think about week to week what's your life.

Look like what are the things that you're practicing over a given month do you have rhythms of rest or you remind yourself I'm not a slave and my value doesn't come from my production and in that some of you really need to be challenged in that you need to realize I'm supposed to stop I'm supposed to sit and be refreshed before the Lord in worship also he says six days shall you labor and on the seventh you will rest so in a given week do you work are you productive do you spend most of your time just trying to rest trying to be lazy or do you use the talents and the abilities that.

God has given you to bless and to care for those around you in honor to God and then worshiped him are you consistently daily or weekly praying reading your Bible rehearsing those things in how you follow the Lord You've gathered here for worship is this a part of you delighting in Jesus and him rescuing you so that we stand up and say Jesus is better than everything else you actually are participating in that do you sing with all your might do you get swept up in Delight of the.

Lord do you come here to rejoice in him to be refreshed among your Church family are you a part of a community group is that a weekly thing for you do you participate walk in life with them this is one of the reasons why we talk about we believe that we want to give good news before we give good advice it's easy for Christians to hang out with each other for you to say you have something going on and then we all become like blog posts or Tick Tock videos about five steps to being a better whatever here's here's 10 steps to dealing with a with a dumb boss and we just give each other.

A bunch of information but what can happen while that may be helpful and while your Tick Tock video might have been excellent we can inadvertently communicate to someone that their hope is them but that's not the story that's not the hope that's not what we've gotten swept up in because of the glory of Christ so we want to give good news not we give good news not good advice we give good news before good advice so that we can Frame Up why we would walk in wisdom why we would do these things and how we actually get to live in in relationship to Christ.

But do you contribute do you participate do you love your community group is your community group just there for you or are you actually walking in life with them what's your weekly stuff look like what's your look we don't have most of us don't have a harvest maybe of tomatoes but most of us don't live Harvest to harvest we live paycheck to paycheck do you practice first fruits do you remind yourself that God is the one who provides ultimately for you do you take the time to surrender things to him in delight and in worship and in promise that he's going to keep this coming that he's going to ultimately provide everything you need that's.

One of the things that he means when he says let nobody appear before me empty-handed we're told later that people are supposed to do it based off of their means but everybody's supposed to show up with something so do you walk in generosity and submission to the Lord rehearsing for yourself that he's ultimately who provides for you not the job you have not the health you have but your king who's good what is your week to week month to month look like one of the week to week month to month things that we practice as a Church family and these are two of the practices given to the Church.

For us to rehearse baptism and communion where we remind ourselves of our real story that Jesus Christ rescues us we got to celebrate baptism a couple of times over the past few weeks and one of my favorite things is to get to talk to them and say there's a reason why you don't baptize yourself there's a reason why you go backwards you're being buried in death and then you get to rise again with Christ and we're standing for that as a Church to help represent that you didn't do this.

But that Jesus does this we practice this together and celebrate this together and delight and rejoice in this together when we take communion it's a tangible reminder that Jesus was real and he really died for you and you really needed him to there are times when you're taking communion and we we dip it quite often it's running on your fingers I want you to remember his blood really ran his body was really broken and it was really what was needed for you and it really happened and you are covered by the work of Christ one of the reasons we practice that regularly is.

Because you will not outgrow your need for the Gospel you will not level up so that you can Delight in not needing Jesus but we will walk as people humbly consistently reminding ourselves Christ paid for me I needed him to and he did I'm covered by him just as they practice at Passover that we remember our Passover Lamb what are the things you do yearly what are the rhythms built into your calendar and what are they celebrating I think we need to think about what holidays do we celebrate how do I approach vacation how do we celebrate them how do we reenact.

For ourselves and for our co-workers and our neighbors and our children what this is really about what does this look like I I got a couple ideas for you when you look forward to vacation is there a way for you to remember that this is a worshipful Delight that you have that your value doesn't come from your production and your provision doesn't come from your job but that you get to stop and rest and Delight in the Lord when we celebrate Good Friday and Easter do you actually worship in that do you actually consider in that what that is do you pause during that to think and to Rejoice.

Well and to celebrate well and to be solemn well as we Delight in the Lord we celebrate things like Thanksgiving which Christians ought to be the best at if we're going to celebrate it because we have way more to be thankful for we have a way better story than the edited one that we've learned in elementary school we got a way better one we have a better country I love this country but I've got a better one the most excited our Church should be shouldn't be Fourth of July yes we should all buy fireworks yeah.

But that shouldn't be all the things about we should get to worship and Delight in the Lord in ways that we get to celebrate if you're going to celebrate a thing celebrate as a Christian and remind yourself and remind your family this is what this gets to look like and this is why this matters so I've tried to think through that some for Christmas um one of the things I do with my boys is which I tried to Think Through how can I help them.

Remember this how can we reenact some things and so one of the things we do on Christmas Eve is I'll tell them that God made the world and they made it wonderful and he made Adam and Eve and we sinned and when we send death and destruction entered the world and I cut off all the lights and I say it was terrible it was dark it was scary and for a moment everything was lost but God made a promise and all light a match or a grill lighter or whatever and I'll light a candle and I'll say.

For the longest time there was just a promise a promise the death won't win that sin won't win that one day there's going to be a son who crushes the enemy's head but that's all they have it's a promise and there were prophets who reminded them of the promise and then Jesus was born and light into the world and I'll tell a little bit of the story I have a really bright light that I'll shine and I'll say the glory of the angels are there and everybody freaked out and they said hosanna in the highest we'll talk through some of that.

Jesus was born and then I'll say and because of Jesus he have that bright flashlight I say he brought light into the world and then ultimately everything gets undone and we turn all the lights on and then I say because he did this life is sweet so we're about to eat some candy he his coming was a down payment on the better things to come the ultimate fulfillment of all God's promises so we're going to open one gift and we're going to celebrate.

So we dance usually to The Strife is over by citizens I'm sure it'll change at some point but that's a really good worshipful song it's got some good dancing Vibes to it but that's to help my sons remember what this is about we try to rehearse this and so all I would say is what are you celebrating and how are you celebrating what are you rehearsing how are you practicing we don't have an in gathering we do have tax season are you just annoyed do you ever take the time to.

Look and see how much God's provided for you that year what if Christians started taking some of their tax return to have a big meal and celebrate and Delight in the Lord and provided for them all year long and to worship that he's going to do it again what if we took some of our tax return and walked it out in generosity to those around us so that we could remember what this ultimately mattered why we're here what God's doing what.

If we were the best at celebrating because we have the most to celebrate what if we consistently rehearsed for ourselves the Gospel so that it was what was in our mind and how we acted and how we lived so that we would be people who delighted in the Lord there aren't a bunch of rules on how we're supposed to practice baptism we're supposed to practice communion you can celebrate Christmas or not with or without a tree or not I think you should we should Delight in the fact that.

Jesus came you should celebrate the Incarnation but I you can have gifts no gifts you can be Holly Jolly or not there's no rules on that but this is the command that I think should govern for all of us how this works first Corinthians 10 31. so Paul's talking about this practices what do we do and how do we live out this together whether you eat or drink or whatever you do do all to the glory of God so may we be people who sing loud who celebrate and rejoice.

Well who rehearse and remember the glory of God in Christ all the days of our lives let's pray oh God we thank you that we have something to celebrate that you redeem Sinners that you are our Passover Lamb that you are the first fruit of the Resurrection that we have a hope that lasts Beyond this life and as we follow you in our daily normal simple grind may we remember that you're the one who provides you're the one who protects you're the one who redeems you're the one who's given us a Promised Land you're the one who gives us hope.

For a future you're the one who's washed us clean that we are not covered by our sin or our shame or what has been done to us but we are marked by what has been done for us in Jesus and may we worship and may we celebrate and may we sing and may we delight and may we when we mourn may we mourn as those who have hope to the glory of God in Christ for your blessed name and your glory amen the band's going to come back up we're going to sing we have a few more songs than normal.

So that we might sing and celebrate we're going to take communion together and in that we're going to rehearse and remember that I am a sinner in need of a sacrifice but praise be to God that Christ came and covered me and this isn't about my work or my labor or my Worth or my value or my morals but it's about what Jesus has done so I want you to take a moment I want you to consider what are you rehearsing some of us maybe need to repent.

Because we've been living and practicing in so many ways like Jesus isn't King and our story isn't good I want you to take a moment and then when you're ready I want you to take communion and rehearse and reenact what has happened for you in Christ if you are not a Christian communion is not for you we're delighted that you're here and we want you to know Jesus we don't want you to rehearse and practice something that isn't true for you yet.

But you are welcome to come to him and say I need salvation I need hope I need forgiveness and he freely gives it because he came to rescue a broken people to himself so we would invite you to come to Christ and to trust him with your life so in a moment when you're ready we'll take communion there's a gluten-free communion back there and then we're going to sing together as a people who have something to celebrate.

The Law (Exodus 21-23)

Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.

The Law (Exodus 21-23)

Chet Phillips