Address—G. Hayhoe
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97197.
I'd like to speak tonight about the garments of the High Priest, the 28th chapter of Exodus.
And we'll begin at the sixth verse.
And they shall make the effort of gold, of blue and of purple, and of scarlet and fine twine linen, with cunning work it shall have the two shoulder pieces thereof joined at the two edges thereof. And so it shall be joined together. The curious girdle of the affidavit which is upon it shall be of the same, according to the work thereof, even of gold, of blue and purple, and scarlet, and fine twin linen. And thou shalt take 2 Onyx stones, engrave on them the names of the children of Israel.
Six of their names on one stone, and the other six names of the rest on the other stone.
According to their birth with the work of an engraver in stone, like the engravings of a signet.
Shalt thou engrave the 2 stones with the names of the children of Israel. Thou shalt make them to be set in oches of gold, And thou shalt put the 2 stones upon the shoulders of the effort for stones. A memorial unto the children of Israel and Aaron shall bear their names before the Lord upon his shoulders for a memorial. And thou shalt make ouches of gold, and two chains of pure gold at the ends of wreath and work shalt thou make them, and fasten the wreath and chains to the ouches.
And thou shalt make the breastplate of judgment with cunning work. After the work of the ephod shalt thou make it. Thou shalt make it of gold, of blue and of purple, and of scarlet, and of fine twine Linen shalt thou make it 4 square. It shall be being doubled, A span shall be the length thereof, and a span shall be the breadth thereof. And thou shalt set it in settings of stones, even 4 rolls of stones. The first row shall be a sardius, a Topaz, and a carbuncle.
This shall be the first row, and the 2nd row shall be an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond, and the third row a ligur and agate, and an amethyst, and the 4th row a barrel, and an Onyx, and a Jasper. They shall be set in gold. In their enclosings the stone shall be with the names of the children of Israel. 12 according to their names, like the engravings of a signet, Everyone with his name shall they be according to the 12 tribes.
And thou shalt make upon the breastplate chains of chains at the ends of wreath, and work of pure gold.
And thou shalt make upon the breastplate two rings of gold, and shall put the two rings on the two ends of the breastplate.
And thou shalt put the two wreath and chains of gold in the two rings which are on the ends of the breastplate, and on the other two ends of the two wreath and chains. Thou shalt fasten in the two ouches, and put them on the shoulder pieces of the effort before it. And thou shalt make two rings of gold, and thou shalt put them upon the two ends of the breastplate in the border thereof, which is in the side of the effort inward.
And two other rings of gold thou shalt make, and shalt put them on the two sides of the effort underneath, toward the fore part thereof, over against the other coupling thereof, above the curious girdle of the effort. And they shall bind the breastplate by the rings thereof unto the rings of the effort, with a lace of blue, that it may be above the curious girdle of the ephod, and that the breastplate be not loose from the aphid. And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart, when he goeth in unto the holy place.
For a memorial before the Lord continually thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and Thummim, and they shall be upon Aaron's heart when he goeth in before the Lord. And Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart before the Lord continually.
And thou shalt make the robe of the effort, all of blue. There shall be an hole in the top of it in the midst of.
It shall have a binding of woven work round about the whole of it, as it were the whole of the heverage on.
That it be not rent, and beneath upon the hem of it thou shalt make pomegranates.
Of blue, and a purple and a scarlet round about the hem thereof, and bells of gold between them.
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Round about a golden bell and a pomegranate a golden bell and a pomegranate upon the hem of the robe round about and it shall be upon Aaron to minister. And this sound shall be heard when he goeth in unto the holy place before the Lord, and when he cometh out that he die not, And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, and grave upon it, like the engravings of a signet, Holiness to the Lord, And thou shalt put it on a blue lace, that it may be.
Upon the miter, upon the forefront of the mitre, it shall be, and it shall be upon Aaron's forehead that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things.
Which the children of Israel shall hallow in all their holy gifts, and it shall be always upon his forehead.
That they may be accepted before the Lord.
Well, perhaps some might wonder why we should read all these details that God has given to us in connection with the robes of the priest who was clothed in these robes thousands of years ago. It might seem as if this was a long time and perhaps not of much concern to us. I remember one time when I went to the Bible House in Ottawa and I told the lady I'd like to get a Bible for one of the children in the Sunday School.
Well, she said. We have a nice Bible here, and it has.
The historical parts of the Bible in larger print, but some of those unimportant parts like the Tabernacle and the ritual and so on, that's just put in very small print so the children can sort of skip over that. There wouldn't be much for them in that. But dear friends, it's not so it tells us that when the Lord Jesus walked with those two on the road to Emmaus, he expounded unto them in all the Scriptures.
The things concerning himself and if you had been with those two, that went on that.
Walk from Jerusalem down to Emmaus. No doubt you would have heard many, many precious things from these things in the Old Testament and how they picture to us the Lord Jesus. For when we turn over to Hebrews, we find out that He is our great High Priest. And these garments that were placed upon the High Priest in Israel are just a picture of what the Lord Jesus is doing for us.
The work that he is carrying on for us up there is our high priest.
And there are just three particular points that I'd like to bring out in this that I'll mention first. So perhaps you will get the thought that is before me. And that is that we see in the names upon the shoulders. We see how the Lord is carrying us in His strength, just like the just like the shepherd. When He picked up the sheep, He placed it upon his shoulders and carried it home rejoicing. So the shoulders speak of the place of strength. The Lord carries the government of the world upon His shoulder.
But he places the sheep upon his shoulders, and so these names were graven on both shoulders.
So it shows us the place of security into which the believer has been brought, and then upon his heart, well, that's the place we have in his affections, for we not only are carried securely, but we have a special place upon his heart. He loves us and loves us with an individual love. And then underneath that breastplate there was what was called the Urim and Thummim, which means lights and perfections and tells us of the wisdom.
Of all God's ways, we might love someone, and yet in our love we might do something for them or to them. That was very unwise Sometimes with children, we love them so much we spoil them. Well, we lack wisdom. We have affection, all right, but we lack wisdom in the way we act with them. But not so with the One who is our great High Priest. He loves us perfectly, but he is all wise. He knows just exactly what she what each one of us need. And so.
We have in these garments those three particular thoughts, strength and love and wisdom. And that's what characterizes all God's ways with us as His children. And that's why the Lord Jesus is up there interceding for us, because he knows every step of our pathway, just as the high priest was there in the presence of God on behalf of the people, so that they might be accepted before the Lord and that they might have the strength to go.
On through the wilderness and might be maintained in their pathway. Then in the end of the chapter we'll see how the knowledge of all these things produces a response in our hearts, because this is always the way God does. He first of all tells us what He has done for us in His grace and then all all that we could do in worship or service is the result of response to His Law. God always puts the position that He has brought us into in grace first.
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And the exhortations are always founded upon that. It's a mistake to think that we can do something to finally attain any particular favor with God. No, it's all found that dear friends, upon the work of Christ, upon what he has done. These people were a redeemed people. They had found shelter in Egypt under the blood, and God had said when that blood was placed on the lentil in the two side posts he had said, When I see the blood.
I will Passover you That, and that alone sheltered them from judgment.
And then, more than that, he had brought them through the Red Sea into a new position. Oh, isn't this lovely? You're not only forgiven if you know the Lord Jesus as your savior, but you've been brought into a new position. If I stole something from a man, he might forgive me, but I still wouldn't feel at home in his presence.
I'd want to get away from them because I would feel, although he had forgiven me and that I couldn't relax in his presence at all.
But if he told me that he didn't look on me as a forgiven thief, but he loved me as his own child, what a different feeling I would have in his in his presence. Well, God not only sheltered the people from judgment, but he brought them into a new position where their enemies were dead. Upon the seashore they looked back and they saw all their enemies, and the first thing in the Bible is when they crossed the Red Sea came up on the other side. I redeemed people not only sheltered from judgment.
But beyond the place of judgment altogether in a new position.
But alas, we know how they failed in the wilderness, and we were just remarking over in Walla Walla something that has been very lovely and precious to my heart. The people, you know, they failed and they murmured. And because of their murmurings, God said he would have to let them wander for 40 years in the wilderness, that they might learn an experimental way, their own hearts.
And also his heart. And so instead of being able to take them through that 11 day journey at once to the land, he left them for 40 years in the wilderness so that they might have these experiences. And you know, the Lord could have taken you to heaven the very day He saved you.
Your life wasn't necessary in any way to fit you for heaven. The very moment you accepted Christ as your Savior were as fit for heaven.
As God himself could ever make you, because He sees you in all the virtue and in all the acceptance of the person and work of His beloved Son. But why are we left here in the wilderness? Well, we are left here that we might learn two things. We have to learn ourselves experimentally.
But we also learn God's faithfulness, God's grace. There are lessons that can't be learned in heaven. They have to be learned down here. We won't need comfort in heaven. We won't need strength for the way in heaven. Our faith won't be put to the test in heaven, Faith will be changed to sight. And so these lessons of the wilderness are invaluable. But you know, this is what to me is so lovely when the Lord said, well, you're going to have to.
Wander this wilderness for 40 years in tents, the Lord said.
But I want to be with you and so I am going to make a tent, for that's what the Tabernacle is.
It was really a tent, he said. I'm going to make a tent and I'm going to dwell among you. Oh, isn't that lovely? He said you were going to have to walk through all those troubles and difficulties of the wilderness for 40 years. But I love you so much that I'm going to come down and dwell in a tent among you and provide a way of approaching to my presence so that you will be able to know that I love you and care for you. Oh, how tender this was in the part of the heart of God.
For his people. For you know, the Lord Jesus not only died to save our souls from hell.
But he died so that he might have our company. It's our company that he wants.
He wants it here, He's going to have it for all eternity, but he wants it here in this pathway, in this world as we go through it.
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So the high priest he approached in the presence of God on behalf of the people.
And so is our remark before we can see in all this our beautiful picture of the Lord Jesus present work, His work of redemption is past. The blood has been shed. We have been accepted through His finished work. But we have a one who is up there, and the one who died for us lives for us, And there He is in the presence of God for us, for us. You feel the difficulties of the way.
Do you feel how trying they often are? Well, there's one up there who's passed through every circumstance, every kind of suffering that it's possible to pass through for a righteous man. The Lord Jesus has passed through. And there he is up at the Father's right hand, and he's interceding for us. And so that's what's brought before us here in the garments of the high priest. So in this sixth verse where we began, it says they were to be made.
The effort was to be made of gold of blue, the purple of scarlet, and fine twine linen.
Well, I believe these different colors bring before us the various glories of the Lord Jesus. The gold would speak to us of divine righteousness, for in heaven the street is of gold, and so there we find that the first one mentioned is the gold.
Because the Lord Jesus for us is there in all the acceptance of his own person and work.
And it tells us in Two Corinthians 5 and 21 he hath made him.
To the sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him, the righteousness of God in him. Isn't it a marvelous thing to think that as God looks at the believer, he sees him in Christ, in Christ accepted in him? So these garments, first gold and then blue, and what I believe tell us how the Lord Jesus is the heavenly 1.
Because there's the blue sky, and he is the one who came down from heaven and who has gone back to heaven. There it says He's passed through the heavens and he's in the presence of God for us. And then the purple would not now tell us of royalty, because that was how the kings were clothed. And the scarlet in the scripture brings before us human glory, human glory, whatever, with whatever we see something that wishes to display human glory.
We usually see Scarlett. It's often on the robes of very important people.
People who have some high office in this world. Well, who has the right to the highest place? Oh, it's the Lord Jesus. For as man, as man, I say he's going to be the center of the whole new creation scene. That one who's up there interceding for us now is someday as son of man going to be the center, and the whole of heaven and earth will be gathered under a man, that man, God's beloved Son.
And dear Saints of God, that man is there interceding for us tonight.
That man who is going to hold the position as it tells us in Ephesians 1.
That in the dispensation of the fullness of time he might gather together in one all things in Christ.
Both which are in heaven and which are on earth, Even in him. You and I might consider ourselves quite important if we were personal friends of the President. But how much more to think that there's one up there, a real man who died for us and who's coming for us, who's going to have that place of headship over the whole scene? And he's chosen us to be part of his bride, and he's up there for us tonight. Well, I believe this is what is brought before us in the Scarlet.
And the fine twine linen? Well, the fine wine, and it tells us in Revelation.
Is the righteousness of Saints well? The Lord Jesus was the one who walked in perfection.
In every step of his path he was pleasing to God his Father.
Every step it's practical righteousness and the Lord Jesus was that imperfection.
So that as he went through this world, he could say I do always.
Those things that please the Father, So these colors here bring before us the various glories of Christ. And then these they were these two shoulder pieces.
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Were on the shoulders of the high priest, and it tells us that there were two stones, and on these stones six names were graven on one stone, and six names on the other stone.
And it says they were graven according to their birth.
Why isn't this lovely? And it brings before us the fact that when we are born into the family of God, for that's our spiritual birth, and that we're placed upon his shoulders. And so perhaps, as I look into this, into the faces of some here tonight, perhaps there are some who have been on the shoulders of the Good Shepherd longer than I have. But if you have been born again, you have been placed there, and those names were grave in there according to their birth.
Six on one shoulder, 6 on the other.
That the 12 names were represented there, and so how wonderful it is to know.
That when you take Christ as your Savior, you're placed in a position of security, a position of eternal security for the Lord Jesus said in John 10. I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. Some people will say, but oh, you could pluck yourself out, but the rest of the verse guards against any mistake in that direction. For it says.
They shall never perish.
Neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. So there is the security that no one could pluck them out unless the person might think he could pluck himself out. Why, he says, they shall never perish. They shall never perish. Oh, how carefully God has worded it so that there might be the enjoyment of this security. Because, dear friends, it all depends upon Christ. Make anything depend on ourselves, and we're sure to forfeit it, I've sometimes said to people.
Who do not believe in eternal security, I said. Well, if I if I thought as you do.
I could never be happy because I would always be afraid that I might have done something.
That I might have forfeited salvation, I am afraid. And you know what the?
Quite often we'll say, oh, well, it's not little sins. It's big sins. If you come in a big sin, well then you might be lost. Oh, they had a little sin's all right. But a big sin is what would take one off the shoulders of the Good Shepherd. All dear friends, any sin would keep you out of heaven. Any sin? One mistaken thought if it depended on yourself or myself. But thank God, it depends upon the value of the blood of Christ.
The blood of Jesus Christ his Son, cleanseth us from all sin. And God is careful in His word to guard always the infinite value of the finished work of Christ. And so here we find that these names were placed upon the shoulders of the High Priest, and they were set. Each of these stones were set in ouches of gold. Well, we remarked before that this gold.
Speaks of the righteousness of God. And isn't that just exactly what that verse said that one quoted, That we might be made the righteousness of God in him? So there were those stones and there were set in gold settings not only on the shoulder, but they were in gold settings. Because my place of security isn't that God has overlooked my sin, but God has taken up and settled the question of my sin. Oh, isn't that a wonderful thing to know why if you were called upon?
To confess your sins and then if you could confess the mall, it would be all forgiven.
Do you think you could remember the mall? I'm sure I couldn't. And more than that, I'm quite sure that I don't know. Some things that I have done are sin in God's sight. That perhaps I don't realize, but all how grand it is to know that God himself took up the question of sin. God himself laid my sins upon the Lord Jesus. As Isaiah 53 and six says, the Lord hath laid on him.
The inequity of us all. Oh dear friends, I want to bring this before you for the blessing of your own heart.
So that you might have subtle peace. Judgment is past if you know Christ.
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You will never have to do with God as a judge. You now have to do with God as a savior God.
God as your father. Oh, how wondrous to say that the work is forever complete.
Well, it's interesting to notice too here that these stones on the shoulders of the high priest were both alike. Now we'll notice here that the stones on the breast of the high priest, they were all different. But on the shoulders of the high priest, they were both alike. They were Onyx stones. Whereas upon the upon the breast they were all different stones. Well, surely there's a reason for this.
Well, there is equal security for all. It says there were graven according to their birth. And if you were just brought to know the Lord Jesus as your savior yesterday, you're just as secure as if you had been saved for 50 years. There's no difference in the security into which the believer has been brought because there were seven ouches of gold and these stones were alike. But then we noticed that when we come to the 13th verse that there were these.
Recent change that came down.
And they connected these on the shoulder with the ones that were upon the heart.
And these wreath and chains, it seems to me, these these chains would bring before us that perfect length that there was between the place of security and that upon the heart, because our place upon the heart of Christ is founded also upon divine righteousness.
No. You might love a person and not know all about them. You might find things about them afterwards.
That disappointed you greatly, and you wouldn't love them quite as much after you found these things out about them, perhaps. But the Lord knew all about us before He saved us. And our place of security and our place upon His heart is founded upon the fact that all these things have been settled at the cross. And so the precious Savior is someday going to look upon all His redeemed, as it tells us in the 53rd of Isaiah.
He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied. Perhaps there's someone here tonight, and you say, But, oh, I've been such a miserable failure. The Lord must be disappointed in me, while he's grieved sometimes, but never disappointed, because he did know all about us. And when each one gets home to glory, whether it's poor failing Lot or Jacob, or whether it's Abraham.
He is going to look upon each one and be satisfied because.
They will be there in all the infinite value of the work of Christ. Now it doesn't mean that we would want to be a lot, because there is such a thing as having a saved soul and a lost life. It says he that loveth his life shall lose it, and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. And you can have a saved soul and a lost life. And I'm sure that no one who responds to what the Lord Jesus has done for us would want to have a lost life.
It's true. He's going to bring us there through his.
Finished work. But he would delight that we should have an abundant entrance. And you know the bridal garments of the bride, it says. She was arrayed in fine linen and clean and white, for the fine linen is the righteousness of Saints.
That is those beautiful garments displayed there at the wedding.
Are the result of practical things in her life that were pleasing to the Lord, just like a girl who's being married. You know, it isn't the dress that she wears on the wedding day that has anything to do with whether she's going to be the bride or not, but it does have a great deal to do with whether she is dressed in a way pleasing to her bridegroom. Probably when he wanted to have that girl for his wife, he never thought about what she was going to wear on the wedding day at all. That thought never crossed his mind.
But if she wanted to be addressed in a way pleasing to him, oh what?
Oh, what effort she would go to, to have a beautiful dress for that day. Well, dear friend, your place in glory is founded upon the work of Christ. But you and I can do things that will be beautiful in his eyes, acceptable to him. And Paul said we labor that whether present or absent, we may be accepted or agreeable to him. What a privilege this is. I just pause to mention this because if I speak of eternal security, I speak of the finished work of Christ.
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But there is the practical side, and you and I have the privilege of doing things that please him.
Who has done so much for us? And I've sometimes said too, you know, the bride is seen 1St at the wedding day, and we get a second view of her 1000 years later, 1000 years later. And it says she still prepared as a bride adorned for her husband, that that bridal dress is still in all its freshness and beauty. Supposing A supposing a bride thought that.
Every day of her married life, she had to put on the dress she wore on the wedding day. Don't you think she'd want it to be exceedingly beautiful? Don't you think she would go to no end of pain? Saw that it would be lovely? Because she said, why? You know, I'm going to display this every day of my married life. I surely want it to be nice. Well, dear friends, you and I are doing in our lives now those things that will meet with his approval and will be to praise, honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.
All may we remember that this is our privilege, but let us not confuse our responsibility.
With our standing. Our standing is through the work of Christ, but we have the privilege of doing what's pleasing to Him. But now to pass on here to the to the breastplate of judgment. It also was of gold, blue and purple, and scarlet and fine twine in them. All these same beautiful things that were seen in the in the breastplate, in the aphid, where the.
Had to do with the shoulder pieces. We're also here upon the heart. It's the same blessed person.
That has given us this place of security, who has also given us this place.
Upon his heart. And here again we see this beautiful thought introduced in the 16th verse. 4 square It shall be being doubled, span shall be the length thereof, and a span shall be the breadth thereof. I believe it's four square, because although the high priest was only the high priest in Israel, it was a picture to us of the one who was not just going to be the high priest for that nation, but the one who is up there.
Who has caused this wonderful message of salvation to go to the four points of the compass?
To go out worldwide not whosoever will may come. I believe that's why it was Foursquare. Because God always had in his purposes blessing beyond the bounds of Israel. He had in his purposes the blessing of whosoever will worldwide. And then the fact that it was doubled and that it was a span each way, Doesn't that make you think of those two hands that we spoke of in the 10th of John? There we read, it says.
And no man is able to pluck them out of my hand. Then there's another hand, It says My father, which gave them me, is greater than all, and no man is able to pluck them out of my father's hand.
I and my father are one, so there we have the double security of the believer.
The two hands, the two spans the full coverage. And so there how lovely it is that on the breastplate to hold those glittering stones was this four square piece of most beautiful material. And these stones also were set in their settings with gold. Well, why were they different? Why not have them the same upon his heart? Well, you know.
I enjoy this thought, at least for my own soul.
Every believer is equally secure and every believer is equally loved.
But you know, some of us are parents in this room tonight. And some of us have a few children, not just one. Perhaps some of us have two or three or four or five, and we have a special love for each one. We love each one differently. Each one has a different disposition every each one has different physical characteristics, and we have a special love for each one. We look at them.
And our hearts go out in a different way.
For each one of them. Oh, that's the kind of a savior that we have all you say.
There's nobody that understands me. Oh yes, there's one that does. And each one of those stones were beautiful. We couldn't say one was more beautiful than the other, but each one was different. And the Lord loves all his own and He loves them all alike. But I believe that we can say He has a special love for each one. Says now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
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Doesn't say love the family. It says he loved Martha.
And her sister and Lazarus. And so you know, the Lord knows each one of us, Perhaps you say, but if I've been a big failure, I don't believe he could love me just the same as he could love some other believer. Well, you know, one has enjoyed noticing this in the scripture, that when God assures his people of his love toward them, it was at a time when we would least have expected it.
After their 40 years of murmuring and complaining in the wilderness, then it says.
Yeah, he loved the people. All his Saints are in my hand.
All had his had his love toward them changed by all those failures of the wilderness.
No. They might have doubted it, but he loved them just the same. And then we can go through the Old Testament at different instances. Take when Jeremiah was telling them about being carried into captivity and warning them, shedding tears over their sad state. We read that verse that's so precious to us. Yeah, I have loved thee with an everlasting love. Therefore, with loving kindness have I drawn me and that verse that I just quoted.
Did it ever strike you that he didn't put Mary's name first?
He doesn't say now Jesus loved Mary and her sister.
And Lazarus? We might have thought that's the way it would have been worded, but not so why?
Well, Martha might have wondered if the Lord loved her as much as that sister who sat at his feet. She might have said, I am sure the Lord loves. I am sure that He loves Mary more than He loves me, because He rebuked me, told me that I was cumbered about much serving, But lest there should be any doubt about it, even skips Mary's name, and it says He loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
Oh, how touching it is. And let me assure you that the Lord loves you, and if you've wandered away from them, the way that you will be brought back is not trying to develop some love in yourself, but thinking of how much he loves you and your failure hasn't altered his love. And sometimes told a little incident occurred in our own home when one of our daughters was quite small and I had to punish her for being naughty.
Why, She was crying and she came to me and she said, Daddy, you still love me, do you? I don't know any time that I wanted to assure of her, of of my love toward her. More than then, even though she had failed that very thought that came in her mind that she should have doubted that I loved her, just hurt me. And dear friend, dear Christian, don't ever thank the Lord doesn't love you. He died to save you.
Drawn by such cords will onward move, and if you have failed, it hasn't altered his love. It may have altered your enjoyment of it, but not his love towards you. He may have felt and does feel our failures, but it doesn't alter his love. And so isn't it beautiful that each one of these stones arranged in rows of three, they were all different. They were all beautiful. And dear fellow Christian, the Lord knows.
All about you. He knows your physical condition, he knows your endurance, he knows the trials of your pathway, he knows your tendencies, he knows everything about you. And he has a love that's suited to your condition and that love is going out towards you.
For when did those stones sparkle the most? Well, it was when the high priest went into the very holiest of all. And there was the Candlestick. There was no natural light there, but there was the Candlestick. And the light of the Candlestick fell upon those stones, and each one of the the names sparkled back in all its beauty. Oh, how precious it is. He's in the presence of God for us.
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He's up there tonight, and he's bearing our unworthy names in the presence of God. And he has a love for us, a love that from which we can't be separated, a love from which we see here. That double security, those two hands and each one of the stones set in golden settings and with all the glory of those different colors. Oh, how lovely it is to see. And it tells us.
That he wore these things, He wore them upon his.
Heart before the Lord. Continually. Continually, yes, at all times, day and night. Why those names were always represented before the Lord.
And then we go on a little bit farther and we notice here.
When we come down to the 28th verse, it says, And they shall bind the breastplate by the rings thereof unto the rings of the effort with a lace of blue.
That it may be above the curious girdle of the ephod, and that the breastplate.
Be not loosed from the effort, while there were the wreaths and chains and everything which speak of divine righteousness, but there was that lace of blue, and it was fastened in such a way that it could not be loosed. And you know of somebody that we love goes far away from us, we might say, well, I wonder how much they think about me. I wonder how much they think about me when they're far away.
Well, that's what I think about the lace of blue, the one who is up in the heavens, Why it was fastened in such a way that it could not be loose, And although he is up there in the heavens, why He's thinking about us, His thoughts are upon us. The hymn writer has caught the thought very sweetly in that little hymn that says there amid the joys of heaven, Sweeter to his ear is the footfall through the desert.
Ever drawing near.
Yes, with all the glory of heaven. What is the sweetest to heaven?
All you hear is the footfall through the desert. He knows that the moment is near when he's going to have his bride. Just like Isaac. He went out to meditate in the field at evening and he lifted up his eyes. Who was coming? His bride. She lifted up her eyes and their eyes mapped.
They were soon. They were soon in the enjoyed relationship that.
Uh, Rebecca had wanted to be in Ohio. How how lovely it is to think that the Lord is lifting up his eyes. He's longing for the time. And so I think that's the thought, brethren in this lace of blue wasn't only the golden chains, but there was the lace of blue, that one who's in the heavens. Although he may seem so far away. Peter said, whom having not seen he loved and whom, though now you see him not yet believing.
You rejoice with joy, unspeakable and full of glory. And now we come to the next in the 30th verse, and thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and Thummim.
It is a striking thing that God has not been pleased to tell us very much about what this is, and no doubt there is a reason for it because.
God doesn't always let us understand his ways with us.
Some things he does allow us to understand, but there are other things that are tests of faith you were just mentioning yesterday and reading first Peter One says the trial of your faith being much more precious than a goal that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found under praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. And sometimes we may understand why God passes us through certain things.
Sometimes we may not understand. So this Urim and Thummim was hidden here underneath no stones, and was upon the heart of the high priest. Well, the Lord's ways with us are perfect in wisdom and perfect in love. And we may not as a remark, always understand, any more than any Israelite could see what was underneath there. But there was the Urim and Thummim underneath those stones.
00:45:00
Little hymn says we cannot always trace the way that thou art gracious Lord dost take. But we can always surely say that God is love. And so in the 8th chapter of Romans it says we know not what we should pray for as we ought, but we do know that all things work together for good to them that love God to them who are the called according to his purpose. Our first thought when we get in trouble.
Is to think, how can I get out of this trouble? But we don't know whether it's best for us. Paul thought it would be best to get rid of that thorn in the flesh, but it wasn't best for him. It was best for him to have it. God intended him to have it all the rest of his life, and he lived to thank God for it. Later on he said most gladly. Therefore I glory in mine infirmity, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. And brethren, I believe when we get to glory.
That we will thank God for the trials that He allowed along the way. We'll see then what we may not see now why he allowed them. We'll see that it was in perfect wisdom as well as in perfect love. And I may have mentioned this before, but one has enjoyed this in connection with the eight of Romans. Perhaps others have noticed too. But when you come to that 28th verse where it says, And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God to them who are the called according to His purpose.
Perhaps you have stopped at the end of that verse and said, well, it's hard to understand. I can't see how this is going to work together for good. Well, God knew that you and I would have those very feelings and that's why the next verse comes in. Did you ever read the next verse in connection with it? The next verse says for whom he did for now he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son, that he might be the first born among many brethren.
Moreover, whom he did predestinate, them he also called, and whom he called them he also justified, and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
Well, I'll illustrate the point that I'm trying to make.
Did you ever read a storybook? And when you came to a chapter in the storybook, when everything looked very sad and everything looked very uncertain and you just could hardly for bear, you looked over to the end of the story to see how it ended?
Did you ever do that? I've done that. And once I knew that the story ended, all right, I could read the darkest chapter in the story and I could read it. Perhaps the tears had run down my face while I read it, but I still read it with confidence. Why? Because I kept saying to myself, well, I know the story ends all right, it's all right. It's going to work out. Looks awful difficult, but it's going to work out all right. And so how grand it is. God says I knew you'd stop at the end of the 28th verse.
And say, how is this ever going to workout? He says. Well, I'll tell you the end of the story. You're going to be conformed to the image of my son. And then he even goes, and he carries us right back into eternity and says, whom he did foreknow. He also did predestinate. Then he gives our life story. He called us and he justified us, and then he carries us into a coming eternity. And he says, then he also glorified, and it's all in the past tense.
It doesn't say then he will glorify but then he also glorified.
Because you know that in God's purposes, your whole life stories all been written, and if you're passing through or I'm passing through a chapter that looks very sad to our mortal eyes right now, remember that under the breastplate is the urim and thumb. God has the end of the story in view. It's already written. You're going to be with Christ, and like Christ and His purposes, you're glorified. All brethren, let us trust him more.
He's up there in the presence of God for us.
When godly kings got into difficulties, you remember how they used to call for the Urim and Thummim? Well, this was just why. Just what we've been saying when they didn't know what to do and the enemy gathered in great numbers against them. Why, they'd say, well, I don't know what to do, but the Lord knows He's perfect in wisdom and love. And so they called for the Urim and Thummim so they might have direction for their pathway. Well, this is the one who's up there.
For you and I. And when the children of Israel had this high priest who was in the presence of God for them in the earthly sanctuary was just a picture of the one who's up there interceding in God's presence for us.
00:50:12
So in this 31St verse and 32nd, it tells us that there was a robe all of blue.
And that it was, it just had a hole in the top so that it could not be rent.
Yes, that worked. The Lord Jesus is doing can never, never be given up until everyone is safely home. He He's up there and he's going to continue his work. Nothing can rend it, you know. It was fixed in such a way it couldn't be rent. And so the Lord Jesus who's gone into the heavens for us, he is going to continue that priestly work until every one of his own.
Are safely.
Home and glory.
Now, we spoke a little about the response here.
And you notice the 33rd verse beneath upon the hem of that thou shalt make pomegranates of blue and of purple.
And of scarlet round about the hymn thereof, and bells of gold.
Between them round about the golden bell, and a pomegranate to golden bell, and a pomegranate upon the hem of the raw browned about. And it shall be upon Aaron to minister, And his sound shall be heard when he goeth in unto the holy place before the Lord, and when he cometh out at he die not.
When the high priest went into the presence of God, there was that veil and the people couldn't see him, he was hidden from their eyes. How would they know that he was accepted? While they could hear the tinkling of those bells and they could listen there and there, they knew that he was accepted because, you know, native and a bayview had tried to go into the presence of God with strange fire and they were smitten dead.
How would they know that the priest was being accepted while they could hear those little bells dingling? And you know God is seeking to bring before our hearts the fact that that precious Savior is up there. Shall I say he's He is seeking to let us hear those golden bells tinkling.
He wants us to know tonight and to rejoice in this fact that he's being accepted there.
And all that we've talked about is blessedly true and the word of God-given to us.
Is to tell us that he has been accepted for us and that his intercessory work there is for us. And it says, let us come boldly under the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. But the fruit didn't make any noise. The fruit was silent. Well, I like to think, you know, in the measure in which these things get hold of us.
Why? It produces in us the fruit of the Spirit, the fruit of the Spirit? And so as we realize what the Lord has done for us, why then Christ likeness is produced in US?
And so we hear of all that he has done and is doing.
And now we have the privilege of seeking to bear fruit for him. It says The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, meekness, gentleness, faith. Oh, how many ways you and I can bear fruit. And as my father used to often remark, even a Christian on a sick bed can produce all that precious fruit of the Spirit.
You don't have to have good health to show love and joy.
Peace. long-suffering. If I'd have been writing it, I would have said. Preaching, witnessing.
Because I would have thought that was the fruit of the Spirit and it is, but then it would have excluded some people.
Sick people, ones that couldn't get out and they're a public testimony. They managed to Well, that's part of the fruit I can't bear. But you know, he's arranged it in such a way that whether you're in health and can go out and be a witness for him or whether you're in sickness in your bed at home.
Whether you're away from others or in the company of others, there can always be that precious fruit of the Spirit, and it can ascend as a sweet fragrance to the Lord that the life of Jesus might be seen in our mortal in our mortal bodies.
But now there's just one more thing here, and that is the mitre, says in this 36th verse. And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold and grave upon it, like the engravings of a signet, Holiness to the Lord. And thou shalt put it on a blue lace, that it may be upon the miter upon the forefront of the mitre It shall be, and it shall be upon Aaron's forehead that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things which the children of Israel shall hallow in all their holy gifts.
00:55:30
And it shall be always upon his forehead that they may be accepted.
Before the Lord.
Well, here it spoke of their holy things and their holy gifts.
I speak again of the response. He's up there for us, but he knows that in our feeble measure down here we would like to do something for him. We would like to bring our holy gifts. We would like to have some little service for him. But all I guess we feel just like it says here, the iniquity of our holy things, how often we we want to do something. But all there seems so much of self.
There seems so much of blundering in the things that we intend to do and we want to do.
And the enemy says we'll let other people do it. It's no use for you to try. You just plunder every time you try, and you make so many mistakes.
Let's somebody else do it all. Isn't this lovely? The High Priest is there to bear the iniquity of their holy things in all their holy gifts. Brethren, you and I will never do anything for the Lord Jesus, that there won't be something of self that will mix itself with it, because it says distinctly here in all their holy gifts, in all their holy gifts.
You may try to preach.
Not when you've done preaching. You'll find out that there was little pride in your heart about it.
Are perhaps a little bit of discouragement because you didn't feel you did as well as you should. Perhaps you may give out of him, and you really wanted to praise the Lord. But before you hardly knew what you were wondering what the brethren thought of the him you chose. And then you thought, oh, it's all there's so much yourself I don't think I should do anything. Oh, isn't this grand? There's a high priest who accepts what is of himself and puts the other.
On one side, when an Israelite brought his burnt offering out of the flock and he presented a bird before the Lord, the priest took off all the feathers and he took off the crop and he threw it down in the place of the ashes, but the rest went up as a sweet savour to the Lord. He didn't say to the offer, Well, I can't accept this because there's part of it that has to go in the place of the ashes.
No, he took that crop and that feathers. The crop is like the undigested food of the bird. It's things that we have taken in and never made our own, things that we talk about that we have never made our own and our own spiritual life. And then the feathers, that's the shell, because we like to make a good shell when we do things well. This was all put in the place of the feathers of the ashes, rather.
But he did accept the rest.
He did accept the rest all. Isn't this encouraging that precious savior who lives for us up there?
Who settled once for all the question of our sins, He sees that little desire in your heart and mind to please him.
And I suppose everyone of us have felt just like it says here.
All we felt I want to do things for the Lord, but I just find so much of self and so much blundering that I don't feel it's any use. Well, this one who loves us, who carries us on His shoulders, whose ways toward us are always in wisdom, we can say too.
That he accepts the feeble, failing, faltering response of our hearts. He sees every desire that's there to please him, and so don't be discouraged, seek to go on for him. True, we should judge what is of self and the flesh.
It will be too bad if that Israelite was upset because the crop and the feathers were thrown into the place of the ashes.
That would be very sad if he said. Well, I don't like it that you threw away those feathers. They were pretty.
No, he had to be content that that should be done and we should be content.
01:00:02
Now that the Lord will see and value what is of himself in our lives, may there be more response in our hearts to Him as we hear of what He's done for us and of what He is doing for us. May there be more fruit, May there be more praise, more loving service.
For all that he has done, because he's always there before God for us, there to appear in the presence of God for us, may there be, I say, always and increasingly, a response to his wondrous love.
So we sing #15.
All that we were, our sins, our guilt, our death was all our own. All that we are, we owe to Thee, Thou God of grace, alone, number 5th.