Abounding Grace

Announcer: Think you’ve been called to full-time ministry? Pastor Ed says make sure you have the anointing and the appointing of God.

Pastor Ed Taylor: In Psalm 119 verse 32, it says, and our hearts resonate with him, "I will run the course of Your commandments, for You shall enlarge my heart." To be separated and consecrated. We spent a lot of time in our study last time, the ministry is not something to take upon yourself. It is the appointing and the anointing of God as ratified and approved by the elders of a local congregation. If you take it upon yourself, which many people have, you'll be buried under its weight. You'll be buried under the difficulties enjoined by ministry.

Announcer: Hello there, thanks for joining us for Abounding Grace today as we get back to our study in Exodus. We'll meet up with Pastor Ed Taylor in Exodus chapter 29 in a second and hear all about the ordination of the priests. Before Jesus came and died for our sins, the priests would regularly make sin offerings to provide a covering for the sin of the people. Today, we'll see why that was necessary and how it beautifully points to the Lamb of God who would become the sacrifice we need to remain in fellowship with God and spend eternity with the Lord. Here is Pastor Ed.

Pastor Ed Taylor: Take your Bibles, open them to Exodus chapter 29. We'll pick up where we left off last time, Exodus 29. I’ve entitled our Bible study "The Ordination of the Priests." If you weren't here last time, we took a deep look at the priesthood and we went a little more in-depth. We covered a couple chapters the previous time, but then when I went back to look, I said no, I want to spend some time looking at the ministry of the priesthood by way of application to ministry to those of us in ministry and service.

If you weren't here, the five points that we covered last time were: number one, priests are appointed by God; number two, the priests had special clothing; thirdly, we learned the priests represented man before God; fourthly, the priests helped people discover the will of God; and then fifthly, the priests had to take their calling very seriously. And now we look at the ordination ceremony and what surrounded the ordination or some of your Bibles might say the consecration or the setting apart of the priest. Verse one, chapter 29.

"And this is what you shall do to them to hallow them for ministering to Me as priests: Take one young bull and two rams without blemish, and unleavened bread, unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil; you shall make them of wheat flour. You shall put them in one basket and bring them in the basket with the bull and the two rams."

As we begin the chapter, you think what an exciting time this must have been. How important it was as these men were represented and presented to the people as God's ordained priests. They've been appointed by God. They are going to be seen with their special clothing. They are there to represent men before God, and they could be the men that God could use in their lives to help discover the will of God. They took this very seriously and this ordination ceremony, this consecration time, was a one-time occurrence, the launching of God's chosen into the ministry of the priesthood. Get a young bull, get two rams, unleavened bread, bring them in a basket.

Verse four: "And Aaron and his sons you shall bring at the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and you shall wash them with water. Then you shall take the garments, put the tunic on Aaron, and the robe and the ephod, and the breastplate, and gird him with the intricately woven band of the ephod. You shall put the turban on his head and put the holy crown on the turban. And you shall take the anointing oil, pour it on his head, and anoint him. Then you shall bring his sons and put tunics on them," verse nine, "and you shall gird them with sashes, Aaron and his sons, and put the hats on them. The priesthood shall be theirs for a perpetual statute. So you shall consecrate Aaron and his sons."

There are five steps you'll notice in this ordination ceremony, five steps to the service. The first one is in verse four, and that is separation. They were to be separated. Bring them to the door of the tabernacle, separate them. Bring them up front so that all might see. And we learn from this an important aspect of ministry, and that is the servant of the Lord is always on display. There is a sense of ministry where there is no time to excuse yourself from ministry, but rather you live on display.

If you develop a pattern of making excuses for the mistakes in ministry, then you will never really learn anything. It's important that you are faithful in all that God has called you to do, and your spiritual growth is directly related to the understanding of your separation unto the Lord. Number two, we noticed that they were washed, this ceremonial washing. This was done in a mikvah. It would be a little area that was filled with water where the priest would then be brought under the water, taking a full immersion, a little baptismal, if you will.

This would launch them into service. It would remind us of John chapter 13, in verse seven. Jesus answered and said to them, "What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this." And then Peter said to Him, "You shall never wash my feet!" And Jesus answered, "If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me." And Simon Peter said to Him, "Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head." There's a very good possibility that Peter had in his mind this ceremonial washing, having Jesus as his rabbi, learning from Him.

Peter thought, don't wash my feet, you are below that, Jesus. I'm the one that should be washing your feet. But Jesus said no, if you want any part of Me, you need to allow Me to wash your entire life, wash you completely. I love that. Number three, the third part of this ceremony was the anointing of oil. The pouring of oil over the head, allowing it to drip down onto the clothing. Oil is symbolic of the Spirit of God coming down upon them, empowering them for ministry, empowering them for what will come up ahead.

We looked at this in-depth in Zechariah chapter four: not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord. That never-ending supply of oil, but this would be a tangible anointing of oil. The fourth thing we see is the animal sacrifice. Notice in verse 10, it says, "You shall also have the bull brought before the tabernacle of meeting, and there Aaron and his sons shall put their hands on the head of the bull," verse 11, "and you shall kill the bull before the Lord by the door of the tabernacle of meeting. And then take some of the blood of the bull and put it on the horns of the altar with your finger, and pour all the blood beside the base of the altar."

So there's the animal sacrifice beginning in verse 10. And then number five is the anointing with the blood, the consecration to service by the slain blood of innocent animals. Don't forget that. The animals that were sacrificed unto the Lord had committed no sins. They become very symbolic of the coming one who would be slain on your behalf and mine with no sin. They have no sin, they're completely innocent. And yet in the sacrifice, they would point to the coming of Messiah.

Now, the ceremony was very symbolic and very powerful in the lives of the priest and also for the health of the nation. These were God's choice. These men were God's choice for the spiritual nourishment of His people. Not a man singular, but many men: Aaron and his sons. It was to be a family affair for the priesthood. And it was also sending an overall important message. Before a person can serve God, he must be first cleansed by God.

Really, if you want to think back, number one is to be preselected by God, but we believe in the priesthood of all believers in the New Covenant. So as a born-again believer, you've already been preselected, male and female, to serve the Lord with His gifts and the capacity that He has given to you. You're to run your race. You're not to run someone else's race. You're to run your race. You're to do the will of God for your life. You are to singularly look to the Lord like Jesus did.

I love what Jesus said. He said, "I always do those things that please the Father." And that's how you're going to get rest at night. That's how you're going to be able to fall asleep at night as you assess your day and you reveal all that you've been through. You put your head down on the pillow and say, "You know what? I've been faithful to the Lord today. I have been faithful to the Lord in what He's called me to." So you have that separation, but you also have that cleansing of God. And then thirdly, you have the empowerment of His Holy Spirit.

You have your sins dealt with and touched by the blood, that sacrifice, and you would walk away covered in the blood, remembering what God has done on your behalf. And this is especially important today for anyone that takes the place of a spiritual leader. Today, we don't refer to those men as priests, we call them pastors, a position and a role of key spiritual leadership. Unfortunately, all across the land today, pulpits are filled with men, in some cases, that haven't experienced any of this.

In the worst cases, pulpits in so-called churches today are filled with men that aren't even born-again. They're fulfilling a role and a task and a job. They're twisting and perverting the word of God, and countless millions are being hurt. In Psalm 119 verse 32, the Psalmist says and our hearts resonate with him, "I will run the course of Your commandments, for You shall enlarge my heart." To be separated and consecrated. We spent a lot of time in our study last time, the ministry is not something to take upon yourself.

It is the appointing and the anointing of God as ratified and approved by the elders of a local congregation. If you take it upon yourself, which many people have, you'll be buried under its weight. You'll be buried under the difficulties enjoined by ministry. But here you see in verse nine, it says, "You shall gird them." Take these bulls, take Aaron and his sons, put the hats on them, the priesthood is theirs, consecrate them, set them apart. I like that. I want you to recognize that phrase. Aaron and his sons. Easy enough to understand.

This would be the lineage of the priesthood, Aaron and his sons. And it reminds me that as we go forward serving God, your family's included. The calling of God is upon your family too. I want you to think about your kids for a second. I know your kids didn't choose to be born into your home, and I'm sure they tell you that sometimes. But you know what? God chose for your kids to be born into your home. That anointing and consecration is upon your life, your marriage, and the children that come from marriage. The ministry is upon them as well.

Now, of course, it's not the same. Your kids don't follow necessarily in your exact footsteps. They may not have the same calling upon their life as did some of the sons of Aaron. However, the family is a part of the package. Like for example, if you married later on in life and the man that you married was already running with ministry, but you're not so running with ministry and you're like, "You know what? We're getting married, no more ministry." Can't have that. You married into it. You're now one in the Lord.

Now, your husband or wife may need to slow down a little bit, they may need to wait alongside, but it's all part of the package: Aaron and your sons. I was reminded as I was putting together, and for the life of me, I can't find the notes on this Bible study. I don't think it was from notes, but I was in South Africa many years ago teaching at a missions conference and a pastors conference. And I heard the buzz as I was ministering to people throughout the camp. I just heard this low-level complaining about ministry, complaining about the kids and the kids not being happy.

I remember a section of the scripture where God spoke to my heart to exhort everyone at that conference to remember that we're all in ministry. And that while your kids and our kids didn't get to choose what family that they were born into, God had the choice already for them. God already knew what they're going to do with their lives. He already knew how He's going to use your home. He already knew how He's going to use your calling. You think of the sons of Aaron, they didn't choose to be born to Aaron, but God already knew about these boys, these young men.

I want to encourage you today, as hard and challenging as it might be, that God knows what He wants to do with your family. He knows how He wants to minister to your kids. He knows what He wants to teach them in your home, in your church, in that sacrifice, in that commitment, in all of the things that involve with you serving God. Your kids are included. You might just need to say it to yourself that you bring the kids along with you to your family. You bring them right along and allow them.

I think of how many of the precious moms in our church brought their kids along for nine months in the womb. Just walking around and you know what? A lot of those kids know my voice because they've heard it for nine months. They know my voice. They know what it's like for Mom to worship. They feel when her body is in such a way where her hands are lifted. They feel within the womb the tears of sorrow and brokenness that God brings. They're already a part of the package, moms, already.

Those of you that brought in foster kids or adopted kids, God already knew. He already knew what He was going to do with those kids, and you and I, we get to be a part of it. I don't want you to miss this: it was Aaron and his sons. Of course, the family is not to be neglected but must be brought along. This is the family that they were born into, God's will for their lives. The world wants you to be afraid and nervous, and what's going to happen? Today the big thought among young people is, "Oh, I don't want to bring kids into such a horrible world."

I understand that. I don't necessarily disagree with that thought and to really consider the world in which we live right now and the world in which a child might be born. But I'm telling you this: God opens and closes the womb, and He knows what kind of world your kids are going to be brought into before you do. Aren't you grateful that God knows more than you do? That He can see more? That He can see farther ahead? That He knows even your past? What He can do to work all things together for good for those that love God and those that are called according to His purpose.

Aaron and his sons. If you don't have children, it's a family affair: husband and wife. If you're a single today, it's even greater. The Bible says single men and women get to completely devote their whole life and attention to serving the Lord in this season. You don't need to be worried about, overly concerned about what the future's going to hold because today is the day you have the privilege of serving the Lord with your whole heart. You know how it is, singles among us. I served singles for so many years. I was a singles pastor for a few years in California and, of course, serving all of the singles here all these years.

There is that prevailing thought among many, many singles, "I want to be married." You know what the prevailing thought among many married couples is? Why are you guys laughing? I'll tell you, I love marriage, that's what their thought is. But here's the thing. You'll never really, I'll never really enjoy the fullness of what God has for me until I'm content where I am. Contentment brings fruit, godliness. I just like that. I love that. Aaron and his sons. The Lord is wanting to use your family in a wonderful way.

We saw in verse 10 the sin offering. They placed their hands on the sacrificial bull, symbolic of the vicarious atonement or the substitution. Vicarious means "in place of." Jesus Christ is the vicarious substitute for your sins and mine. This bull would be the vicarious substitute for the sins of the priest and the people. That animal they would see is my substitute. They would see a very powerful picture of sin producing death. And when we come to Jesus, He is the one that bore our sins once for all and by faith you are forgiven and born-again.

When we see Jesus dying on the cross, we need to recognize when Jesus is dying on the cross, it is not for His guilt. He is not guilty. He's innocent. When Jesus died on the cross, He died for my guilt, for our guilt. We, like sheep, have all gone astray, the Bible says in Isaiah 53. We have turned everyone to his own way, and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He took upon Himself my sins, and His vicarious substitutionary death, burial, and resurrection. I believe God like Abraham and it’s accounted to me for righteousness, same as for you.

Announcer: That is Pastor Ed Taylor on Abounding Grace. He'll be right back with more from Exodus. Are you interested in hearing this message again? It's easy to do. Just visit aboundinggraceradio.com, oneplace.com, or wherever you get your podcasts. Our pick of the month here in April is Real Worship by Warren Wiersbe. In it, he defines the essence of worship and discusses the key issues surrounding the sometimes controversial topic within the church. We'll send you Real Worship when you give a gift of $25 or more to Abounding Grace. Call toll-free 877-30-GRACE.

Again, we’re at 877-30-GRACE. Resources like this are also easy to order through our online store at calvaryco.store. And by the way, thank you for your support. It allows us to bring the teaching of God's word to stations like this every day. We're constantly hearing from folks all over the world that are being blessed, and your gifts help to make that possible. You can donate through our website at aboundinggraceradio.com. Here's a question for you: how has Abounding Grace blessed you? We want to hear, and it's easy to share your thoughts and prayer requests at aboundinggraceradio.com. Scroll down to the bottom of our homepage and connect with us. We left off in Exodus chapter 29 at verse 13 a moment ago. Here is Pastor Ed with more.

Pastor Ed Taylor: Verse 13: "You shall take all the fat that covers the entrails, the fatty lobe attached to the liver, and the two kidneys and the fat that is on them, and burn them on the altar. But the flesh of the bull with its skin and its offal you shall burn with fire outside the camp. It is a sin offering."

Hold your place here, go all the way back to Hebrews with me. I want to show you something. This is where when you're reading through the scriptures, you can write your own little cross-references. Notice with me, if you want to go there, Hebrews chapter 13, in verse 11. It says, "For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned outside the camp." Now, we just learned that. We learned it first at Exodus with the tabernacle. It will be repeated again when the temple was built.

So we just learned this verse. Now you can cross-reference it and go back to where the first mention of this is in the Old Testament. But then notice, he ties it again. Now the men and women coming out of Exodus, they don't get this yet. It’s only in type, it's only in picture, it's only looking forward. They're having in their life and their minds right now, they're learning one singular lesson. That may be where you're at right now, learning the totality of the scriptures or the ins and outs of nuance or learning how to study the scriptures.

You're still in an early stage and you're learning a few things just over and over and over again. What are the children of Israel learning very quickly here? It's very simple for them, and you might be learning this same thing. It's very simple: God is God and you are not. So you're to look to God for everything. He just delivered you. He just wiped out the enemy behind you. He established a leader over you to get you out of Egypt, sent them, heard your cries, heard your pleas, and He's working in your life.

You're here thinking I wish it would go faster and I wish it would move faster. I get that. I see it. But that's not the lesson God has for you. He wants you to master this lesson: God is God and you and I, we're not. We can trust him.

Announcer: And that bears repeating: God is God and we are not. So we should trust Him in every aspect of our lives. We'll finish up this message in Exodus next time on Abounding Grace. See you tomorrow. Abounding Grace is brought to you by Calvary Church, Colorado, here in Aurora.