Exodus Chapter 28 Verses 36 – 38

• Holiness is what is acceptable to God. Not good works, not good hearts, not good people… The entrance to heaven is only for those who are holy, who are perfect. Our sins cannot be outweighed by our goods, that’s not holiness, that’s imperfection.

Exodus Chapter 28 Verses 39 – 43

• This is the high priest and the priests and notice, to prepare them for ministry, another must do something. See that in verse 41? Moses was to put these things on them and he was to anoint them, consecrate them, and sanctify them. Even though they were the chosen, they yet needed another. BUT, Jesus worked alone and therefore He alone is worthy. Not me, not men, not them, not us…He alone is worthy because He alone prepared Himself for ministry.
• God Himself was the first and the last High Priest. Don’t miss this. Aaron is a picture and a type of Jesus, the true High Priest. And Aaron’s sons are a picture and a type of the church, the true priests unto God. God sanctified Aaron through the commandment and hand of Moses His servant…and Jesus Himself, through becoming the Sacrifice and offering upon the cross, sealed the High Priesthood. He is and was the First and the Last. In fact, He is the Tabernacle, the Showbread, the Altar, the Ark, the Sacrifice, the High Priest…He is EVERYTHING! It all speaks and points to Jesus and so in Jesus all is fulfilled and all is sufficient!
• And because of our High Priest, you and I, through Him, we are anointed, consecrated and sanctified for life and ministry and even eternity. Anointed with the work and power of the Holy Spirit sent to us by Jesus from the throne of Heaven. Consecrated which means equipped…given all that we need that pertains to life and Godliness through the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our heart of hearts…and sanctified, separated from the power and penalty of death and given the purpose we were designed to have…to glorify God!
• Jesus is the Medium for all of this unto mankind. Why? Because He was a man and God the Father sent this package from Heaven upon mankind through the Person of Jesus at His baptism. (Matthew 3:13-17) The first thing that happened is that the heavens were opened to Him as He received the anointing of Heaven. Second, the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus from Heaven, consecrating Him. And finally, the approval and call from God the Father, “This is My beloved Son,” sanctified, called out, separate, “This is My Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
• I believe that is the real reason why Jesus said to John that day, “Permit this to happen, for thus is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” He used the word, “us,” why? Because He was becoming Jacob’s Ladder, He was bringing God back to His people, He was revealing that He is the first and the last High Priest…He is absolutely

Exodus Chapter 29 Verses 1 - 4

• In these verses we see the universal (for all time) elements required for There must be a Blood sacrifice. Leviticus 17:11 says, “The life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.” There must be life. The wages of sin is shed blood. Then there is bread which speaks of the sharing of that life. Also, oil which speaks of the blessing and presence of the Holy Spirit. And finally, water. And this one is very important.
• Jesus, by His blood, has provided the life that sin demanded. Understand, His blood went to pay the bill for His sins but death pulled the books, reviewed the record…and had no ledger on Him. So, death and the grave and the power of sin said to Jesus, “You have no debt, for whom do you pay?” The answer was that He paid for me, for us. And His payment was accepted. By His blood, holiness unto death, sin, the grave and heaven has been secured.
• His body was broken, which He commanded we remember by the breaking of bread…to remember that God stepped into His own creation to be with us, walk among us, grow up as each of us grow up, to become intimately involved in humanity that we now have genuine fellowship…a first-hand understanding God…and so you receive salvation, now the work of holiness in your life is to draw nearer and nearer to Him, that is the equipping…the consecration.
• As you grow in your faith the process of sanctification commences. In that the Holy Spirit, God Himself is teaching you, refining you, building you, enhancing you, upgrading you, maturing you…empowering you. That speaks of the oil. And how do you enable the fresh filling and baptism of the Holy Spirit? Communing, having everything in common, with Jesus on a daily basis. And then finally the water. Perhaps the one single element most lost in today’s consumer Christianity…
• The water, an essential element to the process of holiness, speaks of the Word of God. You cannot grow closer to the Lord if you are not growing in your knowledge and understanding…including acceptance, assimilation and application of God’s Word. Romans 10:17 says, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” And so, the growth of your faith is as you grow in the Word. John 17:17 says, “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.” And so, you are growing in faith and in sanctification…those two together are the very definition of holiness…how? All by the Word of God. And yet we are part of a generation of church where the Word of God is shredded on the altar of human sensuality and convenience…but as we see here in Exodus 29, it is a required element of being holy unto God.
• Look at this also, in verse 4, where were they washed? At the door of the tabernacle. Where everyone could see. It was a public event. A public washing! HA! Why do I bring that up? Two reasons, first, there is an element of humiliation in this. As there should be in your salvation as well. Humility is the only true mark of repentance. And second, after this, well…for the priests to be holy unto God, they would only need to be washed this once…every other time they prepared to serve God they, from here on out, would only need to wash their hands and their feet.
• That reminds me of what Jesus said to His people on the night He was to be betrayed…there in the Upper Room when Jesus went to wash the feet of His people…look with me at John 13:3-10. Jesus tells them that they are already clean and yet need only to wash their feet and look at this completion clue we have in John 15:3-4, “You are already clean because of the Word which I have spoken to you! Abide in Me, and I in you!” Once you are saved, you are clean…and yet through the communion with Jesus, the presence and dependence upon the Holy Spirit and the power of the Word of God getting into your heart and life…your feet and hands are washed daily as you are continually being filled with the Spirit of God.

Exodus Chapter 29 Verses 5 – 9

• This is important. After the priest is cleaned, he doesn’t go home to get his Sunday best. His own clothing. No, after he is cleaned, he then must be clothed in garments prepared by the instruction and direction of God. Just like you and just like me! I’m saved by grace; I live by grace. I don’t put my best foot forward everyday…I trust in the Lord and obey Him every day. The just, live by FAITH!
• I see folks all the time doing things and living their lives and doing ministry in their own effort and strength and the stress is so much that they burn and bail…when dependence upon the Lord and doing everything simply to honor and to love and to worship Him…just to be near to Him…stress becomes redefined as passion…and work becomes redefined as ministry.

Exodus Chapter 29 Verses 10 – 20

• Why? Just like the sacrifice being consumed completely, God’s desire is to have me from head to toe…, (sometimes with me it is “tow,” ha!). And also, once you receive what’s been done for you, you should hear differently…do differently…and go differently! Just like Saul of Tarsus…in an instant went from an enraged little man to an eternal champion…from, “Profess Jesus as Lord and I will bind you,” to, “Lord, what would you have me to do.” That is salvation…

Exodus Chapter 29 Verses 21 – 46

• One last thing I want to share with you that I learned while visiting the Tabernacle (full scale replica) in Israel. We are told in Leviticus 16:4 that when the High Priest entered the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement that he was to simplify his attire to the point that he was only to wear that which the common priest would wear. He would remove the precious jewels and the beautifully woven ephod…and step into the Holy Place to make atonement for the people as a common priest.
• I love that picture…because for God to consecrate us unto holiness…He did the same thing. He set aside His throne to become just as common as the people we pass by while walking through the hallways of our lives. Jesus stepped into death, laying aside His heavenly rights as King so that I could step out of the same death…and take up rights as a citizen of God’s heaven.