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[0:00] Okay, last week it got a little wild in a sense. It got into trying to understand the breastplate of the high priest! with that Urim and Thummim being placed inside of the breastplate of judgment.

[0:13] I believe it's called the breastplate of judgment as it's mentioned in verse 29 and 30 because it was used in determining the will of God as God would give His judgment when they asked a question or had a need.

[0:30] And so that's the term. That term always eluded me. Why is this? It sounded negative and ugly like the breastplate of judgment. But it's not judgment like that sense. It's like coming before the judge and getting the verdict.

[0:42] And that's why it's called that, I believe. So we studied the breastplate, specifically the Urim and Thummim, and considered the origin and noticed that there's no mention of when the Urim and Thummim are made or what they're made of or where or any of that.

[0:58] We just found that the only thing consistent with that is the nature and person of God Himself. Other than that, don't really know what to relate that to. We also considered the names of Urim and Thummim and found them to mean lights and perfections or to put together the perfect light or perfect illumination.

[1:20] We found that to be a consistent name and title given to the Lord Jesus Christ, the true light, that lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He is the light of the world. And in Him was life, and the life was the light of men.

[1:33] And so we saw that there's something going on with the Urim and Thummim being placed in the breastplate and how that seemed to activate and come alive, those stones on the breastplate.

[1:43] I know it's wild stuff, but we tried our best to understand and cover it last week. Then we also considered its role. And the role of this breastplate in Urim and Thummim appeared to be a medium by which God would make His will be made known unto man in specific situations.

[1:59] I ran a few references to where David had some questions. He said, bring hither the ephod. And of course, the breastplate was attached to that ephod. Now, anyway, we found that consistent, that medium consistent with the role of the Holy Spirit.

[2:15] And so that was the thought from last week. We're going to move on to the next portion of this chapter and shift gears a little bit from the mysterious into something that's probably a little more practical, something that you can take with you and maybe be challenged in your Christian life.

[2:29] And so let's read the next portion of this chapter, verse 31, down to verse number 38. It has to deal with a robe. In verse 31, the Bible says, And thou shalt make the robe of the ephod all of blue.

[2:43] And there shall be an hole in the top of it in the midst thereof. It shall have a binding of woven work round about the whole of it, as it were the whole of a virgin, that it be not rent. And beneath upon the hem of it thou shalt make pomegranates of blue and of purple and of scarlet round about the hem thereof, and bells of gold between them round about.

[3:02] A golden bell and a pomegranate. A golden bell and a pomegranate. And upon the hem of the robe round 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 when he cometh out, that he die not.

[3:20] And we'll stop right there, actually. So this is an interesting thought from verse 35, that at the hem, the bottom of this robe, placed around it is one after the other, a pomegranate, then a golden bell.

[3:36] Different colors of pomegranates mentioned in verse 33, and then a golden bell. And these staggered and went all the way around the hem. Why is that? Well, it said in verse 35, This sound that the bells would make, that the priest is about and moving, the sound is what I want to call the sound of holiness.

[4:05] It's sound that is evidence that Aaron was accepted when he came in under the holy presence of God. Should he fall short in any way, he would be struck down before the Lord.

[4:20] The absence of the sound of the bells would indicate to everybody that Aaron, in some manner, was not fit or was not consecrated, according to all of these stipulations that God placed upon him and the priesthood.

[4:36] Do you remember? We'll look at it later again. But in Leviticus 10, that two of his sons died before the Lord. Because they didn't follow the precise instructions that were given, regarding the priesthood and how to offer the incense.

[4:51] They thought it's okay. But they found out immediately, I mean immediately they found out how serious approaching God was. Do you remember that we covered in the last few weeks, all of the warnings in these chapters, about God putting the priest to death?

[5:08] Not the people that sinned, not the people that didn't bring their sacrifice. The high priest, God threatened them over and over and over and over again. He's trying to drive into their hearts and minds how serious it is for that sinful man to come in front of the presence of God.

[5:25] It's not to be taken lightly. And I don't believe God desires to execute any man at all. But the reality here is that they need to enter this office with all sobriety and with all reverence, with all godly fear.

[5:42] If that was a choice I had to be the priest or not, considering all of this and what could happen, I might say, eh, you do it. You do it this time.

[5:52] Now, let's get back to the thought about the bells ringing out the sound of holiness. Apart from Exodus 28, where God is commanding Moses up in the mount, he's commanding him, I want you to make this robe and put the bells around it.

[6:12] Apart from that, and then apart from chapter 39, where they actually describe making it and putting it on him, how many times do you think in this Bible bells are mentioned? It's a big book.

[6:24] It's a huge book. How many times do you think it mentions bells? The answer is one. Just one time. And I'm not trying to draw a big wow factor out of that, but I think there's some significance from the other thing that will help to build the case I'm making for the sound of holiness.

[6:42] I want you to turn your Bibles to this other place. It's in Zechariah chapter 14. Find Zechariah chapter 14.

[6:54] The only other place in the Bible that uses or mentions anything about bells. And if you don't have a King James Bible, you probably won't even have it here.

[7:11] Zechariah 14. And it's the very last two verses that's describing a future day, a day where the land will be filled with this theme of holiness, because the King of glory will have descended to earth and established His kingdom of righteousness.

[7:30] And in verse number 9, And the Lord shall be king over all the earth. And now in verse 20, In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses these words inscribed, Holiness unto the Lord.

[7:46] And the pots in the Lord's house shall be like the bowls before the altar. Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judea shall be holiness unto the Lord of hosts. And all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them and see therein.

[7:58] And that day there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the Lord of hosts. It's like a complete purification and cleaning up of everything. It's all going to be holiness to God.

[8:09] And here's their other reference to bells. And so it's just, I'd like to apply the thought this morning that the ringing sound of the bells was an indication that Aaron was right in the sight of God.

[8:25] That should make sense to you from what we've studied, that he has to do this, he has to wear the garments, he has to do this. And if he does all that, he comes in and he's going to make a noise as he's moving about.

[8:35] It makes sense. It's an indication that Aaron observed everything God commanded him. That he followed through, that he obeyed what God told him to do.

[8:46] As we relate that thought to our Christian lives, I want to preach a message to you. I'm calling this simply, keep the bells ringing.

[8:57] Keep the bells ringing. Because today you're that priest. You're that one that has been created in Christ Jesus. If you're a born again Christian, you and the inner man are created in Christ Jesus unto good works.

[9:11] And you've been made in fashion in righteousness and in true holiness. And because you're a new creature in Christ, you have the ability to make a sound before your God.

[9:22] A sound that others will hear too. A sound of holiness can come from you. And if you're not making any sound at all, chances are you're dead. Chances are you've never been born again.

[9:35] Or chances are that you're not walking in the spirit. You're walking in that dead man, the flesh. And he can't bring any holy sound before the Lord. And so let's consider that thought this morning.

[9:48] If the bells stopped ringing, the priest was likely dead. He messed up. But why? What could be the reason that the priest would have been executed before God's presence?

[10:00] Why would that have been the case? And so I want to give you three thoughts here out of these chapters that deal with the priest of why he could be put to death, why the bells could stop ringing when he went to minister before the Lord.

[10:13] And so before we go any further, let's just bow together in humble prayer before God and ask His help this morning. God, it is our request that you would meet with us, that you would teach us from your word, that your Holy Spirit would be alive and present within us and in our midst, and that you would impress upon us your truth.

[10:32] God, help us to have open hearts to receive. Our flesh does not want to receive the word of God. It doesn't want to hear it. It wants to continue on and it wants to enjoy the pleasures of sin.

[10:43] So I pray you'd rebuke us in that this morning. My prayer also is that you'd reveal to us what holy life and holy living looks like, what it sounds like before you, and help us to submit to that, knowing that it's the best, that it's the right thing, that it's of your will and desire, that we clean up our lives, that we obey the word of God, that we change what needs to be changed.

[11:07] And I pray that your spirit would do a work in the hearts of everybody today. For Jesus' sake we pray. Amen. Amen. Now, one reason that the bells could stop ringing, or the priest, if he's dead, if it's silent, one reason could be that the priest was unclothed.

[11:25] Unclothed. That is, not naked, but the thought that maybe he wasn't clothed with all the holy garments that he was told to put on before he came in. Let me show you the case I'm making here.

[11:36] Look at chapter 28, and a little bit later, in verse 42 and 43, this is the seventh of all these garments that are to be prepared for these men.

[11:49] And thou shalt make them linen breeches to cover their nakedness, from the loins even under the thighs, they shall reach. They shall be upon Aaron and upon his sons when they come in unto the tabernacle of the congregation, or when they come near unto the altar to minister in the holy place, that they bear not iniquity and die.

[12:11] If Aaron doesn't have on the proper gear, the holy garments, he's a dead man. He could put the robe on, but if he wasn't wearing the linen breeches or perhaps any other of these items that are mentioned, he walks in before the presence of God.

[12:27] That's not acceptable. God has given him what he wants him to be, to adorn him. It's said early in the chapter in verse 2, he'll make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty.

[12:39] He's supposed to fulfill that role and come before God in that. That's what God's supposed to see. If Aaron came in being unclothed, he would be dead.

[12:51] The bells would stop ringing. What if Aaron decided, I'm going to be clothed in my own garments.

[13:02] I'm going to go to work wearing my clothes today. He'd drop dead right where he stood because only those holy garments that God said are made and fashioned and consecrated and sanctified.

[13:14] Only by them can you come in before my presence. Would you turn with me in the Bible? Let's liken this to something. Keep your place, but we're going to go around some Pauline teaching.

[13:24] Find Ephesians chapter 4. Can you shut the... Ephesians chapter 4. For the priest to not have on his priestly garments, I see it as a picture of you and I coming before God in the flesh.

[13:43] Coming before God in our old man, in our old nature. And let's see what the Lord God thinks of that. I want to read with you a few passages here, so just follow along.

[13:54] We're going to start in Ephesians 4. Just a short spot here, verse 22. The Bible says in verse 22, that she put off concerning the former conversation, the old man, which is corrupt, according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that she put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

[14:21] Can you see the picture of Aaron wearing his street clothes? But when he's moving to that tabernacle and he wants to go inside, there's only one thing he better have on.

[14:32] That's those holy garments. Something has to be put off and something else put on in order for him to come into the presence of God. If not, he's a dead man and the bells are not ringing.

[14:45] Flip over to Colossians chapter 3. Just flip a few pages, five or six to your right. Find Colossians chapter 3. And let's read a little portion here. verses 8 through 14.

[15:01] And it's a very similar concept here that we just read. Verse 8 says, But now ye also put off all these. These will be the garments the old man wears.

[15:13] Anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing ye have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him, where there's neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision or uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bond or free, but Christ is all and in all.

[15:36] Put on, therefore, as elect of God, holy and beloved, seven things, seven garments like the holy garments, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering, forbearing one another and forgiving one another.

[15:59] If any man have a quarrel against any, even as God forgave, so also do ye. There's seven things mentioned in those verses, and then there's another one above all in verse 14 that might, if we're trying to connect it to the priest, I could say it's the holy oil that gets poured out over him.

[16:14] Above all, put on charity. Which is the bond of perfectness. The bond of perfectness. The new man has some things to put on, doesn't he?

[16:27] And if some things are showing up in your life, the anger, the wrath, the filthy communication out of your mouth, you know that sign of the old man, the old dead, wicked man.

[16:39] There's no sound of holiness that comes out of that. Flip back to Romans chapter 8. Find Romans chapter 8.

[16:51] And let's connect this thought completely. Romans chapter 8, and a couple verses out of this passage.

[17:05] Let's start in verse 5. The Bible says, For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh, but they that are after the spirit the things of the spirit.

[17:18] For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace, because the carnal mind is enmity against God. For it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

[17:31] So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. Skip down to verse 13. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die.

[17:46] The bells stop ringing when the priest enters into that holy place if he's unclothed. If he's not clothed with the garments that represent righteousness and true holiness before God.

[18:01] And if a Christian fails to put on the new man, and yet walks after the flesh and walks around in a dead man, he cannot please God. That man is not subject to the law of God.

[18:13] He can't be, the Bible says. There's nothing making any sound of holiness for anybody to hear, for God to be pleased with. He's a dead man.

[18:24] You can walk out of here in your flesh. You could have walked in here and walk out of here in the old man and have nothing that's pleasing God in your life right now. You can do that. You can do everything a lost man can do.

[18:36] You can live in fornication and adultery. You can live in theft and in ungodly wickedness and idolatry and adultery. You can do it all. It's all works of the flesh.

[18:47] All of it. Covetousness, lasciviousness, emulations, various heresies, name it. The list is long. But there's those seven things that were mentioned in Colossians, seven garments to put on the new man.

[19:04] And that humbleness and that forgiving spirit, that meekness, that kindness, evidence of God living in you, those bells will ring out to God.

[19:15] Boy, if there's some humbleness of mind in one of you today, if you'll come in here humbly before the throne of God, before the word of God, oh, that'll ring. That'll ring before God.

[19:25] He'll hear that one and say, oh, that person wants to hear something. That person wants to be helped. He wants to hear by word. He'll acknowledge that. But that dead, wicked, carnal flesh of yours coming in here, he's getting nothing.

[19:40] He can fake it, but not before the Lord. Oh, that God's people today would take serious the way the high priest had to take this serious.

[19:53] It's life or death. Oh, that we'd take serious the charge to walk in the spirit. That we'd take serious daily the command to be clothed with the new man.

[20:04] I think there's too many Christians, too many believers, I understand it because I'm one of you, that are walking around in carnal, ungodly mindsets, just as worldly as can be, but know how to talk the talk.

[20:18] And I'm not saying you're lost or on your way to hell. I'm saying you just know how to live a worldly life and you know how to live a Christian life. You've been around it long enough that it's just normal to you to try to have one foot in, one foot out.

[20:30] But oh, that we'd take it serious and see that it's more important than that. We can't just walk in here limping in here as if it's just going to be fine. The admonition this morning to you is to keep the bells ringing.

[20:42] Put up a fight. Mortify the deeds of your old man. Put off the works of the flesh. God will tell you right now. He'll just be like, you know which ones you need to put off.

[20:56] You know which ones you've let creep back in since you've been saved, since you've tried to get things right with God. The bells stop ringing when you're not clothed in the new man.

[21:09] There's another thing back in Exodus. Come to chapter 30 this time. The second thing that could have caused the priest's death. The first was being unclothed.

[21:20] The second one's being unclean. And if you come to Exodus chapter 30 and notice in verse 17, maybe the priest didn't wash with water like he was supposed to before he entered in.

[21:34] Verse 17, The Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Thou shalt also make a laver of brass, and his foot also of brass, to wash with all. And thou shalt put it between the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar.

[21:49] And thou shalt put water therein, for Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet thereat. When they go into the tabernacle of the congregation, they shall wash with water that they die not.

[22:06] You know what will stop those bells from ringing? Being unclean. Being unclean. Just walking on in as if I didn't have to stop and wash at that water.

[22:18] Every time the priest goes, he's supposed to wash. Wash his hands and wash his feet. What could this be? Let's find out what the Bible might liken this to be.

[22:29] Look at Ephesians chapter 5 again. I'll get you back in that book. Ephesians chapter 5. This one's pretty easy.

[22:44] Ephesians 5 and verse 25 and 26. No, 26 and 7. That's what I want. 5, 26. It's speaking of Christ and his church and he says that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word.

[23:05] That he might present it to himself a glorious church not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing but that it should be holy. Holy. The sound of holiness ringing out from the church.

[23:19] Holy and without blemish. The Lord Jesus Christ desires his church be glorious without spot, without wrinkle, without blemish.

[23:30] He wants it to be holy. The blood of Jesus Christ washes our sins and sanctifies and justifies us before God making us members of this church.

[23:42] But the agent that he uses to sanctify our lives on this earth is the word of God. it's the holy scriptures. And just like the priest he could be he could be consecrated to the office.

[23:59] He could have the right to come in. A Levite. He could be Aaron himself or the son of Aaron and he could have the right to approach. But if he doesn't wash in that water if he neglects that water that's right outside the tabernacle he's a dead man.

[24:15] And so Christian you can be born again. You can possess eternal life in the new man. You can be a heaven bound child of God.

[24:25] But if you neglect to wash at the water of the word the bells are stop ringing pretty quick. That holiness that once sounded out in your life as you sought the Lord and loved his word when you when you separate yourself when you neglect the scriptures that holiness that sound will just fall to silence.

[24:50] It's up to you to keep that sanctifying cleansing water of the word poured over your mind poured over your heart daily. Don't imagine that well I read last time don't imagine that the that I washed the last time I entered in I'm good this time.

[25:09] Don't pretend that past study or past teaching or past standing in this pulpit and preaching the Bible don't pretend that the past has any bearing on the present.

[25:21] If God calls that priest to enter in he better wash he better get to the word. It's easy for Christians to let the bells stop ringing because they they got on a good pace they got on a good schedule and then they missed a day or then they skipped they allowed other events and that that just threw them off and it's a tendency a real one for Christians to stop reading their Bible because they missed a day a two a three a week and they let it go.

[26:00] There's another thing Christians do is a temptation in them is to when they experience change in their life when their routine gets broken up and altered when when their their heart gets broken over something or they get just mixed up in life and they have a temptation to allow the word of God to sit idle and not to come to it and not to allow the Bible to to help them navigate through the changes of lives instead they just they leave it sit there and it's as if they're afraid to humble themselves to come back to it.

[26:38] What happens in the hearts of Christians happens all the time they grow cold their conscience gets seared they become numb to sin and their attitude grows indifference toward the things that once pricked their hearts and challenged them and convicted them so the admonition the charge to you today if it's for you pick it up is get back to the book if you've walked away from the Bible pick it back up if you've missed pick it back up if you've slipped go back to the book find time today quiet private time today where you say Father I'm sorry and I'm going to spend this time now with you speak to my heart as you see fit and get back to the Bible allow the word of God to once again begin to filter through your mind and through your spirit and allow it to just extract the toxins and the poisons that this world and this flesh has been pumping into you for every day of your life the priest could find himself a dead man if he was unclean and how do you know that well the bells stopped ringing you know if the bells have stopped ringing out the sound of holiness to God in your life if you stopped reading your Bible you say read your Bible read your Bible read your Bible what else is there no what else did God give you to do well I'm supposed to do armed with what armed with the sword of the spirit which is the word of God you can't neglect the word of God it's likened to everything you need spiritually in this life you know it's likened to a light that will lighten your path that will guide you that will reveal what the darkness veils it's likened to milk and to bread and to meat everything that this body of this new man needs the substance to live and to grow and to gain strength and to fight and to war a good warfare that Bible is likened to a sword it's likened to a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces that Bible will give you everything you need how could you imagine living the Christian life without the word of God you know why

[29:08] Christians are so dead and why they're so deceived they swallow every new every wind of doctrine that comes down the pipe because they don't know their Bible you think we make too big a deal about the Bible here probably don't make enough I should probably make sure I know I should probably check everybody with an attendance sheet when you come in the door just to make sure you're reading your Bible do my part I have to give account for your souls you know that maybe I should start tightening up on that it's kind of funny but if nobody's holding you accountable then what are you are you are you that safe are you that solid are you that faithful are you that devoted and structured and disciplined the truth is you do need to hear it again and again and again and again to get back to the book and it's not it may come off a little bit hard I don't I don't mean to be nasty if you you just need a nudge maybe that's what

[30:09] I want to do is encourage you today if you've neglected it get back in the book find that joy and find that life that comes from these thy words the words are spirit and they are life and it's the spirit that quickeneth and these words can quicken your mind and the new man and give some strength that he never had oh my goodness okay it's too much for me I'm going to just ramble into nowhere because this book is so much and I hope you hear it I hope you receive it this morning you're not making any sound to the Lord the bells have gone cold and silent if you're not in your Bible does the Bible fix everything well yes but no it really it doesn't it doesn't at the same time but you can't live a Christian life without the word of God you're deceiving yourself let's go back to Leviticus now back to the Old Testament and we're finished for the moment we're finished now in

[31:11] Exodus you got the point there about the bells now I want to take you back to that place Leviticus 10 where I mentioned we've read it recently Aaron's two sons died this is actually a case end point to the message of when men were killed by God for being negligent so what could render the priest dead or could cause those bells to stop ringing was for the priest to be being unclothed and being unclean and then the third thought here I want to call this being uncoached being ignorant of what God said what God was expecting the priest to show up in and how and if you're ignorant of that and you just kind of show up presumptuously or nonchalantly you're going to find yourself dead because behind that veil and inside that tabernacle the pure presence of the holiness of God was alive if he's there you don't come in presumptuously and a safe way to assure that the bells keep ringing is you better know what he said to do and if you don't know and this is a case

[32:38] I want to make here with these two men it could be the end of you verse number one Leviticus 10 verse 1 Nadab and Abihu the sons of Aaron took either of them his censer and put fire therein and put incense thereon and offered strange fire before the Lord which he commanded them not and there went out a fire from the Lord and devoured them and they died before the Lord now I showed you this coming right off of chapter 8 and 9 this is where the priest was clothed for the first time the high priest Aaron and his sons they first were clothed starting in chapter 8 and they were consecrated for 7 days into this office of a priest it's the very initiation of the whole thing and when it's over with they have a ceremony and the Lord accepts there's fire coming out in verse 24 of chapter 9 accepting or consuming the offering that's upon the altar and in this ceremony and in this time these two priests they're brand new this is kind of the first day on the job they do something that was not right and

[33:57] God kills them dead on the spot and Moses responds right away in verse 3 Moses said unto Aaron this is it that the Lord spake saying I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me and before all the people I will be glorified and what Moses is telling his brother Aaron the high priest is I warned you what God told me about that he's saying why did you let your boys do that and Aaron didn't have anything to respond he was numb he was shocked it's a lot to process what's happening right there in front of his face they drag those two boys out they're as dead as could be and they're not coming back and Aaron doesn't eat the sin offering like he was supposed to and at the end of the chapter he's like this is what happened to me you think that's going to be accepted if I eat it and Moses is like okay okay I understand this is wild stuff that's going on it says in verse one what did they do exactly well in verse one it says that they took their sensor and put fire there in what that means is they put live coals inside the sensor and so inside this sensor they're carrying around picture like a lantern they're carrying a lantern and they get coals and put in the coals and on top of those coals they put the incense the spices that would smoke off and have a fragrance that pleased the

[35:29] Lord and it would create a cloud and a smoke in the presence of God and we'll study that when we get to that as far as the altar of incense but these men put fire or live coals into their sensors so where did they get them well look at chapter 16 this is where they're supposed to get them it's explicitly said later I don't doubt for a moment that it was taught them earlier although there's no record of it but far be it from God to be guilty to kill somebody for not telling them how to do it so we have to presume God gave Moses the example that taught him Moses conveyed it to Aaron the way he said I told you but Aaron failed to pass that on to these boys or you're going to have to assume they just didn't care now look at Leviticus chapter number 16 and verse number 12 and he shall take a censer!

[36:27] of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the Lord that's where the coals are to come from I read it yesterday in the book of Revelation speaking up in heaven that an angel went into the temple of the temple of God and he had a censer and he got coals off of the altar that were before the temple the same picture up there and so that's where the coals are to come from from the brazen altar that is inside the perimeter of the temple where only the priests can come into that are anointed and consecrated they come in there they get that altar has been consecrated that altar has been sanctified the blood has been sprinkled upon it that is the only acceptable place to be taking coals of fire for the holy priest to be ministering they can't get it from outside of the tabernacle yard you can't kindle a fire at home fill your holy censer and go around thinking

[37:30] God will accept that's not how God operates God has laid this out already it's described it for some reason they didn't seem to get the memo why would they be so careless with their service before the Lord knowing that it's their own lives their own necks on the line why would they be so careless I don't believe they were rebels I don't believe Aaron's two oldest sons were attempting to usurp Moses' authority or ignore the old man we'll do it I but that's not the case here there's no mention of the sons of Aaron having a rebellious spirit there's no mention of them having a wicked heart they just didn't follow the protocol and it cost them their life and

[38:33] I want to submit to you based on Moses' reaction to Aaron his brother that these men just weren't coached they weren't trained in these holy matters remember it's brand new they were just consecrated to this office it seems to me they weren't aware of the particulars of approaching unto God and they weren't aware of the severity of their negligence the result is that Nadab for one he was Aaron's eldest son he would have been the legitimate and likely heir to the high priest line the result is he never got to put on that garment that robe that had the bells he never got to hear the sound of the bells ringing around his knees or feet because he's dead before the Lord why is that well because he was uncoached because it seems the father didn't take time to train his son to be sure that the kid that was going to enter into something so special and so righteous and pure to make sure he knew how to approach to a holy

[39:51] God flip over to Deuteronomy chapter six this is the last place I'd like you to turn in your Bible Deuteronomy chapter six I think there's good reason why Aaron sat there speechless because it fell upon his shoulder Deuteronomy chapter six and let's read a little passage here that God says through Moses to the people of Israel about their kids and about teaching them some things look at verse number four hear oh Israel the Lord our God is one Lord and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart and with all thy soul and with all thy might and these words which I command thee this thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house and when thou walkest by the way and when thou liest down and when thou risest up and thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes and thou shalt write them upon the post of thy house and on thy gates the lord says when i bring you into the land verse number 12 he says beware beware lest thou forget the lord which brought thee forth out of the land how is it that they could forget if they weren't taught if mom and dad weren't teaching them if they weren't speaking of these words in the home and in their lives with their children why they go into that land and they forget all of it because they wouldn't have learned it it wouldn't have been before them it wouldn't be rehearsed look later in this in verse number 20 and when thy son asketh thee in time to come saying what mean the testimonies and the statutes and the judgments which the

[41:52] Lord our God commanded! he tells him what it was like to be a bondman for Pharaoh and what it was like to be delivered by the mighty hand of God and he tells his son about the wonders and the power of almighty God and how he brought them out and he gave us all the blessings of God since they have been delivered that's what the father is to tell the son and one more thing verse 24 and the Lord commanded us to do all these statutes to fear the Lord our God for our good always that he might preserve us alive to preserve us alive there's life if we obey and follow the word of God the father teaches the son but there's death if he neglects to coach him up to teach him the ways of the

[42:59] Lord to tell how the Lord delivered him from the mess and to tell him of the blessings in the mighty hand of God in his life you want to see your children walking with God you want to see some sound of holiness coming out of their lives before the Lord you better coach him up you better spend some time telling them they better hear it out of your mouth not just bring them to church and hope it sticks it ought to come out of your mouth the goodness of God opening up that Bible in front of them hearing that letting them hear your voice calling out to the holy God you better train them up in the way I realize from experience that every child will make his own decision eventually of how he wants how she wants to live their life

[44:00] I get that God gave everybody a free will and that free will must be put to the test it has to happen or you're just a programmed robot that's all you are just brainwashed into something but that's not glorifying to God it's got to be personal and that being the case that the free will be tested someday God help us Christians as parents to do our part in training and coaching up as we'll call it the next generation training them in the truth just hoping that it'll land hoping and pretending that if that maybe they'll come by the truth on their own somehow like God did to me I want to let it happen like that so that way it's real to them there's too big of a risk for that not to happen you've been given a command and duty to train up those kids in the best way you can and

[45:00] God placed a parent in the position to train the child and it's our job to take it serious to take it serious you don't want to be feeling that the responsibility that he received of from God to Moses to him he didn't go over it again let's just talk about it one more time guys before we do this it doesn't seem like he passed it on and then he felt the knife in his heart the Bible says in Exodus 28 his sound shall be heard when he go within unto the holy place before the Lord and when he cometh out that he die not so it really is a matter of life and death it really is something maybe we should take a little more serious than just pretending that it I'm saved I'm on my way to heaven God saved us and he says be ye holy for

[46:02] I am holy he wants some sound to come off of the bells so Christian this morning keep the bells ringing keep them ringing keep them ringing by being clothed with the new man in righteousness and true holiness and put to death mortify the deeds of the old man keep them ringing by getting back to the Bible and letting the water of the word renew your mind daily it'll fight against the lies of this world and the sin that just and the thing that so easily besets you that Bible will continue to push against that and push against it until you get the victory it's worth fighting for and keep them ringing by training up that next generation so they can wear it's your job to train them or it'll never happen it's not just gonna you know flip a coin and see if they get it you have a job we have a job as a church to train them up so keep the bells ringing

[47:05] I think you understand all of that this morning and I hope it's a help and a conviction to you I'm not going to ask you to respond in any way from put down the work of that flesh that the Lord revealed to you and pricked you about make a commitment I'm fighting it Lord I'm sick of losing and if you got kids in your home the Lord is showing you something he wants you to do with them how to train them up then take it serious don't neglect that stuff the day it'll go by so fast then you'll say oh I it'll be too late so God's putting it in your plate right now so you can pick it up right now let's close in prayer you'll be dismissed and then be sure on your way out to stop by the table there and write a little note just as encouragement to our sister

[48:07] Linda West to help her get through this time fathers we go home may the words of God resound in our hearts certain things that we're guilty of or fall short on help us to grow from this in just some little way perhaps help each one to grow to take a step forward if it's as simple as picking up the Bible and reading a psalm or reading a chapter then Lord put that on the hearts of your people to develop a relationship with you let the bells start ringing!

[48:43]  in their lives help us God to be a pleasure to you to be able to minister before you and before this lost world and keep us safe and healthy we pray once more for our sister Linda West that you'll minister to her that you'll get her the care and help that she needs and help her you are dismissed