[0:00] Let us resume our public worship of God by singing to his praise from Psalm 98.
[0:11] Psalm 98, and we're singing the whole psalm. O sing a new song to the Lord, for wonders he hath done.
[0:25] His right hand and his holy arm, him victory hath won. The Lord God, his salvation hath caused to be known. His justice in the heathen sight he openly hath shown.
[0:39] He, mindful of his grace and truth, to Israel's house hath been. And the salvation of our God all ends of the earth have seen. Let all the earth unto the Lord send forth a joyful noise.
[0:53] Lift up your voice aloud to him. Sing praises and rejoice. With harp, with harp, and voice of psalms. And to Jehovah sing.
[1:04] With trumpets, cornets, gladly sound. Before the Lord the King. Let seas and all their fullness roar. The world and dwellers there.
[1:16] Let floods clap hands. And let the hills together joy declare. Before the Lord, because he comes to judge the earth, comes he.
[1:27] He'll judge the world with righteousness. His folk with equity. Psalm 98. The whole psalm to God's praise. So sing a new song to the Lord.
[1:38] O sing a new song to the Lord.
[1:50] For wonder she hath done. His right hand and his holy arm.
[2:05] His victory hath won. The Lord God his salvation hath caused it to be known.
[2:29] His justice in the heathen sight. He openly hath shown.
[2:45] Be mindful of his grace and truth. To Israel's house hath been.
[3:02] At the salvation of our God. God's grace and truth.
[3:12] All the heavens of the earth and sea. Let all the earth and truth and more.
[3:28] Set forth a joyful noise. Lift up your voice.
[3:40] And lift up your voice. And lift up your voice. Sing praise his son. Rejoice.
[3:52] With heart. With heart. And voice of sound. And to Jehovah sing.
[4:08] With rumpets, warmets, gladness sound before the Lord the King.
[4:26] Let seas and all their fullness roll, the world and weathers there.
[4:42] Let us come hands and let the hills together joy declare.
[4:58] Before the Lord, because He comes to judge the earth of me.
[5:16] He'll judge the world with righteousness, His hope with equity.
[5:36] Let us join together in prayer. Let us pray. O Lord, O God, as we come before you with praise upon our lips, we give thanks that we are joining with nature's elements to praise the Lord.
[5:59] Even though we have these expressions presented to us within Holy Writ, describing to us the gladness of the hills and the seas.
[6:13] And that it is a mechanism of literature that helps us understand the nature of creation and the relationship that it has with the creator.
[6:36] Yet, it is also a reminder to us that there is an imbalance that is not one that belongs to the natural realm.
[6:52] But that is, it is a pointed lot because of sin in the world. And that the natural realm is experiencing the displeasure of God until such time as it is released from that.
[7:14] And we bless your name that you are.
[7:44] And that the natural realm is, our imagination is. We struggle to visualize what this will entail. But your word has set it before us as the truth that will ultimately be fulfilled at the coming of the Lord Jesus.
[8:05] And we bless you for that prospect. And that nothing can frustrate it. Not the passage of time. Not the uncertainty that can sometimes overtake even your own people.
[8:20] The truth will be fulfilled. And we give thanks that hope that is your people's hope.
[8:32] While it may be stretched at times, it will not be a hope that will bring them to despair. And we bless you for that. And we bless you for that. As we gather in the name of our Lord and Saviour this evening.
[8:47] That we can think of these things. And rejoice at the thought of what lies in store for your people.
[8:58] By reason of what their Saviour has accomplished in their name. We bring before you all the cares and concerns of your people. And bless you for that privilege.
[9:13] That we can bear one another's burdens and bring them to a throne of grace. And plead the merits of our risen Saviour. Thankful that he has done all things well.
[9:31] And that the day will come when his own will be with him. And he will never be parted from them. So we pray for those who are unwell amongst us.
[9:45] Those who belong to the congregation here. And who need to be remembered before you. Those who are suffering illnesses. Of a variety of descriptions.
[9:57] For which recovery is possible. For whom that is no longer a reality.
[10:09] All these things are hidden from us. There is a certain inevitability about the nature of the diseases that afflict the person.
[10:22] And that not one here, however long lived we are. We will not outlive our time on earth that is appointed to us.
[10:32] You have appointed to each of us a death. And after death the judgment. And whatever time that has appointed to us.
[10:45] We give thanks for all who have put their trust in Christ. That they are assured that the day of their death is better by far than the day of their birth.
[10:57] So remember your people according to the needs that they have. Remember the grieving and the sorrowful. As your word teaches us.
[11:08] There will be occasions when these sadnesses are inevitably part of the cup that we must drink. There are bitter dregs that must be swallowed.
[11:21] And we give thanks that no matter how bitter our cup is. That it is nothing like the cup that our Saviour had to drink.
[11:34] And like him, the cup that is prepared for us is hidden from sight. And we do not know what it contains. But for him it was filled before his eyes.
[11:48] And he knew every drop that was in it. So much so that as he approached the hour for which he came into this world.
[11:58] That he sought your face and asked that that cup would be passed by him. But not his will but your will be done.
[12:13] And we give thanks that that is what he came into the world. And that is what he delighted in doing. And we bless your name that everything that was entrusted to him.
[12:25] Even embracing the cross and all that involved. He delighted in doing it. Because he delighted in doing your will.
[12:38] So we pray for his people. And we pray for all who may accompany him. Here in this place and in wherever your people's lot is cast in the world.
[12:51] We pray that you would bless your word to one and all. And that you would remind us that it is not enough for us to be in good company. If that is not something that is deepened and strengthened.
[13:11] So as to include us in the blessings and the privileges that belong to your people. And that can only be ours through Christ. And our saving relationship with him.
[13:24] So to that end. We pray for our friends who may be with us here in this place. And yet who are strangers to the grace of God in Christ. Even at this time may the eyes of their understanding be opened.
[13:39] That they may cry out in the secret of their heart. Lord what must I do to be saved. And that they may understand that in that cry there is an answer provided for them.
[13:54] That all is done for the salvation of sinners in the person of Christ. And there is but one thing that is needful.
[14:05] And that is to be found in him. Putting their trust in him. And resting upon his finished work. We pray your blessing on the gospel. To the far corners of the earth.
[14:17] Whatever it is preached this evening. By whatever hand we ask that you would bless it. So that it would touch lives. And that it would deepen and strengthen.
[14:29] The relationship that exists between you people. And their Lord. We pray for still others to be added to that number. That they may know.
[14:41] That there is a saviour. Who is Christ the Lord. The member of our nation. Those who govern us. We pray for them. And ask that all foolishness would be taken out of their hearts and minds.
[14:56] And there is foolishness indeed to be able. Or to think that they are able to govern. Without resorting to the wisdom of the God.
[15:08] Who is all wise and all powerful. We pray for the various parliaments. In Westminster. In Westminster. In Holyrood. The first minister. The prime minister.
[15:20] All who serve the nations. In these parliaments. We bring them before you. Especially any who may be numbered. Amongst that group of people.
[15:32] Who do so in faith. And who know the wisdom of trusting in God. We pray that you would add to their number. And remember. Remember. All that is entrusted to them.
[15:45] In a thankless age. And in a renegade. Spirit devoid age. We pray for your mercy. For your grace.
[15:58] To help in time of need. We pray for the nations of the earth. Every place there is discord. And where we see evidence of war.
[16:08] Be it civil. Or nation against nation. May you intervene. And bring peace. In a way that God alone. Can bring peace. We remember again.
[16:19] The Ukraine. And all who have suffered. The wickedness. That is. Perpetrated against them. We would ask Lord. That any of your people.
[16:30] Who. May be caught up. In such conflicts. That they may be spared. That may. Their faith. May be. Sufficient. To sustain them. Whatever it is.
[16:42] That. May befall them. Remember the displaced. Those who are. Weak. And vulnerable. Be the aged. And infirm. Be the of immature years.
[16:53] We pray for them. That you would guard. Keep. And protect them. In whatever part of the. The world. In which. Such. Is the condition of man.
[17:04] We pray Lord. For mercy. We remember. In your presence. The needs. Of this. Sensate world. And thankful. That you know. All things. The all seeing eye. Of God.
[17:15] Is upon us. At all times. Nothing. But nothing. Is hid. From your sight. Be it. In the echelons. Of power. And the mighty. Or in the spheres.
[17:26] Of influence. Of the individual. Within. Our homes. Whatever we are. Your eye. Is upon us. So guide us. Keep us. And protect us.
[17:37] Each one. Go before us. In the Lord. Redeemer's name. And forgiveness of sin in him. Amen. We are going to read from the Old Testament scriptures.
[17:51] We are reading from the book of Exodus. And chapter 28. The book of Exodus. Chapter 28.
[18:04] Reading from the beginning. And take thou unto thee. Aaron thy brother. And his sons with him. From among the children of Israel.
[18:16] That he may minister unto me. In the priest's office. Even Aaron. Nadab. And to be. Who. Elias and Lithamur. Aaron's sons.
[18:27] And thou shalt make holy garments. For Aaron thy brother. For glory. And for beauty. And thou shalt speak unto all that are wise hearted. Whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom.
[18:40] That they may make Aaron's garments. To consecrate him. That he may minister unto me in the priest's office. And these are the garments which they shall make.
[18:52] A breastplate. And an ephod. And a robe. And a broidered coat. And a miter. And a girdle. And they shall make holy garments.
[19:03] For Aaron thy brother. And the sons. That he may minister unto me. In the priest's office. And they shall take gold. And blue. And purple. And scarlet.
[19:13] And fine linen. And they shall make the ephod of gold. Of blue. And a purple. Of scarlet. And fine twined linen. With cunning work.
[19:25] It shall have the two shoulder pieces thereof. Joined at the two edges thereof. And so it shall be joined together. And the curious girdle of the ephod.
[19:35] Which is upon it. Shall be of the same. According to the work thereof. Even of gold. Of blue. And purple. And scarlet. On fine twined linen. And thou shall take two honig stones.
[19:49] And grave on them the names of the children of Israel. Six of their names of one stone. And the other six names of the rest. And the other stone. According to their birth.
[20:01] With the work of an engraver. In stone. Like the engravings of a signet. Shall they engrave the two stones. With the names of the children of Israel. Thou shalt make them to be set in ouches of gold.
[20:14] And thou shalt put the two stones upon the shoulders of the ephod. For stones of memorial. And to the children of Israel. And Aaron shalt bear their names before the Lord. Upon his two shoulders for a memorial.
[20:28] And thou shalt make ouches of gold. And two chains of pure gold at their hands. Of wreath and work shalt thou make them. And fasten the wreath and chains to the ouches.
[20:41] And thou shalt make the breastplate of judgment with cunning work. After the work of the ephod thou shalt make it. Of gold, of blue, and of purple. And of scarlet and of fine twined linen shalt thou make it.
[20:55] Four square it shall be 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.
[21:08] Even four rows of stones. The first row shall be a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle. This shall be the first row. And the second row shall be an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond.
[21:21] And the third row a ligure, an agate, and an amethyst. And the fourth row a beryl, and an onyx, and a jasper. They shall be set in gold in their enclosings.
[21:33] And the stones shall be with the names of the children of Istil. Twelve according to their names. Like the engravings of a signet, every one with his name shall they be according to the twelve tribes.
[21:46] And thou shalt make upon the breastplate chains at the end of wreath and work of pure gold. Thou shalt make upon the breastplate two rings of gold, and shalt put the two rings on the two ends of the breastplate.
[22:02] And thou shalt put the two wreath and chains of gold in the two rings which are on the ends of the breastplate. And the other two ends of the two wreath and chains thou shalt fasten in the two alches, and put them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod before it.
[22:19] And thou shalt make two rings of gold, and thou shalt put them upon the two ends of the breastplate and the border thereof, which is on the side of the ephod inward.
[22:31] And two other rings of gold thou shalt make, and shalt put them on the two sides of the ephod underneath, toward the forepart thereof, over against the other coupling thereof, above the curious girdle of the ephod.
[22:47] And they shall bind the breastplate by the rings thereof, and to the rings of the ephod 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 ephod.
[23:01] 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.
[23:14] And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment the uran and the thuman, and they shall be upon Aaron's heart when he goeth in before the Lord.
[23:26] And Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart before the Lord continually. And so on down, may the Lord add his blessing to the reading of his word, and to his name be the praise.
[23:47] I'm going to sing now some verses from Psalm 68, from the beginning to verse 6. Psalm 68, from the beginning, Let God arise and scattered, Let all his enemies be, Let all those that do him hate, Before his presence flee.
[24:09] As smoke is driven, So drive thou them, As fire melts, Walks away. Before God's face, Let wicked men so perish and decay.
[24:20] But let the righteous be glad, Let them before God's sight, Be very joyful, Yea, Let them rejoice with all their might. To God sing, To his name sing praise, Extol him with your voice, That rides on heaven, By his name draw, Before his face rejoice.
[24:41] Because the Lord a Father is unto the fatherless, God is the widow's judge, Within his place of holiness. God does a solitary set, In families and from bands, The chain does free, But rebels do, Inhabit parched lands.
[25:01] And so on. You can sing these verses, Psalm 68, from the beginning, Six stanzas, Let God arise and scattered, Let all his enemies be, Let God arise and scattered, Let all his enemies be, And let all those that do him, Before his presence be, A smoke and gem so, Bright thou them, As firebelts wax away, Before God's days slain,
[26:08] Let wicked men, So perish and decay, But let the righteous be glad, Let them be, Before God's sight, Be very joyful, Yea, let them rejoice, With all their might, To God's sight, To God's sight, To his name, Sing praise, Excellency, With your voice,
[27:09] The cries of heaven, By his name, Yea, Behold, His name, His name, His name, His name, His name, Because the Lord, I love, That is, Unto the fatherless, God is the widow's, Judge within, His face of holiness, God does the solid, Jerisetic families, praise and throne bands,
[28:17] The chain, The chain does briever, Rebels do, In habit, Parched lands, Let us turn to Exodus, Chapter 28, And we can read that, Verse 15, And thou shalt make the breastplate of judgment, With cunning work, After the work of the ephod, Thou shalt make it, Of gold, Of blue, And of purple, And of scarlet, And of fine twined linen, Shalt thou make it, For square it shall be doubled, A span shall be the length thereof, And of span shall be the breadth thereof,
[29:18] And thou shalt set it in settings of stones, Even four rows of stones, And so on.
[29:32] This morning we were looking at the unique relationship that exists between Christ and his people, As is described to us by the Apostle Peter, Using the metaphor of the Lord's people as the temple of the Lord.
[30:00] Constructed of living stones united to the living cornerstone, Chief cornerstone.
[30:17] And when I was preparing these thoughts, I was reminded of a segment that I heard many years ago, And it remained with me in part, That focused on this passage, And I thought it would be good for us just to reflect on what it teaches us, Again, reminding us of the same truth, Using a different metaphor, if you like.
[30:54] The relationship that exists between Christ, The Saviour, And the people that he has saved. In this passage, The people of God are being given close instruction, Concerning the priesthood, And they are taught about the role of the priest, And the role of the high priest, The type of service that he is to offer, The various sacrifices, The various occasions that are to be observed by them, As a worshipping people.
[31:43] And through the instruction that is given to them, Again and again, What is emphasised is, The closeness of the relationship that exists between God and his people.
[32:00] And we are looking particularly at this teaching that comes to us, Through the garb of the priest, The high priest, And in particular, The section that we are looking at here, Where the focus is on the breastplate, If you remember in verse 4, He teaches there, Or reminds us there, These are the garments, Which they shall make, A breastplate, And an ephod, And a robe, And a broidered coat, A machter, And a girdle, And they shall make holy garments, For Aaron thy brother and his sons, That he may minister unto me in the priest's office.
[33:01] When you look at that statement, It looks as if he's talking about, Separate, Individual items of clothing, That the high priest has to wear.
[33:21] And you can, In part see, That they are distinct, And there are, Separate elements to it, But sometimes, Although they have, This, Name that distinguishes them, From each other, They can be, Part of one larger garment, And sometimes, When we read, The amount of detail, That is brought to our attention, It's very hard for us, To distinguish, The separate elements, Or those elements, That are not, As separate, As they appear to be, But we are taught, We are told, Not only about, The different parts, To the clothing, Of the high priest, But also the various colours, That have to be, Included in it,
[34:23] Gold, Blue, And purple, And scarlet, And white, Which is fine linen, All of these colours, Are colours, That you find, Repeated, Throughout, The, The construction, Of the, High priest's clothing, But we are looking, As I said, On one particular, Right, Right, Which is, The breastplate, Of the priest, Now when you, When you read, These words, And, I don't think it's, It's, It's, Wrong to say this, I'm sure every one of us, When we think, Of a breastplate, Immediately we go, To a picture, We might have in our minds, Of armor, And usually, When we think,
[35:23] Of any kind of armor, That we're familiar with, The breastplate, Is something, That we imagine, Is used, Is made of some kind, Of metal, Or alloy, Which protects, The chest, However, When the word, Breastplate, Is used here, You can see, In its manufacturer, In its, In its, Making, That is made of, Of, Of woven material, And, It is, Material, That is folded over, So that it, Has, A pocket, Or pockets in it, And in these pockets, You will find, That the precious stones, That form the main part, Of, The breastplate, And also, There are two pockets,
[36:24] Which will, Contain, What are called, The urim, And the thumum, Now, The last part, That we are not going, To really, Say much about, Because, For many, It is not very clear, What the urim, And the thumum, Actually was, They, They are, Stones, That are contained, Within, The pockets, And, Just to give you, One explanation, I think it's, Principal John L. Mackay, Who says that, These stones, Most likely, He says, Were of two colours, Black, And white, And they would be, Inside these pockets, And the breastplate, Is given the name, The breastplate of judgment, And the reason, Why it is given, That name,
[37:24] Is that on, Certain occasions, When the, People of God, Had a decision, To make, That they were, Unclear of, They would, Call on the high priest, And, Present, Or pose their question, To him, And, He would produce, The urim, And the thumum, And, Seek an answer, From the Lord, And it was a form, Of casting lots, Now there's no certainty, About this, But this is the, The suggested, Use of them, So that, However the lot, Came to, To be cast, Whether it was in favour, Or, Or, Opposed, To whatever the question, Was asking, Then, The, The falling of the stones, Would determine that, But these,
[38:25] Were contained, Within, The pocket, Of the breastplate, Of the high priest, And, Hence, The name, The breastplate, Of judgment, But the part, That we're most, Interested in, Is the, The part, Of the breastplate, Where again, You have, Secreted, Into the, Breastplate, Four rows, Of three, Of, Different, Precious, Jewels, And there's no other, Way of describing them, And, Each one of these, Jewels, Is, Sown, Into these pockets, But contained, Within, A, A ring of gold, I'm not sure, If it's, Gold in colour, Or gold, The original, Metal, Gold metal, That acts,
[39:27] As a, A container, Like you would have, A gold ring, And inside the ring, You would have, Inset, The jewel, Or jewels, That the ring, Is displaying, So, Inside this ring, Of gold, Would be, The precious jewel, And, Each one of these jewels, Would be within, That gold setting, And, The idea, Is, To, Bring to, Our attention, That, Each one of these, Gold, Settings, Contained within it, A precious jewel, Which was carried, On the breast, Of the high priest, Resting, Upon, His heart, So, So, That every time, The high priest,
[40:27] Would, Go, And, Conduct worship, Of her sacrifices, He would go, Into the presence of God, Bearing about, On his chest, These, Evidences, Of, The precious, Precious, Precious stones, That were, On his chest, And, Each one of these, Precious stones, Represented, One, Of the tribes, Of, Israel, Well, There are twelve tribes, As you know, But, One of the tribes, The tribe of Levi, Was already, Dedicated, To the service of God, So, When you look at the list, Of, Of the tribes, That are mentioned, The tribe of Levi, Is not mentioned, Nor is the tribe, Of Joseph,
[41:28] But, Instead of Joseph, You have, The two sons of Joseph, That are included, In his stead, So, You have, Israel's, Children, Apart from, Joseph, And Levi, And, The sons of Joseph, Take his place, In that, So, That is what we have, Before us here, A picture, Given to us, Of, The high priest, In his representative, Capacity, Bearing, On his heart, The people of God, A chosen, Precious, People, Represented, In the jewels, That are contained, Within, That gold setting, Gold setting itself, Teaching, The stability,
[42:31] That belongs, To that jewel, And, The, The way that God, Considers, That jewel, And, Looks at it, As something, That he himself, Has, Set aside, In this particular way, So, Looking, Looking, At, At these stones, Brings us, To, More of a problem, Because, I think, It's easier for us, To think of the, The image, As a collective image, First of all, I said, The stones, Indicate the preciousness, Of, The tribes of Israel, The preciousness, Of God's people, They teach that, Quite clearly, But why should it,
[43:31] Not be, One, Particular, Precious, Jewel, Why not, One, Of these twelve, To represent all of them, Well again, Just as we saw, In the morning, While the, Temple, Is made up, Of many stones, There is, A clear indication, That these stones, Were all different, And they were formed, And fashioned, And placed, Within the temple wall, By the, Stone mason, Who was erecting, The temple, Or the people of God, Under God's hand, In the same way, We are being taught, That when it comes, To God's, People, There is, A, A, A picture given to us, Of the differences, That exist, In,
[44:33] The kind of people, That God, Saves through the Lord, Jesus Christ, There are many, Different personalities, There are many, Different gifts, And graces, That God, Claims for himself, There are many, Different, Types of, Character, That you can say, Marks of, The people of God, I think, It's so easy for us, To, To think of, Of an unconverted, Passion, And, Then think of, That converted, Passion, At the end, Of, Their, Spiritual journey, And consider them, As they are, In Christ, Sanctified, And, Glorified, So that, All the flaws,
[45:34] All the characteristics, That mark them out, In this life, Are removed, And they are the perfect, They are the perfect, Complete, Entity, As they are, In Christ Jesus, But, There is no such thing, As, A church, That is composed, Of, People, That are all the same, That is not the way it is, We know it, From our own congregation here, We know it from every congregation, We know it from, A vision, We have, For the church of God, As being, A universal church, Taken from all, The parts, Of the globe, That God has, Men and women, Of all descriptions, Conscriptions, Yes, He takes them, To be his own, But, If you think of it, In the way that you think of the disciples,
[46:35] Just for a simple example, You couldn't, Think of, Any, More, Mixed, People, Than you have in the disciples, I don't think you can say, Of one, Of these disciples, That there is another liken, Amongst them, Few, Whatever information, The scripture gives to us, Concerning the disciples, There are always, Differences, Differences in temperament, Differences in the way that, They have lived their lives, And how God has used them, And so on, But, They are still disciples, They are still redeemed, They are still, Mightily, Used by, So I think, This is one of the main truths, That is communicated to us, In the way that, The high priest, Is given, This vest,
[47:36] This, This, Breastplate, To wear, That has, These, Jewels, That are, Beautiful in their own right, They are precious in their own right, They, Have a place, Within, The breastplate, That is their own, They are not taking up, Anybody else's place, They have their own place, And God has ensured, That that is how, It is to be understood, So what are these, Jewels, And how, Are we meant, To think of them, Now as you know, These, Jewels, Were probably, Meant to, Be married to, The various tribes, You know, The, The, The first, The,
[48:37] First one, That we have here, Is, Sardius, And, They're, They're in rows, And in the same way, The, The, The, The tribes, Are placed in rows, So that, A jewel, Corresponds, To our tribe, And, It, It would be, Perhaps the easiest thing, And maybe, The right thing to do, To, See, What jewel, Corresponds, With what tribe, And what we can say, About, This tribe, And what we can say, About this jewel, And see where they come together, And it's not an easy, Thing to do, And many have, Gone down that road, But, You find that, Very often, There is a very, Forced application, But what is, Important for us, Is that, The tribes are there,
[49:39] Those, People, Who, Are gods, The elect people, Chosen, By him, For his service, And for, His, Glory as a covenant, People, None of them, Are neglected, And even though, Historically, You may follow, Their, Their trajectory, And some of them, Follow a trajectory, That, Takes a nosedive, Historically, Whereas, Whereas others, May, May have a greater, Place in the history, Of the world, Like Judah, For example, But, When we try and marry that, Tribe to, The jewel, That corresponds with it, In the, Breastplate, It's not so easy, But, Each one of us, Can think for ourselves, About, What it suggests,
[50:41] To us, The different, The different, The different, The different, The different, The different, The different, The different, The different, Beauty, That belongs, To these jewels, It should, Remind us, Of, Of what, God is able, To do, And, I think, If I remember, Correctly, The person, Who, Whose role it is, To polish jewels, A lapid, Lapid, I think, Somebody, Whose, Role it is, To, Cut, And to, Polish jewels, So that they take their place, Wherever, That place may be, Be it in a crown, A necklace, A ring, That person, Has a very responsible job, God is the one, Who, Takes these jewels, From, Their original place, And,
[51:42] Many of them, May not, Originally, Have, Have many, Characteristics, That would cause them, To stand out, And, Sadly not the case, Naturally speaking, There are many, Precious jewels, That are found, Within the world, We live, And, If you didn't know, What you were looking for, You might just, Pass them by, Because of their location, And because of their lack, Of natural, Beauty, You might just, Overlook them, And that is the way it is, For God's people as well, For, For their own, Natural beauty, There may not be any, But, When God takes them, To himself, Then, He begins, The job, Of, Of, Cutting, And, Forming, Them into, What will, Take this place,
[52:44] In, His own, Jewels, Is that not, What we are promised, In the, Old Testament, Scripture, They shall be, Mine, He says, In the day, That I make up, My jewels, God's people, Every single, One of them, Is like that, That is how, They will be, When God, Completes his work, In them, But here, We see, First of all, The, Sardius, The reddish, But a pale, Red hue, Is, How they appear, It's as if, There is, It's not, It's not a clear, Glass like, Precious jewel, But it has this, Reddishness, Running through it, As if, There is a hint, Of, Blood there, And, As I said, I remember, Hearing,
[53:46] A sermon on this text, And it's so difficult, Not so much on this text, But on the, Breastplate of the high priest, And, It was a reminder, For that person, Well the late, Callum Madison, Is the one, Who preached that, Sermon, He said, There are some people, And, They present themselves, As, Those who, Never get away, From, The thought, Of, Of the, Sacrifice, Given by the Lord, Jesus Christ, Their mind, Their heart, Is set, Upon, The sacrifice, Given by Christ, Their, Their thoughts, Their think, Their talk, Is, Always on that topic, So there is, That reddishness, Perhaps, In the jewel, That, Occupies, This place, In the, In the breastplate, Of the high priest, A people, Who,
[54:46] Who, May, May, May, May, May, Have a different, Mindset, To others, The one, That came to mind, When I was looking at this, Was, Nathaniel, Someone, That Christ, Saw, Underneath, The fake tree, Saw him, Under the vine, And he said, Behold, An Israelite, Indeed, In whom there is no guile, And I was saying, There's this, Certain transparency, In some people, There is, No side to them, They're always, What you, Find them to be, And the Lord's cause, Profits from such a passion, Somebody who, You can trust, Somebody that you, You know, Is honest, And that has this focus, On the things of God, So maybe, That is the kind of thing, That is suggested to us, Here, We,
[55:49] Read of, I think part of the problem, I found when, Looking at this was, That there are, Listed, Jewels, That, We might not recognize, And jewels, That may have a different, Name, Because of the historical, Context in which, This takes place, For example, Professor, John L. Mackay, Suggests, I don't know which one, Of the jewels, He's talking about, Possibly the ruby, He says, At that time, When Moses, Was commanded, To bring, This, Instruction, To Aaron, Concerning, The, The clothing, Of the high priest, The ruby, Would not have been, A commonplace jewel, That, Would, To be found, In that region, At that time, Now, Whether that's right, Or wrong, There's no way, Of knowing, But some of the names, Are, Historically,
[56:50] Less, Accurate, But, They, They are still jewels, That are listed here, And, We can trust, That they are precious, And, Topaz, Is a greenish, Or a gold, Yellow, Colour, The colour, Of, Well, I was thinking, Oil, Or olive oil, And, What kind of person, Would you think, Would that remind you of, What kind of person, Would, Be like this, Well, I think, It suggests to it, Somebody, Who has a heavenly unction, Somebody, Who is anointed, By the spirit, Or with the spirit, Somebody, Who, Who, Is, In their thinking, Geared, Towards God, And God's way, Of doing things, And, Certainly, The church of Christ, The people of God, Have their fair share, Of that, It's not, It's not clear,
[57:52] That that, Is the case, But, Certainly, The colours, Of these jewels, Remind you, Of certain truths, Concerning, God's people, The, Carbuncle, Again, Not a jewel, We're familiar with, A red, Some say, Or a green, Colour, And, The, When you, Link that in, With the patriarchal, Blessing, That Jacob, Gave to his sons, The, The Hebrew word, For carbuncle, Is derived, From the Hebrew, Root, For lightning, Or flashing light, And, Some, Have said, That, When Jacob, Blessed, His, Children, He gave, The blessing, To one of his sons, That, Gave him land, Beside the sea, And, As a seafaring, People,
[58:54] That they would have, Interest in, Preserving life, From, Flashing light, Of the lighthouse, From the ocean, Maybe that's a, A very hard pressed, Understanding, But, Again, We have to think of, What kind of Christian, Does this, Remind you of, What kind of, Person, Would you say, Has, Has these flashes, Of light, As it were, Running through their lives, And, Well, I'm sure, There are people, And, That is the kind of, Way, That they, Appear to us, Sometimes, They, They give the impression, That they have, A great discernment, Or a, Great knowledge, And, They have that ability, To, To demonstrate it, Other times, It's not so noticeable, Not so easily,
[59:55] Brought, Out of them, What they may think, Or what they understand, But, Clearly, The thing, That we find is, With each of these, Precious jewels, Not that they're not, Precious, But that there are, Occasions, Where their, Preciousness, May be hidden, From you, Where they are not, As apparently, Precious, As they, They should be, The emerald, The bright green, Color, Again, Speaks of the, Ocean, And, I think, Reminding, Reminding, Yourself, Of the, The colours, Of the sky, And the colours, Of the sea, When you see that, In the jewels, It brings home to you, Certain things, About, God's people, Perhaps, Some, A heavenly minded, Some, Are more, Focused, On the things, Of this world,
[60:56] But, One of the commentators, Speaks about, Jacob's, Firstborn, Reuben, Who, Is, Married, To this, Stone, That, It is suggested, By some, That he, Depicts the restlessness, Of the ocean, Someone, Who is, In his life, Guilty, Of, Of, Vasilation, You're never quite sure, Of where he is, And, Sometimes, Weakness, Is more, Often in view, And, Unpredictability, It's always, Easy for us, To be critical, Of the Lord's people, If they don't conform, Or if they don't, Live up to expectations, And, With good reason, But, In their weakness, And in their,
[61:57] In predictability, They, May show, Flaws, Of character, But, Nevertheless, In the eyes of God, He may be, Engaged in, Dealing with such flaws, And dealing with, Such, Such, Parts, Of their character, That need to be remedied, And, And, The fact, That looking at this jewel, That it is placed, With the rest, Reminds us that, Again, There is a, Vast, Array, Of, Different, Kinds, Of jewels, There, Some, You may, Not think, Much of, Some, You may, Think that, They are not really, Listed, Amongst, The jewels, When you look up, At the heavens, Just to, Mix metaphors, And you see the stars, And you see the planets,
[62:59] There is all kinds, Of sizes, All kinds, Of, Of radiation, Coming from these stars, And you think, Well that's not a star, That's of any significance, Compared to the one next to it, There is more, Light is to be seen, More, More, More value given to it, Perhaps, But, Not being, An astronomer, I might not know, The fact that, That star, That is small, And insignificant, May be, Thousands, And thousands, Of light years away, In comparison, To the other, And, The place, That it has, In the atmosphere, Makes sure that, Its radiation, Is not, As prominent, Because of that distance, But in the, In the scheme, Of God's doing things, As I said, What we're looking at here,
[64:00] Is, Is, Is, A picture, Of, The high priest, Carrying these jewels, In his, Breast, And all of them are there, And all of them are secure, And, They are, At this point, Perhaps, A polished article, Because remember, What we have here, Is, The type, Of, The great high priest, Who, When he has, Gone into, The most holy place, And he has, On his chest, In his heart, All of these people, Just as he has, At the right hand of glory, Every one of them, All of them, Polished, All of them, Finished, All of them, Set, In this final setting, But, Here, In this world, We might not see them, In that way, There's the sapphire, A deep blue,
[65:02] Picture, Deep blue, Color, It's, We are told, One of the second hardest, Of the jewels, Second only, To the diamond, And, Perhaps, We find, Some Christians, And that is what is true of them, They are jewels, They are, God's chosen, And yet, They are hard, They are hard-hearted, They shouldn't be, But their hardness, Perhaps, Comes from, Many things, That we may not know, Much about, They may be hard, Because, They have had to, Be hardened against, Their particular, Environment, Or a particular, Upbringing, Or whatever, But the grace of God, Works in the lives, Of even those, That are hard, And produces, The mellowing, That is necessary, How often have I heard that,
[66:03] Said about Christians, Christians, Christians who, Would not in, Any way, Shape or form, Be considered, People that were easy, To get alongside, Because, They were so, So hard, So, Severe, So, In many respects, Considered, Judgmental, Too ready to, Utter, A stiff, And a severe word, And yet, As they progressed, Through this world, As they, As God, Worked in their life, What we would hear, Said of them is, Oh they've mellowed, They've mellowed a lot, Which meant, That God's grace, Was doing its work, And that can happen, And that does happen, And, When God finishes his work, In every one of us, There will not be,
[67:03] Any lack of, Luster or beauty, If there is a need, For any, Edge to be taken off, It will be taken off, If there's any need, For polishing, Any need, For an abrasive approach, Then all of these things, Will, Will, Be used by God, Diamond, Another, Hard stone, But the one that we, Read of often, As having many facets, Many parts to it, And ligure, An uncertain, Kind of stone, I'm not sure what, Kind of stone it is, And agate, Stone of many colours, I don't have time, To describe them all, But they are all, The thing that we, Want to emphasise most, Is the preciousness, To God, Of each one, Of these jewels, And because, They are precious to him, They are collectively, In the breastplate,
[68:03] Of the high priest, On his heart, In his heart, On his mind, Constantly, And, All the jewels, Have the ability, To shine, To reflect the glory, Of their maker, And all, Are in the breastplate, Of the high priest, In glory, And that's the way it is, It's amazing, How, God, In his wisdom, So fit, To, To take, Teachings, Such as this, To minds, That are so, So much, In need, Of simple truths, To be applied, To them, He took, The passion, Of the high priest, His clothing, And he said, My people, Will learn, From what I am doing, Here, What he does,
[69:04] When he does it, How he does it, How he is clothed, In doing it, I will teach them, Through these, Ways, And through the, Use of, Beryl, And onyx, And chasper, And all the other, Precious jewels, Some that we esteem highly, Some that we don't, Don't know anything about, Is that not the way it is?
[69:29] You might think that, Most Christians, Are known to you, But then, Maybe they are not, You certainly don't know, The Christians, That occupy this world, Who they are, Where they are, But they are there, And as I said before, From God's word, They will be there, When God makes up his jewels, And not one of them, Will be lost, And he will take, Delight, What will he see, I think, This is the crucial thing, When he sees, His face in there, See that of gold, But when the, Person who is responsible, For melting gold, He'll, He'll smelt it, He'll, Put it in a crucible, And, He'll pour over it, Until he sees, His face in it, And no doubt, The same is true, About these jewels, They're polished, And they're, They're, Handled with the skill,
[70:31] Of the, Master craftsman, Who will, Be content, To place them all, Where he takes, The light in them, That's what's true, For God, And his people, Let us pray, Lord help us, To realise, That your church, Is made up of, Many kinds of people, And you have taken them, From, From the north, From the south, From the east, And from the west, And the day will come, When they will all be, Gathered together as one, That will be a great day, For them, But we believe, A greater day for you, The God who has purposed, To bring such, A thing to pass, So bless your word to us, This evening, Bless, Each one of us, When we think about, Our own lack, Of, Of value, Or beauty, As the jewels, Of God, May we understand that,
[71:33] The beauty is in the eye, Of the beholder, And God is the one, Who beholds, His jewels, And takes delight in them, And give our sins in him, Amen. Closing psalm, Psalm 110, Singing from the beginning, Of the psalm, Four stanzas from the beginning, The Lord did say unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, Until I make thy foes, A stone, Whereon thy feet may stand, The Lord shall out, Of Zion send, The rod of thy great power, In midst of all thine enemies, Be thou the governor, A willing people, In thy day of power, Shall come to thee, In holy beauties, From morn's womb, Thy youth like dew, Shall be, The Lord himself, Hath made an oath, And will repent him, Never of the order, Of Melchizedek, Thou art a priest, Forever, He stands, The Lord did say unto my Lord,
[72:33] Sit thou at my right hand, The Lord did say unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, Until I make thy foes, A stool, Whereon thy feet may stand, Whereon thy feet may stand, The Lord shall out, Of Zion stand, The rod of thy great power, In midst of all thine enemies,
[73:41] Be thou the governor, Be thou the governor, Be thou the governor, How willing people in thy day, Of power shall come to thee, In holy beauties, From morn's womb, Thy youth like dew shall be, Thy youth like dew shall be, The Lord himself,
[74:42] The Lord himself, Hath made an oath, And will repent him, Heaven of the order, Of the order of electricity, Thou art a priest forever, Thou art a priest forever, Amen.