Well, good morning, everyone. It's lovely to have you with us. Let me encourage you to grab a Bible and come with me to Leviticus chapters 8 to 10.
That's where we're going to be this morning as we're back in this series, taking a kind of overview approach to this book.
And while you're turning there, let me just kind of remind you that we are a church that loves its 316s.
Okay, we love John 316.
For God to love the world, that he gave his one and only son, that all who believe in him will not perish but have eternal life.
It's a very heartbeat of who we are as the Lord's people.
We love that 316 and we love another one.
Okay, we love 2 Timothy 316.
All scripture is God breathed, even the bits that we find difficult to understand.
And that's the kind of conviction that's been driving this series, that all of scripture, all of the Bible is breathed out by God.
So just like it's good to go to the gym and work in maybe parts of your body that you wouldn't actually go towards,
because if you work out the same parts, it's going to be a kind of very lopsided body that you have.
Just like you would do that, so it's good to go towards the parts of our Bible that we wouldn't naturally go towards.
And it's great to hear, last week as we started this series, how people have been both encouraged and stretched as we've dived into this book of Leviticus.
So we're at chapters 8 to 10 today.
Wonderful chapters.
I really hope that, again, this encourages us and stretches us.
But to get us going today, I wonder if you've ever seen a sign like this.
Okay?
No entry.
You'd usually see it hanging in the entrance of a place where you are not allowed to go into.
So let me just give you a wee example of this.
I remember when I was at school, one of the most exciting things that ever happened in our little area where we lived just north of Glasgow
was that Rangers Football Club decided to build their training ground not too far from where we lived, right?
This was a dream for a football-crazy teenager.
And what we used to do during the summer holidays is some mates and I used to go down to the training ground
and we'd spend the afternoons there peering through the fence,
looking at some of the best players in Europe at the time do their thing, right?
So they're doing their set plays, they're honing their skills, they're tuning their technique.
And then once they'd finished training, we used to sprint round to the entrance and we used to watch them drive out in their fancy cars.
And they always used to come out of these big electric gates.
And we used to stand there and watch this, right?
The gates swing open.
Out drives an expensive car, right?
We might get a wave.
Car speeds off and then the electric gates slam shut.
And as they'd slam shut, you'd be presented with this sign on the outside that just said no entry,
underneath no unauthorised personnel.
And then you'd see the guy who was the bouncer on the door, the security guy,
looking at you as if to say,
not in a month of Sundays are you getting inside.
So we were standing outside this training ground, looking in,
realising that we would never have the credentials to ever get inside.
No entry.
Right?
You ever had an experience like that?
Friends, as we tap into the Bible story today,
this is kind of, at this point in the story, this is humanity's predicament.
Okay, and it has been ever since Genesis 3.
God creates the world and he creates human beings.
And here we have Adam and Eve and their creator God in the garden,
and all is well.
There is glorious harmony between creator and creature.
But because Adam and Eve sinned,
because they ate from the fruit,
from the forbidden tree,
sin entered the human heart
and they are thrown out of the garden of Eden.
And God has to do that.
He has to do that.
That is who he is.
Remember what we saw last week?
Sin and a holy God cannot coexist.
They are thrown out of the garden,
but it is bigger than that.
Okay, they are thrown out of the presence of God.
And God places at the entrance to the garden,
cherubim, right, angels,
and a flaming sword to guard it.
So at this point in the story,
Genesis 3,
the entrance to Eden,
hangs a sign that says,
no entry.
And that is where the story should have ended.
But because the God of the Bible is gracious and good,
he outlines his plan
to make a way for humanity
to re-enter and enjoy his presence.
Okay, what's fascinating,
the second half of the book of Exodus,
as you read about the construction
and the instructions
of the tabernacle,
this portable temple
that Israel carry with them
as they journey to the promised land
and is in the middle of them
as they stop and camp,
is that deliberately carved into its design
are echoes of Eden.
Okay, so there's light imagery there.
There's tree of life imagery.
There's gold and precious stone imagery.
And particularly in the Holy of Holies,
the most sacred bit where God dwells,
there's two cherubim on the top of the ark.
See what's going on?
Echoes of Eden.
And while that is terrific news on one level,
there still remains a sin problem.
And because of that,
the no entry sign to God's presence
still well and truly hangs.
No entry.
No unauthorized personnel.
So the people need somebody
who's qualified and set apart
and chosen
to come and take them into God's presence.
That's what chapters 8 to 10 are all about.
Okay, step forward.
The priests.
They are,
if you want to think of it like this,
they are the go-betweens.
The mediators.
The go-betweens.
Yeah.
I heard somebody recount recently
how apparently at the height of the troubles
in Northern Ireland back in the day,
so tense was it
in the lead up to the Good Friday agreement
that Jerry Adams and David Trimble,
who were kind of the figureheads
of both sides of this,
they wouldn't even be in the same room together.
Okay, and so there they were,
the government headquarters
on different floors.
And Senator George Mitchell,
who was the kind of peace negotiator
between the two,
what he was doing
was running up and down the stairs
between the two parties,
passing on messages,
trying to broker a deal.
And he was doing this so often
that people joked
that he was the fittest man
in Northern Ireland at the time
because he was the runner.
He was the go-between.
Maybe that's a helpful way
to get your head around
the role of the priests here.
Right?
They are the go-betweens
between the people and God.
Okay?
In the time that we have,
we could do so much here.
I just want us to do two things.
Okay?
I want us to see two things
about the priests
from chapters 8 to 10.
Two things.
Okay?
Here's the first thing,
that a priest
can't just be anybody.
Right?
It can't just be anyone.
God must choose
the priest.
Right?
And who does God pick?
Come with me to chapter 8
and verse 1.
Who does God pick?
He picks Aaron.
Now right there,
that is not an insignificant detail.
We should be hugely encouraged
that that is the case
because in the context,
remember last week,
Aaron, Aaron,
has had an absolute shocker.
He's had a howler.
He's had a shocker.
Moses, his brother,
is up the mountain.
Meanwhile, Aaron is at the bottom
doing nothing
as the people are building
the golden calf.
Right?
And he comes down.
What does he do?
This calf just kind of
jumped out of the fire.
That's his excuse.
Just horrendous leadership.
Yet like Peter in the Gospels,
the grace and the plans
of this God
are bigger than our failures.
They are more glorious
than our mess.
This God specializes
in creating trophies
of his grace
and using them in his plans.
Okay?
Maybe some of us need
to bathe ourselves
in the truth of that today.
Okay, do you remember?
I forgot it.
Maybe some of us
need to bathe ourselves
in the truth of that today.
God picks Aaron and his sons
for this special role.
And you see how we get
a description of what he's to wear
from verse 7.
Chapter 8,
sash and a robe around him.
He's got a breast piece.
He's got a turban on his head.
You get more instructions on this.
The middle chapters of Exodus.
This is kingly language.
This is what he's to wear.
This is what the priests
are to wear.
And I take it all of this
is to help Israel visibly see
that Aaron and his sons
are being set apart
for this role.
That you would see them
as you walked about
in everyday life.
There's the priests.
That's what they do.
You recognize them.
And verse 14,
sacrifices made
for Aaron's sins
so that they can be atoned for.
Right?
So this guy might be set apart.
These guys might be set apart.
But they're still human.
Still sinful.
And they need to be made fit
for coming near God's presence.
Okay?
It's common, isn't it,
when you go around
to people's houses
for them to expect
for you to take off your shoes.
Think about it like this.
Okay?
It's what you do.
People don't want you
traipsing mud
all the way into the house,
especially if you've got
nice cream carpets, right?
That's a disaster.
And I was always saying
that's the reason
why people have welcome mats,
not just welcome signs,
but at the entrance
to their homes.
Really, the welcome mats
should just say,
don't bring your dirt in here.
People don't want you
traipsing mud, dirt
into their homes.
Well, how much more
is that the case
as we consider the place
where God lives?
If you're going to be
near God's presence,
if you're going to come close,
you must be spotlessly
clean of sin.
That's the instruction
to the priests here.
As a friend of mine
pointed out,
and I think this is
really helpful imagery,
if it's not dealt with,
it's like running into a fire
covered in paraffin.
That's the effect of sin
in a holy God.
You cannot just wander in.
You cannot just
waltz your way in.
Sin needs to be atoned for.
And after the consecration service
in front of all Israel,
we get this at verse 30.
Okay, so he,
that's Moses,
consecrated Aaron
and his garments
and his sons
and their garments.
So in other words,
we're good to rock and roll
at this stage.
Good to rock and roll.
Okay, a priest
can't just be anybody.
And secondly,
a priest
can't just do anything.
Okay,
God gives them
two jobs to do.
There's two sides
of the priest coin,
if you want to think
about it like this.
On the one side,
the priest
represents
the people to God.
So we get this
in chapter 9.
You'll see it begins
verse 1
on the eighth day.
So we're at the start
of a new week.
And as if they say,
here is the first shot
at this new setup.
Verse 3,
the people are invited
to bring their sacrifices
to the entrance.
And the priest
will play their part
in sprinkling the blood
of the sacrifices
so that atonement
for the people's sin
can be made.
So do you see it?
See, the priest
represents the people
to God.
And the other side
of the coin,
the priest represents
God to the people.
See the promise
of verse 6.
Because of the
atoning sacrifice,
because atonement
has been made,
God's glory
will appear
to the people.
So God is going
to come and dwell
with his people.
This is a huge moment.
A huge moment.
And verse 8,
Aaron goes for it.
Has a shot.
Okay, look at verse 22
and 23 of chapter 9.
This is key.
We're going to read
this together.
Verse 22
and 23 of chapter 9.
Then Aaron lifted
his hands
toward the people
and blessed them
and having sacrificed
the sin offering,
the burnt offering
and the fellowship offering,
he stepped down.
Question,
is this going to work?
Is it going to work?
Has this worked?
Verse 23,
Moses and Aaron
then went into
the tent of meeting.
And when they came out,
they blessed the people
and the glory of the Lord
appeared to all the people.
Do you see it?
It worked.
It's working.
Because of the priest's work,
God is present
with his people.
They represent
God to the people.
Kind of another aspect
to that,
if you want,
verse 11 of chapter 10.
Apologies,
we're jumping about a bit,
but I think this is
worth seeing.
Verse 11 of chapter 10,
they teach the people
God's word as well.
It's another part
of the representation role.
They help the people
understand who this God is,
what he's like,
what he's done.
He's got a teaching role as well.
So see the two sides
of the priest's coin.
A priest can't just do
anything.
They represent the people
to God
and they represent God
to the people.
And God has given them
a precise job description
and an exact way
to carry it out.
And I think that's how
we're to understand
the events of chapter 10.
Whenever God has given them
a precise job to do,
a precise way to do it,
chapter 10,
because these two priests,
Nadab and Abihu,
they just blatantly ignore
what God has said
about the job.
Verse 1,
chapter 10,
tells us that
they offered
unauthorized fire.
And we're not given
too much more
about what else they did,
but the very fact
that the word
unauthorized is used
is showing us
that they're doing things
in a casual
and a complacent way.
Isn't it wonderful
that God is dwelling with us?
Let's go in
and have a bit of fun.
Okay?
Remember what we said.
It's complacent,
casual.
It's like the paraffin
of their sins
still on them
and they walk
into God's fire,
holy presence.
Okay?
It's almost as if
at this key moment
in salvation history,
God reminds the entire nation
that yes,
he might be near,
but he's still holy.
He's still holy.
Okay?
Verse 1 of chapter 16,
this is what they've done.
They've just ran
into his presence.
And you don't do that.
You've got to do it
exactly how God said.
Right?
Priests can't be sloppy.
You know,
I've started reading
the Narnia books
with Chloe,
our oldest daughter.
So,
we haven't got to
number two
in the series yet,
but I'm looking forward
to meeting Aslan with her.
Okay?
What is it?
The conversation,
the famous conversation
between Lucy
and Mr. Beaver
about Aslan.
Safe,
said Mr. Beaver.
Who said anything
about safe?
Of course he isn't safe,
but he is good.
He is the king,
I tell you.
Here is the
go-between.
Here is the role
of the priest,
the go-between.
But as celebratory
as this scene might be,
and we've got to understand
that this is a huge moment here.
This is a huge moment.
There are still
two problems.
Right?
The priests,
they've sinned themselves.
That's still a huge problem.
And number two,
the priests will die.
It's a huge problem.
Well, remember,
we saw last week,
we think back to last week,
we thought about our toy shop.
Remember the toy shop?
Getting kids ready
for the real thing.
Okay?
Well, these exact two problems
the writer to the Hebrews
picks up on.
But he does
more than that,
the writer.
The writer shows us
that Jesus
is our great high priest.
Okay?
He is the one
who not only addresses
those two problems,
but he is the one
who this whole
office of priest
was pointing to.
And this is what it says
in Hebrews 7.
We'll put these words
on the screen
and we'll read this together
and see how Jesus
is the answer
to these two problems.
Okay, now there have been
many of those priests
since death prevented them
from continuing in office.
Do you see the problem?
But because Jesus
lives forever,
he has a permanent priesthood.
Therefore,
he is able to save
completely
those who come to God
through him
because he always lives
to intercede for them.
Such a high priest
truly meets our need.
One who is holy,
blameless, pure,
set apart from sinners,
exalted above the heavens.
Unlike the other
high priests,
he does not need
to offer sacrifices
day after day.
First for his own sins
and then for the sins
of the people.
He sacrificed
for their sins
once for all
when he offered himself.
Do you see it?
He is the answer
to these two problems.
Jesus Christ.
You know,
here's another way
of thinking about it.
Okay,
Hugh Grant,
the actor.
Hugh Grant,
you got him in your head.
My flatmate at uni
always used to make
a joke about Hugh Grant.
that he's in many,
many films,
but in each film
he plays the same role.
Think about that.
Maybe that's harsh,
I don't know.
Every single film
he plays
the kind of proper Englishman.
That's all he's got,
right?
And he's very good at it,
but that's what he does.
All the films,
but he plays one role.
The more you get
into Leviticus,
you see that Jesus
is the opposite
of Hugh Grant.
Right?
If Leviticus was a film,
one film,
Jesus is playing
the many roles.
Okay,
do you see how Jesus
isn't just everything
that the sacrifice
pointed to?
That's fulfilled in him.
Jesus is everything
that the priest
was pointing to as well.
Okay,
he is our great
go-between.
He is the only
go-between
between God and man.
And let me just say,
this is where we
respectfully
and lovingly disagree
with our Catholic friends.
Because no saint
can play this role.
No person
wearing a robe
or a dog collar
can play this role.
And in our own circles,
right,
friends,
a worship leader
can play this role.
No pastor,
no elder
can play this role.
Jesus is the only
go-between
between God and man.
Jesus is the only one
who can lead us
into God's presence.
And to claim
that anyone else
can do that,
to use that language,
is to rob him
of glory.
He is the great
and only
go-between.
And one of the priests,
things that they wear,
is the names
of the twelve tribes
of Israel
on them.
Representing
the people
to God.
Well,
as it were,
Jesus bears
our names
in him
as he stands
having defeated
death
at God's
right hand
in heaven.
And what is he
doing there?
He is
interceding
for us.
Friends,
we fail,
he's praying.
We fall,
he's praying.
We mess up,
he's praying.
That's who he is.
That's where he is.
And I hope
that encourages you
this morning,
whatever's going on
in your life.
That that is what
Jesus ever lives
to do.
He's not sitting
in heaven
having accomplished
his work,
twiddling his thumbs.
He's praying
for us.
We have a priest
who's doing that
and we have a priest
who sympathizes
with us
in our weakness.
We have a priest
who knows who you are.
We have a priest,
you have a priest
who knows what
you're going through.
You have a priest
who knows your needs
and you have a priest
who loves you
like you wouldn't
believe was ever
possible.
And you have a priest
who has made it
his life mission
to pray for you
in the best place
possible
at the right hand
of the Father
as the Lion of Judah
and as the Lamb
who was slain.
That's your priest.
And that's what
the New Testament
is telling us.
It's been all about him.
It's been all about
that priest.
And in a very
spiritual sense
but in nonetheless
a very real sense,
friends,
because we are
caught up in him,
because we are in him,
we are in the very
presence of God
because of Jesus.
He is our great
go-between.
You know,
in the words of
Robert Murray McShane,
famous Scottish minister
from years ago,
if I could hear Christ
praying for me
in the next room,
I would not fear
a million enemies.
Yet distance
makes no difference
because he is
praying
for me.
You know,
let me just finish
by taking you
back to the
Rangers training
ground.
Okay,
remember those
big gates that
said no entry?
Well,
something happened
when I was a teenager.
My phone went
one evening.
Okay,
and it was my mate
and he was texting
me.
Okay,
and because he was
texting me,
I knew it was
something special
because back then
you paid 10 pence
for a text,
you could only have
160 characters
and you'd only send
it,
being Scottish,
if it was
something special.
Okay,
so he sent me a text
and it said,
well,
it turned out
the club had
invited all the
people who were
living in the
surrounding area
to come and see
inside the
training ground.
Right,
and my friend
was near enough
just in the
catchment area
that he got an
invite.
And so his text
simply said,
I got an invite.
And then it said,
and I get to
bring a friend.
Okay,
and if he had a
sense of humour
he would have
said to me,
can you go and
ask your brother
if he's free?
But he didn't do
that.
He said,
would you like
to come?
Would you like
to come?
So there we are,
we rock up the
next Friday evening,
jeans and a t-shirt
and to our
amazement,
the guy in the
door opens the
gates and the
gates open for us.
For us.
Schoolkids,
jeans and a t-shirt.
The gates open for us
and we're in,
right?
Honestly,
it felt like Charlie
from Charlie and the
Chocolate Factory.
This is my golden
ticket.
This is never going
to happen again.
I think in the
end we were so
excited they
actually had to
kick us out.
But here's what I
was so aware of
that whole evening.
I was in,
not because of
who I was.
Right?
Jeans and a t-shirt.
Not in because of
who I was.
I was in because of
who he was.
Because of who he
was.
Friends,
how much more
reason do we
have to celebrate
the news and
take full advantage
of the truth
that Jesus,
our great high
priest,
brings us into
the presence of
God because of
our faith in him.
And maybe some of
you need to do
that this morning.
You need to repent
and trust in him.
He brings us into
the presence of
God and,
and he brings us
in as a son and
a daughter of the
living God and we
can address him
and know him
as father.
friends,
let us then
approach God's
throne of grace
with confidence
so that we may
receive mercy
and find grace
to help us
in our time of
need.
Let's pray
together.
Heavenly Father,
we've got no
words to say
other than
thank you
thank you for
sending your son.
Thank you for
making a way for
us through the
gospel,
through the atoning
work of Jesus,
through his blood
of being brought
into your presence.
Let me just praise
you for the love
which you have
lavished upon us.
And so,
Father,
I pray for anyone
watching this here
today who is
struggling.
I pray that you
would help by
your indwelling
spirit,
help lift their
eyes to their
great high priest
Jesus Christ who
is praying for
them.
Thank you,
Lord,
for your just
great love for
us.
And help us,
Lord,
just to take
full advantage
and to know
you as
father.
In Jesus' name
we pray.
Amen.