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Sermon #2387 — Miscellaneous Sermons

 

Title:                                                                           Are You a

Consecrated Christian?

 

Text:                            Exodus 29:1-46

Subject:                     The Consecration of GodÕs Priests

Date:                          Sunday Morning — January 28, 2018

                                                Rescue Baptist Church — Rescue, CA

Introduction:

 

A while back, I read a few of those biographical blurbs men send out to advertise themselves. One advertises himself as a man whose Òheart beats for a church patterned after GodÕs Word.Ó Another describes himself as a man who Òhas a passion to see believers live holy lives.Ó And a third tells us that he is a man who Òpossesses a genuine desire to lead his church in the purity of the gospel from both the pulpit and his life.Ó Those are all very noble, laudable goals. But, when I read or hear about such goals, I immediately want to knowÉ

á      What is a church patterned after the Word of God? — Would that be a church like the church at Corinth, or like the church at Galatia, or like the church at Jerusalem, or like the church at Colosse?

á      By what means can I persuade believers to live holy lives? — Is it possible for a person to be a believer and not be holy? — Is holiness something we do, or something God gives? — Are believers created in righteousness and true holiness? — If we are can we, by some means or other, lose it? — If we lose it, can we do something to get it back?

á      How am I to lead you to live in the purity of the gospel, both from the pulpit and in my life? — What is the purity of the gospel? — Is it a revealed purity, or a purity that I perform? — Is it a doctrinal purity, or a duty purity? — Is it a purity that I proclaim, or a purity that I promote and push?

 

Exodus 29

 

Being ignorant as I am about such lofty goals, I have searched the Scriptures for answers. And I have found the answers to my questions in Exodus 29. The title of my message is cast in the form of a question: — Are You a Consecrated Christian? I am sure that a hallowed Christian, a consecrated Christian is one whose life exemplifies the purity of the gospel and that it is a life of godliness and true holiness. I believe a hallowed church, a truly consecrated church, is a church reflecting the pattern of instruction given in GodÕs Word.

 

So I want you to open your Bible to the 29th chapter of the Gospel of Exodus. In this chapter the Lord God told Moses how to consecrate Aaron and his sons as GodÕs priests in his house. If I am consecrated to God, I must be consecrated to him just as Aaron and his sons were. If you are consecrated to God, you must be consecrated to him just as Aaron and his sons were. If we are consecrated are consecrated Christians, we must be consecrated as they were.

 

The first time the word ÒconsecrateÓ is found in the Bible is in this same context (Exodus 28:3).

 

(Exodus 28:3) ÒAnd thou shalt speak unto all that are wise hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron's garments to consecrate him, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office.Ó

 

And the first time the word ÒconsecrationÓ is used in Scripture is here in Exodus 29. The law of first mention is applicable. — Whatever a word means the first time it is used is what it means. To consecrate something is to hallow it, sanctify it, make it holy, or to set it as a gem in a piece of jewelry or as a gem in a crown.

 

(Exodus 29:1-46) ÒAnd this is the thing that thou shalt do unto them to hallow them, to minister unto me in the priestÕs office: Take one young bullock, and two rams without blemish, (2) And unleavened bread, and cakes unleavened tempered with oil, and wafers unleavened anointed with oil: of wheaten flour shalt thou make them. (3) And thou shalt put them into one basket, and bring them in the basket, with the bullock and the two rams. (4) And Aaron and his sons thou shalt bring unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and shalt wash them with water. (5) And thou shalt take the garments, and put upon Aaron the coat, and the robe of the ephod, and the ephod, and the breastplate, and gird him with the curious girdle of the ephod: (6) And thou shalt put the mitre upon his head, and put the holy crown upon the mitre. (7) Then shalt thou take the anointing oil, and pour it upon his head, and anoint him. (8) And thou shalt bring his sons, and put coats upon them. (9) And thou shalt gird them with girdles, Aaron and his sons, and put the bonnets on them: and the priestÕs office shall be theirs for a perpetual statute: and thou shalt consecrate Aaron and his sons. (10) And thou shalt cause a bullock to be brought before the tabernacle of the congregation: and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the bullock. (11) And thou shalt kill the bullock before the LORD, by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. (12) And thou shalt take of the blood of the bullock, and put it upon the horns of the altar with thy finger, and pour all the blood beside the bottom of the altar. (13) And thou shalt take all the fat that covereth the inwards, and the caul that is above the liver, and the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, and burn them upon the altar. (14) But the flesh of the bullock, and his skin, and his dung, shalt thou burn with fire without the camp: it is a sin offering.

 

(15) Thou shalt also take one ram; and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the ram. (16) And thou shalt slay the ram, and thou shalt take his blood, and sprinkle it round about upon the altar. (17) And thou shalt cut the ram in pieces, and wash the inwards of him, and his legs, and put them unto his pieces, and unto his head. (18) And thou shalt burn the whole ram upon the altar: it is a burnt offering unto the LORD: it is a sweet savour, an offering made by fire unto the LORD.

 

(19) And thou shalt take the other ram; and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the ram. (20) Then shalt thou kill the ram, and take of his blood, and put it upon the tip of the right ear of Aaron, and upon the tip of the right ear of his sons, and upon the thumb of their right hand, and upon the great toe of their right foot, and sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about. (21) And thou shalt take of the blood that is upon the altar, and of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it upon Aaron, and upon his garments, and upon his sons, and upon the garments of his sons with him: and he shall be hallowed, and his garments, and his sons, and his sonsÕ garments with him.

 

(31) And thou shalt take the ram of the consecration, and seethe his flesh in the holy place. (32) And Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram, and the bread that is in the basket, by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. (33) And they shall eat those things wherewith the atonement was made, to consecrate and to sanctify them: but a stranger shall not eat thereof, because they are holy.

 

(42) This shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD: where I will meet you, to speak there unto thee. (43) And there I will meet with the children of Israel, and the tabernacle shall be sanctified by my glory. (44) And I will sanctify the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar: I will sanctify also both Aaron and his sons, to minister to me in the priestÕs office.

 

(45) And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God. (46) And they shall know that I am the LORD their God, that brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, that I may dwell among them: I am the LORD their God.Ó

 

All Are Priests

 

During the days of Moses and under the Mosaic law, only one family was allowed to serve God in the priestly office; but in this gospel day all GodÕs saints are Òa chosen generation, a royal priesthoodÓ (1 Peter 2:9). In the church of God no one group is set apart to the priesthood above the rest of their brethren. In this gospel day GodÕs covenant promise is fulfilled in us — ÒYe shall be a kingdom of priests unto me.Ó God the Spirit tells us all to present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy acceptable unto God, which is our reasonable service.

 

It is the grand purpose of God in all the works of his grace, both for us and in us, to fit us for the office of the spiritual priesthood, and it will be the crown of our perfection when with all our brethren we shall sing unto the Lord Jesus the new song ÒUnto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever

 

According to 1 Peter 2, this honor belongs to every believer. It belongs even to newborn babes in grace. If this very hour you are born of God, you are born into GodÕs priestly family. Every saved sinner forms a part of a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Christ Jesus.

 

There is no such thing as ÒclergyÓ and ÒlaityÓ in the church of God. We are all, in Christ, priests unto God. The Roman church has its priests. The Episcopal Church has its priests. And the Mormon Church has its priests. In each of those societies of wickedness, blind, ignorant, deluded men are kept in bondage and taught that they cannot approach God except through the medium of a priest, who is himself only a sinful man. I tell you, upon the authority of GodÕs Holy Word, that no man will ever draw near to God in faith, until he approaches God, not through the medium of some pretended earthly priest, but through Jesus Christ himself, our only true Priest.

 

Proposition: And all who come to God by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ are themselves priests unto God. Every true believer in Christ Jesus is a priest, one who has perpetual access to God by faith through the merits of Christ.

 

We need no earthly priest, for we are priests ourselves. You may not be able to read or write, but if you are truly converted, you are a priest unto God. You may never stand behind a pulpit, or even lead the people of God in public prayer, but if you believe on Christ you are a priest unto God. You ladies are commanded of God to be silent in the public assembly of GodÕs saints. Yet, you, too, belong to this holy priesthood. All the children of God are priests. As in the Old Testament there was one sin atoning high priest, though all the sons of Aaron were priests in the service of God, even so, the Lord Jesus Christ alone is our one great, sin-atoning High Priest, and all the sons of God are priests in him.

 

A Chosen Family

 

1st — The first thing I want you to see about the consecration, the holiness, the hallowedness set before us in Scripture is that it begins with GodÕs election. The Lord said to Moses, ÒTake Aaron and his sonsÓ (Leviticus 8:2; Exodus 28:1; 29:1-4). The priesthood was not something men decided upon, voted upon, or chose for themselves. Only those chosen, elected, and ordained by God were allowed to serve as priests (Hebrews 5:1-5; 1 Peter 2:5-9).

 

If you are a part of GodÕs Òholy priesthood,Ó it is because God from eternity chose you, elected you, and ordained you to be his own. Salvation does not begin with manÕs will, but with GodÕs will. Salvation is not caused by manÕs will. It is caused by GodÕs will. Men and women are not saved because they will to be saved. We are saved because God from eternity willed to save us. All who are born of God readily confess that they are debtors to sovereign grace alone.

 

ÔTis not that I did choose Thee,

For Lord that could not be;

This heart would still refuse Thee,

But Thou hast chosen me:

Thou from the sin that stained me

Washed me and set me free,

And to this end ordained me,

That I should live to Thee.

 

ÔTwas sovereign mercy called me,

And taught my opening mind;

The world had else enthralled me,

To heavenly glories blind:

My heart owns none before

Thee, For Thy rich grace I thirst,

This knowing – if I love Thee,

Thou must have loved me first!

 

AaronÕs family was a chosen family. He and his sons were specifically chosen by God to be his priests. — ÒNo man taketh this honor upon himself, but he that was called thereunto as was AaronBeing chosen of God, Aaron and his sons were at GodÕs command brought nigh unto the door of the tabernacle. None ever come to God except those who are brought to him. The KingÕs spouse sings, Òhe brought me into the banqueting house.Ó The Lord Jesus said, ÒNo man can come unto me except the Father which hath sent me draw him.Ó We are made nigh by the blood of Jesus and brought nigh by the drawings of the Holy Ghost.

 

Are you chosen priests of God, brought to him by omnipotent mercy? If so, I am sure you will be interested in understanding the ceremonies prescribed in the chapter before us, because these Old Testament ceremonies teach us how the Lord God makes chosen sinners priests in his holy nation.

 

Washed with Water

 

2ndThese priests had to be washed. We read in the fourth verse, ÒAaron and his sons thou shalt bring unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and shalt wash them with water.Ó The pure and holy God cannot be served by men of unclean hands and impure hearts. He would not embrace the unclean under the law; and he will not tolerate the unclean in this gospel day. He demands, ÒBe ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord,Ó and, ÒBe ye holy for I am holy!Ó Those are unbending precepts. God will not accept that which is unclean. It was well said by the psalmist, — ÒI will wash mine hands in innocency, so will I compass thine altar, O LordÓ (Psalm 26:6). — Notice that it was Moses (the Law) that had to wash the priests!

 

á      We must be washed in redemption (Zechariah 13:1).

 

(Zechariah 13:1) ÒIn that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.Ó

 

á      We must be washed in regeneration (Titus 3:3-7).

 

(Titus 3:3-7) ÒFor we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. (4) But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, (5) Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; (6) Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; (7) That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.Ó

 

Thus, both by the blood atonement of our Lord Jesus Christ and by the sanctifying operations of God the Holy Spirit, we are cleansed from all filthiness of the flesh and of the spirit, and made vessels fit for the MasterÕs use (1 Corinthians 6:9-11).

 

(1 Corinthians 6:9-11) ÒKnow ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, (10) Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. (11) And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.Ó

 

There is a Fountain filled with blood,

Drawn from ImmanuelÕs veins;

And sinners plunged beneath that flood

Lose all their guilty stains!

 

Are you thus cleansed from all sin? Do you know, by the sweet experience of his grace, the blessedness of that man unto whom God will not impute sin? If so, ÒBeing made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness!Ó — God has made you a priest in his house!

 

Wondrously Clothed

 

3rdAfter they were washed by Moses, the priests were wondrously clothed by him (vv. 5-9).

 

They were not allowed to wear one of the garments which belonged to them beforehand. Even their underwear was provided! Within and without their clothing was new, appropriate, divinely provided, and put upon them. They wore what was given them, nothing more, and nothing less. No man can serve God acceptably in the filthy rags of his own righteousness. We must have the fine linen of ChristÕs righteousness imparted within, for glory and for beauty, and of the imputed righteousness of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

 

(Leviticus 8:13) ÒAnd Moses brought AaronÕs sons, and put coats upon them, and girded them with girdles, and put bonnets upon them; as the LORD commanded Moses.Ó

 

Every priest had a coat put upon him. These priestly coats were like the coat worn by our Lord Jesus, all of one piece, woven from top to bottom, hanging from the shoulder and draping the body. You know what that coat represents – The righteousness of Christ imputed to us from eternity and given to us at the moment of conversion.

 

Illustration: ÒBring hither the best robe!Ó

 

Jesus, Thy blood and righteousness

My beauty are, my glorious dress:

Midst flaming worlds in these arrayed,

With joy shall I lift up my head.

 

Until God puts this robe upon you, you cannot serve him. But, I tell you, as soon as you come to Christ he will put this robe upon you.

 

Every priest was also girded with a girdle. We are told that our Lord Jesus Christ, as our great High Priest, is Ògirt about the paps with a golden girdle.Ó (Revelation 1:13). That is the girdle of his faithfulness, truth, and love. And Christ Jesus gives each of his own a girdle of faithfulness, truth, and love.

 

Girdles were used as huge belts to hold up the long, flowing garments men used to wear, as well as to lend strength and support to the body. Men engaged in labor, travel, or battle strapped on a girdle to brace themselves and hold their robes up. Every priest of Christ is given a girdle of faithfulness to carry him through his appointed labors.

 

And each priest was given a bonnet, or a turban. These turbans distinguished the priests from other men. They were given for glory and beauty. This, too, applies to us. The Lord has made his people glorious, honorable, and beautiful in his own eyes. We are not merely accepted, but beloved. We are not merely washed, but admirable. We are not merely free from condemnation, but full of imparted beauty (Ezekiel 16:8-14).

 

(Ezekiel 16:8-14) ÒNow when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of love; and I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness: yea, I sware unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord GOD, and thou becamest mine. (9) Then washed I thee with water; yea, I thoroughly washed away thy blood from thee, and I anointed thee with oil. (10) I clothed thee also with broidered work, and shod thee with badgersÕ skin, and I girded thee about with fine linen, and I covered thee with silk. (11) I decked thee also with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon thy hands, and a chain on thy neck. (12) And I put a jewel on thy forehead, and earrings in thine ears, and a beautiful crown upon thine head. (13) Thus wast thou decked with gold and silver; and thy raiment was of fine linen, and silk, and broidered work; thou didst eat fine flour, and honey, and oil: and thou wast exceeding beautiful, and thou didst prosper into a kingdom. (14) And thy renown went forth among the heathen for thy beauty: for it was perfect through my comeliness, which I had put upon thee, saith the Lord GOD.Ó

 

The Lord Jesus says to every saved sinner, ÒThou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in theeÉThou hast ravished my heart!Ó (Song of Solomon 4:7, 9). Our Savior so falls in love with his own image in each saved sinner, that his own heart is captured.

 

These garments were all provided for Aaron and his sons, at no cost. They contributed nothing in the expense of buying them, or in the labor of weaving them, or in the skill of making them. So it is with us. The garments of our salvation are ours freely, put upon us by God himself. And the priestly garments formed a complete suit, a complete outfit for priestly service. It is true, as Spurgeon wrote, ÒThey had no shoes upon their feet, but they would have been superfluous, for the place whereon they stood was holy ground. They were sandaled with reverence.Ó

 

All the dress provided was absolutely necessary to be worn. No priest was to offer sacrifice without the appointed garments, for he read in the 43rd verse of the 28th chapter, ÒThey 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

 

Divinely Anointed

 

4thThe priests of God were and are divinely anointed (v. 7).

 

(Exodus 29:7) ÒThen shalt thou take the anointing oil, and pour it upon his head, and anoint him.Ó

 

Aaron was anointed with the holy oil poured upon his head. Then, all the sons of Aaron were anointed (Leviticus 8:30).

 

(Leviticus 8:30) ÒAnd Moses took of the anointing oil, and of the blood which was upon the altar, and sprinkled it upon Aaron, and upon his garments, and upon his sons, and upon his sonsÕ garments with him; and sanctified Aaron, and his garments, and his sons, and his sonsÕ garments with him.Ó

 

Even so, the Lord Jesus Christ was anointed with the Holy Spirit without measure and all who are in Christ by faith are also anointed as priests unto God.All of GodÕs elect have the anointing of the Holy Spirit symbolized by the holy oil (1 John 2:20, 27).

 

(1 John 2:20) ÒBut ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.Ó

 

(1 John 2:27) ÒBut the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.Ó

 

I know that men talk about this anointing of the Holy Spirit, as though it were some mystical, second work of grace, which some believers have and others have not. But that is not the case. This anointing flows to all believers freely from and through the Lord Jesus Christ. According to John, the thing that distinguishes the believer from the unbeliever is this anointing of the Spirit (1 John 2:19-20).

 

NOTE: I do not suggest that there are no special fillings of the Spirit, demonstrations of Divine power, manifestations of the SpiritÕs presence, by which we are enabled to carry out the work he would have us to do. Without the power of the Holy Spirit our praying, preaching, worship, singing, witnessing, writing, all our labor for Christ is vain. We must have the Holy Spirit. I do not minimize his power or his work. Without him we are nothing and we can do nothing for Christ. But I do mean for all to understand that all of GodÕs children are complete in Christ. The Holy Spirit is the ÒHeirloomÓ which our Savior passed along to his children (Galatians 3:13-14).

 

This anointing of the Spirit is our sanctification in the experience of grace.As Aaron and his sons were sanctified symbolically by the anointing oil poured out upon them, we are truly sanctified, made holy, by the Spirit of GodÕs anointing in regeneration.

á      In election we were set apart for holy purposes, separated unto God and sanctified (Jude 1).

á      In redemption we were declared to be holy, sanctified by the blood of Christ (Hebrews 10:10).

á      And in regeneration we are made holy, sanctified, by the grace of God imparting to us and creating in us a holy nature (2 Thessalonians 2:13).

 

A Sin-offering

 

5thThese priests, Aaron and his sons, came to God and were accepted by God as his priests by one common sin-offering (vv. 11-14). You know who our sin-offering is! It is our blessed Christ!

 

(2 Corinthians 5:20-21) ÒNow then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in ChristÕs stead, be ye reconciled to God. (21) For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.Ó

 

(1 Peter 1:18-20) ÒForasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; (19) But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: (20) Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you.Ó

 

(1 Peter 2:24) ÒWho his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.Ó

 

(1 Peter 3:18) ÒFor Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:Ó

 

The bullock of the sin-offering being brought to the altar, Aaron and his sons were to lay their hands upon it. Read the 10th verse: — They Òshall put their hands upon the head of the bullock.Ó The Hebrew word means more than lightly placing the hand, it gives the idea of pressing hard upon the bullockÕs head. They came each one and leaned upon the victim, each laying the burden of his guilt and sin upon GodÕs appointed substitute. — That is a picture of faith in Christ.

 

Then the bullock was killed by Moses (v. 11) as a token that just as the poor beast was slain, so they deserved to die for their sins.

 

The blood was caught in bowls and taken to the altar, and there it was poured out, at the bottom of the altar, round about. Read the 12th and 17th verses. There must have been a pool of blood all round the altar. What did it signify? Our only access to God is by the blood! These men were washed and robed and anointed, and yet they could not come to the altar until the blood was poured out at the altar!

 

This done, the choicer and more vital parts of the bullock were taken, and burned upon the altar (v. 13). That was done to show us that even when our Lord Jesus is viewed as our Sin-offering, he is still a sweet savor unto God. Though the Lord God hid his face from his Son when he made him sin for us, yet it is this very Savior, this very Substitute, this very Sin-offering that is well-pleasing to God! — Therefore, the inner parts of the bullock were burned on the altar, where nothing could be presented but that which was a sweet savor to God. — Blessed, blessed Lamb of God!

 

But because the bullock was a sin-offering, and therefore obnoxious to God, its flesh, and its skin, and all that remained were carried outside the camp, and burned with a quick, consuming fire, as a thing worthy to be destroyed, for sin was upon it, and it must be burned up (v. 14).

 

The Burnt-offering

 

6thThese priests were consecrated to God by blood, specifically, by the blood of the burnt-offering (vv. 15-18). This burnt-offering differed widely from the sin-offering. The sin-offering indicated Christ as bearing our sin. The burnt-offering portrays Christ as presenting an acceptable offering unto the Lord. God required of us perfect obedience, he demanded from us a pure and holy life. That is what we see in the burnt-offering. We are consecrated to God by ChristÕs obedience unto death as our Surety.

 

Ram of Consecration

 

7thIn verses 19-22, we read about the consecration of the priests to God by the blood of the Òram of consecrationÓ (v. 22).

 

(Exodus 29:19-22) ÒAnd thou shalt take the other ram; and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the ram. (20) Then shalt thou kill the ram, and take of his blood, and put it upon the tip of the right ear of Aaron, and upon the tip of the right ear of his sons, and upon the thumb of their right hand, and upon the great toe of their right foot, and sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about. (21) And thou shalt take of the blood that is upon the altar, and of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it upon Aaron, and upon his garments, and upon his sons, and upon the garments of his sons with him: and he shall be hallowed, and his garments, and his sons, and his sonsÕ garments with him. (22) Also thou shalt take of the ram the fat and the rump, and the fat that covereth the inwards, and the caul above the liver, and the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, and the right shoulder; for it is a ram of consecration:Ó

 

The blood of Christ, when applied to the hearts of men and women by the Holy Spirit, causes them to be consecrated to the Lord. This consecration is not perfect, but it is entire. The whole man is consecrated to Christ. GodÕs priests are not partially consecrated to Christ. They are entirely consecrated to him. — The Right Ear — The Right Hand — The Right Toe!

  • The Place of Honor!
  • The Place of Power!
  • The Place of Sincerity!

 

The believerÕs right ear is consecrated to God by the blood of Christ. The consecrated ear hears the voice of God. The believer hears what unregenerate men cannot hear. He hears the voice of God in his Word, in the preaching of the gospel, and in providence. He listens, not for an audible voice from heaven, but for the still, small voice within, saying, ÒThis is the way, walk ye in it.Ó

 

The believerÕs right hand is consecrated to God by the blood of Christ. The hand refers to work and labor, and to all the activities of life. The believer is a person who works for God. All that he does is done with an eye to his God. Whether he eats or drinks, works in the factory or labors in the ministry, all that he does, he does for the glory of God. His garments are praise. His meals are feasts unto the Lord. His work is God-service. All his days are sabbath days. The blood is upon his hand, so that all he does is consecrated to God.

 

And the believerÕs right foot is consecrated to God by the blood of Christ. As the ear refers to hearing and the hand to working, the foot refers to your manner of life as you travel through this world. The consecrated foot follows his Master. The believerÕs life is governed not by riches, pleasures, or comforts, but by Christ. He seeks not wealth, or even economic stability. He seeks Christ (Song of Solomon 1:7).

 

(Song of Songs 1:7) ÒTell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon: for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions?Ó

 

á      Consecrated feet carry a man to the house of God, never away from it.

á      Consecrated feet carry a man in the way of obedience, never in the way of rebellion.

á      Consecrated feet pursue the cause of Christ, not the interests of self.

á      The whole man was thus consecrated to God by blood!

 

Remember, the priests were all barefoot before God, like Moses before the bush. They were always on holy ground, always in the presence of God. — That which makes the ground upon which we walk through this world holy ground is the blood of consecration upon our right toe.

 

Then these consecrated priests, in their holy garments, had their hands filled with wave offerings and heave offerings of praise to God (vv. 23-29). In verse 30 we see that every priest was consecrated to God, wore these garments of consecration for seven days. By these priests continually feeding upon the sacrifices they offered to God in the tabernacle, God promised to make himself known to Israel.

 

(Exodus 29:42-46) ÒThis shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD: where I will meet you, to speak there unto thee. (43) And there I will meet with the children of Israel, and the tabernacle shall be sanctified by my glory. (44) And I will sanctify the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar: I will sanctify also both Aaron and his sons, to minister to me in the priestÕs office. (45) And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God. (46) And they shall know that I am the LORD their God, that brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, that I may dwell among them: I am the LORD their God.Ó

 

Are you a consecrated Christian? If you trust Christ you are, and as a priest unto God, you are, in the totality of your being accepted always at GodÕs Altar (Ecclesiastes 9:7-10).

 

(Ecclesiastes 9:7-10) ÒGo thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works. (8) Let thy garments be always white; and let thy head lack no ointment. (9) Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity, which he hath given thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity: for that is thy portion in this life, and in thy labour which thou takest under the sun. (10) Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.Ó

 

Rejoice!

 

Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

Don Fortner

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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