Why The Levites Matter (1 Chronicles 23)

WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.200 --> 00:00:04.160 Well, feel free to re main seated as I read tonight from First Chronicles, 2 00:00:04.240 --> 00:00:14.750 Chapter Twenty three. I'm going to read this passage and it's going to 3 00:00:15.269 --> 00:00:21.660 stand as something of a placeholders, not the word I want, but it's 4 00:00:21.699 --> 00:00:26.219 going to to be a sampling, we might say, of this chapter, 5 00:00:26.300 --> 00:00:30.820 as well as the following chapters, which I'll have all together in my mind 6 00:00:30.940 --> 00:00:34.979 tonight, twenty three through twenty six actually, and even a little bit of 7 00:00:35.020 --> 00:00:39.649 twenty seven. But I'll just be reading twenty three tonight and I'll explain a 8 00:00:39.689 --> 00:00:44.130 little bit more in a minute. Well, let's give our attention to God's 9 00:00:44.170 --> 00:00:49.570 word. Here we read and we hear of David. I'm not only preparing 10 00:00:50.560 --> 00:00:57.039 the materials for the temple, but also the servants for the temple. When 11 00:00:57.039 --> 00:01:00.399 David was old and full of days, he made Solomnon his son King over 12 00:01:00.560 --> 00:01:06.269 Israel. David assembled all the leaders of Israel and the priests and the Levites. 13 00:01:07.109 --> 00:01:10.590 The Levites thirty years old and upward were numbered, and the total was 14 00:01:10.670 --> 00:01:15.349 thirty eight thousand men. Twenty four thousand of these, David said, shall 15 00:01:15.430 --> 00:01:19.620 have charge of the work in the House of the Lord. Six thousand shall 16 00:01:19.620 --> 00:01:25.620 be officers and judges, four thousand gatekeepers and four thousand shall offer praises to 17 00:01:25.659 --> 00:01:30.340 the Lord with instruments that I've made for praise and David organized them in divisions 18 00:01:30.379 --> 00:01:38.689 corresponding to the sons of Levi, Gershawn, Kohath and Mera marry Mary. 19 00:01:40.250 --> 00:01:46.569 The sons of Gershon were Leiden and Shemai, the sons of Leyden J Yel, 20 00:01:46.810 --> 00:01:52.599 the chief and Zetham and Joel Three. The sons of Shemai shellamoth, 21 00:01:52.959 --> 00:01:57.319 Haziel and Harun three. These were the heads of their father's houses. Of 22 00:01:57.400 --> 00:02:02.069 Leiden, and the sons of Shemai, Jay Haf, Zinnah and Jet Joush 23 00:02:02.230 --> 00:02:08.189 and Beriah. These four were the sons of Shemay Jay half was. Jay 24 00:02:08.270 --> 00:02:14.310 Haf was the chief and Zizza the second, but Jush and Beaa did not 25 00:02:14.469 --> 00:02:20.979 have many sons. Therefore they became counted as a single father's house. The 26 00:02:21.099 --> 00:02:28.539 sons of Kowaf, Amram is, Har Hebron Uzel, for the sons of 27 00:02:28.580 --> 00:02:34.250 Amram Aaron and Moses, Aaron was set apart to dedicate the most holy things 28 00:02:34.650 --> 00:02:38.610 that he and his sons forever should make offerings before the Lord and Minister to 29 00:02:38.729 --> 00:02:44.360 him and pronounced blessings in his name forever. The Sons of Moses, the 30 00:02:44.479 --> 00:02:49.000 man of God, were named among the tribe of Levi. The Sons of 31 00:02:49.080 --> 00:02:53.560 Moses, Gersham and Eliezer. The sons of Gersham Shebu well, the chief, 32 00:02:53.960 --> 00:03:00.069 the sons of Eliezar Reyabia. The chief. Eliezar had no other sons, 33 00:03:00.509 --> 00:03:05.949 but the sons of Yabia were very many. The sons of Ishar, 34 00:03:06.349 --> 00:03:09.870 Shell am if, the chief, the sons of Hebron, Jarahjeria, the 35 00:03:09.949 --> 00:03:15.699 chief, a Mariah the second, Jahasil the third and Jechamm the fourth. 36 00:03:16.259 --> 00:03:21.939 The sons of Uziel, Mike of the chief, and is Sheia the second. 37 00:03:23.419 --> 00:03:29.009 The sons of Merari, Moli and Mushi, the sons of Molli, 38 00:03:29.250 --> 00:03:35.169 Eliezar and Kiss Eliezar died having no sons, but only daughters, their kinsmen, 39 00:03:35.330 --> 00:03:38.810 the sons of Kish married them. The sons of Mushi, Molli, 40 00:03:38.250 --> 00:03:46.280 edder and jeremoth three. These were the sons of Levin by their father's houses, 41 00:03:46.639 --> 00:03:50.039 the heads of father's houses, as they were listed according to the number 42 00:03:50.080 --> 00:03:53.039 of the names of the individuals, from twenty years old and upward, who 43 00:03:53.039 --> 00:03:57.669 were to work or who were to do the work for the service of the 44 00:03:57.750 --> 00:04:01.389 House of Jehovah, the House of the Lord. For David said, Jehovah, 45 00:04:01.750 --> 00:04:05.349 the God of Israel, has given rest to his people and he dwells 46 00:04:05.430 --> 00:04:12.500 in Jerusalem forever. And so the Levites no longer needed to carry the tabernacle 47 00:04:12.740 --> 00:04:15.980 or any of the things for its service. For, by the last words 48 00:04:16.019 --> 00:04:19.579 of David, the sons of Levi were numbered from twenty years old and up, 49 00:04:19.620 --> 00:04:25.889 were for their duty was to assist the sons of Erin for the service 50 00:04:26.050 --> 00:04:30.329 of the House of the Lord, having the care of the courts and the 51 00:04:30.410 --> 00:04:33.689 chambers, the cleansing of all that is holy and any work for the service 52 00:04:33.769 --> 00:04:38.800 of the House of God. Their duty was also to assist with the showbread, 53 00:04:39.399 --> 00:04:42.519 the flower for the grain offering, the wafers of unlove and bread, 54 00:04:43.000 --> 00:04:46.480 the baked offering, the offering mixed with oil and all measures of quantity or 55 00:04:46.600 --> 00:04:53.350 size. And they were to stand every morning thanking and praising the Lord, 56 00:04:53.389 --> 00:04:58.230 and likewise at evening and whenever burnt offerings were offered to the Lord, on 57 00:04:58.430 --> 00:05:02.269 Sabbaths, new moons and feast days, according to the number required of them, 58 00:05:02.629 --> 00:05:06.819 regularly before the Lord. Thus they were to keep charge of the tent 59 00:05:06.939 --> 00:05:12.779 of meeting and the sanctuary and to attend the sons of Aaron their brothers for 60 00:05:12.899 --> 00:05:18.699 the service of the House of the Lord. May God bless his word to 61 00:05:18.819 --> 00:05:31.889 us. Well, I'm going to do the opposite of what I did this 62 00:05:31.970 --> 00:05:36.920 morning. This morning I took a rather large passage and zero down on a 63 00:05:38.000 --> 00:05:42.920 single word and spent a whole sermon focusing on on that word, and will 64 00:05:42.959 --> 00:05:46.279 do so in some following words in there in Romans nine. Here I'm doing 65 00:05:46.360 --> 00:05:50.910 the opposite, it were, zooming up to thirtyzero feet to look at the 66 00:05:51.149 --> 00:05:58.110 whole I'm not just a few sentences or chat or or paragraphs, but even 67 00:05:58.189 --> 00:06:02.709 several chapters. I'm here in Chapter Twenty three, twenty four, twenty five, 68 00:06:03.069 --> 00:06:06.139 twenty six, and also a little bit in twenty seven. We see 69 00:06:06.339 --> 00:06:14.379 a David really organizing the servants for the temple and we have this listing of 70 00:06:15.060 --> 00:06:19.889 the tribe of Levi's duties. Now, why would David single out the tribe 71 00:06:19.930 --> 00:06:26.170 of Levi? Why not talk about Judah or someone else? Well, it's 72 00:06:26.170 --> 00:06:30.490 because the temple is what he's very concerned about right this is what he's been 73 00:06:30.610 --> 00:06:34.399 concerned about, what he's been focusing on for several chapters now. As the 74 00:06:34.439 --> 00:06:39.720 king has gone in a statin been established by God on His throne. So, 75 00:06:40.000 --> 00:06:44.680 to the Ark of God, the king of kings is to have his 76 00:06:44.920 --> 00:06:48.990 place established and he has promised that God, that is, has promised that 77 00:06:49.149 --> 00:06:54.709 Solomon David Son would build a temple. And so in the last chapter, 78 00:06:54.990 --> 00:07:00.069 I'm we focused on David's preparations of those materials. We talked about the vast 79 00:07:00.110 --> 00:07:05.019 quantities of gold and and silver and and all the rest. Here we have 80 00:07:05.300 --> 00:07:12.660 this vast quantity of people. I'm not just King Solomon watching over the project, 81 00:07:12.779 --> 00:07:16.610 ruling over the people, but Levites and priests, priests and Levites. 82 00:07:18.970 --> 00:07:26.970 If you imagined yourself as having a large stadium or something like that, think 83 00:07:26.970 --> 00:07:31.279 about what it would be required to keep it running, to service it. 84 00:07:32.319 --> 00:07:36.000 What would you need? Well, you'd need people in charge of lighting, 85 00:07:38.160 --> 00:07:43.639 security, the lawn, if, let's say it's a football field or a 86 00:07:43.680 --> 00:07:49.310 baseball field or something like that. You have maintenance repairs, you'd have scheduling 87 00:07:49.389 --> 00:07:54.750 issues, you'd have all kinds of things and you probably have departments of people. 88 00:07:55.029 --> 00:08:01.860 Right so big as this building and so so much traffic comes into it, 89 00:08:01.939 --> 00:08:03.980 so many people are involved in the process that you're going to put a 90 00:08:05.060 --> 00:08:09.420 lot of energy into the service of that work. Everything would fall apart really 91 00:08:09.420 --> 00:08:13.449 quickly if you built a beautiful stadium and then you know you just tried to 92 00:08:13.490 --> 00:08:16.569 do your best to keep it up. You you wouldn't stand a chance right 93 00:08:16.569 --> 00:08:20.250 well, it's a similar thing with the service I'm here with the temple, 94 00:08:20.329 --> 00:08:26.160 except instead of building a stadium for play, God is building a temple for 95 00:08:26.319 --> 00:08:33.559 worship, for communion with his people, and so he has these these this 96 00:08:33.799 --> 00:08:37.679 group of people, one of the tribes leave, devoted to caring for these 97 00:08:37.759 --> 00:08:43.389 things, and that's what we read about here. A basic understanding about the 98 00:08:43.470 --> 00:08:50.389 Levites and the priests is probably not the most important thing on your priority list, 99 00:08:52.549 --> 00:08:56.940 but let me assure you that understanding who these people were, what this 100 00:08:56.179 --> 00:09:01.980 tribe is, actually does make a difference, not only for our general understanding 101 00:09:01.019 --> 00:09:05.779 of the Old Testament and understanding what we might call our own family history, 102 00:09:07.220 --> 00:09:11.370 but in understanding something about Jesus, about who we are, who God wants 103 00:09:11.409 --> 00:09:18.809 us to be. So let's consider this group, the tribe of Levi, 104 00:09:18.090 --> 00:09:22.929 the priests and the Levites. This in the evening. I want to begin 105 00:09:24.250 --> 00:09:28.320 by just thinking about these basic terms, priest and levite. Now in the 106 00:09:28.480 --> 00:09:33.679 Bible they can be used in a variety of ways. In fact, you'll 107 00:09:33.720 --> 00:09:37.629 probably get yourself into trouble if you can give definitions that are more narrow than 108 00:09:37.710 --> 00:09:43.629 the Bible has. You'll find yourself a creating all kinds of endless puzzles and 109 00:09:43.789 --> 00:09:48.509 contradictions and it can be rather confusing. But if you will have a broader 110 00:09:48.549 --> 00:09:54.700 definition of these a broader definition which includes generally how these things work, you'll 111 00:09:54.740 --> 00:09:58.220 find that it all sorts out fairly neatly. Essentially, what you have is 112 00:09:58.299 --> 00:10:01.259 one of the tribes of God's people, Levi, one of the sons. 113 00:10:01.659 --> 00:10:07.929 Believe he was the third son, and under this group you have essentially two 114 00:10:07.049 --> 00:10:11.610 groups of people, Blood Division within this tribe, the priests and the Levites. 115 00:10:11.970 --> 00:10:16.570 And I realize that can be a little confusing because Levi is the tribe 116 00:10:16.570 --> 00:10:18.929 and then you have a group of people within the group called the Levites, 117 00:10:18.970 --> 00:10:24.000 but there it is, deal with it. So you have Levi and then 118 00:10:24.080 --> 00:10:30.559 under that you have this division between the priests and the Levites. The division 119 00:10:30.799 --> 00:10:35.870 is expressed in verse thirteen of this chapter. The sons of Amrm Aaron and 120 00:10:35.990 --> 00:10:41.470 Moses. Aaron was set apart to dedicate the most holy things, that he 121 00:10:41.629 --> 00:10:46.870 and his son's should ever make offerings before Jehovah and Minister to him and pronounce 122 00:10:46.950 --> 00:10:50.539 blessings in his name forever. But the sons of Moses, the man of 123 00:10:50.620 --> 00:10:56.820 God, were named among the tribe of Levi. So you have this division 124 00:10:56.899 --> 00:11:01.539 of Labor. Well, how does the Labor work out? The priests are 125 00:11:01.019 --> 00:11:07.090 of a higher order than the Levites and they're devoted in particular to dealing with 126 00:11:07.129 --> 00:11:11.090 the altar. They are the ones who deal with the blood, who are 127 00:11:11.210 --> 00:11:16.889 doing the sprinkling, who are offering these things up to God. Now, 128 00:11:16.970 --> 00:11:22.320 sometimes we are a little confused and we think that it's the priests that are 129 00:11:22.320 --> 00:11:28.159 offering the sacrifices. In a sense, not true. It was the worshippers 130 00:11:28.240 --> 00:11:31.870 responsibility to sacrifice the animal. You'll say you, as the head of your 131 00:11:31.950 --> 00:11:37.669 household, would bring an animal to come and have it sacrificed. You would 132 00:11:37.669 --> 00:11:41.309 be doing the one that would be doing the cutting. Now, the priest 133 00:11:41.350 --> 00:11:45.350 would take that blood and would applied in certain ways and would deal with it. 134 00:11:45.549 --> 00:11:48.460 He was in charge. He was in charge of that altar in particular, 135 00:11:50.100 --> 00:11:54.820 the sacrifice is the offerings and those kinds of things. But in order 136 00:11:54.860 --> 00:11:58.340 for that to happen there was this whole complex of other duties that were required, 137 00:11:58.659 --> 00:12:03.769 and those went to the Levites. You follow me so far, priests 138 00:12:03.850 --> 00:12:09.889 and the Levites. This group of Levites could be divided up into about four 139 00:12:11.129 --> 00:12:18.919 categories. There are temple servants and people most directly in the temple. There 140 00:12:18.960 --> 00:12:24.360 are musicians that are described in chapter twenty five, there are gatekeepers that are 141 00:12:24.519 --> 00:12:31.309 described in chapter twenty six, and then also various kinds of officials. This 142 00:12:31.429 --> 00:12:35.549 is a list that's given to us at the beginning of Chapter Twenty three, 143 00:12:35.909 --> 00:12:39.789 when we read in verse four, of those who help charge of the work 144 00:12:39.909 --> 00:12:45.100 in the House of God. There will be officers and judges, gatekeepers and 145 00:12:45.220 --> 00:12:50.100 those who offer praises to the Lord with instruments that I have made for praise. 146 00:12:50.620 --> 00:12:54.220 Well, that list that's given there in verse twenty or in the beginning 147 00:12:54.259 --> 00:12:56.659 of twenty three, gets reversed a little bit. The last three get reversed 148 00:12:56.700 --> 00:13:03.090 and essentially what you have is a progression from the center of the temple, 149 00:13:03.330 --> 00:13:07.129 the holiest place, outward to let places that are less and less holy. 150 00:13:07.690 --> 00:13:11.450 So you have the temple servants, and then the musicians and connection with them, 151 00:13:11.490 --> 00:13:15.559 and the gatekeepers in connection with them, and then finally, the officials. 152 00:13:16.080 --> 00:13:20.120 Now, when you take these general titles and begin to dig into the 153 00:13:20.320 --> 00:13:24.919 text to look at their duties, you find out that there's an awful lot. 154 00:13:24.919 --> 00:13:28.830 Again, think back to your stadium, example, and all the things 155 00:13:28.870 --> 00:13:31.190 that would be required just for, let's say, keeping the lights on. 156 00:13:33.990 --> 00:13:37.870 Well, imagine, for example, what would be required to take care of 157 00:13:37.909 --> 00:13:43.179 the accounting at the temple. Imagine all of the money that's being brought in 158 00:13:43.379 --> 00:13:46.659 on a regular basis. Imagine the kind of security that would be needed to 159 00:13:46.779 --> 00:13:50.539 protect that. Imagine the kind of things that would be necessary to account for 160 00:13:50.659 --> 00:13:54.980 it and watch over it. Then you have, on top of of all 161 00:13:54.019 --> 00:13:58.490 of this, not just a general accounting of these things, but there's a 162 00:13:58.610 --> 00:14:03.370 ceremonial process on top of it. All things must be kept holy in the 163 00:14:03.409 --> 00:14:07.009 temple, and so there were all kinds of rules and regulations that these men 164 00:14:07.129 --> 00:14:11.519 had to watch carefully over, had to be careful about. There were various 165 00:14:11.639 --> 00:14:16.600 cleansings and furniture that had to be watched. That's all within the temple. 166 00:14:16.720 --> 00:14:20.639 Then, as we saw in an earlier tap chapter. There were musicians. 167 00:14:20.080 --> 00:14:26.710 These musicians were divided up and all kinds of categories, choirs and trumpeters and 168 00:14:26.830 --> 00:14:31.429 all kinds of things that had to specialize in their particular area. Then there 169 00:14:31.470 --> 00:14:35.190 were the gatekeepers, people in charge of making sure that the people who came 170 00:14:35.230 --> 00:14:41.019 in were properly clean and those who weren't were properly kept out. There were 171 00:14:41.059 --> 00:14:45.259 people that Levites, who are in charge of teaching the word of God, 172 00:14:45.419 --> 00:14:50.500 almost like pastors in a sense. I'm teaching and training. There were officials 173 00:14:50.580 --> 00:14:54.529 who are a charge of money and accounting and people who are in charge of 174 00:14:54.570 --> 00:14:58.330 even making judgments about decisions. There was a very big job because this, 175 00:14:58.370 --> 00:15:05.169 this was the center of Israel, this was her capital, the main building 176 00:15:05.169 --> 00:15:09.360 aside from the king's palace. This is the most important thing, even above 177 00:15:09.360 --> 00:15:13.320 the king's palace. This is the center, the heart of the people. 178 00:15:13.480 --> 00:15:18.639 So just as the capitals of our cities and states and countries are busy places 179 00:15:18.799 --> 00:15:24.269 with all kinds of departments and people, so too would be the temple. 180 00:15:24.429 --> 00:15:30.669 The priests would be particularly devoted to the arc and manipulating the blood. The 181 00:15:30.750 --> 00:15:35.580 Levites would be supporting that work and cleansing and purity and accounting and prophesying and 182 00:15:35.659 --> 00:15:43.700 all kinds of other things. And that's essentially what we have in these chapters, 183 00:15:43.700 --> 00:15:50.370 is David's organizing of these people, of these groups. What are we 184 00:15:50.450 --> 00:15:56.129 to observe from all of this? What difference does this make to us? 185 00:15:56.490 --> 00:16:00.450 I think there are a lot of things we could think about and reflect on, 186 00:16:00.610 --> 00:16:06.200 but let me mention a three. The first thing we see is that 187 00:16:06.759 --> 00:16:11.639 the temple is about worship. God could have built another kind of building, 188 00:16:11.639 --> 00:16:15.679 right, you could have built a stadium if you wanted. The Nation of 189 00:16:15.759 --> 00:16:19.750 Israel could have all been about sports, right. Or God could have built 190 00:16:19.830 --> 00:16:23.990 them all. He could have filled it with all kinds of shop and commerce, 191 00:16:25.110 --> 00:16:30.149 of various kinds of Sandal shop over here, get your wine over here, 192 00:16:30.230 --> 00:16:36.500 vineyard supplies, what you name it, a big mall properly devoted to 193 00:16:37.139 --> 00:16:41.779 making a lot of money. That's not the center of Israel either. The 194 00:16:41.899 --> 00:16:47.769 center of Israel, the point of communion between God and his people, is 195 00:16:47.809 --> 00:16:52.289 not a stadium, it's not a mall, it's not a park, it's 196 00:16:52.330 --> 00:16:59.809 a temple. That's significant, isn't it? Because God is there not just 197 00:17:00.490 --> 00:17:04.160 to rule, but it is about worship. Israel is about worship. When 198 00:17:04.559 --> 00:17:10.160 our connection with God, our communion with God, our relationship with God, 199 00:17:10.400 --> 00:17:18.309 is defined in this way, it's about worship. Sometimes I meet people who 200 00:17:18.589 --> 00:17:22.390 seem to have this idea that one might have a relationship with God and even 201 00:17:22.910 --> 00:17:26.470 believe in him, in a sense, trust in him, or something like 202 00:17:26.589 --> 00:17:33.259 that, and yet worship has no part of their lives. Worship is unimportant, 203 00:17:33.819 --> 00:17:37.779 whether that's the formal, corporate worship that we are enjoying right now, 204 00:17:37.859 --> 00:17:44.289 or whether that's private worship, Bible reading, prayer, devoting oneselfs and it 205 00:17:44.450 --> 00:17:48.450 oneself and in good works to God. Some people seem to believe that we 206 00:17:48.569 --> 00:17:53.289 can have a relationship with God, that worship is a thing on the periphery, 207 00:17:53.289 --> 00:17:56.809 a thing you might do if you have time, a thing that might 208 00:17:56.890 --> 00:18:00.839 be important if you get around to it. Yeah, sure, a helpful 209 00:18:00.960 --> 00:18:06.440 thing, something that's good for encouraging our hearts, but this is something that 210 00:18:06.559 --> 00:18:11.869 God demands in relationship to him. He places the Temple and at the center 211 00:18:12.029 --> 00:18:21.710 of Israel, because Israel is a kingdom of worshippers, and the same is 212 00:18:21.750 --> 00:18:26.299 true in the New Testament when God constitutes us us a people. You remember 213 00:18:26.380 --> 00:18:33.099 what we considered last time from passages like a first Peter where he describes us 214 00:18:33.099 --> 00:18:41.569 as being living stones being built up into a Holy Temple. Your relationship with 215 00:18:41.809 --> 00:18:47.289 God, in Jesus Christ, is about worship, isn't it? If we 216 00:18:47.410 --> 00:18:49.849 are a temple, if the Holy Spirit is dwelling in us, then that's 217 00:18:49.890 --> 00:18:56.359 what God wants. He doesn't build us up living stones into a stadium or 218 00:18:56.440 --> 00:19:03.799 a mall or big open space or hiking trail, all nice things. God 219 00:19:03.880 --> 00:19:08.720 wants our worship. What is that worship? Well, it of all several 220 00:19:08.839 --> 00:19:14.630 things. Involves humbling ourselves. Worship as an act of submission, isn't it? 221 00:19:14.950 --> 00:19:18.309 Worship is an act of going before God and saying you deserve worship, 222 00:19:18.750 --> 00:19:26.099 you deserve my praise, you deserve my thanksgiving. It's to treat him not 223 00:19:26.299 --> 00:19:32.539 as a business partner or a plaything or someone or a therapist, but it's 224 00:19:32.579 --> 00:19:37.650 to treat God as a God, as the God, as our God. 225 00:19:40.130 --> 00:19:45.170 Worship also involves sacrifice, and we see that in the priesthood, don't we? 226 00:19:47.809 --> 00:19:51.089 To go before God, to have communion with God, to worship God 227 00:19:51.529 --> 00:19:57.039 requires something of us, and that is a clean heart. The Psalm say 228 00:19:57.079 --> 00:20:00.480 who shall send the hill of the Lord? WHO shall come up to Mount 229 00:20:00.519 --> 00:20:04.039 Zion. Who shall worship God, and it's the one who's holy, the 230 00:20:04.160 --> 00:20:07.829 one who does what is right, the one who obeys God's Commandments. That's 231 00:20:07.869 --> 00:20:11.430 what God requires. But in order for that, for that to happen, 232 00:20:11.509 --> 00:20:17.029 because of our sinfulness, there has to be a sacrifice, and that's why 233 00:20:17.069 --> 00:20:21.269 the temple, in addition to being a very magnificent and beautiful place, with 234 00:20:21.390 --> 00:20:27.019 all of its architecture and columns and and paintings and and carvings and gold and 235 00:20:27.420 --> 00:20:34.380 silver and Cedar, was also a place that was very bloody. I wish 236 00:20:34.420 --> 00:20:38.490 I could see what it looked like. I try to imagine it sometimes, 237 00:20:38.690 --> 00:20:45.049 what years of blood caked onto the altar would look like, what it smell 238 00:20:45.250 --> 00:20:52.559 like. I don't know. As beautiful as a place it was, it 239 00:20:52.640 --> 00:20:56.920 was also a bloody place, but the bloody was it was grotesque in the 240 00:20:57.000 --> 00:21:03.470 sense that there was sin that was being dealt with, but it's also beautiful 241 00:21:04.670 --> 00:21:11.549 in the sense that sin is being dealt with, God's grace being given to 242 00:21:11.750 --> 00:21:18.819 us, atonement for our sins, forgiveness in such an to such a degree 243 00:21:19.180 --> 00:21:26.380 that God would say that he is pleased with us and desires to meet with 244 00:21:26.420 --> 00:21:33.170 us and be with us and accept us as pleasing in his sight. The 245 00:21:33.329 --> 00:21:38.609 temple is about worship. Worship is about sacrifice for sin. Worship is about 246 00:21:40.130 --> 00:21:45.650 humbling oneself. Worship is about giving God his due, and the same is 247 00:21:45.690 --> 00:21:51.119 true for us today. When we come to worship, we come with humility, 248 00:21:52.039 --> 00:21:56.440 we come giving God what is rightfully his praise and honor and glory, 249 00:21:56.559 --> 00:22:03.589 but we come with sacrifice. None of you showed up this evening, I 250 00:22:03.710 --> 00:22:07.589 see, with any animals. But there's a reason for that, isn't there? 251 00:22:08.789 --> 00:22:14.869 Because the blood of Jesus covers the need for every sacrifice once and for 252 00:22:14.910 --> 00:22:18.859 all perfectly. He takes care of it so that you don't have to throw 253 00:22:18.900 --> 00:22:23.259 lambs in the back of the minivan on the way to church, so that 254 00:22:23.380 --> 00:22:29.740 you don't have to come and slaughter an animal and think about your sins again 255 00:22:29.779 --> 00:22:33.769 and again, and so that the priesthood wouldn't have to continually offer up these 256 00:22:33.809 --> 00:22:38.650 sacrifices again and again and again. Hebrews Chapter Ten tells us that Jesus offered 257 00:22:38.769 --> 00:22:47.680 his perfect sacrifice once and for all. We come with our bibles and praises 258 00:22:47.799 --> 00:22:52.839 on our tongues, knowing that Jesus is sacrifice is complete and we have forgiveness 259 00:22:52.880 --> 00:22:59.910 in him. It's in that spirit and on that ground that we worship. 260 00:23:00.990 --> 00:23:06.670 A second thing we can notice about the importance of this chapter and these priests 261 00:23:06.710 --> 00:23:11.230 and the leavines is that, instead of just an empty temple, it was 262 00:23:11.309 --> 00:23:17.819 Phil with these people that God desired to serve a serve him, and not 263 00:23:17.980 --> 00:23:22.579 just serve him, but serve the people. They were really there on behalf 264 00:23:22.740 --> 00:23:27.049 of the people. In other words, the priests and the Levites were not 265 00:23:27.250 --> 00:23:33.289 just there for themselves and not just therefore God, but they were God's tool 266 00:23:34.410 --> 00:23:38.970 to be there for all the rest of Israel. Here's another way to think 267 00:23:38.970 --> 00:23:42.400 about it. The priests and the Levites is really read about them and all 268 00:23:42.400 --> 00:23:48.960 their divisions and specialties and all whatnot. We're not a specialized worshiping class in 269 00:23:49.119 --> 00:23:52.279 which you could belong to some other tribe and say, well, I don't 270 00:23:52.279 --> 00:23:56.549 need to worry about worship, leave eyes got it. Levies. Taking that 271 00:23:56.710 --> 00:24:00.069 part of our taking care of that part of the Kingdom. Not So. 272 00:24:00.029 --> 00:24:03.630 Levi. I was not there to take care of worship for everyone else. 273 00:24:03.990 --> 00:24:10.500 Leave. I was there to assist in worship, to serve the people in 274 00:24:10.660 --> 00:24:15.779 worship. So, for example, those that played instruments were given, we're 275 00:24:15.940 --> 00:24:22.140 commanded to play these instruments so that those who would come and worship could be 276 00:24:22.259 --> 00:24:27.529 assisted in the singing. Unto God, the priests and the Levites were there 277 00:24:27.609 --> 00:24:33.569 to sacrifice, yes, but there were worshippers who had to come and sacrifice. 278 00:24:34.329 --> 00:24:40.839 It's similar for us in the New Testament as Christians. We have a 279 00:24:41.000 --> 00:24:45.160 levitical class, so to speak. We have servants in the temple that are 280 00:24:45.480 --> 00:24:52.230 devoted full time or by vocationally, sometimes too, the worship of God. 281 00:24:53.109 --> 00:24:56.230 We have ministers, we have elders, we have deacons, we have these 282 00:24:56.630 --> 00:25:03.670 offices that God has especially appointed people that God is especially called to serve in 283 00:25:03.750 --> 00:25:08.099 this way. But just like the Levites of old, they serve in the 284 00:25:08.259 --> 00:25:15.140 temple of the Lord not as a specialized worshiping class, but as servants to 285 00:25:15.259 --> 00:25:22.769 us all, as worshipers. They are extensions of what we might call the 286 00:25:22.049 --> 00:25:29.369 General Office of the believer. We are all prayers, we are all singers, 287 00:25:30.049 --> 00:25:33.490 we are all preachers, we are all elders and deacons. And a 288 00:25:33.809 --> 00:25:38.240 very real sense, are not all of us called to minister to the needs 289 00:25:38.279 --> 00:25:42.920 of one another? Are Not each of us given gifts so that we might 290 00:25:42.960 --> 00:25:47.839 use them in the service to God in his church. Are Not all of 291 00:25:47.960 --> 00:25:52.829 us given the word of God that we might share it with others? We 292 00:25:52.950 --> 00:25:57.230 are, and this means just like Israel couldn't never come to the temple or 293 00:25:57.349 --> 00:26:02.190 never show up with their sacrifice because, well, the Levites have it covered, 294 00:26:03.230 --> 00:26:10.019 you also have a responsibility of they to God as a worshiper, to 295 00:26:10.140 --> 00:26:15.819 come before him and to worship him. There is a distinction, of course, 296 00:26:15.900 --> 00:26:19.369 there are those that are called particularly to serve, to lead, direct 297 00:26:19.609 --> 00:26:25.730 command a teach, but this is something we're all called to do and to 298 00:26:26.210 --> 00:26:30.849 build one another up in. You get both the distinction and the calling in 299 00:26:32.009 --> 00:26:37.559 an important verse in Ephesians. Let me read it to you. It's Ephesians 300 00:26:37.640 --> 00:26:51.309 for a verse eleven, speaking of Jesus, the Apostle says, and he 301 00:26:51.390 --> 00:26:56.470 gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and the teachers. 302 00:26:56.069 --> 00:27:00.509 These are the gifts that Paul says. He pours out on the churches. 303 00:27:00.500 --> 00:27:04.420 But notice what their job is. To equip the saints for the work 304 00:27:04.500 --> 00:27:10.619 of Ministry, FOR BUILDING UP The body of Christ, until we all attain 305 00:27:10.779 --> 00:27:14.140 the unity of faith in the knowledge of the son of God, to mature 306 00:27:14.259 --> 00:27:19.569 manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. You 307 00:27:19.609 --> 00:27:23.130 see, where as a calling that God has on each of our lives, 308 00:27:23.170 --> 00:27:29.730 a gifting that he has given each of us. In Our last Membership Vale, 309 00:27:30.200 --> 00:27:33.480 for those of you who have taken it or have heard it, you 310 00:27:33.559 --> 00:27:38.000 remember it says, do you promise to participate faithfully in this Church's worship and 311 00:27:38.240 --> 00:27:45.430 service? That's a vow that it's not just for ministers to take, but 312 00:27:45.509 --> 00:27:49.670 it's for all of us to take. The temple of the Lord that he 313 00:27:49.789 --> 00:27:55.029 is building up with us, these living stones on the foundation of Jesus Christ, 314 00:27:55.349 --> 00:27:59.099 are great sacrifice, is one in which he calls us all to think 315 00:27:59.140 --> 00:28:03.299 about the gifts that we've been given, to consider what it is God has 316 00:28:03.339 --> 00:28:07.259 given us, in particular how we might serve the body, how we might 317 00:28:07.740 --> 00:28:15.970 worship the Lord. So this effects how we live and worship in the Kingdom 318 00:28:15.970 --> 00:28:19.650 of God, doesn't it? The facts how we think about ourselves in relation 319 00:28:21.410 --> 00:28:27.119 to the temple. There's a reason that Peter says of the Church in general 320 00:28:27.279 --> 00:28:37.559 that they are the Christians. We are a royal priesthood, one third thing 321 00:28:37.640 --> 00:28:41.910 I'll draw your attention to us we close, is, as we think about 322 00:28:41.910 --> 00:28:47.869 our duties as Christians, we have to go back again think about the foundation 323 00:28:48.069 --> 00:28:55.779 of Jesus as that foundation of the temple are great sacrifice. This is very 324 00:28:55.859 --> 00:29:00.500 important because it means that there has been a chain inge and in fact it 325 00:29:00.660 --> 00:29:06.660 is Jesus and his sacrifice that has created this change. You see this in 326 00:29:06.819 --> 00:29:11.490 Colossians and then you see it again in Hebrews. Let me explain. Do 327 00:29:11.569 --> 00:29:15.769 you remember what the Levites were in charge of before this temple was put into 328 00:29:15.809 --> 00:29:22.329 process or was being built? What were the Levites in charge of before? 329 00:29:22.529 --> 00:29:26.880 They were musicians and accountants and keepers of the vessels and all these kinds of 330 00:29:26.920 --> 00:29:32.519 things. Yeah, they had to carry the ARC. That's what they had 331 00:29:32.599 --> 00:29:36.559 to do. They were in charge of putting the tent up, taking it 332 00:29:36.720 --> 00:29:40.670 down, rolling it, putting it together, constructing it and moving it from 333 00:29:40.670 --> 00:29:44.869 place to place. This was their job. But their job changes, doesn't 334 00:29:44.869 --> 00:29:48.309 it? There's a change in the priesthood a little bit little bit, when 335 00:29:48.390 --> 00:29:52.819 the chant, when when the place of worship changes from the tent or the 336 00:29:52.940 --> 00:30:00.019 Tabernacle to the temple? I bring this point up because there it's similar to 337 00:30:00.140 --> 00:30:04.900 what happens in the New Testament, only too much to greater degree. If 338 00:30:04.980 --> 00:30:10.930 there was a change in the priesthood as we moved from Tabernacle to temple. 339 00:30:11.970 --> 00:30:15.769 Can you imagine what would happen if the temple, this building, this physical 340 00:30:15.809 --> 00:30:22.680 building in a particular place, became a spiritual building that is worldwide and made 341 00:30:22.720 --> 00:30:27.359 of people? You might expect a change in the priesthood, wouldn't you? 342 00:30:29.880 --> 00:30:32.319 It's one way to look at it. Another way to look at it is 343 00:30:32.480 --> 00:30:37.109 through the sacrifices, and this is what the author of Hebrews says. So, 344 00:30:37.309 --> 00:30:41.950 for example, in ten four, he says, for it is impossible 345 00:30:41.069 --> 00:30:45.349 for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Consequently, when 346 00:30:45.349 --> 00:30:49.660 Christ came into the world, he said, sacrifices and offerings you have not 347 00:30:49.819 --> 00:30:55.539 desired, but a body have you prepared for me? In Burns offerings and 348 00:30:55.660 --> 00:30:59.660 Sin Offerings? You've taken no pleasure. Then I said, behold, I 349 00:30:59.779 --> 00:31:03.140 have come to do your willow God, as it is written in me of 350 00:31:03.339 --> 00:31:08.410 me in the scroll of the book of life. And then again, going 351 00:31:08.529 --> 00:31:14.009 for a little further down, we read in Verse Ten, I'm very sorry, 352 00:31:14.009 --> 00:31:21.160 in verse nine he does away with the first order in order to establish 353 00:31:21.319 --> 00:31:26.960 the second. You hear the change. there. Jesus comes and offers his 354 00:31:26.119 --> 00:31:33.150 body on the cross to do away with the old order. This means that 355 00:31:33.549 --> 00:31:37.190 those people who desire to go back to the temple, to go back to 356 00:31:37.309 --> 00:31:41.869 the sacrifices, are entirely out of order, because Jesus came to do away 357 00:31:42.069 --> 00:31:48.460 with the first order. Why? In order to establish the second. And 358 00:31:48.579 --> 00:31:52.420 then there's a conclusion, and by that will we have been sanctified through the 359 00:31:52.740 --> 00:31:59.900 offering of the body of Jesus Christ once and for all. This tells us 360 00:32:00.940 --> 00:32:05.650 that when we live in this world, we don't live in a templess world. 361 00:32:06.369 --> 00:32:09.450 We don't live in a godless world, a worshipless world, a communionless 362 00:32:09.930 --> 00:32:15.799 world. We don't need to read about the temple in First Chronicles and go, 363 00:32:15.880 --> 00:32:20.000 oh, how awesome that would have been, how wonderful it would have 364 00:32:20.079 --> 00:32:22.960 been to see all that and to participate on all that. Boy, I 365 00:32:23.079 --> 00:32:28.119 wish we could do that. I wish we could be that close to God. 366 00:32:28.119 --> 00:32:31.549 I wish we could have this great priesthood and all of these levites. 367 00:32:34.150 --> 00:32:37.150 We don't need to long and look back, because God has given us something 368 00:32:37.190 --> 00:32:44.700 even better. He's given us something that is eternal, something that's imperishable, 369 00:32:44.779 --> 00:32:49.220 something that the author to Hebrews will go on to say later, is unshakable. 370 00:32:50.539 --> 00:32:55.779 It can't be shaken, it can't be destroyed. The centrality of the 371 00:32:55.819 --> 00:33:00.369 priesthood and the sacrifice and the blood and all of the Levites is they attend 372 00:33:00.490 --> 00:33:07.450 around that, serving to the needs of their brothers in Arin. All reminds 373 00:33:07.490 --> 00:33:13.440 us and points us to the eternal priesthood and effectual sacrifice of Jesus Christ. 374 00:33:14.759 --> 00:33:17.839 When Jesus Christ went to the Cross, and other words he died to forgive 375 00:33:17.880 --> 00:33:22.519 us of our sins, yes, but to US establish something new. The 376 00:33:22.640 --> 00:33:28.230 temple was a it's not gone just because that's gone, I don't know. 377 00:33:29.230 --> 00:33:35.190 It's gone because Jesus removed it, and that should be significant for us as 378 00:33:35.230 --> 00:33:37.829 Christians. It should be a significant that he removed it, that he did 379 00:33:37.869 --> 00:33:45.140 away with the priesthood, that he did away with the offerings and instead rose 380 00:33:45.180 --> 00:33:52.220 again from the dead and establishes us in him. So it means when we 381 00:33:52.380 --> 00:33:55.250 go to worship, when we seek holiness, we don't do it through the 382 00:33:55.410 --> 00:34:02.809 sacrifices and various washings and sacrifices and feasts to make us holy. Instead, 383 00:34:02.849 --> 00:34:08.010 we do it in Jesus, and everything that we do, whether you're a 384 00:34:08.409 --> 00:34:15.239 full time minister or not, is focused in on that thing, is focused 385 00:34:15.280 --> 00:34:19.679 in on the worship of God, preaching the Cross, serving in accord with 386 00:34:19.840 --> 00:34:24.030 the cross, suffering under the Cross, celebrating the Cross. Just as the 387 00:34:24.070 --> 00:34:30.550 Levites all were surrounded and devoted to serving Aaron, and so do to disserving 388 00:34:30.630 --> 00:34:35.909 so those sacrifices could take place in the temple. We all do the same, 389 00:34:36.909 --> 00:34:43.420 except not around Arin, around Jesus. That's why we're always talking about 390 00:34:43.460 --> 00:34:45.619 him, that's why we're always devoted to him. That's why we, as 391 00:34:45.659 --> 00:34:51.059 a holy pre stood that are called by God to serve him, are devoted 392 00:34:51.099 --> 00:34:58.610 to Jesus Christ, the role of the temple and the servants. It's all 393 00:34:58.769 --> 00:35:04.369 expanded, it's all better, it's all more permanent, and this is what 394 00:35:04.530 --> 00:35:13.920 God has done for us. Knowing that, I'll ask you a personal question. 395 00:35:15.360 --> 00:35:20.000 Will that affect the way you think about your worship? Well, that 396 00:35:20.159 --> 00:35:23.230 affect the way you think and sort through things in your mind. When you 397 00:35:23.269 --> 00:35:30.670 say, how can I serve my brother this Sunday? How can I serve 398 00:35:30.829 --> 00:35:37.380 my sister over the course of this week. How might I offer myself to 399 00:35:37.539 --> 00:35:44.420 do good? How might I offer myself to do God as a pleasing sacrifice? 400 00:35:45.019 --> 00:35:52.849 You are priests. You are priests. God has called you to serve 401 00:35:52.929 --> 00:35:58.369 him and to worship him, but not after the old order, after a 402 00:35:58.530 --> 00:36:05.800 new one, a permanent one and imperishable one. Let us pray, then, 403 00:36:05.880 --> 00:36:10.679 and ask that God would help us to serve him and to worship him 404 00:36:12.559 --> 00:36:13.480 as he deserves.