Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz20100711.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Exodus: God's Forming The Nation Israel For His Abrahamic Covenant
Part II: God's Forming Israel To Heed Him, Exodus 15:22-40:38
K. God's Directive Of The Tabernacle To Fellowship With His People
8. The Priests' Initiation: God's Directive In Sustaining A True Ministry
(Exodus 29:1-46)
    Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

    There is a strong tendency today for even seemingly reputable professing Christians to go into significant error in life and ministry:

    (1) The July-September 2010 Answers In Genesis' magazine, Answers, ran an article by Terry Mortenson, "Exposing a Fundamental Compromise" (p. 63-65) that claimed some evangelical leaders, one who had been a seminary professor of mine, had compromised a literal reading of Genesis 1 to allow for God to have used evolution to create.

    I found this astounding: this "theistic evolution" view holds God used an alleged "survival of the fittest" process that includes the "natural" death of weaker life forms so higher life forms could evolve. Yet, this stance was strongly countered in our seminary's theological journal, Bibliotheca Sacra (April-June 1994, David Lane, "Theological Problems with Theistic Evolution," p. 155-174). In that article, Lane, a biologist, claimed that "theistic evolution denies the doctrine of sin as the cause for physical death, which has its basis in the historical truth of the Fall. It thereby destroys the basis of the doctrines of Christ's substitutionary atonement and redemption of sinners." (Ibid., p. 174)

    (2) We face this challenge at the local level as well. A party who recently attended our Church has converted to the Mormon faith! This is amazing in view of the logical problem of that group on the most basic issue of salvation: (a) the Mormon Church's eighth article of its Articles of Faith holds: "We believe the Bible to be the Word of God in so far as it is translated correctly.'" (Josh McDowell, A Ready Defense, 1991, p. 344). Now, (b) that Church has advertised free copies of the King James Version, giving approval of the KJV as a version. (c) However, this translation at Galatians 1:8 claims: "But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed." (d) Well, Paul's gospel is that salvation is by faith alone (Ephesians 2:8-9) opposite Mormonism's view in 3 Nephi 27:16-20 that faith plus water baptism and enduring to the end save, (e) and this Mormon gospel was allegedly given to Joseph Smith by an angel from heaven!

    Yet, regardless of such a self-defeating, logical contradiction in Mormonism on one of the most important doctrines of all, the doctrine of salvation, a well-intentioned party we know has become a Mormon!

    So, we ask: "With the drift from truth in professing Christians, how may we maintain a life and ministry of truth?!"

    Need: "With the drift from God's truth in seemingly solid parties, what must we do to maintain a life and ministry of the truth?!"

  1. God had Israel build a tabernacle to typify how He as a holy God could fellowship with sinful man and meet his needs, Ex. 25:1-9.
  2. The Lord consecrated the priests to serve Him there in Exodus 29, typifying how we may gain and sustain a life and ministry of truth:
    1. To consecrate the priests, Moses was to use 1 bull and 2 rams without blemish and 1 basket holding unleavened loaves, cakes mixed with oil and wafers spread with oil each of "fine wheat flour," Ex. 29:1-3 NIV.
    2. Well, the Hebrew word for "fine wheat flour" is solet, what was used in the showbread loaves, Kittel, Bib. Heb., p. 181 and 123; T. W. O. T. , vol. II, p. 628; B. D. B., A Heb. & Eng. Lex. of the O. T., p. 701.
    3. In studying the showbread, we saw its use, as here, with the priests, the teachers of Scripture (Mal. 2:7), pictured quality Bible exposition.
    4. Also, cakes and wafers are put in a basket without unleavened loaves only in Numbers 6:15, 19 NIV by a Nazarite who serves via his life.
    5. So, the Exodus 29:2 basket depicts a believer in ministry of Scripture (loaves) and his life (cakes and wafers) of the truth (unleavened, Matt. 16:6, 12) as unto the Lord via quality (solet) Bible exposition.
    6. Thus, the priests' consecration shows how the believer-priest today may GAIN a true discipling ministry from the Lord as follows:
      1. Moses first washed the initiates at the tabernacle door, Ex. 29:4. The door depicts salvation, and washing regeneration (Tit. 3:5), so one must be saved before he can serve God, Jn. 3:5; Ez. 36:25-26.
      2. Next, Moses clothed the initiates in priestly attire (Ex. 29:5-9) and anointed Aaron (Ex. 29:7), showing God equips a believer at his salvation with a gift from the Holy Spirit for service, 1 Cor. 12:4ff.
      3. Then, a bull was slain to be a sin offering (Ex. 29:10-14), so sin in a believer's walk must be cleansed (1 J n. 1:9) before he can serve.
      4. A ram was slain as a burnt offering, so we must fully yield to God's will so we can serve Him, Ex. 29:15-18; Rom ans 12:1-8.
      5. Finally, the second ram of consecration was utilized as follows:
        1. The blood of this slain ram was applied to the right ear lobe, the right thumb and the right big toe of each initiate, Ex. 29:19-20. This signified God's work to lead the believer to hear Him (to understand Scripture correctly), to perform upright service (in ministering God's truth) and to guide his feet (that he go where God led him to go in making disciples). (Psalm 23:1, 3b)
        2. Some of the ram's blood was mixed with olive oil (typifying the Holy Spirit) to be sprinkled on the priests' garments, Ex. 29:21. The believer thus needs to rely on the Holy Spirit to use his spiritual gift effectively to serve the Lord, 2 Timothy 1:6-7.
        3. Then, part of the ram's body was taken with a representative of each type of bread in the basket, along with the fat portions of the animal that, figuratively refer to the choice parts ( Z. P. E. B., vol. Two, p. 504) to be burned on the altar. This teaches we must give God the best of our resources as we serve Him. Other parts were boiled and eaten by the initiates with the rest of the basket items at the tabernacle door to show fulfilling fellowship with God in serving Him is POSSIBLE starting at salvation, Ex. 29:22-25, 26-28, 31-34; Rom. 12:1-8; 2 Tim. 2:6.
        4. No one else could eat of this meal (Ex. 29:33-34), so blessing in ministry is only for those who truly know and heed the Lord!
    7. Yet, beyond gaining such a ministry from God, Exodus 29:29-30 and 35-46 highlight how such a consecrated ministry is to be SUSTAINED for CONTINUED ministry BLESSING (as follows):
      1. The high priest's successor and regular priest initiates stayed in the tabernacle all 7 days of their initiation, Ex. 29:29-30, 35-37; Lev. 8:33. God wills that His servants be committed to His calling!
      2. God urged them to CONTINUE in this commitment (as follows):
        1. Each morning and evening (regularly), a burnt offering of a lamb (full commitment) with a mix of solet flour (quality Bible exposition), beaten olive oil ( katit used in the lampstand to typify the Spirit) and wine (joyful hope for the Kingdom, Luke 22:18) were to be offered (Exodus 29:40; Ibid., Kittel, p. 125).
        2. This teaches that, in view of Christ's return and reign and of our desire for His reward for service (wine), we must STAY fully committed patiently, faithfully (ongoing, twice daily burnt offerings) to live and give God's quality Bible exposition truth (solet flour) in the Spirit's power (katit olive oil), 2 Tim. 4:1-2!
Application: (1) May we trust in Christ to be saved from sin, John 3:16. (2) Then, may we apply the truths typologically taught in Exodus 29 in light of all Scripture for sustained ministry blessing!

Conclusion: (To illustrate the message . . . )

 Last week, God gave us several illustrations for this message:

(1) A regular attender told me last Sunday how she had recently received a call from a pastor's wife she knew who was searching for an answer to a serious problem she faced in her Church. This pastor's wife had prayed for God's help, and He had brought to mind the name of this party who attends our Church, so she had made the call.

When the call came in to our attender, she herself made a brief prayer to God for guidance in how to answer the pastor's wife. As soon as she prayed, she reported that, instantly, she recalled the information needed had just been taught in a message in our Church!

Thus, she recommended the pastor's wife check our Church web site for the message that provided the answer she needed!

This minister's wife's attitude changed from anxiety to joy in seeing how God had already worked to provide the answer she sought!

Thus, God's preparation of the ears of the pastor, the attender and the pastor's wife to heed God's truth, with God's preparation of the works of all of their hands and feet, had put each one in the right place at the right time so the needed Scripture "feeding" could occur.

(2) Tuesday morning before I came to the Church, I read an e-mail message from "Joel" in New Zealand. He had a theological question in regard to a Church he attends, and I was able to hit the "reply" button, answer him, and hit the "send" button to answer Joel! Again, God was involved as the human parties were yielded to Him!

(3) Friday morning, I received an e-mail from a believer in Texas who had questions on spiritual issues, but who had been unable to find sufficient information on our web site about them. This believer had been recommended our web site by a party who long attended our Church, and I was able to tell the party where to find the information on our site, and to answer a question using information I gave in our Sunday School Class just this morning, and that I had prepared on Thursday, the previous day!

Once again, God in His great grace had been involved where the believers involved who had been yielded to Him and His will were available for His work! That way, another party could be discipled!



So, may we believers rely on the Holy Spirit to stay active in rightly serving in God's will for us that we may rejoice in the end!