WEBVTT 00:00:18.320 --> 00:00:21.199 The reading will be taken from Numbers twenty five. 00:00:22.559 --> 00:00:28.960 And Israel abode in Shitam, and the priest began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab. 00:00:29.280 --> 00:00:32.960 And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods. 00:00:33.119 --> 00:00:36.799 And the people did eat and bowed down to their gods. 00:00:37.039 --> 00:00:44.960 And Israel joined himself unto Barfior, and the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel. 00:00:45.280 --> 00:00:57.119 And the Lord said unto Moses, Take all the heads of the people, and hang them up before the Lord against the sun, that the fierce anger of the Lord may be turned away from Israel. 00:00:57.359 --> 00:01:06.000 And Moses said unto the judges of Israel, slay ye every one of his men that were joined unto Barfior. 00:01:06.799 --> 00:01:23.519 And behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought unto the brethren a Midianite woman in the sight of Moses, and the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, who were weeping before the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 00:01:23.920 --> 00:01:34.079 And when Phineas, the son of Eliza, and the son of Aaron, and the priest saw her, he rose up from among the congregation, and took a javelin in his hand. 00:01:34.480 --> 00:01:47.920 He went after the man of Israel into the tent, and thrust both of them through the man of Israel, and the woman through her belly, and the plague was laid from the children of Israel. 00:01:48.719 --> 00:01:52.480 And Moses died in the plague were twenty and four thousand. 00:01:53.040 --> 00:02:03.519 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Phineas, the son of Eliza, the son of Aram and the priest have tamed my wrath away from the children of Israel. 00:02:03.840 --> 00:02:10.319 When he was zealous for my sake among them, I consumed not the children of Israel in my jealousy. 00:02:10.639 --> 00:02:30.319 Wherefore, behold, I give unto him my covenant of peace, and he shall have it and his seed after him, even with the covenant of the everlasting priesthood, because he was zealous for his God and made an atonement for the children of Israel. 00:02:31.039 --> 00:02:45.439 Now the name of the Israelite that was slain, even that was slain with the Mizenish woman, was Zemri, the son of Saleh, a prince of the chief house among the Simeonites. 00:02:45.599 --> 00:02:52.479 And the name of the Mizenish woman was slain, and was Kosby, the daughter of Zor. 00:02:53.120 --> 00:02:58.159 He was head over the people, and the chief house in Midian. 00:02:59.360 --> 00:03:21.520 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Vex the Midianites and smite them, for they vex you with their vials, wherewith they have regarded you in the matter of Law, and the matter of Cosby, the daughter of a prince of Midian, and their sister which was slain in the day of the plague of Horsey. 00:03:30.159 --> 00:03:32.960 Shows how tough the rules were in those days. 00:03:35.120 --> 00:03:35.759 Zeal. 00:03:36.240 --> 00:03:38.479 Phineas had zeal for the law. 00:03:38.800 --> 00:03:43.439 Holiness The Israelites brought in a Midi knightish woman. 00:03:43.759 --> 00:03:45.039 Not allowed. 00:03:45.439 --> 00:03:48.159 And the God who provides a mediator. 00:03:49.039 --> 00:03:55.280 My dear brethren and sisters in Christ, and I pray this night you are in Christ. 00:03:55.599 --> 00:03:58.639 We have travelled far already in this series. 00:03:59.199 --> 00:04:00.800 We have stood in Eden. 00:04:01.360 --> 00:04:08.960 We've been in the flood, under the stars with Abraham, even at the foot of Sinai. 00:04:09.919 --> 00:04:13.840 And we have seen God's faithfulness and humanity's frailty. 00:04:14.319 --> 00:04:17.439 And today we come to another covenant. 00:04:17.920 --> 00:04:25.439 That is one which is often forgotten, or in my particular case, one I didn't even know about. 00:04:25.920 --> 00:04:38.560 A covenant tucked away in the book of Numbers, and made not with a nation, but with a man and his descendants. 00:04:40.000 --> 00:04:50.319 It is commonly called the priestly covenant, sometimes called the covenant of peace, and I thought they were different things. 00:04:50.639 --> 00:04:54.160 Made with Phineas, the grandson of Aaron. 00:04:54.639 --> 00:05:06.160 It is a covenant that revealeth God's heart for holiness, God's seriousness about sin, and we tend to make light of that, especially in today's time. 00:05:07.199 --> 00:05:13.360 And God's commitment to provide faithful mediators to his people. 00:05:14.879 --> 00:05:22.720 And this covenant may feel distant at a glance, certainly at first glance. 00:05:23.759 --> 00:05:28.639 And yet, in a way it speaks directly into our world. 00:05:29.199 --> 00:05:33.519 A world that still wrestles with compromised leadership. 00:05:34.000 --> 00:05:37.120 Boy, do we know about compromised leadership? 00:05:37.439 --> 00:05:39.199 Moral confusion. 00:05:39.600 --> 00:05:48.319 I think we can all agree the world is morally confused, to put it mildly, and the longing for somebody who will stand in the gap. 00:05:48.959 --> 00:05:53.279 Somebody who will be a mediator. 00:05:56.079 --> 00:05:59.199 And the setting is the people on the edge. 00:05:59.519 --> 00:06:02.399 The story takes place in Numbers 25. 00:06:03.120 --> 00:06:08.319 Israel is camped at Shithem on the very edge of the promised land. 00:06:09.199 --> 00:06:10.480 On the edge. 00:06:19.360 --> 00:06:26.560 But proximity to blessing does not guarantee faithfulness. 00:06:29.839 --> 00:06:34.800 See, the people, the Israelites, start to do something they're not meant to do. 00:06:34.879 --> 00:06:37.360 They start to mix with Moabites. 00:06:39.199 --> 00:06:42.319 And we all know where the Moabites come from, I assume. 00:06:42.800 --> 00:06:47.279 You know, the daughters of the from the daughters of Lot and the incests that happened there. 00:06:48.079 --> 00:06:51.360 Um, Sodom and Gomorrah, um, the city of the play. 00:06:52.000 --> 00:06:55.839 And it's actually quite bad, and we see this in today's world. 00:06:56.800 --> 00:07:01.279 The Israelites join the Moabite feasts. 00:07:02.480 --> 00:07:03.360 Gets worse. 00:07:04.160 --> 00:07:05.040 That's bad. 00:07:05.279 --> 00:07:06.160 It gets worse. 00:07:06.399 --> 00:07:08.560 They bow to their gods. 00:07:09.040 --> 00:07:11.199 Now remember, this is after Samai. 00:07:11.439 --> 00:07:13.519 So this is after the commandments have come down. 00:07:13.600 --> 00:07:18.160 So Israel is automatically chasing after false gods. 00:07:18.639 --> 00:07:23.839 Points to the Ten Commandments to my right, which says, Thou shalt have no other God before me. 00:07:24.639 --> 00:07:34.240 They participate in practices that are both spiritually corrupt and morally destructive. 00:07:34.560 --> 00:07:36.639 Does that ring any bells with you? 00:07:37.439 --> 00:07:43.439 Scripture describes it as whoring after foreign gods. 00:07:44.480 --> 00:07:51.040 A stark phrase, but is it the phrase that captures the depth of betrayal? 00:07:51.839 --> 00:08:06.560 And even in our nation at this time you can feel, palpable feel that depth of betrayal, as we have people in the churches that whore after foreign gods. 00:08:07.759 --> 00:08:15.680 It's not just a lapse in judgment, it's not trying to be ecumenical, it is a covenant infidelity. 00:08:16.079 --> 00:08:24.000 And although we're talking about a covenant for Phineas and the Jews at that time, this is the same covenant that we belong to. 00:08:24.560 --> 00:08:27.519 This covenant reaches out to us today. 00:08:28.879 --> 00:08:31.439 It's covenant infidelity. 00:08:31.680 --> 00:08:48.240 If we go chasing after foreign gods, if we bow down to bits of stone and wood and plaster and concrete, or even worse, we bow down to people who are not God. 00:08:48.960 --> 00:09:18.720 We are not gods, and yet so many people bow down to people just because they wear a dog collar, just because they have a crown on their head, just because they're a lord or a lady, just because they have an office, they automatically expect to be granted this respect for the for what they do, as though they can't do wrong. 00:09:18.799 --> 00:09:21.200 That's whoring after false gods. 00:09:21.440 --> 00:09:27.279 It's a stark phrase, and it's a betrayal of everything Protestants hold free. 00:09:28.159 --> 00:09:36.639 This is not a lapse of judgment, it's spiritual and covenantal adultery. 00:09:37.279 --> 00:09:41.200 It's Israel turning away from the God who rescued them. 00:09:42.399 --> 00:09:50.000 And the consequences, and there are consequences to everything we do, the consequences are devastating. 00:09:50.879 --> 00:09:55.600 In this particular story, a plague breaks out among the people. 00:09:57.120 --> 00:10:00.000 A plague breaks out among the people. 00:10:01.120 --> 00:10:07.919 Not as random punishment, but as the natural outworking of their rebellion. 00:10:08.799 --> 00:10:12.480 The community is unraveling. 00:10:12.879 --> 00:10:15.440 And we could apply that plague today as well. 00:10:15.679 --> 00:10:24.639 Because of the way the leadership and those that leaders are behaving, there is a plague on the nation, and our communities are unraveling. 00:10:26.639 --> 00:10:31.200 Most of us here are old enough to remember our communities were solid things. 00:10:31.440 --> 00:10:34.080 As kids, we ran out of everybody else's houses. 00:10:34.159 --> 00:10:36.080 You didn't knock on doors, you just went in and out. 00:10:36.559 --> 00:10:39.039 Everybody looked after everybody else. 00:10:39.840 --> 00:10:42.399 Gone, unraveled. 00:10:43.600 --> 00:10:46.799 Because communities don't matter anymore. 00:10:47.039 --> 00:10:48.799 So says the government. 00:10:50.960 --> 00:10:55.759 This is the first truth then of the priestly covenant. 00:10:56.240 --> 00:11:01.039 You see, sin is not a private matter. 00:11:02.559 --> 00:11:14.480 It damages communities, relationships and the very fabric of life. 00:11:16.159 --> 00:11:21.200 Sin, to put it shortly, is the great destroyer. 00:11:22.000 --> 00:11:25.519 Because it destroys our relationship with God. 00:11:26.639 --> 00:11:31.840 And we may say, that's fine, we've got the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:11:32.159 --> 00:11:36.159 Well, no, everybody doesn't have the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:11:36.399 --> 00:11:41.200 There are sins that we may do as individuals and we have Christ to go back to. 00:11:41.679 --> 00:11:50.159 But if we do that and go, we can sin because we've got Christ, and there is a letter from Paul on this, that just means we're testing Christ. 00:11:50.240 --> 00:11:50.720 How far? 00:11:50.799 --> 00:11:53.759 You know, how much can we sin because God's going to forgive us? 00:11:53.840 --> 00:11:57.600 It's actually a heresy from the early church. 00:11:57.679 --> 00:11:59.440 I can't remember which one it is now. 00:12:07.440 --> 00:12:12.879 It's a crisis of unraveling. 00:12:15.440 --> 00:12:18.879 And it hits the very fabric of our lives. 00:12:22.240 --> 00:12:27.039 And it's a crisis in leadership because leadership becomes paralyzed. 00:12:28.000 --> 00:12:37.440 As this plague spreads, as the community of Israel is unpicked, something shocking happens. 00:12:38.960 --> 00:12:40.720 This is a terrible thing. 00:12:40.879 --> 00:12:45.200 This is something that they're not told to do, and they've been told not to do it. 00:12:45.600 --> 00:12:55.440 A man of Israel brings a Midianite woman into his tent, i.e., he takes it to be his wife stroke, concubine stroke, bit of the other. 00:12:55.679 --> 00:12:57.440 Use whatever word you want. 00:12:58.399 --> 00:13:00.399 And he doesn't do it secretly. 00:13:02.480 --> 00:13:04.480 He does it quite openly. 00:13:05.840 --> 00:13:07.919 In fact, he's defiant about it. 00:13:08.000 --> 00:13:10.960 He's bragging about his sin. 00:13:11.279 --> 00:13:13.759 The very thing he should be ashamed of. 00:13:14.159 --> 00:13:16.320 He actually brags about to everybody. 00:13:16.480 --> 00:13:18.720 Does that ring any bells for today? 00:13:20.159 --> 00:13:25.360 And he does it in the full view of Moses and the whole of the assembly. 00:13:25.600 --> 00:13:30.960 That means that this guy, whoever he is, is somebody quite high up. 00:13:31.600 --> 00:13:34.159 He's not just an ordinary chap. 00:13:34.559 --> 00:13:36.320 He's a leader of some sort. 00:13:36.399 --> 00:13:42.639 Because if he's in view of Moses and the assembly, that means he's mixing in those circles. 00:13:44.559 --> 00:13:46.480 But what does this mean? 00:13:46.879 --> 00:13:48.720 What does this mean? 00:13:49.039 --> 00:13:52.320 It is a public rejection of God's holiness. 00:13:54.879 --> 00:13:58.799 It is a public rejection of the covenant. 00:13:59.600 --> 00:14:04.960 And it is a public rejection of the community's identity. 00:14:06.399 --> 00:14:17.840 And I think we can all agree that in today's world, especially for our weak congregation, all three of those apply in our lives. 00:14:20.320 --> 00:14:25.919 And the leaders, Moses and his elders, freeze. 00:14:28.559 --> 00:14:38.639 Moses, the elders, the priests, they are paralyzed by the enormity of what is happening. 00:14:39.039 --> 00:14:47.200 Wouldn't it be pretty wonderful if our church leaders today were paralyzed by what is happening in our country? 00:14:48.159 --> 00:14:55.600 Instead of trying to talk their way out of it, instead of trying to say, oh, it's fine, we have to accept everybody as is. 00:14:55.759 --> 00:14:57.360 There's nothing wrong. 00:14:59.440 --> 00:15:02.960 But the word of God says something else. 00:15:05.039 --> 00:15:13.600 It says, the leaders, Moses, the elders, and the priests, they are paralyzed by the enormity of what is happening. 00:15:13.759 --> 00:15:14.480 What's worse? 00:15:14.639 --> 00:15:18.720 They weep and they mourn as though Israel is dead. 00:15:20.000 --> 00:15:22.240 And that sounds great, doesn't it? 00:15:22.480 --> 00:15:25.039 The mourning over the death of the covenant. 00:15:25.519 --> 00:15:30.799 You would think that they were ripping the clothes off, you know, the way they tear their clothes and sack class. 00:15:31.039 --> 00:15:36.080 You know, and they do this, and you think they'd be on their knees begging God for forgiveness, but no. 00:15:40.159 --> 00:15:47.279 They do exactly what our religious leaders of today and other leaders of today are doing in our nation. 00:15:47.519 --> 00:15:50.159 They do absolutely nothing. 00:15:54.559 --> 00:15:59.519 And this is the second truth of the priestly covenant. 00:15:59.759 --> 00:16:06.159 When leadership loses its moral clarity, the people suffer. 00:16:07.039 --> 00:16:08.879 We suffer. 00:16:09.279 --> 00:16:11.759 And we know this in our own world. 00:16:12.000 --> 00:16:24.240 When leaders compromise and communities fracture, when leaders fear conflict, injustice grows, when leaders lose sight of holiness, the people lose their way. 00:16:26.480 --> 00:16:30.240 I could just say Britain 2026. 00:16:32.720 --> 00:16:35.279 Israel needed somebody who would act. 00:16:36.240 --> 00:16:44.720 Not out of rage, but out of zeal for God's holiness and love for God's people. 00:16:47.279 --> 00:16:52.000 And into this paralysis steps such a man. 00:16:53.039 --> 00:17:01.120 Now I'm not advocating some of the things he actually does here because I think stabbing people might get you all into trouble, but you know, we'll go there. 00:17:02.000 --> 00:17:07.519 Into this gap steps Phineas. 00:17:08.400 --> 00:17:11.680 Phineas is the grandson of Aaron. 00:17:12.079 --> 00:17:16.160 Aaron, remember, is the brother of Moses and he's the high priest. 00:17:17.039 --> 00:17:23.839 He sees what is happening and he understands the gravity, and he acts. 00:17:25.680 --> 00:17:29.839 I'm asking you, please, don't take this as a literal for you to do. 00:17:30.480 --> 00:17:43.440 He takes a spear and he enters into this tent with this Israel man and this Moabitish woman, and he confronts the sin directly. 00:17:44.000 --> 00:17:46.240 And when he does that, what happens? 00:17:46.480 --> 00:17:48.319 The plague stops. 00:17:49.839 --> 00:17:56.240 Now it's a difficult passage, it's a violent passage, it's a very uncomfortable passage. 00:17:56.480 --> 00:18:03.599 And as I said before, it's not a model I want you to actually imitate, not in the way it's done, that's a literal statement. 00:18:03.839 --> 00:18:11.920 But it is a moment that reveals something essential about covenant relationships and covenant leadership. 00:18:12.640 --> 00:18:20.000 Phineas is not acting out of personal anger, he is acting out of a covenant loyalty. 00:18:20.720 --> 00:18:25.759 Phineas is not acting out of personal anger, he is acting to protect his people. 00:18:27.039 --> 00:18:32.640 Phineas is not acting out of a personal anger, he is acting to restore holiness. 00:18:32.880 --> 00:18:42.240 And Phineas is not acting out of a personal anger, he is acting to stop the destruction that the sin has unleashed. 00:18:44.720 --> 00:18:46.079 And do you know what? 00:18:46.799 --> 00:18:52.960 The best line I think I put here, and God honors his action. 00:18:54.079 --> 00:18:59.839 Not because of the violence, but because of the zeal of the Lord, because of his zeal of Phineas. 00:19:00.319 --> 00:19:06.720 And it's a word that means to have a passionate commitment to God's holiness and to God's people. 00:19:07.039 --> 00:19:15.839 Oh, for men and women who would have a passionate, uh passionate zeal for God's holiness and God's people. 00:19:17.200 --> 00:19:21.279 And this is the third truth of the priestly covenant. 00:19:21.920 --> 00:19:27.599 True spiritual leadership requires courage. 00:19:29.440 --> 00:19:33.920 True spiritual leadership requires courage. 00:19:34.160 --> 00:19:38.079 The courage to confront what destroys the community. 00:19:41.440 --> 00:19:46.960 In response to Phineas' action, God makes a covenant with him. 00:19:48.960 --> 00:19:54.319 Behold, he says, Behold, I give to him my covenant of peace. 00:19:54.799 --> 00:20:03.119 It shall be for him and for his descendants after him a covenant of a perpetual priesthood. 00:20:04.000 --> 00:20:06.720 Now this is really quite extraordinary. 00:20:06.960 --> 00:20:07.680 It really is. 00:20:08.160 --> 00:20:10.000 It's a game changer here. 00:20:10.319 --> 00:20:13.279 God gives Phineas three things. 00:20:13.599 --> 00:20:23.440 First, he gives him peace, not the absence of conflict, but the restoration of wholeness. 00:20:24.079 --> 00:20:32.559 Secondly, he gives him a priesthood, the role of standing between God and the people. 00:20:33.920 --> 00:20:40.240 And thirdly, he gives him permanent, a lasting covenant with his descendants. 00:20:40.319 --> 00:20:43.839 This is a personal covenant between Phineas and God. 00:20:44.559 --> 00:20:45.519 And why? 00:20:45.920 --> 00:21:02.240 Because Phineas was jealous with God's jealousy, with my jealousy, I've written, but it's Phineas was jealous with my jealousy, meaning he shared God's passion for holiness, justice, and the well-being of the community. 00:21:05.680 --> 00:21:14.400 This covenant is not in any way, shape, or form about rewarding violence. 00:21:14.720 --> 00:21:21.519 It's about affirming faithful, courageous, sacrificial leadership. 00:21:22.559 --> 00:21:26.319 This is the fourth truth of the priestly covenant. 00:21:27.200 --> 00:21:36.799 God provides mediators, people who stand in the gap, who intercede, who protect, who guide. 00:21:37.759 --> 00:21:44.720 And I am not saying in any way, shape, or form that I stand as a mediator. 00:21:44.960 --> 00:21:48.480 I am not worthy even to go anywhere near that role. 00:21:50.240 --> 00:21:53.920 There is one mediator between God and man. 00:21:57.119 --> 00:21:59.119 There is one mediator. 00:22:00.079 --> 00:22:02.079 That's the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:22:03.279 --> 00:22:05.759 No man can claim that role. 00:22:10.400 --> 00:22:16.160 Israel, however, needed such mediators then. 00:22:18.319 --> 00:22:21.680 The church and I am no church leader. 00:22:22.319 --> 00:22:25.119 When I say church leaders, I'm talking way out of my paper. 00:22:26.079 --> 00:22:30.000 The church needs such leaders now. 00:22:31.599 --> 00:22:32.400 We need them. 00:22:33.039 --> 00:22:33.920 I need them. 00:22:35.519 --> 00:22:36.400 Where are they? 00:22:36.559 --> 00:22:44.400 Where are these great men, these theologians, these doctors of the church that stand up and are zealous. 00:22:48.559 --> 00:22:50.400 Yes, I can do my little bit. 00:22:51.839 --> 00:22:53.279 Yes, you may listen to me. 00:22:53.680 --> 00:22:56.640 Some others may listen to me, but most ignore what I say. 00:22:59.359 --> 00:23:00.000 That's fine. 00:23:00.160 --> 00:23:01.200 That's away the world. 00:23:04.240 --> 00:23:05.599 But I have a zealous. 00:23:07.119 --> 00:23:09.440 I am zealous for the Lord. 00:23:10.400 --> 00:23:19.200 I want to see him extolled, I want to see his laws governed, I want to see uh uh uh a country that respects who God is. 00:23:22.319 --> 00:23:38.559 And I hope that when I talk to you and when the way you see me, not just in here but anywhere else, I affirm that I am faithful and I am courageous and I do a sacrificial type of leadership for the church, not just you guys, but for the church. 00:23:40.240 --> 00:23:46.559 Because that's a microcosm of what we need from the larger leadership. 00:23:49.759 --> 00:23:52.160 But the story does not end with Phineas. 00:23:53.039 --> 00:23:56.960 The priesthood that descends from him is far from perfect. 00:23:57.279 --> 00:23:58.400 Always is, isn't it? 00:23:58.480 --> 00:24:00.319 It starts well, you know. 00:24:00.480 --> 00:24:01.680 We start well, don't we? 00:24:01.839 --> 00:24:05.440 And then as it goes down the generations, it starts to fail. 00:24:08.160 --> 00:24:10.400 Eli's sons are corrupt. 00:24:10.720 --> 00:24:15.039 The priest in Jeremiah's day leads the people astray. 00:24:15.440 --> 00:24:18.559 Malachi rebukes the priest for dishonoring God. 00:24:18.799 --> 00:24:23.039 By Jesus' time, some priests are more concerned with power than with holiness. 00:24:23.200 --> 00:24:25.119 Does that ring any bells today? 00:24:26.880 --> 00:24:32.799 The priesthood becomes a mixture of faithfulness and failure. 00:24:35.200 --> 00:24:48.880 And those who claim to be priests, ministers, vicars, whatever you want to call them, how they act and how they behave is a mirror of their heart. 00:24:51.440 --> 00:24:54.319 How much do are they really for God? 00:24:55.519 --> 00:25:00.799 There's a saying somewhere in the Old Testament, I can never remember where, you know, I'm like with Close. 00:25:00.960 --> 00:25:11.680 When it goes, art thou for us or for our adversaries, for as truly as I live, saith the Lord, surely will I do for you, I think it goes. 00:25:12.960 --> 00:25:22.799 And I would prefer to be pilloried for standing for God, than to face God for not standing for him. 00:25:24.640 --> 00:25:26.000 That makes sense. 00:25:26.559 --> 00:25:30.400 I fear my God, not that I'm scared of him. 00:25:30.640 --> 00:25:33.200 Why should I be scared of somebody who saved me? 00:25:34.319 --> 00:25:37.279 But because I am not good enough for him. 00:25:38.240 --> 00:25:39.680 But none of us are. 00:25:41.119 --> 00:25:44.000 And this is the fifth truth of a priestly covenant. 00:25:44.079 --> 00:25:46.400 Even God-appointed leaders are flawed. 00:25:46.480 --> 00:25:47.279 I'm flawed. 00:25:47.440 --> 00:25:49.200 I'm definitely flawed. 00:25:49.759 --> 00:25:55.839 And no human priest can fully bridge the gap between God and humanity. 00:25:56.720 --> 00:26:10.319 When again, I'm going to stress this time and time again: when I say priest, pastor, minister, vicar, bishop, archbishop, pope, none of them can bridge the gap between God and humanity. 00:26:10.720 --> 00:26:13.200 Only Jesus Christ. 00:26:13.359 --> 00:26:16.400 And why is Jesus Christ the only one that can? 00:26:16.559 --> 00:26:26.960 Because he is the Son of the Living God, who died for our sins, rose again for our justification, and opened the gates of the kingdom of heaven for all of us. 00:26:27.920 --> 00:26:39.359 It is God who is the mediator, God in Christ who is the mediator for God the Father, between God the Father and his creation. 00:26:40.640 --> 00:26:45.920 The covenant with Phineas is good, but it's not enough. 00:26:47.759 --> 00:26:50.720 It's good because it points beyond itself. 00:26:51.839 --> 00:26:56.480 It's good because it creates longing for a better priesthood. 00:26:57.039 --> 00:27:01.440 It's good because it points to a perfect priesthood. 00:27:01.759 --> 00:27:05.599 And it points to a priest who will never fail. 00:27:05.920 --> 00:27:08.799 And that priest is Jesus Christ. 00:27:12.480 --> 00:27:15.279 This covenant matters now in our day and age. 00:27:15.359 --> 00:27:19.519 The priestly covenant speaks directly to our world and to our lives. 00:27:20.319 --> 00:27:26.319 It shows us first that God cares deeply about holiness. 00:27:26.720 --> 00:27:31.039 Now holiness is not about being holier than thou. 00:27:31.279 --> 00:27:40.240 It's not about being perfect and standoffish and going round with big hats and wearing capes and all sorts of fancy stuff. 00:27:41.519 --> 00:27:45.920 Being holy, and I say this to you now. 00:27:46.720 --> 00:27:52.799 Being holy is about being aligned with God's character. 00:27:53.839 --> 00:27:57.359 We try to live as God would have us live. 00:27:58.640 --> 00:28:05.920 That means justice, mercy, truth, and purity. 00:28:06.480 --> 00:28:13.599 Those must be the four elements that we as believers in the living God should aim to show the world. 00:28:13.680 --> 00:28:16.319 We won't get it right, we won't get it perfectly right every time. 00:28:16.559 --> 00:28:18.559 But that should be our aim. 00:28:18.799 --> 00:28:24.160 That's what should be our attempt, that should be our thrust in our lives. 00:28:25.200 --> 00:28:29.359 Secondly, it shows us God takes sin seriously. 00:28:31.680 --> 00:28:34.240 Remember, sin is sin. 00:28:35.119 --> 00:28:43.200 Sin, if you take the original Hebrew, if you think about shooting a bow and arrow, you've got the bullseye, then you've got the gold. 00:28:43.359 --> 00:28:46.559 When you shoot it, sin is when you miss the bullseye. 00:28:46.960 --> 00:28:51.759 Anything outside the gold, the red, the white, the blues, and the bull ring, doesn't matter if it's it. 00:28:52.160 --> 00:28:55.680 You miss a perfect target because we are incapable of hitting it. 00:29:08.480 --> 00:29:09.839 And I've lost my place. 00:29:10.079 --> 00:29:11.200 Oh yeah, sorry. 00:29:11.440 --> 00:29:16.640 So yes, so uh it shows us God takes sin seriously, sorry about that. 00:29:16.880 --> 00:29:23.279 Not because he's harsh, but because sin destroys what he loves. 00:29:23.599 --> 00:29:24.880 Can you imagine that? 00:29:25.119 --> 00:29:27.039 You see, sin destroys us. 00:29:28.240 --> 00:29:30.799 Destroys the church, it destroys everything. 00:29:31.039 --> 00:29:32.640 Sin is invasive. 00:29:33.119 --> 00:29:34.559 You can't stop it. 00:29:34.880 --> 00:29:38.000 It creeps like a weed over the earth. 00:29:38.240 --> 00:29:42.160 It's like I've got a vine in my front garden and it's everywhere. 00:29:42.319 --> 00:29:42.960 I don't want it. 00:29:43.039 --> 00:29:46.960 I never planted it, and it grows, I think, white lilies, which I believe are poisonous. 00:29:47.119 --> 00:30:01.839 I spend days pulling this stuff out, and I think having I've got the roots and I've got the and I have to wear gloves to handle it, and I throw it in the green bin, which is the the garden bin, and next year things back again, and that's it. 00:30:03.039 --> 00:30:05.359 You can never truly get rid of it 100%. 00:30:05.759 --> 00:30:08.160 The best we can do is stand against it. 00:30:09.920 --> 00:30:11.599 And why do we do it? 00:30:11.839 --> 00:30:16.400 Well, my garden's a bit of a mess at the moment, but I love my garden with all its roses. 00:30:17.119 --> 00:30:20.480 And this horrible plant just appears everywhere. 00:30:20.799 --> 00:30:22.160 It's horrible. 00:30:22.880 --> 00:30:27.440 It looks and it wraps itself around the roses. 00:30:27.920 --> 00:30:29.359 Imagine this is what sin does. 00:30:29.440 --> 00:30:36.400 It wraps itself like a vine around the rose and it strangles them and it takes the sap out of them until they wither and die. 00:30:36.559 --> 00:30:38.000 That's what sin does. 00:30:42.480 --> 00:30:46.640 Thirdly, it shows us God provides leaders to protect his people. 00:30:48.079 --> 00:30:51.039 So who are these leaders that protect God's people? 00:30:52.079 --> 00:30:52.880 I can't. 00:30:53.119 --> 00:30:55.039 I can name a couple. 00:30:56.160 --> 00:30:59.920 But let me give you some evidence of what you're looking for in a leader. 00:31:00.319 --> 00:31:02.240 Leaders who intercede. 00:31:03.359 --> 00:31:07.119 That is, people who pray to God on your behalf. 00:31:08.000 --> 00:31:19.680 Leaders who teach not only the word of God, but teach each and every one of you what it means to be a believer and that and encourages you to go out and do that. 00:31:20.319 --> 00:31:22.799 Leaders who grind who guide. 00:31:24.160 --> 00:31:27.440 Leaders who comfort what harms the community. 00:31:27.680 --> 00:31:32.880 Confront, sorry, not comfort, who confront what harms the community. 00:31:35.119 --> 00:31:39.519 But it shows us the danger of compromise leadership. 00:31:39.920 --> 00:31:42.960 We all know about compromise leadership. 00:31:44.400 --> 00:31:48.000 I can tell you all about compromise leadership. 00:31:48.319 --> 00:31:53.279 Believe you me, I know a lot of leaders of societies, and they are definitely compromised. 00:31:54.160 --> 00:32:01.359 You see, when these leaders lose their zeal for God's holiness, then we the people suffer. 00:32:02.000 --> 00:32:07.119 There's a piece of proverbs that go, when there is no vision, the people die. 00:32:08.319 --> 00:32:09.920 It's the same thing. 00:32:10.240 --> 00:32:16.559 When we lose a zeal for God's holiness, we have no vision of the word of God to give the people. 00:32:16.720 --> 00:32:20.480 Therefore, the people's faith withers and dies. 00:32:22.640 --> 00:32:31.680 Because everything we do should be based on this: the Bible, the Word of God, God's revealed will. 00:32:31.839 --> 00:32:37.279 As one wise man once said to me, the best instructions before leaving earth, B-I-B-L-E. 00:32:40.240 --> 00:32:43.039 Fifthly, it prepares us for Christ. 00:32:44.160 --> 00:32:45.119 I like this bit. 00:32:45.839 --> 00:32:53.200 Every priest in Israel, faithful or flawed, points to the one who will be perfect, who will be the perfect mediator. 00:32:53.359 --> 00:32:57.440 Now I love that idea because I've always said I'm no more than a signpost. 00:32:57.519 --> 00:33:00.960 And I love the idea of pointing you to the one perfect mediator. 00:33:01.200 --> 00:33:05.279 I'll point anybody to the one perfect mediator any day of the week. 00:33:07.519 --> 00:33:19.920 So, for new believers, and if you're new to faith, this covenant helps you to understand why Christians talk about holiness and leadership and the need for a mediator. 00:33:21.200 --> 00:33:27.680 You see, if the job's done right, you don't need to carry your burdens alone. 00:33:28.240 --> 00:33:31.039 You don't need to fix everything yourself. 00:33:31.359 --> 00:33:35.920 Because God provides someone to stand in the gap. 00:33:36.720 --> 00:33:37.920 See, there's this gap. 00:33:38.000 --> 00:33:42.079 No, I'm not talking about the gap you get on the subway where to go mind the gap as you get off the train. 00:33:42.240 --> 00:33:45.759 But this gap between you and God, me and God. 00:33:45.920 --> 00:33:48.319 Not you and me and God, but me and God. 00:33:48.480 --> 00:33:51.759 And that somebody is Christ Jesus. 00:33:53.119 --> 00:34:03.039 But for longtime believers, for those who have walked for Christ for many years, and there's a few of us here, this covenant is a reminder that leadership is a sacred act. 00:34:03.359 --> 00:34:18.079 Whether you lead in a church or in a family or a ministry or simply your own life, God calls you to integrity and courage and holiness. 00:34:18.960 --> 00:34:21.920 Remember what we said about holiness before? 00:34:22.320 --> 00:34:27.760 Of justice, mercy, truth, and purity. 00:34:29.119 --> 00:34:46.000 It's also a reminder that we must pray for our leaders, that they may have the zeal of Phineas, the compassion of Moses, and the humility of Christ. 00:34:48.320 --> 00:34:55.840 The priestly covenant finds its fulfillment not in Phineas, but in Jesus Christ. 00:34:57.119 --> 00:35:02.320 Phineas stopped the plague, and Christ stops the plague of sin. 00:35:03.039 --> 00:35:08.400 Phineas acted once, but Christ intercedes forever. 00:35:08.719 --> 00:35:11.679 Phineas restored peace temporarily. 00:35:12.320 --> 00:35:14.800 Christ brings eternal peace. 00:35:15.039 --> 00:35:17.519 Phineas was a priest by lineage. 00:35:18.000 --> 00:35:23.679 Christ is a priest by divine appointment, and Phineas acted with a spear. 00:35:24.480 --> 00:35:27.760 Christ acts with a cross. 00:35:28.559 --> 00:35:39.679 The book of Hebrews tells us that Jesus is our great high priest, the perfect mediator who never fails, never compromises, never grows weary. 00:35:40.639 --> 00:35:42.400 He stands in the gap. 00:35:42.960 --> 00:35:47.360 He intercedes for us, he restores us, he brings us peace. 00:35:47.599 --> 00:35:50.159 That peace beyond all understanding. 00:35:51.199 --> 00:35:54.639 And the priestly covenant prepares the way for him. 00:35:56.960 --> 00:36:01.599 The priestly covenant is a covenant of peace, holiness, and leadership. 00:36:02.159 --> 00:36:13.599 It reminds us that God takes sin seriously, that God takes sin seriously, that God provides mediators and God desires a people who reflect his character. 00:36:14.719 --> 00:36:19.679 But it also reminds us that no human leader, however zealous, can fill that role. 00:36:20.000 --> 00:36:21.360 Only Christ can. 00:36:22.480 --> 00:36:41.920 And as we continue through the covenants, may we give thanks to the leaders of God provides, who God provides, may we pursue holiness with courage, and may we rest in the perfect priesthood of Jesus Christ, who stands for us, intercedes for us, and brings us peace. 00:36:42.159 --> 00:36:42.800 Amen.