WEBVTT 00:00:00.479 --> 00:00:05.679 So, if you've been here throughout the course of the year, you know that we're doing something this year called the whole story. 00:00:05.759 --> 00:00:07.919 We are going through the entire story of the Bible. 00:00:08.000 --> 00:00:13.359 We've broken the story of Scripture down into 14 different series, and we're just going one by one through them. 00:00:13.519 --> 00:00:20.879 Last Sunday, we finished figuring out Freedom, which was our fourth series, and today we're starting series five. 00:00:21.120 --> 00:00:23.440 And I said this last week, but I want to emphasize this. 00:00:23.600 --> 00:00:26.079 I am not a what you would call a planner. 00:00:26.320 --> 00:00:29.440 Like I don't, like, how many of you make to-do lists? 00:00:29.679 --> 00:00:31.760 Yeah, you're to-do list people, right? 00:00:31.920 --> 00:00:34.159 How many of you are married to someone who makes to-do lists? 00:00:34.240 --> 00:00:35.600 And you're like, I don't have to do that anymore. 00:00:35.679 --> 00:00:36.079 There you go. 00:00:36.159 --> 00:00:36.719 That's what I did. 00:00:36.799 --> 00:00:38.479 I just married a to-do list person. 00:00:38.719 --> 00:00:40.799 I don't, I don't plan things out super well. 00:00:40.880 --> 00:00:44.079 I always sort of know what day it is, like the day of the week. 00:00:44.159 --> 00:00:46.560 I'm like, it's Wednesday, and I'm usually right. 00:00:47.200 --> 00:00:50.079 Because everything in my life is just, it's all moving towards Sunday. 00:00:50.159 --> 00:00:51.200 That's just the rhythm of my life. 00:00:51.280 --> 00:00:56.799 It's like, it doesn't really matter what the date is, it's just Sunday, and then another Sunday and another Sunday. 00:00:57.840 --> 00:01:05.680 But there's negatives about not being a planner and not doing things like cross-referencing certain dates with major holidays. 00:01:06.159 --> 00:01:16.879 Because if I had done that, I would have realized that the series we're starting today, which is Mother's Day, is called So Much Blood. 00:01:17.200 --> 00:01:20.239 That is the series that we start today. 00:01:20.400 --> 00:01:29.040 Um, it's about all the wars, all the violence, all the bloodshed, all the ritual animal sacrifices that we have in this major portion of scripture. 00:01:29.200 --> 00:01:34.480 And that's just probably not what a planning person would do on Mother's Day. 00:01:34.560 --> 00:01:39.359 And I know that we've got some moms who are here just to like be with your kids and maybe don't go to this church. 00:01:39.599 --> 00:01:40.799 I'm sorry. 00:01:41.760 --> 00:01:44.879 If it makes you feel better, my mom is disappointed in me too. 00:01:45.040 --> 00:01:45.359 Okay? 00:01:45.840 --> 00:01:47.760 So in this moment, she's not really. 00:01:47.840 --> 00:01:51.599 She's gonna watch that and think that I'm I know my mom's not mom, I know you're not disappointed in me. 00:01:51.680 --> 00:01:52.640 It's all good, we'll talk later. 00:01:52.799 --> 00:01:53.439 All right. 00:01:54.000 --> 00:01:54.799 It's good. 00:01:55.040 --> 00:02:00.319 So look, I know that that's not exactly a happy Mother's Day sort of theme, but Matt had a great idea. 00:02:00.400 --> 00:02:05.359 We we found a way to sort of mess with the graphic today to soften it up a little bit for Mother's Day. 00:02:05.599 --> 00:02:07.840 So I don't know if it'll help. 00:02:08.000 --> 00:02:12.560 Um, but you know, maybe we go with a little bit more pink. 00:02:13.360 --> 00:02:19.280 And, you know, it's just sort of like that. 00:02:19.520 --> 00:02:21.039 Just let that help. 00:02:21.360 --> 00:02:22.400 There you go. 00:02:24.800 --> 00:02:27.360 Yay, so much blood. 00:02:27.840 --> 00:02:28.479 All right. 00:02:29.840 --> 00:02:38.960 Well, poor timing aside, in all honesty, poor timing aside, I am actually extremely excited about going through this portion of scripture. 00:02:40.000 --> 00:02:45.599 Because if you're if you're ever reading in your Bible and you're like, I'm gonna read through the whole Bible in a year, and maybe that's something you've done, maybe not. 00:02:45.680 --> 00:02:46.639 If not, try it. 00:02:46.719 --> 00:02:47.680 It's it's it's it's great. 00:02:47.759 --> 00:02:49.360 But you're gonna get stuck in some places. 00:02:49.599 --> 00:02:51.919 You're gonna get stuck in some places that are boring. 00:02:52.319 --> 00:02:53.599 And we've kind of covered some of that. 00:02:53.680 --> 00:02:57.360 There's a lot of genealogies, and this person had this person, or had this person, or had this person, right? 00:02:57.439 --> 00:02:58.560 That's like, oh, okay. 00:02:58.800 --> 00:03:01.840 But you're gonna get to like the second half of Exodus. 00:03:02.080 --> 00:03:13.439 And pretty much from the second half of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, First and Second Kings, it's like every other page, it's just death and bloodshed. 00:03:13.759 --> 00:03:27.599 There's animals being sacrificed left and right, there's people making mistakes, and the result is death, there's entire wars and there's nations, and it's actually a very challenging section of Scripture, and it's one that trips a lot of people up. 00:03:27.840 --> 00:03:32.719 Because it sort of seems like this is God-approved violence. 00:03:32.879 --> 00:03:39.120 And how do we reconcile that with this loving Jesus that we follow? 00:03:39.439 --> 00:03:46.719 And so for a lot of people, this can actually become like a deal breaker, or it can at least kind of tiptoe to that line. 00:03:47.039 --> 00:03:52.319 It can be a crisis of faith, or it becomes something that just makes us susceptible to doubt in an unhealthy way. 00:03:52.639 --> 00:03:56.000 There's a certain kind of doubt that causes us to ask questions that's good. 00:03:56.159 --> 00:03:59.919 There's another version of doubt that makes it harder for us to say yes to God. 00:04:00.000 --> 00:04:13.919 And there are a lot of people, honestly, who are critics of our faith who like to cherry-pick sections of scripture from this portion and use it as sort of a gotcha mechanism to sort of make all of us go, oh, if you follow Jesus, that means you approve of this. 00:04:14.400 --> 00:04:16.959 And so a lot of people just don't know what to do with it. 00:04:17.279 --> 00:04:19.759 And so what a lot of churches do is just skip it. 00:04:20.000 --> 00:04:21.600 Just let's just not talk about that. 00:04:21.839 --> 00:04:26.800 We've all got stuff in our past that we're like, yeah, we just don't need to talk about those years, those weren't our best. 00:04:27.600 --> 00:04:30.079 But we have some things that we're really passionate about here at his hands. 00:04:30.160 --> 00:04:34.720 One of those things is that we take God very seriously, but we don't take ourselves very seriously. 00:04:34.879 --> 00:04:36.560 We laugh a lot, we laugh at ourselves. 00:04:36.639 --> 00:04:38.560 That's one of my favorite things about our culture. 00:04:39.759 --> 00:04:44.160 So we we like to have fun, but uh we also love truth. 00:04:44.720 --> 00:04:51.600 And I believe with conviction that all of scripture is true, all of scripture is God breathed, and it has something to teach us. 00:04:52.079 --> 00:04:56.879 And so we don't do like a slalom course through scripture, skipping the hard stuff. 00:04:56.959 --> 00:04:59.360 If we come across something difficult, we just deal with it. 00:04:59.920 --> 00:05:02.639 And I trust the Lord to help us understand it, I trust you guys as well. 00:05:02.720 --> 00:05:06.560 And this is one of those sections that a lot of people just kind of want to go, let's turn the pages quick. 00:05:06.879 --> 00:05:10.399 Because there again is just so much blood. 00:05:11.439 --> 00:05:14.639 But I want us to go through this and really explore it. 00:05:14.720 --> 00:05:18.720 And and my hope is that we'll understand that this shows us so much about Jesus. 00:05:20.079 --> 00:05:23.680 It's kind of surprising at first glance if you read through these stories in the Bible. 00:05:23.839 --> 00:05:26.160 It's hard to see Jesus until you see Jesus. 00:05:27.040 --> 00:05:28.800 And once you see him in it, you're like, whoa. 00:05:29.120 --> 00:05:34.240 This this helps us have a much more clear understanding of who Jesus is and what he's done for us. 00:05:35.199 --> 00:05:38.720 Because if you think about it, blood is still a big theme in our faith. 00:05:38.959 --> 00:05:39.839 Even today, right? 00:05:39.920 --> 00:05:42.240 We sing about how nothing but the blood of Jesus. 00:05:42.399 --> 00:05:47.360 We're gonna take Lord's Supper as we finish today, and we always thank Jesus for shedding his blood for us. 00:05:47.759 --> 00:05:49.120 All of this connects. 00:05:49.680 --> 00:05:50.480 It all connects. 00:05:50.560 --> 00:05:53.680 I'm just sorry that it's on Mother's Day that we're starting it. 00:05:54.480 --> 00:06:00.000 And so we're gonna look at three concepts over the next three weeks to help us understand this whole so much blood dynamic in the Bible. 00:06:00.079 --> 00:06:05.040 We're gonna look at consecration, cleansing, and conquest. 00:06:05.759 --> 00:06:09.199 Consecration, cleansing, and conquest. 00:06:09.279 --> 00:06:11.759 And today we're gonna start with this idea of consecration. 00:06:11.920 --> 00:06:14.560 I doubt that's a word many of you have used this last week. 00:06:14.639 --> 00:06:20.720 I don't know if you found a reason in the last seven days to say, man, I need to consecrate that before I go any further. 00:06:20.879 --> 00:06:25.360 But it's a word you actually see pop up a lot in these sections of the Bible. 00:06:25.519 --> 00:06:29.519 For example, Exodus chapter 19, verses 9 and 10. 00:06:29.920 --> 00:06:36.560 It says the Lord said to Moses, I will come to you in a thick cloud, Moses, so that the people themselves can hear me when I speak with you. 00:06:36.720 --> 00:06:38.240 Then they will always trust you. 00:06:38.480 --> 00:06:48.000 Moses told the Lord what the people had said, and then the Lord told Moses, Go down and prepare the people for my arrival, consecrate them today and tomorrow, and have them wash their clothing. 00:06:48.160 --> 00:06:50.240 We know that God values a few things here. 00:06:50.560 --> 00:06:53.279 He values consecration and clean clothes. 00:06:53.439 --> 00:06:54.639 That's what he wants of the people. 00:06:54.720 --> 00:06:55.600 That's all he's asking for. 00:06:55.680 --> 00:06:57.920 Consecrate yourselves, wash your clothes. 00:06:58.160 --> 00:06:59.120 We're about to meet. 00:06:59.360 --> 00:07:00.639 We see that word consecration. 00:07:00.800 --> 00:07:03.040 Leviticus chapter 11, verse 44. 00:07:03.279 --> 00:07:04.959 He says, I am the Lord your God. 00:07:05.040 --> 00:07:10.079 You must consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy. 00:07:10.240 --> 00:07:12.800 This starts to give us an idea of what consecration means. 00:07:12.879 --> 00:07:15.600 It's one of those words that we see in the Bible, and we're like, I kind of know what it means. 00:07:15.680 --> 00:07:16.399 What does it really mean? 00:07:16.560 --> 00:07:17.519 It's pretty simple. 00:07:17.759 --> 00:07:20.720 To consecrate something is to make it holy. 00:07:21.519 --> 00:07:22.480 To make it holy. 00:07:22.639 --> 00:07:23.759 God is holy. 00:07:24.560 --> 00:07:35.839 And that word holy means that He is just more and greater, and He's pure, and He's righteous, and He's good, that there's no impurity in Him whatsoever. 00:07:36.079 --> 00:07:39.519 He is holy, and He wants us to be holy. 00:07:40.240 --> 00:07:45.439 And so the only way we can be holy is to go through this process that He describes as consecration. 00:07:45.519 --> 00:07:50.160 And we see all kinds of examples in the Old Testament of consecration happening. 00:07:50.399 --> 00:07:51.839 And we're gonna read one of these right now. 00:07:51.920 --> 00:07:59.680 And I'm so excited about this because I think that I'm about to read the single most boring portion of Scripture I have ever read on this stage. 00:08:00.560 --> 00:08:02.639 But it's an amazing example of consecration. 00:08:02.720 --> 00:08:06.879 If you guys are willing to stick with it, are we good? 00:08:07.439 --> 00:08:10.079 I mean, you say yes, but you don't know what we're gonna have to do. 00:08:11.360 --> 00:08:14.319 I'm gonna read the entirety of Exodus chapter 28. 00:08:14.560 --> 00:08:17.600 I know, someone just, oh, okay, here we go. 00:08:17.920 --> 00:08:27.759 And just to preview this for you, this is an entire section where God is describing uh the clothing that he would like his priests to wear as they conduct their practices in the temple. 00:08:27.839 --> 00:08:30.560 So if that doesn't make you excited, I don't know what will. 00:08:30.959 --> 00:08:32.720 But I promise this has a point. 00:08:32.960 --> 00:08:33.759 It's just a lot. 00:08:33.840 --> 00:08:34.799 So can we read this together? 00:08:34.960 --> 00:08:36.000 Can you just can you go with me? 00:08:36.080 --> 00:08:38.240 There's probably gonna be mispronounced words all over the place. 00:08:38.320 --> 00:08:38.799 Let's do this. 00:08:38.960 --> 00:08:39.360 Here we go. 00:08:39.519 --> 00:08:40.480 Exodus 28. 00:08:40.559 --> 00:08:43.360 No church in America is doing this today, I promise you. 00:08:44.320 --> 00:08:45.360 Maybe for good reason. 00:08:45.519 --> 00:08:48.559 All right, call your brother Aaron, which happens to be my brother's name. 00:08:48.639 --> 00:08:49.440 How cool is that? 00:08:49.600 --> 00:08:53.919 And his sons, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 00:08:54.320 --> 00:09:01.759 Set them apart, which is consecration, from the rest of the people of Israel, so that they may minister to me and be my priest. 00:09:01.919 --> 00:09:04.799 Make sacred garments for Aaron that are glorious and beautiful. 00:09:04.960 --> 00:09:09.279 Instruct all the skilled craftsmen whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom. 00:09:09.519 --> 00:09:14.399 Have them make garments for Aaron that will distinguish him as a priest set apart from my service. 00:09:14.639 --> 00:09:21.120 These are the garments they're to make a chest piece, an ephod, a robe, a patterned tunic, a turban, and a sash. 00:09:21.360 --> 00:09:26.080 They are to make these sacred garments for your brother Aaron and for his sons to wear, as they serve me as priests. 00:09:26.240 --> 00:09:35.759 So give them fine linen cloth, gold thread, and blue, purple, and scarlet thread, which at the time, guys, this would have been insanely expensive stuff. 00:09:36.080 --> 00:09:42.639 The craftsman must take the ephod of finely woven linen and skillfully embroider it with gold and blue and purple and scarlet thread. 00:09:42.720 --> 00:09:47.120 It will consist of two pieces, front and back, joined at the shoulders with two shoulder pieces. 00:09:47.279 --> 00:09:53.519 The decorative sash will be made of the same materials, finely woven linen, embroidered with gold and with blue, purple, and scarlet thread. 00:09:53.759 --> 00:09:57.840 Take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the tribes of Israel. 00:09:58.639 --> 00:10:03.759 Six names will be on each stone, arranged in the order of the births of the original sons of Israel. 00:10:03.919 --> 00:10:10.879 Engrave these names on the two stones in the same way that a jeweler engraves a seal, and then mount the stones in settings of gold filigree. 00:10:11.200 --> 00:10:15.840 Fasten the two stones on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as a reminder that Aaron represents the people of Israel. 00:10:16.080 --> 00:10:21.039 Aaron will carry these names on his shoulder as a constant reminder whenever he goes before the Lord. 00:10:21.279 --> 00:10:23.519 Make the settings of gold filigree. 00:10:23.600 --> 00:10:28.000 Then braid two cords of pure gold and attach them to the filigree settings on the shoulders of the ephod. 00:10:28.480 --> 00:10:33.919 Then, with great skill and care, make a chess piece to be worn for seeking a decision from God. 00:10:34.080 --> 00:10:39.200 Make it to match the ephod using finely woven linen, embroidered with gold, and with blue, purple, and scarlet thread. 00:10:39.440 --> 00:10:44.000 Make the chest piece of a single piece of cloth folded to form a pouch nine inches square. 00:10:44.240 --> 00:10:45.919 Mount four rows of gemstones on it. 00:10:46.000 --> 00:10:50.480 The first row will contain a red carnelian, a pale green paridot, and an emerald. 00:10:50.639 --> 00:10:54.879 The second row will contain a turquoise, a blue lapis lazuli, and a white moonstone. 00:10:54.960 --> 00:11:01.519 The third row will contain an orange, don't know what that word is, and a I don't know that one either, and a purple amethyst amethyst. 00:11:02.240 --> 00:11:06.159 The fourth row will contain a blue green barrel, an onyx, and a green jasper. 00:11:06.240 --> 00:11:08.399 And all these stones will be set in gold filigree. 00:11:08.559 --> 00:11:09.200 How are we doing? 00:11:10.000 --> 00:11:10.879 Alright, here we go. 00:11:11.120 --> 00:11:13.519 I know you're just, man, I'm glad I came to church today. 00:11:13.679 --> 00:11:19.679 Each stone will represent one of the twelve sons of Israel, and the name of that tribe will be engraved on it like a seal. 00:11:19.919 --> 00:11:23.679 To attach the chest piece to the ephod, make braided cords of pure gold thread. 00:11:23.840 --> 00:11:39.039 Then make two gold rings and attach them to the top corners of the chest piece, tie the two gold cords to the two rings on the chest piece, tie the other ends of the cords to the gold settings on the shoulder pieces of the ephod, and then make two more gold rings and attach them to the inside edges of the chest piece next to the ephod. 00:11:39.440 --> 00:11:47.279 Then make two more gold rings and attach them to the front of the ephod below the shoulder pieces, just above the knot where the decorative sash is fastened to the ephod. 00:11:47.519 --> 00:11:48.720 I'm just seeing how much more we have. 00:11:48.799 --> 00:11:49.360 We're good, guys. 00:11:49.440 --> 00:11:50.320 We're near in the corner. 00:11:50.480 --> 00:11:54.080 This makes Ikea directions like the easiest thing in the world, if you've ever done that. 00:11:54.159 --> 00:11:55.039 This is amazing. 00:11:55.200 --> 00:11:59.200 Then attach the bottom rings of the chess piece to the rings on the ephod with blue cords. 00:11:59.279 --> 00:12:03.440 This will hold the chess piece securely to the ephod above the decorative sash. 00:12:03.600 --> 00:12:10.639 In this way, Aaron will carry the names of the tribes of Israel on the sacred chess piece over his heart when he goes into the holy place. 00:12:10.879 --> 00:12:15.279 This will be a continual reminder that he represents the people when he comes before the Lord. 00:12:15.519 --> 00:12:24.879 Insert the Urim and the Thuman, these are these like uh sacred lots that they had, into the sacred chess piece so they will be carried over Aaron's heart when he goes into the Lord's presence. 00:12:24.960 --> 00:12:33.840 In this way, Aaron will always carry over his heart the objects used to determine the Lord's will for his people whenever he goes in before the Lord. 00:12:34.080 --> 00:12:48.240 Make the robe that is worn with the ephod from a single piece of blue cloth, with an opening for Aaron's head in the middle of it, reinforce the opening with a woven collar so it will not tear, make pomegranates out of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and attach them to the hem of the robe, with gold bells between them. 00:12:48.399 --> 00:12:51.519 The gold bells and the pomegranates are to alternate all around the hem. 00:12:51.679 --> 00:12:58.399 Aaron will wear this robe whenever he ministers before the Lord, and the bells will tinkle as he goes in and out of the Lord's presence in the holy place. 00:12:58.559 --> 00:13:00.399 If he wears it, he will not die. 00:13:00.559 --> 00:13:01.279 That's good to know. 00:13:01.360 --> 00:13:02.720 That's important information. 00:13:03.200 --> 00:13:06.399 You gotta tinkle if you're gonna go be in the presence of the Lord. 00:13:06.559 --> 00:13:08.799 If not, you're a dead man, apparently. 00:13:09.039 --> 00:13:11.440 He says, Next, we're almost there, guys, I promise. 00:13:11.679 --> 00:13:16.879 Make a medallion of pure gold and engrave it like a seal with these words, holy to the Lord. 00:13:17.120 --> 00:13:20.639 Attach the medallion with the blue cord to the front of Aaron's turban, where it must remain. 00:13:20.799 --> 00:13:27.519 Aaron must wear it on his forehead, so he may take on himself any guilt of the people of Israel when they consecrate their sacred offerings. 00:13:27.679 --> 00:13:30.879 He must always wear it on his forehead, so the Lord will accept the people. 00:13:31.039 --> 00:13:38.720 Weave Aaron's patterned tunic from fine linen cloth, fashion the turban from this linen as well, also make a sash, decorate it with colorful embroidery. 00:13:38.879 --> 00:13:44.320 For Aaron's sons make tunics, sashes, and special head coverings that are glorious and beautiful. 00:13:44.480 --> 00:13:51.360 Clothe your brother Aaron and his sons with these garments, and anoint them and ordain them, consecrate them so they can serve as my priests. 00:13:51.600 --> 00:13:56.639 Also, make linen undergarments for them, to be worn next to their bodies, reaching from their hips to their thighs. 00:13:56.799 --> 00:14:05.120 These must be worn whenever Aaron and his sons enter the tabernacle or approach the altar in the holy place to perform their priestly duties, then they will not incur guilt and die. 00:14:05.200 --> 00:14:09.600 This is a permanent law for Aaron and all his descendants after him, and that is Exodus chapter 28. 00:14:14.080 --> 00:14:14.720 I know. 00:14:14.879 --> 00:14:15.919 I'm sorry. 00:14:16.240 --> 00:14:17.759 What is the point of all that? 00:14:18.559 --> 00:14:19.759 It was a lot. 00:14:20.000 --> 00:14:21.360 And here's the point. 00:14:21.600 --> 00:14:25.039 About five years ago, I was doing this whole like, I was trying to read through the Bible in a year. 00:14:25.120 --> 00:14:26.799 I don't think I did it that year. 00:14:27.039 --> 00:14:33.600 And I got to this part, and I just remember reading it, like, man, God is very, very picky about his clothes. 00:14:33.840 --> 00:14:41.679 And I think at the time my wife was watching like a fashion competition show on TV where different designers will make clothing, and so I kind of was tracking with it. 00:14:41.759 --> 00:14:44.559 Like I could sort of envision, you know, the process. 00:14:44.799 --> 00:14:50.399 And then I got to Exodus 29, and I just I just had this moment reading the Bible that I was like, what? 00:14:50.559 --> 00:14:52.000 Like, what in the world? 00:14:52.080 --> 00:14:58.399 Because I just read all this, this amazingly detailed, painstakingly detailed, why is it even in here? 00:14:58.639 --> 00:15:02.639 So detailed description of this clothing that God wanted his priest to wear. 00:15:02.799 --> 00:15:06.960 And then in Exodus 29, God says this. 00:15:07.840 --> 00:15:09.759 After all this is on them, right? 00:15:09.840 --> 00:15:18.639 They're wearing the clothes, God says, Then take some of the blood from the altar and some of the anointing oil and sprinkle it on Aaron and on his sons and on their garments. 00:15:19.759 --> 00:15:21.840 In this way, they and their garments will be set apart as holy. 00:15:21.919 --> 00:15:22.559 And I was like, What? 00:15:22.639 --> 00:15:23.919 Wait, wait, hold on. 00:15:24.480 --> 00:15:26.320 Alright, God, let me get this straight. 00:15:26.480 --> 00:15:31.039 You want them to make these extremely detailed, what have to be unbelievably expensive garments. 00:15:31.120 --> 00:15:35.519 We're talking like, I want it to be fine, not just linen, fine linen. 00:15:35.759 --> 00:15:48.559 And I want it to be white, and I want all these gemstones on it, and I want gold thread and purple and scarlet and all these things, and I want it to be intricate and beautifully embroidered, and I want it to be amazing, and then when you're done, sprinkle blood on it. 00:15:48.879 --> 00:15:52.720 And it's like, hold on, we know from earlier God values clean clothes. 00:15:52.799 --> 00:15:55.039 He told the people, consecrate yourselves, wash your clothes. 00:15:55.279 --> 00:15:56.879 Tide pods have not been invented yet. 00:15:56.960 --> 00:15:58.080 That is never coming out. 00:15:58.240 --> 00:16:03.919 That is never, you are never getting blood out of a fine white linen shirt. 00:16:04.159 --> 00:16:05.440 It's what in the world? 00:16:05.519 --> 00:16:07.120 I remember I was reading this, like, what? 00:16:07.360 --> 00:16:09.039 Sprinkle blood on it. 00:16:10.080 --> 00:16:19.759 And it's so interesting because for us, if if blood got on your shirt, especially if it was like a white shirt, you'd be like, well, that's that's the end of that one. 00:16:20.159 --> 00:16:21.759 Like it's it's ruined. 00:16:22.000 --> 00:16:23.440 That's never coming out. 00:16:23.840 --> 00:16:25.120 That's the way we would view that. 00:16:25.279 --> 00:16:30.000 But what we have to understand is in their culture, they saw blood in a very different way. 00:16:31.519 --> 00:16:33.919 Blood was was precious. 00:16:34.240 --> 00:16:38.240 And blood was was a representative of life. 00:16:38.799 --> 00:16:41.360 Blood always represented life. 00:16:41.519 --> 00:16:46.639 And so for them, the the blood being sprinkled on these clothes, it doesn't ruin it at all. 00:16:46.799 --> 00:16:50.799 In fact, what it does is it consecrates their clothing. 00:16:50.879 --> 00:16:52.080 That's the way they would have seen it. 00:16:52.240 --> 00:16:59.200 The blood, more than the gemstones, more than all the fancy embroidery, it was the blood that would make it holy. 00:16:59.600 --> 00:17:09.359 And again, I know this is weird for us, but if we're gonna understand this whole so much blood portion of scripture, then we've got to understand what the Israelites understood blood to be, because it matters. 00:17:10.640 --> 00:17:15.759 So this begins to connect us to another idea that goes hand in hand with consecration. 00:17:15.920 --> 00:17:18.079 And it's the idea of atonement. 00:17:18.400 --> 00:17:19.359 Okay, atonement. 00:17:19.440 --> 00:17:21.440 You may have heard that word before, atonement. 00:17:21.599 --> 00:17:25.519 And it's interesting, the meaning of that word is actually in the word itself, it's at one-ment. 00:17:26.000 --> 00:17:28.000 It's bringing two things together. 00:17:28.240 --> 00:17:33.759 When there's a divide, when there's division, you need to take two things and have them be at one. 00:17:33.920 --> 00:17:36.319 They need to be in harmony with one with one another. 00:17:36.559 --> 00:17:42.640 And specifically when it comes to being in harmony with God and being consecrated, you have to have atonement. 00:17:43.680 --> 00:17:51.440 So in Leviticus chapter 17, we're told that the life of the body is in its blood. 00:17:52.640 --> 00:17:58.240 God says, I've given you the blood on the altar to purify you, making you right with the Lord. 00:17:58.319 --> 00:18:02.720 It is the blood given in exchange for life that makes purification possible. 00:18:02.799 --> 00:18:28.960 So this whole process of consecration, being right with God, being made holy, involves blood being spilled for the people of Israel, that there has to be blood spilled, apparently, and blood sort of splattered as a symbol that sin has been dealt with, and now life covers death, and you can now be restored, atoned for, and consecrated in the holy presence of God. 00:18:29.039 --> 00:18:32.960 And so as you read through this portion of scripture, it's like there's just blood everywhere. 00:18:33.279 --> 00:18:34.880 There's like so many animals. 00:18:35.359 --> 00:18:41.359 To have been a goat in ancient Israel would have been like the worst thing that you could have ever happened to you. 00:18:41.440 --> 00:18:42.799 Just like you'd be born, what am I? 00:18:42.880 --> 00:18:44.000 I'm a goat, oh, I'm dead. 00:18:44.160 --> 00:18:45.839 Like that basically would have been how it went. 00:18:45.920 --> 00:18:52.880 Like, for example, 1 Kings chapter 8, Solomon, who's the third king of Israel, he's dedicating the temple that's been built to God. 00:18:53.039 --> 00:18:58.160 It says, Then the king of Israel and all of Israel with him offered sacrifices to the Lord. 00:18:58.400 --> 00:19:08.480 Solomon offered to the Lord a peace offering of 22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep and goats. 00:19:08.880 --> 00:19:18.160 And so the king and all the people of Israel dedicated the temple of the Lord that same day, the king consecrated the central area of the courtyard in front of the Lord's temple. 00:19:18.319 --> 00:19:22.319 He offered burnt offerings, grain offerings, and the fat of peace offerings there. 00:19:22.400 --> 00:19:30.559 And because the bronze altar in the Lord's presence was too small to hold all the burnt offerings, grain offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings, they ended up going outside and doing it like in the courtyard. 00:19:30.640 --> 00:19:31.440 That's basically what they're saying. 00:19:31.599 --> 00:19:35.279 It'd be like if the main thing that we did for worship was sacrifice goats. 00:19:35.440 --> 00:19:37.200 And I said, Hey guys, great news. 00:19:37.279 --> 00:19:38.960 We've got so many goats to kill today. 00:19:39.200 --> 00:19:40.640 We can't even fit them in here. 00:19:40.799 --> 00:19:41.839 So we're taking it outside. 00:19:41.920 --> 00:19:44.319 And everyone's like, Yeah, woo, church was amazing today. 00:19:44.480 --> 00:19:48.160 Like we're like seven people got baptized, and they're like, there were thousands of goats murdered. 00:19:48.240 --> 00:19:48.799 It was great. 00:19:48.960 --> 00:19:50.799 Like that's a very different thing. 00:19:51.039 --> 00:19:54.799 But it's because of we have to understand this idea of atonement. 00:19:55.519 --> 00:19:57.039 It's this atonement. 00:19:58.000 --> 00:20:06.079 That there's this idea in consecration that to be right in God's eyes, to be holy, something has to be atoned for. 00:20:06.400 --> 00:20:08.960 Sin has to be dealt with. 00:20:09.839 --> 00:20:15.039 And so for the people of Israel, the most holy day on their calendar is Yom Kippur, which is the day of atonement. 00:20:15.200 --> 00:20:16.319 And it's a day that we learn about. 00:20:16.400 --> 00:20:19.279 It was a day that God ordained in Leviticus chapter 16. 00:20:19.359 --> 00:20:21.839 This is what God says to Aaron, the priest. 00:20:22.480 --> 00:20:30.160 He says that Aaron will present his own bull as a sin offering to purify himself and his family, making them right with the Lord. 00:20:30.400 --> 00:20:34.559 Then he must take two male goats and present them to the Lord at the entrance of the tabernacle. 00:20:34.640 --> 00:20:43.440 He is to cast sacred lots to determine which goat will be reserved as an offering to the Lord and which will carry the sins of the people to the wilderness of Azazel. 00:20:43.599 --> 00:20:44.640 We'll talk about that next week. 00:20:44.799 --> 00:20:50.319 Aaron will then present as a sin offering the goat chosen by Lot for the Lord. 00:20:50.559 --> 00:20:57.759 And so on this day of atonement, what would happen is they would select these two goats, two sheep, and they would make sure they were perfect. 00:20:57.839 --> 00:21:01.920 These are spotless, these are perfect, no flaws whatsoever. 00:21:02.000 --> 00:21:14.720 And one of these, one of these lucky goats, gets to be the sacrificial offering innocent blood shed as a payment, as a substitute for all the sins of the people of Israel. 00:21:15.759 --> 00:21:17.119 This happened every year. 00:21:18.000 --> 00:21:21.440 Every year for just thousands of years. 00:21:26.079 --> 00:21:36.720 And what it is, is it's God reinforcing over and over and over again that sin is really serious. 00:21:39.680 --> 00:21:43.200 Sin is really, really serious. 00:21:44.799 --> 00:21:47.359 And it has to be atoned for. 00:22:00.079 --> 00:22:02.559 Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness. 00:22:02.960 --> 00:22:04.240 Seems a little harsh. 00:22:05.279 --> 00:22:10.720 Romans 6 23 says that the wages of sin is death. 00:22:13.039 --> 00:22:18.799 And so you have this thing happening in the nation of Israel, all these sacrifices, and man, there were so many. 00:22:18.880 --> 00:22:25.599 In fact, Josephus was a historian that was a contemporary of Jesus' time, not a Christian, but he wrote about many of the things that back up scripture. 00:22:25.680 --> 00:22:26.400 It's really amazing. 00:22:26.480 --> 00:22:35.680 And he he estimated that on a yearly basis, upwards of 256,000 animals were slaughtered at the temple just during a week of Passover. 00:22:37.039 --> 00:22:38.559 That is a lot of blood. 00:22:38.960 --> 00:22:40.880 So much blood. 00:22:41.119 --> 00:22:41.680 Why? 00:22:41.920 --> 00:22:42.559 Why? 00:22:42.880 --> 00:22:49.759 The reason there was so much blood was to simply be a reminder that there is so much sin. 00:22:52.319 --> 00:22:56.720 And the thing is, we we have this tendency as people, I'm just being honest about myself, we we underestimate it. 00:22:57.039 --> 00:23:02.880 It's so easy to read scripture and think that God is like, I mean, come on, have you ever done this before where you're like, God, you're kind of overreacting? 00:23:03.279 --> 00:23:05.119 Like, just take a step back. 00:23:05.279 --> 00:23:07.039 It's not a big deal. 00:23:07.759 --> 00:23:12.000 There's a tendency in us as people to feel like God overreacts to sin. 00:23:12.880 --> 00:23:18.160 Or at the very least, we we want to underestimate the seriousness of sin, at least my sin. 00:23:18.319 --> 00:23:24.160 I mean, I might be cool talking about how serious your sin is, but like my sin, I mean, it's not that bad. 00:23:25.839 --> 00:23:28.000 We don't think about it like that. 00:23:28.480 --> 00:23:29.839 But that's just how the world is. 00:23:30.000 --> 00:23:39.200 That's one of the reasons that the world, meaning like the culture apart from those following Jesus, will look at things in Scripture and be like, oh, that's that's bad. 00:23:39.440 --> 00:23:43.359 It's not the sin that's the that's bad in their eyes, it's the reaction to sin from God. 00:23:43.519 --> 00:23:45.359 Because we as people tend to underestimate it. 00:23:45.519 --> 00:23:58.480 But what God is what God is establishing with all these sacrifices, with all this blood over and over again, and the need for consecration and atonement, and just rinse and repeat, just the cycle is that sin is really serious. 00:23:58.960 --> 00:24:04.559 And it has to be dealt with, and it has to be dealt with severely, because it is severe. 00:24:05.599 --> 00:24:09.200 I love that scripture that says that the wages of sin is death. 00:24:10.079 --> 00:24:11.359 Because I believe that. 00:24:11.519 --> 00:24:15.759 And I think actually, deep down inside, all of us really believe it because we've all experienced it. 00:24:16.240 --> 00:24:25.039 Sin, and sin just being anything that we do that is apart from what God desires, where we step out of alignment with God and do things our own way, right? 00:24:25.119 --> 00:24:29.279 It's selfishness, it's choosing our way over God's way, whatever that might look like. 00:24:29.359 --> 00:24:31.839 We've all understood the effects that sin has on us. 00:24:32.079 --> 00:24:33.279 And it kills us. 00:24:33.599 --> 00:24:34.559 It literally does. 00:24:34.720 --> 00:24:35.920 Like, how about this? 00:24:36.160 --> 00:24:38.480 I'm not gonna ask for a show of hands, don't worry. 00:24:38.720 --> 00:24:44.400 Um have you ever had sin, and I'll raise mine, have you ever had sin kill your self-respect? 00:24:45.599 --> 00:24:55.359 It's like you you do something that you didn't think you would do, you respond in a way that you just you didn't think you were capable of responding, you thought better of yourself. 00:24:55.839 --> 00:25:13.279 And then in a moment of weakness or a moment of just pure selfishness, you do something that is so far apart from the person that you thought you were, and your self-respect takes this massive hit, and it's like the death of self-respect. 00:25:15.359 --> 00:25:16.720 Or self-worth. 00:25:18.079 --> 00:25:20.160 Sin will kill self-worth. 00:25:21.759 --> 00:25:33.839 And there are times where we we participate in in things that we maybe even know in our hearts are not good, they're not right, and maybe we even know that God loves us and forgives us, which is absolutely true. 00:25:34.640 --> 00:25:45.279 But over time we become so calloused or just beat down by our own sin that we don't think highly of ourselves at all. 00:25:45.359 --> 00:25:49.359 We actually begin to define ourselves by that sin. 00:25:49.759 --> 00:25:51.759 And we carry around this self-loathing. 00:25:51.839 --> 00:25:55.279 Our self-worth has been destroyed by sin. 00:25:55.519 --> 00:25:56.960 How about self-control? 00:25:57.440 --> 00:25:59.279 Sin will kill your self-control. 00:25:59.440 --> 00:26:07.839 And I know that, many of us know that, because there are certain things that at one point in time we did because we wanted to, but then eventually you're like doing it because you have to. 00:26:08.799 --> 00:26:10.960 It's like when I started doing this, it was just a choice. 00:26:11.119 --> 00:26:13.839 Now it's it's like I can't say no. 00:26:14.000 --> 00:26:14.319 Why? 00:26:14.559 --> 00:26:25.519 Because sin is destructive, and sin doesn't mess around, it will destroy your self-control, it'll destroy your self-worth, it'll destroy your self-respect. 00:26:25.920 --> 00:26:27.519 Sin destroys trust. 00:26:28.000 --> 00:26:33.759 Many of us have experienced that where we stepped out of line and and trust in a relationship was utterly destroyed. 00:26:36.880 --> 00:26:40.960 Sin destroys your reputation in certain situations. 00:26:41.599 --> 00:26:44.079 My point is this sin is destructive. 00:26:44.240 --> 00:26:45.839 It doesn't mess around. 00:26:46.079 --> 00:27:00.400 Which is why the first time sin is ever talked about in Scripture, it's in Genesis when God speaks to this young man Cain who's who's like letting sin, it's kind of personified in this story, he's letting sin influence him, and God's like, you better watch out, Cain. 00:27:00.720 --> 00:27:08.960 He actually says, sin is crouching at the door, and either you subdue it or it will master you and it will destroy you. 00:27:09.039 --> 00:27:11.680 And unfortunately for Cain, that's what happens. 00:27:13.440 --> 00:27:19.920 And see, it's so easy for us to look at this portion of scripture, and we're gonna go in the next few weeks and talk about the wars and all that stuff, the really hard stuff. 00:27:20.000 --> 00:27:27.279 But we have to understand on the front end that the reason there's so much blood in the Bible is because there's so much sin. 00:27:29.200 --> 00:27:41.440 And even though it's not a popular topic to talk about today, sin is real, sin is ugly, it is evil, and it is serious. 00:27:42.079 --> 00:27:44.160 And sin must be dealt with. 00:27:45.359 --> 00:27:50.240 And so God tells the people consecrate yourselves, be holy. 00:27:50.559 --> 00:27:51.599 How do you how do you do that? 00:27:51.680 --> 00:27:53.599 Well, you have to atone for sin. 00:27:54.319 --> 00:27:55.440 Well, how do you do that, God? 00:27:55.599 --> 00:27:57.279 Well, you have to shed blood. 00:27:58.240 --> 00:27:59.200 Well, whose blood? 00:27:59.279 --> 00:28:04.319 And unfortunately for the goats, I don't know if there were just a lot of them and they were around. 00:28:04.640 --> 00:28:08.000 I don't know if they had a say, but that's the way that it fell. 00:28:08.240 --> 00:28:11.119 And all jokes aside, you have this constant reminder. 00:28:11.279 --> 00:28:21.759 Just imagine their worship being a constant reminder of the seriousness of sin and the necessity for atonement to be consecrated to God. 00:28:22.319 --> 00:28:24.400 There's so much blood because there's so much sin. 00:28:24.559 --> 00:28:27.680 Now, this brings us to something really awesome. 00:28:27.759 --> 00:28:32.000 Because I realized that at this point in time, if we said, well, all right, guys, happy Mother's Day. 00:28:32.079 --> 00:28:35.599 There's a lot of sin, and there's a lot of blood, but thanks for being here. 00:28:35.680 --> 00:28:37.519 That'd be a weird way to end. 00:28:38.079 --> 00:28:48.000 Because, like I said at the beginning, I love I love this portion of Scripture because it illustrates Jesus for us in an amazing way, in a powerful way. 00:28:48.960 --> 00:28:51.279 Let's go back to the Day of Atonement for a second. 00:28:51.599 --> 00:29:03.519 The Day of Atonement, over the years, this became such a process, such a finely tuned machine in terms of selecting the right animal. 00:29:03.680 --> 00:29:16.400 By the time Jesus was walking the earth, by the time he left heaven, been born, I mean, it was down to a science, the way that the priest would select the sacrificial lamb every single year. 00:29:17.279 --> 00:29:24.559 And there was actually, by the time Jesus was around, one flock, one special flock of sheep. 00:29:25.680 --> 00:29:34.480 That the shepherds of that flock, I mean, they were the ones that they were going to be tending the flock that the sacrificial lamb would be chosen from every single year. 00:29:34.720 --> 00:29:42.160 And that flock just so happened to be in Bethlehem, which, if you know the story of Jesus, is the same city where Jesus is born. 00:29:42.240 --> 00:29:44.559 And so you know it's crazy to think about Christmas, right? 00:29:44.640 --> 00:29:48.640 The the shepherds are the ones that God says, hey, come and see this child. 00:29:48.799 --> 00:29:51.359 They're the first ones that get to show up and see baby Jesus. 00:29:51.440 --> 00:30:04.640 And these shepherds very likely, very possibly, happen to be the same shepherds whose job it is every year to tend to the flock that the sacrificial lamb who will die innocently in place of all the sin of Israel will be chosen from. 00:30:06.400 --> 00:30:25.839 When John the Baptist sees Jesus early in Jesus' ministry, he says to the people around him, this is John chapter 1, verse 29, says, the next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. 00:30:26.880 --> 00:30:28.240 The Lamb of God. 00:30:29.519 --> 00:30:31.759