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Alright, well good morning everybody. Hope you all had a nice Christmas Day anybody too much money and never I don’t I don’t eat too much and it was fine for me I thought it was perfect the perfect amount of food. You know? I can I suggest really, I can just eat and eat and eat and eat and sleep and eat and I never feel bad I never feel sick until the day comes when I have to hold my breath to tie my own shoes and then I realize I’m in a little bit of trouble here. And then we go on a two week diet we start over again. Well, we are in the book of numbers. Numbers chapter three dad started out for say we’re going to wrap it up. Some somebody was saying to me after the first service, can’t we just skip the book of numbers and you know who you are. And for only $50 I won’t tell pop up. Book of Numbers chapter three. Now what is happening here is God is establishing or re establishing the role of his people, not only in their service to him that we pray over the word yet. No, let’s do that first right. Prophecy conferences when? 24th and 25th. It’s a Friday and a Saturday. There’s a signup sheet out there for the prophecy conference, if you can make it. It’s Friday and Saturday. So dad was adamant that was you should have no trouble skipping that day of work on Friday and go into the prophecy conference. I’m hoping I can go We’ll see. But let’s pray. Heavenly Father, we come before you in Jesus name and we’re so grateful for your word. This book that we have in front of us, Father That we’re so blessed to have Lord and we confess to you we so take it for granted, Lord, that we have your very word and our hands in our laps, Lord, and we don’t give it the preeminence, that it deserves Father, we don’t give it the time that it deserves. And we’re so grateful, Lord, that You know who we are, you know how we are. And you love us just the same father and your grace and your mercy cover where we lack and but we’re here today father, and we want to study your words together. We want to hear from you today. And so we ask Lord, that You would speak your speak your voice, Lord, speak your will into our hearts. Give us our portion of daily bread. Each person father here needs to hear something from you today, Lord, they need something that I could never ever in a million years give them Lord but you can because you know their hearts you know every single thing about them father and I pray that you would take this portion of of daily bread father and that you would sustain them Lord, give them the life that they need through it, father and give them the answers that they’re looking for. Hope that they’re seeking father and put joy in their hearts through this word in Jesus name we pray, Amen. Amen. So God is establishing not only the roles of his people within the camp within the nation of Israel, but more importantly, establishing himself in their lives where, where not just where they fit into His kingdom, but where he fits into their lives and what they owe him. What He requires of them what He requires of their hand, in their service and their service to him. And this is a very, very, very, very important thing. I think for each VC even though we’re in the Age of Grace, even though we’re not under the law, we always need to remember we always need to understand that God has not changed, right? Jesus said, I have not come to abolish the law, do not think that I’ve come to abolish the law. I’ve come to fulfill the law, the essence of the law and the words of the Law Jesus said, not one jot or tittle not one piece of punctuation from the law will pass away until all things pass away heaven and earth will pass away, but my word will never pass away. So there’s nothing about God that has changed. Okay. I think that that’s a grave misunderstanding that people have and a great misconception that people have when we think about our faith versus the faith of the people in the Old Testament, this the same faith. It’s the same faith, the only difference is Messiah came. Some people accepted Him, some people rejected him, but it’s the exact same faith, God has not changed, and each of us as His followers as those who have been redeemed who have been bought with the precious blood of the Lamb, those of us who are Gentiles, or were these wild olive branches, that God by His grace and mercy has grafted into the olive tree that began all the way back in the Garden of Eden and continues Abraham and then Moses and the prophets and onwards from there we are in grafted into that tree, we ought to still know where we belong in the kingdom. Where does God belong in my life? We obviously know when every aspect of my lives but these are things that we ought to be thinking about. We ought to be dwelling upon these things, or we should never take the relationship that we have with God through Jesus Christ. And the grace that has been bestowed upon us is just an as an attitude of flippancy of just kind of like, yeah, I’m a Christian, and now I can just kind of do whatever I want and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, well, you are free, you are free, but you’re free from sin and death and shame and destruction. You are not free from serving Almighty God. There is still a cost that goes along with being a follower. There’s still something that goes in the cost is our lives. The Bible says offering up our bodies as living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to him. is a reasonable service. That’s just like that’s just your reasonable service. That’s not extra credit. That’s just what we’re supposed to naturally be doing as Christians as followers of Jesus Christ. But each one of us ought to be seeking God. What is it that you want me to be doing in my life today? where I stand now? Where do I fit in? What do you want me to do? Who do I need to be ministering to? What do I need to be doing? How can I serve you there ought to be a heart there ought to be a natural desire within followers of Jesus Christ to serve Him. And we as Americans living in the day and age that we live in because of the gray and, and I always want to want to, you know, kind of surround what I’m about to say with don’t ever feel bad or don’t ever feel guilty about the great blessings in your life. Right? You didn’t ask to be born, say should tell my parents all the time. I didn’t ask to be born. Yeah. You asked to be born into the family you were born in. You didn’t ask to be born as a time you were born. This was preordained by God understand that the great blessings in your life the great luxury and opulence that we live in as Americans in this day and age. God ordained you to live in this time and to live this life. Okay, so there’s no, there’s never should be any feelings of guilt about what God has blessed you with. But we need to understand that the things that God has blessed you and I with and where he has put us, he put you here for a reason. He put me here for a reason. There’s a job for you to be doing. And we need to be very, very careful because the very fact that we’re blessed with so many luxuries, is the very thing that can pull us away from God. Amen. It’s so easy. It’s so natural for you and I to get distracted. get pulled away from the things of God. That’s why we come to church. That’s why we come to church, my people. I love you guys. That’s why we’re here. This is supposed to be an oasis for you and I, this is an aid station, right? Sometimes you could crawl here, limp here, get your your bring your rest, however you can get here, get here, because God wants to put the ceiling over the soothing ointment and sab upon the wounds that this world has stricken you with. Or maybe the wounds you stricken yourself with. Right? God wants to put his healing ointment on those things. When we read the word together, when we fellowship together, this is God is this is his family. This is this we are family here. We are gathered here to encourage one another to exhort one another to encourage one another and The faith and in the studying and the furthering of our faith through the Word of God. That’s why we’re here. That’s why we’re here. Church is a privilege. It’s a privilege. It’s something that you don’t have to do. It’s something that you get to do. It’s something that you get to do. And that’s a wonderful thing. But I want to know, God, what am I supposed to be doing? Where am I supposed to be? Who am I supposed to be ministering to? And I want to be open to his voice at all times, so that he can change my direction and turn me on a dime. Because the fact of the matter is, sometimes my wife will tell you if I get off the wrong exit. I do. I get off the wrong exit, or I get my eyes off of the wheel and the next thing you know, I’m on the rumble strips, right? All the time. And this happens in my life all the time. I need to constantly be taking inventory, what needs to change god what needs to be fine tune what needs to be strengthened. What needs to be chiseled away? God, I want you to have every part of me. That’s what he wants. What’s more children of God? That’s what he requires. That’s what he requires. It requires this of us. Now, God is saying to Moses, to set aside a certain, a certain group of people for the service of the tabernacle. He goes through first in verse three, chapter, chapter three, verse one, verse five, sorry, the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, bring the tribe of Levi near and present them before Aaron, the priest, that they may serve Him, first of all, the tribe of Levi. That was the tribe that Moses and Aaron were both from. And the reason that the Levi’s dad covered this this morning, one of the reasons that the Levi’s had been set apart by God for the priesthood was because When the children of Israel had created the golden calf and interestingly enough, you remember who created the golden calf right? High Priest Aaron. But Sarah forum, right? Hi free starion creates the golden calf while Moses is up on Mount Sinai receiving the commandments of God. And they begin to worship this false, this false idol. And they begin to party and commit debauchery and all sorts of wicked things. Moses gets down, and God rumbles the earth all this thing or shakes, and Moses says, who was for the Lord, come on this side of the line and remember who came on that side of the line to leave it and their first work of ministry. It wasn’t very seeker friendly, if I’m just going to strap a sword on and kill every one of you, his neighbor, his friend, who was committing idolatry and they did and God brought judgment on the children of Israel that day. And the Levi’s the Levi’s where the tribe That was willing to say, we are for the Lord. We are for the Lord, even though they may 10 minutes ago, have been worshipping that golden calf. Aaron was the one that built the golden calf. Remember when Moses asked him about it? What did you do? They gave me the gold and I threw it into the fire and this calf jumped out. Can you imagine he said that? He said that, guys, like there’s my high priest right there. I picked him. God has a sense of humor, does he not? Right? Those of you who know me know how true that is. Okay, and God said, these are going to be my people, not because they were perfect, not because they hadn’t committed idolatry. But because when the word came forth, who was on the Lord side, they stepped across the line. You see the points coming right before I even say it, don’t you? Who was on the Lord side? Who is on the Lord side? There’s a line in this life. There’s a line in this world. There’s a line in your home. There’s a line in your family. There’s a line everywhere. And what God was asking them the children of Israel is who is willing to step across the line for me. Remember what Jesus Christ said? He who does not hate their mother, father, sister, brother for my What? Jesus? What? What’s in this put in this juice? I mean, are you what what does he mean by Jesus was not saying you need to hate your family. Please don’t ever miss understand that. Oh, someone tell you. That’s what he was saying. Jesus was making a comparison. The love and devotion and commitment that we have for God, compared to the love and devotion and commitment we have for even our own children should be so wide. There should be such a disparity there that it might be considered hate it Not really. But you understand the point right? There should be such a distance between God And everyone else be between God and everything in my life that some people scoffers might even be able to say he doesn’t even care about his family compared to his his whole God thing. Amen. Amen. And I’ve jumped in front of a bus, train bullet whatever for my family, no problem. I really I’m like, I’m ready to go quite frankly. You know what I’m saying? I mean, some of you look concerned I there’s the older I get Mr. Dell said this one time the older and older I get the less impressed I am with this world. The less impressed I am with it. You know, I’m saying I’ve experienced all the stuff man. I’ve done all the stuff. I held myself back from nothing right? And it’s empty. You know, listen, read song of our excuse me, read Ecclesiastes. Read Ecclesiastes. Listen to what Solomon says. The Richest Man the most powerful man that ever lived on the face of the planet. And he says in there I denied myself nothing. Solomon had 300 wives and 700 concubines, that is living girlfriends. from all around the globe, the most beautiful women on the planet. He had opulence and wealth to the point that it says silver was like stones, you see a piece, it’s just silver. Imagine that’s how wealthy Israel was during the time of Solomon. And he said, and I withheld nothing from myself. I indulged in everything. And here’s what I found out.
Vanity of vanities, it’s soap bubbles. It has an appearance of having form. It has an appearance of having something that you can hold on to, but when you try to grab it, there’s nothing there. It’s emptiness. It’s emptiness. And Solomon at the very end of the book, he says, here’s what I’ve concluded. serve God, do good and serve God. I like what the Bible says that godliness with contentment is great gain is great gain. I can go to a wealthy party or I can go to a wealthy home when I could go around people who have all sorts of money, and there’s never a time that I don’t stand in a place like that and say I’m the richest dude here. I am the richest dude, Who among you, you know me. I’m the richest person here. I don’t need anything. I don’t have to chase anything. I don’t have to worry about what my neighbors think about me. I mean, you look at my yard. I don’t worry about what my neighbors think about me. All my Italian friends are like it’s despicable. It sickens me. I don’t have to worry about chasing after these things, because I truly at some point In my life was found by God. I didn’t find him. I was found by him. And he gives me everything that I need to be fulfilled and content. And I’m ready to go. I believe what the Apostle Paul said, he goes, I would rather be absent from the body and present with God. It’s good for us. And I’m here. He said, it’s good for you that I’m here. And I’m writing these things for you. But I would rather be absent from the body and present with the Lord. The older I get, folks, the more I say, I would rather be absent from the body. That song we sang when I die. Don’t cry for me. In my Father’s arms. I’ll be the wounds this world left on my soul will all be healed. And I’ll be told who Yeah, baby, let’s go. And so what manner of lives ought we to live that saying that stuff that I just said is easy to say. But based upon that, how my life to look, I’m the first one to confess to you not the way it does. Okay? Every day, you could fall if you followed me around if you were like a true stalker. Right. And you followed me around. I gave 1020 times during the day you’d be like, those are those the actions of a man who seeks to only be walking in the Lord’s light all of the time? You know what I’m saying? He’s walking in the light of Twinkies. He’s walking in the light of you know, movies or entertainment or he’s walking in the light of having fun or doing this thing or doing that thing is and we are human. Again, I always want to go back this with you guys. God knows your frame. It’s the little kid it’s a little toddler kitten. You say, hey, Daddy’s out here working like a slave because of your mother and I sweating and I’m hurting I’ve cut fix because of your mother Remember that? And could you please get daddy a glass of water because Daddy’s gonna go soon if I don’t have and so the toddler runs it runs into the house and the toddler comes back out with a glass of water. It looks like a petri dish. Right? There’s organisms he’s taken a sip, whatever crackers were embedded in his molders are now in the water. And it’s warm. There’s no ice his fingerprints all over. I don’t know what those fingerprints are because of what was on his hand. or her hand that left a fingerprint on the glass. Nothing sanitary I guarantee and I never would take and receive that glass of water and dump it on your little head to smash it on the ground ago. You saw net what you notice as parents. Oh my goodness thank you. This is so cool. Oh my. So good. This is the most wonderful. Why, why that water is garbage? their service was garbage to you. It did nothing, it’s probably you’re probably going to get sick now. But what that child did because it came from their heart because they love their daddy or they love their mommy is the most precious and beautiful treasure in the world. And that’s what you see as a parent Jesus said, If you then being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children. How much more were your heavenly Father give the Spirit to those who have here I am dad, here’s my surface for you, I got you so on. And he looks down and he says, Oh, you didn’t get any slimmer since the last time I looked at you. This is a Gabriel Can you believe it? Thank you. That’s never his heart loves you. He adores you. He didn’t die for you by mistake. You are his great treasure. And in a world of pain and confusion, and darkness and misery, there’s no greater thing that I could ever tell you, or thing to make you feel any better about you and who you are than to say that your God gave himself for you. Because you’re his great treasure. on his birthday, you received the gift. You received the gift. He’s worthy of every song we could ever sing that song. I love it. worthy of every breath I could ever breathe. He’s Word of the Lord. What can I do? Lord, how can I be of service? though? It’s miserable, though. It’s not ever going to be good enough. What can I do for you, God, when that line is drawn, I want to be the one that steps across that. I always want to be that guy. I’ve King David. What a great day. Apple. What a maniac. This guy’s a maniac out of his mind. He kills people. Right? he commits adultery has a husband. It just doesn’t get worse than that. God says this is a man after my own heart but are you are you even watching anymore? You know what I mean? Are you kidding me? I wonder sometimes the angels what they were like up there just going well he’s God Holy, holy, you know for me. You know no lightning, okay, holy. You know, this man is a maniac. This man is but but when ever The line was drawn, David didn’t step across did he did a leaping summer flip across that. I love that portion of Scripture when one of his servants and David seeking to buy this hill that would later become the Temple Mount. And he seeking to buy it to offer sacrifices to God. And the guy says to him, David, you’re my cane. You’re my king. Got to buy it from me and give it to you. It’s yours. Take it. No But surely I will pay and neither will I offer to my God, that which costs me nothing. Because He’s worthy. The word worship comes from the root word worth ship. What’s he worth? always worth everything. And there’s nothing. There’s nothing that I should want to keep from him. But we lie to ourselves, and we make agreements with ourselves. And God knows that about you, too. And he loves you just the same. We’re here today for a reminder for a reminder, he wants us to step across the line so he chose the tribe of Levi, verse nine, you shall give it a leave it to Aaron and his sons, they are given entirely to him from among the children of Israel. So you shall appoint Aaron and his sons and they shall attend to their priesthood, but the outsider who comes near shall be put to death, Jesus, God was being very active. In here that only the Levi’s were to serve in the tabernacle and later, the temple, only the Levi’s they were chosen by God. And there was nothing that man could ever do to add to that. Does that make sense?
God said, this is the way the worship needs to look. And this is the way I’ve ordained it to be. And God wasn’t looking for a second opinion. I love it when people give God a second opinion. Have you ever given God a second opinion? Lord, I’d like to just chime in. Is this the board meeting? Yes, I’d like to be recognized. Can I have the conch you know what I mean? I’m gonna I’m gonna I’m gonna help God out here. I’m gonna help God out Listen, God I can we can make this better. We can we can do this better. We just need to add a few things we need to do a couple of extra things. Well, Aaron sons they have an A by who they added a couple extra things. They put some incense into the fire that God had not prescribed. And fire came out from the tabernacle of the holy place and consumed him. Okay, oh, I’m glad we live in the Age of Grace. He said, Wow, I’d like to see miracles like that. Oh no good for you. You go, I’m staying here, right? I’ll be gone right here, be consumed standing up here preaching a message feel like I’m doing it right. And all of a sudden, was Ted glow behind him. It’s getting brighter. Oh boy. But God was making it very clear to not only the children of Israel, but to you and I, I don’t need you to add anything to what I’ve done. And I don’t need you to add anything to the worship I’ve prescribed. Nothing. Take it as I’ve given it to you and rejoice in it. That’s what the whole point of the manna and why Jesus said I’m the bread comes down from heaven. And he’s also compared to the man as compared to the Word of God manna manna. It’s like had a slight sweetness to it, but it was just bread. They got sick of it. They complained against that they hated the man and they said there’s a little bit they were so sick of it. nothing you can do. There’s no tomato sauce you can add to what you can’t deep fry it there was nothing that you could it’s man an everyday man a man a man a minimum is nothing but man I’m sick to death of this man. Oh, we want meat we want me to eat. So God sent a strong wind and quail came into the camp and they were consuming the quail and stuffing it and frying it news greasy and delicious and wonderful. And while the food was still in their mouths, a plague came with that with that quail, and they begin to die in the place of that place was called kibra. Hot Hot avala which means graves of craving. Things that I crave and the things that I want to add. God says, am I enough son? Am I enough? Just the way I am? Is my word enough? Just the way it’s written? is enough. Oh god, it’s enough and he wants it to be enough in our lives. Verse 14, the Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai saying, number the children of Levi by their fathers houses by their families, by their families, you shall number every male, from a month old and above. Now remember, before this in chapter two, when God had numbered the other tribes of Israel, he only numbered the men who are fighting age 22, whatever, however old they were still strapped on a sword and could still swing a sword. The men of fighting age were numbered. Now, when it came to the tribe of Levi, it’s everyone from one month old and older, that was counted, because it’s a different kind of dedication. So Moses numbers in them according to the word of the Lord, as he was commanded, these were the sons of Levi by their names Gersh on kohath and Murari. And these are the names of the sons of gursha. And by their families, Livni and Shimei. That’s the verse 22.
Those who were numbered according to the number of all the males from a month old and above of those who were numbered, there were 7500 the families of the Knights were to camp. Behind the tabernacle westward and the leaders of the Father’s house of the Knights was LSF, the son of Lea Lael, the duties of the children of gursha, in the tabernacle of meeting included the tabernacle, the tent with its covering the screen for the door of the tabernacle of meeting, the screen for the door of the court, the hands of the court, which around the tabernacle and the altar, and their cords, according to all the work relating to them. Now you understand what’s going on here. Where you had every tribe of Israel, there was one founding father of each tribe, the one of the head of the family, the head of that tribe. His family was numbered when it came to Levi. It was these three because they were going to be chosen by God for specific works of service. Okay, the family of gursha you see, we just ran Their job is going to be to carry all of the fabrics, the coverings for the tabernacle of meeting. First 27 from Kohut from kohath, came the fab family of the Ammonites, and the family of the Israelites and the family of the Hebrew nights in the family of the Uzziah lights. I mean, why not? I’m saying it can’t be like, you know, Smith, I like our names a little bit better. These are the families of the CO sites according to the number of all the males from month old and above, there were 8600 keeping charge of the sanctuary. The families of the children co hosts were to camp on the south side of the tabernacle, and the leader of the Father’s house of the families and kohath was a laser fan, the son of Uziel, their duty included the ark, the table, the lamp stand, the altars, the utensils of the sanctuary, with which they ministered the screen and all the work relating to them. So now this second family, the families of kohath, their duty and these are all Levi’s, okay, these are families within the tribe. Levi, their duty was to deal with all of the utensils the Ark of the Covenant, the lampstand the table of show bread now we’re going to find out later on that they didn’t just walk into the to the Most Holy Place and grab the ark I got this and who got see you? No, no, no, no, no, no, it would be it was to be covered first there was a special polls that went through it. It was to be taken out by Moses and Aaron only, they just walked in there to grab the ark because it’s moving time and they get smoked. It hadn’t prepared first. And there was no cart for the Ark of the Covenant. We’re going to find out later that the families that their duty was to take the all of the coverings for the tabernacle. And then the next family we’re going to talk about whose job was all of the pillars and the posts and the boards and stuff. They had carts that they were given with which to carry all of these things, but the family the sites whose job it was to carry the articles of the tabernacle, that is the utensils, all of the ark and the table of show bread and the lampstand and all of these things. There was no card, they were to be carried. And they were to be carried in the prescribed way, specifically, and any deviation from that, and they would be death. Later on, as we get into the book of first books, the First and Second Samuel, we have the account where the Ark of the Covenant has been taken away by the Philistines, and then a plague breaks out amongst them. So they send it back off, they put it on a cart, and they send it back up towards the camp of Israel. And as they’re bringing it up. This one one of David’s men, the cart, the cart rocks, and it looks like the Ark of the Covenant going to fall off the cart. And so xyo reaches out with his hand to steady the Ark of the Covenant. God strikes him and he dies. And David was angry, the Bible said he was angry because God had done this thing. But God had already told them years past the prescribed way in which the Ark of the Covenant was to be handled, and which isn’t the way in which it was to be carried and he was not joking and times had not changed and we do things differently. Now. It was the same prescribed way. And so as good as this young man’s intentions were when he reached out to touch the glory that God has said, No man may touch the glory and lives. He paid the price. I’m sure we’ll see ozai in heaven, you know what I mean? And it’d be like, Oh, this is What’s up, buddy. Tough break. I wonder what your job is going to be in the millennial reign. I’m going to be the guy going around saying don’t touch that. Don’t touch that. Trust me. Don’t touch that. Okay. Can’t touch this. See what you did. And le A’s are the son of Aaron the priests was to be chief over the leaders of the leave it with, excuse me, with oversight of those who get charge of the sanctuary. from Hurricane the family of the mouth lights and the family the lights are mush lights. These are the families and Murari and those who are number to corner the number of all the mail From a month old and above were 6200, the leader of the Father’s house of the families and Marie was Arielle, the son of AB, Ohio. These were the camp on the north side of the tabernacle. And the appointed duty of the children of Harare included the boards of the tabernacle, its bars, its pillars, its sockets, its utensils, all the work relating to them and the pillars of the court all around with their sockets, their pegs and their cords. Moreover, those who were to camp before the tabernacle on the east, before the tabernacle of meeting, where Moses, Aaron and his sons keeping charge of the sanctuary to meet the needs of the children of Israel, but the outsider who came near was to be put to death. All who were numbered of Levi to Moses, Scenario number two, the commandment of Lord by their families, all the males from a month old and above were 22,000. And I love how God arranges them because he puts a group of these Levi’s on every side of the tabernacle. on every side of the tabernacle was a group of Levi’s whose job it was to minister in something portion of worship in the tabernacle, not only to be close to the tabernacle, but also to be a buffer between the tabernacle and the people. I want to read a verse for you. Well, let’s see. This is First Peter chapter two, First Peter chapter two, verses one through 10.
This is to you, and this is to me, and this is the Apostle Peter. Okay, speaking to us, therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babies desire the pure milk of the word. You Ever See a newborn you’ve ever newborn around? They’re always rooting like this, you’re holding their head starts going thump, thump, thump, thump. What’s wrong with this kid? You know? I mean, he’s looking for milk. She’s looking for milk and of course They’re rooting around, right? Just looking for milk. They want it so bad. You don’t I mean, they want it so bad and then they’re for and it’s weird. And they still want it. You ever see that? That’s weird. But anyways, Peter says, that’s how I’m like you desire the word. Like babes. Don’t make it difficult. Don’t make it something hard. Just like babies that desire milk, desire the word that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious I have coming to him as to a Livingstone rejected indeed by men, but chosen by Gods and precious. You also as living stones are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Therefore it is also contained in the scripture Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious and he who believes on him will By no means be put to shame, therefore to you who believes that you and I, he that is Jesus is precious, but to those who are disobedient, the stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone, and a stone of stumbling in a rock of a fence, they stumbled, being disobedient to the word to which they also were appointed, but you, but you, that’s you, and that’s me, are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, his own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. Who wants we’re not a people, but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. You are a part of a holy nation, a royal priesthood, and part of what God is calling you and I to do Is to also in camp around the truth of God around the Ministry of God and to be a buffer between him and the people in our lives who don’t know him, who don’t understand him who may be taken for granted, maybe are angry with him who maybe are flippin about it. You and I are that buffer, you and I, that’s what he means by a royal priesthood, a holy nation. That’s what God had originally wanted for the children of Israel. He says that in Exodus 19, six, he says, and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests, interesting, a holy nation, a kingdom of priests, not just not just one group of guys, that just one tribe. You’re going to kingdom of priests and a holy nation, to be a light and to be a buffer between the world and God to the people to be a buffer and to be Proclaimers of the truth of God. Word and of the gospel Jesus Christ.
Okay, whoops I skipped with our so last thing I want to say on the close with this Okay, we’re going to fly down from verse 40. The Lord said to Moses number all the firstborn males of the children of Israel from a month old and above and take the number of their names, and he shall take the Levi’s for me, I am the Lord instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the livestock of the Levi’s instead of all the firstborn among the livestock of the children of Israel. So Moses numbered all the firstborn among the children of Israel as the Lord commanded him. And all the firstborn males according to the number of names from a month old and above, of those who are numbered of them were 22,273. And the Lord spoke to Moses saying take the Levi’s instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the livestock of the Levi’s instead of their livestock, the Levi’s shall be mine, I am the Lord, and for the redemption of the 273 of the firstborn of the children of Israel who are more than The number of the Levi’s you shall take five shekels for each one individually, you shall take them in the currency of the shekel of the sanctuary, the shekel of 20 gharanas. And you shall give them money with, with which the excess number of them is redeemed to Aaron and his son. So Moses took the redemption money from those who are over and above those who are redeemed by the Levi’s, from the firstborn of the children of Israel, he took the money 1365 shekels according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and Moses gave their redemption money to Aaron and his sons according to the word of the Lord, as the Lord commanded Moses. So what’s happening here is God is saying, and God had proclaimed earlier, the first born, the firstborn child that breaks the matrix that opens the womb, and all the firstborn males belong to me. This was instituted in Egypt after the angel of death passed over, will pass it over the Jewish houses and went into the house of the Egyptians. Remember in every first born in the house of the Egyptians without blood on the left Souls. Without blood on the doorpost, every house that didn’t have the blood of the Lamb on the doorpost, the firstborn died. And from that moment on, and remember that was the thing with which God used to release the children of Israel, finally from the bondage of the Egyptians, finally the Pharaoh said, Get out of here. And from that day forward, God said, the firstborn belong to me, the firstborn belong to me, the firstborn are mine. Now God is now implementing that into the priesthood in this way, rather than every firstborn child and every firstborn male, being born having to be then dedicated to God and put into the service of God, a leave I would be put in service of God in his place. Does that make sense? Because God chose to leave it. So my firstborn, my son, he doesn’t have to go be a priest doesn’t have to go into the priesthood. He is covered by the Levi’s Levi’s themselves, every single one of them is a covering as a replacement for my firstborn. They’re standing in the gap to standing in the gap, their replacement on atonement, if you will, right. Everything always points to Jesus everything. So in place of my firstborn son, Levi is offered to God and put into the service of the tabernacle. And now that when it came to the shackles all that was there was more firstborns amongst the 12 tribes, the 11 tribes rather than there were Levi’s that were numbered. And so for that access numbers where there wasn’t a leave it to be to be put into service in place of this first born five shekels I wonder how they decided that, you know, I’m saying, like, Why me? Why do I gotta pay five? You know, this happened, right? There’s 2 million people, you know, when they came back for like, 25 shekels for me, well, how come Joe didn’t have to give five shekels? Why? Why do I have to give five show? There wasn’t enough Levi’s. Well, why wasn’t Why didn’t leave I go for my son? Are you saying to his sons the kidding? I see this is the way I see things happen like that. God knows that people turn over the shackle or the sanctuary is going to burn you. How’s that sound? You know what I mean? A lot easier to be a pastor in those days, you know, I’m saying, Hey, I’ll see you Sunday for God’s gonna burn you. Okay, sounds good. Alright, see you then. Right? Bring your shackles. That’s the hat again. Alright guys, that fire is not for me, okay. But God, putting the Levi’s into service, putting the leave it in the service, but making all of the people of the nation of Israel a part of that ministry, a part of that service, everything. It was a royal just as God had said, This is what his desire was that they would be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. You leave it were chosen by God. But that didn’t make them any more special than anybody else. And that’s the last thing I wanted to touch on. We’re done here. But the last thing I wanted to touch on was there is no one service towards God that’s more special than another.
When you get to it, well, we’re going to be glorified. So nothing’s going to shock us, right? When we see Jesus, we’re gonna be like him, thank God. Because otherwise you go in just like raw like you are now, you’d probably die instantaneously. But even if you survived the fire, right, it is your server, and then you get to the table. And you see the people who are at the front of the line. And I bet you’d be shocked. Where’s Billy? Billy Graham? Hope I was Billy not up there. Who’s that guy was that guy’s janitor? Who was that guy? He was homeless? Who was that lady? No one that anybody knew. But her heart was pure before the Lord and her service was pure before the Lord. And she’s as valuable as the Apostle Paul. And she says worthy is Peter. And she says great in the kingdom, anybody else? Because their service was pure, and their service was true. When God said, who will step across the line for me? She jumped. Amen.
Let’s pray. Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Word, Lord. And thank you for all the tidbits and truth that you’ve given us, Lord in the books of the law pertaining to our relationship with you, Father, even as Gentiles, we’re so grateful. You’ve grafted us into your family, Father, and you’ve made us a part of this kingdom of priests and just the flattering words that you use to describe us, Lord God, we understand that we’re not worthy of and yet you’ve made us worthy by the blood of the Lamb by the blood of your Son, Jesus Christ. And you’ve touched our unclean lips, Lord, with the burning coal of your Holy Spirit. And you’ve put us into the ministry, Lord, every one of us, to be used by you, Father, to proclaim the truth of your word, the truth of the kingdom, and of the gospel of Jesus Christ and for that we are so truly grateful father, and we’re so thankful for what you’ve done. I pray that you would bless us as we go our way father, that should cause these things that we’ve talked about today to be written on a tablets of our hearts and Everywhere we go, father to see more family Lord, to go back to work wherever it is that we go, Lord, these words would go with us and we would be ready, always ready, Lord, to step across the line for you. Always be ready to make a stand. Always be ready to proclaim the truth, Lord, should we be questioned or asked or put on the spot where we would never be ashamed of who we are in your kingdom father, and how we feel about you and how we trust in your son for our salvation. Lord, we ask and pray, Father, that you would make us exactly who you need us to be. And I pray that you bless my brothers and sisters who are here. I pray that you bless them with health Father, I pray that you would bless them with Financial Peace, Lord, I pray that you would bless them, most importantly, with the power and the filling of your Holy Spirit, Lord God so that even if they don’t get the first two things, you’re enough, Lord, I pray that you would always be enough for every single one of us, Lord, and we would always look to you for our hope, and for our joy, Lord. Thank you. We love you and we praise you in Jesus name, amen. Amen. Thanks, everybody.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai