Sermon Tone Analysis

*SS-Consecrated for Service-02-12-06*

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*Focus: *To appreciate that God sets believers apart for His service and consecrate our lives to Him.

 

*Central Truth:*  God calls and sets apart people for His service.

*Golden Text:* "/Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work./"

(2 Timothy 2:21, NKJV)

Today’s lesson begins a new unit theme for study.

We just finished the writings of Peter and Jude; now we will study from the book of Numbers for at least the next three weeks.

The Book of Numbers is one of the Five Books of Moses; Genesis thru Duet.

They are frequently called the Books of the Law or the Pentateuch – which means five scrolls.

And they are believed to have been written around 1400B.C. – or about 3, 500 years ago.

Our lesson is going to begin in Numbers 3 where the tribe of Levi was set apart for service into the priesthood, and we will close with a piece of scripture from 2 Timothy about being a vessel of honor.

Question: Why is it important for us to know about the OT priesthood?

(We are called into a priesthood and the OT is where the teaching on the priesthood comes from.

So we can learn from it although we are not required to do all the things they were required to do.)

Every Christian is called into a priesthood.

When we receive Christ as our Savior we are consecrated for service to God.

That means we have been set apart to serve God.

Question:  As priests that are set apart for service to God, what are our responsibilities to other people?

(A priest is a mediator between God and man.

As such we are responsible for bringing other men and women into contact with God through our witness, prayer, ministering to their needs, and a variety of other responsibilities.)

*I.

Separated for Service.

Numbers 3:5-13.*

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*Vs.

5-9.*

This event was occurring as the Israelites were at Mount Sinai after the exodus from Egypt.

Part of the structure that God was initiating for Israel as a nation was the priesthood that would establish and continue the worship of God.

Prior to this particular event, we find in Exodus 28-29 where Aaron and his sons had been consecrated as priests.

Aaron was also a Levite, but here we see where the rest of the tribe of Levi was called into the priesthood to serve in the ministry of the tabernacle.

Before God initiated the Levitical priesthood, the head of each family or tribe would serve as a priest.

Now that there was a tabernacle to take care of and sacrifices to be offered, God ordained the tribe of Levi to serve and be responsible for the tearing down, moving, and setting up the tabernacle and for other daily responsibilities.

This effectively set up three levels of the priesthood.

There is the Levitical priesthood, the Aaronic priesthood, and then the High Priest, of which there was only one at a time and he was selected from the Aaronic priesthood.

The priesthood was further recognized by the garments that were ordered by God.

Every priest wore a white linen garment that covered from his shoulders to his ankles.

They all wore undergarments and a head covering and a sash around the waist.

However, the Aaronic priesthood wore a blue ephod with bells and pomegranites sowed on the bottom over the white linen garment.

This was a robe of separation – separating them from the Levitical priesthood.

Only the Aaronic priesthood was allowed to enter into the Holy Place of the Tabernacle.

The High priest wore an ephod that was a breastplate which had twelve precious stones on the front representing the twelve tribes of Israel.

In one source that I have it was noted that the Aaronic priesthood were the worshippers while the Levitical priesthood were the workers.

When Brother Ryan was here last week teaching us, he mentioned that Pentecostals were once known for swinging on the chandeliers, while other protestant denominations like the Baptists were known for their work in reaching the lost.

Although he said that is changing.

So, in one sense, it is very much today like what was established here in the OT priesthood.

It has also been noted by some that the blue ephod with bells and pomegranites is symbolic of Holy Spirit baptism – a robe of separation in today’s NT priesthood.

Symbolically, we can still see three levels of priesthood in operation today with Christ as the High Priest; believers who have the Baptism of the Holy Spirit; and believers who do not have the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.

And while the Aaronic priesthood and the Levitical priesthood had specific duties that they were supposed to perform, the lines of their duties became blurred later in Israel’s history when there wasn’t one or the other to do the work.

And just like Bro.

Ryan said, the lines between Pentecostals and other Protestant denominations are beginning to be crossed over.

*Vs.

10-13.*

In vs. 10, we see where only the Aaronic priesthood could serve in the tabernacle.

Anyone else who attempted to perform that service would be put to death.

Vs.

11-13 are referring to God’s declaration that all the firstborn males of the Israelites belonged to Him.

This was done following the Passover in Egypt because God had spared all the firstborn sons of Israel while the firstborn sons of Egypt were killed by the last plague on the Egyptians.

Now, God is instructing that all the males of the tribe of Levi will be set apart for priestly ministry in place of all the firstborn males of all the tribes of Israel.

This illustrates that God chooses whom He will to be set apart for His service.

It is who He chooses – not who man chooses – and God has chosen all who believe in Christ to be set apart for His service.

Every Christian has been called into a priesthood.

And just like the Levites, every Christian has been assigned a service to perform, some duty, some task, some ministry.

The term lay person needs to be buried, because it alludes that there are Christians who are to do nothing but come in, fill a pew, and lay back.

Nothing could be further from what the Bible teaches.

It is a privilege and an honor to be chosen by God for His service.

We should rejoice and embrace our responsibilities with our whole heart and set about our work for God with our very best efforts.

*II.

Provision for Service.

Numbers 3: 40-51.*

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*Vs.

39-42.*

God ordered a census of all the males of the tribe of Levi and all the firstborn males of all the rest of the tribes of Israel who were more than a month old.

When the census was taken, there were 273 more firstborn Israelites than male Levites.

Notice in vs. 41 where God had not only claimed the firstborn among the children of Israel, He had also claimed the firstborn among the livestock.

This is in addition to His claim of the first fruits of the harvests.

God’s claim to the first of all these was a way of teaching the Israelites to put God first.

God demands that we put Him first in our lives.

Our own natural tendencies are to want to keep whatever is best and first for ourselves.

But, anything we put ahead of God is idolatry.

*Vs.

43-51.*

The males of the Levites became substitutes for all the firstborn sons of Israel.

If God had not chosen all the males in the tribe of Levi for priestly service, all the firstborn sons of Israel would have been obligated to perform that service.

As we noted previously, there were 273 more firstborn Israelites than male Levites.

Now God commands that the excess has to be redeemed from priestly service by the payment of five shekels (five days wages) for each one.

This was the standard price for redemption.

Moses collected 1,365 shekels from the people of Israel and gave it to Aaron and his sons for the redemption of the 273 firstborn sons.

We too have been redeemed – redeemed from the bondage of sin.

While these firstborn sons of Israel were redeemed from the priestly ministry with silver and gold; we Christians have been redeemed and called into the priestly ministry by something far greater in value – the blood of Christ.

*III.

Cleansed for Service. 2 Timothy 2: 20-22.*

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*Vs.

20-21.*

In order to fully understand these three verses, we have to get into the content of Paul’s message to Timothy here in this letter.

In chapter 1 and part of chapter 2, Paul has been encouraging Timothy to remain faithful – faithful in the face of hardships; faithful in the face of those who might desert you; and faithful in the face of doctrinal error brought about by false teachers.

He tells Timothy to be strong in the grace of Christ and to be a good soldier, dedicated to the cause of teaching and preaching the truth.

In vs. 15, he says Timothy must be diligent to be able to rightly divide the word of truth.

In other words, he is saying he must apply himself to study so that he can accurately convey the truth of the word in a manner that is understandable.

That is an admonition that applies to all of us.

As priests, we are required by God to study His word for our own growth and so that we can effectively pass on its truth to others.

In vs. 17-18, Paul names two individuals who have strayed from the truth.

They are false teachers and Paul says their message will spread like cancer.

They were teaching that the resurrection has already occurred.

It is believed that this means they were teaching a spiritual resurrection that occurs with Christianity and denying the bodily resurrection.

The reason that kind of teaching is dangerous is because it leads to the further teaching that if this body will not be resurrected, then a person does not have to worry about sins like immorality, because sins against the body aren’t important.

In vs. 19, Paul says, “Nevertheless, the church is built on a solid foundation and it has been sealed.