Leviticus: The Great High Priest | Guest Speaker: Brad O'Kelley

I know that you are excited.

Like I said, you survive spring break, or as I like to refer to it, break 972 of the school year.

You know, I've I told the first crowd, I honestly do believe we that teachers should make more money than they do.

They should we should double all teachers' salaries.

Oh, somebody was clapping about that.

That's nice.

We should double your salaries.

And I think we should do that by cutting all the breaks.

Like that's that's what we're gonna do.

We'll double your salary, you get no breaks, okay?

Like you got to take my kids and you just they're yours for a year, okay?

Send them back at the end of the year, they better be smarter, okay?

That's that's all I'm saying.

But I know that uh you survived spring break, you came to church today, you were so excited, and then a guy stands up here that you're probably not real fond of, and then on top of that, he says, let's talk about Leviticus 8.

And you're like, Yes, I came back for Leviticus, you know, like this is great.

It's not as bad as you think it's gonna be.

Well, it might be, I don't know.

You can talk about that at lunch after you leave here, but it's not as bad as you think it's gonna be because what Leviticus chapter 8 is doing is setting the tone for something in the future, and the tone has been set previously for this uh Leviticus chapter 8.

Leviticus 8 · chapter mention Leviticus 8 · chapter mention

And we'll explain all that in a minute, but uh we understand that a little bit because in our lives we're constant, the tone is constantly being set, right, for something.

Maybe you are a parent of children and you set the tone for them babies, right?

Like, and they're perfect and wonderful, and they listen to every word that you say, don't they?

And do everything exactly like you tell them.

That's just how it goes, right?

Or maybe, you know, you're a business owner or something like that, and you have to set the tone with employees, right?

They gotta know how this works, and some of you are good, some of you are bad.

If you're like me, you're not very good at it.

But um, you know, you set the tone with that, right?

We're and then on top of that, the tone is constantly being set for us in other ways, and I have a great example of this.

I don't know if any of you have noticed this, but one great example that the tone is being set is is in every, seems like every place I go now, self-checkout.

Does anybody notice that?

Everywhere you go is gone complete self-checkout.

Now, full disclosure, I'm a self-checkout guy.

I love it.

I think it's the greatest thing that's ever happened.

I love self-checkout.

You want to know why?

Because I know what I'm doing.

That's why.

I can do this.

I can scan the items, I can get out the door, I can do self-checkout.

I'm great with self-checkout.

I love it.

I love everything about it.

Here's why.

Because if you are part of a business that says we're going to self-checkout and we're gonna install all self-checkout from here on out, what you are setting the tone for with me is that you are going to leave me alone.

Do you understand?

Like, if we're gonna do self-checkout, which I'm all for, that means go away.

Don't bother me.

I will take care of this.

But no, that's not the case.

I give you a perfect example.

I had to set the tone with a complete stranger this week.

You want to know how I did it?

I hit him with my car.

He's fine.

He deserved it.

You want to know why I deserved it?

Because I pull up to the car wash.

There's a giant stone pillar at the car wash.

Inside that pillar is a touch screen that a toddler could choose a car wash on.

It is color-coded with the prices.

My five-year-old could pay for a car wash if she wanted to.

And I pull up to use that touch screen, and what happens?

Mr.

Car wash employee pops out from behind the pillar and is like, let me help you with that, sir.

To which I wanted to be like, no.

You put this in so that I don't need you.

Go away.

Of course, I didn't do that.

I hit him with the mirror of my car.

Because he jumped out of nowhere.

And to his response was, whoa, you got a little close.

No, no pudding.

I got close enough to use the touch screen that you installed for me to use.

He's like, let me help you with that.

Now he's reaching over my mirror and trying to touch the screen for me.

He hits the wrong button.

Guess what that means?

Gotta start over.

Start it all over again.

And then we finally get to the part as I'm holding my card in disgust to pay for this car wash.

He reaches and grabs the card out of my hand.

Only problem is, card reader's way over here.

He's way over here.

He begins to reach across the mirror to try to install the card to which he cannot reach.

So he hands me my card back and says, Can you insert your card?

Yeah, sure can.

Could have done this whole thing without you, but here we are.

So I go to insert my card just before the card gets in there.

He asks my very favorite question, which the tone has been set for this already, and that question is, would you like to leave a tip?

Now I don't know about you, but y'all are great people.

I know you're great people.

I'm not.

I'm bringing back the word no in this world.

I'm on a mission to bring no back.

Kids ask for something?

No.

You know?

Can we go here?

Nope.

Can we do something for spring break?

Not a chance.

Like, no.

I say no.

And my favorite thing to do now in this ridiculous tipping culture that we live in is to look you in your eyes and stare into your soul and say, no.

I don't want to leave a tip.

You're a server at a restaurant, pizza guy, I haven't tipped a barber in a long time, obviously, but those traditional tipping places, 20%'s my floor.

Sky's the limit from there.

All those traditional things where you should tip, I'm the tipper.

I love it.

I love doing that.

But if you're in the way, if you're in the way, the answer is no.

Where's the no button?

I'm gonna set the tone from here on out with this ridiculous tipping culture that the word no is perfectly acceptable.

So all of you should at least leave here today knowing that you are free to tell people no.

I'm not gonna tip you.

But the tone has been set.

We did that during COVID where we thought everybody deserved a tip, right?

You don't.

You don't deserve it.

Some people do.

You probably don't.

You don't deserve a tip for everything that you do.

The tone has been set, though, so now we have to walk through this.

The very same thing is happening in Leviticus chapter 8.

Leviticus 8 · chapter mention

The tone has been set.

You want to know how we know?

Well, it's real simple.

Because all of this in Leviticus chapter 8, the weird stuff we just read a minute ago, and the weirder stuff that we're gonna read in just a few minutes, has already been said.

Leviticus 8 · chapter mention

It was said in Exodus chapter 28 and 29.

Exodus 28 · chapter mention

When Moses goes up on Mount Sinai, he receives the Ten Commandments and all the commandments of God, he's gonna take it back down to the people of Israel.

God tells Moses every single bit of this that is in Leviticus 8.

He did it in Exodus 28 and 29.

This, Leviticus 8, is Moses doing exactly what the Lord God told him to do.

It's almost word for word as we walk through it.

But what we have to understand for us is that what we're truly looking at is we're looking at the process.

The reason we're looking at the process is because this process will set the tone for something in the future.

That's what we have to know.

So let's look at it.

It's gonna get weird.

Prepare yourselves, okay?

It's Leviticus.

It's gonna be weird.

Couple things I want you to notice, though.

Here's the process.

First thing, they were washed.

Look at Leviticus chapter 8, verse 5 and 6.

Leviticus 8:5

It says, and Moses said to the congregation, This is the thing that the Lord commanded to be done.

And Moses brought Aaron and his sons and washed them with water.

This is a ceremonial cleansing that is happening because Moses is getting ready to install Aaron and his sons.

Aaron will be the high priest, his sons will be lower priest, and they are going to minister to the Israelites.

Aaron will begin to fulfill the duties of the high priest.

He will go into the Holy of Holies in the temple, and he will make sacrifices on their behalf.

That's what Aaron will do as the high priest.

So, as the first part of the ceremony, he had to be washed ceremonially to be cleansed in front of the people.

So he's washed.

Look at the second thing that happens.

They were clothed.

Look at Leviticus 8, 7 through 9.

Here's what it says.

It says, And he put the coat on him, tied the sash around his waist, and clothed him with the robe, and put the ephod on him, and tied the skillfully woven band of the ephod around him, binding it to him with the band, and he placed the breastplate on him, and in the breastplate he put the urium and the thurium, and he set the turban on his head.

And on the turban in front, he set the golden plate, the holy crown, as the Lord commanded Moses.

All of this, all of this strange clothing that now Aaron has to wear is all out of Leviticus 28 and 29.

God even reveals to Moses in that time on Mount Sinai exactly how the clothing of the high priest has to be made.

And here we are, seeing it come full circle to being placed on Aaron as the first high priest.

So they were washed, they were clothed.

Look at the second thing.

Look at the third thing.

They were anointed.

Verses 10 through 12.

It says, Then Moses took the anointing oil and anointed the tabernacle and all that was in it, and consecrated them, sprinkled some of it on the altar seven times, anointed the altar, all its utensils, and the basin and its stand to consecrate them.

And he poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron's head and anointed him to consecrate him.

So now here's Moses doing exactly what God told him to do back in Exodus, and he is setting apart Aaron and his sons for this priestly duty.

They are going to become the priest.

And this anointing is to set them apart to consecrate them for that very purpose.

So they were washed, they were clothed, they were anointed.

Look at the next thing.

There was a sacrifice.

This is where it gets weird.

Prepare yourself.

Look at verse 8, or chapter 8, verse 14 and 15.

It says, Then he brought the bull of the sin offering.

And Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the bull of the sin offering, and he killed it.

And Moses took the blood, and with his finger put it on the horns of the altar around it, and purified the altar, and poured out the blood at the base of the altar, and consecrated it to make atonement for it.

Fun, right?

Good times.

Killing bulls.

But we're not done yet, because that's just the sin offering.

Look at what's next.

Verses 18 and 19.

Then he presented the ram of the burnt offering.

And Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram, and he killed it.

And Moses threw the blood against the sides of the altar.

He cut the ram into pieces, and Moses burned the head and pieces and the fat.

Sweet.

You know?

Good times.

Hey, not done yet, though.

Hold on.

Still got another one to go.

Look at verses 22 and 23.

It says, then he presented the other ram.

Killed one, got to kill the second one, right?

Presented the other ram.

The ram of ordination.

And Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the ram and he killed it.

And Moses took some of its blood, put it on the lobe of Aaron's right ear, and on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot.

Yeah, buddy.

Glad you came to church today, right?

What in the world?

I wish, listen to me.

I wish we had time for me to just stop and be like, here's why we had to do all of this.

We don't have time, okay?

We don't have time.

Just know, all of this is being done because God said this is how it needs to be done.

So now we got blood on people's earlobes and big toes and fingers.

There's blood on altars, there's blood on the walls.

I mean, it's everywhere, okay?

Like we've we've done it all at this point.

We poured it out as many places as we could possibly pour it out, and now some dude's got it all over his hands, his ears, and his big toe.

That's what you need to know.

And you go, sounds good to me.

Nobody's questioning it.

I'm just reading the words, man.

You know?

But there was a sacrifice.

But then the very last thing you have to understand is that there was also a calling.

Look at Leviticus chapter 8, 35 and 36.

Leviticus 8 · chapter mention

And here's what it says.

It says, and as been, uh sorry, it started the wrong place.

At the entrance of the tent of meeting, you shall remain day and night for seven days, performing what the Lord has charged, so that you do not die.

For I have commanded.

And Aaron and his sons did all the things that the Lord commanded by Moses.

Can you imagine signing up for this job?

Here's what you got to understand.

From this point, Aaron being the first high priest until the temple is the second temple is destroyed by the Romans.

You have to understand, scholars disagree, there's somewhere between 79 and 84 high priests that are installed.

That means 79 to 84 times this process was put together.

However, towards the end, this process was not done.

You want to know why?

Because towards the end of high priests being installed, the government began installing them as opposed to following the word of God.

We all know what happens when the government gets involved, right?

I mean, that's it.

I shouldn't have said that.

I didn't say that, and I didn't say that in 915.

Should have kept that to myself.

Nah, who are we kidding?

We should have said it.

It's fine.

So it's all good.

I didn't say that.

But think about it.

All of these things would happen over and over and over again between 79 and 84 different times.

You've got this process that has to go through.

You've got all this stuff happening.

Why?

All because God told Moses in Exodus, this is the way it has to be.

Now here we are sitting in Christ the Redeemer on a Sunday morning, and we go, great.

We're not putting blood on our hearlobes.

Nobody's dipping my big toe in some ram's blood.

You know, what are we doing here?

Well, remember that I told you in the beginning of this, what you have to understand is we're looking at the process of installing a high priest.

We're looking at the process.

The process is important.

Do you want to know why?

Good.

I'm glad you asked.

This is great.

Because there's reasons why.

The same reason that we just ran through all of those things, they all apply to believers today.

Watch this.

First thing.

They were washed, believers are washed.

Look at 1 Corinthians 6, 9 through 11.

1 Corinthians 6, 9 through 11.

Here's what it says.

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?

Do not be deceived.

Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor the drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

And we love to stop right there and go, ha, see, look at that.

No, no, no, Putin.

Keep reading.

Look at verse 12.

Look at what it says.

Look at verse 11, I mean.

And such were some of you.

But thank God for commas, right?

What does it say?

You were washed.

You were sanctified.

You were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Oh, we ceremonially ceremoniously washed those who were becoming the high priest.

But believers are washed and justified by the blood of Jesus Christ.

They were washed and so are believers.

They were clothed and so are believers.

Look at Isaiah 61, verse 10.

Isaiah 61:10

Isaiah 61, verse 10.

Isaiah 61:10

It says, I will greatly rejoice in the Lord.

My soul shall exult in my God, for he has what?

Cloth me with the garments of salvation.

He has covered me with the robe of righteousness.

As a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with jewels.

We ceremoniously robe and clothe the high priest.

But through Jesus Christ, we are clothed in what did Isaiah just say?

Righteousness.

They were anointed with oil.

Believers are anointed.

Look at 1 John.

1 John 2, 19 through 21.

It says, they went out from us, but they were not of us.

For if they had been of us, they would have continued with us, but they were, but they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.

Look at verse 20.

But you have been what?

Anointed by the Holy One.

And you all have knowledge.

I write to you not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it.

And because no lie is of the truth.

We can anoint with oil in a physical way, but what has happened here is that believers are anointed with the truth of the word of God.

There is a sacrifice.

Believers have a great sacrifice.

Look at Hebrews, verse, Hebrews chapter 10, verse 12 through 14.

Hebrews 10:12–14

It says, But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet.

For by a what?

Single offering.

Those who are being sanctified.

Oh, we don't need a ram for a sin offering.

We don't need a bull for an ordination offering.

We don't have to sprinkle the blood on our right ears and big toes.

Do you want to know why?

Because a perfect, complete, final sacrifice has already been made in the form of Jesus Christ.

There's a calling.

Believers have a calling.

Look at Romans chapter 8.

Romans 8 · chapter mention

Romans chapter 8, verse 28 through 30.

Romans 8:28–30

It says, and we know for those who love God, all things work together for good.

We like to stop there too, most of the time.

There's more.

Realize that as you leave today.

There's more.

Don't just quote that part.

You ready?

For those who are what?

Called according to his purpose.

For those whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

And those whom he predestined, he also called.

And those whom he called, he also justified, and those who he justified, he also glorified.

Oh, we have a great calling in the fact that the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for your sins, for my sins, for all of us is a calling to justification and righteousness.

Do you see why we have to study Leviticus chapter 8?

Leviticus 8 · chapter mention

The reason we have to study Leviticus chapter 8 is because it sets the tone for what happens in the future.

Leviticus 8 · chapter mention

And what happens in the future is Jesus Christ on the cross, Mark 15, if you want to look this up.

He begins to breathe his last, but before he does, what does he say?

Father, into thine hands I commit my spirit.

And then he breathes his last.

And at that moment, what happens when Jesus breathes his last.

You want to know what happens?

In the temple, the veil is torn from top to bottom.

Do you want to know why the veil is torn?

Because no longer do we need a high priest to go and make atonement for our sins.

The final, perfect, complete sacrifice has been made.

Your sins are atoned for.

It is finished.

It is done.

No longer do we need the Holy of Holies.

Jesus Christ fulfilled every single word of Leviticus chapter 8.

Leviticus 8 · chapter mention

And the veil was torn, giving access to you and me through Jesus Christ making intercession on our behalf to an Almighty God.

No longer do we have to sit and wonder how do we get to God.

Jesus gives us direct access.

And if you don't believe me, at the very least, believe Hebrews chapter 7.

Hebrews 7 · chapter mention

Hebrews chapter 7, starting in verse 25.

Hebrews 7 · chapter mention

It says, consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.

He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all, when he offered up himself.

For the law appoints what?

Men in their weakness as high priest.

But the word of the oath which came later than the law appoints a son who's been made perfect forever.

Chapter 8, verse 1.

Now the point in what we are saying is this.

We have, don't miss this, such a high priest.

One who is seated at the right hand of the throne of majesty in heaven, a minister in the holy places in the true tent that the Lord set up and not man.

Folks, we have to have Leviticus chapter 8.

Leviticus 8 · chapter mention

The reason we have to have it is because the tone was set in Exodus.

The tone is now being set in Leviticus, and here we are with Jesus fulfilling every single bit of it.

The veil was torn, the access was given to you and me, and there's intercession on our behalf through an almighty God through Jesus Christ.

We don't need a high priest of a mere man.

We have the perfect, complete, final high priest in Jesus Christ.

Father, we love you.

We thank you for your word.

We thank you that we can open your word, that we can hear from you.

Father, that you can speak to us.

Father, make it known in our hearts that you are our perfect high priest today.

And that we are clothed in your righteousness.

In Jesus' name.

Amen.