Missions Paul

Have you ever waited for news that could change your life? The silence can be the hardest part, waiting to hear what has happened to a loved one or what even your own future will be. All you want is some sign that everything is all right.

“Make the robe of the ephod entirely of blue cloth, ³² with an opening for the head in its centre. There shall be a woven edge like a collar around this opening, so that it will not tear. ³³ Make pomegranates of blue, purple and scarlet yarn around the hem of the robe, with gold bells between them. ³⁴ The gold bells and the pomegranates are to alternate around the hem of the robe. ³⁵ Aaron must wear it when he ministers. The sound of the bells will be heard when he enters the Holy Place before the Lord and when he comes out, so that he will not die.” (Exodus 28 v 31-35)

Every time the High Priest went into the Holy Place, the people waited outside, and God gave them a sound to listen for.

“Make the robe of the ephod entirely of blue cloth, with an opening for the head in its centre. There shall be a woven edge like a collar around this opening, so that it will not tear. Make pomegranates of blue, purple and scarlet yarn around the hem of the robe, with gold bells between them. The gold bells and the pomegranates are to alternate around the hem of the robe. Aaron must wear it when he ministers. The sound of the bells will be heard when he enters the Holy Place before the Lord and when he comes out, so that he will not die.” (Exodus 28 v 31-35)

The bells told the people that their priest was still alive. He had made it into the presence of God, and intercession for them was taking place.

This points us to Jesus, our great High Priest.

He has gone into heaven itself on our behalf (Hebrews 9:24).

Ten days after He ascended, on the day of Pentecost, a sound came from heaven (Acts 2:2).

It was the sign that our High Priest had been received, and that His ministry for us was alive and well.

So what does this mean for us today?

• Jesus is alive and praying for you, even when you can’t hear a thing.
• People around you are waiting for evidence that God is alive. Let them hear the sound that God is here.
• He is holy, and coming into His presence is never casual, it needs reverence.

Our High Priest is alive, and heaven has made a sound.

Have you ever waited for news that could change your life? The silence can be the hardest part, waiting to hear what has happened to a loved one or what even your own future will be. All you want is some sign that everything is all right.

“Make the robe of the ephod entirely of blue cloth, ³² with an opening for the head in its centre. There shall be a woven edge like a collar around this opening, so that it will not tear. ³³ Make pomegranates of blue, purple and scarlet yarn around the hem of the robe, with gold bells between them. ³⁴ The gold bells and the pomegranates are to alternate around the hem of the robe. ³⁵ Aaron must wear it when he ministers. The sound of the bells will be heard when he enters the Holy Place before the Lord and when he comes out, so that he will not die.” (Exodus 28 v 31-35)

Every time the High Priest went into the Holy Place, the people waited outside, and God gave them a sound to listen for.

“Make the robe of the ephod entirely of blue cloth, with an opening for the head in its centre. There shall be a woven edge like a collar around this opening, so that it will not tear. Make pomegranates of blue, purple and scarlet yarn around the hem of the robe, with gold bells between them. The gold bells and the pomegranates are to alternate around the hem of the robe. Aaron must wear it when he ministers. The sound of the bells will be heard when he enters the Holy Place before the Lord and when he comes out, so that he will not die.” (Exodus 28 v 31-35)

The bells told the people that their priest was still alive. He had made it into the presence of God, and intercession for them was taking place.

This points us to Jesus, our great High Priest.

He has gone into heaven itself on our behalf (Hebrews 9:24).

Ten days after He ascended, on the day of Pentecost, a sound came from heaven (Acts 2:2).

It was the sign that our High Priest had been received, and that His ministry for us was alive and well.

So what does this mean for us today?

• Jesus is alive and praying for you, even when you can’t hear a thing.
• People around you are waiting for evidence that God is alive. Let them hear the sound that God is here.
• He is holy, and coming into His presence is never casual, it needs reverence.

Our High Priest is alive, and heaven has made a sound.

Have you ever had to make a decision and you just didn’t know what to do or which way to go? Whether to take the job or stay where you are, move house, end a relationship, or speak up about something that’s been troubling you. It might be a decision about an ageing parent, a struggling child, or a church you lead. It would be so much easier if God wrote something in the sky so we would go and do it.

This longing is as old as the world. God had a plan for this.

“Also put the Urim and the Thummim in the breastpiece, so they may be over Aaron’s heart whenever he enters the presence of the Lord. Thus Aaron will always bear the means of making decisions for the Israelites over his heart before the Lord.” (Exodus 28 v 30)

Whatever the Urim and Thummim actually were, they were used to make known God’s will for His people. They were kept near the heart of the High Priest in his breastpiece. Some believe the names mean “lights and perfections.” Perhaps to show that God will guide us into the light and His will is perfect.

We have His Word and His Spirit, and His people around us. And we have a High Priest who carries our names on His heart.

So what does this mean for us today?

• God leads you because He cares about you, even if the path seems hard.
• God wants you to know His will more than you want to find it.
• If your position means you have to make decisions that impact others, then carry those people on your heart as you decide.
• Sometimes the answer is not yet, but you can trust your name is there before Him as you wait.
• Above all, you are guided by a heart that loves you.

Have you ever felt invisible? Maybe you were passed over at work, or you hoped you’d be the one chosen, only to watch someone else be picked instead. Or perhaps you have sat in a busy church feeling like no one would notice if you weren’t there.

This next passage speaks to those feelings.

When the High Priest went into God’s presence, he carried the names of God’s people over his heart. Twelve stones were set in gold, each one different and each engraved with a tribe’s name. Everyone was included, even those who had made mistakes. Simeon, whose violence had brought shame on his family (Genesis 34; 49:5-7), had his name engraved alongside the rest.

“Fashion a breastpiece for making decisions—the work of skilled hands. Make it like the ephod: of gold, and of blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and of finely twisted linen. 16 It is to be square—a span long and a span wide—and folded double. 17 Then mount four rows of precious stones on it. The first row shall be carnelian, chrysolite and beryl; 18 the second row shall be turquoise, lapis lazuli and emerald; 19 the third row shall be jacinth, agate and amethyst; 20 the fourth row shall be topaz, onyx and jasper. Mount them in gold filigree settings. 21 There are to be twelve stones, one for each of the names of the sons of Israel, each engraved like a seal with the name of one of the twelve tribes. 22 “For the breastpiece make braided chains of pure gold, like a rope. 23 Make two gold rings for it and fasten them to two corners of the breastpiece. 24 Fasten the two gold chains to the rings at the corners of the breastpiece, 25 and the other ends of the chains to the two settings, attaching them to the shoulder pieces of the ephod at the front. 26 Make two gold rings and attach them to the other two corners of the breastpiece on the inside edge next to the ephod. 27 Make two more gold rings and attach them to the bottom of the shoulder pieces on the front of the ephod, close to the seam just above the waistband of the ephod. 28 The rings of the breastpiece are to be tied to the rings of the ephod with blue cord, connecting it to the waistband, so that the breastpiece will not swing out from the ephod. 29 Whenever Aaron enters the Holy Place, he will bear the names of the sons of Israel over his heart on the breastpiece of decision as a continuing memorial before the Lord.” (Exodus 28 v 15-29)

The High Priest carried all the tribes’ names into God’s presence. The gold chains, the rings and the blue cord were there for one reason: “so that the breastpiece will not swing out from the ephod.” The names were never to slip off. They stayed where God had put them.

This points us to Jesus, our great High Priest. He carries us into God’s presence through His own sacrifice, and He always lives to intercede for us (Hebrews 7:25).

So what does this mean for us today?

When you pray, you don’t come alone. Your name is already before the Father, carried on the heart of His Son.

When you feel overlooked, remember Simeon. You might feel small and forgotten, but you are engraved.

When life shakes you, the cord holds. Grief, illness, failure, or disappointment can rock you, but nothing can “separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:39).

Carry others as you are carried. If Jesus holds our names over His heart, we can hold other people’s names in our prayers.

You are carried.

I remember very well carrying my children who had fallen asleep in the back of a long car journey. I lifted them as carefully as I could, up the stairs and then into their beds, all without waking them. In the morning they had no knowledge of being carried. They didn’t know how they had gone from the car journey to their bed.

God’s instructions for the ephod are about that kind of carrying.

“Make the ephod of gold, and of blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and of finely twisted linen—the work of skilled hands. ⁷ It is to have two shoulder pieces attached to two of its corners, so it can be fastened. ⁸ Its skillfully woven waistband is to be like it—of one piece with the ephod and made with gold, and with blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and with finely twisted linen. ⁹ “Take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel ¹⁰ in the order of their birth—six names on one stone and the remaining six on the other. ¹¹ Engrave the names of the sons of Israel on the two stones the way a gem cutter engraves a seal. Then mount the stones in gold filigree settings ¹² and fasten them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as memorial stones for the sons of Israel. Aaron is to bear the names on his shoulders as a memorial before the Lord. ¹³ Make gold filigree settings ¹⁴ and two braided chains of pure gold, like a rope, and attach the chains to the settings.” (Exodus 28 v 6-14)

God tells Moses to have skilled craftsmen make the ephod from gold, coloured yarn and fine linen, with shoulder pieces and a matching waistband.

But today, I want to highlight these two verses: “Take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel in the order of their birth—six names on one stone and the remaining six on the other (v9-10).

Slow this down a moment and say with me, “Surely not all 12 names!?”

Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah were included despite their serious failings, alongside Joseph and Benjamin.

Have you ever removed anyone from your contact list because of what they became or the harm they caused you? I have someone like that. He caused me a lot of harm, and we no longer talk. For a long time, I couldn’t bring myself to delete his details, even though he hates me. I think I held on because I was still grieving the friendship we had when we were younger. But I finally deleted him from my contacts; it took 12 years. It was a sign I had let him go. I still hope he finds his way back to God. But I cannot carry his name on my life anymore.

Thankfully, God doesn’t treat us this way. Let’s go back to the High Priest’s ephod.

Each name was permanently engraved with gold and carried on the priest’s shoulders. Though none had earned it, whenever Aaron entered God’s presence, he carried them with him.

In the Bible, God’s strong shoulders are the place where burdens are carried. Isaiah said of the coming child, “the government will be on his shoulders” (Isaiah 9:6). The lost shepherd who found his lost sheep “joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home” (Luke 15:5).

This is what we have in Christ. We have a High Priest, Jesus, who “always lives to intercede” for those who come to God through him (Hebrews 7:25). Through Isaiah, God says to his people, “See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands” (Isaiah 49:16). On Calvary, Jesus’ hands carried that engraving in the nail marks.

People may judge you as a Reuben, Simeon, Levi or Judah, and you might even agree. We don’t spend our entire life as a Joseph or a Benjamin. But you don’t get deleted from God’s contact list. You are there not because you earned it. In fact, compromise would suggest you shouldn’t be there at all. But you are there because of Christ. Your name is carried because you belong to Him, and it is held not by braided gold, but by the powerful blood of Jesus.

You may not be aware of it today. You are a sleeping child being carried into the house. But your High Priest stands in the Father’s presence with your name on his shoulders.

You have been and are being carried.

Do you remember ever wearing your first uniform? I have photographs of myself when I looked about eight years old, wearing a Salvation Army red jumper, tie, and black shorts. I was so cute! My parents also wore uniforms, which actually cost a lot of money they didn’t have. Then, as I progressed into my teens, I wore the school uniform. I wonder how many normal clothes I had, as my life seemed to be spent in a uniform!

I’m pondering that this morning as I read these next few verses.

“Have Aaron your brother brought to you from among the Israelites, along with his sons Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, so they may serve me as priests. 2 Make sacred garments for your brother Aaron to give him dignity and honour. 3 Tell all the skilled workers to whom I have given wisdom in such matters that they are to make garments for Aaron, for his consecration, so he may serve me as priest. 4 These are the garments they are to make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a woven tunic, a turban and a sash. They are to make these sacred garments for your brother Aaron and his sons, so they may serve me as priests. 5 Have them use gold, and blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and fine linen.” (Exodus 28 v 1-5)

A few years ago I was in Lahore, Pakistan. I was amazed that, compared to the town where I lived at the time, Dewsbury, hardly any of the women wore traditional religious garments like the Jilbab, the hijab, or the Niqab. I asked a shopkeeper why this was the case in my town in the UK, but in Lahore, women wore more Western clothing. I will never forget his answer. “The clothes are a message to the world. The message of Islam does not need to be proclaimed here in Lahore. But you need to hear it in the UK.” I am sure many Imams in Lahore would be disturbed by the shopkeeper’s response and work tirelessly for women’s public covering, but his response has stayed with me.

All around the world, communities are surrounded by religious clothing. Whether that be the Jewish Kippah (the skullcap worn as a sign of humility), the Sikh’s Dastaar (the headwear managing their long hair, representing honour), the Hindu’s Sari (the wrapped garments symbolising purity), or a Nun’s Habit (a head covering symbolising devotion), religious uniform is all around us in some form.

Clothes say something. Not only for those looking but for those wearing them.

“Make sacred garments for your brother Aaron to give him dignity and honour.”

Aaron had nothing within himself to demonstrate dignity and honour before God. It wouldn’t be long before he demonstrated this by shaping a golden calf for the people to worship. But for now, whatever honour he carried into the holy place, to stand before the altar and the ark of God’s presence, God had to put on him first.

The materials matched the Tabernacle curtains: gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and fine linen. The priest is dressed to match the house of God. He belongs there.

Now go forward to another priest and another set of garments.

Where Aaron wore a turban marked “Holy to the Lord,” Jesus wore a crown of thorns. Aaron was clothed to receive dignity and honour. Christ was stripped of his.

That is the exchange at the centre of the gospel.

Jesus was stripped of his clothes and laid bare on the cross so that we could be clothed. When Jesus went to the cross, He laid His coat of righteousness over our unrighteousness so that we are now clothed in Christ. God accepts us because His clothes of righteousness are on us.

We don’t come before God in what we have woven together ourselves.

If we try, our efforts will fray at the edges, and none of our attempts at honour will ever fit us.

However, we remind ourselves of the gospel. A garment is made for us, cut to measure and paid for in full.

We are dressed, and perhaps the world doesn’t see the fullness of that all the time, for we are sinners saved by grace, but in Christ, God sees that we are dressed for His glory.

“Command the Israelites to bring you clear oil of pressed olives for the light so that the lamps may be kept burning. ²¹ In the tent of meeting, outside the curtain that shields the ark of the covenant law, Aaron and his sons are to keep the lamps burning before the Lord from evening till morning. This is to be a lasting ordinance among the Israelites for the generations to come.” (Exodus 27 v 20-21)

Some will wake this morning to a life full of light, a flame burning in them for the world to see!

It shows on their faces and in the words they will speak.

People are attracted to this flame. In a time of such darkness, there is light, vision, a future. How is this possible?

This morning, some will wake to a different scenario, a flicker of light for their world to see. With no idea what to do and with a bleak future, the thought is: shall I blow this pathetic flicker out? Shall I give up? The answer is always No.

To move from a flicker to a flame, apply fresh oil.

Take oil from pressed, crushed, beaten olives, put it in the lamp, and it will burn with light. This concept is hidden in Scripture for God’s people.

When a person submits to being hard-pressed, crushed, and beaten in life, something flows: the ingredient for the flame.

It is the oil.

No one can see the oil. Not even the hard-pressed person can see the oil. Everyone can see the crushing. Everyone can see the flame. But no one can see the oil. It is even hard to describe the oil. Words do not give it justice. They fall short. But the oil has to do with God’s power and God’s presence and God’s purity.

Embrace your sufferings. Count it all joy. If you don’t have any and life is too easy, then fast, repent, break up the ground of your life, set yourself apart for God.

A flame of light only comes from the oil of suffering.

When you see a lamp burning, realise there was a price.

Today, decide to pay the cost and see the flicker become a flame.

Nobody likes being under pressure, though people often experience it. We may pray for it to ease when, in fact, God’s hand is bringing about something beautiful that could only happen under pressure.

If you feel pressed today, maybe even crushed, these verses remind you that this will be for God’s glory.

“Command the Israelites to bring you clear oil of pressed olives for the light so that the lamps may be kept burning. 21 In the tent of meeting, outside the curtain that shields the ark of the covenant law, Aaron and his sons are to keep the lamps burning before the Lord from evening till morning. This is to be a lasting ordinance among the Israelites for the generations to come.” (Exodus 27 v 20-21)

With just a curtain separating the ark and the lampstand, the instruction is simple: keep the lamps lit.

How? Through clear oil of pressed olives.

Slow that down a moment. Do you see it?

• The light in the house of God came about because ordinary people of God brought the oil from their own groves and presses; pressure was applied first.
• Aaron and his sons, the priests, trimmed the wicks and refilled the lamps in order to keep the light burning.
• The light was not for the daytime but from evening till morning; it was meant for the darkness.

Now think of Jesus.

He went to a garden called Gethsemane; it means ‘oil press’.

Now think of you.

Jesus, who said, “I am the light of the world,” also told His followers, “You are the light of the world.”

Becoming light comes from our own pressing, perhaps from sorrow, pain, disappointment, or simply a hard season of life. The crushing brings the oil that keeps the flame of His presence alive.

So what does that mean for you?

• Our pain doesn’t always make sense to us, but nothing is wasted with God.
• We have a Great High Priest, Jesus, who makes sure that the flame within us never burns out.
• The lamp burned when it was dark. Others benefited from the light. The faith you have learned under pressure may be the very light that helps them find their way in the dark chapter of their own lives.
• More oil was needed every evening for generations, and it still is. We keep coming to Him day by day to be filled afresh with His Spirit.

Don’t resent the press. It is where the oil comes from, and it’s what keeps the light burning through the night.

Have you ever felt like an outsider? Today, 130 Church leaders will gather for the regional conference, and I hope every single one of them feels they belong in the room.

Belonging matters to all of us, especially when we wonder whether God thinks we belong. Life hurls so many curveballs at us, and we can easily wonder whether there is a way back after all we have been through.

The good news is that God has always made a way in. The walls of the tabernacle were not simply for demarcation; rather, they held together to form an entrance wide enough for everyone to enter. All matter and all are invited.

“Make a courtyard for the tabernacle. The south side shall be a hundred cubits long and is to have curtains of finely twisted linen, ¹⁰ with twenty posts and twenty bronze bases and with silver hooks and bands on the posts. ¹¹ The north side shall also be a hundred cubits long and is to have curtains, with twenty posts and twenty bronze bases and with silver hooks and bands on the posts. ¹² “The west end of the courtyard shall be fifty cubits wide and have curtains, with ten posts and ten bases. ¹³ On the east end, toward the sunrise, the courtyard shall also be fifty cubits wide. ¹⁴ Curtains fifteen cubits long are to be on one side of the entrance, with three posts and three bases, ¹⁵ and curtains fifteen cubits long are to be on the other side, with three posts and three bases. ¹⁶ “For the entrance to the courtyard, provide a curtain twenty cubits long, of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen—the work of an embroiderer—with four posts and four bases. ¹⁷ All the posts around the courtyard are to have silver bands and hooks, and bronze bases. ¹⁸ The courtyard shall be a hundred cubits long and fifty cubits wide, with curtains of finely twisted linen five cubits high, and with bronze bases. ¹⁹ All the other articles used in the service of the tabernacle, whatever their function, including all the tent pegs for it and those for the courtyard, are to be of bronze.” (Exodus 27 v 9-19)

We could focus on the curtains that marked out the place where God dwelt. They reminded them, and us, that God is holy.

But it also had an entrance, and that’s what I’m focusing on this morning.

• The entrance faced east, “toward the sunrise”. No matter how dark your night has been, God’s message is that a new day is always coming.
• There was only one entrance, but it was huge and wide enough for all. You may wonder whether there is room for you with all your baggage. There is room for you. Jesus, remember, is the entrance!

One final thought. The tent pegs were made of bronze. Those of us who have camped know how crucial tent pegs are on a stormy night! This tabernacle had strong tent pegs to hold it firm in desert winds. God has got you and is holding you in this difficult season. You don’t have to stay on the outside looking in. The gate is open, the sun is rising, and the God who designed the way in is waiting to welcome you home.

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Guilt is a weight that is hard to live with and even harder to sleep with. It keeps you awake at night, replaying old memories and reminding you of every failure. It is deceitful too. Just as you begin to pray, it whispers that God couldn’t possibly want you near Him, let alone use you again.

But the first thing anyone met in the tabernacle courtyard was the altar, because anyone had to deal with guilt before drawing near to God. That wasn’t man’s idea. It was God’s.

“Build an altar of acacia wood, three cubits high; it is to be square, five cubits long and five cubits wide. 2 Make a horn at each of the four corners, so that the horns and the altar are of one piece, and overlay the altar with bronze. 3 Make all its utensils of bronze—its pots to remove the ashes, and its shovels, sprinkling bowls, meat forks and firepans. 4 Make a grating for it, a bronze network, and make a bronze ring at each of the four corners of the network. 5 Put it under the ledge of the altar so that it is halfway up the altar. 6 Make poles of acacia wood for the altar and overlay them with bronze. 7 The poles are to be inserted into the rings so they will be on two sides of the altar when it is carried. 8 Make the altar hollow, out of boards. It is to be made just as you were shown on the mountain.” (Exodus 27 v 1-8)

You didn’t come to the lampstand first, or even to the ark itself. You came to the altar. God arranged it that way so He could deal with your guilt before you stood in His presence.

• In time, the horns of the altar became a place of refuge, and people in danger would run and take hold of them. When guilt chases you, you have somewhere to run. (v2)
• The altar had pots to carry away the ashes, removing the evidence of what had happened there. God doesn’t keep a pile of your past to show you later. (v3)
• The poles meant the altar travelled with God’s people through the wilderness. Wherever you are today, forgiveness isn’t far away. (v6-7)

There was no way into God’s presence that didn’t pass the altar, and there still isn’t. Thank God, the ultimate altar is the cross of Christ, where Jesus carried your guilt.

So how would you describe yourself today? Failing, grieving, exhausted? Run to the cross, take hold of it, and don’t let go. Lay your guilt down there, because God has already made provision for it.