The Lord said to Moses, let the people make me a sanctuary that I may dwell in their midst. So last week we saw who can go in to the sanctuary. It's specifically Aaron and any high priest descended from him. But not just who can go in, how you go in. It's not enough to be Aaron or any high priest descended from him. You have to go in dressed appropriately. You have to go in fully and completely clothed in every layer of the priestly garments. The question then that that leaves us with is, where does that leave the rest of the people? Alright, that's all fine and good if you're Aaron. And if you're dressed in the high priestly garments, but if you're not, where does that leave you? Because there's only one set of garments. One set. I don't believe that Aaron even had another change of clothes. It was one set. And there was only one who was allowed to wear that. So you didn't get to alternate. Now it's my turn to wear those clothes and go in. No, only one. And so we again ask, where does that leave every other man, woman and child in the nation of Israel? That's a lot of people left over. We could ask, where does that leave you and me? Let's read this morning in Exodus 28. We'll pick up some verses that we skipped last week. And these are the verses that powerfully answer this question, what about you? And what about me? Who aren't the high priest and who don't get to wear those clothes. Verses 9 to 13 says, you shall take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel. Six of their names on the one stone and the names of the remaining six on the other stone in the order of their birth. As a jeweler engraves signets, so shall you engrave the two stones with the names of the sons of Israel. You shall enclose them in settings of gold filigree and you shall set the two stones on the shoulder pieces of the ephod. as stones of remembrance for the sons of Israel. And Aaron shall bear their names before the Lord on his two shoulders for remembrance. You shall make settings of gold filigree and two chains of pure gold twisted like cords. And you shall attach the corded chains to the settings. So let's just look briefly at our illustration again. Here's the garments of the high priest and actually I think we'll leave that up there for a little while. But you can see the stones of memorial and settings of gold there on the shoulder pieces of the ephod. And on those two stones, if we could zoom in closely enough, you would see names written. Names engraved. Specific names. Each of the 12 tribes are the sons of Israel. The point here is that what we have represented is on the high priest, these stones on his shoulder, we have represented particularly. I know that might sound like a strange word to you to use here, but we'll just use it for now, particularly, or you could put specifically. the entire family of Israel. All the twelve tribes, according to their order of birth. In other words, you weren't missed, whether you were the first born, or the last born, or any of the twelve, any of the ten in the middle, you weren't going to be missed. Your name was there, on the stone. And where are the two stones? Where are these 12 tribes to be represented? The Lord is explicit. What does he say? On Aaron's two shoulders. That's what he says. The shoulders are perfectly designed. If you're going to school, you carry the backpack and what do you fit it over? Your shoulders. If you've got the 50 pound bag of whatever out in the van and you gotta bring it in, what do you sling it over? Your shoulders. The shoulders are perfect for bearing burdens. And in addition, though, to being perfectly suited for bearing burdens, they're also a very prominent place on the body. They're very noticeable. So, if someone has a chip on their shoulder, everyone sees it. That's the point. You know it's there and probably meant to be so. So, on the one hand, Aaron bears their names on his shoulders. On the other hand, The point is that he bears their names prominently in your handout, conspicuously so they can't be missed. Like you look at the high priest and you see, oh, there's stones on his shoulders, and they're written with names. He bears their names prominently before the Lord for his remembrance. So the Hebrew word for bear, okay, that word can also be translated lift up, and it is in many places. So we could say that when the priest bears the names of all Israel on his shoulders, what Aaron is doing is he is lifting them up before the Lord for his remembrance. That's kind of a funny idea, isn't it? What does God need to be reminded of anything for? It's a picture. It's really a prayer. God doesn't have to be reminded like Aaron's not going into the tabernacle saying, remember there's a people down here and we're existing. God knows they're there. The reality is though that they're sinners and they don't deserve his mercy. And so when Aaron bears their names before Lord and brings them to his remembrance, it's as though he's asking God, remember your covenant with your covenant people. Show us steadfast love. Show them mercy. Remembrance is a word often used in the Bible for, please remember your covenant. Remember your promises. That's what the people always come in before the Lord. Remember to show a steadfast love, Lord. And so when it says that Aaron bears and lifts up their names before the Lord for remembrance, it is so that God might remember mercy and to show it to a people undeserving. When Aaron enters Yahweh's royal tent, with all the names of God's covenant people on his shoulders, it is as though he's lifting up their names before the Lord in one continual prayer of intercession. It's a prayer of intercession particularly, and specifically, for Yahweh's covenant people. For who? The names written on his shoulder. So as one commentator puts it, it's like this, it's like the priest goes in and his whole, his garments themselves are praying a prayer and they're saying, Lord, remember Reuben. Lord, remember Levi. Remember Judah. and on and on. They are your covenant people, Lord. Show them mercy. So even if the people can't go in, They're all represented here in the priest in a beautiful and wonderful way. And then these realities get even more beautiful than we already see. We're about to see that as we go on to read about the breastpiece that's fastened to the ephod. So Exodus 28 verses 17 to 21 and 29 says, You shall set in the breastpiece of judgment four rows of stones. A row And I may pronounce these wrong, but a row of sardius, topaz, carbuncle, shall be the first row. And the second row, an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond. And the third row, a jacinth, an agate, an amethyst. And the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. They shall be set in gold filigree. There shall be twelve stones. with their names according to the names of the sons of Israel. They shall be like signets, each engraved with its name for the twelve tribes. So Aaron shall bear or lift up the names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece of judgment on his heart, when he goes into the holy place to bring them to regular remembrance before the Lord. So again, we can just go back to our illustration. And there is the breast piece with the 12 stones, four rows of three stones across with on each stone, one of the names of the tribes of Israel inscribed and engraved. Once again, we see this emphasis on who. all Israel and specifically and particularly the 12 tribes of Israel. Once again, we also see this emphasis on God remembering that when you see the word remember, you think it's not remembering I'm here. It's remembering to show me mercy because I'm part of his covenant people. I'm part of the people that he has chosen, that he has chosen by his pure grace to be in relationship with him. This is the people that the high priest represents before the Lord when he goes into the holy place. Think about that. But notice this time that Aaron is to bear or lift up the names of the sons of Israel where? On his heart. Now, if the shoulders were a pretty prominent and visible location, so also is the chest very visible. But it doesn't say the chest. It says the heart. And there's a reason for that. In the Bible, the heart represents your innermost being. Your heart is like who you are. It's you. So we read in Deuteronomy, you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart. That's with all of you, with all your soul and might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. So picture it. What does it mean when the high priest there bears or lifts up the names of the sons of Israel on his heart? What is that? Now, you see, we have to assume what we could have assumed on the shoulders, but it's really clear here. This is more than just simple representation. When I think of representation, I think of the House of Representatives. And we've all elected in each district or part of the state that we're from. We have our unique representative who represents us. But Jesus represents, I'm skipping. The high priest represents himself. He represents his people, not as our representative in the House of Representatives does. It's way, way, way, way, way different, way more wonderful and powerful and miraculous. There's a very real sense in which the entire people of Israel is actually united with the high priest in his person. Think about this. The high priest goes in and when he goes in, I go in. No, not in the flesh. But in some way, I am united along with all the rest of you with the priest. United in his person so that whatever he's doing in there, It's as if all of us are actually there participating in the benefits of His work, of what He does. I'm there too, in and through the High Priest. So one commentator puts it this way, and it's a very strong but beautiful way to put it, Aaron, in Yahweh's presence, was as Israel, in Yahweh's presence. Can you see how that's a lot more than just representing as we might think of it? He's representing so powerfully that it's whatever he does, it's as if you did it yourself. So that you partake in all the benefits of what he does. This is what explains then how everything that the High Priest does is guaranteed to be effective for the people. The people that he doesn't just represent, but the people that he is embodying in his person when he goes in. See, we think about it, you think about it. Do we just take it for granted that the high priest goes in there and he does stuff and it actually applies to me? Even though I never went in? Never took the blood? Never dressed? But what he does in there on that day, somehow it applies to us. How did that happen? because he took us in with him, written on his shoulder, shoulders, written on his heart. There wasn't any tribe in your handout that had to wonder if what the high priest did, will it really be effective for us? Will it actually be applied to us? They didn't have to wonder that because all that the high priest did, he did in their name. He did it as their representative, as it, that's what he was. As the one who bore them even on his heart so that they were all together, united with him. And everything he did, was for them. Are you seeing what a lovely, awesome thing was the office of the High Priest and his ministry on behalf of the people? How grateful would you have been, living in that day, for the High Priest? Would the High Priest have been a valued office in the nation? Would he have been like, I'm going to teach my children about the High Priest as soon as they're born, as soon as they can understand anything. I'm telling them about the High Priest and that our names are written on His shoulders and on His heart. And when He goes in, He takes us in with Him. And all that He does is for us. We go on to read then in verse 38. of one more place, the plate of pure gold. Remember that with the engraving on the plate, holy to the Lord. It shall be on Aaron's forehead. And Aaron shall remove any guilt from the holy things that the people of Israel consecrate as their holy gifts. It shall regularly be on his forehead that they may be accepted before the Lord. And so again, we'll put the same illustration back up. And up on the top, there's the plate of pure gall. And if we zoomed it in, in Hebrew, it would say, holy to the Lord. Now the question is, who's holy to the Lord? Is this a reference to the priest who's wearing that? No. Not only. Remember what we read in verse 12, Aaron shall bear the names of the sons of Israel before the Lord on his two shoulders for remembrance. Okay, that's the shoulders. Then verse 29, Aaron shall bear the names of the sons of Israel on his heart to bring them to regular remembrance before the Lord. And now, what do we read in these verses? Aaron shall remove any guilt from the holy things that the people of Israel consecrate as their holy gifts. The golden plate shall be regularly, we saw that word before, bringing them to regular remembrance before the Lord. It shall be regularly on his forehead that they, the people of Israel, may be accepted before the Lord. So here, let's say I was the high priest in Israel. I've got this plate on my forehead. I know this plate saying, holy to the Lord, isn't about me. It's about all the people that are corporately with me, on my shoulders, on my heart, the people that are holy to the Lord. So I come in, and I come in bearing and lifting up, here, here, and here, all the people that God has chosen. The golden plate then, in your handout, is just one more way of bringing this particular people of Israel to regular remembrance before the Lord. So, when the high priest, let's try to explain this golden plate just briefly. When the high priest approaches the altar, you can picture the scene, right? He approaches the altar on the outside, the altar burn offering, or maybe he enters the tent. and he's bringing blood, the blood of Israel's sacrifices particularly, that they have brought. The Lord will see the words inscribed on Aaron's forehead and he'll be reminded of his covenant with Israel. Why? Because how did it come about that Israel was holy to the Lord? Did Israel make themselves holy to the Lord? No, God chose them. God entered into covenant with them and made them holy to the Lord. And so when the priest comes in to bring their blood, the blood of the sacrifices for a sinful people, he bears the words, holy to the Lord. And the Lord is reminded of his covenant and his covenant people to show them mercy and to remove their sins according to his faithfulness, according to his promise. And so he's faithful to forgive their sins, to remove their guilt, and in your handout, to accept them. To accept who? His holy people! That's who! His holy people, whenever they come before him in worship. In Exodus chapter 39, this engraved plate on the priest's forehead is also referred to as the plate of the holy crown. of pure gold. What a vivid reminder of Israel's status as a royal priesthood, a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation. So we can move again, just bringing up the illustration. So there we are. When the priest goes in, he has in those three places representing the people of God. Now, when he approached the altar of burnt offering, or the altar of incense, or the Ark of the Covenant, one day a year, he even went all the way into the throne room. Let me ask you this question, and, oh, brothers and sisters, answer this in your hearts. What was it, when he went in there taking the blood, what was it that made his priestly work effective for anyone else besides himself? What was it? What was it that caused the results of his priestly work to be actually, actually applied to anyone else besides just himself? Because remember, there's only one actual guy going in there. There's only one answer. The priest must come. He must come. Representing. and even embodying in Himself, and in all of His priestly work, in everything that He does, particularly, and specifically, all those who are, what? Holy to the Lord. You see, when the High Priest brings the blood of the sacrifice He must come representing all those with whom particularly God has chosen to be in covenant relationship. Let's put it the other way around, just so that we see this. Let me ask you this question. If the high priest had gone into Yahweh's tent, think about it, without the specific written names of the sons of Israel on his two shoulders and on his heart, Would anything he did there be effective for anyone else? No. The answer is no. He had to bear them with him. That's the only way it's applied. If the high priest goes in there without the plate on his forehead, identifying the specific people that he represents as chosen and set apart to the Lord, then all that he did would be of no value at all. for anyone else. One thing we need to see is that the priesthood, there's a lot about the priesthood in the Bible, in the Old Testament, but the priesthood was tied to the covenant. And so everything your high priest did, everything he did, he was doing as the representative and even the embodiment of God's chosen covenant people. Oh, the beauty of the high priest. And oh, the bond between the priest and his people. It was inseparable. So, we said that everything the high priest does, he does as the representative of God's chosen covenant people. What then does the high priest do? Think to yourself. What does he do? We could describe his work in two major ways as it relates to representing us before God. First, we've seen it this morning, when Aaron approaches the altar or enters his tent with the blood and the Lord sees holy to the Lord inscribed on his forehead, then what will happen? What does God say will happen? Aaron's application of the blood will remove, it will remove the sin and the guilt of the people. So the work of the priest, now this is shadowy remember, this is for the cleansing of the flesh. So when the priest goes in with the blood, it does actually remove the sin and guilt of the nation. Not necessarily that they're all about saved. This is the cleansing of the flesh. This is the external pictures of the realities that Christ is going to bring. So the work of the high priest in your handout is the work of making atonement for the sins of who? the people that God has chosen and set apart for Himself. He goes in on their behalf. Second, we've seen in our passage this morning that when Aaron goes into God's tent with the names of God's covenant people written on his shoulders and on his heart, it's as though he is lifting up their names before the Lord in one constant, unceasing prayer of intercession. And so in your handout, the work of the high priest is also pictured as a work of praying and interceding for who? For the people that he carries on his shoulders and on his heart. Now, oh, we have a great high priest. and His name is Jesus Christ. And how is it, I ask you today, how is it that His priestly work can be applied to us? How is it that it can be effective for you? Because first, when Jesus went to the cross, think about this, this is not something we often, if ever, think about. When Jesus went to the cross to offer himself up as an atoning sacrifice, how did he go? He went there already representing and even embodying in himself a very, you could say particular, or you could say here, use the word definite, a very definite people. The people that God had given to Him from out of the world before the world was ever made. See, when Jesus went to the cross, He went there bearing the names of all those that God had chosen before the foundation of the world and given to His Son. In the same way, think about this. That's the work of atonement. What's the other work of the High Priest? Isn't it prayer? It's praying. And so in the same way, after His resurrection, when Jesus ascended into heaven to appear in the presence of God, how did He go there? He went there bearing our names. Representing, embodying a very definite people, the people for whom He had died and shed His blood. I want to tell you, this is what makes the work of our great High Priest so unfailingly powerful and effective for you and for me. His death on the cross cannot fail to accomplish your salvation because your name was written on Him when He went to the cross. It cannot fail. Jesus did not simply go to the cross to make forgiveness possible for every single human being in all the world. No, He went to the cross to actually accomplish, and then to actually apply the forgiveness. of sins to all those that he represented. In other words, to all those whose names were written upon his shoulders and upon his heart. Now we know that, what are the two works of the high priest? Praying, making atonement, not in that order. The work of praying. We know that Jesus' priestly work of praying. Who does Jesus pray for? Only God's elect. He does not pray for anyone else. Not in His priestly work of intercession. And so, John chapter 17 is called the high priestly prayer, rightly so. And in this prayer, Jesus prays, I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours." You see, if Jesus' priestly work of interceding is for a definite and a particular people, then we have to see that it's priestly work. What is other priestly work? Making atonement. That is also for a definite and a particular people. As we'll see in a moment, that's also what makes his atoning death for us so unfailingly 100% effective. You see, if Jesus prayed intercessory, if Jesus is the high priest, and he goes to the Father, and as the high priest, he prays for the whole world, what happens then? Everyone's saved because God hears his prayers. His prayers are 100% effective. But we know that everyone is not saved. Does that mean his prayers are not effective? No, Jesus prays for those whom God has given Him from out of the world. In the same way, when Jesus makes atonement for the particular people that God has given to Him, this is what shows that His atoning death for you, His atoning death for you, who have placed your faith in Christ, is unfailingly 100% effective. So we are left at times thinking that Jesus just made it possible. And so we lose out on the infinite assurance of knowing that He did more than make it possible. In His death, He accomplished it all from beginning to end. Even the reality of the giving of your faith. John chapter 10 verses 14 to 15 says, I am the good shepherd, Jesus says. I know my own, and my own know me. Just as the Father knows me, and I know the Father, and I lay down my life for the sheep. He did not lay down His life for the goats. We know this because when He laid down His life, it was 100% effective. I lay down my life for the sheep. And who are the sheep? That He just referred to in the context, they are my own. And so Jesus says, I lay down my life for my own. In another place He says, I have other sheep that I will go out and gather and bring. Ephesians chapter 5, verse 25, Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, for the church. Specifically, particularly, definite. that He might sanctify her. And does He fail to achieve His purpose? No. That He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the Word, so that He might present the church to Himself in splendor without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. What I want us to see is that you cannot take our High Priest and divide His work of making atonement and making intercession. Both are saving works. If Jesus wasn't praying for you, would you be saved? No. If Jesus wasn't praying for his sheep even now, would we come to the end of the journey and enter into the kingdom one day? No. We would all fall if he wasn't praying for us. But because he does, for all those who are written on his shoulders, we cannot fail to come to glory. That's a saving work, no less saving than his work of dying on the cross. Now what we have to see is in these two works of our high priest, we cannot divide his priestly work in half so that, now think about this, and this is what we maybe popularly think, Jesus prays effectively for a definite people. Does that make sense? He prays and his prayers are answered 100% guaranteed and who does he pray for then? For a definite particular people. But then we take the other part of Jesus' priestly work and we cannot divide it and say then that he makes atonement and he brings his blood into the sanctuary and applies it and he makes it only possible for an indefinite people. Whose names is He bearing on His shoulders when He applies the blood in the heavenly sanctuary? The names of those whom God has given to Him before the foundation of the world. The priestly work of Jesus is one single unified whole fulfilling the pattern of the high priest in the Old Testament. So we read in Romans chapter 8, look at this now and put it together. He who did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all. There's the atonement. How will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died for us in the context. More than that, He's the one who was raised for us. Who is at the right hand of God who indeed is interceding for us? Who is He interceding for? Only us. If we follow the chain back, who did He die for? Only us only the people that he represented. Well, we're going to get to a not only us in a minute Those for whom Christ dies and makes atonement are the same ones for whom he intercedes And we know who they are. We read in Hebrews chapter 5 and let's just let's just skip even Hebrews 5 for now You can look at that later In the same way I'll read it, Hebrews 5. Every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men. And we know, he's quoting from Exodus, on behalf of particular men. Who did the high priest act on behalf of? The covenant people. He did not act on behalf of Edom or the Philistines or anyone else in relation to God. To offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. And then he shows how Christ has done that, fulfilling the high priest's pattern. And then in Hebrews 9, Christ has entered not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things. He went into heaven itself. Now to appear with what? with the blood that he took there, his own blood, with the names written on his shoulders and on his heart to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Those for whom Christ prays are the same self, same ones for whom he died. In the same way, that we must not separate the atoning and the praying parts of the work of our high priest. We must not separate, in your handout, Jesus' priestly work from out of the context of the covenant. Remember how the priest in the Old Testament, all that he did was tied to the covenant. Remembrance, that was all about covenant. So also we must not do that with our high priest. So remember, so Matthew 26 verse 28, look what Jesus says, and see it in a light maybe we haven't before. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. Who are the many for whom Christ poured out His blood? They are all those that God has chosen for covenant relationship by His grace for the forgiveness of sins. And so once again we see that even as the Old Testament high priest would go in and take the blood of animals that were of the old covenant and put it on the altar. So Jesus brings in the blood of a new covenant representing the covenant people and applies it to the heavenly altar. So it fulfills in your handout, fulfills the pattern of the Old Testament priesthood. Now, this is all very explicit and very clear. What then about the alls in the Bible? Doesn't the Bible say that Jesus died for the world? Doesn't the Bible say that Jesus died for all in multiple places? And indeed it does. Does this contradict then the teaching of the priesthood? That Jesus died for the particular and not the all indiscriminately. What do we do with this? And I say, you don't have to do anything with it. In fact, the alls of the Bible, I am all about the alls. They are beautiful. and we embrace them. In fact, they show the beauty of the priesthood as we haven't yet seen it this morning. So, buckle up, and here we go, okay? We learn from the Bible. Now, this is... Granted, I could just skip this because this is challenging. But let's get it, okay? Because this is it. This is all through the whole Bible. We learn from the Bible that the particular and the definite people for whom Christ offered himself as an atoning sacrifice, this people is a people from every place on earth, from every corner of the world. We know this from Revelation 5. you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed." I want you to notice that the Bible doesn't ever talk in potentialities here. Not when it comes to the atonement. The Bible doesn't say, and by your blood you made it possible for people to be ransomed. It says, by your blood you actually ransomed these people. for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. And it is this people, okay, follow it, it's this people for whom Christ died that is being made into a new humanity. A whole new creation. This, by the way, is taught in Genesis, in Exodus, in Joshua, throughout the Prophets, throughout the Gospels, throughout the Epistles, and when we come to Revelation, in the Bible, we have this grand, massive, beautiful story of God creating, and then saying, now I'm gonna make a new creation. Of creating a humanity that fell in Adam, and now I'm gonna make a new humanity. in Christ, the new creation. And that's the people for whom Christ died from every tribe, tongue, people and nation are being formed into this new humanity, this new creation. And so many of the universal alls as we're about to see in the Bible. They are to be understood. When you read about the alls, when you understand the Bible, we know they're to be understood in the terms of this new creation. See, I'm not just saying the alls refer to people from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation. I'm saying the alls refer to the new humanity, the new creation that God is drawing from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation. And so this universal all, think about it, it's not yet, is it? Because we're still waiting for Christ's return. And yet, this universal all, it is already here, because here we are. Because this new humanity has already begun in the church, that's what this is. And so we read in 2 Corinthians chapter 5. Now you do the work here. Look at these verses. What are they saying? We have concluded this, that one has died for all. Now isn't that clear? Isn't it explicit? Then he goes on to say, therefore, all have died. the same all for whom Christ died, that same all has died with him. Paul is explicit. One died for all, therefore all, all for whom Christ died have died. How can Paul say this? See, the universalists who believe that everyone goes to heaven, They read a verse like this, and they say, look, it's clear, it's explicit. Jesus died for everyone, therefore everyone dies with Christ, ultimately, and goes to heaven. On the other hand, there's another group that would say, no, no, Jesus died for all, but he didn't actually save them all. But then Paul goes on to say, therefore all have died. The same all for whom Christ died. So then, how do we make sense of this? He goes on to say that those who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who for their sake. Whose sake did He die? For those who live. For their sake died and was raised. Therefore, and here's where we understand the all, which if we know the Bible, we can understand it already anyway. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. See, there's the all. The all that's being drawn from every people, tongue, tribe, and nation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come. In Christ, look at this, God was reconciling. Reconciling is a powerful word, by the way. It's not saying that He was making it possible for it to happen. It's saying He was doing it. In Christ, He was reconciling the world to Himself. What does that mean? It means that in Christ, God was creating a new humanity, a new world, from this world, from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation. And so, what does the world equal? The world equals all who have died with Christ. This is the world, the new world and creation that God is creating. He was not counting their trespasses against them. and He entrusted to us the message of reconciliation. And that's the beautiful thing, is in all of this, it does not contradict our responsibility to go. It does not contradict the free offer of the Gospel. It does not contradict the invitation to come. We must not let our minds sit in judgment the word of God. So Colossians chapter 1 verses 18 to 22 we read, Christ is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the beginning of what? The new creation, the church. He is the firstborn from the dead. Christ's resurrection is pictured in the Bible as the beginning of the new creation. The new resurrection life. Firstborn of the new creation. So that in everything He might be preeminent. For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell. And through Him to reconcile all things. To reconcile to Himself. all things. Now, if you're a universalist, you love that verse, right? Because look, he's going to reconcile to himself all things. And you have to be able to fight against that doctrine rightly. And you can't fight against it by saying he only made it possible for all things to be reconciled to himself. That when he died, he only made it possible because they're going to jump all over you and point out that no, no, no, it says he actually does it. That's why he died. He accomplished it. He did it. He did and will and does reconcile to himself all things. But then we have to bring them to the scriptures and say, do you know what all things is? It is all conceived of as the new creation that God is drawing from out of the world. Not universalism. Whether on earth, in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. He made peace. And you, now he goes to you. The all is you. you who once were alienated and hostile in mind doing evil deeds, He has now reconciled. No less effective than the earlier phrase we saw. In His body of flesh by His death in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before Him. Then we read Romans chapter 5. And this is a powerful one. Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men. All men in Adam and the old creation. So, one act of righteousness leads to justification in life for all men. A universalist loves that verse. Because it looks like, just like Adam brought death to all, so Christ brings life to all. But we have to understand all rightly. The all in Adam is all the old creation in Adam. The all, the new, is the all that's in Christ. The all represented in Him. It's the whole world, thought of in light of the new creation. Our great high priest, let me put it this way, and if you have questions about this, I'd love to talk more, but in the end, I want to bring us to the beauty of it. Our great high priest offered himself up as a sacrifice. 2,000 years ago, he did it. He went to Golgotha, he went to Calvary, willingly, and offered himself particularly and specifically for the definite people that He represented. And so He offered Himself up for a new creation. So that the people in Him might become that new creation. So that the people represented in Him might become that new humanity, the all, the world that God is making. From every tribe, tongue, people, and nation. And Jesus died for this universal all. And because His atoning death cannot possibly, in your handout, what's the word? Fail. It cannot possibly fail to accomplish its purpose. We know that this same All for whom He died has and will universally all die with Christ and be raised up with Him because He accomplishes that which He came to do. This is our Savior. He is powerful. He does it. He accomplishes it. He applies it. It all is done through Him. Here is the infinite saving power of our great high priest, and his work of making atonement, and his work of making intercession for us who have believed in him. Jesus said, by the way, I pray not only for those who are here, but for all who will believe in me through their word. So now we're ready to read in the gospel of John, John 1.29. Behold, And I say this to you, John would say this to us, behold, the Lamb of God who actually takes away the sin of the world. This is not universalism. And yet He does, for real, actually take away the sin of the world. Behold the Lamb of God. John 3, verses 16 to 17. For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever... And I love how the Bible talks. The Bible doesn't get caught up in all of our supposed problems. Whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world. Why did God send His Son into the world? In order that the world might be saved through Him. And I ask you this question, has God failed to achieve His purpose in sending Jesus? No, He has not. We know that the whole world is being and shall be saved through Jesus. As Paul writes in Romans, the whole creation waits for the revealing of the sons of God, so that the whole world will, in the end, enter in to this new creation consummated and fulfilled. 1 John 2, verse 2. Jesus is the propitiation. By the way, the propitiation isn't simply making something possible. It's actually doing it. So, propitiation means that Jesus took the punishment for the sins of people. That Jesus actually suffered the curse of the law that sinners deserved. He actually suffered it. For our sins, John says. And He did that not only for ours only, but for the sins of the whole world." What does that mean? Does that mean that Jesus has fully satisfied the wrath of God for all those people who will not even come to Christ? No. No, that would contradict His priesthood. It would contradict the Bible. And so how do we understand the world? He has died not only for our sins, not for ours only, because by ourselves we here in Morris, we don't make up the new creation. We're not by ourselves the new humanity. We've got to see the bigger picture. So Jesus has also provided propitiation, satisfied the wrath of God for the sins of the whole world, the new humanity, this universal all that God is drawing from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. Think again of Aaron, the high priest. Think of Him coming before the Lord with the names of God's covenant people on His shoulders, and on His heart, and the reminder on His forehead that they are holy to the Lord. And now think of Jesus, our great High Priest, who went to the cross, meditate, think, He went to the cross with our names upon His shoulders and upon His heart. Purposefully representing us. Dying for us. Whom the Father had given to Him from out of the world before the world ever began. Think of Jesus, our great High Priest. Think of Him. As it says in Hebrews, consider Jesus who stands now in the presence of God with our names upon His shoulders and upon His heart. And the constant reminder upon His forehead that we here are a people chosen Holy to the Lord. Think of Jesus. Our great high priest, whose shed blood for us, and constant intercession for us, cannot fail to save us. And not only us, not only us, but also the whole world the all for whom He died, and for whom He is even at this moment, because He's not just interceding for us, He's interceding for the whole world. He's interceding effectively and powerfully, guaranteed success for the whole world, for the all for whom He died, and for whom He's at this very moment interceding at the right hand of God. Think of Jesus. Think of Him. It's what I went to bed the last several nights just doing, thinking of Jesus and his beauty, who bears our names on his shoulders and upon his heart, who constantly confesses that we are his. Holy to the Lord. How grateful should we be that we have a great high priest. And that in all that he does, in all that he's ever done, in all that he will ever do, he represents and embodies a particular people bearing their names on his forehead, his shoulders, and his heart. In this doctrine of the particular or the definite atonement, sometimes known from TULIP as the limited atonement, we see not only the power of God. Do you see it? You see that now in the atonement it didn't just make things possible, it was so powerful it did. It did. We see then not only this power of God, we also see the love of God, as we could never see it in any other way. So Ephesians 5 says, Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. In the Old Testament, if an offering or a sacrifice, if it was fragrant, that means it was accepted by God. That means it actually did what it was meant to do. And so when Jesus offered Himself up for us, it was a fragrant offering and a sacrifice to God. And it showed His love for the people that He gave His life for. Hebrews 7. The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, but he holds his priesthood permanently because he continues forever. 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. the same people for whom he died. For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a great 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, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, the particular covenant people, since he did this once for all. when He offered up Himself. For who? For His own. For His covenant people. Two things before we skip to Exodus 39. Number one, as I say to myself, to my children, I say to each one of you, we do not try to figure out who God chose before the foundation of the world. We don't try to figure out who Jesus died for, whose names were written. I know that if I come to Jesus in saving faith, that's where my name is and has been since before the foundation of the world. The question then is, will you come? Will you come in saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His work of applying His blood, making atonement, providing for forgiveness, and trusting in His work of praying now to the Father for all who believe? When you have done that, when you have come to Him in saving faith, you can have this awesome, unbelievable, beautiful assurance that you cannot fail to come to your heavenly home because he died particularly for you and prays and has prayed forever, particularly for you. Think of your high priest. Think of how you are represented in him. on his shoulders, on his heart, on his forehead. Think of how you're represented before the throne of God itself. Are you there? Are you thinking? As he sheds his blood and applies his blood to the heavenly altar, your name written on his shoulders. as he prays and intercedes unceasingly before the Father, your name written on his heart. What complete security. What awesome comfort. What exceeding joy. What strength. to deny self, and love God, and love others, and proclaim the gospel, to be filled daily with the fruits of the Spirit. These are the things that will be produced in you the more you come to gaze upon Jesus, your great High Priest. Maybe now we can skip ahead to Exodus 39 and read with a growing sense of wonder and awe. They made the onyx stones enclosed in settings of gold filigree and engraved like the engravings of a signet according to the names of the sons of Israel. And he set them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod to be stones of remembrance for the sons of Israel as the Lord had commanded Moses. And they set in the breastpiece of judgment four rows of stones. A row of sardius, topaz, and carbuncle was the first row. And the second row, an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond. And the third row, a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst. And the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. They were enclosed in settings of gold filigree. There were 12 stones with their names according to the names of the sons of Israel. They were like signets, each engraved with its name for the 12 tribes. They made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold and wrote on it an inscription like the engraving of a signet, holy to the Lord. I think we have a picture right before this. Maybe not, yeah. I just want you to look at that one last time. That's the shadow. The substance has come. And it is ours in Christ. Oh Lord, help us today to be faithful, to consider Jesus our great high priest. who went to the cross for us, who ascended into heaven for us in ways perhaps that we never knew or understood before, but actually embodying us, representing us in all that He ever did and does and will do with our names written on Him. Oh, Lord, help us. Help us to worship, to love and adore, and to be strengthened by this security, by this comfort, by this joy, to live lives that look radically different from the world around us, so that others might also come, so the light might be seen and others might come to glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Open our minds, we pray, and our hearts. Thank you for this song we can sing together. In Jesus' name, amen.