Grace Reformed Baptist Church, Bangalore

I imagine that honestly some of you may be thinking, “Pastor, I’m struggling in my family. I have financial problems. I’m trying to raise kids in this evil world! I’m wrestling with personal problems, struggling with sin, mental stress, and tension. And you are teaching Leviticus rituals and today about the high priest. Can’t you help us study something practical and relevant? Do we need this study on the priest now? I don’t see any relevance.”

Some have said, “Why is the Christian life exciting for some, and a burden for others? Why do some Christians enjoy peace and joy regularly, and others only once in a while? Why do some Christians face troubles with faith and overcome, and others are discouraged, full of doubts, and a failure?” The only difference between these two types of Christians is an inadequate, low understanding of the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. They don’t understand who Jesus is, how big He is, what He has done, what He is doing in their lives, and they fail to connect with Him in their daily lives.

Have you thought about why God took so many years to send His son into the world? One main reason is that God took thousands of years to make us understand the heavenly Savior who would come and save us. The whole history of Israel for 2,000 years, from Abraham to Jesus, was orchestrated to explain who Jesus is and what He will do for us. So when we study these Old Testament passages, it is not an unrelated topic for our lives. More than anything, you and I need to learn to see the glory of Jesus in these lessons. One of those is our understanding of Jesus’s priestly ministry. You may say, “priest,” and find it not interesting or appealing.

Calvin said until one gains an adequate sense of the overwhelming majesty of the thrice-holy God and simultaneously a true sense of one’s sinfulness and unworthiness (as Isaiah did [Isa. 6:1-5]), one is not in a position to understand or appreciate the importance and value of priests and their work. Our failure on these two points is probably what makes the idea of priesthood unfamiliar and without apparent significance or meaning.

This is one of the most important spiritual truths that you have to continuously learn to grow in the Christian life: how holy God is and how sinful you are. That is what will make the ministry of Christ very precious to us. That is what Leviticus is teaching us. Remember, we did a rapid study of Leviticus 8. This chapter is like a maze; you go inside and don’t know how to come out—a complex maze of rituals for anointing Aaron as the high priest for Israel. We did a quick survey of the seven components in this chapter.

Firstly, the first of the seven is the assembled congregation in verses 1 through 5. The whole nation gathered around the tabernacle. Aaron and his sons are paraded by Moses to the doorway of the tabernacle.

The second major component is the uniform of Aaron in verses 6 through 9.

The third major component then is the anointing of Aaron in verses 10 to 13. All vessels and then Aaron were fully anointed with special oil.

Fourth, there was the sin offering in verses 14 through 17.

Then fifthly, the burnt offering in 18 through 21.

Sixthly, then, the peace offering in 22 through 30.

Seventh, the final instructions in verses 30 through 36. There we read about more anointing with oil, more sprinkling with blood, and more complex rituals happening. For seven days, they repeated all the rituals and stayed. Verse 31: “And Moses said to Aaron and his sons, ‘Boil the flesh at the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and eat it there with the bread.'” Verse 32: “‘What remains of the flesh and of the bread you shall burn with fire.'” Verse 33: “‘And you shall not go outside the door of the tabernacle of meeting for seven days, until the days of your consecration are ended. For seven days he shall consecrate you.'” The warning was that you will die.

What is God teaching with all these complex rituals? One important lesson I highlighted that this passage teaches about God is His burning holiness. We see His requirement for purity is striking and relentless. He is holy, holy, holy. How many things He orders here. On one side, we learn God’s holiness; contrasting that, on the other side, it teaches how utterly depraved and sinful humans are. Man is natively fully, from head to toe, unfit even to cross the threshold and enter even the outer court of this heaven-sample house, let alone commune with the living God, because man is totally depraved and God is totally holy.

Only when we sense these two tensions in our hearts will a great question arise: “How can I, a defiled sinner, forget about communion, even enter and survive before my holy Creator without whose love, presence, and peace my life is cursed and miserable?” That is when the ministry of the priest becomes very, very precious in our sight.

Today, I want to show us the colossal value of this priestly ministry. Our sin blindness may prevent us from realizing how important it is, but this passage shows the colossal value in a loud, eye-twitching, visible way. Why was the entire nation gathered in a solemn manner, and Aaron paraded before the eyes of every Israelite? The impression in their minds was that a great, important ministry office was being ordained and anointed.

Secondly, we notice that the garments that are spoken of a bit here are spoken of more in depth in Exodus 28 and Exodus 39. Just look from his feet to his head; the man is decorated.

1. He put on him the tunic, a white pure linen garment.
2. He clothed him with the sky blue collar robe and girded him with the sash.
3. He put on the ephod.
4. And then he put on the skillfully woven band of the ephod.
5. Verse 8, “And he put the breastplate on him, and he put in the breastplate the Urim and the Thummim.”
6. Verse 9, “And he put the turban on his head; also on the turban, on its front, he put the golden plate, the holy crown.”

There is a lot of gold, gold chains, and embroidery all in gold. The gemstones are rare and very costly. The breastplate has four rows: sardius, topaz, carbuncle, diamond, jacinth, agate, amethyst, beryl, onyx, and jasper. These costly stones. Anyone who would look upon it would say, “That is a grand dress, a fortune’s worth of a wardrobe,” with a value of billions. For example, in olden days, ladies wore all their wealth on their bodies: head crown, shoulder chain, full chest of gold, belt, down to their legs. What is the woman saying? “I am very valuable, my net worth is great, I am very rich.”

God specifically said in Exodus 28:2, these garments had to be for glory and beauty. The garments were purposefully to be striking and spectacular in appearance, to be impressive, to impress the people of God. He stands in the midst of hundreds of thousands of people, so he should look very special and valuable. What is God saying by decorating this man like this? He is visibly telling us in this picture the great, infinite value of his ministry to the nation.

There is no greater ministry than this, for he was the mediator between God and man who could secure atonement for the nation’s sins. Even the old shadow ministry of Aaron was of infinitely greater value to the nation. You see, without the high priest, the tabernacle would do nothing but bring wrath and plagues from the eternal God upon the people of God. God would break out in wrath like he did among the Philistines when they took the ark of the covenant, with no priests there. But when there is the ministry of the high priest, not only is God’s anger turned away, but the nation and each worshiper can come to God and offer his sacrifices through the priest, and receive blessing, and experience the presence, blessing, and love of God. The high priest’s ministry was of colossal value. Israelites gave a lot of value to the high priest’s ministry.

If the old shadow of Aaron’s ministry was so valuable, God wanted to show through this visible lesson the infinite value of Christ’s priestly ministry. We have never really studied the great value of His priestly ministry. We are so carnal and visual, that when something is spiritual and invisible, we don’t realize the value until we see it. The spiritual high priestly ministry of Jesus Christ is of infinite value to believers. God, here in a shadow and visible form in the Old Testament, shows the infinite value of the priestly ministry of Jesus Christ. All that He did and does for us even now in heaven, we can see here.

The Lord Jesus Christ and His priestly mediation on our behalf are the great treasures of our lives. That is the celebration of the book of Hebrews. Those to whom he wrote were persecuted, so much that their properties were taken and their lives were at risk. They were tempted to go back. The writer shows that the glory of our high priest and his ministry is greater than all. It is worth more than losing all. You can even lose your wealth, even your life, but don’t lose this ministry. If the Holy Spirit helps us grasp this truth, we will see that in the whole universe, there is nothing more valuable. An enlightened Christian, even if given all the wealth of Adani and Ambani, will not give away this privilege for the whole world. Aaron just outwardly foreshadowed this, but can we look at each of these shadows and see the glory of our high priest? May the Holy Spirit open our eyes.

Lift up your eyes and behold your high priest. As you look at Aaron, look at him from feet to head. Everything shows the glory of Jesus Christ’s priestly ministry. Imagine:

1. Appointment. He stands there. Who brought him? We saw Aaron was selected by God. Hebrews 5:4-6 says this is the high priest’s role: “The appointment of the high priest: No man can take it upon himself, but must be called by God (5:4). Appointed by God: The high priest must be called and chosen by God for this sacred role.” Didn’t our Lord repeatedly say, “I didn’t do this work on my own, but my Father appointed me. My Father gave me this command, my Father sent me”? So He is the authorized and appointed high priest by God. It was not Jesus who did something emotionally out of love, but God appointed Him to do this work. This appointment gives divine, authentic authority and acceptance for His priestly work on our behalf.
2. Anointing. We see here Aaron was first bathed and then he was anointed with oil. How marvelously we see our Lord Jesus Christ was baptized by John, and as soon as He came out, He was anointed with the Holy Spirit without measure, which is foreshadowed in the oil.
3. Humanity. Then we see from down to up, first we see his feet. He has two legs. Wow, this great priest is not some spirit or angel. He is a man like us. Hebrews 5:1-2: “The high priest must be human, so he is able to empathize with human weaknesses and limitations.” Our Lord Jesus Christ, though He was God, an eternal spirit, He took on human nature to fulfill this qualification, to become an eternal priest for us. We all celebrate that this month, the wonder of God becoming man.
4. Pure Garments. Then look at each of his clothes, how marvelous it represents what our Lord does for us. Lift your eyes and the first thing you see is his inner garment. Verse 7: he wore an inner garment, a tunic. All inside was covered with a white cloth, even a headpiece, a completely pure linen white garment that covers his full body. It is pure white. It represents purity and sinlessness. Hebrews 7:26-28: “The high priest must be without sin, able to offer a perfect sacrifice.” Aaron was not pure, but his inner garment was a shadow of Christ who was pure, and he was showing by that dress the one who will be a perfect high priest. Doesn’t it beautifully show that our high priest, Jesus Christ, has absolute purity? He was fully pure and holy. Who is sinless like Him? No one, His relatives, disciples, enemies, religious, or government leaders, could find one fault in Him. He is pure from head to toe, inside and outside. A completely immaculate, pure high priest. He offered Himself as a perfect, blameless sacrifice. He Himself was the sacrifice, and He Himself was a priest who offered Himself as a spotless lamb.
5. Sash. The sash symbolized strength, authority, and readiness for service. How it represents our Lord Jesus, who is the embodiment of divine strength and authority, and how ready He was to serve humanity! “I came to serve, not be served.” He took the towel and wrapped it and served. Now He stands with all strength, power, and authority over heaven and earth, an almighty high priest with a sash around Him. What a high priest! Hebrews 7:25: “Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God.” Which sin may have dominion? Even if all the demons and devils try to drag us to hell, no one can pluck us from the hands of such a priest. Behold Him sashed with almighty power and the strength of this high priest. He can save us to the utmost, to the end, and take us to heaven. No power in the universe can hinder His high priestly ministry. Our confession says, by His present ministry, He is overcoming all their enemies by His almighty power and wisdom, in such a manner and ways as are most consonant to His wonderful and unsearchable dispensation. We have such a high priest.
6. Blue Robe. Then lift up your eyes and see the blue robe. All blue. A long, flowing garment symbolizing majesty and royalty. Blue symbolizes that He is not just a man, but He is of heavenly origin. The color blue was associated with the heavens in the Bible. The blue robe signified that the high priest is not just a man, didn’t come from earth, He came from the blue heavens. He possesses a divine nature as God. His divinity and all other attributes surpass any earthly high priest. He is preeminent and supreme. He is not only God, but He created all things, sustains and controls all things, and will judge and destroy all things. Imagine such a one, with all these infinite amazing attributes, took on the work of a high priest for sinners like you and me.
7. Urim and Thummim. Then you see the high priest held the Urim and Thummim, used for divine guidance for Israelites to tell them God’s will. Oh, how our high priest fulfills guiding and leading us in the divine direction in heaven’s path, showing which way is wrong and which is right. Does He do that by His prophetic ministry by teaching us from His word and guiding us? By His Spirit, He indwells believers and provides a personal witness to the truth. This inner witness guides and directs, fulfilling the role of the Urim and Thummim in a spiritual way. Our confession again says, “revealing unto them, in and by his Word, the mystery of salvation, persuading them to believe and obey, governing their hearts by his Word and Spirit.”
8. Precious Stones. There are shoulder stones on both sides, where all the names of the tribes are engraved, six on one side and six on the other side. And on the breastplate, there are 12 stones, in four rows: sardius, topaz, carbuncle, sapphire, diamond, jacinth, agate, amethyst, beryl, onyx, and jasper. What does that say to you? It says 101 things. Such a glorious priest is sitting in heaven. a. He represents me in heaven. He has united me to Himself in spirit; we both are one. In union with His people, He appears there in heaven on our behalf. He has reserved a place for me in heaven and continues to every second intercede for my grace, my worries, my sins, and my needs. b. You think, “I forget you,” but not for one second. He is bearing us on His shoulder and chest. What kind of intercession is this? We are not to imagine the Father is unwilling and Jesus is forcing the Father to bless us by interceding. No. His intercession may not be vocal, but by His presence. Just His presence, His risen, sin-atoning, hell-and-death-conquering, Satan-victorious presence, contains every conceivable blessing that His people could ever ask for. He has already blessed us with every spiritual blessing. His presence of nailed, pierced hands and feet are His intercession. We may imagine as a representative of a nation sits in the senate to secure blessings, just their presence will ensure all is decided to the advantage of his nation. Remember, He is not just spirit; He sits with flesh and blood before the Father. As the Father beholds the atoning glory of His Son, He sees a life that has won everything good for His people. He beholds His Son and in His Son beholds all the elect whom He has united to one who by His obedience and death has won everything conceivable blessing for His people on earth and in the heavens beyond. As the Father beholds the risen glory of the Son, He inevitably, without vocal cries, blesses His people. The glorified Lord has secured everything good for all those who put their trust in Him. c. Just as Moses prayed, the Israelites won. Do you realize any victory we have against sin, Satan, or any growth? It’s because our high priest is holding up His hands in heaven on your behalf. You and I would have collapsed in despair and unbelief many years ago, filled with emotional sadness. In the midst of thousands of invisible snares, temptations, and hindrances of the devil and demons, the reason we continue in faith is only because He prays. If you are still standing, it is only because He is praying. Thousands of invisible nets are cast every day by spiritual forces of wickedness in heavenly places, your enemies, and you don’t even know about it. They were caught up in their own nets while you passed by safely. Why? Because there is one who is interceding on the mountain of the presence of God on your behalf. d. All these precious stones also talk about how much value we are to Him. We are precious to Him, so precious that He shed His blood. He keeps us in His heart. We are not worthy in ourselves, but His love places such value on us. Oh, it speaks of His sympathy and love for us.
9. His crown talks about His exaltation. He is exalted above every name, as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

So the picture shows what Jesus Christ is doing for us. Is He not valuable? Garments of the high priest for Aaron are given not because he is good; it is given because he is a sinner. So all these clothes represent someone who is going to perfectly fulfill all this. Aaron was a shadow, one who is pure and white, who is going to come in human form and live among man. We may not see the physical beauty of our high priest’s dress now, but what Christ is doing spiritually is infinitely more valuable than Aaron’s ministry. The beauty is all spiritual, and to the eyes of faith, it is very, very precious.

So as an application, let me show you three blessings the writer to the Hebrews tells us we can experience today because we have such a high priest.

1. He has secured certain Eternal Cleansing, Acceptance, and Redemption. Hebrews 10:1-3 says, “For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come,” those who wanted to come to God, they had to offer sacrifices continually for those coming to God through the high priest. But even those sacrifices didn’t give them the assurance of forgiveness, cleansing, acceptance, and redemption. Verse 4: “For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.” Think of thousands upon thousands of sacrifices. They didn’t cleanse them and make them holy. But you know what our high priest has done? Verse 10: “We have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” That’s a wonderful phrase to those who understand the Old Testament repetition: day after day, week after week, year after year, having a sense of defilement always, in spite of all that, knowing they were never fully sanctified. See what our high priest has done. He has sanctified us by His body once and for all. Cleansed once and for all. The past, present, and even future sins are all eternally cleansed. So cleansed, we are eternally perfectly justified, reconciled, and even adopted by God, redeemed by His offering. What a high priest!
2. Bold and Eternal access to God. We have access to the very Holy of Holies of God’s presence anytime. It is the ugliest fact in human life and in human experience that we all feel the damage sin has done to us. It is so deep. It plows up our hearts and homes. It separates us. It damns us. It condemns us. It makes us feel ashamed to come to the only source of joy and purpose of life, God. The greatest harm sin has done to us is that it has damaged our access to God. We were created in His image, created to live in the enjoyment of God’s love, joy, and peace. The reason for all our miseries is because our connection with God is now cut. We feel His awesome wrath and awful anger in our souls. Who can deliver us? Who can save us, both from ourselves and from the condemnation, shame, and unworthiness we feel so deeply? How can we go to our God with such a face? On what basis? That is the human cry. Contrasting with the Old Testament people, who could not even enter the outer court of the holy place, see what our high priest has done. Verse 19: “Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest of All,” meaning the most holy place to the presence of God, “by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh.” Wow. Now I don’t have to go to God based on my worthiness, which I can never do. I don’t have to cringe or wallow in my sin. I can go to God, even to the most holy place, by a new way based on what He has done, His sacrificial work, and what He is doing now as high priest. Verse 20: “by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh.” Verse 21: “and having a High Priest over the house of God,” not because of who you are or what you did, but because we have a great high priest. Verse 22: “let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” You hear that? We have the confidence to enter not the outer court, but even the most holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us. Oh, in faith in this high priest, you can come to the very presence of heaven and experience the presence of the living God. Experience His love, joy, and peace which your heart so yearns for. This is an infinite privilege bought by our great high priest. See what it says in verse 21: “and having a High Priest over the house of God.” Not because of who you are, or what you did. Because we have a great high priest. In Christ Jesus, our high priest, we have not only access to the outer courts of God’s presence, but into the very inner court, the Holy of Holies. We can even go into the bosom of God to feel His love for us. Oh, we can go to God! We can go even into the bosom of God and enjoy His embrace, love, and blessings, not with fear and doubts. But let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, all because we have such a high priest now. Oh, when we see all the maze of requirements, cleansings, and purifications, the rituals indicate the holiness of God. And we wonder, “How can we come to God?” Now we are able to come boldly. Why? Not because God has become less holy. No. Because on Golgotha, our high priest splashed with His own blood the horns of that altar. And then we find He cleansed His people once and for all by His sacrifice. Through our great high priest, we see, brethren, He fulfilled all the requirements of God. All requirements for purity are striking and relentless. Oh, as a believer, you can come to God boldly through His high priest anytime, directly to the Holy of Holies in faith. Experience forgiveness, redemption, justification, adoption, sanctification, and new life. Eternal cleansing and redemption, eternal access to God. Help for all our needs with sympathy.
3. A third blessing: interceding help for all our needs with sympathy. This is the cream. You look at the breastplate and the gemstones on His breast. It symbolized the high priest’s representation for all of the people of God. So that when He came into the presence of God and the Holy of Holies, He was not merely there for Himself, but He was there for the twelve tribes comprehensively, but not only the twelve tribes comprehensively, but also for each individual. He has all of us on His shoulder and bears us in His heart.

In the same way, our Lord, the high priest, represents you in heaven. See what it says in Hebrews 4:14: “Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.” We are on His chest. We are His peculiar treasures. He carries our names upon His heart, not on His back. That if you be one of the elect, in a profound sense, your name is written upon His breastplate as He intercedes on your behalf. It is the high priest we need who is there in heaven for us, exactly suited for our needs. We, as saved believers, are always with a faith so weak, our strength is weak, our graces are weak, our obedience is so weak. “How can I go to God?” We feel so weak, so tired. “I am in a wilderness, so weak.” So when we hear about a high priest who is so perfect, so wonderful, glorious, excellent, beyond the heavens, high and glorious, majestic and glorious, we may get discouraged. We may feel a big distance between Him and us. “He is so high and we are so low.” We don’t feel like running to a person like that.

So look at what the Hebrew writer says. He first tells us, you know what this high priest is not. Verse 15: “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses.” The Greek word for sympathy is to suffer with, to enter into fully, to get close to, to share feelings, to get into the skin of another person and feel what they feel, how they feel. He is able to sympathize, to get into our skin and feel our weaknesses. He knows we are weak people. He is gracious, merciful, and sympathetic, and compassionate. There is no weakness of ours where He Himself doesn’t come and share with us. He knows we are so weak when it comes to doing good, overcoming sin, struggling with faith, doubting, murmuring, and holiness. We are broken and profoundly weak people. We face temptations daily. We are so weak, humans. We feel lonely. We have weaknesses in our homes. We get angry. We sin. We are weak outside. We struggle every hour. He knows. Better yet, He pities us as a friend.

We have a high priest to sympathize with our weakness. Wow. That is what I need. To know that when I live day in and day out with the drudgery of life’s responsibilities, I become so tired and weak and discouraged. What wonderful news to know I have a high priest who knows all, who sympathizes with that. In His exalted position, He sees all we go through and He empathizes with all we go through. There is no iota of human weakness that we go through that our high priest does not see. He sees struggling, oppressed, discouraged, tried, tested, tempted. He sees all. There is not one tear, one sigh, that escapes the notice of your great high priest. It is more than just “I see that.” It is “I know that.” He feels. He is affected by them. It makes an effect on His soul. Because of our union, He suffers what we feel. He empathizes as a friend and brother with our weakness. He is touched with our weakness as bone of His bone, flesh of His flesh. He knows all this.

See, He is a great high priest, sitting in heaven, but realize deeply, just because He sits in heaven doesn’t mean He is removed from our life, disconnected from day-to-day problems and our suffering and temptations. No, no. He is intimately, deeply connected with every single thing that happens to you. He knows and fully feels what you are going through. He cares and feels. And you know the best thing? He can do something about it. As our all-sufficient Savior, He is able to save them to the uttermost, those who come to Him. What in the world do you need? What is it that you are feeling or going through that He is not able to understand?

Knowing this, the inevitable result of knowing and truly believing this is: Verse 16: “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” So because He knows all your pain, suffering, and weakness, knowing how big He is, so glorious, and then knowing He is so sympathetic, the inevitable conclusion is, when you need divine help, you will run to Him. When you do that, you will get mercy, that will relieve your guilt and self-condemnation, and you will get immediate relief. That will relieve your heart for your weakness, and make you feel better. Not just that, but beyond that, you will find helping grace exactly suited for that situation. Divine, timely help suited for that situation. That will help you. Grace that will help handle that situation, that weakness, that problem. Here is hope when you feel weakness, human trouble, trials, pain, and struggling. God says this is available to you because of the high priest anytime, 24/7, anytime, without appointment. What else do we need? Absolutely astonishing. Whenever you need, you come to me, and I will give you grace and helping grace. Eternal cleansing and redemption, eternal access to God. Help for all our needs with sympathy.

See, the problem is you are seeing only down. You are seeing your weakness, troubles, struggles, and dangers. You have to learn to see up. We have a high priest, pleading for us, our representative with the Father. He has purchased eternal cleansing and redemption, given eternal access into the Holy of Holies, the presence of God, and He can give all help with sympathy. He is there for me, interceding. When you go through a health crisis, a financial or marriage crisis, or dark times, struggling with sin, Jesus Christ is there feeling your pain, sympathizing with you. He can help you.

Yes, providentially He orders all events for your good, so you should be content. But when you feel weak, your greatest need is mercy and helping grace. That is what forgives and sustains us in this life of wilderness. We use the access we have with God with boldness and with confidence. I belong to the high priest. I am in His heart. He shed His blood for me. I have His righteousness. Therefore I can go to the throne of grace with confidence. What is the confidence? We will go to heaven. No, we are strong. Our confidence is mercy and God through Jesus Christ has forgiven me. He has purchased eternal redemption. It can keep me and strengthen me all the way to the end. I have a high priest who has our very names upon His heart, who prays to His Father, “I will that they also whom you have given me will be with me where I am.” I can be sure because that high priest’s prayers are always answered. Because He intercedes on our behalf, brethren, we shall arrive home safely.

Learn a new truth: It is not only the death of Jesus Christ that saves you, but even His intercession as the risen high priest saves you. Everything that we need has been provided by the living God in this priesthood. People talk about going to the end of the world and finding that one thing that will bring happiness. The Holy Grail, which will bring happiness. Brothers, we have found that. It is the high priest ministry and mediation of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is, as it were, the holy grail that men seek after. Paul knew that as he assessed all of his possessions. Philippians 3:8, speaking of Christ’s high priestly ministry, he says, “I count all things to be lost, everything I have, all things to be lost in view of the surpassing value of knowing Jesus Christ my Lord.” That is the one thing of great value that we have, is the mediation of the Lord Jesus Christ that is typified in these spectacular and expensive garments. Look at our Savior. Look at His high priesthood. Is there any need that you have as a sinner that has not been perfectly matched by His service on our behalf?