Old Testament 
Exodus 28:1-30; Deuteronomy 10:8 
New Testament 
John 1:14; John 14:9; Acts 20:22-24; 1 Corinthians 2:1-5; 2 Corinthians 4:6; Colossians 1:15; Hebrews 2:3, 5:1

Tim Miller

Christ/Cross

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<li>Another lap finished, a new one begins
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<li>The New Year is often a time of “New Year resolutions.” As believers, there is only one “resolution” that really carries any true weight in the eyes of God.</li>
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1 When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. 2 For I resolved (Gk. krinō—“decided” [LEB, NCV, NET, NLT]; “determined” [NASB]; “made up my mind” [BHT, TEV) to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified (“a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles” [1 Cor. 1:23, NIV]). 3 I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. 4 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power [Lit. proof/demonstration of the Spirit and power; i.e., “by your receiving of the Spirit and by acts of power” [BHT, following lead of BDAG]), 5 so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power. (1 Cor. 2:1-5, NIV)
22 And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, 23 except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me. 24 But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself (“I consider my life worth nothing to me” [NIV]; “I count my life of no value to myself” [HCSB]; “Yet I do not consider my life worth even a single word” [BHT]), if only I may finish my course (“finish my task” [NET], “finish my race” [ISV, NIV]) and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. (Ac. 20:22-24, ESV)
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<li>2020 and 2021 are laps in a race that ends only when Jesus returns. We just finished up a pretty intense leg in the race, and we’re already off to an interesting start in 2021. Personally, I entered the New Year feeling my weakness, mortality, and limitations as a human being in some pretty acute ways—as I am sure is true for many of you as well.</li>
<li>We’ve been talking about the Kingdom of God as a subset of the series “A People Prepared.” God willing, will get back to the Kingdom of Israel next week. I felt that God had something else He wanted me to share tonight to kick off the New Year. I pray that it is a source of great strength and encouragement with a difficult race set before us.</li>
<li>Just celebrated Christmas and the birth of Jesus. As we launch into 2021, I want to talk about some important truths that are inextricably tied to the doctrine of the Incarnation, and which, I believe, are going to need to be at the forefront of our hearts and minds in the coming year and beyond.</li>
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WELCOME TO 2021

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<li>Representative Function
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<li>Represents God to human beings, and represents human beings to God: </li>
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“The priestly role was associated with the tabernacle and temple. It emphasized sacrifice, site maintenance, and education. Priests were the primary religious leadership in the ancient Near East. Their duties varied according to the region and religion. All priests are defined primarily by their intercessory role. Priests acted as representatives of the divine to the people, and representatives of people to the divine. Priests of Yahweh performed sacrifices, maintained the holy sites and implements, and provided counsel and instruction. Priests were also responsible for the place of intercession—the altar, tabernacle or temple. Their instructional role accorded with their intercessory role: they provided the instructions for holy living that would satisfy Yahweh’s holy expectations of the people (Nelson, Raising Up a Faithful Priest, 36).” (bolding mine)
5:1 For every high priest is taken from among the people and appointed to represent them before God, to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins. (Heb. 5:1, NET)
8 At that time the Lord set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of the Lord, to stand before the Lord to minister and to pronounce blessings in his name, as they still do today. (Dt. 10:8, NIV)

PRIESTS AS REPRESENTATIVES

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<li>“For glory and beauty”</li>
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1 “Have your brother Aaron, with his sons, come to you from the Israelites to serve Me as priest—Aaron, his sons Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.  2 Make holy garments  for your brother Aaron, for glory and beauty (“to give him honor and beauty” [NCV]). 3 You are to instruct all the skilled craftsmen,  whom I have filled with a spirit of wisdom, to make Aaron’s garments for consecrating him to serve Me as priest. 4 These are the garments that they must make: a breastpiece (“a chest covering” [NCV]; “a chestpiece” [NLT]), an ephod (“a priestly vest” [CEV]; “a holy vest” [NCV]), a robe (“an outer robe” [NCV]), a specially woven tunic (“a woven inner robe” [NCV]), a turban, and a sash (“a cloth belt” [NCV]). They are to make holy garments for your brother Aaron and his sons so that they may serve Me as priests. 5 They should use  gold; blue, purple, and scarlet yarn (same colors as tabernacle curtains; see Ex. 26:1); and fine linen. (Ex. 28:1-5, HCSB)
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<li>“Vestments signified authority in the ancient world. In the absence of a monarchy in Israel, these vestments made the high priest the leader of the people….Because Israel was begun as a theocracy rather than a monarchy, the sort of vestments that conferred dignity and authority that a king might have worn in other cultures were worn by God’s high priest in Israel as a way of confirming the high priest’s role as representative of Yahweh for purposes of worship.”</li>
<li>“…the garments would identify the high priest and correctly (and symbolically) represent Israel before God and God before Israel thereby.”</li>
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<li>Here I want to focus on the ephod and breastpiece
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<li>Douglas Stuart: “The word ‘ephod’ refers to a torso garment, that is, a piece of clothing that covers the body from thigh to shoulder, normally without covering either arms or legs….The ephod described in the present passage and throughout the Pentateuch was, by contrast, nothing simple and was not worn alone. It was, rather, a very elaborate and impressive sort of ceremonial vest worn over other garments and used to clothe its wearer symbolically so as to represent God among his people. Indeed the ephod became eventually such a symbol of the divine presence that “forged” ephods—modeled on the proper, legitimate one—could actually be worshiped as if they were idols.”</li>
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6 “They are to make the ephod of blue, purple, and red wool, gold thread, and fine linen, decorated with embroidery. 7Two shoulder straps, by which it can be fastened, are to be attached to the sides. 8A finely woven belt made of the same materials is to be attached to the ephod so as to form one piece with it. 9Take two carnelian stones and engrave on them the names of the twelve sons of Jacob, 10in the order of their birth, with six on one stone and six on the other. 11Get a skilful jeweller to engrave on the two stones the names of the sons of Jacob, and mount the stones in gold settings. 12Put them on the shoulder straps of the ephod to represent the twelve tribes of Israel. In this way Aaron will carry their names on his shoulders, so that I, the Lord, will always remember my people. 13Make two gold settings 14and two chains of pure gold twisted like cords, and attach them to the settings. 
15 “Make a breast-piece for the High Priest to use in determining God’s will. It is to be made of the same materials as the ephod and with similar embroidery. 16It is to be square and folded double, 22 centimetres long and 22 centimetres wide. 17Mount four rows of precious stones on it; in the first row mount a ruby, a topaz, and a garnet; 18in the second row, an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond; 19in the third row, a turquoise, an agate, and an amethyst; 20and in the fourth row, a beryl, a carnelian, and a jasper. These are to be mounted in gold settings. 21Each of these twelve stones is to have engraved on it the name of one of the sons of Jacob, to represent the tribes of Israel. 22For the breast-piece make chains of pure gold, twisted like cords. 23Make two gold rings and attach them to the upper corners of the breast-piece, 24and fasten the two gold cords to the two rings. 25Fasten the other two ends of the cords to the two settings, and in this way attach them in front to the shoulder straps of the ephod. 26Then make two rings of gold and attach them to the lower corners of the breast-piece on the inside edge next to the ephod. 27Make two more gold rings and attach them to the lower part of the front of the two shoulder straps of the ephod near the seam and above the finely woven belt. 28Tie the rings of the breast-piece to the rings of the ephod with a blue cord, so that the breast-piece rests above the belt and does not come loose. 
29“When Aaron enters the Holy Place, he will wear this breast-piece engraved with the names of the tribes of Israel, so that I, the Lord, will always remember my people (. 30Put the Urim and Thummim in the breast-piece, so that Aaron will carry them when he comes into my holy presence. At such times he must always wear this breast-piece, so that he can determine my will for the people of Israel. (Ex. 28:6-30, TEV)
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<li>“…the high priest represented the whole family of Israel in God’s presence as symbolized by the ephod shoulder stones.”</li>
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<li>The twelve stones indicated “how precious the Israelites were to Yahweh.”</li>
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AARON’S PRIESTLY GARMENTS

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<li>The glory of the Incarnation (from Latin; means “in flesh”)
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<li>“Incarnation (Lat. in and carō stem carn, meaning “flesh”). In the context of Christian theology, the act whereby the eternal Son of God, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, without ceasing to be what he is, God the Son, took into union with himself what he before that act did not possess, a human nature, “and so [He] was and continues to be God and man in two distinct natures and one person, forever” (Westminster Shorter Catechism, Q. 21). Scripture support for this doctrine is replete, e.g., John 1:14; Romans 1:3–4; 8:3; Galatians 4:4; Philippians 2:6–8; 1 Timothy 3:16; 1 John 4:2; 2 John 7).”</li>
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14 And the Word became flesh (Gk. sarx) and dwelt (Gk. skēnoō—“tabernacled” [ISV]) among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (Jn. 1:14, NIV)
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<li>In this context, “ ‘the “flesh” is man considered as a frail and mortal being.’ ” </li>
<li>14 The Word became a real man, lowly and mortal, and tabernacled among us; we witnessed his glory, the glory belonging to the matchless Son who came from the presence of the Father, and who was full of steadfast mercy and faithfulness. (Jn. 1:14, BHT)</li>
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<li>Jesus, as fully God, represents God to us; when we see Jesus, we see the Father</li>
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9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. (Jn. 14:9, NIV)
“Christ is the visible likeness of the invisible God.” (Col. 1:15, TEV)
6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. (2 Cor. 4:6, NIV)
3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. (Heb. 2:3, NIV)
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<li>Jesus, as fully human, represents us before God; when God sees Jesus, He also sees those whom Jesus represents—us; we are precious to our God, and Jesus, in a sense, “bears” us before the Father in His own person</li>
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34 Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us (“who continually appeals to God on our behalf” [BHT]; “appealing to God for us” [NCV]; “pleading on our behalf” [TEV]). 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? (Rom. 8:34-35, NIV)
 D. Clinging to our great High Priest in the days ahead
14 Since “the disciples,” therefore, share in a weak and mortal nature (Lit. “flesh and blood”), he himself likewise took on the same, so that by his death he could break the power of the one who has such fierce ability to bring about death (that is, the devil), 15 and set free those who, because of their fear of death, throughout their entire lives were subject to slavery. 16 It isn’t angels, you see, as one would agree, to whose aid Jesus comes, but the seed of Abraham. 17 That is why it was necessary for him to be made like his brothers in indeed every respect, so that he could become in his service to God a merciful and trustworthy high priest, so that he could turn God’s wrath away from the people and remove the guilt of their sins by making atonement for them. 18 Indeed, because Jesus himself was tempted and knows what it is to suffer, he is able to help those who are being tempted. (Heb. 2:14-18, BHT)

JESUS, OUR HIGH PRIEST

There is an important reality that is inextricably tied to the glorious doctrine of the Incarnation, and which, we believe, will need to be kept at the forefront of our hearts and minds in the coming year and beyond: The high priestly ministry of Jesus.

Jesus, Our Great High Priest