A Savior

(MULTILINE)A Need. A Savior. A Cross

• I want to start this morning by asking you some very difficult question.
  • How many of you were perfect this week?
  • How many of you could not have done anything better, all this week?
  • How many of you messed up?
  • How many of you failed God in some way this week?
• I want to share with you something that God has been dealing with me about for a couple of years now.
  • This passage of scripture has messed me up.
  • If you have your Bible turn to:
  • Exodus 28:1-4

“Now take Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister to Me as priest, Aaron and Aaron’s sons: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. ² And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty. ³ So you shall speak to all who are gifted artisans, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron’s garments, to consecrate him, that he may minister to Me as priest. ⁴ And these are the garments which they shall make: a breastplate, an ephod, a robe, a skillfully woven tunic, a turban, and a sash. So they shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother and his sons, that he may minister to Me as priest.

• • Then if you go on through the rest of chapter 28 and 29, God gives Moses explicit instructions on what he is to do to Aaron and his sons.
    • God tells Moses explicitly what he is to do to sanctify and consecrate Aaron and his sons.
    • God is very detailed in what is take place.
    • He names Aaron and his sons by name.
• I know some may be thinking, Pastor, what is so important about these verses?
  • These verses by themselves are important but it’s what is found in Exodus 32 that makes these verses stand out.
• But before I get to that, let me paint you a picture of what is going on.
  • Moses is on Mount Sinai.
  • He is face to face with God.
  • God is giving him instructions about the law, about the tabernacle, about what is going to take place in the tabernacle.
  • And God is giving Moses instructions for AARON and his sons.
• While Moses is on the Mountain, something completely opposite is going on in the valley.
• Exodus 31:1-6
• Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, “Come, make us ^[a]gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” ² And Aaron said to them, “Break off the golden earrings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” ³ So all the people broke off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron. ⁴ And he received the gold from their hand, and he fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molded calf. Then they said, “This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!” ⁵ So when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow is a feast to the Lord.” ⁶ Then they rose early on the next day, offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.
• Did you catch what was taking place?
  • While God is giving Moses instructions about Aaron and his sons being the priests of the Most High God,
  • Aaron is making a Golden Calf to be their new God.
  • He’s not just committing sin.
  • He’s not just laying out of church.
  • He’s not drinking.
  • He’s not doing drugs.
  • He is making an idol.
  • He is making a false god.
  • He is making something to replace the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
  • He is making a god to replace the ONE that brought them up out of Egypt.
  • He is making a god to replace the ONE that parted the Red Sea.
• So often we find out that someone has messed up, and we are ready to walk away from them.
  • We are ready to throw in the towel for them.
  • We are ready to discredit them.
  • We are ready to write them off.
  • After all THEY MESSED UP!!!!
  • But I have come by here this morning with a message from God.
    • I don’t care what someone has done or is doing.
    • IF GOD HAS A PLAN FOR THEIR LIFE.
    • IF GOD HAS A CALL ON THEIR LIFE.
    • GOD CAN FORGIVE THEM,
      • HE CAN CLEAN THEM UP.
      • HE CAN SANCTIFY THEM.
      • HE CAN CONSECRATE THEM!
    • We’ve got to STOP giving up on people WHEN GOD ISN’T FINISHED WITH THEM.
  • …….(SLOW DOWN)
  • AND… let me just drop this revelation for you this morning.
    • Your past isn’t perfect either.
    • Matter of fact… Neither is your PRESENT!!!
  • I like to read 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 when I start feeling too self-righteous.
  • 1 Corinthians 6:9-11

⁹ Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, ¹⁰ nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.

• • Let me just burst your righteous bubbles this morning.

¹¹ And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.

• • • Some of us were some of the worst sinners.
      • Or maybe I should say some of the best sinners.
  • BUT GOD…. He didn’t leave us at the beginning of verse 11.
  • The rest of the verse says: But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.
• One of the reasons that I was thinking about this passage is because of what today is.
  • Today is Palm Sunday.
  • Today is when Jesus made His Triumphant Entry into Jerusalem.
  • Mark 11:7-10 says:

⁷ Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their clothes on it, and He sat on it. ⁸ And many spread their clothes on the road, and others cut down leafy branches from the trees and spread them on the road. ⁹ Then those who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: “Hosanna! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ¹⁰ Blessed is the kingdom of our father David That comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”

• • They were worshipping Jesus.
    • They were having a good time!
    • It would have been amazing to have been in the crowd.
  • But a few days later the cries of Hosanna would be replaced with shouts of Crucify Him!
    • Throwing palm branches down would be replaced with hitting Jesus with the palms of their hands.
• Can you imagine, one day your worshipping God with everything in you and a few days later you are crying and begging for Him to be crucified?
• As I was praying and meditating on this message, God showed me something amazing.
  • The cries of the crowd was not the reason Jesus was crucified.
  • It wasn’t the crowd.
  • It wasn’t Pilate.
  • It wasn’t Herod.
  • It wasn’t the High Priest.
  • It wasn’t the Pharisees or the Sadducees.
  • It wasn’t the Romans.
  • The reason that Jesus was crucified was because:
    • He knew those same people that were worshipping Him last week,
    • The very ones crying crucify this week…
    • HE KNEW THEY NEEDED A SAVIOR!!!!
  • John 19:10-11
  • ¹⁰ Then Pilate said to Him, “Are You not speaking to me? Do You not know that I have power to crucify You, and power to release You?” ¹¹ Jesus answered, “You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.”
  • God knew that just like those crying crucify; He knew that you and I needed a savior.
  • He knew every bad thing that we’ve ever done.
  • He knows every bad thing that we are doing right now.
  • He KNOWS EVERY BAD THING THAT WE WILL EVER DO.
  • AND NONE OF THAT CHANGED HIS MIND ABOUT ENDURING THE CROSS!!!!
  • Hebrews 12:2 says…

looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

• • That cross wasn’t joyful.
    • But oh the Joy that Jesus has when one of His children come home to Him.
    • It’s then that He looks at the Father and says, “Father, it was worth it!”
    • He is the just like the Father in the story of the prodigal when he says,
      • Luke 15:24

²⁴ for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry.

• • • The reason that Jesus Christ endured the cross was for YOU!!!!
  • And regardless of the condition that you are in right now,
    • Just like God was with Aaron, He has plans for you.
    • He’s giving instructions and directions for your life.
    • He’s guiding.
    • He’s leading.
    • He’s preparing YOU to do His will.

***************MUSIC******************

• I started this morning by asking you a few questions.
  • How many of you were perfect this week?
  • How many of you could not have done anything better, all this week?
  • How many of you messed up?
  • How many of you failed God in some way this week?
• Let me throw this question is now.
  • But how many of you are washed?
  • How many sanctified?
  • How many are Justified by the Lord Jesus Christ?
    • If you are, let’s give Him some praise this morning!
• If you couldn’t join with those worshipping God, this morning because you haven’t been washed yet.
  • There is no better time to allow Him to wash you white as snow.
  • There is no better time to repent.
  • There is no better time to receive the salvation of the Lord.
  • With every head bowed and every eye closed.
  • If you are ready to be washed, will you acknowledge it by slipping up your hand?
  • If you raised your hand, will join me and some others in the altar?
  • We would love to pray with you.