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20 “You shall command the people of Israel that they bring to you pure beaten olive oil for the light, that a lamp may regularly be set up to burn. 21 In the tent of meeting, outside the veil that is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall tend it from evening to morning before the Lord. It shall be a statute forever to be observed throughout their generations by the people of Israel.
Exodus 27:20-21 ESV

1 “Then bring near to you Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the people of Israel, to serve me as priests—Aaron and Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. 2 And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty. 3 You shall speak to all the skillful, whom I have filled with a spirit of skill, that they make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him for my priesthood. 4 These are the garments that they shall make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a coat of checker work, a turban, and a sash. They shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother and his sons to serve me as priests. 5 They shall receive gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen. 6 “And they shall make the ephod of gold, of blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and of fine twined linen, skillfully worked. 7 It shall have two shoulder pieces attached to its two edges, so that it may be joined together. 8 And the skillfully woven band on it shall be made like it and be of one piece with it, of gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen. 9 You shall take two onyx stones, and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel, 10 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. 11 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. 12 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. 13 You shall make settings of gold filigree, 14 and two chains of pure gold, twisted like cords; and you shall attach the corded chains to the settings.
Exodus 28:1-14 ESV

I. Keep It in the Family (27:20-28:1)
A. To serve God as priest or a pastor a man must be called by God to do so and that calling should be affirmed by the people he is called to lead.

II. Keep the Fire Burning (27:20-21)
A. A priest was and a pastor is responsible to make sure the fire within continues to burn by feeding it the fuel it needs.
B. The Word of God fuels our fire for Christ because it reminds us we already have what we need the most.
C. The Word of God also fuels our fire for Christ by reminding us of our responsibility to God.
D. Stoking the flame within means priests and pastors are on call employees of God who serve whenever they are needed.

III. Keep it Fashionable (28:2-8))
A. The priest were to dress in a way that represented perfection before God and the perfection of God to the people.
B. The High Priest wore special garments that represented perfection and purity. Jesus wore nothing to the cross because Jesus is perfect and pure.

IV. Keep Ferrying Their Family to God (28:9-14)
A. As the priest carried Israel before God a pastor helps carry the burdens of his people & carries them by name regularly before God in prayer.

V. Next Step: Keep the Focus on Jesus
A. Jesus is our great High Priest and everything the high priest of Israel did for them in history, Jesus does for us now in heaven. (1 Peter 2:23-24, Isaiah 49:16, 1 John 2:1, Hebrews 7:22-28)

Next Week:
Priests Part 2 Exodus 28:15-43