Aarons Blooming Rod [Part 2]

Pastor, author, and Bible teacher, Alan Wright. When you accept Christ, you become a priest. And by a priest, it means this.

You get to go into the inmost place of intimate fellowship with God without any fear whatsoever, because as Hebrews says, you have been made holy. That's Pastor Alan Wright. Welcome to another message of good news that will help you see your life in a whole new light. I'm Daniel Britt, excited for you to hear the teaching today in our series called Moses as presented at Reynolda Church in North Carolina. If you're not able to stay with us throughout the entire program, I want to make sure you know how to get our special resource right now. It'll be yours for your donation this month to Alan Wright Ministries.

So as you listen to today's message, we encourage you to go deeper as we send you today's special offer. Contact us at PastorAlan.org. That's PastorAlan.org. Or call 877-544-4860.

That's 877-544-4860. More on this later in the program. But now, let's get started with today's teaching. Here is Alan Wright. And I got hurt in a game and somebody's stick came up, hit me in the lip, and it was bleeding pretty bad, so my dad took me to the emergency room. And the doctor got in there and said, well, it's not too bad. He said, I probably just need maybe one stitch, maybe two. He said, I could give him a shot, but by the time I give you the shot, that'll hurt as bad as if I just went ahead and put the stitch in there. And so he said, you okay if I just go ahead and put stitch in there?

We won't even fool with him. Then you won't have to mess with him, mouth being all numb and everything. And I was sitting there like, I'm 10 years old. I'm like, I don't know. But I'm a hockey player. You know, I've grown up blushing hockey players.

They get cut on ice, go sit on the bench, they stitch them up right there, send them back in the game. I'm like, yeah, I can do this. And so sure enough, and it hurt when he just did it, but it was real fast and just about like getting a shot.

Boom, boom, he was done. And my hair was real long at that time. I still had my hockey stuff on. And I was sitting there thinking, I am a hockey player, man. I am a man.

I mean, I just took stitches with no painkiller, no Novocain, none of it. I just, I've never, I had never felt more masculine in my life. And the doctor got done and he said, he said, you're a brave little girl. I said, here's the problem. We all have Cora's problem. Even when you set your own standard, you can't live up to it and you go, I'm not holy enough. And even when you feel like you're at your best identity and who you really are, somebody is going to tear it down. We always are left feeling like there's something wrong with us.

This is what's going on the side of Cora. He's like, why do you get to go and meet with God? Why do you get to go? You think you're better than us? You exalt yourselves over us.

What's he announcing? I don't feel okay myself. Why do you get to? We're all searching.

How do I solve this problem? Is it by lifting myself up to some greater place? Is it by establishing some new status for myself? But I think there's even something deeper that's going on because what did the priest get to do? They got to meet with God, but they also got to offer sacrifices that were acceptable to God. Nobody else could. And the great high priest on one day of the year could go in and offer a sacrifice that God will say temporarily, I'll honor that sacrifice. And nobody else could do that. So we had this problem. It was, I don't measure up and I'm not allowed to bring a sacrifice that would be pleasing to God. Why can't I be like Aaron? And so it was, he rebelled.

Everybody is wrestling whether they know it or not with this very issue. Something's wrong with my soul. And it seems like no matter how much I try to sacrifice for God, I never feel like it's enough.

I could never be religious enough. And so what some people do is they just try harder and harder and harder and harder and harder to be perfect. And what other people do is they say, I'm not going to try at all. And they rebel. But everybody born of Adam is Korah wishing they could make a sacrifice. The Lord comes back to this essentially saying, the answer for Korah and everyone is not that you suddenly can jump and take the place of Aaron, but instead you must learn to honor, delight in, and embrace the work of my appointed high priest.

You see it gets very narrow. The picture you get in the Old Testament is pointing to Christ and it gets very narrow. It's like, what is the way in which your sins are at least temporarily atoned for? You have to honor the work of this one high priest.

You have to accept that I'm honoring the work of this one high priest. Which leads us then to the test. God has brought a series of judgments against Korah and these people, but people still are unconvinced people.

And so death doesn't convince people. And so God says, I've got a different test and it's going to be this. So I want you to take every one of the tribes, all 12, I want you to take a staff. And the word for staff can also mean tribe.

So it's like a tribal staff, a representative staff from each of those families. I want you to lay these pieces of wood out in front of the Ark of the Covenant. And remember that was the symbol for the presence of the Lord. So lay these staffs in the presence of the Lord. And there's going to be a test. Put the names on each one of these staffs so that we'll know exactly which tribe they come from. There won't be any trickery.

Nobody's going to be able to walk out of here and say, ah, look, I just brought out a flowering stick or something like that. We're going to all know what's happened. And the one whose staff sprouts is the truly appointed priest. So the previous judgments, the death of those that oppose Moses and God, they were not the sign. They were not the sufficient sign. They were acts of judgment. But here's the ultimate sign that will convince people.

And that is life. In other words, what God is saying is I want to show myself to be God by doing the impossible and bringing forth life out of this dead wood. And what we'll recognize is that if there is a way that God has brought life out of this one staff, then we'll know it was God who was authorizing this tribe, this family, and Aaron to be the true high priest. In other words, there's not a scientist in the world who's a good scientist who if you could prove, if they could verify that there is one being who has made the life that exists and who could make dead things come to life, would not every scientist, if they could say by whatever name you want to call that being, that rightly is God. Because that creator would be the one who has power over everything. If there were someone that could make dead things come to life and create things that didn't exist, then that rightly, that creator would be the very one who we all would worship because only God could do that. This is very important in the Scriptures that right from the beginning that the text says, in the beginning God created. There's been a lot of scholarly debate about that verse because some have suggested it should read when God began to create.

But after all the consensus is in, all the Hebrew scholars say no, it should read like this, in the beginning God created. God did something totally and completely new. I got a new car this week after months of looking and my family weary of me looking. I've had so much fun with it. Online you can look for cars all over the world. And so I have been and finally I decided that I had to go ahead and get a new car. And so I did this week and I'm very excited about my new car. And it's silky smooth Toyota Avalon and it's running good. And I say it's new. It's not new in the sense of like new from the factory, but it's new to me. And so it's new. My car I had, my wonderful old Mercedes that finally I just traded in.

I almost shed a tear and I traded that beauty in, but it was 17 years old. And so this car is only seven years old. So that's new.

That's 10 years newer. So I mean, that's why I can feel like I can say to you, I have a new car. Not new by some people's standard, but if you did get a new car that came straight from the factory and you said, I got a brand new car, got zero miles on it. You still don't have a new car.

Why? Because where did that car come from? Well, it came from metal and other things in the earth and other elements that already existed and people put it together.

Yeah. Well, where'd that come from? Well, it came from, it came from iron ore in the middle, whatever it came from.

Where'd that come from? See, it's like the scientist who told God, he said, God, I said, I, I, I, we don't need you anymore. So we figured out how to do everything. God said, okay, good for you. Said, how to tell before I go away and I just created another universe. Why don't we just have a little contest?

Just make sure you still don't need me. And scientists said, okay, what do you want to do? God said, well, let's have a man making contests. Scientists said, okay, we can do that. We've learned how to clone. We've learned how to map the human genome. We know how to make things out of test tubes.

We'll have a man making contests. God said, all right, I'll go first. So God scooped down. He got some dirt. He fashioned it to a man, breathed some life into it. And there was a living man and said, okay, you go. The scientists, he said, all right, he reached down and got some dirt, got his test tube out. And God said, oh, go get your own dirt. Because if you didn't also make the dirt, you can't say you made the man.

That's Alan Wright. And we'll have more teaching in a moment from today's important series. Ever feel like something's holding you back as if you lack an important key that could change everything?

Is there someone you love who seems stuck? You'd like to help them, but how? What's missing? Blessing. We all need a positive faith-filled vision spoken over our lives. You can learn how to embrace the biblical practice of blessing through Pastor Alan Wright's new book, The Power to Bless, which quickly became an Amazon number one bestseller after its recent release.

Until now, the hardcover book has only been available through retail sales. But this month, Alan Wright Ministries wants to send you the book as our thank you for your donation. Make your gift today and discover the power to bless. The gospel is shared when you give to Alan Wright Ministries. This broadcast is only possible because of listener financial support.

When you give today, we will send you today's special offer. We are happy to send this to you as our thanks from Alan Wright Ministries. Call us at 877-544-4860. That's 877-544-4860. Or come to our website, PastorAlan.org.

Today's teaching now continues. Here once again is Alan Wright. Let's do this contest. We'll put all these dead pieces of wood in the presence of the Lord. And whatever God makes come to life, we'll say that staff belongs to the true high priest.

Here's the test. It is the one whose staff miraculously burst forth with life and beauty and aroma and bears fruit. Whatever I make alive again, that's the one I want you to validate as the high priest. Hebrews says that we have a great high priest who's passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God. How do we know that he is our great high priest? Because he's alive. Because the validation of the resurrection.

God essentially says here's what I want you to do. I want you to lay all of the greatest religious leaders and scholars and philosophers and philanthropists. I want you to put the powerful.

I want you to put red and yellow and black and white. I want you to put the old, the young, whoever's died, whatever it is, you lay them out before me in their graves. And also there will be the grave of Jesus.

And here's what's going to happen. Whichever one of those dead things that I cause to come to life, that will be your true high priest and that'll be the validation of it. And so what the resurrection is and what Easter is all about is about this one person. It gets very narrow, this one person, the Lord Jesus Christ, who has been raised from the dead and ascended to the right hand of God. That's what Easter's all about.

That's what we believe. And the evidence of this was the empty tomb that the disciples saw and nobody could convince them that Jesus wasn't alive because they saw Him. And thus what was born was not a religion but an absolute transformation of people's hearts from the inside because this same Jesus came back to them in the person of the Holy Spirit who is the Spirit of Jesus and inside of every believer lives Jesus Christ. How do we know Jesus is alive? How could you possibly prove Jesus is alive?

The Bible says the Holy Spirit is bearing witness to our spirit that we're children of God. In other words, how do you know Jesus is alive? How would you prove Jesus is alive? I can't go over and take you to Palestine today and show you an empty tomb and say, well, therefore is the proof. The proof is this, is that the Holy Spirit is poured out into our heart and we receive Him by faith.

And we have experienced a foretaste of what it's going to be like to be with Him forever and forever. So all of Christianity and the entirety of the gospel is built around this glorious celebration that this man, Jesus Christ, was raised from the dead. And it was like a sprouting forth into life, a beautiful blossom and fragrance of grace and fruit that would be born forever and forever out of the life of Jesus.

So that's why the test was so important. It was a test that said we're going to point here to how it is established, who is the true high priest, the one who is alive. He is the one and the only one through whom the people's sins can be forgiven. Jesus died to take the penalty for our sin, but He was raised as the proof and the evidence and the validation that He lives to intercede and advocate for us.

Now why is all this such incredible good news for us? It's such incredible it's such incredible news because Jesus figuratively is the Aaron that goes behind the veil speaking figuratively, and the book of Hebrews talks about this, and He figuratively sprinkles His blood in the heavenlies in a permanent way. So all those sacrifices were offered year after year on the Day of Atonement by the high priest, they were only a shadow. They were pointing to the day that Jesus would do this for real, and He did it in a spiritual way. He did it in a way that is eternal, which is very important because it means that anyone who receives it receives something eternal. If your sins were covered because the high priest had offered a sacrifice on the Day of Atonement, it would last you for a year. It's just temporary. It wasn't permanent.

It wasn't full. It wasn't complete, and every single heart, every single heart in one way or another is asking the question of Korah, can I meet with God personally? Is there a sacrifice that could be honored by God for my sin? Is there an answer for this gnawing anxiety that lives within me that I don't quite measure up?

I'll never be good enough? What is the answer for this? And here is the glorious good news of the Gospel. The good news is this. Jesus not only paid the penalty for your sin, but He did something else. The first chapter of the Gospel of John says it succinctly. He gave the right to anyone who believes in Him to be born again, to be born from above, not by natural descent, not by human decision or husband's will, but born of God. Anyone who would believe in Him, He'd give the right to be born of God. So what happens when you accept Christ? It's far more than just your sins are forgiven.

It means this. You are born into the high priest's family. Jesus started a new family line. It's not the line of Aaron. It's not about the line of Levi.

It's not even about the line of Judah. It is a new family line. And everyone that accepts Christ is now engrafted into this family. This is why 1 Peter says that you are a holy nation, Christians, and a royal priesthood. What this means is that what Korah longed for and made his heart rebel becomes possible ultimately eternally through Jesus Christ. That when you accept Christ, you become a priest. And by a priest, it means this. You get to go into the inmost place of intimate fellowship with God without any fear whatsoever because as Hebrew says, you have been made holy. He forgives you by His shed blood, but through His resurrection, He establishes Himself as the great high priest and anyone who trusts in Him is born into this spiritual family. What happens when you're born in the family?

I'll tell you. It may not all happen at once, but this is surely what happens. And every single Christian here could give evidence of it in many different ways. What happens is that you realize I was nothing but dead wood, but God did something in me and something began to bud and it buds and then it blossoms and you become the aroma of Christ.

And not only are you the aroma of Christ, but you become fragrant also to the world and begin to bear fruit, fruit of love and joy and peace and patience and kindness and goodness and faithfulness and gentleness and self-control. We worship this morning with Saint Peter's World Outreach Center at sunrise and Bishop J.C. Haas is six foot two black man standing next to me and we kissed each other on the jaw. Why? I love him. He loves me. We love those people. Where'd that come from? That is the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

That is not something we manufacture. That's not something that's not, it's not there because we like the same basketball teams. It's not there because we gather around the same philosophy. It's there because the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Jesus is bearing fruit in our hearts.

This is what happens. So God says, just lay the dead wood in front of me and watch what I can do. Do you want to know Christ? Do you want to be closer to Christ?

And you always say, well, what do I do? What sacrifice do I bring? And I think what God says, here's what you do. Bring your old dead wood self and just lay it down in the presence of the Lord and just lay there and just say, I believe and I trust God, make me sprout, make me alive, cause me to be the aroma of Christ and bear fruit within me. And he will do it because Jesus lives. He is the great high priest and everyone who trusts in him is born in his family and also becomes a priest. And that's the message of Easter and that beloved is the gospel.

In today's teaching, Erin's Blooming Rod. Unlock the power of blessing your life. Discover God's grace-filled vision for your life by signing up for Alan Wright's free daily blessing. If you want to fill your heart with grace and encouragement, get Alan Wright's daily blessing.

It's free and just a click away at pastor Alan.org. Ever feel like something's holding you back as if you lack an important key that could change everything? Is there someone you love who seems stuck? You'd like to help them, but how? What's missing? Blessing. We all need a positive faith-filled vision spoken over our lives. You can learn how to embrace the biblical practice of blessing through pastor Alan Wright's new book, The Power to Bless, which quickly became an Amazon number one bestseller after its recent release. Until now, the hardcover book has only been available through retail sales, but this month, Alan Wright Ministries wants to send you the book as our thank you for your donation. Make your gift today and discover the power to bless. The gospel is shared when you give to Alan Wright Ministries. This broadcast is only possible because of listener financial support.

When you give today, we will send you today's special offer. We are happy to send this to you as our thanks from Alan Wright Ministries. Call us at 877-544-4860.

That's 877-544-4860. Or come to our website, pastoralan.org. And that's what it's about, Alan. It's about bringing our whole being to Christ. Maybe it's dead, maybe it's lifeless, but He has created new life.

There's a new bud that's growing inside of us. Well, the test to know who the true high priest was back in Moses and Aaron today was this strange image of this rod that came forth into life, and that was the validation. But the test now of who is your Savior?

Who can change everything in your life? And that is who is the one who was dead and then made alive again? And Christ is the only one who does that.

And so, the image of the Christian life is not a self-improvement plan. It really is for those who are dead in sin but then are made alive in Christ. And if you're listening today and you've never made that step to simply say yes to the saving work of Christ, it's easy to do. You just simply say, Lord, I do believe that you sent Jesus to die for me, and I accept His saving sacrifice, and I believe He's been raised from the dead for me, and I want to trust Him.

Enter my heart right now. And when you pray that prayer, God comes in your life, and you're not only His for all eternity, but there's some kind of miracle that takes place in which, inside of yourself, you become alive again. That's the good news, the gospel. Alan, today's teaching in the middle of this Moses series is Aaron's Blooming Rod. Incidentally, was also given on an Easter Sunday message, a Resurrection Sunday, the Sunday of Sundays in the life of the church. And so, how in the world do you marry the resurrection of Christ with Moses and Aaron's Blooming Rod? Why don't you tie all that together? Well, it's simply this, a completely dead stick buds, blossoms, and then bears fruit. So, there's a resurrection picture for you, and it's a picture for what God's done in Christ for us, who were dead and been made alive again. It's a great image. Today's good news message is a listener supported production of Alan Wright Ministries.