Christ is our great high priest in heaven. In the Old Testament, the high priest entered the Holy of Holies once in a year, that is  Day of Atonement , wearing one precious stone on each of his shoulders and twelve precious stones near his heart, representing the 12 tribes of Israel.

Under the priesthood of Christ who lives forever more, in the order of Melchizedek, he represents believers in heaven, who are precious to him. All believers are priests who should present their bodies as living sacrifices to God – Romans 12:1

**1 Peter 2:5 – You also like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

**Revelation 1:6 – We are a kingdom and priests serving God

**In Exodus 29 and Leviticus 8 – Moses obeys God, and sets Aaron apart for service. Aaron is a type of Christ i.e Type is a person/object/event that serves as prophetic illustration or likenesses in the NT fulfillment.

Hebrews 4:14-16, 10:1-39 presents the theme of Christ our great high priest, who offered his all time one sacrifice for sins (Hebrews 10:4, 12).

Exodus 18: v3-5 Skilled men were instructed to make garments for Aaron: Breastpiece, Ephod, Robe, Woven tunic, Turban, Sash. Materials that were used were to be : Gold, Blue, Purple and Scarlet Yarn, and fine linen.

1. The Ephod (28:6-14)

It was a two-piece sleeveless apron/waistcoat, held to the body by an ornamental belt and joined at the shoulders by straps. The straps had two onyx stones bearing the names of the 12 tribes of Israel, six on each stone.

**v12 The stones were ‘memorial stones for the sons of Israel’ because the Israelites were in the thoughts of the High Priest whenever he appeared before the LORD. Today, Christ is our high priest who perpetually remembers us in heaven. He prays for us when we are tempted and sympathizes with us when we suffer – Romans 8:33-34, Hebrews 2:18, Hebrews 4:14-16, 7:25.

Unlike Aaron’s priesthood, He will never die or hand over to another after years of service. Aaron bore the names of the 12 tribes of Israel on his shoulders, indicating that he was the helper of God’s people – Exodus 28:12. However, unlike Christ, the Jewish high priests were subject to weakness – Hebrews 5:1-2; whereas Christ is forever exalted in heaven, meeting our everyday needs – He is God.

1. The Breastplate (28:15-30)

It consisted of a square piece of beautiful material folded in half with an opening at the top like a pouch, placed over the front of the ephod and adorned with 12 precious stones set in gold and arranged in 4 rows of 3. Each of these stones had the name of an Israelite tribe engraved in it. ***Leaders message** – When the high priest went into the presence of God, he carried with him the names of all the Israelite in two places: –

1. He bore their names on his shoulders. This indicated the responsibility of the High Priest to care for them.
2. He carried them on his heart. This was to show love which he had for them.

***The stones were set/seated on gold (showing how precious God’s people are).

Remember that:

Christ is our High Priest who perpetually remembers us in heaven. He prays for us when we are tempted and sympathizes with us when we suffer. (Romans 8: 26-27, 33-34 Intercedes for us at God’s right hand, Hebrews 2:18 Helps us in our temptations, Hebrews 4:14-16 Empathizes with our weakness, Hebrews 7:25 He lives to intercede for us).

Unlike the Jewish High Priest who were subject to weakness (Hebrews 5:1-2), Christ is forever exalted in heaven, meeting our everyday needs for He is God.

Prayer: Ephesians 3:17-19 – Paul prays for the church that they would be ROOTED and ESTABLISHED in love. To have the power to GRASP how WIDE and LONG and HIGH and DEEP is the LOVE of Christ. v19 This love surpasses knowledge. When we know or understand that, we shall be filled to the measure of the fullness of God ( – made complete/flooded with God).