Christ in the OT - Christ,..

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com. That's cornerstonerbc.com. Well, this evening we'll be continuing our study in the series that we began three weeks ago, Christ in the Old Testament, or Christ and His Church. in the Old Testament, and the topic of our study this evening, or the person in particular that we'll be reading into his life, his ministry, will be Moses.

Now the purpose of these studies, we've said this before on many occasions, but the purpose of these studies are really for us to see and to recognize that all the Scripture, whether it's the Old Testament or the New Testament, speaks about Christ. That our Savior Jesus Christ is the sum and the total of all of Scripture. It all points to Him. Because that's what Jesus said, that it all points to Him. It bears witness concerning Jesus Christ.

So what we want to do essentially in these studies is to do what Jesus did in Luke 24 when He was walking alongside the two disciples. And if you remember in verse 27, Jesus says these words, He says, Luke tells us, Beginning with Moses and all the prophets, He, that's Christ, interpreted to them, the two disciples, In all the Scriptures, the things concerning Himself. That's our objective and that is our goal. Because our Lord has given us a proper interpretation principle of how we ought to interpret God's Word. He was crystal clear in John chapter 5, speaking to the unbelieving Jews, rebuking them for their blindness.

People who are so committed in studying the Word of God, yet they did not see Jesus in the Word of God. They didn't see Christ in the Scripture. And Jesus says, you study all this Scripture, you don't understand, you don't see that the Scripture bears witness about me. So now if all scripture is bearing witness about our Savior, about Jesus Christ, then we must conclude, as the New Testament authors have also before us, that the Old Testament is full of types and shadows of Christ and His work of redemption. And so by God's grace and the Spirit's illumination, We must expect that Christ is revealed abundantly throughout the Old Testament, which speaks about Him.

And we ought to see this, not forcefully. We're not trying to bring Jesus into passages that He's not spoken of, or make someone in the Old Testament a type of Christ when He indeed is not a type of Christ, not at all, but we must see that it's a natural flow of the text, a natural organic thrust of the text which is pointing to Jesus because it all is about Him anyway. We considered the parallels a few weeks ago between Adam and Christ. Now brother took us through that study three weeks ago and last week we examined the life of Abraham and saw how the promises given to this man who's called the father of Israel ultimately have their fulfillment in Christ and his church were at the very heart and the center of the promises given to Abraham. Now this evening we move forward.

We move forward some 500 or so years into the life of Moses. You see, Abraham was a focal point in Genesis from around chapter 12 all the way through 26. And then from that point, we have his offspring of promise. That is the emphasis of the Bible from that point on. We're talking about Isaac and the offspring through Isaac.

Abraham had Ishmael, but Ishmael is not the topic because Christ is born through the line of Isaac. Abraham had more sons through Keturah, but we're not concerned with Keturah. The Bible is not concerned with taking those sons and following their genealogies. It is Isaac and then from Isaac, Jacob and then from Jacob. It's the 12 sons of Jacob who comprise the 12 sons of Israel.

That's the line that we have been taking and so Genesis all the way through the end follows that line and we find that that Joseph takes a majority of the latter portion of the book of Genesis 37 through 50 in fact the chapters 37 through 50 are very much focused on Joseph and the reason why not that Christ is through the line of Joseph we know he's through the line of Judah but he goes through Joseph because Joseph is the one who's instrumental in preserving this people. He's preserving Israel apart from God's providential and through miraculous means and through hardship of Joseph. He sustains his providence in Joseph's life in raising them up to a position of power in Egypt whereby he's able now to bring his family which are about 70 in number into Egypt and preserve the life of the family, the Israelites. So from there, now we're looking at, that's where Genesis ends. Israel is now about 70, as I said earlier, and they settle in Egypt for around 400 years.

And it's here in Egypt that the people grow immensely in number. And because of the immensity, because God's blessed them in their seed, in their physical seed, they've grown and grown and grown. And because of this, the then king of Egypt gets quite, what's the word? He gets concerned and becomes very concerned because now these people and their number have become a threat against the people of Egypt. So what he does is he subjects them to heavy and harsh And we know this because we've been following the book of Genesis and Exodus.

And this is where Exodus begins. The people now are in that situation. They're subjected to this slavery, to the bondage, to the Egyptians. And then they cry out to Yahweh. They cry out to Him and say, rescue us, O God.

Rescue us from this bondage. And then we have Moses, who is a type of Christ. who's introduced to us in Exodus chapter 2. Now it's important at this point to realize, as I said earlier, that the types of Christ cannot be forced into the passage. They had to be clear and naturally outflowing and pointing to Christ, otherwise we would be unfaithful to the text.

We're not to jam Christ into places where he's not actually there. And if we did that, there are many in, or there are some in history who have done that, completely allegorized everything in the Old Testament to bring up Christ in almost every passage. But that's not what we're meant to do. Christ is always the thrust of where the passage is going. He's the goal.

He's the purpose. It is all about God's redemptive plan, which culminates, which finds its fullness and its completeness in Jesus. So the text is taking us there. anyway, we don't need to thrust him there when he doesn't belong. So, therefore, if we have a character in the Bible that is a type of Christ, if he's a picture of Christ in the Old Testament, we said last week he cannot be a perfect picture, that's impossible.

How can a sinful man be a perfect picture of the character of Christ? That's not possible. However, he's a picture of an element of Christ, whether it's of his ministry, or his purpose, or something along those lines where we can see clearly that that person is in the text of Scripture, and the Lord has providentially put him there so that we can see that Christ is actually portrayed in and through that person, that event, or that place. And so Moses is one of those. And if we're going to find a type of Christ in the way of a person, then we are not the ones who determine that he is a type or a picture.

It ought to be Scripture that confirms that for us. And Moses is confirmed both in the Old Testament, as well as the New Testament, that he is indeed a type or a shadow of the Christ to come. So let's have a look. Let's open our Bibles now to Deuteronomy chapter 18, and we're going to read from 15. Just so you know the context here is that because of unbelief the people or the children of Israel who have been freed from the land of Egypt, from the bondage under the evil Egyptian pharaoh.

They've been freed now, but they've dwelt in the wilderness for 40 years because of their unbelieving heart. They didn't trust the Lord. They didn't trust that he would be the one who gives them the victory into the promised land. So they've wandered in the wilderness. and they've settled in certain places and they've been here for about 40 years.

And so Moses is writing to this generation, most of the adult generation, the older generation, those who are over the age of 20 have perished in the wilderness. That was judgment from God upon these people. But those who are under 20, there are many here, and probably the majority of the people that are here before Moses are the ones who have been born in the wilderness wandering. So they're probably under 40 years old, and if they are under 40, they were born in the wilderness. And so Moses here now addresses this people, and he addresses them as the book's name, Deuteronomy, suggests.

That means, the word Deuteronomy simply means, Deutero means second, and onomy comes from the word nomos, nomos, which is law, the second law. Not that he gives these people a law, another law, a second law, but he re-issues, he speaks to them the law of God, the covenant that God had given, again. Because their parents, the parents of these people, all committed that they will obey God, you remember that. in chapter 19 where they said what the Lord God has spoken we will do that was their parents declaration now Moses is making them aware of that covenant and now they are the ones who need to embrace that covenant just like their parents did and they do so it's in this book that Moses speaks to the Lord gives these words here in chapter 15 to Moses and he speaks these words to his people and listen to what he says from verse 15. So Deuteronomy chapter 18 from verse 15.

The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you. This is Moses speaking. From your brothers. It is to him you shall listen. Remember that word.

just as you desired of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God or see this great fire anymore, lest I die. And the Lord said to me, they are right in what they have spoken. If you remember in Exodus 20, when they said to Moses, you do this, we'll listen to you. Don't allow us to be subject to this, the great and awesome voice of God. Verse 18, I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers.

In other words, the prophet spoken here will also have a mediatory role just like Moses. Continuing, and I will put my words in his mouth and he shall speak to them all that I have commanded or commanded him. 19, and whoever will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him. See, Moses was seen amongst the Jews as the greatest prophet to come. And the people were eagerly awaiting and anticipating this prophet that has been declared by Moses to come after him, a prophet like Moses.

They were waiting for this prophet to come. Beloved, there was many, many prophets that had come after Moses. But the people's anticipation meant that they could not see a prophet that fits all their criteria, at least the criteria they understood the prophet to possess. And so the prophets that came afterwards were not this prophet like Moses that they'd been waiting for. But then you have John the Baptist, for example, who comes on the scene.

You remember John the Baptist and his ministry that attracts most of the people of Jerusalem and Judea and beyond. And then the Pharisees sent the Levites and the priests to John in John chapter one, the gospel according to John chapter one. And they asked him the question, are you the prophet? They wanted to know whether he was the Messiah as well or Elijah. But they asked him that question because the prophet they were expecting was someone great and mighty, someone who is even greater.

than Moses. This is the heartbreaking thing. As much as they were expecting and anticipating this great prophet like Moses, he comes and they miss the day of his visitation. Because if you open up your Bibles again to Acts chapter 3 verse 17 through 26 and read it together, he comes and they miss it all together. In context here is Peter.

and John have actually go back a little. Christ has been crucified. He was buried. He's risen from the dead. Now he's ascended to the right hand of the Father.

And so now you have Peter and John going to the temple grounds. And as they're going through, they find a lame person, lame from birth. He's healed. And the crowd are all astonished. A big crowd comes and gathers.

And then Peter says these words to the predominantly Jewish people. He says, from verse 17, And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your rulers. But what God foretold by the mouth of the prophets, that is, that Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled. Repent, therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that the times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago." Hear these, 22.

Moses said, the Lord God will raise up a prophet, raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers. You shall listen to him, hear that word, you shall listen to him in whatever he tells you. And it shall be that every soul who does not listen to the prophet shall be destroyed from the people. And all the prophets who have spoken from Samuel and those who came after him also proclaim these days, you are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant of God made with your fathers. Abraham saying to Abraham, and in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.

God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, that's the Jews, to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness. You see? You see, Peter here is saying that that prophet, that prophet that you've been anticipating, the prophet that Moses spoke of, the one like Moses, that is Christ. He's the one you crucified. And see, this theme is carried throughout the text of the New Scripture, a few chapters forward, and we have that great speech of the first martyr in the Christian church that is recorded for us in the Bible, Stephen.

When he gives that wonderful speech, in fact, the longest in the book of Acts, in chapter 7, and he affirms the very same thing. The thrust of his argument is that this is indeed Christ, is the prophet, that has been promised of all, the prophet like Moses that has been promised. You see, Scripture has testified itself that Moses is a type of Christ. The confirmation we have is through Scripture. So then as we study the life and the ministry of Moses, we should see many parallels in his life, his actions and his ministry to Christ.

So when we look at Moses, look at his works and his words, when we see his ministry, the things that he did, we should, as a body of believers, see so many similarities to what we see in Jesus Christ, that which we have read in the New Testament. And we ought to be, at least at one point, sitting back as we read, thinking, I see Christ. I see how he's a picture of Jesus Christ. Not perfectly, once again, because we're still talking about a sinful human being. But I see enough to know that indeed God has providentially in his word raised up a man named Moses so that what he does will picture what Christ will do one day.

This is especially true and very important for the Jews who prouded themselves of being diligent students of the Word. In particular, the Torah, the first five books of Moses, they studied it, they memorized it, they knew it upside down, and they thought of themselves that when this prophet comes, they'll be able to identify him because they know what to look for. And as we said earlier, unfortunately, this is just an indication of how blind and spiritually dead they are, as every person is in the natural, without the divine intervention of God, that they couldn't see Him. They couldn't see that even though scripture speaks so clearly that this is the Christ who is like the prophet, who is like Moses that has been promised, they could not see it. They could not see that Moses was just a picture of the ultimate, who is Jesus Christ.

He's the better Moses. Jesus is the greater Moses. And we'll have a look this evening together at some of the ways that he typifies Christ. Some of the ways that we find the similarities between Moses, his life and his ministry, and how he typifies that of Christ, his life and his ministry. And we'll have a look at some of these ways.

And there are multiples, there are actually tens, maybe 50 different ways where Moses does actually typify Christ in one way or another. We'll have just a look at a few of these. But then towards the end, we'll spend our time, some of our time, on looking and emphasizing basically three things. Not in so much detail, because we don't have the time tonight, but three things will be the focus. I want to show In the Bible, I want us to see how Moses typified Christ as Savior and as Redeemer, as well as Him being a mediator, a mediator of a covenant.

So we want to have a look at Moses, and we want to look at what Christ does in the fulfillment of what Moses had done. The picture is Moses, the reality. is Jesus. And as I said earlier, these similarities really do start from the very, very beginning. Moses was born at a time where his life was threatened by an evil decree of a pharaoh.

And you remember the story. that the Pharaoh was so concerned and afraid that the Egyptians or the Hebrews will grow in number and maybe go against the Egyptians, that he put out a decree and that decree was that every Hebrew boy was to be thrown in the Nile and essentially killed by drowning. Moses was born in that environment where his life was at risk. Beloved, Jesus too was born in a similar environment. It wasn't Pharaoh, but it was also an evil dictator by the name of Herod the Great.

After Herod the Great had been made aware of a prophecy in the book of Micah, Micah chapter five in particular, where they told him that the Messiah is to be born in Bethlehem, Herod puts out a decree, very similar. And the decree is that everyone in the region in Bethlehem, and around Bethlehem, every boy under the age of two is to be killed. But God spared them both. Now, from that point, we don't really know a great deal about the life of Moses. From that point, we know that he was weaned by his mother, and then he was reared in the house of Pharaoh, but we don't really hear of him until he's older.

Same with Christ. Christ we know was born and his family went to Egypt after the decree of Herod. And when they came back, we don't hear of Christ except for one occasion. There's one incident in the temple when Jesus was about 12 years of age. But apart from that, we don't really know much.

There's no record given until Jesus starts his ministry around the age of 30. But in Moses's case, when he decided to take up the plight he was grown up now and he decided to take up the cause of his mistreated people. He was looking upon the people and seeing how mistreated and how cruel and harsh the treatment was from the Egyptian and Moses decides to come along his brothers and do something about it and we know what happens. He ends up trying to defend a Hebrew and he kills an Egyptian. But the thing is, his own people rather than then come alongside him and think, well, he's on our side.

He's trying to defend our cause. They reject Moses. Listen to what that man says when he hears about Moses killing this Egyptian. He says, when Moses comes and sees two Hebrews fighting and he tries to break it up, the man looks at him and says, basically, I know what you did. We know that you killed this Hebrew, the Egyptian, my apologies.

And then he says these words, who made you a prince? and a judge over us. Rejected by his own people. Beloved, does that not remind us of Christ? Was Christ not rejected by his own also?

In John chapter one, do you remember these words? He came to his own and his own people did not what? Receive him. Rejected by his own. So what does Moses do at this point?

He escapes to Egypt. because Pharaoh would now seek his life for taking the life of an Egyptian. And then he goes to Egypt and then he finds himself resting at a well. He has a bit of a scuffle with the shepherds, but then after they're gone, he rests at a well and then he meets this young lady by the name of Zephora, who then becomes his bride. Jesus left to Judea because of the threat of the Pharisees.

When the Pharisees had heard that Jesus Christ was growing in popularity more than John, and the Bible actually says he was baptizing, or his disciples were baptizing more than John, Jesus decides to leave. Leave Judea, and then he goes through Samaria, and you probably remember the story because we've been going through the book of John. He finds himself resting also at a well. These are not coincidences, brothers and sisters. And then at that well, he finds a Samaritan woman who comes and Jesus speaks to her about the living water that only he can give.

And that woman becomes part of his bride, because those who believe in Jesus are the church and the church is known as his bride. Beloved, these are not coincidences. These are in the text of Scripture so that people would read this and be able to identify why God has given us the Old Testament. That we would see it's not just a history book, that it is all pointing to Jesus Christ. So in Midian, now Moses is away from Egypt, the place where he grew up for 40 years.

And he's in Midian and he becomes a shepherd, shepherding the flock of his father-in-law Jethro. And so as a shepherd in Midian, He's called by God. And he's called by God to obey the will of God and risk his own life for the sake of his people. And we know that our Lord, our Lord Jesus Christ is spoken of, and he says of himself as the Great Shepherd. And he came to do the will of God the Father, right?

He came to do the will of God, not only, beloved, to risk his life. but to lay down his life for his people. You see, we see Moses as a picture and Jesus Christ as a more glorious picture. We need to see these things as we read the Old Testament. And so when the time came for Moses in Midian, he's about 80 years of age, and when the time came for him to return to Egypt, because that's where God wanted him to go, he was gonna be God's appointed servant to go back into Egypt.

When it was time for him to go back, listen to how the text in Exodus chapter 4 verse 19 tells us of this. Listen to what it says. You don't have to open, I'll read it to you. And the Lord said to Moses in Midian, go back to Egypt for all the men who are seeking your life are dead. Hear that word.

For all the men who are seeking your life are dead. So Moses took his wife and his sons and had them ride on a donkey and went back to the land of Egypt. Now I want you to listen to when Jesus, his life was being sought also by Herod. His family escaped to Egypt. But then the time came where the angel came to Joseph and he said to him, now it's time for you to go back to Israel.

Listen to the words he says. He says, this is the angel speaking to Joseph, rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel. For those who sought the child's life are dead. And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. Beloved, the similarities between the two texts is incredibly striking.

It is so similar. It's because as we read these things, as we read the account of Moses, we should be thinking he's typifying Jesus Christ. We need to be thinking this way. And the original readers, no doubt, these things must have come to their mind, but because of the hardness of their hearts, they denied Jesus. The phrase, even 40 days and 40 nights, as an example, is found 10 times.

10 times in the Old Testament. Six of those times it speaks to Moses. Six of the 10. And in particular, when Moses in Exodus chapter 34, when Moses went up to the mount to be with the Lord, just before he was given the law to write down and to give to the people, he fasted for 40 days and 40 nights. And when the Jews heard that phrase, no doubt their mind and their hearts, they would remember Moses, especially people who have memorized the first five books, the books of Moses.

The phrase 40 days and 40 nights is only found once in the New Testament, the gospel according to Matthew. And although the account of Jesus fasting is found in every one of the three synoptic gospels, 40 days and 40 nights is only found in Matthew. And beloved, Matthew, the gospel according to Matthew, is originally primarily written to a Jewish audience. Beloved, the Jewish audience who are listening or reading the text should have been thinking that this Jesus is the greater Moses. He is the true hope for Israel.

And there's so many more. We think of the bread from heaven as an example, the manna in the wilderness. It's only been a couple of months since we addressed that passage in our Lord's Day readings, right? That's when the people grumbled, they were hungry. And Moses is the mediator before the Lord.

And the Lord, the Yahweh, gives them, every day He would give them from that point on, manna every single morning for them to collect. And in the New Testament, the Jews declared that it was Moses who gave us bread from heaven, right? But Jesus makes it clear that He is the bread of life. He's the one, He's the bread from heaven. And what's really interesting is in John chapter six, when Jesus feeds the 5,000, He makes the food for 5,000 men, that is like maybe 20,000 men, women and children, but from two pieces of fish or two fish and five loaves of bread.

That sparks or prompts the discourse of Christ that He is the bread of life from that point on. And so after the miracle in verse 14, listen to what the people say. They've just seen Jesus do this miracle. Listen to what they say. The people saw the sign, the making of the bread and the fish.

They had been done. They said, this is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world. You see, this Jewish audience knew their scripture. And from what they could see, from what they could see and what they heard Jesus say, they were able to say, hey, this is the prophet like Moses. There's an eerie similarity between this carpenter from Nazareth and the great prophet Moses.

But this list goes on and on. Moses spoke to the Lord face to face, we're told. In John chapter 1 verse 1 and verse 2, we're told, in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God. In the beginning, He was with God. So the word that He was with God in the original really connotes a face-to-face fellowship, a face-to-face relationship between the Father and the Son.

The glow. Moses, when he came down from the mount being before the Lord, his face glowed. Do you remember that? Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration, when He walked up the Mount, the Bible tells us that His face shone brighter than the sun in a brilliant white. So many similarities.

Incidentally, when Jesus was on the Mount of Transfiguration, do you remember what the Father said? God from heaven, do you remember what He said? He said, this is my beloved Son. Do you know what He said? Listen to Him.

In Deuteronomy chapter 15, he says, when Moses speaks in the Bible, he says, when the prophet comes, listen to him. And then the Lord says, and if you don't listen to him, I'll require of you, listen to him. God the Father is declaring, this is the prophet like Moses. This is Messiah. Listen to him.

Beloved, there's so more similarities. I've written some here, but we're not going to get into those. Because now I want us to turn our attention, I want to turn our attention to the parallels in Moses's life that point to Jesus Christ insofar as him being a saviour, redeemer. Saviour, redeemer role of Moses. We're going to have a bit of a look at that and see how it resembles Christ, as well as his mediatory role.

That is, him standing in between people and God. Both are shadows by Moses. of the true spiritual reality and fulfillment that is found in Jesus Christ. So now we know that when the people were in Egypt and they were helpless, the yoke of slavery was heavy on their back and they cried out to God and they said, help, help us, rescue us from this bondage, rescue us from the heavy hand of the Egyptians. And then we have this passage.

in Exodus chapter two, listen to what he says from verse 23. During those days, the king of Egypt died and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God and God heard, I want you to hear this, God heard their groanings and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. God's faithful. And he remembered his covenant.

God saw the people of Israel and God knew. So what does God do? God raises a servant, his servant, Moses, a servant of Yahweh who will deliver his people from the heavy hand of the Egyptians. And Moses becomes an instrument in God's hand, a servant in God's hand to save these people. Because it is by the power of God that the people were delivered, not the power of Moses.

But Moses was the servant. And so the Jews will call Moses the savior, the redeemer. But they also understand that it is the power of God that saved their ancestors from the land of Egypt. You see, this is so clear in the book of Exodus. Because in chapter 3, verse 19 and 20, this is written.

God is speaking to Moses. He says, but I know, Moses hasn't gone into Egypt. He hasn't gone in to confront the king and the miracles and the plagues haven't come. But God says to Moses, but I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless by my mighty hand. So I will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all the wonders that I will do in it.

After that, he will let You go. Speaking to Moses, you meaning the people of Israel go. And we know where the story goes. We've been through the book of Exodus. We're over halfway through.

So we know that Moses delivers his people from the hands of the enemy from Egypt and the armies that pursue them even onto the Red Sea. We know how the story goes. But beloved, the physical deliverance from Egypt of the people of Israel that we have accounts in the Bible, the record that we have in the Bible, is only but a shadow. It's only but a picture of the true deliverance and salvation in Jesus Christ. You see, the anti-type, which is Christ, is greater than the type.

And the salvation he accomplishes is greater also than the type, Moses. Christ is the suffering servant, the suffering servant that has been prophesied in Isaiah chapter 52 and 53. And he delivers his people, not from a political slavery to an evil dictator in the northern parts of Africa, no, but from the power of sin. Jesus delivers his people from slavery, not to Egypt, but from slavery to sin. And it's important that we understand this because many think that Christ only frees or saves people from the punishment or the consequence of sin.

Beloved, it is that, but it's so more than that as well. You see, you remember in Matthew, you remember when the angel came to Joseph and said to him, you shall call him Jesus. You remember the reasoning or what he said after that? Listen to what he says. He says, you shall call his name Jesus, angel to Joseph.

Why? For he will save his people. their sins. He didn't say he'll save their people from the consequence of their sins because that's a given that will happen because to save people from the sins is to save from the consequence of the sin as well. But to save his people from the bondage of sin, from the slavery to sin.

Sin is portrayed in the Bible as an enslaving evil taskmaster. And as the Israelites were completely helpless in Egypt, they were slaves in Egypt and they were completely helpless. They couldn't free themselves. They had no power. Sin has the same effect on the natural person.

Sin has the same enslaving effect on all the sons and daughters of Adam. And we're told here, that Jesus, you shall call him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sin. Moses saved the people from slavery in Egypt, a salvation which was temporary at best. Jesus saves his people from the great enemy of sin. It's an eternal salvation from the bondage and the taskmaster of sin.

This is incredible. Jesus offers a greater salvation. Jesus is the greater Moses. Moses was but a foreshadow of the Savior that Jesus actually is. But also Moses was a mediator.

That is a go in between, between God and man. And we see this in different ways. We know as we go through the first five books, of the Bible, in particular Exodus through to Deuteronomy. We see Moses on several occasions going before God. He goes and prays.

He supplicates before God. He intercedes. He mediates on behalf of the people. A wonderful example of this is we haven't got there yet, but we will in about three months. But in Exodus chapter 32, Moses is on Mount Sinai before the Lord and the people are camped out in front.

And the people become impatient and restless. Why? Because Moses has been with the Lord for a period of time. And they're saying, we don't know what has become of Moses. You know what they ask?

Aaron is amongst them, and Aaron seems to be quite skilled with his hands. So they tell Aaron, we brought a lot of jewelry, a lot of possessions, as God had prophesied, from Egypt when we came out. Melt this gold and make for us an idol. And he does. Aaron makes a golden calf before the people.

A calf for them to worship. Yahweh has just freed them and delivered them from the bondage of over 400 years under the heavy hand of Egypt. And he's done all these miracles that are surpassing understanding. Opens the Red Sea. He feeds them manna from heaven.

Water from the rock. All these incredible things. And yet they say, we make us an idol for us to worship. And Aaron does. Aaron makes the idol.

And of course you have God and Moses before the Lord, but the Lord is all seeing. His eyes are everywhere. And so he sees what is going on before him, before his very holy mountain. And he looks at Moses in righteous indignation, righteous fury. He was filled with wrath at that point because of these people who are worshipping foreign gods.

A foreign idol when they know that Yahweh is before them. And listen to what he writes. You can open up your Bibles to Exodus chapter 32. Let's read the text together. Exodus chapter 32 and we're going to read from verse 9.

Exodus 32, let's read from verse 9, we're going to go through 14. And the Lord says to Moses, remember they're both on the mount, I have seen this people and behold, it is a stiff necked people. Now, therefore, let me alone that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them in order that I may make a great nation of you. But Moses implored the Lord, his God, and said, O Lord, Why does your wrath burn hot against your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say with evil intent did he bring them out to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth?

Turn from your burning anger and relent from this disaster against your people. Remember, hear this, remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. your servants, to whom you swore by your own self and said to them, I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and all this land that I have promised I will give to your offspring and they shall inherit it forever. And the Lord relented from the disaster that he had spoken of bringing on the people. Moses mediated, he interceded before the Lord.

But primarily this evening, what I want to have a look at is Moses's intercessory role, his mediatory role as the mediator of the covenant, the mediator of the covenant that God had given to the people. You remember we referenced this before in chapter 20, after the people of Israel saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning in the mountain, where the manifest presence of Yahweh, God was, they were so fearful, they said to Moses, Moses, you speak for us and we will listen, but do not let God speak to us lest we die. In other words, Moses, would you stand in between us and God? Would you mediate for us? And so Moses did.

He became a mediator between God and his people in the establishment of the covenant. And you all know the covenant he mediates is predicated on law. It's a conditional covenant predicated, rooted in obedience, do's and don'ts. The covenant essentially is do this and live. Eternal life is not promised, but there are many blessings in the covenant.

There is the land, there is possession, there is blessing, there's prosperity. This is all promised, but it is predicated on if. You remember the big if in chapter 19. We've referenced it a few times because the Lord God said that if the people obey him, if they do and preserve and keep the covenant the Lord had given them, then all these blessings would continue and they continue to have the land, the prosperity and the protection from God from other nations. They will continue to have these things as long as they remained obedient.

That's the covenant that Moses mediates. But beloved, if there is no obedience, if they disobey the Lord, it's not a matter of the Lord will essentially only remove his hand and no longer bless them. It will be that he will punish them. He will send them into exile. They'll be mistreated by their neighbors.

God will curse these people. Because there are covenant blessings for obedience, and there are covenant curses for disobedience. This is the problem. Because by nature, they, like every one of us in the natural nature, the sinful nature that we possess, if there is a covenant that is contingent or dependent upon obedience, it will be broken. We will break it.

And it was. You see the covenant given, the covenant that Moses mediates has no provision and it gave no provision for obedience. It didn't give power for obedience. And so breaking this covenant was inevitable. Inevitable.

Moses was told that this would happen in Deuteronomy chapter 31. Listen to the words that the Lord speaks of centuries before they're fulfilled. In Deuteronomy chapter 31, this is towards the end of Moses' life, the Lord God reveals something so important to Moses. Listen to what he says. He says, Now therefore, write this song and teach it to the people of Israel.

Put it in their mouths that this song may be a witness for me against the people of Israel. This doesn't sound good, does it? Listen to the rest. For when I have brought them into the land flowing with milk and honey, which I swore to give to their fathers, and they have eaten and are full and grown fat, speaking about the Israelites, they will turn to other gods and serve them and despise me, and hear this, and break my covenant. And when many evils and troubles have come upon them, break my covenant, they're going to be cursed under God.

And when many evils and troubles have come upon them, this song shall comfort them and witness. For it is, for it will live unforgettable in the mouths of their offspring. For I know what they are inclined to do even today. Even now, I know what their hearts are like. before I had brought them even into the land I swore to give them."

So Moses wrote this song the same day and taught it to the people of Israel. The covenant, the covenant that Moses mediates was broken. The hope of the people of God cannot rest in a faulty covenant. Because if it requires perfect obedience, it will be broken by sinful human beings. That's our nature.

The prophet like Moses is mankind's only hope if the IF of chapter 19 is reversed. So in other words, only if he mediates a better covenant that is not contingent on obedience, Or, if obedience is required, that a perfect being accomplish that obedience and then account it to his people. That's the only way a covenant would be better than the one Moses mediated. Because if it's predicated or built or rooted or conditional on obedience, it will be broken through sinful human beings. So beloved, if obedience is a requirement, we're doomed.

Unless there is someone who can fulfill all the requirements of the covenant and then bring us in based on what he has done. So in other words, we will be accounted with his obedience. And that's exactly the mediator that Christ is to his people. He mediates a better covenant enacted on better promises. In this covenant, God does not command that you circumcise your hearts like he says in Deuteronomy chapter 10, the circumcision of the heart is to commit all that you are to all that he is, to love him with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind, to be given over to him in love and obedience.

In Deuteronomy chapter 10, God says to the people, you circumcise your hearts. But we know that sinful man cannot. circumcise his heart. You cannot click your fingers and produce obedience and love for God. However, the better covenant is alluded to in Deuteronomy chapter 30, because there these words are written, and the Lord, and again, the Lord speaking through Moses, and the Lord your God will circumcise your heart.

Hear that? It's not a matter of you go and circumcise your heart. It is the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring so that you will hear this love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul that you may live. Beloved, the new covenant is that the heart is circumcised by God through what Jesus has done. And that is grace.

Christ is a better mediator. He establishes a better covenant because the covenant is also built on better promises. We have to go together to Hebrews chapter 8. Let's open our Bibles and we'll read this together because the author of the Hebrews says it far better than I could. Hebrews chapter 8 verses 6 through 12.

Hebrews chapter 8, verses 6 through 12. But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is much more excellent than the old, as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises. It explains the better promises. For if the first covenant has been faultless, it would have been no occasion to look for a second. Sounds about right.

Doesn't it? If the first covenant was perfect, you wouldn't need another covenant. Why would we have the old covenant and then the new covenant? You wouldn't need a new, but the new is necessary. Verse 8, For he finds fault with them when he says, Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will establish a new covenant.

It doesn't work on the old. It is a new covenant, a brand new covenant. with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. Nine, not like the covenant that I made with the fathers on the day when I took them by the hand and brought them out of the, to bring them out of the land of Egypt, for they did not continue in my covenant, they broke it. And so I showed no concern for them.

He poured out his wrath upon them, right? Declares the Lord. Four, this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days. declares the Lord. I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts.

And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall not teach each one his neighbor, and each one his brother, saying, Know the Lord, for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will be merciful towards their iniquities. Hear this, these are glorious words. And I will remember their sins.

No more. In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete and what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away. They shall all know me. Everyone in the new covenant will know God in an intimate way, in a salvific way. Because the Bible tells us that everyone in that covenant, the Spirit of God resides in him.

And they will know God and they will be known by God through Christ. In other words, everyone in the new covenant is redeemed, is saved, is forgiven. And you have the glorious words here, I will remember their sins no more. It's a better covenant because sins are taken away. The old covenant didn't promise that, the new does.

That the sins will be taken care of completely. Beloved God, Moses brought the people out of Egypt. He saved them from Egypt, but he couldn't save them from their sins. That's not a possibility. But the new covenant that Jesus establishes is a covenant that wipes away sins from His people.

Moses was a mediator of the old covenant. And as we said before, he stands between God and Israel pleading for Yahweh to turn his wrath upon or from his people. You remember that on the mountain, he pleaded with God and he interceded, he mediated and he said, turn your wrath away. Remember the promises you made to Isaac, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, turn your wrath away. But what's God going to do with that wrath?

It can be delayed. But sin needs to be punished because sin against an infinitely holy God must be punished or else he is not just. So the sin may be, his wrath may be turned away temporarily, but it needs to be poured out upon that sin. This is something we need to remember. But Jesus, Jesus stood as the mediator between God and man.

And he said to God, yes, turn your sin away from my people. But it wasn't a delay your wrath. It was turn it and pour it on me. The wrath of God was poured upon Christ and was born in him so that those who trust in Jesus Christ don't have a delayed punishment. But we could say, like it says here in the verses that we read, that God would look upon us and say, I remember their sins.

No more. This is beautiful. Beloved, as the apostle Paul tells us in first Timothy, there is only one mediator like this. Only one. The man, Christ Jesus.

And it came at a tremendous cost because the covenant is not ratified with the blood of oxen. We haven't got to it yet, but in chapter 24, Moses sprinkles the blood of oxen because the covenant is ratified in that blood by blood. No, the new covenant is ratified in the shed blood of Jesus Christ himself. You see, he is our prophet and he is our king. And he's also our high priest who entered into the throne room of God as the only one worthy to do so, not with the blood of bulls and goats, because they could never take away sin with his own blood to propitiate, to atone for our sins and bring us into the blessed covenant, the covenant for which he has fulfilled all the requirements as the true, as the true, sinless, righteous man.

All God's requirements have been fulfilled perfectly in Jesus Christ. And He then, with the sacrifice on behalf of His people, He shed His blood and presented that blood. And God poured His wrath on Christ so that you and I and those who believe in Him would not have to bear the wrath. Beloved, the new covenant that Jesus mediates is far better than the covenant that Moses mediates. Because it's a covenant not only for those who have the same blood as Abraham.

Actually, sorry, it's not a covenant for those who have the same blood as Abraham. But rather, it's a covenant who have the same faith. of Abraham. You know what that means? That means Jew or Gentile.

All are included in this covenant. This is the glorious truth of the new covenant that Jesus mediates. There is no ethnic distinction. There is only those with faith and those without. And those with are in the new covenant, faith in Jesus Christ, and those without are outside of the new covenant.

And Jesus is the one who kept all those requirements of the covenant so that you and I have that accounted to us. Beloved, this is good news. You know why? Because that makes it an unbreakable covenant. Unbreakable.

Remember the old how the Lord said of Moses, he said to Moses, he said, the people broke my covenant. And therefore he poured his curses upon the people. This is in a unbreakable covenant because all the requirements are fulfilled fully in Jesus Christ. It cannot be broken. And those who enter into this covenant through the blood of Jesus Christ are safe.

That's why the Bible says that we can rest in Him, that we can find comfort in Him. Because if we could break the covenant, we would. That's the truth. And it's a better covenant finally, because all the members of the covenant are given a brand new heart, a brand new nature. And the law is not written on tablets of stone, but on our hearts.

And the Spirit of God who empowers us, to joyful obedience is given. Joyful and not burdensome is now the law and the decrees of God. The commands of Christ are joyful for the believer. This is why Jesus said, if you love me, you would obey my commands. Because those who love Christ don't find his commands burdensome.

They are joyful. Why? Because a brand new nature has been given. A new heart has been given. And if the law is written on that heart, it means that you love his law.

And you can speak the words of David as an example. I love your law and I meditate upon it day and night. Moses is a type of Christ. And he was faithful in his ministry, but beloved Jesus is the greater Moses in every way. To Him be the glory.

Amen.