Title: Seeing to the End
Text: Exodus 34; 2 Corinthians 3
Date: August 19, 2012
Place: SGBC, New Jersey
Turn to
two passages of scripture: 2 Corinthians 3 and Exodus 34. We will go back and forth between these two
passages.
Proposition: In the second giving of the law by Moses in Exodos 34,
we have a beautiful illustration of the Lord Jesus Christ who fulfilled the law
for his people, who by the Spirit of God through the gospel comes to each of
his children, revealing the glory of God to us in Christ’s face, giving us a
new heart of faith and love. Then we
begin truly worshipping and serving God in newness of life.
This is
illustrated by what happened before Exodus 34 and what happened after.
In the
first giving of the law, Moses delivered the law to the children of Israel.
They said, “All that the Lord has commanded we will do and obey.” In the legal covenant of works, God fully
proved that we are sinners. It proved
that in Adam, all died.
We see
what we are by nature in the children of Israel. While Moses had returned to
the Mount, receiving from God the pattern of the tabernacle, they broke every
commandment when they made a golden calf and danced around it in idolatrous
worship.
Romans 3: 12: They are all gone out of the way, they are
together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
That is
you and me and all of Adam’s fallen race. We are a fallen and sinful people. We
are born spiritually without strength, ungodly, enmity against God.
Man is
not on trial. We are under the sentence
of condemnation. When Christ brings the
gospel to us this is where we are found: already "lost.”
After
Exodus 34, after the second giving of the law, we find Israel willingly
bringing offerings for the building of the tabernacle and serving God in the
actual building of the tabernacle. It
pictures the believer having been given a new heart and a new spirit by the
Spirit of God, having been made willing in the day of God’s power. The believer rests in Christ through faith, having
the law of the everlasting covenant of grace written on our hearts by God.
This is
what every sinner experiences when Christ is revealed in us. First, we are slain in our condemnation by
the law then we are given the good news of everlasting acceptance in Christ
Jesus our Righteousness wherein we rest by faith.
I. A PICTURE OF CHRIST PREPARING HIS PEOPLE
BY FULFILLING THE COMMANDMENT OF GOD ON OUR BEHALF.
Exodus 34: 1: And the LORD said unto Moses,
Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first: and I will write upon these
tables the words that were in the first tables, which thou brakest.
The
first time the law was given, the tables were the work of God just as the
writings were the writing of God. This
time God commanded Moses to hew the tablets on which God says I will
write. Paul compares the tablets to the
new heart created in the believer.
2 Corinthians 3: 2: Ye are our epistle written in our hearts,
[some copies read “written in your hearts”] known and read of all men: 3: Forasmuch
as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us,
written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of
stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.
Moses Hewed the Tables, God Wrote on Them
As
Moses hewed the tablets, Christ, as the GodMan, prepared a people by his work
for us in the earth.
Exodus 34: 2: And
be ready in the morning, and come up in the morning unto mount Sinai, and
present thyself there to me in the top of the mount. 3: And no man
shall come up with thee, neither let any man be seen throughout all the mount;
neither let the flocks nor herds feed before that mount. 4: And he hewed two
tables of stone like unto the first;
As
those tables had to be made new—the elect of God given to Christ had to be made
new. As Moses hewed them in the earth
and God in the mount wrote on them—Christ, the GodMan prepared his people by
his work in the earth then from Mt. Zion Christ our God creates in us a new
heart and writes his everlasting covenant of grace in our hearts through the
gospel—“the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with
the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of
the heart.”
Exodus 34: 4:…and
Moses rose up early in the morning, and went up unto mount Sinai, as the LORD
had commanded him, and took in his hand the two tables of stone.
God
said, “Be ready in the morning.” Christ
finished the work before the morning. The third day he rose up early in the
morning from presenting himself to God, not in Mt. Sinai, but in Mt. Zion, just
as the Father commanded. As Moses
carried up those tablets, so Christ carried his people up with him as he
presented himself to God.
II. GOD SHOWED HIS GLORY TO MOSES BUT CHRIST JESUS
IS THE GLORY OF GOD
Exodus 34: 5: And
the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the
name of the LORD. 6: And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The
LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in
goodness and truth, 7: Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and
transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the
iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children,
unto the third and to the fourth generation. 8: And Moses made haste, and bowed
his head toward the earth, and worshipped.
Like as Moses desired to see the glory of God, Christ
Jesus prayed to be glorified with the Father’s own self and was glorified.
John 17: 4: I have glorified thee on the earth: I have
finished the work which thou gavest me to do. 5: And now, O Father, glorify
thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the
world was.
This desire in Moses to behold God’s glory is the result
of sweet fellowship and communion with our God.
Much more, it was with Christ who never left the bosom of the Father.
Exodus 34: 9: And he said, If now I have
found grace in thy sight, O Lord, let my Lord, I pray thee, go among us; for it
is a stiffnecked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take
us for thine inheritance.
As Moses made intercession for his people so the Lord
makes intercession with the Father for ALL HIS PEOPLE for his people to behold
the glory of God in him.
John
17: 9: I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast
given me; for they are thine. 10: And all mine are thine, and thine are mine;
and I am glorified in them. 11: And now I am no more in the world, but these
are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name
those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are…15: I pray not
that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep
them from the evil…21: That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in
me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe
that thou hast sent me. 22: And the glory which thou gavest me I have given
them; that they may be one, even as we are one: 23: I in them, and thou in me,
that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou
hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. 24: Father, I will
that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may
behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the
foundation of the world. 25: O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee:
but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. 26: And I
have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love
wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.
III. TWO COVENANTS
The covenant God made here with Moses and the people
differs in many ways from the everlasting covenant of grace which Christ makes
in the hearts of his people.
·
This
one is from Mount Sinai, it is the law, the covenant of works but the
everlasting covenant is from Mount Zion, the gospel, the covenant of grace.
·
The
covenant of works is the old covenant (or testament), the everlasting covenant
is the new testament--2 Corinthians 3: 6: [Christ] also hath made us able ministers
of the new testament;
·
The old covenant came in letter, the new
covenant comes in spirit--2 Corinthians
3: 6:…not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the
spirit giveth life.
·
The covenant of works is the ministration of
death, the gospel is the ministration of life--2 Corinthians 3: 7:…the ministration of death
·
The law was written in tables of stone, the covenant of grace is written in the
heart--2 Corinthians 3: 7:…written and engraven in stones,”, “fleshly
tables of the heart”
·
The glory of the law was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly
behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance, which glory was to be done away: but
the glory of the gospel is permanent.
·
When compared with the gospel the covenant of
works has no glory at all. 2 Corinthians
3: 8: How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious? 9: For
if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the
ministration of righteousness exceed in glory. 10: For even that which was made
glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth. 11:
For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which
remaineth is glorious.
·
The gospel has been revealed so that we speak
plainly the truth of God seeing Christ who is the end of all that the law says,
but Moses covered his face representing the vail on the heart of the dead
sinner--2 Corinthians 3: 12: Seeing then
that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech: 13: And not as Moses,
which put a vail over his face, that the children of Israel could not
stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished:
·
The law had no ability to give spiritual
sight but in the gospel of grace Christ removes the vail--2 Corinthians 3: 14: But their minds were blinded: for until this day
remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which
vail is done away in Christ. 15: But even unto this day, when Moses is read,
the vail is upon their heart. 16: Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord,
the vail shall be taken away. 17: Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the
Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
18: But we all, with open face
beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image
from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
Paul says when “reading the old testament; the vail is
done away in Christ.”—so let’s continue now in Exodus 34 and see to the end of
the law. Let’s see Christ typified here
and use great plainness of speech.
IV. THE EVERLASTING
COVENANT IS THE FULFILLMENT OF THE LAW BY CHRIST FOR HIS PEOPLE. WHEN CHRIST
WRITES THE LAW ON OUR HEARTS, HE MAKES AN EVERLASTNG COVENANT IN OUR HEARTS ORDERED
IN ALL THINGS AND SURE.
Exodus 34: 10: And he said, Behold, I make a
covenant:…
As the LORD made a covenant with Moses, so the Father made
an everlasting covenant with the Son before the world began. When Christ arose, having finished the work, Christ
sat down at the right hand of the Father, “Henceforth, expecting till his
enemies be made his foot stool. For by one offering he hath perfected forever
all them that are sanctified.’ Which means
the same is done for all his redeemed.
He makes this covenant promise in our hearts. God has given Christ as a
Covenant formed in our hearts—one in Spirit. Here is what he promises Christ
and us in Christ.
Exodus 34: 10…before all THY people I will do
marvels, such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation:
God’s elect are Christ’s people—before all thy people I will do marvels. Before us, God reveals the marvel of his
grace toward us in Christ Jesus
·
Righteousness
·
Full forgivness
·
Perfect Pardon
·
Complete in Christ.
There is no work ever performed in all the
earth like the work of redemption, the work of regeneration, the work of God saving
his people from our sins
Exodus 34: 10…and all the people AMONG which
THOU ART shall see the work of the LORD:
When God gets done, everybody in heaven,
earth and hell will see his wonders toward us and upon us (Ephesians 2:7). But
this is especially true of Christ’s redeemed, among whom “thou art”—among whom
Christ dwells as Moses dwelt among his people.
All Christ’s people shall be made alive to see this wonderful work of
the Lord.
Exodus 4: 10:..for it is a terrible thing
that I will do with thee.
The Lord our God, did an astounding thing
with Christ our mighty Savior.
2 Corinthians 5: 21: For he hath made him to
be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of
God in him.
He has taken away all our sins. The work he
has done with Christ is terrible—astonishing, a marvel and a wonder. He has and he promises he will destroy all
our enemies!
Exodus 34: 11: Observe thou that which I
command thee this day: behold, I drive out before thee the Amorite, and the
Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the
Jebusite.
When the Lord writes his law on our hearts, the Lord God makes us no
longer willing to join with men in the worship of other gods.
Exodus 34: 12: Take heed to thyself, lest
thou make
a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for
a snare in the midst of thee:
We have to associate with
wicked men to work and live in the world, but God forbids mixing with the
heathen in the exercise of religion. And
God’s people have no desire to do so anymore.
Exodus 34: 13: But ye shall destroy their
altars, break their images, and cut down their groves:
This is not
done by law or physical force, but by the preaching of the gospel.
2 Corinthians 10: 4: (For the weapons of our
warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of
strong holds;) 5: Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth
itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought
to the obedience of Christ;
Our motive is the love of God which constrains us.
Exodus 34:
14: For thou shalt worship no other god:
for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:
The love of God constrains us. Christ is jealous over us as his bride. God the Father is jealous over us because his
children belong to his Son. We are
jealous for God’s children and Christ’s glory.
2 Corinthians 11: 2: For I am jealous over
you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may
present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. 3
But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his
subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in
Christ.
Exodus 34: 15: Lest thou make a covenant with
the inhabitants of the land, and they go a whoring after their gods, and do
sacrifice unto their gods, and one call thee, and thou eat of his
sacrifice; 16: And thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their
daughters go a whoring after their gods, and make thy sons go a whoring after
their gods. 17: Thou shalt make thee no molten gods.
But
by God’s grace it is not possible for the elect to be deceived. Christ said, My sheep hear my voice and a
stranger they will not follow.
When Christ writes his law on our hearts, he reveals he
has redeemed us and we begin feeding and living upon him alone by faith. This is pictured in the feast of unleavened
bread.
Exodus 34: 18: The
feast of unleavened bread shalt thou keep. Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened
bread, as I commanded thee, in the time of the month Abib: for in the month
Abib thou camest out from Egypt.
The
Passover pictured Christ our Passover by whom we are redeemed from the curse of
the law.
This feast of unleavened bread began the day after the Passover feast
ended and continued for seven days—the number of perfection—a perfect week long
feast.
It was to be observed at an appointed time. It pictures how that all of
Christ’s Redeemed shall be made alive and given faith at God’s appointed
time. At which time we experience the
redemption and liberty given us by Christ our Passover so that we continue
living and eating upon Christ by faith and never stop till the full week of
time is up and we go to be with our Savior forever.
John 6: 54: Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood,
hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
When Christ
writes his law on our hearts, when we behold our redemption accomplished by
Christ, then Christ becomes preeminent in our hearts and we give to God the
firstborn which he has given to us—Christ Jesus the Firstborn.
Exodus 34: 19: All
that openeth the matrix is mine; and every firstling among thy cattle, whether
ox or sheep, that is male. 20: But the firstling of an ass thou shalt
redeem with a lamb: and if thou redeem him not, then shalt thou break
his neck. All the firstborn of thy sons thou shalt redeem. And none shall
appear before me empty.
When Christ is revealed in
us, we behold that the work is finished and we rest in Christ through faith.
Exodus
34: 21: Six days thou shalt work, but on the seventh day thou shalt
rest: in earing time and in harvest thou shalt rest.
Hebrews
4: 3: For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have
sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were
finished from the foundation of the world.
When Christ writes his law
on our hearts, we believe Christ that he shall lose none of his elect but shall
call them all so that we continue in the gospel waiting on the Spirit to bring
in the harvest. This ingathering is
pictured in the feast of weeks.
Exodus 34: 22: And thou shalt observe the
feast of weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of
ingathering at the year’s end.
The feast of weeks was the
feast of harvest. It was held fifty days
after the feast of firstfruits. The name
by which it was commonly called is “Pentecost” because it was held on the 50th
day. The harvest feast speaks of ingathering of God’s elect by Christ. As the feast of harvest followed the feast of
the firstfruits so after Christ the Firstfruit was risen, the harvest-salvation
of God’s elect follows. Christ gave us a foretaste of the ingathering of all
his elect on the day of Pentecost. He poured out his Spirit upon all flesh and
3000 souls were gathered into the fold of his grace at one time.
Isaiah 43:5: Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather
thee from the west; 6: I will
say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from
far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth; 7: Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created
him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.
When Christ writes his law
on our hearts, we worship him, worship Christ publicly as he commands, and we
do so with his promise to protect us from all our enemies. Christ is our Shield and Defender. We never lose by leaving that which is
dearest to us to worship Christ publicly.
Exodus 34: 23: Thrice in the year shall all
your men children appear before the Lord GOD, the God of Israel. 24: For I will
cast out the nations before thee, and enlarge thy borders: neither shall any
man desire thy land, when thou shalt go up to appear before the LORD thy God
thrice in the year.
When Christ writes his law
on our hearts, we honor Christ by worshipping
in God’s way. We add nothing to Christ’s
finished work.
Exodus 34: 25: Thou shalt not offer the blood
of my sacrifice with leaven;
We reject or despise
nothing Christ has done or commanded us but take all of Christ who is All unto
us.
Exodus
34: 25:…neither shall the sacrifice of the feast of the passover
be left unto the morning.
We give
to Christ the first and best of all that he has given to us.
Exodus 34: 26: The
first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring unto the house of the
LORD thy God.
We add
none of this world’s superstitious inventions.
Exodus 34: 26:…Thou
shalt not seethe a kid in his mother’s milk.
We establish
the law by faith in Christ who magnified and honored the law on our behalf by
his obedience from the womb to tomb.
Exodus 34: 27: And
the LORD said unto Moses, Write thou these words: for after the tenor of these
words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel. 28: And he was there
with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink
water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten
commandments.
As
Moses fasted forty days and forty nights, so our Savior fasted forty days and
forty nights when he began his public ministry.
As Moses did not come down out of the mount till all was written, Christ
did not ascend to Mt. Zion till he had fully accomplished all that was written.
Moses
took the tables of stone on which the Ten Commandments was written by the finger
of God and placed them inside the ark
of the covenant under the mercy-seat. Christ is our Ark. Christ is our Mercy Seat. The Lord Jesus
Christ fulfilled the law, satisfied the law and is the end of the law for
righteousness to everyone that believes.
Christ Jesus is even the perfection of our worship just as he is the end
of the law for righteousness.
V. REMEMBER WHO RECEIVES THE GLORY FOR
WRITING THE EVERLASTING COVENANT IN OUR HEARTS SO THAT WE ARE MADE NEW TO REST
BY FAITH AND TO TRULY WORSHIP AND SERVE OUR GOD IN LOVE.
2 Corinthians 3: 3:
Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ
ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God;
not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart…17: Now the Lord is
that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is
liberty. 18: But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of
the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by
the Spirit of the Lord.
Amen!