Series: Types of Christ
Title: Christ our Intercessor
Text: Numbers 16: 41-50
Date: August 29, 2010
Place: SGBC, New Jersey
The Lord Jesus Christ commands the believer to "pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you" (Matthew 5: 44.) How hurtful it is to a believer to be despitefully used--insulted, falsely accused! How it grieves a believer to be persecuted--to be harassed and troubled for the sake of the gospel. Yet, the Lord tells the believer to pray for them--entreat God on their behalf. The only thing which constrains a believer to do so, is the love of Christ.
Proposition: This morning we will take a look at a picture of how our great High Priest--Christ Jesus--ever lives to make intercession for his blood-bought children.
As we behold Christ Jesus interceding on behalf of such sinners as we are, his love for us constrains the believer to entreat our Lord in spite of our own sin and for those who despitefully use us even as he was pleased by his own will to intercede for us. Our text is Numbers 16.
BACKGROUND
Korah, Dathan, Abiram and On persuaded 250 men of renown in Israel to join them in rejection of Moses and Aaron. Moses was the prophet and leader of Israel given by God to teach and lead them. Aaron was God's chosen and appointed high priest--a type of Christ Jesus the High Priest of God's chosen children.
When God would have destroyed the rest of the nation, Moses and Aaron interceded for the congregation before God (vv19-22.) Christ intercedes for the children God has given him.
So God commanded for Moses and Aaron and the rest of the congregation to separate themselves from Korah and the other 3 men. Then before the eyes of the rest of the children of Israel, God swallowed up Korah and those 3 men in the earth, along with their families and all that pertained to them. Also, God sent fire from heaven and consumed the 250 princes who exalted themselves to offer incense unto the LORD rather than trusting God's priest to do so for them. God commanded those incense burners be made into a memorial so the people would not forget this all important lesson.
WHAT A LESSON! (Numbers 16: 40.)
Numbers 16: 40 To be a memorial unto the children of Israel, that no stranger, which is not of the seed of Aaron, come near to offer incense before the LORD; that he be not as Korah, and as his company: as the LORD said to him by the hand of Moses.
Paul said, "there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you" (1 Corinthians 11:19.) The LORD tells us who he has approved to approach his throne as his priest. Those born of the Spirit of Christ are sons of Christ Jesus the everlasting Father, the last Adam, made priests unto God. God chose who he would to approach him. He freely accepts those born-again sons of Christ Jesus our High Priest, washed in his blood. It is by God's grace that we are given liberty to draw near to this throne of grace to offer up our prayers before the LORD. Note: Coming to God "in the name of Christ Jesus our Lord" is much more than just saying those words as we pray, coming to God in the name of Jesus Christ is by having been made a priest unto God by our birth-union with Christ our High Priest.
Psalm 65:4: Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple.
NOW WE COME TO OUR TEXT
After seeing God's wrath poured out on those who murmured against God's Way of approaching him, surely the children of Israel would worship and thank God for Moses and Aaron who stood as types of our Lord Jesus Christ?
Numbers 16: 41: But on the morrow all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying, Ye have killed the people of the LORD. 42: And it came to pass, when the congregation was gathered against Moses and against Aaron, that they looked toward the tabernacle of the congregation: and, behold, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the LORD appeared. 43: And Moses and Aaron came before the tabernacle of the congregation. 44: And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 45: Get you up from among this congregation, that I may consume them as in a moment. And they fell upon their faces. 46: And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a censer, and put fire therein from off the altar, and put on incense, and go quickly unto the congregation, and make an atonement for them: for there is wrath gone out from the LORD; the plague is begun. 47: And Aaron took as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the congregation; and, behold, the plague was begun among the people: and he put on incense, and made an atonement for the people. 48: And he stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed. 49: Now they that died in the plague were fourteen thousand and seven hundred, beside them that died about the matter of Korah. 50: And Aaron returned unto Moses unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and the plague was stayed.
We are looking at the intercession and mediatory work of Aaron for the children of Israel as a type of work of the Lord Jesus Christ for the children of God given him before the world began.
I. THE HARD HEART OF UNBELIEF --Numbers 16: 41: But on the morrow
The ground was still freshly scared from where the earth had just swallowed up Korah and his band of rebels; the earth still scorched from the fire which consumed the 250 men of renown; the screeches of the people still in their ears; and the golden censors all gathered up to be beaten out for a memorial right before their eyes--But on the morrow all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying, Ye have killed the people of the LORD.
Aplication: Brethren, as we behold the children of Israel let us look as it were into the mirror and behold what we are in Adam and yet are in the flesh. No signs, no miracles, no witnesses will bring God's children to bow--only the divine regeneration and revelation which God works in us.
Hebrews 3: 12: Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. 13: But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
II. THE UNCHANGEABLE LOVE OF GOD IN CHRIST
Numbers 16: 44 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 45: Get you up from among this congregation, that I may consume them as in a moment. And they fell upon their faces. 46: And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a censer, and put fire therein from off the altar, and put on incense, and go quickly unto the congregation, and make an atonement for them: for there is wrath gone out from the LORD; the plague is begun. 47: And Aaron took as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the congregation;…
A. Notice where the offering was made.
Incense was only to be offered unto the Lord in the tabernacle. But here Aaron leaves the tabernacle and runs into the midst of this people and there made the offering. How does this typify Christ?
Hebrews 9: 11: But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;
Robert Hawker--"…we see one of the most interesting views of the Redeemer in his priestly office putting on the incense of his merits, and running into this world from the tabernacle of glory to do away sin by the sacrifice of himself."
Romans 8: 3: For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: 4: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
B. Unchangeable love.
Even though the people hated Aaron, saying, Ye have killed the people of the LORD. Yet, Aaron loved the children of Israel. Aaron made haste--he ran--I must be about my Father's business, Christ said. Aaron ran into their midst--he identified himself with the children.
Romans 5: 6: For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7: For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. 8: But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
1 John 4: 10: Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11: Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
III. THE INTERCESSION OF CHRIST IS THE OFFERING OF HIMSELF TO GOD
Leviticus 16: 46: And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a censer, and put fire therein from off the altar, and put on incense, and go quickly unto the congregation, and make an atonement for them: for there is wrath gone out from the LORD; the plague is begun. 47: And Aaron took as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the congregation; and, behold, the plague was begun among the people: and he put on incense, and made an atonement for the people.
A. Aaron made atonement for them but we read nothing of blood.
Hebrews 9: 22: And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
B. Aaron offered up incense for them and made atonement for the people.
Burning incense is a type of the Intercession of Christ Jesus on behalf of his redeemed.
Psalm 141:2: Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
The picture here is that the Intercession of Christ for his people is more than an empty-handed prayer or a plea for compassion, but his plea is the offering up of himself--of his own work- his own blood and righteousness is the offering of himself. Atonement has been made by Christ offering himself to God.
Aaron did not plead their works. It was Aaron's work for them that made atonement for them. It is not works of righteousness we have done that Christ pleads but his own works of righteousness that are the sweet incense of satisfaction to God. Christ intercedes for all those given him of the Father, lifting up his pierced hands which is the evening sacrifice for us.
IV. CHRIST THE MEDIATOR
Numbers 16: 48 And he stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed.
Ceremonially, as a shadow of Christ's work, because of the atonement and intercession Aaron made, the justice of God demanded the plague go no further. So it is with Christ. He stands between the living God and sinners who apart from his Mediatory work would surely perish in the plague of God's wrath. But God's justice demands that the wrath of God can not pass upon them for whom Christ died.
The Spirit of God shall testify in the hearts of all for whom Christ died, and they shall all live and not die through this good news of their Mediator.
I Timothy 2: 4: Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. 5: For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; 6: Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.
THINGS TO THINK ON
Before his incarnation, before he went to the cross, it was Christ the Surety who Interceded for the redeemed of old based on what he was sure to do in laying down his life on their behalf. Now he has come into our midst and arisen to the Father having finished the work given him. As he Intercedes in God's presence--the Mediator stands between the dead and the living, Interceding with his pierced hands as the evening sacrifice.
Think on this child of God: when as yet we were in our rebellion, it was only due to the Intercession of Christ Jesus that God did not consume us in his wrath. How much more now that he has revealed in us that ever liveth to make intercession for us?
Romans 5: 9: Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. 10: For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. 11: And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.
You who believe, whose sins are ever before you.
1 John 2: 1: My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: 2: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
This is the hope of all who come:
Numbers 16: 50: And Aaron returned unto Moses unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and the plague was stayed.
Christ is risen. God is satisfied. Between God and man is the Mediator, the man Christ Jesus. He ever lives to intercede for his people. Therefore the plague is stayed. Paul put it this way:
Romans 8: 33: Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. 34: Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.
You who are yet without faith in Christ--cease your murmuring--prove by fleeing to this mighty Intercessor, this Mediator, with whom God is well-pleased, that you are one whom he has created anew and drawn to his throne of grace.
Hebrews 7: 25: Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
AMEN!