September 22, 2013
SOVEREIGN GRACE BAPTIST
CHURCH
LOCATION
Rocky Hill Firehouse, 2nd
Floor
150 Washington Street
Rocky Hill, New Jersey, 08553
Clay Curtis, pastor
Telephone: 615-513-4464
Schedule of Services
Sunday 10: 15 AM Bible Class
Sunday 11:00 AM Morning Service
Thursday 7: 30 PM Midweek Service
Order of service, announcements, nursery schedule, etc.,
are in attachment. All articles in the
bulletin are by the pastor unless otherwise noted.
SEEING TO THE END
Exodus
34; 2 Corinthians 3
Through the gospel God reveals to his
elect that Christ is the end of the law.
Now when believers look to the law we look for, and behold, Christ.
A Picture of Christ—Exodus 34: 1-4
The first time the law was given the tables, as well as
the writing, were both the work of God alone. Man broke that law. All are
guilty. The second time, God commanded Moses, a man in the earth, to hew the
tablets then God wrote the law upon them in the mount. The Holy Spirit compares those tablets to the
new heart created in the believer. (2 Cor 3: 2)
In like manner, as God and man together had a part in giving the covenant
of works the second time, so Christ, who is God and Man, prepared the tablets in
the earth on which the new covenant of grace would be written, that is, his
people, by finishing his work of fulfilling the law for each of God’s elect. In
like manner as God told Moses, “Be ready in the morning and come up”, after
finishing the work, Christ rose up early the morning of the third day. At his ascension,
Christ carried his people in him with him when he presented himself to the
Father like as Moses carried up those tablets. Then from Mt. Zion, Christ through
the Holy Spirit through the gospel creates in his child a new heart on which
Christ writes the everlasting covenant of grace. Therefore, the believer is “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.”
(2 Cor 3:3)
Glory and Intercession—Exodus 34: 5-9
In like manner as Moses desired to see the glory of God,
Christ Jesus prayed to be glorified with the Father’s own self and was. (Jn 17:
4-5) As Moses made intercession for his people so Christ makes intercession to
the Father for his people. (Jn 17: 9-26) When Christ, through the Spirit of
God, writes the law of the covenant of grace on our hearts then we see that glory
of God in the face of Christ Jesus.
Two
Covenants—2 Cor 3: 3-18 The covenant God made with Moses and the
children of Israel differs in many ways from the everlasting covenant of grace
which God made with Christ and his spiritual Israel. The covenant with Moses was given from Mt Sinai, the covenant with
Christ from Mt Zion; the covenant from Mt Sinai was a temporary covenant of
works, the covenant from Mt Zion is an everlasting covenant of grace; the covenant
of works came in letter written on stone, the covenant of grace comes in spirit
written on the new heart; the covenant given in the letter was the ministration
of condemnation and death, the covenant given in spirit is the ministration of righteousness
and life; the glory of the covenant of death is done away in Christ, the glory
of the covenant of life is eternal in Christ; the covenant that is done away
was glorious, but it had no glory at all compared with the everlasting covenant
that remains; Moses came down with his face covered picturing the veil on the spiritually
dead heart keeping sinners from seeing to the end of the law, the everlasting
covenant of grace gives believers faith so that we see the end of the law which
is Christ Jesus; the law gendered bondage because their minds were blinded, grace
gives us the mind of Christ by whom the veil is removed so that we have liberty
to walk by faith constrained by the love of Christ.
Made
Willing to Worship Only Christ—Ex 34: 10-11 When the Lord writes the covenant of grace on our hearts, he makes
us no longer willing to join with men in the worship of other gods. God forbids
it and the born-again believer has no desire to do so anymore. We
break down their altars, not by law
or physical force, but by the preaching of the gospel. (2 Cor 10: 4-5) Our motive is the love of
Christ which makes us jealous for Christ’s glory and for the good of his bride. (2 Cor 11: 2-3)
Made Willing to Live upon Christ—Ex
34: 18 When Christ writes the covenant of grace on our hearts,
believers begin living upon Christ alone by faith, pictured in the feast of
unleavened bread. Their Passover typified Christ our
Passover by whom we are redeemed from the bondage of the law as they were
redeemed from the bondage of Egypt. The feast of unleavened bread began the
day after the Passover feast ended and continued for seven days—a perfect week-long
feast observed at an appointed time. All of Christ’s Redeemed shall be regenerated
and given faith at God’s appointed time, at which time, we experience the
redemption and liberty from the bondage of the law given us by Christ our
Passover so that we are given a new appetite to feast upon Christ by faith till
the full week of time is up and we go to be with our Savior forever. (Jn 6: 54)
Made
Willing to Offer the Firstborn and Rest in Christ—Ex 34: 19-21 When
Christ writes the covenant of grace on our hearts, beholding our redemption
accomplished by Christ, believers give to God the Firstborn which God has given
to us who is Christ Jesus, the Firstborn among many brethren. Believing God that the work is
finished, we rest in Christ through faith. (He 4: 3)
Made
Willing to Wait on the Harvest—Ex 34: 22 When Christ writes his covenant of grace on our hearts,
we believe Christ that he shall lose none of his elect but shall call them all,
they shall hear his voice and all shall follow him. Therefore, believers use
only the gospel, waiting on the Holy Spirit to bring in the harvest. This harvest of ingathering is pictured in
the feast of weeks which was the feast of harvest. The name by which it was called is “Pentecost”
because it was held on the fiftieth day after the feast of firstfruits. As the
feast of harvest followed the feast of the firstfruits so after Christ the
Firstfruit was risen the harvest of God’s elect began in this gospel age.
Christ gave us a foretaste of the ingathering of all his elect on the day of
Pentecost when he poured out his Spirit gathering three-thousand of God’s elect
at one time. (Is 43:5-7)
Made Willing for Public Worship—Ex 34: 23-26 When Christ writes the covenant of grace on our hearts,
we worship Christ publicly as he commands trusting his promise to protect us
from all our enemies. Christ is our
Shield and Defender. We never lose by
leaving behind that which is dearest to us to worship Christ publicly. Believers honor Christ by worshipping in
God’s way, rejecting nothing Christ has done or commanded, but taking all of
Christ who is all unto us. We add none of this world’s superstition nor anything
to Christ’s finished work, except to give to Christ the first and best of
all that he has given to us.
Made
to See to the End—Ex 34: 27-28 When Christ writes the covenant of
grace on our hearts, in the law, in everything about it, we see to the end
beholding Christ. Christ is our Ark of Covenant and Propitiation. He fulfilled
the law and is the end of the law to everyone that believes, meaning believers have
perfectly, fully, finally, forever established the law in Christ our
Righteousness. All praise and glory to our
God and Savior who has saved us, is saving us and shall yet save us by his
grace (2 Cor 3: 3, 17-18)