Sovereign Grace Baptist Church

Free Grace Media

Of Princeton, New Jersey

 

AuthorClay Curtis
TitleTrue Worship
Bible TextExodus 34:18-27
Synopsis In this old covenant carnal worship, we see a type of new covenant spiritual worship. Listen
Date22-Nov-2020
Series Exodus 2016
Article Type Sermon Notes
PDF Format pdf
Word Format doc
Audio HI-FI Listen: True Worship (32 kbps)
Audio CD Quality Listen: True Worship (128 kbps)
Length 38 min.
 
Series: Exodus 
Title: True Worship 
Text: Ex 34: 18-27 
Date: Nov 22, 2020 
Place: SGBC, NJ 
  
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.
  
Subject: True Worship 
  
Proposition: In this old covenant carnal worship, we see a type of new covenant spiritual worship.  We see here a shadow of how God brings his child into the everlasting covenant of grace.  God revealed to Moses his glory—a sinner’s salvation begins when God reveals his glory in the face of Christ Jesus. 
  
2 Corinthians 4: 6: For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 
  
The result was Moses hit his face and begged mercy from God—that is what we do when the Spirit reveals Christ in us. 
  
Then God said, v10: Behold I make a covenant.  God wrote the old covenant on tablets of stone.  But when God reveals Christ in us, he writes the everlasting covenant of grace on our hearts—the [everlasting, new covenant] law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus makes us free from the [old covenant] law of sin and death
  
In verses 10-17 we see Christ is Jealous for his bride.  He conquers the enemy of our flesh, purging our conscience, separating us from our old idolatrous, carnal works that we once called worship.  He makes us chaste virgins in him and we submit to him alone.
  
Then the Spirit of God teaches us 7 statutes—the number of completion—this pictures spiritual worship of Christ in spirit and in truth through faith.  This was their worship: it was carnal; it typified Christ in ceremony as they assembled together; it pictures our spiritual worship as we assemble to behold Christ and glory in him.  We no longer need the shadows and types for we have Christ—we have the completed scriptures.  We have looked at each of these in detail before; today we will look at each briefly to see that together they picture true, spiritual worship. 
  
THE FEAST
 
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.    
  
When born of God, by faith, we begin feasting upon Christ.  We do so the rest our days.  The feast of unleavened bread began in the first month of the Jewish year which was their beginning, the first month the Lord delivered them out of Egyptian bondage through the Passover lamb.  This feast began the day after Passover.  God’s gift of life and faith in Christ follows the finished work of Christ our Passover on the cross.  All who Christ redeemed by blood shall be regenerated to life and live by Christ our Bread alone.  We saw it Thursday night. 
 
Galatians 3:13: Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us:…14: That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. 
  
Spiritual life begins when God reveals in our hearts Christ our Passover, sacrificed for us—who delivered his people from spiritual bondage 
  
This feast lasted 7 days—completion—it began on a sabbath day and ended on a sabbath day.  The day God brings us to faith in Christ we begin to rest in Christ by faith.  We live by faith in Christ until our life ends with rest in glory with Christ. 
  
From the first day until the last we live by faith feasting upon Christ our Unleavened Bread—our unleavened, sinless Savior bore the sin of his people away so that by him we are unleavened, without sin, righteous, which means we live by his Life. 
  
Romans 8: 10: If Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin but the spirit is life because of righteousness! 
  
John 6:53: Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. 54: Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. 55: For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. 56: He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. 
  
We are unleavened: without sin, righteous in Christ.  So we live by faith feasting upon Christ our Unleavened Bread in sincerity and truth.  By the Spirit mortifying our flesh, we put off the old man with his self-righteousness, malice and wickedness. 
  
1 Corinthians 5: 7: Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: 8: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. 
  
GLORY TO OUR REDEEMER
 
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.
 
Through faith in Christ, the Son of God, we give all glory to Christ who redeemed us and in whom we approach God our Father.  
  
All God’s elect are represented by “the ass.”  It was an unclean animal.  The law demanded our necks be broken in justice because we had broken God’s law.  But Christ the Lamb redeemed us by dying in our place under the law.  He bought us.  So when born-again of the Spirit of God, we are born as God’s firstlings: God says, “they are all mine!”  I bought you, I redeemed you, thou art mine. 
  
God says, “And none shall appear before me empty.”  We assemble together to appear before God bringing nothing of our hands.  We appear full and complete in Christ our RedeemerComing in Christ alone we give Christ all the glory 
  
SABBATH REST
 
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. 
  
By faith in Christ, we rest from all our vain works, having peace with God.  Christ is our Sabbath Rest.  Christ finished all the works of the law for us.  We rest in Christ by faith.  Our rest in Christ is having Peace with God. 
  
Hebrews 4: 3: For we which have believed do enter into rest 
  
Romans 4: 1: Being justified, by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ 
  
In earing time and in harvest”—even as we do the good works which Christ produces in us, we rest in Christ, putting no confidence in any work we do, only in him. 
  
Philippian 3: 3: For we are the circumcision: which worship God in Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh 
  
THE FEAST OF PENTECOST
  
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.   
  
Believing Christ is the Head of his church, we preach Christ crucified, trusting Christ to gather his people through the Holy Spirit.  That is what we have pictured here.  The feast of weeks was the feast held at harvest-time: fifty days after the feast of firstfruits—hence the name “Pentecost.” 
  
When Christ finished the work of redeeming his elect, he arose to God’s right hand.  On this very day of Pentecost, he showed us exactly what it typified.  Christ poured out his Spirit upon his apostles who preached the gospel of Christ crucified, risen as both Lord and Christ, the successful Savior.  Through the gospel Christ harvested 3000 of his redeemed, bringing them to faith in him. 
  
Acts 2: 33: Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. 34: For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, 35: Until I make thy foes thy footstool. 36  Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. 
  
So believing Christ is Head—Lord and Christ—we preach Christ and wait on Christ to add to the church daily such as should be saved.  He gathers the harvest. 
  
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. 
  
PUBLIC WORSHIP OF CHRIST
  
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. 
  
Christ being our life, by faith we arrange our lives around the worship of Christ.  Three times in the year the males were to drop everything in their lives, leave their farms and families and go to the place of public worship to appear before the Lord God.  Doing so they proved they believed God was the LORD God—their covenant God—who would keep his promise.  God cast out the enemy before them and enlarged their borders so that they lived a long distance from God’s ordained place of public worship.  But when they left their farms and family behind, God controlled the hearts of their enemies so that no man desired their land 
  
Brethren, we need to remember this in these days of pandemics and public outcry.  God rules the hearts of the enemy as well as the germs.  God commands we arrange our lives around the worship of his Son.  If we believe him then we shall let nothing hinder us from doing so.  If these men went up three times in the year and God did not let a dog wag his tongue against their families then we can be sure God will protect you and me.  By the power of the Spirit of God, true faith does not arrange worship around our lives.  We do not fear the enemy: the economy, the government, our finances, our jobs so as to forsake assembling together. 
  
Spurgeon told a story of a man who said he always worked rather than assembling for worship because that put him at least two days ahead of the church folk.  Spurgeon said your arithmetic will not add up when you meet God in the day of judgment. 
  
If we believe our sovereign Lord Jesus then we know he is the one who provides all for us in this life as well as the life to come.  So we arrange everything around the worship of him. 
  
Hebrews 10: 23: Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) 24: And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 25: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. 26: For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, 27: But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. 28: He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: 29: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? 
  
NOTHING OF US
 
Exodus 34: 25: Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leaven; neither shall the sacrifice of the feast of the passover be left unto the morning…26…Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother’s milk.
  
By faith in Christ we add nothing of us to Christ’s gospel or to his means of worship. 
  
Any works of our own that we attempt to add to Christ’s blood is leaven.  It is sin. God rejects it.  Therefore, we preach Christ is All and we rest in Christ.  
  
We are leaving nothing until the morning because we need Christ to be all our salvation.
  
Therefore, we preach Christ as all the salvation of his people—and add no man-made doctrines or methods or commandments—lest we seethe a kid in his mother’s milk.
 
FIRST OF FIRSTFRUITS
 
Exodus 34: 26: The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring unto the house of the LORD thy God. 
 
This is the sum of all.  Faith gives Christ all preeminence.  We give him the first of the firstfruits—the best of all. 
 
It please God that his Son have all preeminence because it pleased God that in him all fulness dwells.  To a believer Christ is Life, Righteousness, Holiness, Redemption, the Way, the Truth, our Provider, our Healer, our Keeper, our All.  Everything we have spiritually and temporally came from Christ’s abundance: good works, praise, money, time.  He gave it all to us.  When David offered so abundantly to build the temple listen to him give Jehovah Jesus all preeminence. 
  
1 Chronicles 29: 10: Wherefore David blessed the LORD before all the congregation: and David said, Blessed be thou, LORD God of Israel our father, for ever and ever. 11: Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all. 12: Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all. 13: Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name. 14: But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee. 15: For we are strangers before thee, and sojourners, as were all our fathers: our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is none abiding. 16: O LORD our God, all this store that we have prepared to build thee an house for thine holy name cometh of thine hand, and is all thine own.” 
  
Romans 11: 35: Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? 36: For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen. 
  
Amen!