10. Moses and Christ

SERMON 10 Moses and Christ

The word of God abounds in figures, parables, and illustrations, to impress the mind of man by these object lessons, with what God has promised to do for him.

In this lesson we desire to examine the salvation of sinners from sin, as analogous to the salvation of Israel from Egyptian bondage.

As the history of Israel in Egypt, in the wilderness, and in the promised land lies before us as historical facts; and as Paul, in his Hebrew and Roman letters, refers to them as examples to us, perhaps we will profit by studying their history in Egypt, in the wilderness, and in the promised land, and see how we are like them, in the world, in the church, and finally in heaven.

I first call attention to our diagram, and there see that Egypt, the wilderness, and the promised land and are all different places, and that all who went to the promised land had to pass through the wilderness, for God did not promise to lead them any other way.

With these thoughts before our minds. I call attention to the fact that Israel went down into Egypt, and became servants of Pharaoh by doing his will. While they labored there in bondage Moses was born, and at the age of forty became involved in trouble, left Egypt for the space of forty years, and at the age of eighty went back, under the special command of God, to deliver Israel out of bondage. Now, as the deliverance of Israel from bondage became a type of the sinners' deliverance from the bondage of sin, it becomes necessary to understand what they had to do to be delivered from Egyptian bondage. This will then enable us to understand what the sinner must do to be delivered from the bondage of sin.

I find that Moses came to Egypt by the authority of God, found the people serving Pharaoh, told them his mission, performed miracles before them, and caused them to hear and understand that God had sent him.

After this I notice—

• They believed in Moses with all their hearts as being their deliverer. Were they then saved from Egyptian bondage? If yes, then the doctrine of justification by faith only may be full of comfort; but if no, it may then be full Of deception. Hence we notice after their faith, Moses wanted to go three days' journey into the wilderness to worship God; but Pharaoh opposed their going, and argued that they could worship God in Egypt.

• After the plagues were sent upon Pharaoh and he was willing to let them go, they started to come up out of Egypt. In leaving Egypt, on which side of the sea were they saved from Egyptian bondage? This, properly answered will tell us on which side of baptism God promises to save us from the bondage of sin.

• Calling attention to Exodus 14, we find Israel camped before the sea, still in Pharaoh's country, followed by Pharaoh and his army. By the direction of God, they went down into the sea and crossed it. Then Moses stretched his rod across the waters which came together and destroyed their enemies who were following them. We are taught that that day God saved Israel from the Egyptians. We find that after (not before) crossing the sea they could sing the song Of deliverance from bondage, giving God the glory.

While they were in the wilderness we note two temporal blessings given them, which they could not get in Egypt. (1) God fed them on manna for the space of forty years, on account of the barrenness of the, country. (2) As they could raise nothing to wear, Clod renewed their clothes, so that for forty years they wore the same garments. Note that these were blessings peculiar to and located in the wilderness, and all must go there to he benefitted by them. It was in the wilderness where they r received the law to guide them in their wanderings. While Moses was obtaining for them the law, Aaron was busy in making for them another God, by taking their rings and breastpins and running them all together into the shape of a calf which became their God. This jewelry did them no harm so long as hold as private property, but when converted into an image of worship, it caused them to reject the true God to their own destruction. When Moses came down, and say. they had turned from God to follow a God of their own make, we find this calf ground into powder, cast upon the waters which became bitter. Many of them had to drink of the bitterness of their own folly. Finally, when three thousand of these rebels were put to death, and the camp was cleaned from sins, we find the remainder started on across the wilderness to reach their home which God had promised to Abraham.

Passing on across the wilderness, we find but little of interest, till we come to the borders of the land. There Moses stopped and sent twelve spies to view out the country. The spies came back and reported that it was a good country, that it abounded in fruits and temporal blessings, just as God had promised them. Yet it seems that ten of the twelve lost faith in the promises of God, on account of the giants who inhabited that country. and decided that they could not take the country. Israel seemed anxious to believe their report, notwithstanding faithful Joshua and Caleb told them repeatedly that God would be with them, and they could take the land; but all to no avail. They began to lament their sad condition till God told Moses that on account of their disbelief he would not go with them into the promised land. On account of their disbelief they had to turn and wander in the wilderness till all those who rebelled against God died. After forty years wandering, we find the remainder, with the children who had grown up, came to Jordan, and, under the leadership of Joshua who had proven faithful, went over and possessed the land which God had promised their father Abraham four hundred and seventy years before that time.

This ends one of the most important historical records associated with man; for Paul frequently refers to their journey and destiny as being analogous to our deliverance from sin and final rest in heaven.

Having now the historical events connected with their lives, we begin to apply them to ourselves, to show what we must do to finally enter into that rest that remains to the people of God.

Then we find—

1. They became servants of Pharaoh by obeying him, and we become servants of sin by obeying the wicked one.

2. They were in bondage in Egypt, and we are under the bondage of sin in the world.

3. They had to get out of Egypt before they were released from Egyptian bondage. So must the sinner come out of the world, into the kingdom of God's dear Son before he can expect to be delivered from the bondage of sin.

4. Moses was born to deliver them from bondage, and Christ was born to deliver us from the bondage of sin.

5. Moses went to them performing miracles, and Christ came to us the same way.

6. After hearing Moses, they believed in him as their deliverer. So must the sinner, after hearing the word of God, believe in Christ, or believe with all our hearts, that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, with a promise that, believing this, we might have life through his name (John 20:30-31). But then the question arises, are we saved as soon as we believe this? To answer this question, we ask, were the Israelites saved or even in the wilderness, when they believed in Moses ? If many of them fell and failed to get to the promised land, we may say, “no”, a thousand times, to the question of justification by faith only.

7. But, after their faith, came their work of leaving Egypt. So must it be with us—after our faith must come our work of repentance, or turning away from sin. Remember, as it was an impossibility for them to ever reach the promised land as long as they remained in Egypt, so it is an impossibility for us ever to be saved as long as we remain in sin. God has commanded all to repent (Luke 24:47), and as this repentance must be great enough to cause us to turn from our sins as the Ninevites did when Jonah preached to them (Jonah 3:10), let us not be deceived in sorrowing over our bad conduct, but let this sorrow be great enough to cause us to reform our lives.

We notice when Israel started out from Egyptian bondage, they were never safe, did not rejoice, were not out of Pharaoh's country, did not sing the song, neither were they recognized by the God of heaven as free from Egyptian bondage, till they had been baptized unto Moses, in the cloud and in the sea. In our salvation, Christ not only teaches that we must believe, but he also said, “He that believeth, and is baptized, shall be saved” (Mark 16:16)

Neither does he teach that we are saved before repentance before baptism for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38).

As Israel's freedom from Egyptian bondage was placed in the wilderness, and came to them after crossing the sea, so is our freedom from sin placed in the kingdom of God's dear Son; for Jesus teaches, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God (John 3:5). As salvation from sin is in the kingdom of God, let us fear lest some of us should fail to do the will of God, and never reach that blessing which God has promised to those who love him.

As the Israelites obtained two temporal blessings in the wilderness (food and raiment) as direct gifts from God, which they could not obtain in Egypt, so does the child of God obtain two blessings in the church of Christ that are never promised to an alien sinner, viz., the forgiveness of all past sins, and the comforting influence of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 4:6).

We learn that after the Israelites came out of Egypt, and were no longer subject to Pharaoh's government that God gave them a law by which they were to be governed through the wilderness. So it is with the child of God after renouncing the devil, and all his power, and being adopted into the family of God. He has given to us the “law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus”, and tells us in Romans 8:1-2 there is no condemnation to us if we walk after the Spirit of Christ Jesus, and not after the flesh. This law we find laid down plainly to us in the New Testament, embracing all the letters to Christians, from the first of Romans to Revelations. As long as we are guided by its instruction God is our God, and will do us good. But should w e turn aside and run our opinions together in the shape of a creed or law of government it then becomes our God, and we as utterly reject the God of the Bible as the Israelites did who ran their private jewelry together and it became their God. If God would not spare them on account of their disobedience, how can we expect to escape condemnation from him ? As Israel from the Red Sea began the march to the promised land, so do we from our baptism begin our march, as children of God, to that rest God has promised to his children.

As their march of forty years was one of warfare, beset by many trials and difficulties, so is the march of the child of God. Many of those who were saved out of Egypt fell in the wilderness and never entered the promised land; so it is with many children of God who start out in this life, who fall by the wayside and never enter into that rest that remains to the people of God. Hence, Paul, after telling of their disbelief and fall, in the third chapter of Hebrews, exhorts us, as children of God, in the fourth chapter, to take heed, lest any man fall, after the same example of unbelief.

But the first proposition is stated thus:

1. They were saved out of Egypt...............................................1. The sinner is saved out ofthe world, or from sin.

2. Fell in the wilderness...........................................................2. Falls by the wayside in the church.

3. Failed to get to the promised land. Second proposition,....3. Fails to enter heaven; else there can be no meaning

....or application...........................................................................in language; .neither any necessity in Paul's warning

......................................................................................................to take heed lest any man fall, after the same example ......................................................................................................of unbelief.

Sometimes after we are baptized, we forget we have only placed ourselves in a position to get eternal life, provided we do the things required at our hands. Then as pilgrims we must obey our leader and travel in the way he directs. As sons of God are led by the Spirit of God, it is an easy matter for us to consult our waybill from earth to heaven, that our Savior, by the Spirit, through the apostles has given to us.

As soldiers, remember, dear brethren, we must fight with the sword of the Spirit, having put on the whole armor of God for self-protection here.

As lively stones in the spiritual building, let us remember that each one is expected to fill a certain position there, which our brother can never fill for us.

We notice that the Israelites came near to the river Jordan, and Joshua sent the spies to go over and return and report to them the condition of the land.

So it is with the child of God. When the sun of life begins to set beyond the western sky, and his eyes grow dim; when the storms of time begin to beat heavily upon his brow, and his hair will al-most shame the snowdrift; it is then he begins to look forward and ask himself of that home Jesus went to prepare. This will cause him to consult the testimony of the apostles to find out what they tell of that country whose builder and maker is God.

How grand to learn that when we cross the river of death we have the promise of entering a city that far surpasses any city that the Jews ever found in their promised land; that God has built for us a city whose streets are paved with gold; he has promised us a home over which the shades of night will never come, and there we are to eat fruit from the tree of life and live forever; we are to have as associates the purest men and women earth has ever known; God has promised with us to ever dwell, and to be our God, and we are to serve him there; he has promised to take all our sorrows away, and in that beautiful city with loved ones to let us forever dwell!

He has promised to meet us when we are called to die, and to go with us through the dark valley and shadow of death, that we should fear no evil, and allow us, with rejoicing to enter into that rest that remains to the people of God.

Finally, dear friends, are you a Christian? Do you seek for heaven with all its grandeur and beauty?

Sad, indeed, is it to think of the many hundreds of thousands who came out of Egypt and fell on account of their disobedience, and failed to enter the promised land! But much sadder will it be with you if you refuse to hear God's call, obey His law, and finally fail to enter heaven. Then why not make the start how?