Jesus - The Ark and Mercy Seat
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Introduction
Introduction
Two weeks ago I preached the introductory message to this series.
Introductory message - Driving home the point of synchronicity between the OT & NT.
Brazen Altar - Represents the Cross of Christ
A place of Substitutionary Atonement
A place of bloody Sacrifice
Brazen Laver - Represents the Sanctification of Christ
The continual washing necessary to keep us fit for service in a dirty world
Golden Lampstand - Jesus ‘The Light of the World’
A Unique Light
A Picture of Jesus and the Church - bore from His Side
Made to bring light in darkness
Table of Shewbread
A Picture of Fellowship
With Christ
With One Another
The Basis of Fellowship
The Instruction for Fellowship
Jesus - the Bread of Life
The Necessity of Life
The Sustainer of Life
The Strength of Life
The Singularity of Life
The Priests Alone Ate of the Bread
The Bread was Anointed
The Bread was Secure and Undefiled
Fellowship was not Synonymous with Laziness
Sanctification was Necessary for Fellowship
The Golden Altar
A Picture of the Current Ministry of Christ
Our Intercession for Others
Christ’s Intercession for Us
It Brings man Close to God
It Speaks of the Resurrection
It’s Height & Horns spoke of the Power Therein
It’s Need was Perpetual for Us and Others
The Veil Between
The Plan
It was a Choice Work, a Cunning Work, a Careful Work
The Position
It was in the Holy Place, Between Man and God
The Purpose
The Separate Man from God, to Save Man from God
The Performance
The Veil is the Body of Christ
In it, we see His Deity, His Royalty & His Humanity
He’s the Barrier that Keeps man from God
He’s the Broken One that Gives Access to God
He’s the Beauty we See in God
Today we’re going behind the Veil. We’re entering now into the Throne Room of God! We’re going where only the High Priest was allowed to God, but NOW BY THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB, WE CAN GO OURSELVES!
We’re going to look at the Ark of God and (what is known as) the Mercy Seat
I. The Plan
I. The Plan
(The Construction & importance of it)
A Two-fold Work in the Ark (Ex. 25:10-11a)
As in some of the former items (the Table, the Altars), it was built using an underlayment of shittum wood, and then overlaid - in this instance gold. (As opposed to the brazen altar).
The Ark was a two-fold work
A Crown Round About (Ex. 25:11b)
Another feature that we see of the Ark was that God commanded that there be a crown thereof around it.
It wore a Crown around it
A Pure, but Beaten Mercy Seat (Ex. 25:17-18)
While the Ark was wood & gold, the Mercy Seat was Pure Gold
Much like the candlestick, the Mercy Seat was to be fashioned in a peculiar way. It wasn’t so be softened and shaped, but beaten instead.
beaten (def) moulded by hammering
Try to imagine if you will any type of ornate shape (as the candlestick was moulded the same way), how many times you’d have to beat it in order for it to take the shape you want it to be?
On a side note, this brought to mind: Proverbs 3:11–12 “My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; Neither be weary of his correction: For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; Even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.”
(Ill.) Remember this whenever if feels as though you’re going through trials and if feels like you’re being hammered - maybe God’s hammering you into the shape He wants you to be in. And by the time He’s done, you will be a beautiful work as well.
A Pure, but Beaten Mercy Seat
We see the Plan, next the Position
II. The Position
II. The Position
(Where it’s Placed and Why)
They Resided in the Holiest Place
Behind the Veil. These were the only articles of furniture in the Holiest Place
They resided in the Holiest Place
The Mercy Seat served as the Lid to the Ark (Ex. 25:21)
When one would look at this article, it would appear that it was one work. While they worked together, they were in fact two separate items. The Ark had it’s purpose and the Mercy Seat had it’s as well.
The Mercy Seat served as the Lid to the Ark
We see the Plan, the Position, next the Purpose
III. The Purpose
III. The Purpose
(What is the function of it)
We’ve examined in the time past that each article had a purpose.
The Candlestick gave off Light
The Table provided nourishment and Fellowship
The Altar provided Intercession
The Veil provided Separation and Salvation
The Brazen Altar afforded a Substitute
The Brazen Laver provided a Cleansing
So let’s look at what the Ark’s Purpose was:
Contained the Tablets, the Rod and the Manna (Heb. 9:4)
In our text, Moses is only commanded to put in the tables of Testimony, but as we go through the history of the COI we see:
Hebrews 9:4 “Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;”
After God fed them with manna in the wilderness, the Bible tells us: Exodus 16:32–34 “And Moses said, This is the thing which the Lord commandeth, Fill an omer of it to be kept for your generations; that they may see the bread wherewith I have fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you forth from the land of Egypt. And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a pot, and put an omer full of manna therein, and lay it up before the Lord, to be kept for your generations. As the Lord commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept.”
After the COI murmured against Moses & Aaron, God told them to take a rod for each tribe, to which it says: Numbers 17:8–10 “And it came to pass, that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds. And Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord unto all the children of Israel: and they looked, and took every man his rod. And the Lord said unto Moses, Bring Aaron’s rod again before the testimony, to be kept for a token against the rebels; and thou shalt quite take away their murmurings from me, that they die not.”
So the Ark was the housing place of the Tablets, the Rod that Budded and the Manna that God provided
Served as the Foundation for God’s Interaction with Man (Ex. 25:22)
It’s called a Mercy Seat, because it’s the place in which God abode.
Consider that prior to this, God would be upon a mount, and He called Moses up, yet everyone else had to stay back save Joshua. Now, God has given the COI the instructions for the Tabernacle, which was to be in the midst of the camp - and God would be in the center.
While the access to God was still restricted, the Ark served as the foundation for God’s Relationship and interaction with mankind.
Served as the Foundation for God’s Interaction with Man
IV. The Performance
IV. The Performance
(The NT Scripture / Story that corresponds with it)
In the Ark we see:
The Humanity and Divinity of Christ (Ex. 25:10-11a)
The gold and wood once again represents the humanity and divinity of Christ.
Jesus was no less man than I am today. He endured the same struggles with the flesh, the same temptations as Satan (far greater in fact). He knows what it’s like church!
Hebrews 4:15 “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”
Though He was fully man, He was no less God than when He was previously in Heaven, or now as He’s on the Right Hand of God right now!
We see the Humanity and Divinity of Christ
The Royalty and Majesty of Christ (Ex. 25:11b)
As we consider the crown around the Ark, it points to the fact that Jesus is just what the Bible says about Him: Revelation 19:15–16 “And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”
He was crowed on earth previously in a mocking fashion - the Crown He wore 2,000 years ago was made of thorns and was not majestic at all… oh, but when He comes back, it’ll be a different story! The Bible says: Revelation 19:11–12 “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.”
I don’t think a more Majestic sight mankind will ever behold than when King Jesus arrives!
The Royalty and Majesty, hidden but to be revealed
A Third Illustration of Jesus
The Ark of the Covenant
This is the Ark that we speak of now. It’s called the Ark of the Covenant for a reason.
Many think that the ‘OT’ or Old Covenant was isolated in the 10 commandments. But it wasn’t. The Covenant consisted of the Commandments, and the Tabernacle.
I CANNOT STRESS THIS POINT ENOUGH! THE JEWS WEREN’T SAVED BY KEEPING THE COMMANDMENTS, THEY WERE SPARED BY THE ATONEMENTS FOUND ON THE ALTAR AT THE TABERNACLE!
This is an Ark, but not the first. The first was the Ark of Noah
The Ark of Noah
We’re all familiar with the Ark of Noah. Gen. 6, mankind has polluted themselves and God decided to bring Judgment down upon the earth. However, “Noah found Grace in the eyes of the LORD”. Noah then placed faith in the Word of the LORD and built the Ark.
In the Ark of Noah, God gave specific instruction: Genesis 6:14 “Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.”
This pitch was a waterproofing that would keep the waters out and those inside safe.
Keep this in mind as we look at the Ark of Moses
The Ark of Moses
When Moses was born, the COI were under the Judgment of Pharaoh and we’re told: Exodus 2:3 “And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river’s brink.”
There’s that word ‘pitch’ again. It served the same purpose as the pitch in Noah’s ark. To save and preserve the one inside. (We’ll elaborate more on this in a moment)
All Saved from Judgment
All three of these Arks were used to save people for the Judgment they were under
Noah from the Judgment of God
Moses from the Judgment of Pharaoh
The COI from the Judgment of God
Church, our only hope to be safe from the Judgment of God is to be found in the Ark which is Christ!
It’s a Third Illustration of Jesus
We are Secure in Christ
Now let’s look at the items within the Ark - those three things mentioned earlier. Picture Jesus now as the Ark itself.
In Christ is the Fulfillment of the Law (Ex. 25:21; Mat. 5:17-18)
One item that was instructed to place in the Ark was the Tablets of the Law. Those 10 commandments that Israel had broken - they were safely held in the Ark.
The Bible tells us: Matthew 5:17–18 “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.”
Jesus, though He was tempted like us, never sinned! He kept and therefore fulfilled the Law of God in perfection! Jesus is the only flesh to have ever done this!
In Christ is the Fulfillment of the Law
In Christ there is Resurrection to Life (Joh. 11:25)
When we consider the Rod that budded, we must understand the significance of the miracle God performed.
A Rod in essence is nothing more than a dead stick. It was cutoff from life and has henceforth died. For God to take that which was dead and make it alive again! Not only was it alive, but it brought forth fruit!
We see this of course in the testimony of Jesus: Revelation 1:18 “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.”
But then Jesus offers that life unto us: John 11:25 “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:”
We see in the Budded Rod that In Christ is Resurrection to Life
In Christ there is a Sustainer of Life (Joh. 6:35; 48-51)
This is the manna that God used to supply the COI when they were in the wilderness.
Jesus said: John 6:35 “And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.” John 6:48–51 “I am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”
Later on in the Gospel of John Jesus says: John 10:10 “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”
In Christ is the Sustainer of Life. It’s a better life than one without!
In the Mercy Seat we see:
Next we’ll turn out attention to the Mercy Seat
The Pure, Holy One Beaten (Ex. 25:18; Isa. 53:4-5)
The Mercy Seat made of Pure Gold speaks to the purity and sinlessness of Christ.
The fact that it was a beaten work instead of carved or molded speaks to the bruising He took for you and I.
Isaiah 53:4–5 “Surely he hath borne our griefs, And carried our sorrows: Yet we did esteem him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: The chastisement of our peace was upon him; And with his stripes we are healed.”
The Pure, Holy One Beaten
The One who Covers and Protects (Ex. 25:21; Col. 3:3)
Without the Mercy Seat, even if we be in Christ, we are still exposed to the Law, but the Bible says: Colossians 3:3 “For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.”
The Mercy Seat Covers & Protects what is inside. It serves as the barrier between a Holy God and sinful, Law breaking men.
Once I am in Christ, I am secure. I am protected - because I am sealed there, because He’s the one who’s Blood Atonement Satisfies
The One who’s Blood Atonement Satisfies (Lev. 16:14-15; 17:11; 1Pet. 1:18-20)
Remember the ‘pitch’ on the other Arks? That thing that sealed and secured those inside from Judgment? That’s a picture of the atoning blood!
The Mercy Seat was covered in blood: Leviticus 16:14–15 “And he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward; and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times. Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat:”
The Bible tells us: Romans 3:24–25 “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;”
That word ‘Propitiation’ (def) an atoning victim; spec. the lid of the Ark; mercy seat
When we are ‘IN Christ’ and the blood of atonement has been applied, God is satisfied! Christ kept the Law, became a substitute for you and I and that satisfies the Justice and Judgment of God! Romans 3:26 “To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.”
The One who’s Blood Atonement Satisfies
The One Worthy of Our Attention (Ex. 37:9)
Lastly, we notice the Cherubims. Exodus 37:9 “And the cherubims spread out their wings on high, and covered with their wings over the mercy seat, with their faces one to another; even to the mercy seatward were the faces of the cherubims.”
They are facing one another, looking down at the Mercy Seat. Christ has their full attention.
So should it be with you and I
The One Worthy of Our Attention
Conclusion
Conclusion