285 Moses Type of Jesus Acts 7 37 Nov 24 2019

Beginning
With Moses & the Prophets

“This
is That Moses”

Acts
7: 37

Introduction

            We are going to enter in a couple of weeks the season of
Advent. It’s that time of the year when we give a special remembrance of the
birth, the incarnation of the eternal Son of God, therefore we’ll take a pause
in this series of Jesus explaining to His two disciples those things concerning
Him. 

Of the whole
line of prophets there wasn’t one who could be regarded as closely resembling
Moses. Stephen in his defense before the Council, as the KJV has it in 7:37,
“This is that Moses”. 

This particular expression is used mostly with
you want to apart & mark guilty an individual; “this is that person . . .”.
The object of Stephen is to fix attention that the Moses who brought Israel out
of Egypt was the very same person, the same Moses who predicted the coming of a
greater prophet. ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your
brethren.” 

This Moses, whom the Jews had a blind
attachment to, had told them of the Christ whom they would reject.

Moses stands out magnificently; a great man
wearing as we say today many hats at the same time. Prophet, legislator,
historian, ruler & champion.

To this day Moses is considered a hero of the
Jewish nation -- His life, a very remarkable one at that, has been divided into
three periods of forty years each. The first in training in the arts in Egypt
& on how to be somebody.

The second he spent in God’s boot camp train in
the desert learning to be nobody.

The third period of forty years as leader &
lawgiver of Israel, learning that God is everybody - He is everything - He is
the only thing.

The question of course is how Moses can be seen
as a type of Christ. The great theme of prophecy & performance is the
mediatorial character, of Christ, Messiah; His position as an intermediary, I’d
go so far as to say, negotiator, which is consistent in Jesus being a prophet,
priest, & king; and, each of these offices was typified by Moses.

LEADER AND LAWGIVER.

Moses was divinely appointed as ruler &
leader of the Israelites (Exodus 3) - Jesus is head of His church & is now
and will yet physically reign as king on earth. (Matthew 28:18ff)

LEADER 

The situation of the Jews in Egypt depicted
that of the whole human race given up for their sins to be the captives of
Satan. We should be able to follow, or better imagine our condition being s the
Israelities in Egypt we can trace a good resemblance between the two
deliverers, Moses & Christ Jesus.

Moses & Christ both came to an enslaved
race, and claimed authority to set free prisoners; when proof of their
authority was demanded, they both wrought wonders which were beyond human
power. The same kind of opposition ranged against the one and the other — the
magicians contending with Moses, and evil spirits with Christ. (Exodus 7 &
8;  Matthew 
8:28-29;).

The deliverance of people by the two was
singularly alike. Moses broke off the yoke from
the neck of a captive people, and Christ from the neck of the whole human
race. 

Moses made a passage for the Israelites out of
Egypt & when that happened the tyrant of Egypt, Pharaoh, pursued the freed
tribes and looked to regain his dominion that he had lost.  Peter warns
that the devil goes around like a hungry roaring lion looking for who he can
destroy (1 Peter 5:8).

Even though Jesus redeemed us from the power of
Satan, who knows that evil spirits, fallen angels, demons are there eager to
regain their former dominion, pursue those that follow the Lord of
salvation? 

Moses led Israel out of Egypt, he told them of
the promised land but he didn’t put them there at once; he lead them through a
dreary desert, wilderness, they were continually subject to trials.

We, those born again, are told of a beautiful
promised land that awaits us, that is our inheritance; but we know good and
well that there isn’t immediate entrance; all believers, followers of the Lord
Jesus Christ, those born again of the Spirit have to traverse a desert, a
wilderness that is set thick with snares & peopled with enemies & that
it is after many trials & tribulations that will finally one day take
possession of our heritage.

LAWGIVER

Moses, the outstanding lawgiver who revealed
God’s mind to a people.In this capacity Moses bore a striking resemblance to
Christ. He would restore amongst the Jews the decayed knowledge of Jehovah, re-institute
a pure worship, and establish laws which would mark them off as a peculiar
people. 

Wasn’t the condition of our Gentile race
similar to that of Israel? There was hardly any trace of truth; the whole
Gentile race was given up to idolatry, and Christ had to instruct this world in
the very first elements of spiritual truth.

Moses led the children of Israel through the
waters of the Red Sea, and then formed them into a church, with means and
ordinances for producing and preserving acquaintance with God, obedience to His
will, and hope in His promises. Jesus now conducts us through the waters of
baptism into fellowship with His mystical body, that we may be taught in duty
and trained for immortality.

Moses restores the altars of God, delivers
laws, institutes sacrifices; and Christ erects a visible Church, with
ordinances and sacraments, that those who are in error may be taught, and those
who know the truth may be confirmed.

Moses laid the foundation of Jewish literature
in the first five books of the Bible - Jesus is the one dominating the world’s
literature.

A MEDIATOR

The Israelites were assembled round Sinai to
receive the commandments and the law of their God. it was all grandeur &
terrible at the publication of the law there. Appalled by what they saw and
heard, the rulers of Israel said to Moses, Go near and hear all that the LORD our God
says; then speak to us all that the LORD our God speaks to you, and we will
hear and do [it.]' . . . as
soon as this petition was offered, God said to Moses, 'I have heard the voice of
the words of this people which they have spoken to you. They have done well in
all that they have spoken. (Deuteronomy 5:27-28).

This signified His, God’s approval of the
consciousness that fallen creatures cannot approach Him except through an
intercessor; in Deuteronomy 18: 15-18, the prediction of the text is
there made to to say as much, "They have asked a mediator, and a Mediator
will I give them, in the fullness of time, who shall resemble you in standing,
as you do now, between God and man." Isn’t this a pretty accurate
resemblance?

It’s by the law that we as the Israelites stand
in terror, but to shield us from the terror of the law, which condemns every
single human being to everlasting punishment that Jesus Christ arose as
mediator between God & man? 

At conversion there is enacted much of that
scene that’s described as occurring when the Israelites stood around Sinai. The
Spirit handles the moral law in a way that makes the individual perceive that
there hasn’t been a moment of his life where he hasn’t violated its commands,
and that there is no infraction so slight but it entails punishment. For the
first time knows rightly the awfulness of God; then will he exclaim with the
Israelites at the foot of Sinai, "This great fire will consume me: if I
hear the voice of the Lord my God any more, then shall I die." 

Such a one will at once feel that he cannot
stand in his own strength and his own merit stand face to face with his Maker.
That one will realize there’s no alternative but that of leaving himself to
either be crushed under the weight of indignation, unless he can find some
being mighty enough and pure enough to rise up as an intercessor, an advocate, and
plead his cause with the Eternal One. Who then can deny, that in respect of the
office of mediator, the prophecy quoted by Stephen had its fulfilment in
Christ?

IN THE PARTICULARS OF HIS LIFE.

            Moses was wonderfully preserved when
the male children of the Hebrews were destroyed; and thus also was Christ
preserved when Herod slew all the children in Bethlehem. Moses fled from his
country, and then there came a message, "Go, return into Egypt: for all
the men are dead which sought thy life"; Christ fled, in a like manner,
and then there came a message in almost the same words. 

Moses contended with the magicians, and forced
them to acknowledge his power — Christ contended with evil spirits, and
obtained from them a similar confession. Immediately before emancipating
Israel, Moses instituted the passover — immediately before redeeming mankind,
Christ instituted the Lord's Supper. 

When Moses had to appoint elders, he appointed
seventy — when Christ chose disciples, He chose seventy. Into the land that was
to be conquered Moses sent twelve men as spies — when the world was to be
subdued, Christ sent twelve men as apostles. 

How did Moses overcome Amalek? By extending
both arms, and keeping them stretched out. How did Christ subdue all our
enemies? By suffering that His hands should be nailed to the cross. As a
prophet, it was specially of the desolations which should overtake the
disobedient Jews that Moses made mention; and, as a prophet, it was of the
destruction of Jerusalem that Christ chiefly spoke. 

Moses had to deal with a perverse generation,
who were not to be won over to obeying God, and who, consequently, with the exception
of two, all perished in the wilderness. 

Moses had to endure injurious treatment from
his own family — his brother Aaron and his sister Miriam rebelled against him;
and we are told of Christ, "Neither did His brethren believe on
Him." 

Moses fed the people miraculously in the
wilderness; Christ fed thousands miraculously in the desert. In lifting up the
brazen serpent, didn’t Moses typify Christ? 

It wasn’t until Moses was dead that the people
could enter the Promised Land; it was only by the death of Christ that the
kingdom of heaven was opened to all believers. 

In the fullness of his strength, when "his
eye was not dim nor his natural force abated," did Moses go up to die; and
when Christ was yet in the flower of His age He went up to the summit of
Calvary. 

Before he went up to die Moses comforted the
disconsolate tribes with an assurance that God would raise them up another
Prophet; before Christ went up to die He said to His despondent disciples,
"I will not leave you comfortless; I will pray the Father, and He shall
give you another Comforter."

 Moses was buried, but no one knew where
his body lay; Christ was buried, and yet was His body was sought in vain by the
Jews. Surely, if ever there was a wonderful resemblance, it is that which we
thus trace in minute particulars, between Moses and Christ.