Christ Before Bethlehem - pt.4

Introduction

Christ Before Bethlehem - pt.1

I. Christ, the Founder

Before the World, there was Christ (Joh. 8:58; 2Tim. 1:9; Joh. 1:1)

Christ is Elohim (Joh. 1:1; Heb. 1:8)

Christ is Eternal (Joh. 1:2; Mic. 5:2)

Because of Christ, there was the World

Jesus is Creator of All Things (Joh. 1:3; 10; Col. 1:15-17; Heb. 1:2; Eph. 3:9)

Christ is Outside of Time

II. Christ Foreordained

Consider the Ramifications:

Before Creation, was Knowledge:

Of Man; His Choice to Sin; God’s Plan of Redemption - One of Necessity, not Choice; Christ’s Willingness to Pay It

Christ Before Bethlehem - pt.2

I. Salvation Through Faith in Christ

The Constant Throughout the Bible (Heb. 11)

II. Christ Foreshadowed

Explicit Connections

Jacob’s Ladder (Gen. 28:10-22; Joh. 1:51); The Bridge Between Two Worlds

John 1:51 “And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.”

Bread from Heaven (Ex. 16:4; Joh. 6:31-35); Sustenance in the Wilderness

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.”

The Rock in the Wilderness (Ex. 17:5-6; 1Cor. 10:3-4); The Stricken who Supplies

1 Corinthians 10:3–4 “And did all eat the same spiritual meat; And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.”

Melchesidec (Gen. 14:18-20; Heb. 5:6-10; Heb. 6:20-7:28); The Priestly King

Christ Before Bethlehem - pt.3

I. Christ Foreshadowed (cont.)

Explicit Connections

The Passover Lamb (Ex. 12:1-14; 21-23; 29-31; Joh. 1:29-30; 1Cor. 5:7; 1Pet. 1:18-19); The Sacrifice for Salvation (1Pet. 2:24; 2Cor. 5:21)

A Specific Lamb (v5); A Spotless Lamb (v5); A Slain Lamb (v6); A Substitute Lamb (v7;12-13)

Jonah (Jon. 1:17; Mat. 12:38-40); The Risen One (Mat. 28:1-8)

The Brazen Serpent (Num. 21:4-9; Joh. 3:14-15); Those with Faith to Look will Live (Joh. 3:16)

Sin Brought Judgment (Rom. 6:23); Faith Brought Salvation (Rom. 3:23-25)

I. Christ Foreshadowed (cont.)

Explicit Connections

The Tabernacle (Ex. 25-30; Heb. 9:1-14)

(Show the picture)

Time would prevent me from going through all the specifics about the Tabernacle. However, I will say that the tabernacle, along with the sacrifices and ceremony, everything points to and is a picture of Jesus.

One thing that I want to point out is the fact that when we consider the Mosaic covenant, we often think of Exodus chapter 20. But that was not the entirety of the covenant. In truth, the Mosaic covenant expands through the majority of the rest of the book of Exodus.

We see this specifically in this verse. Hebrews 9:1 “Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary.”

The Complete Picture

One Door (Ex. 27:9-19)

John 10:7–9 “Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”

A Blood Sacrifice (Ex. 27:1-8)

Able to withstand the fire

Horns = power

The Sacrifices speak to the Christ and His Sacrifice for sins

The Sanctifier (Ex. 28:17-21; 38:8; Joh. 13:1-17)

John 15:3 “Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.”

John 17:17 “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.”

Ephesians 5:25–26 “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,”

To draw near unto God, you must wash your hands and feet as they get soiled.

One Path (Joh. 14:6)

If you’re to get to God, you must go through the door, by the brazen altar then the laver. There is no shortcut & alternate route

Plain Exterior, but Beautiful Interior (Isa. 53:2)

Speaks of two of the tabernacle coverings:

Badger skins on the outside = ugly plain, but effective

Fine twined linen, purple, blue, gold on the inside

From the outside Christ may not look like much, but when you’re in Christ you see the beauty the world doesn’t see!

Isaiah 53:2 “For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, And as a root out of a dry ground: He hath no form nor comeliness; And when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.”

One Light

Only one light in the tabernacle:

John 8:12 “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”

The Design of the Light

The Basis for Fellowship

The table of shewbread is where the priests would gain sustenance while serving the LORD and have a place to fellowship one with another.

Upon it was the bread: 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.”

It was unleavened: Speaking to His sinless nature

It was exclusive to the priests: (Lev. 24:9) - Only priests could enjoy the benefits thereof

1 Peter 2:9 “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:”

It had crowns round about it: guarding the bread from being wasted

The Interceder

The Golden altar is one where they’d burn incense that would prove a ‘sweet smelling savour’

Hebrews 7:25 “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.”

Romans 8:34 “Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.”

You can extend this to the clothing of the priests: The breastplate with the stones representing God’s people, close to His heart.

The Separator between Man and God

Hebrews 10:19–20 “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;”

The Veil was ripped - speaking to the tearing of His flesh asunder

It was torn from top to bottom - Jesus didn’t endured the Judgment of man, but rather the Judgment of God… He suffered abuse by men, but abandonment by God!

A Vessel for the Divine

This is the Ark of the Covenant. It was solitary & beautiful.

It was fitted with staves overlaid with gold: Exodus 25:13–15 “And thou shalt make staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold. And thou shalt put the staves into the rings by the sides of the ark, that the ark may be borne with them. The staves shall be in the rings of the ark: they shall not be taken from it.”

God would be ever present with the COI

But what it contained is worth noting:

It held the manna from Heaven

It held the Tablets of the Commandments

It held Aaron’s rod that budded - something dead bringing forth life

Christ fills our needs - (Manna)

Christ kept the Law - (Tablets)

Christ brought life from death - (The Rod)

A Sufficient Covering

The lid - Mercy Seat - the place where Justice and Mercy meet.

Below is the Righteous Law of God

Above is the blood of Atonement

On it is where God abode: Perfect Love and Justice

Romans 3:23–26 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 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; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.”

Propitiation (def) atoning victim; mercyseat

It’s what the blood was sprinkled on that wrought a stay of Judgment to the people.

CHURCH KNOW THIS: JESUS WAS NO ACCIDENT NOR WAS HE A SURPRISE! GOD IS REAL, CHRIST IS REAL - And we’d better start paying attention lest our lives end up shipwreck.

Conclusion