© 24 Colin Melbourne
Moses, Christ, You
And the LORD said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, AND BE THERE: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them. And Moses rose up, and his minister Joshua: and Moses went up into the mount of God.
And he said unto the elders, Tarry ye here for us, until we come again unto you: and, behold, Aaron and Hur are with you: if any man have any matters to do, let him come unto them.
And Moses went up into the mount, and a cloud covered the mount.
And the glory of the LORD abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud.
And the sight of the glory of the LORD was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel.
And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights.
Exodus 24:12-18 KJV
We’ve understood that the Prophet Moses was a “type” of the coming Christ, The LORD.
Moses was a man of our flesh whom Almighty God humbled, and used to teach the Hebrews what real God is like.
Losers Without The LORD
The Jews rebelled, made a cult out of his Mosaic law, and suffered centuries of slavery to sin.
Eventually, the chosen people even rejected, and crucified God in The Flesh, when He came in The Person of His Only Begotten Son: The LORD Jesus Christ.
The Jews repeatedly opted for death instead of life, (See Deut. Ch. 28), and because of their stubborn hearts, Gentiles are now also called to Glory.
Will You Be There?
No-one ever fulfilled the Law, neither Moses, Joshua, David, nor anybody mentioned in The New Testament, except One: The LORD Jesus Christ. Gal. 3:10-12 KJV;
For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.
But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.
Christ alone has fulfilled God’s Law perfectly in Himself, and laid down His Life to pay for the sin of us all, initiating a New Covenant of faith in Him, Ephesians 2:11-18 KJV;
Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.
For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.
Consequently, we’ve inherited an easier task than the Jews under Moses’ Law, and it’s to repent from The Greatest Sin; unbelief in Christ, and Believe on Him as your LORD, Hebrews 1:1-3 KJV;
God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
God’s Blood Covenant
The New Deal is a covenant of eternal redemption by faith in His Blood, His Faith, and His Name.
God spoke to the Jews through Moses, now He’s spoken to everyone through His Son.
Moses was called to climb Mount Sinai, to collect tables of stone written by the Finger of God.
The summit was covered by cloud and a devouring fire.
God Commanded Moses to Be There
The Prophet knew better than to hesitate, obeyed immediately, and hiked with Joshua into the divine cloud, both quaking with fear, at what appeared to the Jews waiting below as a devouring fire.
You and I are called not to fearsome Mount Sinai, but to trust in the meek Carpenter from Nazareth, born in a stable, who is God Manifested in human flesh and Blood, just like you and me.
Our Creator calls us to come to Himself through Christ
Not through religion, or doing good deeds, but heart-trust in Christ as your LORD, who died for you, and was raised bodily after your sin-debt was paid in full.
Will You Be There?
For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest, And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more: (For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart: And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:)
But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.
See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven: Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.
And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.
Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire.
Hebrews 12:18-29 KJV
See That You Refuse Not Him
Brothers and Sisters, Moses’ Law has been usurped, we live in the new dispensation of the Grace of God, through Christ; Under the Law of the Spirit of Life and Love.
If you love Him, you will obey Him, you’ll trust, honour, and obey His words, and you will be there.
Not in a cloud surrounded by fire, but in Christ Jesus seated on His Heavenly Throne in Glory.
That is your inheritance now, here on Earth, enabling us to live in His Kingdom, following Him, continuing His ministry to the lost.
When You Are There
God speaks to your heart as if Face to face.
You come to know His gentle Voice, conforming always to His New Covenant teaching.
In His Presence is peace, joy, assurance of salvation, and provision evermore.
How Do I Get There?
God has made it simple:… Believe the Good News of Christ.
What Good News?
God has come and borne your sin and divine punishment Himself in Christ.
Why?
So that you can be legitimately forgiven, and set free on His account.
So what do I do now?
Repent from your unbelief, believe on Christ as your LORD, and do what He says henceforth.
There’s more Good News…
Christ took your sicknesses and your diseases on Himself at the Cross.
Why?
So that you can receive His health and healing, by faith in Him and His words.
How should I respond to that good news?
Repent from unbelief in Christ as your Saviour-Healer, and do what He says you can do.
This is Good News for the guilty and fearful.
Why?
Christ took your guilt and suffered the penalty you deserve.
What does that mean for me?
It means by trusting in Him, and in His Sacrifice, you have eternal peace with God, a clear conscience, and freedom from fear.
This is Good News for religious folks weary of their dead routines and idolatry.
Why?
The LORD Jesus Christ put and end to religion once and for all by the sacrifice of Himself.
You’re saying my religion is wrong?
Yes, all religion is false, humanity’s wilted fig-leaf, stitched together to cover our nakedness and shame before a holy LORD.
How do I to react to that news?
Repent from; religion, symbols, idolatry, your dead formalism, burn your idols, and Embrace the Living God: The LORD Jesus Christ.
You don’t need symbols when you have the real LORD Jesus Christ alive in your heart.
Be There
© 24 Colin Melbourne
Adam Clarke’s (1762-1832) eloquent summary of Exodus 24 bears repetition
1. Moses, who was the mediator of the Old Covenant, is alone permitted to draw nigh to God; none of the people are suffered to come up to the Divine glory, not even Aaron, nor his sons, nor the nobles of Israel.
Moses was a “type” of Christ, who is the mediator of the New Covenant; and he alone has access to God in behalf of the human race, as Moses had in behalf of Israel.
2. The law can inspire nothing but terror, when viewed unconnected with its sacrifices, and those sacrifices are nothing but as they refer to Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, who alone by he sacrifice of himself, bears away the sin of the world.
3. The blood of the victims was sprinkled both on the altar and on the people, to show that the death of Christ gave to Divine justice what it demanded, and to men what they needed. The people were sanctified by it unto God, and God was propitiated by
it unto the people.By this sacrifice the law was magnified and made honourable, so Divine justice received its due; and those who believe are justified from all guilt, and sanctified from all sin, so they receive all that they need.
Thus God is well pleased, and believers eternally saved.
This is a glorious economy, highly worthy of God its Author.
Dr. Adam Clarke (1762-1832) was an English theologian and Biblical scholar. He was the son of a schoolmaster, and was educated at Kingswood School, near Bristol. He was a Methodist minister, appointed to his first Methodist circuit in 1782. Dr. Clarke was President of the Wesleyan Conference several years between 1806 and 1822. He authored books and articles on theology, languages, and biblical studies. His major work Clarke’s Bible Commentary, published in eight volumes between 1810 and 1826 is considered a Methodist classic.