The Kingdom Wedding Pre-Echoed

We arrived at the Mosaic Covenant, the covenant that the Lord mediated through Moses.

This will be part one from an Old Testament text.

Next week will be the Mosaic Covenant part two from a New Testament passage.

You can turn today to Exodus, beginning in chapter six.

Be ready to turn and follow along.

We're going to be reading a lot of scripture and a lot of different chapters in Exodus.

So I'll do my best to make sure you're following along with me.

As I read this, I invite you to receive it as I do, as God's inspired, inerrant, infallible, clear, and sufficient word.

It's God's very own word for his people.

When I'm done reading, I'll say this is the word of the Lord and you can respond, thanks be to God.

All right, Isaiah, I'm sorry, Isaiah, Exodus, starting in chapter six and verse five.

Exodus six, five.

I have heard the groaning of the children of Israel.

I'm sorry, I'm going to start at verse two.

Would you look back at verse two with me?

Here we go.

Then God spoke to Moses, telling him, I am the Lord.

I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as God Almighty, but I was not known to them by my name, the Lord.

I have also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land they lived in as aliens.

Furthermore, I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are forcing to work as slaves.

And I have remembered my covenant.

Therefore, tell the Israelites, I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from the forced labor of the Egyptians and rescue you from slavery to them.

I will redeem you with an outstretched arm in great acts of judgment.

I will take you as my people and I will be your God.

And you will know that I am the Lord, your God, who brought you out from the forced labor of the Egyptians.

I will bring you to the land that I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and I will give it to you as a possession.

I am the Lord.

Moses told this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their broken spirit and hard labor.

Turn next to Exodus 19.

Exodus 19, starting at verse 1.

In the third month from the very day the Israelites left the land of Egypt, they came to the Sinai wilderness.

They traveled from Rephidim, came to the Sinai wilderness and camped in the wilderness.

Israel camped there in front of the mountain.

Moses went up the mountain to God and the Lord called to him from the mountain.

This is what you must say to the house of Jacob and explain to the Israelites.

You have seen what I did to the Egyptians and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself.

Now, if you will carefully listen to me and keep my covenant, you will be my own possession.

Out of all the peoples, although the whole earth is mine.

And you will be my kingdom of priests and my holy nation.

These are the words that you are to say to the Israelites.

Now let's turn to Exodus 20.

In Exodus 20, the Lord gives them the Ten Commandments, which He wrote with His own finger.

In our reading, we'll start at verse 18 next.

Exodus 20, 18.

All the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the sound of the trumpet in the mountains surrounded by smoke.

When the people saw it, they trembled and stood at a distance.

You speak to us and we will listen, they said to Moses.

But don't let God speak to us or we will die.

Moses responded to the people,

Don't be afraid, for God has come to test you so that you will fear Him and will not sin.

And the people remained standing at a distance as Moses approached the total darkness where God was.

The last chapter I'll have you turn to for today is Exodus chapter 24.

Exodus 24 · chapter mention

Exodus chapter 24.

Exodus 24 · chapter mention

I'll start reading at verse 3.

Exodus 24, 3.

Moses came and told the people all the commands of the Lord and all the ordinances.

Then all the people responded with a single voice.

We will do everything that the Lord has commanded.

And Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord.

He rose early the next morning and set up an altar and 12 pillars for the 12 tribes of Israel at the base of the mountain.

Then all Israel at the base of the mountain,

they offered burnt offerings and sacrifices,

bowls as fellowship offerings to the Lord.

Verse 6.

Moses took half the blood and set it in basins.

And the other half of the blood he splattered on the altar.

Then he took the covenant scroll and read it aloud to the people.

And they responded,

We will do and obey all that the Lord has commanded.

Moses took the blood,

splattered it on the people,

and said,

This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you concerning all these words.

Then Moses went up with Aaron,

Nadab,

and Abihu,

and 70 of Israel's elders.

And they saw the God of Israel.

Beneath his feet was something like a pavement made of lapis azuli,

as clear as the sky itself.

God did not harm the Israelite nobles.

They saw him,

and they ate and drank.

Verse 12.

The Lord said to Moses,

Come up to me on the mountain and stay there,

so that I may give you the stone tablets with the law and commandments

I have written for their instruction.

This is the word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

You may be seated.

The grass withers and the flower fades,

but the word of the Lord endures forever.

Would you pray with me?

Amen.

Lord, you are the creator and sustainer of everyone and everything.

You are eternal,

infinite,

and unchangeable

in your power and perfection,

goodness and glory,

wisdom,

justice,

and truth.

Nothing happens except through you

and by your will.

We praise you, Lord,

for how you are not distant.

We praise you for how you have acted in history,

how you have revealed yourself,

how you have come and redeemed a people

for your son.

Help us to see,

Lord,

your faithfulness,

your holiness.

Well,

we've read some passages about the Mosaic Covenant.

We've read powerful descriptions of how God revealed himself

to these former slaves at the base of a mountain.

What do we make of this covenant between God and people today as a church?

I want to illustrate this with something Min Su taught me about.

It's called a pre-echo.

When a beautiful melody is captured digitally and then compressed,

sometimes you'll hear the sound like an echo before the actual sound happens.

And this is a limited analogy,

but it made sense to me to think of the main melody line of all the Bible

is salvation in Jesus Christ by faith alone.

Amen?

But that melody is so glorious

that when the Lord has compressed it

into time and space on the cross at Calvary,

the defining moment of all human history,

past and present,

it's so glorious that it's going to reverberate.

Now here's where the analogy is limited.

What happens between God and every other person

that we read about in the Bible,

it's not an accident of compression.

Instead, it's the exact opposite.

It's by God's divine providence.

He has providentially given us these glimmers

and these refrains that echo that same glorious melody

all the way throughout the Bible.

So my prayer has been that as we look at the Mosaic covenant,

this covenant between God and the people

at the base of Mount Sinai,

it's a covenant that the New Testament says

it reveals death, you know,

because it reveals our sin

and it's trembling in fear of the mountain.

My prayer is that you'll see the glory of God elevated

and you'll see your need all the more

for the Savior that will come by grace.

So first I want to try to open this covenant up

with seven unfoldings of the Mosaic covenant.

Number one is this,

the Lord prearranged His son's marriage.

The Lord prearranged His son's marriage.

We read in Exodus 6-5.

You're welcome to turn back there if you like.

Exodus 6-5.

The people that come from the seed of Abraham,

they're in slavery in Egypt.

And in Exodus 6-5, God says,

I have heard the groaning of the children of Israel

whom the Egyptians keep in bondage

and I have remembered my covenant.

I have remembered my covenant.

God told Abraham, this will happen.

Your seed will be in bondage in Egypt for 400 years,

but I will bring them out and bring them to this land.

Well, before that,

outside of time and space

and the covenant of redemption,

do you remember in Psalm 110 and Psalm 2

and in John 17,

the Father promises the Son a kingdom

and the Father remembers this covenant.

And the Son says,

I want an army,

a kingdom that will be willing,

that will love me

and want to follow me as their king.

We read in Exodus 6-7

this glorious promise.

God says,

I will take you to myself for a people

and I will be your God.

Exodus 6-7.

I will take you to myself for a people

and I will be your God.

This becomes the refrain of the people of God.

Do you remember what Ruth said?

She said,

Your people will be my people.

Your God will be my God.

When the Lord's covenant is brought up

and we appeal to Him by grace,

this is the promise.

You will be my people.

I will be your God.

God.

This is language that reminds me of a wedding vow.

Except it's more than a wedding vow.

This has legal sanctions.

And it's not with two parties that are just individuals.

This is between God Himself, the Creator,

and an entire kingdom.

An entire people group.

But this is no accident.

And it's no reaction.

This was all predetermined, prearranged.

It was part of God's design all along.

So when I say the Lord prearranged His Son's marriage,

I'm referring all the way back to the covenant of redemption.

The Lord prearranged that God the Son would have a kingdom,

a vast kingdom,

that He would call His bride.

He will be their God.

They will be His people.

Second thing I want to unfold is that the Lord shows the Son's bride.

He is more than able to provide.

What bride would want to go with a man who will fail,

who can't provide in any way for her needs?

Well, the Lord shows He is more than able to provide.

Turn to Exodus 19.

We read in Exodus 19, verse 4,

Exodus 19:4

You've seen what I did to Egypt.

Egypt being the most powerful, dominant nation in the world.

Every one of Egypt's idols was turned upside down and demolished.

The Lord is way more powerful than anything the world can promise you or give you.

The Lord says in Exodus 19, verse 4,

Exodus 19:4

I bore you on eagles' wings,

and I brought you to Myself.

I am more than able to provide for you.

John Gill, 1700s Reformed Baptist pastor, he said,

Yahweh was to Israel like an eagle.

What a great picture.

An eagle is affectionate to its eaglets.

They don't have a bunch of eggs.

They have one or two eaglets that are precious to them.

They nourish them carefully.

They can fly very swiftly.

They have strong wings.

And in that way, the Lord carried Israel.

Could have carried Israel anywhere safely in a marvelous way.

The Lord says, I am your deliverer.

I am able to wrap around you and shelter you in my wings like a great eagle.

I will provide because I am more than able to provide for the bride of my son.

The third thing I would like to unfold here is that the Lord shows the son's bride that he will be a faithful and loving husband.

The Lord shows I will be a faithful and loving husband to you.

Exodus 19, 5.

Now, therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant,

then you shall be my own possession from all other peoples, for the earth is mine.

I will take you, Israel, who are nothing, and I will make you my own special possession.

You will belong to me.

The Lord shows the bride he will be loving and faithful.

And more than that, the bride will be involved in his mission.

This is the fourth unfolding.

The Lord foretold how the son will even involve his bride in his mission.

Exodus 19, verse 6.

Exodus 19:6

You shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.

You'll be my possession.

And you'll also be involved in what I'm doing in this world.

Remember the promise, through Abraham's seed, all nations will be blessed.

You, this kingdom, you will be part of this glorious mission.

John Gill pointed out, a kingdom.

It's referring to a free state.

You're not slaves anymore.

Your identity is belonging to me freely.

It's a commonwealth governed by its own laws.

And in this case, they would be governed by the laws that God himself made for his kingdom.

He would be their king.

They wouldn't just be a kingdom.

They would also be priests.

They would be priests that are forming a kingdom.

Priests had access to God.

They served God.

They would be able to approach him in pleasing worship that the Lord would receive graciously.

Priests were greatly esteemed and honored.

And his entire nation, this entire kingdom, would be a kingdom of priests.

The Lord foretold how the son will involve his bride in his mission.

Number five, the Lord made it clear that this marriage must be exclusive.

The Lord made it clear that the marriage to his son must be exclusive.

See, the Lord requires his bride to make wedding vows as well.

He promises, I will be your God.

And I will take you for myself as my people.

And then in Exodus 19, verse 7, we're told that Moses came and called for the elders of the people

Exodus 19:7

and sat before them all these words which Yahweh commanded him.

And all the people answered together.

Here's their response.

Their vows.

They said, Exodus 19, verse 8, all that Yahweh has spoken, we will do.

Exodus 19:8

So in the Mosaic covenant, we see a difference with what we saw in the Abrahamic covenant.

The covenant with Abraham, who would pass through?

Who would pass through those pieces that were bloodied?

Abraham didn't pass through.

The Lord himself passed through.

Now with this covenant of the law with Moses, there's a condition attached to their works.

The Lord said, if you will obey everything I give you.

And the people say, all you have commanded, we will do.

The Lord made it clear that he will not tolerate infidelity.

We read one of the Ten Commandments today.

And we read that the Lord is a jealous God.

In Exodus 34, 14, he gets even more specific.

He says, you shall worship no other God for the Lord, whose name is jealous, is a jealous God.

The name of God is God's revelation of who he is.

It's his essence, his divine being put in front of us in a way that we can hold on to and receive.

We read in Exodus 19, verse 9,

Exodus 19:9

Yahweh said, behold, I come to you in a thick cloud that the people may hear when I speak with you and may also believe forever.

The Lord had said that when he appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, they didn't know his name.

It means that the Lord was revealing more now.

There's more to come.

This next covenant is going to open it up even more.

And the Lord says he will use his own creation, this thick cloud,

to show that God is mysterious and above all and unapproachable because he's holy.

And his terms are very high.

You must obey your side of the covenant to have fellowship with him if you're going to be with him by works.

That's the conditions because the marriage to his son is exclusive.

There's no room for being unfaithful to the son of God.

Number six, the Lord's fleshly kingdom.

This kingdom on earth that the New Testament calls of flesh,

meaning from the physical line of Abraham,

it understood the requirements of being God's bride.

Look at Exodus chapter 20, verse 18.

Exodus 20:18

They understood these high stakes that the Lord had revealed.

Exodus 20, 18.

Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet

and the mountain smoking,

the people were afraid and trembled,

and they stood far off and said to Moses,

You speak to us and we will listen,

but do not let God speak to us lest we die.

They understood the high stakes of a covenant with God the Creator.

The Lord was calling them to behold his holiness

and his unapproachable holiness.

They cannot come close to the mountain.

Anything that comes close must be put to death

unless he provides a way to forgive your sin.

In verse 20, Moses said to the people,

Do not fear, for God has come to test you,

that the fear of him may be before you,

and that you may not sin.

What is the Lord after?

He's after the obedience of his kingdom.

Those who belong to his kingdom

understand they may not disobey this God.

In Deuteronomy 6.25 we read,

It shall be righteousness to us

if we observe to do all these things

that God has commanded.

Then we will be righteous.

So the people stood there and they said,

We understand we must obey everything you've given us

in order to be righteous,

to be able to be in your presence and to be with you.

If we disobey your commands,

even one of them,

we do not deserve any blessing from this holy God.

That even this fleshly kingdom,

this national Israel,

they understood the requirements

of being in covenant with God.

The seventh thing I'll unfold here for us

is that the Lord pre-echoed

even a marriage ceremony.

The Lord pre-echoed

the marriage ceremony as well.

Let's look at Exodus 24

to see what is this covenant-cutting ceremony

that they go through.

For a covenant to be cut

or for a ceremony to be executed,

put into effect,

I'm going to point out four observations

that we see in Exodus 24.

The first one is Exodus 24, verse 5.

Exodus 24:5

The Lord required that blood be shed

to cover the sins of his bride.

Exodus 24, 5.

The people offered burnt offerings

and sacrificed peace offerings

of cattle to Yahweh.

Moses took half of the blood

and put it in basins,

and half of the blood he sprinkled

on the altar.

They understood the terms,

and now they're receiving in a ceremony

a blood ritual.

Number two,

the Lord required that his son's bride

understand what he loves.

The Lord required that his son's bride

understand what he loves.

And that's this,

to be with God,

they must align themselves

to his kingdom values.

Look at Exodus 24, verse 7.

Exodus 24:7

He took the book of the covenant

and read it in the hearing

of all the people.

And they said again here now,

we will do all that Yahweh has said.

We will be obedient.

We are accepting the terms

of this covenant.

We will be righteous

if we keep obeying

all that God has commanded.

Number three,

the Lord ratified

this covenant ceremony.

It goes into effect.

He makes it actual.

Now on,

this is in effect.

It's going.

His legal will

and testament was executed.

Exodus 24, verse 8.

Exodus 24:8

Moses took the blood

and sprinkled it

on the people.

And he said,

look,

this is the blood

of the covenant

which Yahweh

has made with you

concerning

all these words.

This is the

maledictory ceremony.

It's saying

the blood

of these dead animals

that have been cut.

May it be on us

if we disobey

the terms of this covenant.

And it's sprinkled

on the people

representatives

of this kingdom

because it's

pre-echoing

a greater ceremony

that will come.

The fourth observation

of this ceremony

is that the Lord

consummates the covenant

by allowing His people

to then

commune with Him

by grace.

Look at verse 9.

Representatives

go up.

In verse 10,

they saw

the God of Israel.

The Lord

allowed these sinners

as a blessing,

a part of this ceremony,

to see God.

These representatives

on this mountain

because God

made a way

involving a blood

ceremony

and an actual covenant

and He's receiving them

and revealing Himself

to them

even more fully.

notice Moses'

description.

It's going to remind you

of other parts

of the Bible.

Under the feet

of God,

it was like

a paved work

of sapphire stone.

Verse 10,

like the skies

of clearness.

Verse 11,

He didn't lay

His hand

on the nobles

of the children

of Israel.

God could have

smitten them.

He could have

laid His hand

on them.

But God had said,

approach me

in this way.

And as they

approached God

in the way

He gave them,

He kept His word.

He didn't strike

them down.

They saw God,

they ate,

and they drank.

The end of this

covenant-cutting

ceremony

includes a meal,

a sharing

of food

and of drink.

And in these ways,

the Lord pre-echoed

the marriage

ceremony.

In Sunday school,

we talked a little bit

about a type.

Hebrews uses

the language

of types

and shadows.

So a type

is more than symbolism.

A type,

it's a real person

or a real,

in this case,

a real event.

This actually happened

on the Mount Sinai.

A real historical event.

But it also has

a further fulfillment

that it's pointing to.

That's what makes it a type.

So in that sense,

it's a real event.

It's a real covenant

in history.

But it's also more.

There's a greater substance

attached to this shadow.

So I'd like to use

the rest of our time

to point out

three interpretations.

I'm going to do my best

to give you

why I believe

this was such

an important

pre-echo

of the Lord's

wedding

for His kingdom

for all eternity.

So number one is this.

Why do we call

this Mosaic covenant

a kingdom wedding

pre-echoed?

I got three reasons.

Number one,

because

the Lord Himself

uses language

of marriage

referring to this

relationship

between God

and Israel.

In this marriage

between this

fleshly kingdom

and the Holy God,

it did not go well

in the Old Testament.

Jeremiah 3,

Jeremiah 3:6–8

verses 6 through 8

says,

in the words of the Lord

through the prophet Jeremiah

to this rebellious people

that are about to be

carried off into exile,

he says,

have you seen

the backsliding

of Israel?

That means

they were walking

with me,

but they're sliding

away from me.

She has gone up

on every high mountain

under every green tree

and played

the harlot.

I said,

after she had done

all these things,

return to me,

for I am married to you,

but she did not return.

The Lord said,

Israel

played the prostitute

with many lovers.

In verse 2 of Jeremiah

Jeremiah 3 · chapter mention

chapter 3,

he says,

you Israel

have polluted

the land.

Their obedience

was attached

to their presence

in the land.

This marriage

did not go well

between a fleshly kingdom

and the holy God.

Number two,

this covenant

through Moses

exposed

that a fleshly kingdom,

a kingdom

that's not

united by the heart,

it's incapable

of loving faithfulness.

Simply not capable

of loving God

in a way

that a divine marriage

needs.

Hebrews 8,

Hebrews 8:7

verse 7 says,

the covenant

God made

when he led the people

out of Egypt,

that covenant

found fault

with them,

with the people.

It exposed

their fault.

National Israel

was exposed

under this covenant.

They did not

continue in my covenant

and I disregarded them,

says the Lord.

So this covenant

exposed

that this fleshly kingdom

was incapable

of loving faithfulness.

the third reason

I call this

the kingdom wedding

pre-echoed

is because

it pre-echoed

the Lord's covenant

with a different

type of nation,

a different type

of kingdom.

Hosea,

Hosea 2:23

chapter 2,

verse 23.

Hosea is the prophet

the Lord used

his own life

as a sign act,

having him marry

a prostitute.

And Hosea prophesied

in the words

of the Lord,

I will call them

one day.

I will call them

my people

which were not

my people

and I will call

her beloved

who was not

my beloved.

Romans 9.25

quotes this

interpretation

and says

this is referring

to all the nations.

That's why it was

a type,

a real covenant

that exposed

the inability

of a flesh

to fulfill

what God needs

and God requires

of a holy people.

And instead,

all the nations,

all the true bride

will be in covenant

with the Lord.

Now Romans 9,

Romans 9:14

verse 14,

Paul anticipates

a question

and he gives

a strong rebuttal.

He says,

does this mean

that the Lord

was unfaithful?

He says,

is there unrighteousness

with God?

Was it not right

of God

to do this?

And the answer

we get in Romans 9

is this.

Paul says,

by the inspiration

of the Holy Spirit,

they are not

all Israel

that are

of Israel.

Well,

then we have

to ask the question,

okay,

who is true Israel?

Who is the Son's

true bride

all along?

That's the second

question I want

to try to interpret

for us.

True Israel,

who is the true

bride of the Son?

Well,

we know that

true Israel

or the true bride

is not anyone

who thinks

they can approach

the holiness

of God

and climb up

that mountain

where the cloud

and the lightning

and the blast

of the trumpet

knock everybody

down on their seats.

If you think

you are holy enough

to approach God

on your own righteousness,

that means you are

not the bride.

Romans 10 says,

they were seeking

to establish

their own righteousness

and they did not

subject themselves

to the righteousness

of God.

Well,

who is the true

bride then?

Romans 10 verse 4,

Romans 10:4

he says,

it's Jesus Christ's

bride.

Who is it?

Anyone for whom

Christ's righteousness

was put on them.

Jesus Christ is the

fulfillment of the law

for righteousness

for everyone

who believes.

The true bride

is everyone

who believes in Jesus

and receives

his righteousness

as their own

freely by grace

and faith.

Deuteronomy 18

Deuteronomy 18:18

verse 18,

Jesus,

I'm sorry,

the Lord said,

I will raise them up

a prophet

from among their

brothers like you,

like Moses,

and I will put my words

in his mouth

and he shall speak

to them

all that I shall

command him.

And in Acts chapter 3,

Acts 3 · chapter mention

quoting this,

affirming that

greater prophet

that would come

and speak on behalf

of the Lord,

that was Jesus Christ.

God raised up

his servant

and sent him

first to the

ethnic national

Israelites,

first to them

to bless you

with grace

and turning every

one of you

away from your

wickedness

so that you

will obey.

You are incapable

of obeying

before Christ.

That's why God

sent him to you

that you will

receive him by faith

and then obey

because his spirit

makes you able.

Who is the true bride?

Well, throughout

all of the Bible,

the true bride

is those

who are engrafted

into the true vine.

In John 15,

John 15:1

verse 1,

Jesus says,

I am the true vine.

The vineyard

is the people of God.

Anyone connected

to Jesus,

the true vine,

is his bride.

And this promise,

it begins all

the way back

in the curse

on Satan

after they're

kicked out of the garden.

Your seed, Eve,

will crush the serpent's head.

Anyone who believes

in that promised seed

all along,

they're connected

to the vine,

Jesus Christ.

They are the true bride.

And Jesus says,

every branch

in me

that doesn't bear fruit,

the Father

takes away.

So who was

the true bride

connected

to the true vine?

Well, even Old Testament

is giving us

glimmers

and little foreshadowings

of the Gentiles

believing

and being grafted in.

As soon as

the people of God

and the leadership

of Joshua

come into the land,

we have this

beautiful story

that shows up

in the genealogy

of Jesus.

Rahab,

the prostitute,

is part of

the son's bride.

Joshua 6,

Joshua 6:25

verse 25,

we're told

Rahab,

the prostitute,

Yeshua,

saved alive.

Ruth,

the poor foreigner,

she's part of

the bride of Christ.

And Ruth,

we see this

beautiful story

of a foreigner

from Moab

and she becomes

part of this

covenant people.

She's part of

the true bride.

It is all those

elect from every

people,

nation,

tribe,

and tongue.

And it begins

with the Israelites,

the ethnic nation.

We see in Daniel

and the Hebrew

friends as they

were carried off

to Babylon,

they were still

part of this

bride.

They were still

faithful.

They were still

united by faith

to the living God.

Remember in

1 Kings 19,

1 Kings 19:18

verse 18,

Elijah,

he feels all

alone.

Where's your

promise to your

bride?

You said you

would be with

your people.

Where are they?

And the Lord

says,

I have reserved

for myself

7,000 men

who have not

bowed the knee

to Baal.

The New Testament

interprets this

promise.

The bride of Christ

is the remnant.

It's those who

believe in every

generation in

Jesus Christ

by faith.

Romans 5,

1 says,

there is still

a remnant

according to

the election

of grace.

And Paul

prays in Romans

10,

he says,

my heart's

desire and my

prayer to God

is for Israel

that they may

be saved.

And he says

in Romans 11,

Romans 11:26

verse 26,

all Israel

will be saved

when they believe

by faith

in Jesus Christ.

So true Israel

is the true

bride.

It's the elect

who believe

when they hear

the gospel.

Well,

the last

interpretation

I'll offer you

here is this.

How is this

Mosaic covenant

then a pre-echo

of the kingdom

wedding?

There's so many

beautiful parallels

and imagery

that we simply

can't miss.

I won't be able

to summarize

all that I believe

is here,

but I want to

draw your attention

to several.

Could you turn

back to Exodus

Exodus 19:1

chapter 19,

verse 1?

Exodus 19,

1.

Exodus 19,

1.

Exodus 19,

1.

Exodus 19,

1.

How does this

point

to the ceremony

and the covenant

of Jesus Christ?

Exodus 19,

1.

In the third

month

after the children

of Israel

had gone out

from the land

of Egypt.

The timing

on the calendar

here is significant.

Right before

they go out

from the land

of slavery,

they celebrate

what God tells

them.

It's a Passover

meal.

And this

third month

would mark

50 days.

50 days

after their

deliverance,

they are given

the law.

Do you see

the parallels?

The Lord Jesus

became the Passover

lamb.

He celebrated

the last supper

and told his

disciples,

do this in

remembrance of me.

He died,

he rose again,

and 50 days

later at

Pentecost.

The Holy Spirit

comes and

writes the

law of God

inside the

true bride.

When these

3,000 Jews

are added to

their number,

the law of God

that they knew

from reading

the Old Testament

and hearing it,

the Spirit

put it on their

hearts,

and he wrote

it in their

minds.

They can finally

have inside

of them

what they need

to fulfill

what the Lord

requires of his

bride.

I mentioned

how this

covenant

was prearranged.

It's a

prearranged

marriage.

Jonathan Edwards,

he's called

the greatest

intellect

of American

soil.

His conclusion

after reading

all the Bible

was this,

God created

the world

in order to

prepare a bride

for his son.

Read your

Bible with

that lens.

God created

this whole

world.

God acted

throughout human

history.

Why?

To prepare

a bride,

a true bride

for his son.

It's been

prearranged all

along.

It's the most

glorious

prearranged

wedding.

In Exodus

6-7,

remember that

wonderful vow.

The Lord says,

I will take you

to myself

for a people.

I will be

your God.

Look to Jesus

and see how

he kept that

promise.

Here's another

one,

Leviticus 11-45,

and think of

how Jesus Christ

alone fulfills

this.

He says,

For I am

Yahweh,

who brought

you up out

of slavery

to be your

God.

You shall

therefore be

holy,

for I am

holy.

Leviticus 26-12,

I will walk

among you.

I will

be your

God,

and you

shall be

my people.

The Lord

walks among

his church.

He ministers

to us

as our

great high

priest,

because this

has been God's

design since

before the

foundation of

the world.

If you

believe in

Christ and

you receive

his forgiveness

by faith,

that means you

are married

to the Son

of God.

And it was

prearranged.

Ephesians 1-4,

God chose

us,

church,

in Christ

before the

foundation of

the world.

Why?

That we

would be

holy and

without defect

before him

in love.

God has

always designed

for the

bride to be

holy before

his Son.

And in our

flesh, we

can't any

better than

the national

Israelites.

But God

now makes

a way by

the power of

his Spirit

for us

as a

church to

be his

bride.

Not with

thunder and

fear, but

in love.

We stand

before him

without defect

because Christ

became our

righteousness for

us.

The Lord

shows you

that he is

able to

provide.

Just like

he carried

Israel on

Wigglezings.

We read in

Ephesians 3-20,

the Lord is

able to do

exceedingly,

abundantly,

above all

that we ask

or think

according to

the power

that works

in us.

How is he

your provider?

It's the

power of

the Holy

Spirit in

the believer.

He provides

for you in

every way you

could possibly

imagine.

Everything that

we need,

the Lord

provides.

And the

Lord gives

you what

you lacked

on your

own.

See, the

covenant

through Moses,

it exposed

the lack

of the

people.

It exposed

they cannot

be with

God by

their own

hard work.

Instead, the

Lord promises

to be

what you

lack.

Isaiah 61-6,

he says,

you will be

called

Yahweh's

priests.

Men will

call you

the servants

of God.

After Israel

failed, and as

they're about to

be taken over

and carried

off into

exile, this

promise

lingers.

You will

be called

Yahweh's

priests.

Men will

call you

servants of

God.

Well, how

is that

fulfilled in

the new

covenant under

Christ's

rule?

1 Peter 2-9,

to the church,

to people like

you and me,

who receive

Christ by

faith, he

says, you

are a

chosen

people.

You are a

royal priesthood.

You are a

holy nation.

You are God's

special

possession,

that you may

declare the

praises of

him who

called you

out of

darkness

and into

his

marvelous

light.

We walk

by faith as

sojourners in

this life, and

one day, this

kingly priest,

Jesus Christ,

will walk and

rule among his

people in the

new heavens and

the new earth.

And he gave

John a vision

of this.

Revelation 1-6,

he has made

us a kingdom

and priests

to serve

God and the

Father.

prayer.

Would you

turn to one

last passage

from Exodus

with me?

Turn to

Exodus 24.

Exodus 24,

Exodus 24:10

verse 10.

This Old

Testament covenant

through Moses,

it's like the

Lord couldn't

wait to

consummate it,

to bring it to

fulfillment,

finally and

fully.

And he so

graciously gave

them even this

glimpse, just

to record the

experience.

Exodus 24,

10.

They saw the

God of

Israel.

Under his

feet was like

a paved work

of sapphire

stone.

sapphire is

a blue

stone and

it's paved

and laid in

such a way

that it's

reflecting like

a clear sky

is how Moses

describes it.

In verse 11,

we read that

he didn't lay

his hand on

the nobles of

the children of

Israel.

They approached

the Lord in

the way he

had appointed

and he

received them.

They saw

God.

They ate

and drank.

God has

appointed a

way for

anyone,

for many

nation,

people,

tribe,

and tongue

to approach

him.

And if you

approach him

the way he

has ordained,

the way he's

commanded you,

you don't need

to fear.

He will not

strike you down

though that's

what our sin

deserves.

And it also

involved blood

and the cutting

of a covenant.

We just read

in Hebrews 10,

that covenant

was cut

once for all.

that blood

was shed

once for all

by Jesus

Christ,

God the

Son,

in the flesh.

And if you

enter by the

way he's

provided,

he invites you

to this glorious

throne room

of heaven.

You can have

that blessing

today.

You can be

in the presence

of the Holy

God by faith

today.

And one day

fully,

consummately,

fulfilled as

we read in

Revelation 19,

Revelation 19:7

verse 7.

Those who

have approached

God by the

way he's

provided in

Christ,

we rejoice,

we are

exceedingly

glad,

we give

thanks to

him,

and all

glory to

him,

for the

wedding of

the Lamb

has come,

and his

wife has

made herself

ready.

it was

given to

her that

she would

array

herself in

bright,

pure,

fine linen.

What is

the clothing

that adorns

the bride of

Christ?

Revelation 19,

8 says,

it is the

righteousness

given to

the saints.

We approach

the Holy

God by

Jesus Christ,

the blood

of the new

covenant.

it.

And when

we come to

the Lord's

table today,

it's simple,

it's still,

but it's

real.

This is a

foretaste of

that great

wedding supper

of the Lamb.

Let's prepare

ourselves to

receive once

again today,

by grace,

all the

salvation that

God has

accomplished for

us by the

work of

Christ.

Let's

pray.

Lord,

thank you

for how you

have come

close to

us.

Thank you

for teaching

every true

believer we

could never

presume and

approach you

on our own

terms or

with our

own righteousness.

We confess

once again,

Lord,

that we need

the salvation

you have

provided.

Thank you

for his

shed blood

on our

behalf.

Thank you

for receiving

us.

Thank you

for letting

us to

behold you,

not by sight

yet, but by

faith.

And we

long for that

day when we

can see you,

Lord, where

we enjoy the

kingdom with

our groom,

Jesus Christ.

And the

spirit and the

bride say,

come quickly,

Lord Jesus.

Amen.

Amen.