Knowing of Christ by Types

Take your Bibles, if you would, please, and turn to the book of Hebrews, chapter 8, verse 1. We'll work our way through some of the texts today, and we're going to be focusing on the subject. If you're taking notes, the title is "Knowing Christ by Types." So typology is a subject of our focus today. And in Hebrews, chapter 8, the author of Hebrews is truly working towards the greatest subject in the book of Hebrews, which is the New Covenant. And so all of the information that he has set forth for seeing the supremacy of Christ is now culminating at this particular point. In fact, in verse 1, he says the main thing, the chief thing. And so as he says that, he is saying that everything that has been said is now coming to a climax, and he's going to give you Jesus with like both barrels loaded. Typology will work your mind, and I want you to see some of these things through the text today. Now, I've already preached through the subject of the tabernacle being a type, and today we're going to conquer just a little bit more as we're working towards this. And it is to be presumed that the author of Hebrews is working hard to see that the audience sees Jesus. And now as he is prepping them and warming their hearts and challenging their minds to see Christ before they get into the subject of the New Covenant for the next few chapters, he really loads up some content.

And so let's look together in Hebrews chapter 8 and verse 1. "Now the main point in which has been said is this. We have such a high priest who has been taken, has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of the majesty in the heavens." Now that phrase, "taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of the majesty in the heavens," especially his seat at the right hand, that phrase has been repeated five times in the book of Hebrews quoted from Psalm 110. And so all the way through Hebrews, you see that phrase in chapter 1 verse 3 and then verse 13, chapter 8 verse 1, which we just read, chapter 10 verse 12 and chapter 12 verse 2. This is a very important phrase. It helps us to see that Jesus is King. He is ruling the throne today and he is King. He is to be King of our lives. Oftentimes, by way of application, we live without a King as if we are our own king. Do you do what you want to do when you want to do that? You're living as if Jesus is not on the throne. Jesus is King. He's repeated that over and over, and over again. Not only that, to say that this is the main point is to say this in the original Greek translation, it would mean chief, okay? Main means chief. And so you see that the main point, the chief point in what has been said, everything that has already been said, is that we have such a high priest, the word high being also connected to the concept of chief, chiefist. And so you can summarize verse 1 is that the chief thing is that we have the chief.

Now seriously, we have Christ. That's the main thing. That's the greatest thing that you could ever comprehend. And to comprehend that is going to take you for the rest of your life here on earth. It's going to take a glorified mind to really understand all of the word of God and especially to learn of Christ for eternity. So get that. This is the main thing. The best pursuit is Christ. The most fulfilling pursuit, intellectually, physically, spiritually, and everything is the pursuit of Christ, the study of His Word. I'm baiting you in to be able to develop a strong study habit of the Scriptures, especially today through thinking on the subject of typology, to know Christ through the subject of typology. But first of all, let's just think on the Word to know Christ. Hold your place and turn to Exodus 32.

Exodus 32, Moses asked God not only to know Him but to know His ways. In Exodus, I'm sorry, 33:13, Exodus 33:13 is the reference. And I would like for you to see this plea, this question, this prayer from Moses to God. "Now therefore I pray you," Moses praying to God. "If I have found He says, let me know Your ways." And we know God's ways through His Word, through the commandments, through all that He has said. We know God's ways. We can know God's ways. We need to continuously know God's ways, okay? But not only does Moses pray to know God's ways, but he also says that I know You personally, the Maker of the laws, the one who is truly guiding everything to know Him. And so I would say to you, according to the Apostle John, in what he had to say in chapter 2, verses 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14, that a Father in the faith knows God. There's a repeated concept in 1 John chapter 2, and speaking of a Father in the faith in that He knows God from the beginning all the way to the end. Everything that the Word has to say, men that are mature, they know God. They are knowers of the Word of God. And then as well, not only do we have mature men who are fathers in the faith and men being gender neutral, men and women should know and be mature, okay? Fathers in the faith, they should be ones who can lead people to Christ and teach them the Word of God and see that they are walking with the Lord. It's no surprise that the Apostle Paul said in Philippians 3:10 that I may know You. Perhaps Paul had a hero in the faith and that might have been Moses. And as he reiterates this concept to know God, that I may know You.

In Philippians chapter 3, it is fantastic to see how everything that Paul had accumulated in life was as if it was garbage or dung or even in debt of compared to knowing Christ. In Philippians chapter 3, in verse 8, he says this, "More than that, I count all things to be lost in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus, my Lord." The value, not in monetary things that may accrue with investments or interest. Hey, that is actually in the negative on a budget sheet as compared to knowing the value of Christ. The surpassing value of knowing Christ. And he goes on to say, "Not only is it more than that, I have suffered the loss of all things and I count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ and may be found in Him, not having the righteousness of my own derived from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him." In Philippians 3:10. So in verse 8, the value of knowing God and then in verse 10, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His suffering being conformed into His death, that I may attain the resurrection from the dead. This is Paul explaining how much he wants to know God. And that was Moses explaining how much he wants to know God.

Today, I am extracting information from the author of Hebrew through typology that we may know Him because types point to Christ. Types point to Christ. And so point number one, if you're taking notes, Melchizedek was a type. Back in Hebrews chapter 8 and verse 1, the concept of the priest and the King come up. And we have already discussed in chapter 7 verse 17, chapter 7 and verse 17, that you are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. And so Melchizedek is a type, a type of Christ. And you see through the life of Melchizedek, the priesthood and the kingship. And so there's some rich information there that we gain from the symbolism, the symbols, the signs, this typology that's pointing to Christ. That is truly wonderful. Now in chapter 7 and verse 24, look with me in Hebrews 7:24, "But Jesus on the other hand, because He continues forever, holds His priesthood permanently." And so the priesthood of Christ is permanent. And that means, guess what? The salvation that He gave you is what? Permanent. Well, I'm glad you know that in your mind. Can you prove it in the text? Yes, go to the next verse, verse 25, "Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God."

Let me just relate to those who grew up in a church maybe that uses the false notion of being able to lose your salvation against you. I don't personally know the torment that you've gone through, through thinking that you could lose your salvation, but I want you to know that I know that it takes a while to remove false doctrine out of your constitution. You may know it, but do you actually feel and live and own it? Review this text over and over, and over again. "The permanent priesthood of Christ, which is unrelenting," that is, "constant, has saved you forever those who have been saved." This is so comforting to know this information about Jesus Christ.

You know, I was up at Ridgecrest, North Carolina one time at the conference center there, and they remodeled in the cafeteria, and the bathrooms needed to be rearranged and such. So it ended up that the women's bathroom was made into the men's bathroom, and I saw the restroom sign and went over, and I saw the sign on the front of the door. It's a man and walked in, and I all of a sudden thought that maybe I read the signs wrong. My heart sunk. I thought I was in the women's bathroom. And so your heart can also sink if you read the signs wrong. I want to encourage you to study yourself approved in the subject of typology. Jesus said even so that an evil generation seeks a sign, and so we're not trying to conjure up signs and wonders out of the Bible like we're some type of super spiritual, Charismatics, or some super spiritual rabbi, so to speak. We're not looking for different connections that don't exist. These meaningful signs and symbols are proven through and through throughout the Bible, and so if it's true, it's true through and through, and you'll see these concepts reiterating these things. And so Christ is King and he is priest, and it's proven all throughout the Bible.

And so not only is Melchizedek a type, and that has already been established. In verse 2, notice with me that the tabernacle was a type. Chapter 8 verse 2, Hebrews chapter 8 verse 2 says, "And a minister in the sanctuary in the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, not man." I think with me on the concept of the tabernacle, in the wilderness there was a tent that was a tabernacle. As centuries went by, Herod built a brick and mortar temple, so to speak. That was torn down, and now your temple is the house for the temple of Christ. Christ is truly the true tabernacle. Who do you dwell with? Christ. The true tabernacle is the body of Christ. And this is synonymous with the concepts of having the true bread of Christ, which Jesus said in John chapter 6 verse 32. This is synonymous with the concept that Jesus said that he was the true vine in John chapter 15 verse 1. "I am the true vine." So Jesus Himself, He's a true vine, He's the true bread, which it wasn't the bread that was in the wilderness, right? He is the true bread. He's the provisions, He's the salvation. He's a substance of the shadow. The shadow being the actual bread that they ate in the wilderness. Now the substance is Christ, this is typology, and now you see that the true tabernacle is Jesus. And so we truly tabernacle with the true tabernacle, the Lord Jesus Christ.

I say these things not only to clarify the right information and encourage us not to read the signs incorrectly because that could lead you in the wrong direction, such as in the wrong restroom, but also point us in this direction so that we can have a deeper, more meaningful relationship with Christ, this permanent, wonderful priesthood and kingship and a place and element for us to be able to dwell with Christ. It's wonderful. Okay, so now not only that, I would like to take note to skip down in verse 5 that Moses was warned, and as I offer just a midstream warning as well in interpreting these things correctly, I would like to look at how Moses was warned and then back up and continue with the typology. In verse 5, "Who served as a copy and a shadow of the heavenly things," just as Moses was warned. Okay, so Moses, one of the greatest Old Testament figures, if not the greatest, warned by God. And he was warned when he was about to erect the tabernacle. Okay, so he's actually setting his hands on the Word of God, which is the same weightiness when you set your hands on the Word of God to teach the Word of God. It's a weighty thing to impart the truth. And now Moses was going to take this copy and shadow that had already been in existence, the content of the Lord Jesus Christ, and make furnishings and make symbols and teach what these things mean to others about the Lord Jesus Christ. So he was to be very careful to get it right.

In this text, Moses was warned by God when he was about to erect the tabernacle for "see," he says, and this now is a quote, a direct quote from Exodus 25:40. "See," he says, "that you make all things according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain." Oh, there's such great speculation, especially by the Jews, as to what Moses was shown on the mountain by God, interacting with God face to face. We know exactly what we have by way of Scripture, and it's worth noting here that Moses is also a type. Moses being a type of Christ is a phenomenal concept. Turn with me to Exodus chapter 32 and verse 30. Back to Exodus again. Hey, this is trucking with the author of Hebrews because he was most certainly an Old Testament scholar, speaking to the Jews in Israel about the Old Testament things of Christ, utilizing the Old Testament Scriptures to illuminate the deity of Christ is what the Hebrew author is doing. And even as he is working hard to preach Jesus to the Hebrews, the author of Hebrews preaching to the Hebrews, he's working their minds hard to be able to see, "You know this information already." And so I'm bringing up Moses so that the content that you already know is pointing to Jesus as the Christ, Jesus as the King, Jesus as the priest, Jesus as the Savior, he's the one who sanctifies and glorifies.

So Moses being a type in Exodus 32, 30, read with me, "On the next day, Moses said to the people, you yourselves have committed a great sin." I encourage you to go back and read about it, it's terrible. And now I'm going up to the Lord. By Moses going up to the Lord, this is him typologically being a mediator between the sinful people and a holy God. So typologically, you see Moses acting like Christ because Christ also mediated a way for us as sinful depraved people to be able to approach and be accepted by a holy, holy, holy God. I am going up to the Lord, perhaps I can make atonement. This is another element of Moses being a type. Typologically, Moses is making a payment, an atonement, and Jesus is our propitiation for our sin. He made the payment. He Himself is our sacrifice, our atonement, our payment for sin. And so you see the second part of the typological insight here is that perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.

In verse 31, "Then Moses returned to the Lord and said, Alas, these people have committed a great and they have made a God of gold for themselves. But now if You will forgive their sin." What is Moses doing? Right here, he's praying and asking God. This typologically is like Christ's work of intercessing for His people. John chapter 17 is the great high priestly prayer. Jesus is not only a priest forever permanently, but he is constantly interceding and praying for His children. So now you see that Moses being an interceder, a toner, and a mediator. You see all this right here in this text, "But now if You will forgive their sin, and if not, please blot me out from Your book which You have written." That's nearly incomprehensible in my mind, but I do believe it. I believe that Moses was willing, and that is incredible. And so if you're taking notes, another point would be that Moses is a type.

Back to Hebrews chapter 8, if you would. I'm a little bit out of chronological order, but it doesn't matter because all we're doing today is extracting typological information from the text that would help us to see Christ and getting ready to know who we are in covenant with. If you're going to make a covenant, which after today's pericope or text at the next subtitle, it starts the New Covenant, all this information. You need to know Christ. You need to know who You are in covenant with so that You can participate well. And so now I wanted also to mention to you that as the Hebrew preacher, the preacher of Hebrews is primarily aiming at the Jews and pulling on their Old Testament knowledge. You have to keep in mind that they would not have referred to the Old Testament as the Old Testament. It was all the same. You have to keep in mind that they were living in Old Testament times, that this is the air that they breathe, this is how that they thought. They lived and loved Abraham and Moses and David and the prophets. They knew these things. We have to study ourselves approved. We got to figure these things out, but they already knew these things. And so the author of Hebrews can preach this with rapid fire and they would be trucking with him. We got to search it out.

But one of the things that you notice here just by way of observation is that not only is he the Jews, but he's also preaching to a mixed crowd of believers and non-believers. Okay, that's like every church. There's a mixed crowd there. But also Jews and Gentiles. But as he is leaning in on the Jews, who are Israel? He, perhaps the preacher of Hebrews, would have been Paul. Nevertheless, it's still synonymous in terms of knowing that Israel is a type as well. And so they themselves knew that they were God's chosen people and that God would work through them to bring a salvation to the world. And you should say it yourself at this point, "Well, okay, prove to me that Israel is a type." Well, I'm glad you're thinking objectively. Turn with me if you would to 1 Corinthians chapter 10. 1 Corinthians chapter 10 and verse 11 helps us to see that Israel itself, themselves, are a type. An example, a pattern, a sign, a symbol, they point to the Lord Jesus Christ. Israel was a type. And as the Old Testament, or as the author of Hebrews is speaking primarily now to the Hebrews, he is helping them to see Jesus. Well, they themselves are a type as well.

In 1 Corinthians chapter 10, verse 11, it says, "Now these things happen to them," that being Israel, "as an example, and they were written for our instruction upon the ends of the ages to come." Now, this word example, in the Greek, is "tupos", and that is from which the English word we get type and pattern. Okay, so Israel was a type and a pattern for us to learn of Jesus from. And this concept is repeated in this chapter. If you back up to chapter 10 verse 6, so now from 11 to 6, 1 Corinthians chapter 10 verse 6 says, "Now these things happened as examples for us." Now, unfortunately, Israel was a negative example. In this verse, you see, "So that we would not crave evil things." Israel craved evil things. They were idolatrous, they were immoral, they were constant repeaters of evil. They craved evil things. Do not crave evil things. Israel is an example for us to be able to see that you're not to crave evil things, not to have idols, not to be given to immoralities and fantasies, all of these things that seem to pierce our minds and our hearts like harpoons, evil thoughts, evil lusts, evil comparisons between you and your neighbor, evil aspirations of more, more, more in the world rather than being content, content, content. Less of this world and more of the word is what's happening. Here's what you need to see as a type of Israel who craved evil things. That's what the text says. 1 Corinthians chapter 10 verse 6, "They craved evil things." And you can go through the list and see all the terrible things that they craved. And you think to yourself, "I'm glad I'm not like Israel." That's an evil thought.

Who do you think you are? A somebody? Do you think you're holy? Compare yourself to what the Word of God has to say and you will be desperate for Jesus. See typologically how we really are through comparing ourselves not to Israel like as if we are not them. We are like Israel. We have wavering hearts. We have evil desires. We're not perfect. We're still shedding off the old man. Christ is still sanctifying us and to the extent which you pursue Christ and you know Christ, the better, the more holier, the more righteous you will be, the better your life will be, the less you will look for things in this world to get high, to get excited, to get satisfaction. Jesus truly is not only sufficient for your soul's satisfaction, not only engaging relationally and not only challenging intellectually. He is to be your everything. And the Bible says clear in Mark chapter 12 verse 30 that to love the Lord your God with all of your heart and with all of your soul, with all of your mind and all of your strength. No, all of Your strength which makes it very clear that then we are to work unto Jesus. Colossians chapter 3 verse 23 says, "Whatever you do, work heartily as unto the Lord and not to men." Is this important for us to be able to get that our pursuit is Christ and by knowing Him we're going to be doing much better in this world? Okay, so Israel was a type and they show us not to crave these evil, flippant, irreverent things, not to be given to these things because it's punishable.

Most Christians today parallel life like Israel. Seriously, how many churches do you know that just expect men to attend, give, and hide their sin? So basically they can do whatever they want during the week as long as they're there, they attend, and they're a giver and they don't cause any problems, they hide their sin. I'm telling you this is something needs to be confronted in our own day and so we have meaningful membership that has accountability, we have relationships, we have personal growth, we have Bible study groups, we are fellowshipping with one another, we are encouraging one another. This is how you live and walk with Christ because Christ instituted these things. This is wonderful. Israel didn't do those things. They weren't faithful to their worship in the tabernacle, they weren't faithful to the Lord. And so you see all kinds of typological things even when it comes to back to Hebrews chapter 8 in the temple. Let's talk about in verse 5 the things. Okay, and let's read 4 and 5. "Now if he were here on earth he would not be a priest at all." Okay, so this is just simply to say that Jesus was of the tribe of Judah, not of Levite. And so he is not qualified as a priest based upon Levitical heritage. He was of the tribe of Judah and so his priesthood was verified because of his heavenly connection. And so now if he were here on earth he would not be a priest at all because the requirements in Leviticus to be a priest was that you would be a Levi, not of the tribe of Judah but of Levi. "Since there are those who offer gifts according to the law who serve as a copy," okay, this is the priesthoods, "they're serving as a copy in the shadow of the heavenly things just as Moses warned by God when he was about to erect the tabernacle." Okay, the word tabernacle comes up here again as it did as well in verse 2.

"Typologically the tabernacle was filled with furnishings that were also typologically pointing to Christ." I'll just give you one example such as the Ark of the Covenant inside of the temple. And this was the most sacred possession within the temple. This is the most sacred possession even in the tabernacle, okay, and on it there was a mercy seat where the high priest smeared blood on it and this was on the day of atonement each year and it signified God's mercy and forgiveness and presence. And so now you have overlapping concepts within the temple. So not only is the temple itself a type of Christ, okay, it typifies a lot of Jesus, but now even inside you have furnishings. It's the statement that people have made in the past, it's all about Jesus. Really there's a lot to that. So now not only are we looking at the tabernacle or the temple but now inside the furnishings and you see that the Ark of the Covenant is portraying so much. I'll explain. The Ark of the Covenant is God's mercy to sinful people. It symbolizes that you have mercy. When you realize that you are dead in your trespasses and sins, Ephesians chapter 2 verse 1, and you realize how dead you really are that you can do nothing to earn God's grace, you can do nothing to earn your salvation. In fact, what you have done is you have transgressed against the holy God and God being a just God must punish evil. And so we deserve punishment, but right in the middle of Israel, perhaps two million Israelites, there is a tabernacle, a tent, and within that tent there is the Ark of the Covenant. And within this Ark of the Covenant you had things like Aaron's staff and you had the Ten Commandments, these wonderful things that continued to get deeper and deeper, and deeper and portray things about Jesus. I'm just simply saying the whole Ark of the Covenant portrays mercy because a holy God is coming in and dwelling in the middle of a sinful people. How merciful is that for God to do that? But not only is He merciful, He is forgiving. So He extends the forgiveness. But not only does He forgive you, it's one thing to forgive someone and to be in a right relationship with them, but it's another thing to dwell with them.

Now who of you in here go over to each other's house and you dwell in a living room together? Okay, a lot of you could raise your hands, we go over to each other's homes, we enjoy one of those companies. How many of you go into each other's bedroom and dwell with each other, right? And you can just go deeper and deeper, and deeper. Now listen, a holy God went a whole lot farther to come down and got a whole lot more personable with us to dwell inwardly with us. Where the wretchedness still lies inside of us, Christ is willing to displace that and be in you. Christ in you, the hope of glory, Colossians 1:29. This is meaningful information about the tabernacle. It's a copy in the shadow of things to come, a copy and a shadow. In chapter 8 verse 5, the priesthood is a copy and a shadow, the tabernacle, a copy and a shadow. Jesus is the substance of the shadow. And as the author of Hebrews here is preaching and teaching to Israel about Jesus, he is saying, "Do not drift back into the old ways of doing things and abandon all of this wonderful information and content that I'm sitting before you." That is so wrong to walk away from all that Jesus is doing.

So essentially, now we have not only a copy and a paste of these types of things, I'm going to preach to another type of things as well, and a priestly ministry. But we also see not only that Moses is a type and the priesthood is a type, that if you was to go throughout the entire Bible, you have the law as a type as well. In Hebrews chapter 10 verse 1, the law was a type. And we've already talked about Melchizedek. We also see that Isaac was a type. In Hebrews chapter 11 verses 17 to 19, time doesn't allow us to turn and to talk about all of the information that is typologically set forth in Hebrews 10:1 for the law and Hebrews 11 for Isaac, neither in Hebrews chapter 9 and 10 when it comes to the veil being a type. So within the tabernacle, did you know that the veil that was torn from top to bottom was typological for the body of Christ being torn? What information about that is so that Hebrews chapter 9 verse 3 and 10 19 to 20 talk about how the veil is typologically the flesh of Jesus Christ. But not only that in Hebrews, do you have more typological information coming up in Hebrews chapter 9 verses 13 and 14 about animal sacrifices being typological. And so this is also seen in our text today through the offerings that are being offered. And so through the offerings in the text you see in verse 3, "For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices, so it is necessary that the high priest also have something to offer." Now these animal sacrifices are typologically pointing to Jesus offering Himself as the one and only sacrifice.

Now this may be intriguing and it may be challenging to you, but I encourage you to embrace what the author of Hebrews is doing for the Hebrews to see Jesus in and through every single way that God is setting forth for them to know Him more. By way of take-home truths, I have two for you today and we'll leave. Take-home truth number one, learn of Christ through types. Learn of Christ. This is a duty for you to take your Bible and to go home and to study the subject of typology and to do it well. And if you have any questions, we have a phenomenal eldership here who is very capable of answering your questions and we're here every Sunday and Wednesday and Sunday morning when it's a phone call and email away. I want to encourage you to continue to develop your knowledge of Christ through types of Christ in the Bible. And I ask you this question, are you overlooking God's meaningful pursuit of explaining who His Son Jesus Christ is to you? Are you overlooking these things? When you're reading the Bible, when you're studying the Bible, are you overlooking God's pursuit of you, His self-disclosure by way of ignoring types? And so we need to not only do our word studies like you faithfully do, but to really dive into these things because this is going to help us all understand who it is we are in covenant with and not ignore God's considerate attempt to know us, to respond to His self-disclosure and not decline His invitation to know Him more. In fact, I would say this, not to know Christ is to harden your hearts. And three times over and over, and over again in the book of Hebrews, there's this warning, do not harden your hearts.

In Hebrews chapter three and verse eight, it says, do not harden your hearts. Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as when they provoked me. So to harden your heart is to provoke God. And then also in Hebrews chapter three, verse 15, today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as when they provoked me. Do not let your hearts grow weary and drift away from Jesus. If anything else in your life is of a higher pursuit than Christ, then you're drifting. Hear me church, the author of Hebrews is pleading and reaching for those who know, they know these things and how he's reminding them of these things that Jesus is supreme. The entire message of Hebrews is that He must be supreme in your life, yield to His Lordship, know Him deeper, pursue Him, learn about Him, love Him with your mind. And then as well, the repeated concept again in Hebrews chapter four and verse seven, today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts. And this is no new concept because the author of Hebrews has repeated those exact words from Psalms 95. This is something that they knew. And I'm saying to you, this is something that you know. And the author of Hebrews here is making sure that they know that if they are drifting from Jesus, just like Elder Caleb preached last Sunday and did such a phenomenal job, they're in sin. They're drifting from the main pursuit. They're not pursuing Christ.

And so how do you apply this thing? Well, typologically, what you see through these types, applicationally, is these types of concepts. Such as the tabernacle communicating to you that we are to tabernacle with Jesus, to inwardly dwell with Him. The tabernacle typologically teaches that our holy God dwells among sinners. Do you have a problem with that? Well, take it up with God. He's the one who decided to dwell with you. You filthy wretch, rich, it's sinner. And I'm preaching in the mirror. His presence, His indwelling richness is not to be ignored. Don't go throughout your day without praying. Pray without ceasing. Don't go throughout your day without praising Him and worshiping Him. Truly walk with Jesus. Abide yourself. And so also, not only do we tabernacle with the one who has given us a covering, given Himself and gone so far to be able to dwell with us, we also see by way of application of the priesthood that His priesthood is permanently happening. And so you... Some of you have a problem with receiving gifts. I'm going to get to you. You ready? You have a problem with someone giving you something of accepting a gift? Jesus permanently ministers to His own. Are you being ministered to by Jesus? Or are you shield blocking His forgiveness? Are you shield blocking His peace? Are you shield blocking His indwellment, His richness, His information? Are you not wanting to study on typology? Are you not wanting to study the Bible? Are you not wanting to read? Are you shield blocking? Do you have Christ at arm's length and you living your own life? Are you the God of your own life and you've broken the first commandment and made yourself an idol? We're not to be an idol factory. John Calvin said that the human heart is like an idol factory, constantly conjuring up things idolize. And so typologically we are truly to accept Christ's ministry to us. This is a rich and wonderful ministry.

This ministry is spoken of here in... Just let's read the book of Hebrews. It's a wonderful thing to have Jesus wanting to be not only interceding and praying for you, but ministering to you. You know that Christ is your peace. You know that Christ is your fullness, your richness, your soul satisfaction. And so not only do we see by application that we have the indwellment of Christ and Him ministering to us, but through the type of Moses we enjoy forgiveness of Christ. And in Colossians chapter 3 verse 13 it says, "Forgive as you have been forgiven." And this is a major concept to be able to not shield block the indwellment of Christ because Christ forgave you fully and now you are to fully forgive others. In fact, forgiveness should just be easy. It shouldn't be hard at all. When someone sins against you, who are you to hold it against them because you have been forgiven? And so I've been bought and paid for by the precious holy blood of the Lord Jesus Christ when I was in my awfulest position. And now when someone else who was awful towards me, I don't hold it against them at all because I once was there.

And the permanent continual work of the Lord Jesus Christ to forgive is something that we should also have readily available. It's not even a thing. You just forgive, you just forgive. You don't hold it against anybody. You can't offend me. That's the attitude. To live like that. To the point to where like Moses was willing to give himself as a sacrifice and an atone for the grotesque sin of golden calf idolatry. Most of us live like this. We have the philosophy of Forrest Gump. Stupid is you deserve what you get. I'm not paying for your sins and I'm not even going to get around your wretchedness. But to be like Christ simply means to be willing to get around messy ministry and deal and love people when they're even at their worst. It's hard. I get it. But Christ in you is not only hope but strength.

Some more typological truth by way of application that we get through these subjects that we've just brought up today is that the law, not only is it a type that we see but applicationally, we don't live unto the law because it leads to legalism. We're free in Christ. And so we see typologically that we are free in Christ. It is for freedom that Christ sets you free, Galatians 5:1. And so be free. Whatever you find weighing you down, get out from underneath that. And then as well we have a King. We see that through Melchizedek. And not only that, the veil was torn so that we can draw near to Christ and dwell with Him in His most holy places. And then lastly, I say to you that His rest in Christ from chapter 4 of Hebrews is so clear that even from the beginning when God gave us a pattern of daily rest and that idea continues to mature and to develop. And then in Exodus chapter 33 verse 14, "The rest was a promise of the promised land rest away from enemies, away from struggles. They would have all kinds of wonderful crops and safety." And as that rest continues to develop throughout all of the Scriptures, you see it now, Jesus saying that I am that rest. And so Christologically, Jesus said in Matthew 11 and verse 28 that I am your rest. He said, "Come to me, all you are weary, and I will give you rest." And that direct quote from Exodus makes it as everyone to know that Jesus is God. He provides salvation for the soul. Come to Him and be saved.

And then as this typological idea of rest starts in Genesis and continues to develop in Exodus through the promised land, which is not, it doesn't it goes on to Christ and salvation in Matthew chapter 11. It will reach its climax eschatologically when we're able to rest with Him in a glorified state forever in eternity. And so now as we truly delve into these ideas that God has set forth in His Word, we have a lot of work to do. Carve out some time for you to be dedicated to Bible study. And so I leave you with this thought, and I'll give you a little bit of time to get into this. With all of this taken into consideration, all of this effort, all of God's planning of typological truth heading into now a climax in the book of Hebrews to dive into the New Covenant, with all this prep and now coming into the idea of the New Covenant, to feast upon His completed work and His covenant with you, to redeem a people. I'll leave you with this. How carefully should we engage if we walk each day with the Lord? Moses was warned, do it right, handle it right, get the tabernacle right, get Christ right, dwell with Christ rightly.

Lord, thank You for the opportunity to open Your Word and to feast upon these truths. I love You. We humbly come before You and ask that You continue to illuminate Your truth through our minds that we may be able to know more of You. If there's anyone whom You have not saved here today, God, I pray by the power of Your Holy Spirit that You would invade the darkness of their soul and that You would regenerate their heart and that that would mean they too could confess You as Lord and Savior. Confess their faith that You died on the cross and rose again for their sin. Help them, Lord, though none of us understand all of what the book of Hebrews has been able to set forth, none of us do, Lord. None of us are able to ascertain all of these truths and if one here today is perhaps a bit blurred in their mind everything that has been said, it is okay, help them to see You as Savior. The most important thing that they could get right is You. And so, Lord, I pray that You save souls so that they not only would be truly saved, not just ones who claim to be a Christian but who truly are, that they live out their faith and sacrificially love You and study Your Word and pray and are dedicated to Your bride, Your church. Pray as well, Lord, that they would follow You in believers baptism like Tim did today. I pray that they would continue to develop their commitment and their covenant in and with You, not only through knowing You by being saved and then also being baptized, Lord, help them to study their Bibles, to be sanctified by Your Word, to continue to progress in their faith, help them, Lord, to study and to pursue You to the point to where they just love studying Your Word and that they would then go forth and make disciples and show everybody that possibly can all that You have given them these rich and wonderful blessings, Lord, that could hardly be spoken about. God, we do love You and we thank You. It's in Jesus' name that we pray. Amen.