Mosaic law message 5
Hebrews 10: For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. 2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. 3 But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. 4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. 5 Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: 6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. 7 Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.
Well, as we come again to this time when we open the Word of God, let me just remind you of where we have been. We’ve spent some time studying the story of God using Moses to deliver the nation of Israel out of Egyptian slavery, we looked at the plagues etc, and now we have come to the place where God is making a covenant with the people of Israel by giving them His law. The first five books of the Old Testament are full of God’s laws. And the question that we started a few weeks ago was, “What does the Christian do with these Old Testament laws?” It can seem like a pointless question. “Why do we study this?”
That reminded me of a New Testament story that I think helps us answer that question. Remember when Peter and some other disciples, after Jesus’ resurrection, was sitting on a beach, with Jesus, around a campfire, eating breakfast together? Peter, and the other disciples happened to be there that morning for probably several different reasons. —perhaps it’s the familiar pull of community, or the simplicity of going fishing again when life feels uncertain, maybe just boredom. But Jesus, in the middle of their meal asked Peter a question. Do you remember what it was? “Do you love me?” He didn’t ask him about fishing, or his fellowship with the other disciples, or his boredom. He asked him, “Peter, in this moment in time, when we are sitting on this beach, “Do you love me?”
I think about that as we have gathered here again this morning at this place we call church, I am reminded as I enter the pulpit that people are here for many reasons. Some of you come here out of routine—a rhythm built over years. Others come because of deep need: for comfort in grief, clarity in confusion, strength in weakness. Some sit in these pews hungry to learn; others just needed a place to breathe. Some of you may be here out of boredom.
Like Peter on the seashore after the resurrection, there may be many reasons for your presence
But just as Jesus turned to Peter and asked not about his plans, his past, or even his failures—but about his love—so He turns to each of us and asks, “Do you love Me?” The true reason we gather, the one reason that gives meaning to preaching, worship, and fellowship, is this: a living relationship with Jesus Christ. And it is to that end that we gather.
Listen to this quote from Spurgeon
I would propose that the subject of the ministry of this house, as long as this platform shall stand, and as long as this house shall be frequented by worshipers, shall be the person of Jesus Christ. I am never ashamed to avow myself a Calvinist; I do not hesitate to take the name of Baptist; but if I am asked what is my creed, I reply, "It is Jesus Christ." My venerated predecessor, Dr. Gill, has left a [theological heritage] admirable and excellent in its way. But the [legacy] to which I would pin and bind myself forever, God helping me,...is Jesus Christ, who is the arm and substance of the gospel, who is in Himself all theology, the incarnation of every precious truth.
C.H. Spurgeon, first words in the pulpit of the Metropolitan Tabernacle, London.
Prayer
Lord, we come before You this morning with many burdens, questions, and hopes—but above all, we come because we long to know and love Jesus more. Open our eyes to see that in Him, every shadow of the ceremonial law finds its perfect fulfillment, and in Him alone we are brought near to You.
We’ve been walking through a vital and often misunderstood question in our sermon series: “What does a Christian do with the Old Testament law?” This topic can feel distant from real life. But we must remember that these laws, and all of Scripture is meant to bring us to a deeper love of Christ. So far, we’ve seen that not all laws were given for the same purpose. We began with civil law—the legal system God gave to govern Israel as a nation. That law, we saw, was temporary, tied to Israel’s unique covenant status. It served its purpose and has now passed away with the old covenant kingdom.
But the Old Testament doesn’t stop there. It also gives us ceremonial laws—those laws involving the tabernacle, the temple, sacrifices, priests, holy days, and cleansing rituals. These were not about governing a society but about teaching Israel how a holy God could dwell among a sinful people.
Last week, we saw how all of the Old Testament sacrifices—burnt, sin, guilt, and peace offerings—find their fulfillment in Jesus Christ. He is the perfect Lamb. He is the once-for-all offering who takes away the sin of the world. The altar of sacrifice pointed to the cross.
Today
Points: description of the tabernacle/temple, foreshadowing of the tabernacle/temple, purpose of the tabernacle/temple, problem of the tabernacle/temple
The temple is described extensively. The tabernacle and temple are described with extraordinary detail in the Old Testament. In Exodus 25–40, God gives Moses exact instructions for the construction of the tabernacle—a portable sanctuary for worship in the wilderness. Every aspect was prescribed: the dimensions of the tent, the materials to be used (gold, silver, bronze, acacia wood, fine linen), the colors of the curtains, the design of the Ark of the Covenant, the table for the bread of the Presence, the golden lampstand, the altar of incense, and even the priestly garments. These specifications were not left to human creativity—they were revealed by God Himself, “according to the pattern” shown on the mountain (Ex. 25:9). Likewise, the temple—built by Solomon and described in 1 Kings 6–8 and 2 Chronicles 3–7—was grand and permanent, yet similarly detailed. Its construction required years of labor, thousands of skilled workers, and precious materials from distant lands. The Most Holy Place was overlaid with pure gold, the massive bronze sea rested on twelve oxen, and the inner sanctuary held two towering cherubim, each fifteen feet tall.
There were lots of instructions. And we are looking at the tabernacle/temple as fulfilled in Christ.
foreshadowing
And I’ve heard messages where every little detail of the tabernacle/temple are tied to Christ. The Acacia wood overlaid with gold used to build the Ark, Alter, and table symbolize the God/man dual nature of Christ. The angelic cherubim embroidered on the curtain separating the most holy place is reminiscent of God’s throne surrounded by Cherubim. Even the colors; blue for heaven, purple for royalty, red for blood, have deep parallels and foreshadowing of Jesus as the True Tabernacle.
But there was one overarching purpose for the tabernacle and eventually the temple in the Old Testament.
Exodus 25:8 – “Let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them.”
Exodus 29:45–46 “I will dwell among the people of Israel and will be their God. And they shall know that I am the Lord their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt that I might dwell among them. I am the Lord their God.”
Leviticus 26:11–12 “I will make My dwelling among you, and My soul shall not abhor you. And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be My people.”
Ezekiel 37:26–27 (speaking of a future restoration) “I will make a covenant of peace with them... and I will set My sanctuary in their midst forevermore. My dwelling place shall be with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”
The chief purpose of the Tabernacle/Temple was so God could dwell among His people. Let’s pause for a moment to say, “That is a beautiful thought.” The God of the universe wants to live among us.
The problem of the tabernacle
There was only one problem; that was impossible.
B. The impossibility of the Tabernacle
1. We can’t live with God
Exodus 33:3, 5 “Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; but I will not go up among you, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people… If for a single moment I should go up among you, I would consume you.”
Even after the tabernacle instructions were given, Israel’s sin (golden calf) made God’s presence a threat. We can’t dwell with God safely unless He makes a way.
Isaiah 6:5 “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips… for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”
Even a prophet is undone by God’s holy presence. God cannot simply “move in” with sinful people without purification.
Habakkuk 1:13 “You who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong…”
Joshua 24: 14 Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord. 15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. 16 And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the Lord, to serve other gods; 17 For the Lord our God, he it is that brought us up and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and which did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way wherein we went, and among all the people through whom we passed:
19 And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the Lord: for he is an holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins.
It is impossible. So, it was impossible for the tabernacle to do what it was supposed to do. Or was it? There was more to the purpose: The physical tabernacle was never intended to be the permenant tabernacle. That’s why we don’t build tabernacles today.
This is such a beautiful picture. Jesus was the perfect burnt offering, guilt offering, peace offering, brought to the tabernacle, which is Himself.
But He was meant to be the new permenat tabernacle.
John 2:19–21 Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. 20 Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? 21 But he spake of the temple of his body.
Hebrews 9: 11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;
He is the perfect tabernacle
And the major purpose for Jesus as the tabernacle was the same as the earthly tent: so that God could dwell with man.
John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt (tabernacled) among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
(Greek: eskēnōsen) literally means “tabernacled.”
II. Jesus Is the Priest
Description, foreshadowings, purpose, problem,
Once again, the Old Testament goes into great detail describing the particulars of being a priest. The Old Testament provides extensive and specific instructions regarding the qualifications, garments, duties, and consecration of the priests who served in the tabernacle and later the temple. In books like Exodus 28–29, Leviticus 8–10, and Numbers 18, God outlines in exact detail who may serve as a priest (only male descendants of Aaron), how they must be ceremonially cleansed, and what they are to wear—holy garments including the ephod, breastpiece, robe, turban, and sash.
foreshadowings
And all of those things were symbolic. Their tasks included offering sacrifices, maintaining the altar and lampstand, teaching the law, and entering the Holy Place to represent the people before God. But they too had one main purpose.
purpose
A priest is a mediator between God and man, offering sacrifices and interceding for the people. In Leviticus 16 on the Day of Atonement the High priest entered the Holy of Holies to offer blood for sins.
Numbers 16:46–48 – Atonement through Intercession in a Crisis
“Take your censer… and make atonement for them, for wrath has gone out from the Lord… and he stood between the dead and the living, and the plague was stopped.”
There is no better illustration of that purpose than the instructions given in Leviticus 16.
15–17: “Then he shall kill the goat of the sin offering that is for the people and bring its blood inside the veil… and sprinkle it over the mercy seat… Thus he shall make atonement for the Holy Place… No one may be in the tent of meeting… until he comes out and has made atonement for himself and for his house and for all the assembly of Israel.”
But there was a problem.
No man could ever fill the role and prescribed purpose of the priesthood. Leviticus 16 is a great illustration of that. In that chapter, Moses conveys God’s instructions to Aaron over two chapters and 50 verses about how he is to do the job of priest. But I want you to notice verse one of chapter 16. This is how the instruction starts.
And the Lord spake unto Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they offered before the Lord, and died;
These instructions were given shortly after Aaron’s two oldest sons died. Why did they die? They too were priests, but because they didn’t follow God’s instructions precisely when they made an offering, God killed them.
Do you see the problem? God’s design was for there to be a mediator that people could go to to intercede before God. But no man is good enough. All men are sinful, mortal, and ignorant, finite in understanding.
All Men Are Sinful
Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
No one is righteous in themselves; all fall short of God's perfect standard.
That means that no person can intercede for someone else, because they are not worthy, and they themselves need intercession.
Ecclesiastes 7:20 “Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.”
All Men Are Mortal
Hebrews 9:27 “And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment…”
Death is the unavoidable destiny for all people—it’s the result of sin
Genesis 3:19 “By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground… for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
And even if you could find even a very good man to be a priest, he will eventually die.
All Men Are ignorant; Finite in understanding
1 Kings 8:39 “…for You, You only, know the hearts of all the children of mankind.”
Only God truly knows the heart. Human understanding of others is always partial and fallible.
Proverbs 14:10 “The heart knows its own bitterness, and no stranger shares its joy.”
There are emotional and internal experiences so deep that others cannot fully relate to them. Human empathy is real—but limited.
1 Corinthians 2:11 “For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.”
No one can truly know what is in another person’s mind—only the person themselves, and God.
So, the priesthood could not do what it was intended to do. Or could it? It was intended to fail. Because it was a blueprint for the final priest.
What’s the point? The priesthood was essential, but incomplete. That’s why the Bible tells us that human priesthood was a part of the ceremonial law that was never intended to last forever. It showed us God’s perfect plan.
Jesus Is the Perfect High Priest
Sinless, infinite, and all knowing regarding our sin and temptation
Jesus Is Sinless
Hebrews 4:15 “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.”
Jesus was fully human and experienced every form of temptation, yet He remained completely sinless—something no earthly priest could claim.
1 Peter 2:22 “He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in His mouth.”
A direct affirmation of His sinlessness, making Him the spotless Lamb and worthy High Priest.
2. Jesus Is Infinite (Eternal and Unchanging)
Hebrews 7:23–24 “The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, but He holds His priesthood permanently, because He continues forever.”
Unlike the mortal priests who died and had to be replaced, Jesus is the eternal High Priest—His priesthood never ends.
Revelation 1:17–18 “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore...”
Jesus is not bound by time or death. His eternal nature secures a permanent priesthood.
3. Jesus Is All-Knowing Regarding Our Sin and Temptation
Hebrews 4:13–14
“And no creature is hidden from His sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. Since then we have a great high priest… let us hold fast our confession.”
John 2:24–25 “But Jesus… knew all people and needed no one to bear witness about man, for He Himself knew what was in man.”
Jesus is the perfect priest
Hebrews 4:14–16 14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. 15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
Hebrews 7:23-28 23 And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death: 24 But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. 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. 26 For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; 27 Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself. 28 For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated for evermore.
Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
Jesus Is the Only Mediator Between God and Man
1 Timothy 2:5 5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
The ceremonial law was never meant to be the final solution—it was only a shadow of the good things to come (Hebrews 10:1). Think about the difference between a shadow and the real thing: a shadow has no substance, it can’t be weighed or measured, no detail, it is just a contrast between dark and light, no power, it can’t move anything or effect any change—it only gives a vague outline. You can’t embrace a shadow, speak with it, or be saved by it.
It points to something greater, something real. The tabernacle, the sacrifices, the priests, the holy garments—these were just silhouettes of a far greater reality found in Jesus Christ. They hinted at the problem of sin and the need for a mediator, but they could never cleanse the conscience or bring people fully into God’s presence. Christ, on the other hand, is the substance—the real Lamb, the real Temple, the real High Priest. He doesn’t just cast a shadow of grace—He is grace, truth, and salvation in full. What the law could only hint at, Jesus fulfilled completely.
This brings us back to where I started, we are gathered here today in an expression of our love for Christ. We love Him for being our sacrifice, for tabernacling with us, for interceding for us.
Christ for sickness, Christ for health, Christ for poverty, Christ for wealth, Christ for joy, Christ for sorrow,
Christ today and Christ tomorrow; Christ my Life, and Christ my Light, Christ for morning, noon and night,
Christ when all around gives way Christ my everlasting Stay; Christ my Rest, and Christ my Food
Christ above my highest good, Christ my Well-beloved Friend Christ my Pleasure without end;
Christ my Savior, Christ my Lord Christ my Portion, Christ my God, Christ my Shepherd, I His sheep
Christ Himself my soul to keep; Christ my Leader, Christ my Peace Christ hath wrought my soul's release,
Christ my Righteousness divine Christ for me, for He is mine; Christ my Wisdom, Christ my Meat,
Christ restores my wandering feet, Christ my Advocate and Priest Christ who ne'er forgets the least;
Christ my Teacher, Christ my Guide, Christ my Rock, in Christ I hide, Christ the Ever-living Bread,
Christ His precious Blood hath shed; Christ hath brought me nigh to God, Christ the everlasting Word
Christ my Master, Christ my Head, Christ who for my sins hath bled; Christ my Glory, Christ my Crown,
Christ the Plant of great renown, Christ my Comforter on high, Christ my Hope, draws ever nigh.
Source Unknown.
Lord God, we thank You with full hearts for the gift of Your Son, Jesus Christ. He is our perfect sacrifice, offered once for all to take away our sin. He is our true tabernacle, where Your presence dwells not in a tent or a temple, but in flesh and blood—Immanuel, God with us. And He is our faithful High Priest, who intercedes for us even now, who has opened the way into Your holy presence by His own blood. We praise You that what was once impossible—sinful people dwelling with a holy God—has now been made possible through Jesus. Help us to rest in His finished work, to walk in confidence, and to live as living temples of Your Spirit. Help us Lord to boldly go before the throne of your grace in our time of need. In the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.