Sermon #862 Miscellaneous Sermons

Title: What Can Be Found In The Ark?

Text: Hebrews 9:1-5

Reading:

Subject: Christ Our Ark

Date: Sunday Morning – July 16, 1989

Tape #

Introduction:

Illustration: Raiders Of The Lost Ark

If you could find the ark of the covenant, the most sacred of all things in the Jewish worship of the Old Testament, what would you find? Read Hebrews 9:1-5. There the Apostle describes the tabernacle, the ark, and those things which were in the ark.

    • The Golden Pot that had Manna.

    • Aaron’s Rod that budded.

    • The Tables of the Covenant.

    • The Cherabims of glory.

    • And the Mercy Seat.


Thank God, no one has ever found that ark! If anyone were the find it, foolish men and women would make an idol of it, make pagan pilgrimages to the "Holy land" to see it, and worship it. But in its day, under the ceremonial, typical religious service of the Old Testament, the Ark of the Covenant was one of those "ordinances of divine service" which beautifully typified and pictured the Lord Jesus Christ and our redemption by him.

Today, I want to stir up your heart to seek him of whom the ark speaks, the Lord Jesus Christ, by showing you what can be found in him.

All the "ordinances of divine service" all the rites and ceremonies, and the "worldly sanctuary" itself, the tabernacle, were types of Christ. You will never understand the Old Testament Scriptures until you see that everything in the Old Testament Scriptures represents, points to, and pictures Christ, our Substitute (Lk. 24:27; 44-45).

Proposition:

In our text this morning, the Holy Spirit uses the tabernacle and the furniture in it to show us the excellence, pre-eminence, and glory of Christ.

  1. The Tabernacle – Christ – Glorious within/Humble without.

  2. The Brazen Altar – Christ’s sufferings and death.

  3. The Laver – Christ our Fountain, opened for cleansing.

  4. The Candlestick – Christ the Light of the World.

  5. The Table of Shewbread – Christ the Bread of Life.

  6. The Altar of Incense – Christ our Intercessor.

  7. The Veil – Christ the Door.

  8. The Ark of the Covenant – Christ our Reconciliation.


Today we will go into "the Holiest of all", by the "golden censer" of our Savior’s merits, asking God to show us Christ our ark, and let us see What Can Be Found In The Ark.

The ark of the covenant is a beautiful type of Christ. It was made out of shittim wood, overlaid on the inside and the outside with pure gold, representing both the incorruptible humanity and glorious deity of our Savior. The ark was the symbol of God’s holiness, power, and glory. It was carried about from place to place upon the shoulders of the priests by staves, fitted into rings attached to the ark. Even so Christ is carried throughout the world upon the shoulders of chosen men through the preaching of the gospel.

I have preached several sermons to you, showing how that the ark is a type of Christ. But today, I want us to look inside the ark. What can be found in the ark, Christ Jesus?

I. If you could go behind the vail with the High Priest on the day of atonement, into the holy of holies, the very first thing that would strike your eye would be "the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercy-seat." And those cherubs represent God’s preachers (Ex. 25:18-20; Psa. 80:1; Isa. 6:1-7).

Now hear what I say, it is not possible for a sinner to find, know, or come to God apart from the instrumentality of a gospel preacher (Rom. 10:14-17; James 1:18; 1 Pet. 1:23-25; 1 Cor. 1:23; Heb. 4:12).

Illustration: Philip and the Eunuch.

God’s preachers are not priests. We detest idolatrous priestcraft, be it Roman, Anglican, or Mormon. But God’s preachers are his angels, his messengers of mercy and grace to his people in this world. And they ought to be treated as such (Isa. 52:7).

    1. Their eyes are always toward the Mercy-Seat!

    2. Their message is the message of sins forgiven by blood atonement!

    3. The glory of God is revealed by the message they proclaim!


II. You would not look long at the cherubim. Their eyes, their faces, their wings direct your attention away from themselves to the mercy-seat. And that mercy-seat represents Christ, God’s Propitiation (Ex. 25:17; 21-22; 1 John 4:9-10; Rom. 3:24-26).

Illustration: Aaron on the Day of Atonement.

The Publican.

The one room school – That is Propitiation.

The Mercy-Seat is the place of…(Heb. 9:12).

    • Substitution!

    • Sacrifice!

    • Satisfaction!


III. Standing in the Holiest of all with Christ, our Aaron, our great High Priest, suddenly, we realize that we are standing before the mercy-seat, the symbol of God’s Presence.

With blood upon the mercy-seat, covering the broken tables of the law there we see the glory of God in the pardon of sin by the sacrifice of Christ (Lev. 9:23-24; Isa. 6:1-6; Ps. 85:9-11).

God not only meets us upon the mercy-seat – In Christ, God abides with us. No matter where you are, if you are in Christ, the name of the place is Jehovah-Shammah, the Lord is there. Your life is hid with Christ in God! (Isa. 43:1-5).

IV. Now, let’s do by faith what no mortal man could ever do, let’s lift up the mercy-seat and look inside the ark. Remember now, I am talking about the Lord Jesus Christ. What do you see? I see the two tables of the law.of God which we have broken. The broken law, our sins, is under the mercy-seat, under the blood. This broken law, under the blood, represents God’s Purpose.

    • The Law was written upon tables of stone, representing both the hardness of our hearts and the inflexibility of God’s law.

    • The law represents our curse and condemnation by reason of sin.

    • This law was always kept in the ark, under the mercy-seat (Ec. 25:16, 21), representing perfect redemption by Christ. And that perfect redemption of his elect is the purpose of God (Rom. 8:28-31).

NOTE: The law of God, being perfectly satisfied by Christ, cries as strongly for our salvation as the grace of God. We are, in Christ, free from the law!

V. Look again, there is something else inside the ark. There is Aaron’s rod that budded. That rod represents God’s Power.


Aaron’s rod that budded is the gospel of Christ, the Man whom God has chosen (Num. 16:8).

Christ was smitten by Moses’ Rod – The Law – The Rock.

The water of life flows out to sinners by Aaron’s rod – the Gospel.

The gospel of Christ is the power of God, before which Dagon must fall! (Rom. 1:16-17).

VI. I see one more thing inside the ark, the golden pot which had manna. And that is a picture of Christ God’s Provision. (Ex. 16:33-34).

    • It was a golden pot.

    • It was a big pot – holding an omer of manna.

    • It had manna – The Bread of Heaven.


All God’s provision for sinners is in Christ Jesus. His name is Jehovah-jireh – The Lord will provide (Eph. 1:3).

    • Provisions of Grace!

    • Provisions of Providence!

    • Provisions of Eternity!


Application:


Come to the Ark Christ Jesus!

  1. The way is open.

  2. All who come to God by Christ are forever saved!

  3. All you need, all God requires, all that heaven can bestow is in Christ, the Ark.


 

 
Don Fortner