really have a text because the
background for these men like Moses and these men that we've
been studying covers entire books and so I don't really have a
text to zero in on but we have been now for a while studying
some prominent men in the Old Testament and as these men were
typical of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And I'm confident
of this, that everything created of God, in some form or fashion,
typifies the Lord Jesus Christ. In Psalm 148, he plainly tells
us that creation praises the name of the Lord. In some form
or fashion, everything in creation typifies and tells the story
of Jesus Christ and Him crucified. We're pointed to a few things
in the Scriptures. The rising of the sun is called
a figure of the day star arising in our hearts in the book of
Peter. He likens that sun as it rises in the morning as to
the Son of God rising in revelation in our heart. and giving light
out of darkness. His preachers are called stars. They typify the stars in heaven
as they give direction, as they appear in the places where God
puts them, and they're there for direction and light. His
church is likened unto the moon. Her light is a reflective light.
They reflect the light of Christ. And then multitudes of unbelieving
men and women are likened unto grasshoppers. And this is just
a few of the places in the scriptures where he takes things of creation
and uses them to typify various things. And I say these things
to assure you that the types are of God used to teach us concerning
the person and work of our Redeemer. Last week we talked about Moses. The Lord said in Deuteronomy
18, 18, I will raise them up a prophet from among their brethren
like unto me. That's like unto Moses. Another prophet is gonna arise
and that word like has to do with typifying. The Lord's gonna
raise up another prophet. of whom I will be typical. But this week, I want us to look
at Aaron's brother, I mean Moses' brother, Aaron. And Aaron is a very prominent
type of Christ. Well, how is he a type of Christ?
In what way does Aaron typify the Lord Jesus Christ? Well,
let me give you four or five things. Aaron is a type of Christ
in that God appointed him to the office of high priest. Exodus 28.1 says, and take thou
unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him from among
the children of Israel that he may minister unto me in the priest
office, even Aaron, Nadab, Abiyu, Eleazar, and Ithamar, Aaron's
sons. Aaron was chosen of God to serve
him in the priest's office. No vote taken. No consensus of
the people. No committee consulted. God chose
Aaron to be the high priest of Israel, and you would either
worship through Aaron's person and work, through his office
and the things that he did, as God commanded him, or you wouldn't
worship God at all. Now under the priesthood, they're
very strict about this. You worship God, you came to
the tabernacle. And you came through Aaron, the
high priest. and you offered up your sacrifices to God. And
so it is with Christ. He was chosen of the Father as
the high priest of Israel. In Hebrews chapter 9, the Bible
goes into some detail concerning the aspect of the high priest. It tells us in Hebrews chapter
9 and verse 7 that into the second he describes that tabernacle.
He tells us that there was a priesthood established. And they had a high
priest and they had a common priest. And this was their duties. This was their job. This was
their lot. That's all they did was tend
to the things of that tabernacle. And the tabernacle had two sections
in it. It had the front part where the
show grid was and the candlestick and those things were all there
in the front of the tabernacle. And then there hung a heavy bale
down. And beyond that was the Holy
of Holies. And into the second, that's what
he's talking about here, he said, into the second, that is the
second section of the tabernacle, went the high priest alone once
every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself
and for the errors of the people. Now something I might want to
mention, I'm not gonna go into great detail about it. It's something
that just came to me this morning as I was studying these verses. He makes it very plain that the
high priest was gonna be the brother of Moses. And I thought, well, why would
the Holy Ghost write that in there? Because Aaron is who he's
gonna be talking about. Why didn't he just say Aaron's
gonna be the high priest? Why did he make note that he
was the brother of Moses? Because there is a very close
relationship between the deliverer and the priest. That's why. These
things are joined very close, very close. And the priesthood
was always, it was to be not only through Aaron, but through
Aaron's sons. That relationship was never broken.
It was always very close, very close. And so it is with Christ
who is our priest and prophet and king. Now, we get down here to the
tabernacle and the high priest alone is gonna enter in. He's
gonna enter into the holy place. And he says this in verse 8,
Hebrews chapter 9, the Holy Ghost, this signified that the way into
the holiest of all was not yet made manifest while as the first
tabernacle was yet standing, which was a figure for the time
then present in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices that
could never make him that did the service perfect as pertaining
to the conscience. So these things were instituted
by God as figures, figures. You looked at these things and
you looked at them in the light of the coming Redeemer. We say
don't say that. Well, I beg your pardon, it does
say that. He says that in Romans chapter
three. Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption
that's in Christ Jesus. who God set forth. Where did
he set him forth? He set him forth in the tabernacle.
He set him forth in the priesthood. He set him forth in Aaron, whom
God has set forth to be the propitiation for our sins through faith in
his blood, to declare the righteousness of God in the remission of our
sins, or sins that are past, talking about Old Testament men
and women. These things were instituted
by God as figures for the time then present, things that typified
the real person and work of Christ. And then listen to this scripture,
Hebrews chapter nine, verse 11. But Christ, being come a high
priest of good things to come, by greater and more perfect tabernacle,
not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building,
Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood
he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal
redemption for us. So Aaron is a type of Christ
in that God chose him and set him apart to serve him in the
office of the priest. And Christ, if you study his
person and work, you'll see in there that he acted as the priest
of God of which all these other priests were only typical. They
just pictured him and pictured his work. And then secondly,
Aaron is a type of Christ in that his priesthood was particular
to those whose names he bore on his shoulder and over his
heart. In Exodus chapter 28 and verse
29, it says, and Aaron shall bear the names of the children
of Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart when
he goeth in unto the holy place for a memorial before the Lord
continually. And then in that same chapter
in verse 12, he said, and thou shalt put two stones upon the
shoulders of the ephod for stones of memorial unto the children
of Israel, and Aaron shall bear their names before the Lord upon
his two shoulders for a memorial. So he bore them up on his own
shoulders when he went into that tabernacle, and he bore them
on his heart, on this breastplate of judgment as he poured out
that blood upon the mercy seat. Aaron did not serve in any sense
of the word as a universal priest. That's my point. If you want
to look at what typified, if you want to go back and see the
picture that God gave, here's where God sent forth his son,
back here under the law. Set him forth in picture. Leave
no excuse for anybody. You don't have to be an intellectual.
You just have to look at the picture. Here it is. And here
he is, and he goes in and he goes into great detail to write
their names on his shoulders and over his heart. And these
are the people that he represents when he goes into the holy place. And I boldly say to you, neither
does the Lord Jesus Christ. He said in John 6, 37, all that
the Father giveth me shall come to me. The good shepherd giveth
his life for the sheep, he said. For the sheep. And not only that,
but he said, no man can come to me except the father which
hath sent me drow thee. You see, God made preparation
for Israel. He didn't make preparation for
the uh... all that different acts and uh... canine action gibbous acts and
all the guy he didn't make preparation for them in my preparation for
yes he didn't call to himself a high priest to represent the
whole world he called himself a high priest to represent his
alleged and to show us that he put he went into great detail
to write their names on his shoulder and over his heart Everybody in the world was not
represented by Aaron when he took the blood of the atonement
beyond the veil, and neither were their sins atoned for, and
neither were they blessed by God's high priest when he came
out of that tabernacle. He represented them written upon
his shoulders and written upon his heart. And there's a verse
over here in Revelation chapter 20 that really got my attention
when we were studying and going through the book of Revelations.
And this is talking about the final judgment. This is talking
about the difference between those whom God is gonna bring
unto himself and stand with in the heavenlies and those who
are gonna be cast into hell. Here's the difference. Now listen
to this, and whosoever was not found written in the book of
life was cast into the lake of fire. It was those written in
the book of life that he made preparation for, that he made
provision for, that he elected a high priest for, that he prepared
an everlasting covenant for, that he sent his son to die for,
was a particular people. And in our Lord's high priestly
prayer over in John 17, it says in verse six, I have manifested
thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world. Thine
they were, and thou gavest them me. Verse nine, I pray for them. I pray not for the world, but
for them which thou hast given me. And I cannot fathom a high
priest giving his life for the sheep and then refusing to pray
for them. Those he refuses to pray for
are not his sheep. So Aaron is a type of Christ
in that his priestly office was particular to those given him
by the Lord. And then thirdly, Aaron is a
type of Christ in that he alone took the atoning blood beyond
the veil to offer it up for the sins of himself and the sins
of his people. That's Hebrews chapter 9 and
verse 7. No one else was permitted beyond that veil. Absolutely
no one. He makes that so clear in Hebrews
chapter 9. The high priest alone went in
beyond the veil, not without blood. Now I want you to listen to me
for a minute. Jesus Christ and his people are one. Everybody in Israel didn't go
in to the mercy seat, but they did in the representative priest,
they did. That's what they were hoping
for. That's why they brought their sacrifices. That's what
they were looking to. They knew Aaron was going to
go in beyond that veil for them. And they were looking ahead by
faith, all that believed were looking ahead by faith to that
coming Redeemer and His accomplishments. Jesus Christ and His people are
one. In John 17, 23, he said, I and
them, and thou and me, that they may be made perfect in one, and
that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved
them as thou hast loved me. They're one. And I can't explain
the eternal covenant union of Christ and his people, except
to use the language of the Holy Ghost himself, who says, they're
one. That's good enough for me. They're
one. So that when he offered himself
as a sin offering, he satisfied the justice of God and quenched
the wrath of God for himself and those who were in him. But
you say he had no sin. He did as I was in him. He bore our sins. Now listen, not on his head,
he bore our sins in his own body on the tree. Jesus Christ in and of himself
had no sin, he did no sin, he thought no sin, he was tempted
by no sin. The devil came to him and found
nothing in him. There was no sin, nothing sinful
about him. But he does not stand alone on
that tree. He stands there as the priest
of God. And he stands there as our high
priest and as our representative And it says in the scripture,
the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. So the high priest alone, Hebrews
9, 7, took the blood of the atonement beyond the veil. And Jesus Christ
by his own blood entered into heaven itself and obtained eternal
redemption for us. In Hebrews chapter 10, verse
10, talking about the accomplishing of the redemptive will of God,
he said, by the which will we're sanctified through the offering
of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And then he explains
it in more detail. He says in verse 11 of Hebrews
chapter 10, every high priest standeth daily ministering and
offering oft times the same sacrifices. which could never take away sin.
They were typical sacrifices. They were just put there for
the purpose of your faith, as he has laid down for us. Through the person and work of
Christ and through the plain declarations of the New Testament,
we read these things and that's the foundation of our faith.
But in the Old Testament, they didn't have that. Christ had
not yet appeared. So he appeared as God set him
forth in picture. And these things could never
by themselves take away sin, but this man, after he had offered
one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of
God, from henceforth expecting till his enemies made his footstool,
for by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified. All right, fourthly, Aaron is
a type of Christ in that his second appearance declared that
God was satisfied with the atonement. There were bells incorporated
in the hymn of the high priest garment. And those bells are
said to be put there that we might know what's going on. As long as you hear the bells,
you know the priest is active inside the tabernacle. Now if
the bells quit ringing, you had a problem. And the bells to me
is the gospel. That's what that is. That sounds
out that we know that our high priest is very much active today. He was active when he did what
he did, but he's active today. And we can still hear the bells
ringing. But when Christ was raised from
the dead, his appearance declared that all those represented by
him were justified. Israel saw the priest when he
went inside the first uh... tabernacle you could stand back
there at the gate you could look past the altar and past the laver
and you could see the high priest enter in and then he goes beyond
the veil you can't see him anymore you can't see that work anybody here see the lord jesus
christ enter into the holy of holies into the holiest of all
with his own blood you didn't see that But you saw him when he came
out. You see what I'm saying? And all Israel, they listened
for those bells. They listened for the activity
of the priest. They knew that he was in there. They knew that
God had not killed him thus far. And then he comes out of the
tabernacle, raises his hands, and blesses the people. In Romans 4, 25, Paul writes
concerning our faith in God, who raised up Jesus our Lord
from the dead, and he said, who was delivered for our offenses
and was raised again for our justification. The suffering
and death of Christ is what satisfied the justice of God, but it is
his resurrection that declares it. How do I know God was satisfied
with what he did? How do I know that that was sufficient? God raised him from the dead. He raised him from the dead.
Now what took place beyond the veil was not in view of human
eye. The only thing faith was permitted
to see with the eye is the shedding of the blood. You can see that
at that first altar. You can see the blood shed, you
can see the blood poured out, you can see all those things,
but you couldn't see what happened beyond that veil. And you could see the priest
going in with the blood. And you could see the priest
coming out without it. And unto them that look for him
shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. Now I know that's talking about
the second coming of Christ. He came as a sin, as our substitute
for sin. He came as our high priest the
first time. He came not without blood. But when he comes the second
time, he's coming in all the glory of his Father's house. All true preaching is about the
resurrected Savior who died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
was buried, and rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.
But if he be not risen, Paul said, then our preaching is in
vain. It's just vanity. If he be not risen, we're yet
in our sins. If he be not risen, our faith
is in vain. And if he be not risen, those
who died believing are perished. And we that are left behind are
of all men most miserable. But when Aaron came forth out
of that tabernacle, then all Israel rejoiced. How much more
those who by faith can see the resurrected Savior. You see how
these men were typical of the Lord Jesus Christ and especially
when you get into that office as prophet and that office as
the priest. And then fifthly, Aaron is a
type of Christ in that he was permitted via the blood sacrifice
to continually make intercession for Israel all year long. It's all based on that one blood
atonement. And one time a year, remembrance
is made of sin every year. At the end of that year, a new
atonement had to be made. But during that year, after that
atonement, he could minister and make intercession for the
people based on that atonement that he already made. In Romans chapter 8 verse 34
it said, who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died. Now listen,
Yea rather that is risen again who's even at the right hand
of God who also maketh intercession for us. How does he make intercession? He makes intercession via the
blood that he shed on Calvary's cross. How does Christ make intercession
for us? Is He at the Father's right hand
pleading with His Father not to destroy us because of our
own belief? Do you picture Him tugging on
His Father's arm who's raised up in anger against us? Is that
how you picture this work of Christ? No. No. He makes intercession for
us by His presence at the right hand of the Father. And the father
rejoices in him always. Always. And he's not standing
up anxiously trying to keep the father from casting us out. But
he said if he holds us in his hand and nobody can take us out
of his hand, he said you're also in the father's hand and he's
greater than all and nobody's going to take you out of his
hand. He sits there in the satisfaction
of a full, free, and sufficient atonement for sin, and expecting
till his enemies be made his footstool. When Christ accomplished
our redemption, he obtained eternal redemption for us. He took it
into possession. And the very idea that the Father
and the Son might be of different minds is absolutely ridiculous. It's the father who sent the
son, it's the father who justified the son, it's the father who
received the son, who crowned the son, and now looks upon him
and rejoices as he sits at his right hand. Sit there at my right
hand until I make all thine enemies thy footstool. So then, Paul can, in view of
this priestly work, Paul can say, we are dead. And our life
is hid with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is our life,
shall appear, then shall we appear also with him. Now that's how
you look. at the Lord Jesus Christ. And
these men like Aaron are so typical, so typical of the Lord when you
understand the Lord's work. You know, this is the, I told
you one time that the gospel of Jesus Christ is God's Rosetta
Stone. It's what unlocks the mystery.
If you just study the priesthood in and of itself, it don't make
any sense to you. It's just a bloody Mass. I can't even imagine how much
blood was shed in Israel as they followed him and offered all
these sacrifices over the years. Just rivers of blood. But when
you look at it in the light of Christ and what he came and did,
oh, how beautiful the picture is of Aaron and the work that
he did. Thank you.