Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz20100725.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Exodus: God's Forming The Nation Israel For His Abrahamic Covenant
Part II: God's Forming Israel To Heed Him, Exodus 15:22-40:38
K. God's Directive Of The Tabernacle To Fellowship With His People
10. The Atonement Money: God's 1400 B. C. Clarification On Salvation
(Exodus 30:11-16)
    Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

    A great need exists today for us to have a special divine verification and clarification of Christianity's belief on the salvation of the soul, and the reasons are twofold (as follows):

    (1) First, various key religious groups that have risen since the days of Christ claim that the Christian New Testament fails in one way or another to provide the truth about the salvation of the soul:

    (a) Mormonism and Islam both claim that the New Testament lacks important information that God allegedly gave to Joseph Smith or Muhammad respectively in later revelations, that such later revelations are necessary to heed for one to have eternal life (Salem Kirban, Mormonism (1971), p. 17-18; SIM NOW, Jul.-Aug. 1989, "A Look at Islam: Some Beliefs and Practices," p. 5)

    (b) Then, Liberal Theology so strongly denies the accuracy of the Christian New Testament that it has led to the Jesus Seminar that questioned the historicity of its Jesus! Thus, today, it is common for folks to say: "Christianity is just a collection of ancient pagan myths that the early church pilfered.'" (Daniel R. Lockwood, "Faith and Evidence," Multnomah Message, Fall 2004, p. 1)

    (2) Second, even Christians who believe the Bible hold to different ideas on how salvation is gained, and practices by believers to "convert" the lost to Christ raise unsettling issues:

    (a) Various Christians claim that to be saved, you must "confess and repent" or "confess, repent and feel sorry for your sins" or "walk a church aisle" or "pray to receive Christ"! As a result, a lot of confusion exists even in churches on just how one is saved.

    (b) When it comes to witnessing, other often bigger problems exist: I once approached a cashier in an area store to buy an item, and she turned to me, held up a tract, and angrily said, "Some guy just walked up and gave me this, and said that since I was a Catholic, unless I believed in Jesus like him I was going to hell!"

    I replied one's faith is a personal issue, and she and a cashier to whom she had "vented" replied, "Exactly!" I added that folk need to "win" the right to talk to others about their faith, and they both agreed!

    I left the store, astounded once again at how some Christians ruin their witness by incredibly repugnant conduct!

    So, we ask, "Does God offer any meaningful clarification on Christianity's salvation of the soul in response to such issues?!"

    Need: "Does God offer insight on salvation to address today's issues?"

  1. God had Israel build a tabernacle to typify how He as a holy God could fellowship with sinful man and meet his needs, Ex. 25:1-9.
  2. In the Exodus 30:11-16 description of the atonement money for the tabernacle's upkeep, God typologically verified the New Testament doctrines on salvation and exemplified the right way to evangelize:
    1. <+@>The Exodus 30:11-16 section on collecting money in a census for the tabernacle's upkeep at first glance seems far out of its rightful context:
      1. Several tabernacle items had not even been described, so putting an order here on a collection for their upkeep seems out of context.
      2. Also, a more efficient way to raise money for upkeep would be to tithe so the rich gave more and the poor less versus Exodus 30:15.
    2. However, typologically, Exodus 30:11-16 beautifully fits the context:
      1. Previously, we have learned that Exodus 29 typifies the believer's acts and Exodus 30:1-10 his prayers of service for the Lord.
      2. Well, our service focus should be on discipling (Matt. 28:19-20), and a key part of that focus is evangelizing others unto salvation.
    3. Remarkably, Exodus 30:11-16 displays itself as being typologically rich in New Testament salvation doctrines 1400 years before Christ:
      1. The Revelation 22:17 doctrine of personal responsibility is implied in Ex. 30:12a where every man was to pay, to trust Christ.
      2. The Ex. 30:12c warning of a plague on any who did not pay depicts God's wrath had to be propitiated and the sinner reconciled to God like Romans 3:24-25 and 2 Corinthians 5:19-20 explain.
      3. Exodus 30:12-13 states one was counted in a census as he paid his ransom, and Numbers 1:1-2, 18 adds this census included noting his lineage in Israel. This shows one is identified in God's family and kingdom by the new birth, John 1:11-12; 3:5-7; Col. 1:13.
      4. Exodus 30:13 typifies how all men are saved apart from the Law:
        1. Each paid shekel ( of 20 gerahs), i. e., 10 gerahs, Ex. 30:13.
        2. A gerah was the littlest unit of weight (Z. P. E. B., v. 5, p. 921), so the ten gerahs typify the Ten Commandments, the basic, littlest representation of the Mosaic Law, Ibid., v. 3, p. 887.
        3. So, each paid a ten gerah ransom to offset the Law's demands, so, each had violated the Law like Romans 3:20, 23 claims, and any violation left one cursed by the Law as Deuteronomy 27:26 and Galatians 3:10-12 claim, and in great need of redemption!
        4. Yet, Galatians 3:13-14 announces Christ redeemed us believers from the curse of the Law, being made a curse in our behalf in hanging on the cross in line with Deuteronomy 21:23 of th e Law, that the blessing of Abraham, the Holy Spirit, might come on Jewish and Gentile believers by grace through faith!
        5. Since Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, God never intended that the Law save as Galatians 3:17-19 holds; salvation is rather by faith apart from the Law like Romans 3:20-28 says!
      5. Exodus 30:15 notes the rich and poor paid the same sum so no rich man could boast, and even this sum was not earned by the poor , but God gave it to all Israel in Exodus 12:35-36! We are justified as a gift of God by grace without our merit or works, Eph. 2:8-9.
      6. Exodus 30:16 NIV notes the payment was a lasting "memorial" of "making atonement for your lives". This depicts our LASTING, or, unconditional salvation security in Jesus Christ, John 5:24.
    4. Also, the ACTIVITIES of Exodus 30:11-16 depict God's directives on EVANGELISM for today (as follows):
      1. As responsible adults ages 20 years and older (Ex. 30:14) paid for their own lives (Ex. 30:12a), we disciplers must not press the lost, especially little children, to trust in Christ lest we mislead them to think they are saved when they are not, or we frustrate them by coercion, and cloud the truth to leave them "twofold children of hell", Matt. 23:15. We must rather guide them so they can believe.
      2. The Gospel content we give the lost must include these key truths:
        1. As Exodus 30:12b typifies God's "plague" of eternal hell is escaped by faith in Christ, 1 Cor. 15:1, 3; 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9.
        2. As Exodus 30:12b also typifies, God's imputed righteousness and eternal life are gained by faith in Christ, 1 Cor. 15:1, 2.
        3. As Exodus 30:12a typifies, "every" one must personally trust in Christ to receive eternal life, 1 Cor. 15:1; Acts 16:30-31.
        4. As Exodus 30:15 typifies, salvation is a gift of God apart from any human merit or work, Ephesians 2:8-9.
Application: (1) May we trust in Christ to be saved (John 3:16), and (2) obey Him in how we witness to the lost! (3) May we rest in the validity of the New Testament's theology on salvation!

Conclusion: (To illustrate the message . . . )

 A few weeks ago, one of the ladies in our Church was at an appointment with a medical doctor. As usual, he typically talked about various issues of medical, health and even at times spiritual things.

While he was giving her the usual treatment, he told how a relative had come to faith in Christ, and that this relative had told him that apart from faith in Christ, he had no hope of gaining eternal life.

Then, as the session ended, the doctor turned to this lady he knew was from our Church, and said, "I need to ask you a question before you go: does your Christian faith hold that faith in Jesus as Savior is the only way to obtain eternal life?!"

This lady was surprised and a bit overwhelmed: this is a nationally known doctor, a teacher of other physicians, a bright man who does his own thinking, a man of Jewish lineage! However, she instantly realized the importance of this question in his life, and that he had come to respect her input enough over the years he has known her and witnessed her Christian walk to want her honest response. So, she simply replied (approximately), "Yes, faith in Jesus is the only way!"

The lady reports that the doctor did not seem shaken or upset at this news, for it reaffirmed the view that his Christian relative had given him. It was what he needed to hear, it was what he could easily understand, and this lady gave him the truth in a way that did not confuse, frustrate or anger him in how she spoke to him.

What the doctor will now do with this information is his responsibility before God. We pray that he will turn to Christ, but, at this time, the choice is his alone to make before the Lord!

That is the way to be a witness under God's direction and empowering. That is how Christ wants us to testify to the lost for Him.



May we thus TRUST God's Word, and follow His leading in His power that HE might USE us in HIS GRACE to lead lost people to Jesus Christ!