Moses Wrote of Me
Download MP3Invite you to open your Bibles to John chapter 5. John chapter 5. Before we get started, I just want to take time to thank all of you for praying, for the elders and staff as we got away on a retreat last week. It was a very beneficial time, great time of prayer and just really fellowship for us to be together. And the Lord really, I think met us there and solidified some of our vision of who He wants us to be as a church.
Jeffrey Heine:And it's exciting. A lot has happened at our church. Maybe some of you are new and don't know this, but a lot has happened in the last year and a half. We've grown by over 400 people in the last year and a half. I mean our morning service we ran out of seats.
Jeffrey Heine:That's a lot of people, especially for somebody introverted like myself to have to speak to and get to know. It's exciting and at the same time we wanna make sure we do clarify our vision, who we are. We don't care about being the, you know the biggest most huge church out there. We don't wanna be a mile wide and an inch deep. It's not our goal.
Jeffrey Heine:We want to be a people committed to prayer, the word of God, knowing one another. We pray often that if we cease to be a people of prayer, that God would close these doors. If we cease to be a people that cling to his word, that God would close these doors. If we quit being a people that are missional and reach out with the gospel, may God close these doors. So if you're here and you're coming, I just want you to know we want you to do more than just fill a seat.
Jeffrey Heine:Because our goal isn't just to get bigger and bigger. We want you to do far more than just fill a seat. We want you to dig in. We want you to be part of the community here. We want you to be part of the outreaches here.
Jeffrey Heine:And so I just wanna encourage you, to do that. And I'm excited about what the Lord has for us ahead. So John 5 tonight. We're gonna read the same text that Jeff preached from last week. Actually a couple of weeks ago, Jeff and I were going through this text and we realized it was just way too big for one sermon.
Jeffrey Heine:So last week was part a, and, tonight is part b. We'll begin reading in verse 39. You search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life. And it is they that bear witness about me. Yet, you refuse to come to me that you may have life.
Jeffrey Heine:I do not receive glory from people, but I know that you do not have the love of God within you. I have come in my father's name and you do not receive me. If another comes in his own name, you'll receive him. How can you believe when you receive glory from another, and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? Do not think that I will accuse you to the father.
Jeffrey Heine:There is one who accuses you. Moses. On whom you have set your hope. If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?
Jeffrey Heine:This is the word of the Lord. Pray with me. Our father, we are so grateful for your son, Jesus. And right now through your spirit, I pray that we would hear him speaking to us. We are not gathered in this place just to sing good songs, see some familiar faces, have a time of fellowship.
Jeffrey Heine:Not even here to hear me. We are here to hear from you, Jesus. For you have words of life, so speak. I pray that my words would fall to the ground and blow away and not be remembered anymore. Lord, may your words remain and may they change us.
Jeffrey Heine:We pray this in the strong name of Jesus. Amen. There are a few passages in the Bible that have been as impactful to me as this one. Almost 20 years ago when I was in seminary, I took a class on the gospel of John, and I began to wrestle with these words. You search the scriptures because you think in them you have life, yet these are the scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.
Jeffrey Heine:Now remember that, I mean, those words were like an explosion in in my head and in my heart, and they completely changed as I wrestled with them, completely changed the way I view scripture, the way I view preaching, the way I had my quiet times. Just look at what Jesus is saying here. He's He's talking to some very serious religious people, and He acknowledges, hey you all are searching the scriptures. And you're doing this in order to find life. So he's addressing a people who who believe that the Bible was the word of God.
Jeffrey Heine:They believed in the inspiration of scripture. That they were God breathed. That scripture was true, and that they were diligently seeking these words. That's why they were going to scripture. These weren't people who were just casually reading their bible.
Jeffrey Heine:Not skimming through or reading like, you know, whatever pop devotional comes up in the day. They this they were digging into the word, looking for something. And what they were looking for was eternal life. Let me just say that this is a beautiful thing. One should indeed search the scriptures for life.
Jeffrey Heine:There's a lot of passages you could go to for this, but Psalm 119 is perhaps the best. Psalm 11925 says my soul clings to the dust. Give me life according to your word. Psalm 1981, my soul longs for Your salvation, I hope in Your word. Verse 144, your testimonies are righteous forever.
Jeffrey Heine:Give me understanding that I may live. Searching the scriptures, is a beautiful thing, and we should go to the scriptures looking for life. But here's the thing, we can go searching the scriptures looking for life, and yet miss the point, and not actually find life. And that's what these people were doing. The ultimate point of the Bible is to lead people to Jesus, who then gives life.
Jeffrey Heine:So we read our Bibles to know Jesus. Life isn't in the words themselves. Lives are in the words that Jesus says. They're the words that come from Him. Life is in the word is in the one to whom utters these words.
Jeffrey Heine:And we are to go to Him. Jesus is whom all of scripture is about. Jesus unpacks this a little bit more in verse 45. Do not think that I will accuse you to the father. There is one who accuses you, Moses, on whom you have set your hope.
Jeffrey Heine:If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote of me. In other words, Jesus says there is a way to read Moses, or the old Testament, the law and the prophets, there's a way to read Moses, which will condemn you. And there is a way to read Moses that will save you and give you life. There's a way to read your bible in which Moses himself on judgment day will accuse you, and there's another way to read your bible in which it will save you on that day. Do do you see that here?
Jeffrey Heine:How how God's work can either bring an accusation from Moses, or it can bring to us life in Jesus. It could do one of those two things. Not say preaching can also do this. Preaching can either bring death or preaching can bring life. The way you share your faith can actually either bring death, or it could bring life.
Jeffrey Heine:Evangelism can either feel like an accusation from Moses, or it can feel like an introduction to Jesus. What is your evangelism feel like? Jesus is the point of the Bible, and Moses wrote about Him. Jesus said the point of all scripture is that we might come to Him. So if we want life, then we're gonna have to search scripture in order to find Jesus.
Jeffrey Heine:If you wanna understand what Moses wrote about, you have to know that Moses wrote about Jesus. So the question is, how do we do this? How do we search the scriptures and find Jesus? And when you first read through something like this, you're probably tempted to do, okay, well, it means we find all the prophecies about Jesus in the Old Testament. I mean, that's what we're supposed to do.
Jeffrey Heine:We're supposed to go to Micah, who says, you know, out of the little town of Bethlehem, that's where the ruler will come. We're supposed to go to Isaiah and how he prophesied that the virgin shall be with child, that the Messiah would suffer for sins, our sins. Or we're supposed to go to the psalmist to prophesy that the Messiah, not a bone of His shall be broken. And so we kind of think if we just kind of put together all of these prophecies, make a list, what we're supposed to do is check them all off, and then we go through all the prophecies, we're like, Jesus, there we go. That's how Jesus is in the Old Testament, the fulfillment of all the prophecies.
Jeffrey Heine:And yes, he is the fulfillment of all the prophecies. But Jesus is saying that all scripture, all scripture points to him. He's the point of the entire Old Testament. Now I realize even as I say this that there might be a few objections with some of you. Some of you might be thinking just just slow down a little bit.
Jeffrey Heine:You're getting a little too excited about this Jesus in the Old Testament. It's the reason your voice is going. Because there's other things in there besides Jesus, you know. I mean, there's the law. There's rules that we're supposed to follow.
Jeffrey Heine:There's some moral lessons. There's some examples of faith. Aren't those in the Old Testament? And I would say absolutely. You will find those things in the Old Testament.
Jeffrey Heine:But if lessons of morality or faith are all that you glean from the Old Testament, know that Moses will stand and accuse you. He will stand and accuse you because you will always fall short. And you miss the greater point, which is Jesus. All of this was written on order that we might come to know Jesus. It all points to him.
Jeffrey Heine:And so maybe we could go through a few old testament passages to look at this. I wanna look at what I call felt board stories. I actually wrote 3 sermons today, or 3 sermons for today, because I didn't know which stories I wanted to go through in the Old Testament. There's so many, and so I just wrote 3 sermons. But I chose one more like the big, the big stories, what I would call the felt board stories here.
Jeffrey Heine:The ones you probably remember if you grew up in Sunday school. Any of y'all have the felt boards? Am I, do you understand that? Okay, yeah. You know, you put up the little things and they tell the stories?
Jeffrey Heine:Okay, was I the only one? Maybe y'all did the chalk, you know, where you had the grand reveal at the end when the whole picture comes together. I grew up with the felt board. One of the first stories we learned on our little felt board in our Sunday school was of Abraham, father Abraham, who had many sons. We read in Genesis 22 how the Lord appeared to Abraham and asked Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac.
Jeffrey Heine:We're familiar with this story and certainly a way that one can read this story is to focus on Abraham's obedience as he led his son to Mount Moriah. And the Lord told Abraham to sacrifice his son, and without hesitation he grabbed his son, took him to Mount Moriah, even made him carry the wood. They get up there, he binds them, he puts them on the altar, he gets a knife, and he's coming down with it, and at the last possible moment, God says, Abraham, Abraham, stop. And Abraham stops, and he sacrifices a ram instead. So what should we take away from this story?
Jeffrey Heine:That we're supposed to have the same faith and obedience as Abraham? That we should trust in God even when we don't know why? And that's a yes, yes, those are takeaways from the story. We could also have a takeaway that the Lord might ask each one of us to sacrifice something dear to us someday. That's a possibility.
Jeffrey Heine:But it's not the point of the story. These are good lessons, but they are not the point. Jesus is the point. When we read the story, we need to think, Abraham's a sinner. And as a sinner, he owes a tremendous debt, and God has every right to call in that debt and ask for a sacrifice.
Jeffrey Heine:Because of his sin, a sacrifice must ultimately be paid, yet Isaac was spared. How can this be? And so we we look ahead over 2000 years, when the father did not spare his own son, but freely gave him up for us all. And how God and Jesus provided the ultimate and the final lamb as a sacrifice and payment for our sins. This act here is a sign pointing us forward.
Jeffrey Heine:Look at Abraham's son, or Isaac's son, Jacob. One of the most famous stories that happened with Jacob was when he was on the run from his brother Esau. He's in the middle of nowhere and he lays down to sleep and as he is laying down, God gives him a vision. It's this vision of this giant staircase going all the way up into heaven. And angels are ascending and descending this staircase.
Jeffrey Heine:And Jacob, when he wakes up, he's very encouraged by it Because somehow he thinks there is a way to heaven. Somehow heaven and earth are connected. But really, what did it mean? And then Jesus later, He points to that very story, and He tells Nicodemus, He says, I tell you what, you will see angels ascending and descending on me. I'm the staircase that goes to heaven.
Jeffrey Heine:I'm the one who connects heaven to earth. No one goes to heaven but through Me. I am the way and the truth and the life. Let's look at Jacob's son Joseph. I love the story of Joseph.
Jeffrey Heine:I think I took 4 or 5 weeks to go through it. It's the ultimate felt board story, because you've got the rainbow colored coat. You've got the mean brothers. You've got the near death experiences. You've got all the family drama.
Jeffrey Heine:But really, what is the point of having Joseph in the Bible? Is it to show us that we should trust God even in the midst of difficult times? The answer to that is yes. Was it also written to teach us, about the sovereignty of God, and that he uses even evil for our good? What you meant for evil, God meant for good.
Jeffrey Heine:Genesis 50. I would say, absolutely. That is one of the points of this story. But is there anything else more that we should learn? Something that won't accuse us on that day, but something that will give us life?
Jeffrey Heine:Yes. And Joseph, we see that he is the special son of his father. He was betrayed, and he was beaten by his brothers. He was thrown into the darkness, into a pit, and he was left for dead. Later, he was sold for silver.
Jeffrey Heine:Lived a life, a humble life as a slave, where he had to learn obedience. As a slave, he would resist all temptation. Even a temptation that if you look at the story, it is remarkably similar to the temptation in the garden of Adam and Eve. Remember when Potiphar's wife kept tempting Joseph? And Joseph spoke to her and said, my father has put me in control of all of his house.
Jeffrey Heine:He has withheld nothing from me except for you. It's very similar to the garden in which God gave Adam and Eve the whole garden, gave them charge over all of it. And he withheld nothing from them except for one tree. And where Adam and Eve failed, Joseph in this case did not. But although Joseph did not fall, he was punished, and he was thrown into prison.
Jeffrey Heine:He resisted temptation, but he was not rewarded, instead he paid for it. And after many years in prison, God raised up Moses, or raised up Joseph to a place of supreme power, where he saves the world from famine. Now you can learn a lot of things from this story. When I was a youth, kinda the thing that was always harped on was the fleeing from sexual immorality. You know, that was just kind of as a 16 year old boy that was just pounded in there that you you have to just run away.
Jeffrey Heine:And it was probably a good lesson because at the time, I was dating a 16 year old hot lady named Lauren, and it was probably a good message for me to hear. But there's so much more. The whole story of Joseph, the whole story is ultimately a sign pointing us to Jesus, to the greater Joseph to come, one who wasn't the favorite of his father, but one who was the only begotten of his father, who came to earth, who resisted every temptation, who was betrayed by those closest to Him, who was also sold for silver, beaten, killed, and thrown into the ultimate pit, the grave. But God raised him up from this pit and made him the savior of the world, who did not just save us from famine, but saved us from sin and from death. Jesus is the greater Joseph.
Jeffrey Heine:He's the one to whom the entire life of Joseph is pointing us towards. After Joseph, we come to the story of Moses. Now, we took almost a year to go through the life of Moses, so that's that's way, way too much for us to go through. I'm not gonna repeat the whole series. But it's there we see things like the Passover lamb and how it takes the blood of the lamb in order for judgment to pass us by, pointing us to Jesus.
Jeffrey Heine:And we see the crossing of the Red Sea, that pinnacle moment where Moses liberates the Israelites, he frees them from slavery, and Moses becomes this mediator between God and man. And he shows us this need for a mediator. And at that climactic moment when the Israelites are pinned against the Red Sea, as Pharaoh's army is closing in, Moses he says these words. He says, fear not, Stand firm and see the Yeshua. Yeshua meaning salvation of the Lord.
Jeffrey Heine:It's the first time we have that word in scripture. It also happens to be the name of Jesus, Yeshua, Jesus. This is the reason that Gabriel told Joseph, he said, when you have a child I want you to name him Yeshua. I want you to name him that God saves or salvation is from the Lord. Because we have set this entire framework, this entire story here so that people might know what he will do.
Jeffrey Heine:That he will provide a greater Exodus and he will save the people from their sins. So when Jesus tells us in John 5 that Moses wrote of me, he's pointing here, fear not, stand firm, look at Jesus. He's the one who saves us. Let's look at the life of David. What are we supposed to make of His story?
Jeffrey Heine:Let's look at the most famous story that involves David, David and Goliath. Almost everybody knows the story of David and Goliath, even if you're not a Christian. Because if you've ever watched a sporting event, I mean, there is David and Goliath. It's mentioned all the time. Now, in this story we have these armies fighting.
Jeffrey Heine:David is a mere youth at this time when Israel goes off to battle the Philistines and they meet in this valley. And what these armies decided was rather than all the armies coming together and having massive casualties and loss, instead, each army would send 1 champion. And these champions would come. These representatives of their armies, their people, they would come and they would fight to the death. And whoever won, that army would win.
Jeffrey Heine:Whoever lost, that army would lose. The Philistines really liked that plan because they had a soldier named Goliath. He was a giant, he towered over any other soldier. Says just his armor weighed £125. The Bible describes his armor, saying it was, it was the same word that's used to describe the scales of a serpent.
Jeffrey Heine:And every day, Goliath would come. Day after day, he'd come out to the valley and he would call out to the Israelites. Who are you gonna send to fight me? And he would mock the Israelites and he would mock their God. And the Israelites were just on the sidelines shaking in fear because nobody was gonna go and fight this person.
Jeffrey Heine:Until David comes to the scene. And David, he's just a little boy, but he rushes to meet Goliath on the battlefield. He grabs 5 smooth stones and he races to him, and we know how the story goes. He slings the stone and he hits Goliath in the head, and Goliath falls down, and he takes Goliath's sword, and he cuts off his head. And when this happened, the entire Philistine army, they can't believe it, and then they they run off in fear.
Jeffrey Heine:And Israel is victorious. It's a story we are familiar with, but what is the point of it? Is this story about having faith? Is it about facing your giants? I mean, how many of you have heard that?
Jeffrey Heine:We gotta face our giants. That's what I was taught when I was younger. Is the point of this story is that we need to find our 5 smooth stones, and we need to go out and take on a giant, and we need to launch these stones with faith, conquer the world. Dismisses the greater point. You ever notice that there's always the temptation when we read these stories to make us the hero?
Jeffrey Heine:It's like, that's that's who we always identify with as the hero. We want to put ourselves in David's shoes. And David becomes an example for us to follow. And there can be some some merit to that because we're supposed to have courage like David. We're supposed to trust the lord.
Jeffrey Heine:But seeing David as an example is going to lead to Moses being an accuser because we will fall short. We should identify with the people trembling before the enemy, the people who are paralyzed with fear, the people that are doomed to a life of slavery or death unless a champion comes to fight for them. The story introduces the idea of a savior coming to fight as a representative for His people. David was acting as a substitute. If David lost, we would all lose.
Jeffrey Heine:If David won, we would all win. His victory would be our victory. Whatever happens to David was going to be imputed to the Israelites. And so instead of seeing David as a mere example, we should be looking to him as a savior, pointing us to an even greater savior, an even greater champion. Jesus, whose faith, whose righteousness, and whose victory was imputed to us.
Jeffrey Heine:When Jesus defeated sin and death, when Jesus defeated Satan, these things were imputed to us. His victory became our victory. When Jesus won, we won. When David went out to fight, he said that he came in the name of the Lord. And he said, you know, you come to me with spear and all this, but I come to you in the name of the Lord.
Jeffrey Heine:And that was actually a very unique phrase that he said. I come in the name of Yahweh. And I love it because when Jesus was going into Jerusalem the week of his death, so he's going into the cross, To the cross on Palm Sunday, people are lining the streets. And as Jesus walks down, what are they shouting? Hosanna or save us.
Jeffrey Heine:Save us. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. They saw Jesus as the new David, the new conqueror. And He did conquer. He defeated the greatest enemy of all at the cross.
Jeffrey Heine:He defeated the ultimate serpent, the one whom Goliath pointed to. At the cross, his head was chopped off, and we receive the victory. Let's look at the life of Jonah. Jesus Himself, He often pointed to Jonah. And said, Jonah's life is a sign pointing to me.
Jeffrey Heine:That's what Jesus said. But how? If you remember the story, God called Jonah to go and to preach to this evil city called Nineveh. But Jonah really did not want to go. So Nineveh is this way and Jonah headed this way as fast as he could.
Jeffrey Heine:He ran from God's calling. And he even got in a ship and he sailed off into the ocean or into the sea. And as he was running away, God sends this storm, this fierce storm. And it gets so bad that the ship begins to sink. And these experienced sailors, they had never seen a storm like this.
Jeffrey Heine:They know this is, has to be sent from a God. So it's gotta be sent in as a punishment for somebody. There's gotta be somebody guilty here. And so, so they draw straws. They draw lots for this.
Jeffrey Heine:I don't even know why Jonah went through. He should've just raised his hand. It's me, I mean. But they do it, and of course, I got the short stick. So Jonah, he is the guilty party.
Jeffrey Heine:And they asked Jonah, what should we do? And He says, you need to throw Me into the ocean. It's the only way you can be saved. We read this. The sailors say, what is it that you have done?
Jeffrey Heine:What is it that you have done? When they look at Jonah, it's the exact same question that actually God asked Adam and Eve after they sinned. What have you done? Why are you running away from me? And we read this.
Jeffrey Heine:So they picked up Jonah, and they hurled him into the sea. And the sea ceased from its raging. Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly. We don't know exactly why Jonah wanted to be thrown into the ocean here, be thrown overboard, but we can see that it was through this sacrificial act that God's fury and his wrath was abated. The wrath of God was appeased when the sacrifice when Jonah was thrown into the wrath of God, the wrath of God was appeased, and it stopped.
Jeffrey Heine:This is a sign pointing to Jesus who was thrown into the very wrath of God so that we might be saved. He took on God's judgment in order to give us peace. But unlike Jonah, he wasn't fleeing from the presence of God. He was not living in disobedience. And Jesus was not spared.
Jeffrey Heine:Jesus died. And was not 3 days in the fit in the belly of a fish. He was 3 days in the grave, but rose victorious. Jesus is the greater Jonah. We could go on, but we see that the whole Old Testament points to Jesus.
Jeffrey Heine:Jesus is He's the greater Adam. Jesus is Adam's seed that would come and crush the serpent's head in Genesis 3:15. Jesus is the offspring of Abraham who would bless the entire world. Jesus is the one who provides a greater exodus, He did what Moses could not do. You know Moses, he delivered people from physical sin, or physical slavery.
Jeffrey Heine:Jesus broke the chains of sin and death. Jesus is the real manna. He is the true bread that's come down from heaven, in which our souls might feast. Jesus, he is the rock in which the rod of judgment hit and life giving water came out that will quench our thirsting souls. And Jesus is the one who fulfills the 10 commandments.
Jeffrey Heine:He is the only one who has kept them, and he can keep them because they have flown from his very heart. Jesus is the true Sabbath rest. Jesus is a bronze serpent that was lifted up and that all who are sick in faith that they look at that serpent, they are healed. Jesus is the cities of refuge in which the guilty sinner might flee to and find shelter. Jesus is the better and true Joshua, who delivers us and takes us into the promised land.
Jeffrey Heine:Jesus is the shoot from the stump of Jesse. He is the offspring of David whose kingdom will know no end. Jesus is the temple in which the fullness of God dwells. The temple that could be tore down in 3 days, yet resurrected and put back together. Jesus is the great high priest, the high priest whom all the other high priests point.
Jeffrey Heine:Every other high priest, they lived and then they died in their sin. Jesus lived and died for their sin, and then lives again, ascended and He is now interceding on our behalf, but He is not pleading with the blood of bulls and goats, He is pleading by His own blood. Jesus is the one whom Job trusted when he says, I know there is a redeemer. Jesus is the one who was in the fire with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and they could avoid the fires of judgment because Jesus was there with them. Jesus is the rose of Sharon, He's the lily of the valley.
Jeffrey Heine:He's the greater Hosea, the one who loves his unfaithful bride to the end. Jesus is the suffering servant from Isaiah. He's the one who was crushed for our iniquities. Jesus is the light that shines among a people walking in darkness. Jesus is the vision of Daniel, of the son of man descending on the clouds, who comes and He reigns forever.
Jeffrey Heine:Jesus is the Lion of Judah. He is the bright and morning star. Jesus is the one who the Psalmist writes about and says, that though his body dies, it will not undergo decay. All of scripture, all of the Old Testament, we see it preaching Jesus saying, go to him. Go to Jesus.
Jeffrey Heine:So I asked the question, on whom are you setting your hope? Are you setting your hope on trying to obey all of the rules? And trying to do mighty acts of faith, like Abraham, or Moses, or David? Or are you setting your hope on Jesus? If you set your hope on anything or any person other than Jesus, that thing or person will accuse you.
Jeffrey Heine:You will fall short. So the question I have for you is, are you going to Jesus? He invites you to come to him that you might find life. You search the scriptures because you think in them you have life, but these are the scriptures that testify about me. So won't you please come to me that you might have life.
Jeffrey Heine:Pray with me. Jesus, right now in this moment, through your spirit, draw people to yourself. Awaken dead hearts. Awaken dead minds. Through your spirit, speak to these dead bones and say live.
Jeffrey Heine:We wanna hear from you, Jesus. We don't wanna be accused by Moses, we wanna be embraced by Jesus who gives us life. And it's your name we pray, amen.
