Of all the prophets in all the Old Testament, Moses held the particular distinction of being the Mediator of the Law. God chose Moses to lead the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt, and he did so with many miraculous signs that God displayed through him. But Moses was held in highest esteem for his role in bringing down from Mt. Sinai the stone tablets inscribed with the Ten Commandments.
Moses held the role of Law Mediator until the coming of the one who could truly and perfectly uphold the law—Jesus. In this sermon, we were able to see that Moses was in fact pointing forward to Jesus, the coming Messiah.
In the Old Testament, Moses stood as mediator of the law, the go-between from God to man. Moses brought the Israelites God’s law, and they were to follow it because they were His people.
God’s law brought five unique contributions:
- The law disclosed God’s character
- The law clarifies the standard
- The law reveals our sinfulness
- The law provides for atonement
- The law guides in righteousness
There was a lot of goodness and grace in the law that God mediated through Moses. So throughout Israel’s history, the people looked to Moses as the greatest Prophet they’d ever known. But Moses himself had prophesied: “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen.” (Deuteronomy 18:15). And so the people waited for the prophesied mediator to arrive.
Centuries later, that prophecy was fulfilled in Jesus, who became the New Mediator of the Law. So let’s consider those five contributions of the law and how Jesus fulfills them:
- Jesus fully discloses God’s character
- Jesus fully clarifies the standard
- Jesus fully reveals our sinfulness
- Jesus fully provides atonement
- Jesus fully guides in righteousness
Jesus is making us into a new creation. The old is gone, the new has come. In other words, the New Covenant promises are coming true in Jesus.
Takeaway: “The command ‘Be ye perfect’ is not idealistic gas. Nor is it a command to do the impossible. He is going to make us into creatures that can obey that command.” – C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
Deuteronomy 30:15–20, Matthew 5:17–20
Click here for the Q&A from the sermon.
