Series: Types of Christ Title: Lessons through the Manna Text: Exodus 16: 11-35 Date: June 3, 2012 Place: SGBC, New Jersey Christ Jesus is the true Bread from heaven typified in the manna in the wilderness. John 6: 51: I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. 52 The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? 53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. 54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. 56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. 58 This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever. Proposition: Believers are taught through Christ. Title: Lessons through the Manna I. WE ARE TAUGHT THROUGH CHRIST NOT THROUGH THE FLESH. Exodus 16: 11: And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 12 I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel: speak unto them, saying, At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God. 13: And it came to pass, that at even the quails came up, and covered the camp: and in the morning the dew lay round about the host. God gave no instruction concerning the quails, ONLY THE MANNA the quails are flesh. They represent fleshly things, worldly things of flesh, things our flesh lusts after like birds of the air those things take wing and fly away. The quails were given by God, but the LORD worked no miracle in the quails, like he did in the manna. He gave no special instruction through the quail, only through the manna. Later, when they lusted after the flesh of the quail and loathed the manna. The Psalmist says, "He gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul." Application: Believer, never forget our true portion is Christ. Seek Christ, seek things about and not the flesh pots of this world, not even looking to our understanding. John 6: 63: It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. God may give us quails but do not lust after the things that merely feed the flesh Labor not for the meat that perishes Christ is our true Bread. II. WE LEARN HUMILITY THROUGH CHRIST OUR BREAD Exodus 16: 14 And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground. 15: And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat.
Some regard Christ our Bread and his means of grace as a small thing. They say, What is this! Shall we be saved and fed by something so insignificant! Christ was regarded the same way when he came into this earth. He came with no form or comeliness that would make men desire him but lowly. Those too high minded, too haughty, would not believe him when he came. John 6: 41: The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven. 42: And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven?...52: The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? 53: Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. 54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.60: Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it? 61 When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you? 62 What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? 63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life 65 And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father. 66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. If we would be taught of God we will have to come down like Christ came down. Philippians 2: 5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. III. THERE IS SUFFICIENCY IN CHRIST FOR ALL WHO ARE HUNGRY. Exodus 16: 16: This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded, Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for every man, according to the number of your persons; take ye every man for them which are in his tents. 17: And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less. 18: And when they did mete it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating. The manna was brought to a central place. When they measured out an omer there was enough for every man. Those who gathered much had nothing left over. Those who gathered little had no lack. Christ is that Bread, Christ is that Central Place where we find bread sufficient. John 6: 35: And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. Christ Jesus is sufficient, his grace is sufficient. Where sin abounds, grace does much more abound-- My grace is sufficient for you! How great is your sin! His blood is greater! How great is your need today! His provision is greater. How great is your hunger! Christ alone is sufficient to satisfy His grace is sufficient for us daily. The Lord teaches us that he not only cares for each one, but cares for each one each day and each moment. He gives grace in full supply according we need his grace. This morning you needed grace to draw you to hear his word only he can give it No man cometh to me except my Father which is in heaven draws him. Right now you need hearing grace only he can give it Later you will need remembering grace only Christ can give it. Today you need living grace, in a little
while you will need dying grace. He gives the grace we need for the time we need it and his grace is sufficient. God supplies what earth denies. IV. CHRIST IS OUR DAILY BREAD Exodus 16: 19: And Moses said, Let no man leave of it till the morning. 20: Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and stank: and Moses was wroth with them. 21: And they gathered it every morning, every man according to his eating: and when the sun waxed hot, it melted. We must feed upon Christ daily. Some did not pass the test. They tried to save some for tomorrow. But yesterday s manna bred worms and stank. Application: Some may feed upon Christ this morning and expect to go through the whole week without reading his word daily or without seeking his face each new day. We don t do that with our earthly food. Why do we attempt it with Christ our Bread? We cannot gather today, lay up his grace, and expect to live upon yesterday s manna, today. The manna fell each day. God is faithful to provide. But it had to be gathered each day. We are to receive Christ by faith and seek Christ for ourselves daily. Reading his word In prayer Faithfully coming to hear his gospel Daily feeding upon Christ the Bread The Lord s grace does not make for laziness or greediness. God provides Christ the Bread freely, salvation is by grace, apart from any work performed by us. But saved sinners serve him and one another with fervent love and zeal. Grace does not make us lazy or indifferent. Grace is strength to the soul like bread is to the body. God will have us to seek him, to work in our jobs to provide for our families, and for one another, to do so as unto the Lord. Grace does this. V. BELIEVING AND FEEDING UPON CHRIST WE FIND REST FOR OUR SOULS. Exodus 16: 22: And it came to pass, that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for one man: and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses. 23 And he said unto them, This is that which the LORD hath said, To morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the LORD: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning. 24: And they laid it up till the morning, as Moses bade: and it did not stink, neither was there any worm therein. 25: And Moses said, Eat that to day; for to day is a sabbath unto the LORD: to day ye shall not find it in the field. 26: Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the sabbath, in it there shall be none. 27: And it came to pass, that there went out some of the people on the seventh day for to gather, and they found none. 28: And the LORD said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws? 29 See, for that the LORD hath given you the sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day. 30: So the people rested on the seventh day. The bread and the Sabbath were connected. The manna showed God s provision of life in Christ, the Bread of Life. The sabbath showed God s provision of rest in Christ. Christ s word to lost, ruined, guilty sinners is
this Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Are you laboring come to Christ. Are you heavy laden come to Christ. He promises, I will give you rest. Just as we never have LIFE for our souls except we feed upon Christ our Bread, so we never have REST for our souls, except we trust him alone as our Lord and Savior Trusting his blood as our only atonement His obedience as our only righteousness. Only Christ can give weary sinners rest. You will not find this Bread of Rest in the field Not in your works in Christ s works Not in your wisdom in Christ our Wisdom Not in your holiness in Christ our Sanctification Exodus 16: 28: And the LORD said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws? Only in obeying our Lord s Holy Command do we fulfill the law of God. This is the holy command, the holy work of God. John 6: 27: Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed. 28: Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? 29: Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. When they disobeyed and stored up bread rather gathering and eating daily it stank and bred worms. When they disobeyed by going out looking when they were told to rest they found no bread. But when they obeyed, the Lord both fed them and they rested. What about the law? Romans 3: 31: Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law. Abraham established the law when as yet he did not even have the ten commandments. How so? Through faith in Christ. In Romans 6, when Paul said shall we continue in sin that grace may abound I am convinced the sin Paul was speaking of is that sin of trying to find acceptance with God by our law obedience, by our righteousness rather than Christ who is the end of the law for righteousness. Romans 7: 8: But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead. 9: For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. 10 And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death. 11 For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me. 12 Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. 13 Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful. When those in Israel disobeyed stored up and went out looking instead of resting they were going about to establish their own righteousness to provide for themselves, rather than believing God and trusting that all provision was made for them in Christ the end of the law for righteousness. We establish the law by his obedience not ours. This rest is found through faith, not works.
Romans 8: 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: 4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. When you believe God and rest in Christ you truly obey the whole law of God. Then Christ becomes sweet to our souls. Exodus 16: 31: And the house of Israel called the name thereof Manna: and it was like coriander seed, white; and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey. VI. IN CHRIST WE HAVE A CONTINUAL REMINDER OF OUR SALVATION TO COME. Exodus 16: 32: And Moses said, This is the thing which the LORD commandeth, Fill an omer of it to be kept for your generations; that they may see the bread wherewith I have fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you forth from the land of Egypt. 33: And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a pot, and put an omer full of manna therein, and lay it up before the LORD, to be kept for your generations. 34: As the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept. 35: And the children of Israel did eat manna forty years, until they came to a land inhabited; they did eat manna, until they came unto the borders of the land of Canaan. The omer of manna was placed in a golden pot, placed inside the ark of the covenant, under the mercy-seat. The ark of the covenant was placed in the Holy of Holies, where the high priest sprinkled the atonement blood once a year. The manna under the blood was a perpetual reminder to Israel that they were delivered by the blood of the Passover lamb and sustained by bread in the wilderness, through their whole journey till entered the Land promised by God. Christ our Lamb redeemed us by his blood. Christ our Bread gave us eternal life through faith All through the mercy and grace of God. Our Redeemer and our Bread is laid up in glory now. We have a continual reminder in the Lord s table the bread and the wine this do in remembrance of me. As we drink the bread and the wine remember: He bought us with his blood. He shall provide for each of his blood-bought children. He shall feed us and provide all we need grace for today, daily bread with food and raiment therewith be content. He shall deliver each one into heavens glory safe and sound. John 6: 38: For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. 39: And this is the Father s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. 40: And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.49 Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. 50 This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. Believe on Christ Feed upon Christ Rest in Christ And you shall live forever! Amen!