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Source: https://www.sermonindex.net/speakers/john-meekin/pictures-of-the-resurrection/
Let's turn to the book of Genesis. I'll ask you to turn with me first of all to the book of Genesis and we'll read together in chapter 2. The book of Genesis for our reference and in chapter 2. And just a note of thanks.
I know I speak not only for myself but my beloved brethren. Sincere thanks to the assembly here in Waterloo and Cedar Falls for all the work and kindness over this weekend. Genesis chapter 2 for our reference.
And look at verse number 15. Genesis chapter 2 and at verse number 15. And the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man saying of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat but of the tree of knowledge of good and evil thou shalt not eat of it for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
Verse 20 and Adam gave names to all cattle and to the fowl of the air and every beast of the field but for Adam there was not found and help that was meet for him. And the Lord caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam and he slept and he took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh thereof and the rib which the Lord God had taken from man made he woman a woman and brought her onto the man.
And Adam said this is now bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh she shall be called woman because she was taken out of the man. Look into chapter 8 for a reference please. Genesis again and in chapter 8 and at verse number 1 and God remembered Noah and every living thing and all the cattle that was with him in the ark and God made a wind to pass over the earth and the waters assuaged.
Look at verse 4 and the ark rested in the seventh month on the 17th day of the month upon the mountains of Ararat and the waters decreased continually until the 10th month in the 10th month on the first day of the month where the tops of the mountains seen.
Look at chapter 22 please. We pick up the theme in chapter 22 and look with me at verse number 1. Genesis 22 and at verse number 1 and it came to pass after these things that God did tempt or test Abraham and said unto him Abraham and he said behold here I am.
Look at verse number 3 and Abraham rose up early in the morning and saddled his ass took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son and claimed the wood for the burnt offering and rose up and went into or onto the place which God had told him of.
Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place afar off and Abraham said unto his young men abide ye here with the ass and I and the lad will go yonder and worship and come again to you.
Look down the chapter please. Look at verse number 19. It's the most remarkable thing because Abraham returns. The lad returned as well but verse number 19 really doesn't record that. So Abraham returned unto his young men and they rose up and went together to Beersheba and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba.
Look into chapter 41 please. We'll take a, I wasn't going to read this one but Genesis chapter 41. Genesis 41 and at verse number 42 and Pharaoh took off his ring from off his hand and put it upon Joseph's hand and arrayed him in fine linen and put a gold chain about his neck and he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had and they cried before him bow the knee and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt.
And I'll trouble you for a final reference in the book of Leviticus. Leviticus chapter 23 and we see another picture here that I want to draw from the scriptures. Leviticus please and in chapter 23 and look with me at verse number nine.
And the Lord spake unto Moses saying, speak unto the children of Israel and say unto them, when ye be come into the land which I give unto you and shall reap the harvest thereof, then shall ye bring a sheaf of the first fruit.
That's a singular by the way. A sheaf of the first fruit of your harvest unto the priest and he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord to be accepted for you on the morrow after the Sabbath. The priest shall wave it and you shall offer that day when ye wave the sheaf and he lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering unto the Lord and the meat offering and all the attendant offerings are then mentioned down to verse number 14.
God bless to us that reading or those readings of the sacred scriptures. There's a couple of references just for sake of time that I haven't taken today. And so I might call upon your knowledge of the scriptures when it comes to those references from the sacred page of God's word.
I was present in Rose Isle just a few weeks ago actually. I was up in Rose Isle Manitoba and on the concluding night of ministry I had the privilege of taking up the Ark of the Covenant. And as I was sitting there just before the meeting, just sitting musing and perhaps a measure of nervousness for myself as well, sitting musing upon certain things, thinking about the Ark and some of these great things that the Bible suggests to us.
As I was sitting there I began to think of the picture of the Ark of the Covenant going down into the waters of Jordan. Now I'll come back to that. I didn't read it from the book of Joshua. It's found in the book of Joshua chapter 3 and into Joshua chapter 4.
And as I was musing upon the Ark going down into the waters of Jordan, it's a great symbolic picture of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And that's really what I have before me just for a few minutes.
I want to pick up where our brother Jason left off yesterday in the ministry. You know and I know that when it comes to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, it's stamped right through the scriptures. This is the day of the resurrection.
Even in the world, the world that we are living in, even in the religious world, they are marking this day and they are linking this day to the resurrection of Christ. Of course we go through the scriptures and we find that there are prophecies of the resurrection.
Our brother, I think it was our brother Jason mentioned yesterday, Psalm number 16. You remember the writer of that psalm? He's looking forward to the Lord Jesus and the resurrection of Christ and the great prophecies of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.
And he says, thou wilt not leave my soul in the unseen realm, nor suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. And that text tells us two things about the Lord Jesus and about his resurrection. It identifies first of all his soul and his spirit.
Thou wilt not abandon my soul to the unseen realm. It also identifies his body, nor suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. And the Lord Jesus knew that God would take care of his spirit and his soul.
That's why upon the cross, he was able to say, Father, into thy hands, I commend my spirit. And he also knew when he did that, that God would take care of his body. Because resurrection is stamped on the Old Testament and the prophecies of the Old Testament regarding the resurrection, they are many, they are varied, and they are seen.
Of course, when we come to the gospels, in the gospels, it's not so much prophecy of the resurrection. When we step into Matthew's gospel, chapter 28, and Mark's gospel, chapter 16, and Luke's gospel, chapter 24, and John's gospel, chapter 20, we've got the profile of the resurrection.
It was quite a thing, beloved saints. It was early in the morning. In fact, isn't it John's gospel, you would almost think that progressively it's getting darker. Because John says in his gospel, it was yet dark, and yet they came to the sepulchre.
And when those ladies arrived at the sepulchre with the great question on their heart, the question was this, who shall roll away the stone? Thank God that was answered. That two-ton stone that had been rolled to the door of the sepulchre, you and I know, an angel came from heaven, and with dramatic, mighty, sovereign power, rolled back the stone.
And he sat upon it, and he announced, why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here. He is risen. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. It was early in the morning when they came to where he lay, and the sun had scarcely risen on that far-off eastern day.
He is taken, he is taken, was their anguish cry. He is risen, he is risen, was the angel's reply. And so, beloved saints, never forget this morning or this afternoon that in the Old Testament, we've got great prophecies of the resurrection.
In the gospel records, we've got the profile of the resurrection. When we come to the New Testament epistles, we get the precepts of the resurrection. It's amazing just how many fundamental doctrines that the New Testament presents that are based upon the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.
Just go through the book of Romans. I've hardly time today to unpack some of this stuff, but just go through the book of Romans. How does Paul open the book of Romans? Romans chapter 1, the resurrection.
The great doctrine of justification, Romans chapter 4, the resurrection. The great doctrine of salvation, Romans chapter 10, the resurrection, and so forth it goes. And so, beloved saints, stamped on the New Testament epistles are precepts.
Colossians chapter 3 and verse number 1, since ye be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sits at the right hand of God. The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, it lifts our spirits.
Beloved saints, it directs our steps. It lifts our eyes, and as it lifts our eyes, it lifts our eyes to a resurrected, ascended man at the right hand of God, and that has changed everything. It has changed the parameters on earth.
It has changed the parameters between heaven and hell. Beloved saints, as I speak today, here we have in the New Testament the great precepts of resurrection. What I want to do for a few minutes, and I'll try and make it as brief as possible, I'm going to pick up from the Old Testament, not so much prophecies of the resurrection, and I'm not even going to identify the profile of the resurrection, and it's not the precepts of the resurrection.
What I want to do just for a few minutes is just to take a look at some of the pictures of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, which are found in the Old Testament. They are many. I've identified seven.
Now, I'm going to have to admit to you, I might not deal with the seven, but I've identified seven. I read maybe about five there, and perhaps two others we could see. I read about Adam there in the Garden of Eden, and I want you to think of a picture of resurrection that's linked to Adam.
I read about Noah's Ark in Genesis chapter 8, and when we look at Noah's Ark again, we see a picture and something linked to the Lord Jesus concerning resurrection. I mentioned Isaac, and I read about Isaac in Genesis chapter 22, and again the Holy Spirit indicates something about the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.
We read about Joseph. The days of his prison experience are over. He's 30 years of age, and God brings him from the prison. God puts him right upon the throne, and as we look at Joseph, we'll be able to see something of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.
We saw the wave sheaf, Leviticus chapter 23. Our brother yesterday, he read 1 Corinthians chapter 15, Christ, the first fruit. Afterward, they that are Christ's, it is coming, and that first fruit thing is based upon Leviticus chapter 23, and it presents the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.
The two that I didn't read, you say, what about the two that you didn't read? Numbers chapter 17, Aaron's rod, and we get a picture of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and the one that I started my comments with, the Ark of the Covenant going down into the Jordan.
Again, beloved saints, I would suggest to you, it's a picture of the resurrection. So that seven, a seven-fold picture of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, stamped here on the page of sacred scripture.
The first one then, what about Adam? As I'm looking at Adam in Genesis chapter 2, I want to suggest to you that what we're looking at is this. We're learning something of the purpose of a resurrected man.
You and I know that what is identified in Genesis chapter 2, now, I want you to listen to this. What is identified on the page of Genesis chapter 2 does not happen chronologically after Genesis 1. Now, I'll just wait for a moment, right?
Oh, you say, Adam was put into a deep sleep. We read, well, I didn't take time to read, but if we had read the opening verses of Genesis chapter 2, you would almost think that the seventh day has come.
It's not called the Sabbath day in Genesis chapter 2. You would almost think the seventh day has come. And after the coming of the seventh day, God says, everything is very good. And as a consequence, and subsequent to that seventh day, then Eve is formed.
Could I suggest to you, that's not correct chronology. When Eve was formed, beloved saints, let me suggest to you that took place on the day when Adam was created. That took place on the sixth day. Now, don't forget, when did the Lord start working?
You and I know the Lord started to work on the Lord's first day of the week. He started his work on the first day. So on Sunday, he started to work. Monday, he works. Tuesday, he works. And right through those days until the sixth day.
What's the sixth day, beloved saints? Oh, you say, we can do the math as well. That's a Friday. The first Friday that we ever see in the scriptures was the sixth day. Could I suggest to you, beloved saints, on the sixth day, the first sixth day in scripture, the first Friday in scripture on that day, there was a man went into darkness.
There was a man was placed into a deep sleep. And here is Adam, as we consider Adam on the first Friday in the Bible, and he's put into darkness, and he's put into a deep sleep, and his side is opened.
And once his side is opened on that particular day, from the riven side of the man is brought forth a rib, and built upon that rib, God brings forth a bride. Now, you've got the picture already. Here on this first sixth day, this first Friday, the man goes into darkness.
There comes a stage, we're not given the details, but there came a stage when Adam was brought forth from that state. And there came a stage when Adam was brought forth from the darkness. And I would suggest to you, it's a picture of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.
And stamped, stamped right here in Genesis chapter 2, stamped upon the page of scripture is the great purpose of a resurrected man, into darkness, into the depth. His side was opened. I think that you and I know already where I'm going in my mind in that.
I would suggest to you, without dogmatism, please, I think Brandon and I are leaving fairly soon, not just exactly sure of the timeframe. Could I suggest to you, I know all don't believe this, but I personally am very satisfied that the Lord died on a Friday.
And as he died there on Friday, he went into darkness. And as he's there in the darkness and in the deeps, his side was opened. And from that side that was opened, the great purchase price was paid. And you say, what was the whole purpose of it all?
Right here in Genesis chapter 2, we get the first picture of resurrection from the darkness, from this state of death. God brings a man and he brings him back to life in a sense. And his side is riven.
And from the side of Christ, there is going to be a bride. John hears in the book of the revelation, come, he says, and I will show thee the bride, the Lamb's wife. The first picture of resurrection is Adam and the great purpose of a resurrected man.
Maybe I won't stay too long with the next one. I'm moving now not to Adam, but we're with Noah's ark. And as we're looking at the ark of Noah, you'll notice in Genesis 8, it says this, the waters were diminishing and the waters were assuaged.
And it says this, that on the 17th day of the first month, it says that the ark rested on the mountains of Ararat. And you say, what's the picture here? It's not so much the great purpose of a resurrected man.
Could I suggest to you that we're getting a picture right here in Genesis chapter 8 of the place that's going to be associated with a resurrected man? The ark. Oh, you say, where is the ark? The ark is left on the mountains in that elevated place.
If you and I had got to see that ark, it was uplifted on the mountains of Ararat. Could I suggest to you that God is giving us a picture of the place that this resurrected man is going to occupy? Where is he today, beloved saints?
The man that died in the gloom-filled darkness of Golgotha. As I'm looking at you this afternoon, my beloved brethren, beloved sisters, where is this man? And you say, we know where he is. He's crowned with glory and honor.
In fact, the Bible says, Psalm 110, sit thou at my right hand until I make thy foes the footstool of thy feet. And we're getting a picture in the ark of the place of this resurrected man in the heights, in the glory.
Mind you, it was quite a day when he went home, the risen Christ. The day that he went home and he lifted up his hands. You know that Luke's gospel opens with a priest. Luke's gospel in picture form closes with a priest.
You think of that man taking manhood to the throne of glory. There had never been manhood on the throne of glory before, and there was a man left Bethany, and he went up. As one of our brethren used to tell us, as he went into heaven, the angels marveled in silence.
And he went past the angels, and he went past the rank of seraphim, and they didn't speak. And he went past the rank of cherubim, and again they were silent. And he went past the archangel, Michael the archangel, and Michael the archangel looked on in wonder.
And that man sat down on the right hand of the majesty in the heights in silence. And beloved saints, God broke the silence in heaven, and God saluted his son. There was a salute given when Christ sat down in glory.
You say, you're taking it too far. Mekin, that's way too far for sanctified imagination today. No, it's not. That's the word that's used in Hebrews chapter 5. Listen to what Hebrews 5 says, verse number 10, called of God and high priest.
The word that's used there is saluted by God. And when he sat down on the throne of glory, the silence of heaven was broken. And God looked to a man on the throne of glory, the throne that God himself occupied eternally.
And God said, thou art my son this day, the day of ascension. Have I begotten thee back from the scene of the dead? Beloved saints, when it comes to Noah's ark, it's the great place that we are linking this resurrected man.
Let me come quickly then to Genesis chapter 22. In Genesis chapter 22, it's not the purpose that is linked with this resurrected man. And it's not the place in the mountains, in the heights that's associated with this resurrected man.
In Genesis 22, it's the presentation of a resurrected man. The father's about to leave the servants, the supreme test in Abraham's life. Three times in Abraham's life, he had to rise early in the morning.
He rose early in the morning to cast out the bond woman and her son. He rose early in the morning to look over the cities of the plain, to stand before his God. And the third time in Abraham's life when we read, he rose early in the morning, was when God said to Abraham, take now thy son, thine only Isaac, whom thou lovest, get thee to the land of Moriah.
And he's now leaving the servants and he's leaving the animals and they're going up to Moriah. And just as he leaves the man, Abraham says, you stay here with the animals. I and the lad, we go yonder and worship.
And listen to it now. In one supreme statement of faith, I and the lad, we go yonder and worship and we will come again to you. And the events of Moriah, the place, what a place it was. Those people, those servants were standing in the place.
That's a unique thing. Isn't that John's gospel? Right in the very place. John identifies the place for us. In the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden. And you and I know that it's John's gospel that gives so minutely the presentation of a resurrected man.
Twice over actually in John's gospel, you get the garden. John is the gospel that presents couplets to us in a very unique way. You remember in John's gospel, there's two deaths. In John's gospel, there's two resurrections.
In John's gospel, there's two fires. In John's gospel, there's two feedings. The feeding of the 5 ,000 and the feeding on the shore in John's gospel chapter 21. And right through John's gospel, it's just full of couplets.
Before the Lord Jesus went to the cross, John 18, he went into the garden. And after the cross, there's a resurrected man appears. And what a presentation it is. Isaac, the presentation of a resurrected man.
What a presentation is found in John's gospel chapter 20. In the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden. And there was a woman standing in that garden. I referenced her yesterday. Mary was her name, Mary Magdalene.
And the Lord Jesus presented himself to that lady. You read John 20 again. You see in verse number one of John's gospel chapter 20, it says, Maria, Mary. You see in John's gospel chapter 20 and verse number 11, it uses the Greek name again.
It says, now, Maria. The Lord Jesus rises from the dead. The Lord Jesus appears to Mary. She supposes him to be the gardener. And he says to her, Mary, who you say, that's the same Greek word that's used in verse number one.
That's the same Greek name that's used in verse number 11. No, it's not. Actually, preserved in the Greek text, the Lord Jesus looked at her and he didn't say the Greek name. He says, Miriam, the presentation of a resurrected man.
Beloved saints, you say, why did he call her by name? That's John's presentation. You know, in John's gospel, he knows his own sheep. He calleth them all by name. He knows every sheep that's here this afternoon.
I got to hurry here. But he knows every sheep that's here this afternoon. In John's gospel, he calls Simon Peter by his name, Simon, Simon. In John's gospel, he calls Thomas by his name. And right through John's gospel, he knows everyone by name.
Beloved saints, Isaac, the presentation of a resurrected man. It was quite a day when Abraham, it's not recorded for us, Abraham and Isaac make their way down the mountain. And back he comes in the very place from where he was crucified.
Well, you say, what about Joseph? Maybe I'll give you this one and move on. With Joseph, it's not the purpose of a resurrected man. And it's not the presentation of a resurrected man. And it's not the place associated with a resurrected man.
With Joseph, it's the power of a resurrected man. In Genesis chapter 50, Joseph comes to the throne. And as soon as Joseph comes to the throne, Joseph is given seven things. Now, I'm not going to give you the seven things.
Young people, you can sort the seven things yourselves. It's right there in the text. There used to be a man that we used to listen to. His name was Mr. Bentley. In ministry meetings like this, you go to a ministry meeting on a Monday night and he'd give you homework just like I've given you.
And he'd tell you there's seven things in Genesis chapter 41. And when you came to the meeting on the Tuesday night, he'd stop you at the door and he'd say, have you got the seven things? I used to think it was a great way of emptying an audience.
No one did the homework. But you can sort it yourself now. When it comes to Joseph, he gets the ring and he gets the robe and you can identify the other things right there in the text. And what we are learning is this.
He has set over all the power of a resurrected man. What about the sheaf? The sheaf of firstfruits from Leviticus chapter 23. Could I suggest to you that's the priority of a resurrected man. They took, it's well known in history, most likely it was on the 14th day.
In the evening of the 14th day, the priests, they led a company outside the city and there was barley which had been designated. And there was one sheaf that had been tied. And the priest would bring people outside the city and they would come to that one sheaf.
And he would raise a sickle. And the priest said to the people, shall we rape? And the people replied, they said, we shall rape. And he lifted the sickle and he said, with this sickle? And the people replied, with that sickle?
And the priest took the sickle and he cut down the first sheaf of barley. The first one was cut down. You say, what did they ever do with it? They kept it over the Sabbath day. And you see on the next day, the day following the Sabbath, now follow me through now, the 14th day was the day when Christ died.
The 15th day is the day when he's in the tomb, the Sabbath day, the Saturday. And you say, what about the next day? The next day that priest took that sheaf and he moved into the very presence of God and he waved it before the Lord, lifted it up and he waved it before the Lord.
You know what it tells me? The great priority of a resurrected man. When the priest lifted that sheaf up, you know what he was saying? This is the first. This is the first of a mighty harvest which is going to follow.
You know, beloved saints, here we are. Not we alone, thy loved ones all confess. With glory with thee, there with thee shall be blessed. You know, beloved saints, we shall be with Christ forever, but he's first fruit.
Ever and always, Christ is first. He is the first fruit of a mighty harvest that is going to follow. Let me come to Numbers chapter 17. Numbers chapter 17 is not any of the other things that I've mentioned, including the priority of a risen man.
When we get to Numbers chapter 17, there was rebellion in the camp. That's never a good thing. Never a good thing. There's rebellion in the camp and they come to Moses and they say, Aaron has taken too much upon himself.
The heads and the princes of the tribes of Israel. And the Lord, he says to Moses, take the staff of the princes of the tribe. And he says, along with the staff or the rods of the princes of the tribe, he says, take the staff that is Aaron's and put it before the Lord.
Now you and I know, you folks work with wood here. You cut down a stick. Once it's cut down, then you clean the branches off it. That's dead. That's the whole idea. And they put it up before the Lord and they leave it in the Lord's presence.
And when they come into the presence of the Lord, following that, you say, what happened? It was Aaron's rod. It budded and it blossomed and it brought forth fruit. And you say, what's the picture here?
It's not so much the purpose of a resurrected man. It's not the presentation of a resurrected man. It's not the place associated with a resurrected man. It's not the power of a resurrected man. It's not the priority of a resurrected man.
Could I suggest to your beloved saints, this speaks to us of the priesthood of a resurrected man. Christ, as the high priest of his beloved people is seen and identified in Aaron's rod that budded. That brings me to the last one, the Ark of the Covenant.
I'm sorry to have gone over these so fleetingly today, but you can unpack some of those contexts yourselves. Joshua chapter 3, they come to the eastern border of the land of Canaan. There is the great Jordan River that speaks of death.
Joshua must have been wondering, how will we ever cross? And the Lord says to Joshua, he says, Joshua, first the Ark of the Covenant will go. And Joshua and those men that were waiting and watching, they saw the priest bearing the Ark, that beautiful vessel covered completely with a cloth of blue, the heavenly man.
And they saw the priest coming to the riverbed of Jordan. They saw the waters of Jordan move aside, stand up in a heap. And as the waters move aside, they saw the feet of the priest going down into where Jordan flowed.
And you say, what's the Could I suggest to you, just as I finish this afternoon, this is the pathway of a resurrected man. Down into the dark waters of Jordan he went. He stood in the waters of Jordan, and it was a clear path through, and all the people passed over.
You know, beloved saints, you and I will never face what he faced. You and I will never fear the waters of death. Oh, sure, the Lord's people die, but there's no eternal death for us. He took the judgment.
He stood in the sinner's place, and the priest stood firm is what we read in Joshua chapter 3. And you say, is that the end of the story? Thank God that's not the end of the story. There came the moment.
All the people passed over, and those priests bearing the ark, they start the march. They had moved downward into the waters of Jordan. They stood firm on the riverbed of Jordan, and now the moment comes.
Up! Joshua must have watched. Up! Out they come. The picture of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. You say, you didn't give us your pee on that. Well, just in case, I've spoiled more sermons than you know by getting to the last point and not giving the last one.
You say, what's the last one? This is the pathway of the resurrected man. They stood on the other side of Jordan, and they watched, and they started to sing. You say, what did they sing? Though in the grave he lay, Jesus my Savior.
He tore the bars away, Jesus my Lord. Up! From the grave he arose. Beloved saints, today we are linked to a risen Christ. May we never forget that. There is a real man in glory. He bears the marks of dark Golgotha.
We are linked to a risen Christ. May God help us today to live in light of the fact that someday He'll call us, and He'll say to us, up! Live! Go! The resurrection of the Lord Jesus.