Keep sharing good news without ads.
Hebrews 12:18-29
Amen. It's good to be with you all this morning. Enjoyed the good singing, the good teaching this morning, brother. I really enjoyed that. I talked to Brother Jacob this morning and they called mainly probably just to make sure that I had not forgotten to come to Perryville instead of Parthenon.
If you know where Parthenon is, it's I don't know, probably two and a half hours the other direction. And so they they wanted probably to make sure that I was going to be here more than anything else, but they did want to know too or let us know that they'd been in prayer for this service and for the sermon and everything here today.
Their hearts are truly knit to Perryville. And that was encouraging for me. You've got some some good shepherds that love the sheep and the love the flock here and they are anxious to be back and are seeing a good work there where they are.
So please be in prayer for them as I know you have. And we'll pray that they'll be back. You'll be even more anxious to see them after I preach this Sunday. I'm sure you'll say praise God we have a good Pastor Quatro and Pastor Jacob to come back and preach to us instead of this rambling hillbilly to come down here.
But we're grateful to be with you and I would if you would turn your Bibles with me to Hebrews chapter 12. Hebrews chapter 12 is where you'll find the text this morning. Hebrews chapter 12. I thank God for his good blessings on us this morning.
I'd like to see all the kids too. What a blessing to have all the kids hollering and everything. God gave us amplification for that very reason I think is so that we could multiply and fill the earth and still preach over the kids.
So Hebrews 12. I don't know what is your custom here but if you would stand so we can reverence the Word of God. Hebrews chapter 12 and verse number 18. For you're not come unto the mouth that might be touched and burned with fire nor unto blackness and darkness and tempest and the sound of trumpet and voice of words which voice they heard entreated that the words should not be spoken to them anymore for they could not endure that which was commanded and if so much as a beast touched the mountain it should be stoned or thrust through with a dart and so terrible was the sight that Moses said I exceedingly fear and quake but you're common to Zion and to the city of the living God and the heavenly Jerusalem and to an innumerable company of angels to the general assembly and church of the firstborn which are written in heaven and to God the judge of all and to the spirits of just men made perfect and to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant and to the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better things than that of able see that you refuse not him that speaketh for if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth how much more shall not we escape if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven whose voice then shook the earth.
But now he hath promised saying yet once more I shake not the earth only but heaven also. And this word yet once more signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken as of things that are made that those things which cannot be shaken may remain wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved let us have grace whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear for our God is a consuming fire father.
I do pray God as we look at your word this morning that we would approach it very carefully very reverently that our hearts would be attentive not not just to what I have to say but what thus saith the word.
I pray God that your spirit would do a work in us this morning that it would not just be sounding brass and tinkling cymbal but your spirit would would be like a hammer to our hardened heart that it would be like the balm of Gilead to our wounded soul.
I ask God that you do work in us this morning and please bless this people here in Perryville that they may honor you greatly by their work. I pray that you would be with the pastors that over this flock that you may keep them safe and bring them back safely.
God. I pray that you would bless the unity here between them. We ask in Jesus precious name. Amen amen. Thank you for standing this morning. The brother asked me this morning. He said well what's your title.
And I kind of hesitated a little bit because I had a real fancy title that I wanted to to give it. I wanted to give this uh this message the title the church before her transcendent God. And I backed up a little bit.
I said no if I'm going to have a title that sounds that long and fancy. I've got to preach long and fancy and I'm I can't do that so I'm going to back up a little bit but what I want to talk to you about is what the church looks like standing before God just simple as that the church as she stands before God the eternal God the God who spoke and all of creation was the God whose spirit hovered over the deep and everything that was not was because of him.
I want to talk to you about how she the church stands before God now we many of us know the book of Hebrews was written by who we do not know. I know that I believe it was Paul and I was talking to brother Randall Easter this morning.
He said you tell them that that uh I believe it was written by Luke and I said I'll be sure to tell him that there are a few crazies out there as as uh brother uh brother Easter and um but regardless it was inspired by the spirit regardless whose pin or whose uh hand the pen was in the spirit was flowing through the ink as it laid on the page.
And what I when I say that the reason I say that is you. And I can look at the scripture regardless if we know if we're going to agree on who the author was and we can say we know who the ultimate author is and we can trust that his words are yay and amen.
The book of Hebrews is nothing more than a constant and a flowing or a threading through being shot through with a reminder that we have a better covenant we have a better sacrifice we have a better hope we have a better high priest we have everything better.
And it was brought to us through God's son Jesus Christ. Now the church as she stands here before God is. He gives us a picture of the Old Testament. He gives us a picture of what it was for Moses there and on Mount Sinai.
He gives us a picture from what they seen there as the children of Israel saw the smoke and the fire there on on that mountain. When God called Moses up to talk to him there he told Moses he said set a boundary around the mountain.
Don't let anybody or anything come beyond that boundary. Because if they come beyond that boundary they will die. What is God hate people to get close to him. He tells us to draw nine to him. And he'll draw nine to us.
No it is not that he does not want us close. He knows that his holiness our sinfulness cannot stand. There must be a border there. We could they and we could not stand in the holiness of God. We would be better off today trying to stand as we are on the face of the sun.
We would be we'd be better off than if we were to stand before God in his holiness as we are as sinners. So what the writer of Hebrews here brings us is this picture. He says you're not come into this mountain that might be touched.
You're not coming to Sinai. You're not coming to a place that i have to put borders around. It's a better place. It's a more holy place. If you think Sinai is holy wait till you get to Zion. If you think that Sinai is terrifying wait till you look at Calvary.
If you think that Sinai deserves all of your reverence and respect. When God spoke and there was thunder and there was lightning. Wait till you hear God speak from Calvary. Eloah Eloah Lama Sabachthani.
My God my God why have thou forsaken me. If you think that that was powerful at Sinai wait till you look at Calvary. What I want to say to you church is you and I have something stronger even you and I have something more powerful even you and I have something more holy and deserves more reverence.
Even so we ought to bow before this crucified Savior this risen Savior. And we ought to sing as we have here before holy holy holy is the Lord God Almighty. All has been made more clear for us today than it was even for those that stood.
Could you imagine those in Israel that were with Moses and they stood at the foot of the mountain and they all they seen was thundering and lightning and smoke and fire and a border. And they seen Moses going up to this place to speak to God.
They were terrified. They knew that something was going on up there. They knew that it was strong and powerful. Moses comes back down and he says God said to do this and this and I'll make a covenant with you and I'll be with you.
And they said hey man we'll do it. We'll do that we done seen your power. We'll we're gonna do it. Read a chapter on later. What does the children of Israel say after he gave the the commandments the ten commandments they said Moses tell God we don't want to hear from him now you you talk to us but it's so terrifying.
We don't want to hear the voice of God. We but if you'll talk to us preacher we can handle that. If you'll speak to us now sometimes I'm afraid that in the church and this is somewhat of of a call and a warning.
I believe that the the terrible exceeding fear that Moses had before God on the mountain. We as Christians if we can allocate that out or distance ourself from the raw presence of God we can be more comfortable before long you we'll start throwing earrings in the fire and making golden calves.
Everything's been made more clear here for us than it had them. And you and I are can run the risk and the same danger just as our brother taught talked to us this morning. How that that Paul said to the Galatian people.
He said I marvel how you're so soon removed and I want we I want to preach that to myself constantly. Randall can you not remember the night that God saved you. Can you not remember what he brought you out of.
I marvel that you're so soon removed. I marvel that you turn your back to God. I marvel that you are able to to come to church and sit through a service and not be broken. When you hear about the gospel of Christ.
I marvel at that you and I ought to consider as Christians the same thing when we read things like we just read in Hebrews how that Moses exceedingly feared and quaked before this site. I think about an employee on a dangerous job.
I know that that you work in the construction business brother and you probably see this all the time. I remember when I first started I was started in construction and we had these trestle ladders. So a wooden trestle ladder it goes up like this and it has a trestle go straight up out of the middle.
That's the most terrifying ladder you'll ever climb. And it's the biggest one we had was about 14 foot this way and it extended to 20 something feet. And so you went up 14 foot at an angle which was fine and then you went straight up another however many six to twelve and so when you was over at that point on this wooden trestle ladder that creaked and popped as you was up there.
I can remember the first six months I was absolutely terrified and I wasn't really that scared of heights but that thing was just looked dangerous. But after a year I was standing on the top rung tightening wrenches.
You say what what happened. I became comfortable with something that ought to have terrified me. Many of you have heard stories about people that are in dangerous jobs or dangerous positions like that.
And it seems to be after 14 16 20 years they make the silliest mistake and and it just it either destroys uh equipment or it even is fatal. Why is that we have a tendency as fallen men and women. We have a tendency to become comfortable with the thing that is terrible.
We have become comfortable with the thing that is powerful. We have become comfortable with the thing we ought to stand in awe of. Think back to the night that you were saved. Think back to that morning that day was was not all the stars on dress parade for you did not the light seem to shine brighter when you knew that your sins were gone.
Did not every single word that you read from this book seemed to be. You may not have understand it. But you said there's something real there's life in that. I heard a preacher one time tell me I started out preaching and I didn't preach any better than then than I do now.
And man I had such a zeal and a passion a desire to preach. And I just preached like my head was on fire and my tail was catching. And I heard a preacher tell me one time he said well just give it a little time.
He said that'll wear off. And I remember going home and saying God please don't let that wear off. Church never lose your holy awe of God and of his transcendence. Now I want you say you've talked a lot now get get to the word.
Here's where I want to look at. He says in verse 18 he says for you're not coming to the mount that might be touched and that burned with fire nor with blackness and darkness or tempest. Look how that he he is building mount.
He's talking about mount Sinai where God gave his commandments through Moses and through Aaron. And look how that he gives this illustration. This mountain is with on fire. This mountain is full of black.
Verse 22. And to the city of the living God to that heavenly Jerusalem. You say why I want to touch this before I get too far here. Why do you want to uh remind us. Or why do you see think that the scripture reminds us that we'd better guard ourselves from becoming too casual with worship too casual with the holiness of God.
I think the scripture over and over reminds us just like he did he does here. The writer says this is bigger this is stronger this is more powerful. You better get a hold of it. Do not let this slip we I think all of us would would probably or most of us would be in the the conviction of or the line of the reformers.
Maybe let's think think of it like that. You realize that many of the grandchildren of the reformers turned to deism and atheism. Not all of them. There was some some that stayed faithful this one of the strongest uh doctrinally strong areas in the christianity.
And you give them two generations. And they turn around. Don't think that we're above that God has given us a great grace in our day. The fact that that providence baptist church is right here in Perryville that the word of God is so strong in this place that worship is so real in this place.
The fact that that is as God has given a great grace right here. Don't take it for granted because I promise you as a itinerant pastor and preacher bouncing around it's not everywhere you've got something that God has gifted you with here.
The sons of Eli says in first Samuel Samuel the sons of Eli the high the high priest were sons of Baal. They sit and watched worship services take place. Give them a little time. It says in the book of Judges which this is a terrifying verse.
Very first chapter second. Maybe it's chapter two. In verse one it says. And there arose a generation who knew not God. Are you kidding me. Joshua was just before that. How did they not know God. They had become comfortable with him parting the Red Sea.
They had become comfortable with him splitting the Jordan. They had become comfortable with the deliverance of Egypt. Just common and normal things church we do not should not become comfortable with this holy hill that God has brought you to.
Even those that watched Christ's miracles even those that walked with him at the Sea of Galilee even those that witnessed his power there in his crucifixion the Bible says. And many forsook him and fled.
What I want to encourage you to this morning is continue to labor continue to labor for reformation and revival but also labor for reverence to God. It says there there's a few things that I want to say this morning that marks this church a church that stands before.
It's God. You know we're not standing before. Um you know just a lighted stage and a good time. When we sung together this morning all of heaven was interested in what you were doing that the praises of heaven was going or praises of the people were going up to heaven.
And I'm reminded in this text that he's that we're come to a higher place a more reverent place. And so the first thing and I did kind of alliterate this this and I usually don't even do that. But the first thing that I want to look at this morning is the contrasted position.
The contrasted position in verse number 18 he said you're not come to to Mount Sinai. But in verse 22 he said but you are come unto Zion now there is a difference in the two. Both of them were pointing to a holy and a just God.
They were both pointing to a God that is mighty. They were both pointing to a God that was powerful. But he says in verse 26 I believe 26 and 27 he said he shook the things in earth then. But now as he promised once more he's going to shake not just earth but heaven.
So could you imagine there with Moses and the children of Israel. When God is speaking the whole earth is quaking the mountains on fire. People are trembling. Now here's the contrasted position. That's a walk in the park to what it is when God manifested himself in Jesus Christ took upon himself the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of man and being found in the fashion of a man.
He humbled himself and became obedient unto death. Even the death of the cross. Sinai was just a little glimpse of what Christ done on Calvary. Stand in awe church. That's a lot more than just a mountain smoking.
That's a lot more than just the earth quaking. That's God sending his son. What the talking to us this morning and teaching us about is we ought to have the gospel continually as Christians. Yes many of you would say I'm a believer.
I don't. I don't need that same old story. Tell that same old story to your soul every day every night. That's the only fuel you'll have for your fire. There's no there's no 10 steps to make your life better.
There's one step and it's down on your knees and say God I can't understand it. But it's huge. It's bigger than I can comprehend. Your glory is wonderful. Now this is a contrasted position from Sinai.
Yes Sinai was pointing. Think about that mountain that they could not touch. They couldn't get near it. God says it's too dangerous for you as a matter of fact. God even says he said don't even let the priests come close or I'll go after them.
Be careful with the holiness of God. They couldn't touch that mountain. But what did Jesus say. He said come unto me all you that labor and are heavy laden and I'll give you rest. So take my yoke upon you and learn of me.
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Now that almost seems like a contrast to me that you can't don't don't even touch this mountain. But then when God puts himself in the flesh he says I wanna get close and I want you to come close to me.
Because now that Christ has become a man he's made access for you and I to come into the holiest of holies boldly and find grace. Remember what I and if you go back and you read in Exodus there in Exodus 18 19 20 God tells Moses he said don't let him get close and don't let him get a glimpse matter of fact just just the passing by when God passed by and hid Moses in the cleft of the rock and Moses just he gave him a holy.
When he come down from the mountain God tells him he said don't let the people even get a glimpse of me. They can't handle it. What did Jesus say after his resurrection to Thomas who was so doubting about his his resurrection.
Jesus said look at my hand touch him touch him. Do you see this contrasted position when Christ came to you you no longer have to be distant no longer have to to be in an absolute terror. But you have to be in an absolute reverence that God would bow or come down low to us and and offer himself for us.
This is where the church stands before. It's God in a holy reverence of him. Now think about your life before you were saved. That was a contrasted position. You went from death until life that that ought to set her set your soul on fire.
You who were sick and trespasses and in sins I was trying to see who I was paying attention. You who were dead dead in trespasses and sins. You hath he quickened. He's made you alive you. That is a contrasted position that is from the grave to upright in life.
That's a contrasted position. He's brought you from darkness into light. He's brought you from the old man. And you've taken off that old coat and you put on the new one Christ in you has made a contrasted position.
Now if that means very little to you I beg of you to go back to the scripture and back to the word and look at at the glory of his holiness and stand in awe of him. He says there in verse number 19 he said also on that mountain it wasn't just smoke it wasn't just fire.
It wasn't just earthquakes. But he says the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words which voice they that heard and treated that the word should not be spoken to them anymore. Now not only the when the church stands before its god not only is there a a contrasted position but there's also a convicting word when all of israel stood before the mountain and it and there was voice and there was thunders and the word of god came down from that mountain it was so convicting to them that they basically stopped their ears.
That's what i was saying earlier when they said to moses moses won't you talk to us. We can handle the preacher talking to us. But when god talks it's too terrifying. Now this is something that i want to remind you of this this morning even if you are a christian.
If you're not a christian this morning please listen closely to what i'm going to say. The children of israel could handle a man speaking. They couldn't handle god speaking. You and i today we can handle a man speaking.
But when the spirit of god god begins to make that word alive if you're lost if you're a sinner i can do all the saying that i want to say and i can say the gospel. I can articulate it perfectly. But until the spirit of god makes your heart alive to it it's just sounds now dear christian we can set through services over and over we can come to mount zion.
We can come and we can. We can celebrate the fact that we're christians. We can celebrate the the death, burial, and resurrection of jesus christ. But until that is made alive in us until it's real it could be nothing but words.
If we're not careful i think about you know if all we have is just a polished doctrine if that's all we have is as it as the church gathers. Mama's you just well start sowing phylacteries for your grandchildren.
He's thinking about that just me that might just be a king james word. Let me back up. If all we have is a doctrine that's just here and it's polished and it's it's perfect in our minds. But it's not shaking our soul to the point where it changes our life.
Our kids and our grandkids will be just as much as a pharisee as they were in christ's day. What i mean by sowing their phylacteries i'm saying you just want us to get their garments ready so they can prance up and down the street and tell everybody how holy they are instead of how holy their god is.
Yes we ought to have right and sound doctrine. We ought to have truth. And if we don't we don't have much but let it impact your soul. The children of israel there they they had the mountain and they viewed it.
But if they got too comfortable with the mountain and they stepped across the line it was death. You and i have come to a much holier mountain. We have come to the blood of christ shed for your sin. When we come to the table here and and and eat and and and take of the cup and of the bread is it.
Is it not more uh to us when we see that sacrifice. I went to one not long ago and and it was so casual i almost got sick to my stomach. The preacher just said well here's here's you a cup and here's it's got a little kind of gross tasting piece of bread and i thought dear god it ain't the bread.
It's not the flavor of it that we're here for. But when we come to this mountain with a holy reverence with a holy terror a convicting word where it goes into our heart more than just our head. That's what changes our life do you.
Many of you remember 9 -11 you remember the sight of those two towers with the smoke and the fire and everyone was in terror about that. They seen something that was real and physical and it shook them.
I remember my dad was a pastor at that time church was packed to the gills for the following month or so and you gave it some time they'd become casual. It was a common thing to see the sights on tv. Then when sy and i was on on fire the first time they were terrified.
Give them a little time though and it become commonplace. When you first heard the gospel and it hit your soul and it convicted. The word came to you in convicting power. Man you trembled you wept give it a little time.
Does it still impact you. The sister talked shared her testimony with me here this morning was telling me how that she was a new christian. I seen the zeal. I seen the zeal and the passion that that she had.
If you've been saved for a long time i would desire that. And i believe god was our go back to the mountain go back to to where where god has brought you to go back to christ and see that glorious sacrifice there for you and realize that's a big thing.
Stand in all of him. He there was a convicting word in verse number 25 he tells us. Okay so 19 they heard the voice and they stopped their ears. Verse 25. Now this is for for you today he says see that you refuse not him that speaketh.
For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth. How much more shall not we escape if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven. Now here's where you and i stand in all of our transcendent god.
They seen god speak there as it were in sinai. And they seen the lightning and they seen the the fire and they seen the earthquake. And they trembled. And what the scripture is calling you and i to. How much more should you and i tremble when the spirit of god through his word speaks to your heart.
That's a big deal. There is a convicting word that comes thirdly. There is a covenant promise when god's people stand before their god. When the church stands before their transcendent lord there is a covenant promise that they can take a hold of that they can see that they can hold to and hope to in genesis chapter 19 i believe it is.
I don't know if i put genesis 19 no i'm sorry not genesis exodus. I knew that wasn't right. I put that wrong. My notes. Exodus chapter 19. Verse 5. When they stood there before mount sinai that smoking mountain where god's power was revealed he says now therefore i will keep.
If you will keep let me back up now. Therefore if ye will obey my voice indeed and keep my covenant then you shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people. For all the earth is mine. And if you shall and you shall be unto me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.
These are the words which shall speak unto the children of israel. He tells moses. You say what's the big deal about us the church standing before our god our god that transcends time. Our god that is above all.
What's the big deal about it. The big deal is that right in front of your face is a covenant promise that jesus christ he his blood was shed. The new covenant was made in his blood. Now we i think we take too lightly the i know this church probably doesn't because y 'all were y 'all went through some preaching and teaching on the covenant recently.
But we take so lightly the word covenant. You can you can attest to that just in the divorce rate and in our country things like that. But that covenant being so strong there with christ it is right before us as the church stands before its god.
Just like as israel stood before the mountain and the words came down from the mountain through moses and god says i promise you'll be my people. Here's my words you'll be my people and i'll be your god.
Now jesus is before his church and his covenant promises before his people that he would be the mediator of that new covenant that he would be the the go-between. You can't stand on mount sinai but jesus can.
Jesus can go where you could not. And he could suffer for what you couldn't suffer for he bled in your place and died for your sins and rose when you could not arise. And he makes that covenant promise for all of those who will believe.
All of those that will come to faith in christ will be his. And lastly this morning as the church stands before her god. I've already mentioned this several times. There is a clear reverence. A clear reverence.
I like the fact that this morning and every time i've been down here i believe y 'all take worship seriously. But don't become callous. Don't become comfortable with taking worship seriously. Let that impact your soul.
There was a clear reverence here i you can go all the way back to verse number nine when the the author of hebrews is is building up to what we read he said furthermore we have fathers of our flesh which gave us correction and we gave them reverence.
Shall we not much more rather be in subjection unto the father of spirits and live. He says in verse number 21 he said this was so terrible. This mountain at sinai was so terrible terrible that moses said i exceedingly fear and quake.
Do you see the reverence. Do you see the respect for the holy thing of god. Verse 28 it says. Wherefore we receive in a kingdom which cannot be moved. Let us have grace whereby we may serve god acceptably with reverence and godly fear.
When the church stands before her god this is not a suggestion there will be a clear reverence. It's not going to be a suggestion. It'll be clear that all of god's people when they view their god there's going to be a seriousness a humility a fear a godly fear and a eternal joy.
There's going to be more emotion there than what i think we can even realize. But one thing that has always marked the church as she worshiped just like we worship this morning. One thing that's always marked the church is they stand in absolute awe of their god.
I want to encourage you and remind you church this morning that that's where you and i stand if we're. If you're a christian this morning if you're part of the church and you stand before god and worship.
Don't become comfortable just because you. You've been coming to perryville for a long time and the the singing is theologically sound. The teaching is some of the the best that i've heard in a long time.
You got one of the most solid preachers. Two of the most solid preachers here pastors that i know of don't get comfortable with that. Stand in reverence and all. Not. Not because brother quattro or brother jacob or anybody else is a eloquent speaker.
Anything. It's because they're talking about their god. They may not always talk it right. And they may not always get every word perfect. And they might stumble from time to time. But they're coming to you with the word of god.
I want to encourage you. This is a holy mountain that we've come to calvary is a holy place. When god told moses take off your shoes. When he saw saw that burning bush he said take off your shoes moses your own holy ground.
That's multiplied by 10 000 when you come to calvary. And that's i know that's not a good illustration. But we are. We are in the most holy the congregation of the saints. Let's reverence it. Let's reverence our god this morning.
If you're outside of christ and you say well i've heard your words this morning and something has happened in my heart. While you's up there talking i see the value of jesus christ. I see that if i come to him in faith and i turn from my sins and he'll save you.
If you're outside of christ this morning do not tarry. Do not wait come to him. Today is the day of salvation and now is the accepted time. Do not tarry turn from yourself. Turn from your sins and come to christ church.
Be encouraged to glory in holy reverence to your transcendent god. Father we thank you god that you go beyond time that you have shaken the earth before and now. You've shaken our souls through your son.
I pray god that we wouldn't would be like isaiah there in chapter six is he stood in all the year that king uzi died and he saw you high and lifted up. I pray that we join in with the angels with the cherubim and cry holy holy holy.
It's the lord of hosts. Pray god that you would change us and strengthen us as christians. And if there's any that's lost here this morning that you would redeem them.
