WWUTT 1886 You Have Come to Mount Zion (Hebrews 12:18-24)

By faith, we have been called to a better gathering, better than the children of Israel had gathering at the base of Mount Sinai.

We have been called to heavenly Mount Zion when we understand the text.

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Here's your teacher, Pastor Gabe. Thank you, Becky. We're back to our study in Hebrews, a little bit of chapter 12 to finish up yet.

So I'm going to start reading in verse 18. This is Hebrews 12, 18 through 29 out of the

Legacy Standard Bible. Hear the word of the Lord. For you have not come to a mountain that can be touched, and to a blazing fire, and to darkness and gloom and whirlwind, and to the blast of a trumpet and the sound of words which was such that those who heard begged that no further word be spoken to them.

For they could not bear what was being commanded. If even a beast touches this mountain, it will be stoned.

And so terrible was what appeared that Moses said, I am full of fear and trembling.

But you have come to Mount Zion, and to the city of the living God, to the heavenly

Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the festal gathering and assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood which speaks better than the blood of Abel.

See to it that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape who turn away from him who warns from heaven.

And his voice shook the earth then, but now he has promised, saying,

Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heaven.

Now this expression, yet once more, indicates the removing of those things which can be shaken as of created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe.

For our God is a consuming fire. And that is the remainder of chapter 12.

So let's come back here to verse 18, and you probably recognized what we were talking about, what was being referenced to us here in these first few verses.

You have not come to a mountain that can be touched, and to a blazing fire, and to darkness and gloom and whirlwind.

What are we talking about here? What is this in reference to? This is Mount Sinai, as it is spoken about in Exodus 19, where God descended upon that mountain, you know, and this is where he gave the

Ten Commandments and everything, the Ten Commandments recorded in Exodus 20. But as God descended upon that mountain, it says it went up like a furnace.

So there was darkness and gloom and whirlwind. There was this, well, I was going to say bright, but this black smoke that poured up, and then there were peals of lightning that came from it.

There were blasts of trumpets. The voice of God was terrifying to the people of Israel.

These were the children that were gathered out from Egypt in the Exodus. They were delivered through the

Red Sea. They were brought out into the wilderness. They had even fought a battle and were successful.

The Lord fed them with manna in the morning, and they received quail as well. And this was how he provided for the children, water from the rock and everything else.

And here they're brought to the base of Mount Sinai, and the Lord speaks to them. He is giving them his law.

You have the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20. And so the Lord descending upon this mountain, it was a mountain that could not be touched.

Now it says here, for you have not come to a mountain that can be touched. That's in reference to Mount Sinai being a physical place.

So you could have touched it. You could have pointed to it and said, there, that's Mount Sinai. There's God who's descended there upon the mountain.

Look at me. I can go walk up to the mountain and touch it. But of course, if you did, if you touched it, you would have died.

So this is in reference to Mount Sinai being an actual physical place.

But we, as believers, have not come to a mountain that can be touched.

Like a physical place. We've read about this previously in Hebrews. The things that we believe in, that we have put our trust in, are things that cannot be seen.

They are heavenly things. They are not these transient, material, earthly things.

But rather, something that is greater has been promised to us. Heavenly things.

Remember back to chapter 11, where in talking about the Old Testament faithful, they had put their hope in something better than a land promise.

They knew that the Lord had promised for them a better land, a heavenly kingdom.

And so likewise, we are to recognize our inheritance that way as well. It is not a land promise on earth.

It is a heavenly promise in God's eternal kingdom. So the place of worship that we have come to is not a temple that has been built with human hands.

As the Apostle Paul talks about in Acts 17, the place where God dwells is not a temple built with human hands, as though he needed anything.

The temple of God is the church. It's you and me, personally, of course.

As mentioned in 1 Corinthians 6, that our bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit whom we have from God.

But also the church, altogether, collectively, is also a house unto the

Lord, as talked about in 1 Timothy 3 and in 1 Peter 2 and in other places.

The foundation of this building being the apostles and the prophets. So we are a spiritual people.

We worship God in a spiritual place, though yes, we may gather in a church building on Sunday morning, but it's not the building that makes the church, it's the people that are in it.

It's the Holy Spirit that are in the people that are in it, that has called us together to be the people of God.

Called us out from the world that we might be unto Christ. So we have not come to a mountain that can be touched and to a blazing fire and to darkness and gloom and whirlwind.

These are not things that can be perceived or experienced with our human senses.

And it goes on to describe in verse 19, And to the blast of a trumpet and the sound of words, which was such that those who heard begged that no further word be spoken to them.

When you go to Exodus 20 and you read the account of God giving the Ten Commandments, it's so terrifying to the children of Israel that they go back to Moses and they're like, this, we can't handle this.

Like our brains are going to melt out of our heads. Standing here at the base of the mountain and hearing the voice of God.

And really, it wasn't even the voice of God himself that they were hearing. It was the voice of God to the angels who were then speaking for him as his mouthpiece.

Because we've read that previously in Hebrews, that the law was given through angels.

So it was actually the myriads and myriads of angels who were speaking these things that would have been even more terrifying if they were actually listening to the voice of God.

That would have been even scarier. But they were just hearing the myriads of angels that were reciting the law as given to them by God.

Because again, as we read previously in Hebrews about how the law had come from angels, Hebrews 2, 2, for if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable and every trespass and disobedience received a just penalty.

Now this reference is actually important because it comes back up even here in Hebrews 12. If the word spoken through angels proved unalterable and every trespass and disobedience received a just penalty, how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?

That salvation for spoken by the Lord was confirmed to us by those who heard God also testifying with them both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the

Holy Spirit according to his own will. Now that's in chapter two of Hebrews, the second chapter of Hebrews.

We're in the second to last chapter of Hebrews and notice that's coming up again with reference to the angels who spoke these things.

The law that was given was the testimony of angels. We have it also said in Acts 7, 53, the speech of Stephen, you who received the law as ordained by angels and Galatians 3, 19, why the law then it was added because of trespasses having been ordained through angels.

So it wasn't technically the voice of God that the people heard coming from Mount Sinai when the law was given.

It was the angels who were speaking and it was to their ears like loud booming thunder in the blast of trumpets.

And so you have in 19 to the blast of trumpet, to the sound of words, which was such that those who heard begged that no further word be spoken to them.

We can't handle this. We can't do this. So they go to Moses and they're like, can we go back to that arrangement where you were talking to God and then you come and tell us what it is that God said?

Because we physically, I mean, we just can't do it. We can't stand here and hear the voice of God.

And it's always amazing to me whenever you will have somebody of haughty spirit who will say that they can't wait to stand before God one day because they've got a bone to pick with him or something like that.

You know, you'll hear this from atheists. Yeah. Atheists who don't believe in God and yet they'll talk about, well, when

I appear before God one day, here's I'm going to tell him what for, Hey God, you really messed up with this.

You could have done this better. So on and so forth. Man, your brain's going to melt right out of your ears. As soon as you hear

God speaking, you will not be able to stand it. You will fall on your face. There will not be anybody standing to proclaim themselves before God.

Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God, the father.

So this thing is terrifying to hear the voice of God. And certainly in this flesh, we would not be able to stand it.

Paul talks in first Corinthians 15 about how that which is mortal must put on immortality before we can enter into his presence in, in his throne room, the very place where he sits in his holy heaven.

So the voice of God coming from Mount Sinai was such that even the children of Israel could not stand it.

This is not what we have received. The voice of God that we have heard didn't come from a mountain that we could go to and touch, even though it would have killed us if we touched it.

It was not through words or sounds of trumpet blasts and, and through the testimony of angels, even in the sense that they came and spoke to us.

That's not the way that we've received this word that we believe. Verse 20, for they could not bear what was being commanded.

If even a beast touches the mountain, it will be stoned. That was part of it.

That was said there in, in Exodus 19, as God was going to descend upon that mountain and speak to Israel, that mountain was considered holy.

Nobody come near, could come near it. Even if an animal wandered near it and touched the mountain, it would fall down dead.

And I just have to wonder if that happened, because remember, we've got over a million and a half people that are there at the base of the mountain to hear the voice of God.

They've got all their animals and livestock and everything. Surely some animal had wandered away from the people toward the mountain and touched it and died.

And the people observed that and they saw it happen and they knew God means business here. This holiness thing is, is apparently it's a big deal.

There's holy ground. We can't even go over there and stand. We'll fall down and die. So they could not even bear the holiness that had descended upon that mountain that was made on that mountain.

Holy ground, because God was there. Verse 21, and so terrible was what appeared that Moses said,

I am full of fear and trembling. Moses is the one that got to speak with God face to face, but that was a terrifying thing.

Lest anyone think to themselves, well, I'm just as good as Moses is. I can go talk with God face to face.

Why does he get the chance to do that? And I don't get to Cora in Cora's rebellion.

I think it's, what is that? Number 16. That was basically his argument. We're just as good as Moses and Aaron.

Why do they get this position? We don't like carrying around the items of the holy place like we do, like where, where the, the tabernacle janitors, we could be just as good as Aaron and Moses.

And of course the anger of God burned against them and they were consumed because of this protest, this rebellion that they had raised.

Moses' sister Miriam tried it. She tried to say that she and Aaron were just as good as Moses.

Why does he get to speak to God face to face? As it says in Exodus 33, 11, thus

Yahweh used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend. Now that doesn't mean that it was, you know,

God's face literally appears in front of Moses and they're talking that way, but he would go into the tent of meeting.

The presence of God would be there and they would speak. And Moses could hear his voice clearly as if, you know, you and I were sitting across from one another and speaking together one voice to another.

So it wasn't like God's voice was just there in Moses' head. They would sit and converse with each other.

Miriam's going, we're just as worthy as Moses of this. What did God do in response to that?

He afflicted Miriam with leprosy and it was Moses who appealed on Miriam's behalf before God that she would be healed.

And so the Lord was merciful to her because of her mediator who was her own brother, Moses, who had prayed to God for her forgiveness and her restoration.

So it was terrifying even for Moses to speak to God. Those people that demanded that they were just as worthy as Moses to go and speak before the

Lord, they had no idea what they were demanding. Although they certainly experienced it.

I mean, once once Korah was consumed by God's wrath, I think it becomes pretty evident at that point.

Oh, I made a serious mistake. Whatever was going through his mind and those who were in the rebellion with him as they were being consumed by the earth that opened up or the fire that came down, what were the last thoughts that were going through their heads?

Who was I to think that I was worthy to stand before the Almighty?

Miriam to have been afflicted with leprosy and had to have her brother whose position she demanded to have her brother appealing on her behalf in order for her to be healed.

She couldn't have been healed without her brother mediating for her. But the people who were demanding to be able to speak before God, just like Moses had.

They didn't know what they were demanding. Moses knew how terrifying it was.

And even Israel had experienced that at one point. They're there at the base of Mount Sinai and God is speaking and they couldn't stand it so that they said to Moses, hey, you go talk to God and you come back and tell us what he said.

And it was like they forgot all of that. And here all of a sudden they start demanding I can be just as just I am just as good as Moses.

I can go in and talk to God face to face. Moses said, and this is a reference from Deuteronomy 9, 19, as he was giving this testimony to Israel before they're about to go into the promised land.

He says to them that I'm full of fear and trembling. Even even

I can't stand in the presence of God without falling on my face. So terrible was what appeared there on the mountain that even

Moses said, I am full of fear and trembling. Now consider verse 22, but you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living

God, the heavenly Jerusalem and to myriads of angels.

So once again, the mountain that we've come to is not a mountain that can be touched. It's not a physical place.

It's not something that you can locate on a map and we're going to make a pilgrimage there. And oh, here is the place where God had descended upon the mountain.

That's not the mountain that we have come to. We have come to the place where God dwells and wherever God dwells is

Mount Zion. Where does God dwell? He dwells with his people.

You might also consider this in the sense that the Lord is in his holy heaven and we're able to come to him through Christ, who is our mediator.

That argument's been made in Hebrews as well. So he who enters in on our behalf, we have come to this place, wherever God lives, that's

Mount Zion. Hence why we sing in the old hymn, the Isaac Watts hymn. It's one of my favorite hymns, although we don't sing it very often, but I love this song.

We're marching to Zion, to beautiful, beautiful Zion. We are marching onward to Zion, the beautiful city of God.

That's where God is. Wherever God dwells, that's Mount Zion. So we have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living

God. We who are the church are the new Jerusalem, the heavenly

Jerusalem. We have come to this city and to myriads of angels.

Which is why I think that phrase is in reference to the fact that we have access into the throne room of heaven through Jesus Christ.

Not a place that is physical, not a place that can be pointed to, not a place that we can touch, but we enter into this place through Christ, the very place where God is.

He hears our prayers. We are able to speak to God and he knows us. The very place where the angels are around the throne saying, holy, holy, holy is the

Lord God almighty. The myriads of angels that are proclaiming his praises day and night. We have entrance into this place through Christ.

To the festal gathering, it says in verse 23, and assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven.

Now remember, the reference to the firstborn is the reference to Hebrews.

This is a letter to the Hebrews. The preacher who is probably Paul addressing the

Hebrews here and in talking to them about being the firstborn. These are the first to have heard the gospel.

They were the first to receive the oracles of God and they were the first to hear the gospel proclaimed to them. Thinking of Peter preaching at Pentecost in Jerusalem.

So the gospel went out to Jerusalem and to Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.

So it went to that part of the world first. Those people were the first to get to hear it.

They are the firstborn. So we have been called to the festal gathering and the assembly of the firstborn.

Those who were the first to believe who are enrolled in heaven and to God, the judge of all and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect.

That's in reference back to Hebrews 11. So we have been called into the assembly of God. How amazing is that?

We are of the people of God who gather in a place that can't be pointed to on a map that can be journeyed to with our feet.

We are, we are united to God who is spirit in our spirits by his

Holy Spirit that has been poured into our hearts. We are part of the festal gathering, the assembly of the firstborn, no matter where you live.

We all are part of this gathering of saints unto the Lord. Even those who are the spirits of the righteous made perfect.

Those souls of dead saints that have gone to be with the Lord. We're even part of their gathering that's going on right now in the heavenly places.

In verse 24, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant.

You can hear how the preacher's wrapping all these things up now because we've been hearing about that over and over and over throughout

Hebrews. How Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, a better covenant to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel.

The blood of Christ, which was spilled for us even greater than the blood of those saints that had gone before us.

Yeah, they were declared righteous and they died. They were persecuted for what they believe and the righteousness that they were committed to.

But the blood of Jesus even greater. And it's by his blood that we receive all of this.

The mountain of God that cannot be seen. The heavenly Jerusalem to myriads of angels, the festal gathering with those who have believed we are enrolled in heaven with them.

We are a part of the assembly with the righteous made perfect and to Jesus.

He who created all things, who reigns over all things and is restoring all things is making all things new.

We who are in Christ will live with him forever in glory.

Heavenly father, we thank you for the reminder of what we have been, what we have become part of according to what we've read here in Hebrews 12.

And may we live according to these things. If we have been called to this holiness, may we live lives of holiness before you.

Looking to Jesus, the author and the perfecter of our faith, as was stated at the beginning of the chapter, he who died for us, who rose again, who ascended into heaven is mediating for us before the father is coming back again to judge the living and the dead in Christ.

We will live forever. It's in Jesus' name we pray, amen. You can find a complete list of videos, books, devotionals, and other resources online at www .tt