Heb 12:18-24 Stay the Course
Notes
Transcript
18 For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest 19 and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them. 20 For they could not endure the order that was given, “If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.” 21 Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.” 22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, 23 and to the 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, 24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
If you ever used GPS to guide your driving, you probably had some mishaps happening. However, some follow the voice of the machine even when the path is obviously wrong.
Early one foggy Saturday morning in 2011, a father was driving his wife and two kids through South Brunswick, New Jersey at a T intersection, where the only options were left and right, this driver opted instead to follow his GPS guidance and go straight. He missed the initial stop sign, ran over the lip of the curb, and continued for another 100 feet before hitting a house.
In another crazier story in 2009, Robert Jones' reliance on his satellite navigation system nearly got the best of him when he was driving in West Yorkshire, England. The "road" began to steepen and narrow, but still he plugged on. "It kept insisting the path was a road," he later explained, "so I just trusted it." Jones only realized how wrong he was when his car bumped up against a thin wire fence just inches from a 100-foot drop. He managed to get out safely, but the car remained balanced on the edge. It took a recovery team nine hours to haul the car away. The operation attracted a crowd of astonished residents. One said: 'It's all well and good trusting your sat-nav, but how about trusting your eyes and when there's not a road in front of you, don't keep driving?
These are funny and crazy situations when people follow the instruction of someone’s voice and find out they were wrong only when literally they cannot continue anymore because their car is sinking in the lake, or it is stopped by a house, or they are hanging in the edge of a cliff.
In our spiritual marathon, the struggles often come in the form of people directing you out of the race or trying to deceive you and sending you on the wrong path, sending you down a cliff to the edge of the bottomless pit.
This is what the first readers of this letter were facing, and every follower of Christ faces throughout our spiritual marathon. But for the Jewish Christians to whom this letter was first addressed they were being scorned and dismissed for leaving the path of the Jewish faith.
As they followed Christ and ran the spiritual marathon, those around them were shouting “You are on the wrong path, you are running away from Jerusalem, from the covenant at Sinai. You are leaving the faith of our fathers Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses. You are abandoning the blessing from Jacob, from Israel, you will miss the blessing of God. You will never make it”.
Hebrews 12:18-24 is the answer to these accusations and discouraging words that the first readers had to fight against to remain strong in the race that God had set before them. Thus, the author of Hebrews reminds them and us of where God’s people have come and where we are indeed going. The author is contrasting two mountains, Mount Sinai and Mount Zion. The Old and New Covenant. Terror and Joy. Distance and closeness.
18 For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest 19 and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them. 20 For they could not endure the order that was given, “If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.” 21 Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.”
Two Destinations:
1. Mount Sinai and the Law (v. 18–21)
What happened at Mount Sinai was an amazing and awesome physical display of God’s glory and holiness. This is described in Exodus 19 and 20. Before God came down at Mount Sinai the people were instructed to consecrate themselves. They washed their clothes and abstained from sexual relations. They also followed God’s command that no man or beast touched the mountain.
All of these instructions they observed for three whole days. Then on the morning of the third day, the people saw a thick cloud cover the top of Sinai illumined by gold veins of lightning followed by thunder rolling down the slopes, plus a deafening trumpet blast that reduced everyone to trembling (v. 16).
This was quite a physical and spiritual event. This event was seen by the whole camp of Israel, over a million people, over a million witnesses of this event. Deut 33:2 also says that there was a myriad of angels. Picture this event with hundreds of thousands of angels hovering around and over Sinai, and some likely blowing celestial horns.
Then Moses led his people from their tents to the foot of the mountain, and this is what they saw: “Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the Lord descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, the whole mountain trembled violently, and the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder. Then Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him” (Exodus 19:18, 19).
Imagine what it must have been like to be there: the ground is unsteady under your feet due to constant tremors- the sky is black, like you have never seen before in deep darkness except for the radiating forks of lightning in the gloom and the fire blazing from the top of Sinai “to the very heavens” —the celestial trumpets blare louder and louder— Moses speaks, and God answers him with a voice like thunder. There is nothing that matches this incredible display of glory and the trauma of witnessing this event.
The people, every single one of them were visibly assaulted with the holiness and majesty of God. This palpable divine display on Sinai communicated far more than any speech or written word ever could—and all Israel, young and old, could understand that God is Holy.
In addition to providing a glimpse of God’s holiness, the blazing fire of the top Sinai emphasized that his holiness rendered him a judge—“a consuming fire”. The effect of these physical signs was to display in no uncertain terms the absolute unapproachableness of God. The mountain was so charged with the holiness of God that for a man to touch it meant certain death. Even if an innocent animal wandered to the mountain, it would contract so much holiness that it became deadly to the touch and had to be killed from a distance by stone or arrow.
The beneficial effect for those at the Mount Sinai was a real and proper fear of God. No one had to tell them that God is Holy. They knew it. They saw it. Moses explained in Exodus 20:20 “God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning”.
The most foundational thing that God communicated at Mount Sinai is that God is Holy and we, all of us, are sinners. Moreover, the giving of the Ten Commandments in this awesome revelation—and Israel’s failure to keep them—served to emphasize God’s holiness and the high standard of His righteousness.
The great problem with Israel’s encounter at Mount Sinai was that even though they were able to see God’s holiness and their sinfulness, the Law gave no power to overcome sin. If we paraphrase Paul from Rom 7 it says that sin is shown to be sin through the law.
The author of Hebrews was well aware of this, that is why he started v18 saying “For you have NOT come to what may be touched” He was saying you have not come to a mountain that can be touched though it is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom, and storm; to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them. This sight was so terrifying that Moses said, “I am trembling with fear.”
Rather you have come to Mount Zion, the mount on which the ark of the covenant lies signifying to these readers the earthly presence of God.
The author of Hebrews admonishes the people as they attempt to run with endurance the race that is set before them by reminding them not to listen to the voices of their friends and family who are running, trying to live up to Mount Sinai and not Mount Zion.
However, most, if not all of us, are NOT in danger of going back to Judaism, to running to Mount Sinai, because we didn’t grow up under the Old Covenant. However, we might fall back into thinking that if we do the right things, we must have favor with God. That if we do this or that we will get our brownie points with God. Then slowly and progressively we start seeing ourselves better than those ungodly sinners who don’t go to church and do the things that we do.
When we do this, we too are in practice setting aside the fact that we were saved by grace, through faith.
Eph 2:8-10 “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
We know this, and you heard this many times, but in practice, we cannot forget that when we approach God, we approach with empty hands trusting in Christ alone. We start the Christian spiritual marathon by faith through the Spirit, and we now continue by the Spirit and not by our own strength. We run strong, straight and together through the Spirit, not our own strength.
It is by His strength that we will finish the race and come into His Presence, to Mount Zion.
22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, 23 and to the 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, 24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
2. Mount Zion and God’s Grace (v. 22-24)
From Mount Sinai we now switch to Mount Zion and the glorious description of what awaits us at the finishing line. And what we already have in Christ. The wording here in these verses is poetic and it might have been something that the early church used as an early confession, they may have even sung this to help them memorize the words of these verses.
It was crucial for them to memorize portions of Scripture, especially verses like this. When verses were written in a poetic style like these, it was a hint to memorize them, we all know that songs are easier to remember. These words were a great encouragement to them. As such it became the backbone of their faith as they endured great suffering and persecution, ultimately giving up their lives for the sake of Christ.
Within these three verses there are seven descriptions of “where we have come to”. All of these sublime realities are awaiting us yet we also already have in Christ. This often is referred to as the “already not yet” paradox.
Tripp says “Every one of God’s children lives between the “already” and the “not yet.” Already this world has been broken by sin, but not yet has it been made new again. Already Jesus has come, but not yet has he returned to take you home with him forever. Already your sin has been forgiven, but not yet have you been fully delivered from it. Already Jesus reigns, but not yet has his final kingdom come. Already sin has been defeated, but not yet has it been completely destroyed. Already the Holy Spirit has been given, but not yet have you been perfectly formed into the likeness of Jesus. Already God has given you his Word, but not yet has it totally transformed your life. Already you have been given grace, but not yet has that grace finished its work.”
So where have we come to according to v22?
It says v22a But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem
7 Sublime Realities:
1. To the city of God
Mount Zion is the Mount on which Jerusalem was established. It was the location of the Jebusite stronghold which King David captured and where later David brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, making it the religious center of Israel.
Thus, through the centuries for the Jews the name Mount Zion, or Jerusalem, became a synonym for the earthly dwelling place of God. It is where the Ark of the Covenant was located which symbolized God’s presence with his people.
Notice that it says the heavenly Jerusalem, not the earthly Jerusalem. We have come to Jerusalem from above, the place where God dwells. God is omnipresent, He is everywhere, but it is on God’s throne that His presence is more visible and displayed to His creation.
In one sense, this is still to come, when the heavenly Jerusalem comes down, but there is another sense in which we have already arrived there in spirit. Through Jesus, we have open access to God’s throne and His presence, through prayer by faith, but not yet by sight.
If you are in Christ, your citizenship is in the Heavenly Jerusalem. Paul said : “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20). There is a sense that because we are in Christ we are already in God’s Presence, or at the foot of Mount Zion. Eph 2:6 “God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6).
Sure, the fiery presence is there, but we have the required holiness and access through Christ, our perfect High Priest. And what is more, we are in Zion for good. It says “But you have come to Mount Zion” This is in the perfect tense, emphasizing our permanent, continuing state. This is why the struggle and the pains of this long spiritual marathon are not able to stop us. We are already in Zion and we are running straight to Zion, which is our forever home, our homeland.
This is just one of the amazing realities that the author of Hebrews gives us here, there are six more:
22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering,
7 Sublime Realities:
2. A Myriad of Angels
Second, as the church we meet angels—“You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly” or “to innumerable angels in festal gathering”
Moses tells us that “myriads of holy ones” attended the giving of the Law (Deuteronomy 33:2), and in Daniel 7 it says that “Thousands upon thousands attended God, the Ancient of Days, ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him” (Daniel 7:10). David said, “The chariots of God are tens of thousands and thousands of thousands” (Psalm 68:17). In the church we come to these amazing thousands of angels.
These spiritual beings are everywhere, Heb 1:14 says that they are “ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation”, passing in and out of our lives, moving around us and over us just as
Jacob saw the ladder with angels ascending and descending.
There are many accounts from the Mission field where missionaries were protected by angels and those trying to bring harm to them saw tall men in white. There are many accounts, but I’ll share only one that Billy Graham shared regarding John Paton:
“The Reverend John G. Paton, pioneer missionary in the New Hebrides Islands, told a thrilling story involving the protective care of angels. Hostile natives surrounded his mission headquarters one night, intent on burning the Patons out and killing them. John Paton and his wife prayed all during that terror-filled night that God would deliver them. When daylight came they were amazed to see that, unaccountably, the attackers had left. They thanked God for delivering them.
A year later, the chief of the tribe was converted to Jesus Christ, and Mr. Paton, remembering what had happened, asked the chief what had kept him and his men from burning down the house and killing them. The chief replied in surprise, "Who were all those men you had with you there?" The missionary answered, "There were no men there; just my wife and I." The chief argued that they had seen many men standing guard - hundreds of big men in shining garments with drawn swords in their hands. They seemed to circle the mission station so that the natives were afraid to attack. Only then did Mr. Paton realize that God had sent His angels to protect them.”
There are many accounts about angels from those who have had a near-death experience, most accounts report them being escorted by two angels that had always accompanied them.
Olive Fleming Liefeld, was the widow of the missionary Peter Fleming. Peter, Jim Elliot and three others were killed in 1956 by the Waorani Indians in Ecuador.
In 1989, Olive returned to Ecuador and met the Indians who were responsible for her husband's death. There she discovered previously unknown pieces of the puzzle and gained new insight into the events themselves. In her book Unfolding Destinies, she tells of how two young Auca Indians, Dawa and Kimo, heard singing after witnessing the martyrdom of the five missionaries in the jungles of Ecuador: “As they looked up over the tops of the trees they saw a large group of people. They were all singing, and it looked as if there were a hundred flashlights.”
This is what the end of v22 is saying here in Hebrews 12 we have come “to innumerable angels in festal gathering” The word translated “festal gathering” was used in ancient culture to describe the great national assemblies and sacred games of the Greeks. Whereas at Mount Sinai the angels blew celestial trumpets that terrified God’s people, we are to see ourselves on Mount Zion dressed in festive attire and worshiping in awe side by side with innumerable angels!
22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, 23 and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven,
7 Sublime Realities:
3. Fellow believers
Third, we come to fellow believers— “to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven”
Jesus is The firstborn, and because of our union with Jesus, we are firstborn as well. All the rights of inheritance go to the firstborn—to us who are “co-heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:17). There are no second or third or fourth sons and daughters in the church. We all get the big inheritance! We saw earlier on in Heb 2 that Jesus is not ashamed to call us brothers.
As firstborns, our names are written in Heaven along with the firstborn who are already there. In other words, there is an amazing solidarity between those that already finished the race and those of us who are still running the spiritual marathon here on Earth. We are all the Body of Christ! The family is never broken. The many of you who have lost parents friends and relatives that were in Christ. We miss them but there is a time coming when there will be a great reunion. God’s family is never broken it simply keeps growing and going on and on—an expanding assembly of rich firstborn sons and daughters.
22 But you have come to Mount Zion…(23) to God, the judge of all,
7 Sublime Realities:
4. God, The Judge
Fourth, we come to God— You have come to God, the judge of all”.
Even though we come to Zion in a joyous gathering, this is not just a casual meeting. We have come to Mount Zion to meet God, the judge of all.
Heb 4:13 tells us that “no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”
And Heb 10:30-31 says “For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”
Even though we have come with innumerable angels in a festal gathering, we have come to meet God, in great awe and respect because He is the Judge of all. We can come to meet Him with no fear of the judgment we deserve because we have been redeemed by Jesus. It is only by grace alone that we have come to Mount Zion.
22 But you have come to Mount Zion … and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect,
7 Sublime Realities:
5. Church Triumphant
Fifth, we come to the Church Triumphant—“to the spirits of righteous made perfect” (v. 23c). Those who are already in Heaven also had to run their spiritual marathon before they reached the end. They like us had to rely on Christ’s strength to finish the race that God has set before us. Those that have gone before us, Abraham, Moses, David, Paul, and many, many, others were also made perfect by Jesus’ Sacrifice.
Those who finish the race were made perfect and are completely righteous because of Jesus’s blood. We were made righteous and are being transformed continually because of Jesus’ blood.
22 But you have come to Mount Zion … 24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant,
7 Sublime Realities:
6. Jesus
Sixth, we come—“to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant” (v. 24a). We have come to the man “likeus, and the man for us.” Moses was the mediator of the Old Covenant, but as great as he was, he trembled fearfully at Mount Sinai (cf. v. 21). But through Jesus, the mediator of the New Covenant, we draw near with confidence. The promises of the New Covenant are sure, or they are in Jesus. He is the source and dispenser of all for which we hope. He is in us, and we are in him.
We have come 24 to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
7 Sublime Realities:
7. Forgiveness
Seventh, we come to forgiveness because of sprinkled blood—“and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel” (v. 24b). Abel’s warm blood cried from the ground for vengeance and judgment, but Christ’s blood shouts that we are forgiven and have peace with God.
Praise the Lord! For the Power and freedom we have because of Jesus’ blood! It is because of His blood, and His forgiveness that we have come to Mount Zion!
We have come to the city of God, to a myriad of angels, to fellow believers, to God the judge, to the triumph church, to Jesus, to forgiveness in Jesus.
Therefore, we must run with endurance the race that is set before us looking to Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith.