BEFORE & AFTER

Hebrews 12:18–24 “18 For you have not come to a mountain that can be touched and to a blazing fire, and to darkness and gloom and whirlwind, 19 and to the blast of a trumpet and the sound of words which sound was such that those who heard begged that no further word be spoken to them. 20 For they could not bear the command, “If even a beast touches the mountain, it will be stoned.” 21 And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, “I am full of fear and trembling.” 22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, 23 to the general assembly and church 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, which speaks better than the blood of Abel.”

INTRO:

1. The Old v.18-21

What we find here is a call back to Exodus & Deuteronomy - the monumental moment in the OT where God establishes HIS LAW with His people.

This was the establishment of what we call the OLD COVENANT - this is the author providing a “BEFORE” picture of how God related to His people.

I think in order for us to really grasp what the author is saying to the original audience of Jewish Christians - its worth us giving our attention to WHAT the old covenant really is. The author doesn’t need to in this context BC the audience would already KNOW exactly what he is referring to but for us 2,000 years later - we have a little more work to do in order to really understand it.

The old covenant is an arrangement between God and the nation of Israel, established at Mount Sinai that laid the groundwork for the unique relationship God had with the Israelites.

This covenant was established through the giving of the law. It was this Law that set forth God's standards for righteousness and holiness, serving as a guiding light for the Israelites.

BUT Old Covenant was temporal and earthly in its nature. It was designed for a specific time in history and had earthly promises and consequences. These were outlined clearly in the Book of Deuteronomy, with blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience.

the Old Covenant takes on the role of a shadow and type. Many of its elements, such as the sacrificial system and the priesthood, were foreshadowing the redemptive work of Jesus Christ in the New Covenant. It was NOT EVER a way to be saved BUT it pointed to the ONLY way to be saved which was by grace.

So, the Old Covenant's scope is understood as limited, primarily directed towards the nation of Israel. It defined their unique identity and relationship with God as His chosen people.

the Old Covenant was a preparatory stage in God's redemptive plan, leading to the inauguration of the New Covenant through the work of Jesus Christ. This New Covenant, based not on the Mosaic Law but on faith in Christ, represents a superior and eternal covenant.

Now our passage today tells us that WE HAVE NOT COME to this mountain (which represents the old covenant)

And just look at how the author of hebrews here describes the old covenant

He says this mountain “cannot be touched”

The main mark of the LAW is that it creates DISTANCE from God NOT nearness and that is why when God established this OLD covenant he summoned Moses up to the mountain and commanded that NO ONE OR NOTHING else even touch the outskirts of this mountain lest it defile the holiness of God

The law shows sinners how FAR away they are from God because of His holiness and their sinfulness

“a blazing fire” - the essence of something that we do not touch

“darkness”

“gloom”

“whirlwind”

“trumpet”

“sound of words”

This is a vivid description of the events at sinai - In the ancient wilderness, the Israelites, descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, had embarked on a journey towards freedom, led by their chosen leader, Moses. They found themselves camped at the base of a towering mountain named Sinai.

Moses was called by God to ascend Mount Sinai. As he began his climb, the people below were filled with anticipation. But soon, a hushed command spread through the camp: "Do not approach the mountain or touch its base, for it is holy."

Moses continued his ascent, and upon reaching the mountain's summit, the scene was nothing short of awe-inspiring. Thunder rolled, lightning streaked across the darkened sky, and a thick cloud descended upon the mountaintop, veiling it from view.

At the base of the mountain, the people gazed upwards with reverence and trepidation. It was as if the mountain itself recognized that something extraordinary was happening. Then, a mighty trumpet sounded, echoing through the wilderness.

In the midst of this grand display of divine power, God's voice rang out. With great authority, He proclaimed the Ten Commandments, a sacred code meant to guide the lives of the Israelites and all who would come to hear of them. These commandments included instructions to worship the one true God, honor parents, not commit murder or adultery, and not covet what belonged to others.

While the people listened to these divine words, they also heard God's specific command: "Stay back! Do not come near the mountain or touch it. Anyone who does so must be put to death." It was a solemn reminder of the absolute holiness of the moment.

This story is a testament to the awe-inspiring power of God and His desire for His people to live in accordance with His wisdom and love while maintaining deep respect for His holiness.

God establishing a covenant is NO SMALL THING - so this event was marked with real physical, tangible events. That were meant to STRIKE a reverential fear into the people.

And fear it did strike - after the israelites heard the LOUD blast of a trumpet from heaven and the audible voice of God speaking to them they v.19 begged that no more words be spoken to them from God.

and even Moses himself said that he was “full of fear and trembling”

So here we pause to consider first WHY does the author make mention of this?

Well, we remember the original audience - jewish christians under persecution for leaving behind judiasm to follow Christ. There was temptation to return to their old ways, their old religion.

and the author reminds them that In Christ we have not come to the old ways - in Christ you will not find a new set of rules, you will not find God to be an unapproachable mountain, you will not be under the law, you will NOT BE GTE THIS “DISTANCED FROM GOD”

App: Now I understand that for us today there are not many tempted to revert to biblical judiasm BUT i think there is a reality that we all once were under the law - no matter what religion we subscribed to or lack there of

There are ultimately 2 worldviews that of DIVINE ACCOMPLISHMENT or HUMAN ACHEIVMENT

Though now as believers we theologically agree that God has saved us and it was not a work of ourselves but a gift from God on the basis of Jesus Christ… we too often fall back into LIVING LIKE that is not the case - we live like it is our deeds that satisfy God.

Here’s maybe a helpful litmus test for you: How do you think God feels about you right now?

Angry

Dissapointed

Ashamed

Why is that? it is because we have fallen back into hiking the MOUNTAIN of law - where our relationship to God is based off of our perfromance.

but we must remember that though we CANNOT access God in this OLD way - it is the same God that we worship today. It is the God who shakes the earth, who commands lightning, who is a consuming fire. The God who’s voice is so frightening we’d beg him to not speak to us. This is the God of the Bible, this is the God forgotten about by American evangelicalism - if this is not the God you claim to love and follow than your god is nothing but an idol.

TRANS: So how is it that sinful man can be united with this HOLY God? Well its not by doing things the OLD way - but now we have point #2 THE NEW

2. The New v.22-24

Hebrews 12:22–24 “22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, 23 to the general assembly and church 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, which speaks better than the blood of Abel.”

Well if MT Sinai symbolized the LAW then MT Zion symbolizes GRACE

This is where YOU POSITIVELY HAVE COME

In Christ we have come to the very CITY, the heart, the capital of God’s dwelling - HEAVEN

The scene of sinai was terrifying & deterring - Zion is approachable and inviting

A better translation of “myriads of angels to the general assembly” - But you have come to … an innumerable company of angels in festal gathering.

Those who are outside of Jesus await

Matthew 13:30 “30 ‘Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.” ’ ””

Those in Jesus will join in with the angels to PRAISE and WORSHIP GOD!

Illus: Have you ever heard a choir and think - they sound angelic?

church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven

When you come to Jesus - you rrecieve and inheritance which we talked about in our series on identity.

But think about this - when you live as if good works save you - you will never have any assurance that you’re actually going to heaven

BUT when you

Revelation 21:27 “27 only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”

Illus: You know when the teacher calls attendance? There is perfect attandance in heeaven

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,

PREACH!!

When you come to Christ you come to the saviour

You come to the only mediator between God and Man

JESUS! We should me ashamed if just the mention of his name does not excite us.

Student - to

You should RUN from the OLD ways - because they will lead you to death and judgement and into the hands of the living God who is the judge of all

BUT you should RUN TO - Jesus simply because of who he is -

1 John 3:2 “2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.”

and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel.”

Ephesians 1:7 “7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace”

Conclusion:

So we should rightly fear God as the God of sinai who is holy, who is righteous and who is the judge of all.

I want to remind you that though we are offered grace in Jesus Christ and a relat

Also, we must remember that we have come to Jesus Christ - you have no greater purpose in life than to live for him.

No one looks at the before pictures of their physical journey and thinks -if only I looked like that. No one looks at the iphone 3

We cannot look at the old ways - sinful lifetsyle, rigid religion, dead inside and be tempted tp go back - we must look to the New - Jesus Christ his atoning work on the cross and rejoice in what he has done for us.