The Big Decision

There is really only one answer for doubt: Follow Jesus

Like every good book that we’ve ever read, there is one chapter where all of the loose ends are tied up.

The book may have one or two more chapters, but those are written to fill in the blanks

To help you process what happened and where the story might go from here.

The last 12 verses of chapter 12 in Hebrews is that place where all of the loose ends are tied up.

Chapter 13 is the - where does this go from here section

But the story of the book of Hebrews reaches its denouement right here.

The entire book of Hebrews is written to encourage people who are under attack for their faith.

They made a profession of faith to follow Jesus and for a season nobody noticed.

But one day they did.

And one day non-Christians turned on them

And the government turned on them

And becoming a Christian suddenly got real hard.

You know people are going to jail in England for posting Godly things on social media.

You do know that Christian Nigerians are getting slaughtered by Muslims

Don’t you dare believe that “religion of peace” nonsense.

On September the 9th of this year in Dearborn, Michigan, a Christian pastor named Ted Barham was protesting the naming of a street after a Muslim militant at the Dearborn City Council meeting.

The Mayor, Abdullah Hammoud told Reverend Barham that “you are not welcome here.”

Things aren’t much different now than they were with the Hebrews.

Where the folks were the book of Hebrews was written to is not known.

We do know that they had not been killed for their faith yet, like the Nigerians are

But we know all of the rest we are starting to see, they were seeing.

To the point that, not only were they being told they were not welcome, the government was confiscating their stuff.

Life was getting real hard all because they were following Jesus.

So they did what we do sometimes in hard places: we wonder if we made the right decisions.

They doubted.

We know that doubt itself is not a sin

It’s what we do with the doubt that causes the problem.

If we choose to follow Jesus, one outcome is certain.

And it we choose to abandon Jesus, another outcome is certain.

And they all revolve around the same, single seven words:

“For our God is a consuming fire.”

Turn with me to Hebrews 12, verse 18-29, and while you do, let’s talk to the kids for just a second.

Kids, I can promise you from God’s word that there will come a time if you follow Jesus that you will live happily ever after.

It’s getting to the happily ever after that’s hard.

It’s like going to the beach on vacation - the beach at Jekyll Island is my favorite place.

You get in the car and it seems like the trip takes forever, doesn’t it?

Have you every asked your mom or dad, “Are we there yet?”

It’s just hard waiting, isn’t it?

That’s what your life will be like.

There will be fun times and hard times

But one day, if you are a Jesus follower, you’ll get to the place where you will live happily ever after with Jesus.

That’s your goal.

To know Jesus.

To trust Jesus.

And to follow Jesus where ever He takes you.

That’s your goal.

In the message today, listen for Jesus’ name.

He is the reason we are here.

If everyone is ready, hear now the word of the Lord from Hebrews 12:18-29

Hebrews 12:18–29 ESV

For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them. For they could not endure the order that was given, “If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.” Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.” 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, 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, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.

This is the word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Let us pray:

Holy Father,

I will speak words to explain what this text says

But Father, your Holy Spirit has to touch hearts.

Open eyes and open ears

Cause those whom you have called to cry out to you today for strength.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

I hope you remember that the reason we came to Hebrews is because so much of it is built off of the book of Exodus, which is what we studied last.

He’s quoted the Old Testament and specifically the Exodus a whole bunch of times

And right here, in the moment that he’s going to seal the deal, he goes back to the Exodus again.

Now, why?

The people he was writing to were being tempted to walk away from Jesus and return to Judaism.

Nobody cared if they were Jews.

Jews didn’t pledge their allegiance to King Jesus.

They were ‘safe’ as far as society was concerned.

So he goes back to the Exodus, to show them what they could expect from God when they turned away from Jesus to go back to the way they used to live.

Now, that sounds like it doesn’t apply to us at all because, as far as I know, not a single one of us is thinking of converting to Judaism.

But it is not what they are turning TO that is the issue.

It is what they are turning FROM.

The sin is not in the doubt

The sin is in the action and if the action is turning away from Jesus then that is sin -

And you remember what the Pastor said in Hebrews 10:26-27

Hebrews 10:26–27 ESV

For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.

So there are two paths we can choose

We can follow Jesus

Or we can go our own way.

What does God look like to those who go their own way?

Look at verses 18-19 Hebrews 12:18–19 “For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them.”

Way back in Exodus, you remember the Israelites had crossed the Red Sea

They’d seen a couple of miracles of God feeding them and giving them water

And then they ended up at Mt. Sinai.

God called the entire nation together at the base of the mountain, remember.

What did that scene look like?

Well, that’s what the Pastor is describing right here.

God came down on Mt. Sinai.

The holiness of God covered the mountain so that no one could even touch it.

There was thunder and lightning - blazing fire is how he puts it

And darkness and gloom and a tempest

Darkness and gloom are synonyms

It’s like you do when it’s a moonless night and their is a heavy cloud cover

And you are driving through the woods and you tell someone, “Man, it was dark dark.”

That’s what he just did.

I think us Southerners have the advantage on understanding this over anyone else.

Do you ever remember seeing a summer thunderstorm that got dark as pitch

And the wind was blowing so hard you were afraid trees were going to fall

And the lightning popped all around you just one bolt after another

And it was loud and scary

Hold that thought and then add this - in the middle of that cacophony of sound, a voice speaks.

A trumpet blows and a voice speaks and the words that were spoken were so powerful and so convicting that the people begged

Literally begged the Lord to never speak to them again.

Hebrews 12:20 “For they could not endure the order that was given, “If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.””

Why is that beast thing a big deal?

Because if even a wild animal touched the mountain, some of the holiness of God would be on it

And if it came near a person, the person would die

Holy cannot co-exist with sinful.

Man’s sinfulness separates us from God’s holiness.

And we know all of that - but let’s bring it home and make it very, very real.

Skip down to verse 24 Hebrews 12:24 “and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.”

That last phrase really didn’t make sense to me.

Blood of Jesus - yep, got it understand.

But the Pastor contrasts the blood of Jesus with the blood of Abel.

How does that make sense?

Abel’s blood talks - and the message is scary

Back in Genesis chapter 4, Adam and Eve’s boys Cain and Abel are working.

Cain is a farmer, Abel is a shepherd.

When it comes time to make an offering to the Lord, Cain offers fruits and vegetables.

Abel sacrificed the firstling of his flock.

God accepted the animal sacrifice but he rejected Cain’s vegetable sacrifice.

Why?

Go back to Hebrews 9:22

Hebrews 9:22 ESV

Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.

If Cain had purchased an animal from Abel and sacrificed as God desired, everything would have been cool, calm, kosher and copacetic.

But Cain didn’t do that.

Cain wanted to treat God how Cain wanted to treat God

Cain’s attitude was, God would just have to deal with it.

Cain got so angry and so jealous of Abel, he killed Abel.

Why?

Because Abel was following God and it convicted Cain of his sinfulness.

He blamed his brother for his feelings, so he killed his brother.

But it wasn’t his brother that he was angry with.

It was God - His sin was against God

Let’s go from the beginning of the Bible to the end of the Bible.

Now here is the scary part - Turn with me to Revelation 6:9-10

Revelation 6:9–10 ESV

When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”

Let’s go slow and you follow me.

We studied Revelation, remember?

Who was found worthy to open the seals?

Jesus.

When Jesus opened the fifth seal, there was an altar

And under that altar were the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had born.

Abel was there, right?

Under the altar, and his his voice along with all of the martyrs cried out

“How long before you avenge our blood on those who killed us for your namesake?

Here’s the point:

When we don’t follow Jesus

When we turn our backs on Jesus

When we live our lives on our terms like Cain did

Those sins aren’t benign.

They don’t just sit there waiting for Jesus to find them and judge them one day.

Those sins are on display before the very face of a Holy God, crying out for judgement.

There is no hiding or ignoring or saying you don’t believe in God - who cares what you say?

The great God of all creation who created you and me has a claim on us - whether we agree or not

And when we reject God, our rejection rises to heaven like a megaphone.

And the God we will one day meet, is that God Israel saw on the mountain

With fire and smoke and thunder and lightning and terror.

Stark, raving, scarier than any horror movie terror.

That will never end.

The Pastor is saying to us, you don’t want this.

Do you remember what the Pastor said in Hebrews 10:31 “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

If anyone rejects Christ, fearful is an understatement.

If you choose to stand before God without Jesus, expect the mountain.

What does it look like if we choose to follow Jesus?

It is a completely different picture.

Starting at verse 22, “But you have come to Mt. Zion”

Not Sinai, but Zion

“to the city of the living God.”

Not to the mountain God is visiting to deliver the commandments

But to the mountain where God lives.

“the heavenly Jerusalem.”

A place with “innumerable angels in festal gathering”

Now I’ve used the word festal exactly never in my life, so what does it mean?

It sounds like festive which works - innumerable angels in celebration mode

What are they celebrating?

They are celebrating the goodness of God.

Now, keep the picture in your head - this is not a thunderstorm

You are walking into the place where God lives and it’s peaceful

In fact, there’s a celebration going on - more angels than you can count

And “the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven.”

This is not too hard for us to figure out and it is really good news

The word assembly is the same word for church - ekklesia.

You are walking into the church of the first born

Remember this verse Romans 8:29

Romans 8:29 ESV

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

You are walking into the church of Jesus

And who are the ones who make up the church - they are the ones who are enrolled.

And how do you get enrolled?

Your name is written in the Lamb’s book of life.

This is what the Pastor is describing Revelation 21:22-27

Revelation 21:22–27 ESV

And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

You do see the contrast, right?

Choose to reject Jesus and your sins cry out to God for judgement.

You can’t hide from them and you can’t hide them.

They cry from the very dirt for the judgment they deserve.

But when you choose Jesus, instead of your sins crying out for judgment, Jesus’ sprinkled blood has covered every one.

And you walk into a place that you’ve never imagined.

Every guilt you have is removed.

Every fear is gone.

Every depression is lifted.

Every pain is removed.

Every wound is healed.

Every anxiety is forgotten.

Every obligation you carry gone.

The weight of the world you carry on your shoulders, lifted off of you forever.

Every need to control things is gone.

You don’t worry about looking fat

Or bald

Or ugly

No one has unreasonable expectations of you

No one will ever call you a failure again

You will walk into this city and experience perfect peace for the first time ever.

Now watch this -

The same fire that will consume the sinful will consume our sins

“For our God is a consuming fire.”

For some that is terrifying.

But for those whose name are written in the Lamb’s book of life, that is the best news ever.

Every sin, every work we have done that caused the Lord pain will be burned with fire.

The only things of our past that will remain, are those things that bring glory to God

Things that we would be proud to hand Jesus as a gift.

Everything - everything that makes us hold our heads in shame before Jesus - gone

Never to be remembered.

Ever.

What our response will be then is what we should do now

Hebrews 12:28 “Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe,”

See the words reverence and awe - those are interchangeable too.

When it comes to our worshipping the Lord, there are no words to explain the feelings we have.

Reverence and awe are the best we can do with language.

But when we get home, we won’t have to speak.

Jesus will do that - He will welcome us home.

Dear Brother and Sister,

Stand firm.

Don’t let your doubts pull you away - it won’t end like you think.

Stand firm.

Remember, one step at a time

Not long range goals, not next week, not tomorrow, not two hours.

Just one step.

And dear friends,

We want so desperately for you to know that your sins cry out to God.

You are on the fast track to judgment and pay back for rejecting the one who created you

And, for heaven’s sake, and who has worked more than anyone you know to help you

To offer you a way to a reasonable life and to an unbelievable eternity.

Who else has died for your - because of your sins.

Who else has been raised from the dead, so you can be too?

No one else loves you like that - why do you put it off?

You do not want to meet God face to face without Jesus at your side.

Please Friend, follow Jesus.

We will pray and then sing

I’ll be right down here, waiting for you to come talk about Jesus.