The Sprinkled Blood That Speaks

Hebrews 12:18–24 “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.”

Other Passages: Deut 5:24-25; Col 3:1-4; Eph 2:6; Gen 4:8-10; Rev 6:9-10; 2 Cor 3:7-11

Words to listen for: Sinai, Zion, Jesus’s

Introduction

On the morning of May 18, 1980, Mount St. Helens in Washington State – a beautiful, symmetrical, snow-capped peak often called the "Fujiyama of America" – suddenly awoke in fury.

After weeks of earthquakes and steam vents warning of impending danger, an earthquake triggered a massive landslide. The entire north side of the mountain collapsed, unleashing a lateral blast of superheated gas, ash, and rock traveling at hundreds of miles per hour. In seconds, centuries-old forests were flattened like matchsticks over 230 square miles. A towering plume of ash rose 12 miles into the sky, turning day into pitch-black night hundreds of miles away.

Eyewitnesses described it as apocalyptic: a roaring, ominous cloud of destruction racing toward them, silent at first in the "quiet zone" before the shockwave hit, then engulfing everything in scalding heat and choking darkness. People fled in terror, barely outrunning the pyroclastic flows. One survivor said the cloud was "right there... we came to a screeching halt, turned around, and drove away at 85 miles an hour with this gaseous wall almost engulfing us." Fifty-seven lives were lost, and the landscape was reduced to a barren wasteland.

This once-beautiful, approachable mountain suddenly became untouchable—barriers kept people back, for to draw near meant death.

Our passage this evening contrasts two mountains and two bloody messages which parallel these two mountains.

Sinai was tangible, visible, felt—yet utterly inaccessible. It revealed God's holiness in terrifying power, exposing sin but barring approach. That's the old covenant: majesty that condemns and distances.

Mount Zion on the other hand is invisible to us currently, but accessible through Christ. It offers joyful welcome and bold access to the living God.

Abel’s blood cries out from the ground for justice and vengeance against sin. But Jesus’ blood, sprinkled in the true heavenly sanctuary, speaks a far better word: forgiveness, reconciliation, and complete atonement.

Tonight we’ll explores these three realities in our passage: 1) The Terrifying but Inaccessible Mount Sinai, 2) the Intangible yet Accessible Mount Zion, and 3) The better Word of Jesus’ Blood.

This is a call to marvel at the privilege of the new covenant, to worship with awe and joy, and to live in light of the eternal city we already belong to through faith in Christ’s finished work.

I. Terrifying but Inaccessible MountSinai

Hebrews 12:18–20 “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.”

The author paints a vivid picture of the seminal moment of the Mosaic covenant. The description is vivid: a blazing fire, darkness, gloom, a storm, a trumpet blasting and a terrifying voice. He wants you to feel as though you were there standing in the midst of the Israelites for a moment.

The word “touched” could also be translated as “felt.” It is the word used to describe the darkness was the 9th plague on the Egyptians before they let the Israelites go. It was called a “darkness that could be felt.” So the author may be making an allusion to that. But the main point is that this whole terrifying scene was very tangible.

This blazing mountain covered with storm clouds and a terrifying voice speaking was something that would leave a very powerful imprint. This scene which can be felt or touched is ironically contrasted with the fear inducing command given to the people not to even touch the mountain.

While the accounts in Deuteronomy and Exodus mention God all over the place, in this passage God is notably absent. There is a sound and a voice and a command, but no mention of God. This is because the author is making the point that this encounter on Mt Sinai did not result in genuine communion with God.

The Letter to the Hebrews B. The Gravity of God’s Judgment (12:18–29)

Despite his tangible manifestation when he reveals himself at Sinai, God is ultimately inaccessible. Under the old covenant, God appeared to be near, in the tabernacle, and yet, he was, indeed, unreachable.

The Old Covenant was much more tangible. There is great irony in the way that the author of Hebrews says,“[18] For you have not come to what may be touched, …” only to then recount the command given, “[20] If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.” The covenant at Mt Sinai involved a tangible, but untouchable presence of God. A burning mountain covered in impenetrable storm clouds with a thundering voice.

The experience made the people of Israel question their own ability to sustain this experience in Deuteronomy 5:24–25 “And you said, ‘Behold, the Lord our God has shown us his glory and greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire. This day we have seen God speak with man, and man still live. Now therefore why should we die? For this great fire will consume us. If we hear the voice of the Lord our God any more, we shall die.”

The Letter to the Hebrews B. The Gravity of God’s Judgment (12:18–29)

Despite his tangible manifestation when he reveals himself at Sinai, God is ultimately inaccessible. Under the old covenant, God appeared to be near, in the tabernacle, and yet, he was, indeed, unreachable.

God’s inaccessibility is confirmed by the people’s response. With a verb that connotes refusal and perhaps even rejection, the author notes that they “pleaded [parētēsanto] that not another word was spoken to them” (cf.

This reminder comes in the context of what you have not come to. You have not come to the tangible terrifying expression of God’s presence in the Old Covenant. This is the mountain of sight with all manner of physical sensations. But there is no welcome there. Israel had to build a fence around the perimeter of the mountain so that they wouldn’t die. Mt Sinai is ominous, threatening death to any that attempt to approach.

Fear is the prevailing emotion that Mt. Sinai evoked in its audience and not even Moses was excluded from the terror.

But, as verse 18 says, “you have not come to” this ominous threatening mountain. Instead what the people of God, the original audience find; themselves approaching in is:

II. Intangible but Accessible MountZion

Hebrews 12:22–23 “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,”

The author says that instead of coming to a dark, burning, threatening mountain of judgment, his audience has come to a different different sort of mountain entirely, Mt Zion. In this New Jerusalem they are celebrating. There is a big party. A festal gathering of angels and saints. This is the cloud of witnesses who participated in the divine drama of redemption and now await our arrival. The contrast could not be more stark. Darkness, fire, thunder, and fear versus light, joy, peace, and a party.

The Mt. Zion that could be touched was in Judah as part of the city of Jerusalem which David conquered early in his reign and then made his capital and where his son Solomon built the temple. As is common with other cities, Zion didn’t just represent the physical site, it also represented the people that lived there. The physical location of Mt Zion as the site of God’s temple made it a natural transition to a synonym for God’s dwelling place.

Here the author of Hebrews is contrasting Mount Zion with the previous mount which could be touched or felt, implying that this Mount Zion is not tangible. He’s not talking about the physical hill in the land of Israel. He’s speaking of the spiritual reality.

We find a variety of descriptors first for the city itself and then to those who are gathered there. First the city is called “Mount Zion,” “the city of the living God,” and “the heavenly Jerusalem.” These titles are synonomous, but they each have their own meaning they contribute to the picture we get. Mt Zion is of course the mountain upon which Jerusalem was built.

Then we have “the city of the living God.” Hebrews uses the phrase “living God” throughout the epistle to intensify his warning or contrast with dead works. Hebrews 3:12 “T[don’t] fall away from the living God.” Hebrews 9:14 “purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.” Hebrews 10:31 “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” In our passage it highlights the reverential aspect that is present even amidst the celebration. This is the city of the living God. The God this city belongs to is living and this city pulses with the life that emanates from him.

The last description “the heavenly Jerusalem” makes clear beyond the shadow of a doubt that the writer is speaking of a heavenly city. The other two monikers could be used of the earthly Jerusalem, but by this phrase he makes clear that he is referring to is the heavenly one. “Heavenly” is a descriptor the writer has used a number of times already. In chapter 8 and 9 we have the “heavenly things” describing the true tabernacle which God set up and Christ entered through his sacrificial death. Then in chapter 11 the patriarchs “desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one.”

In our passage it says that we have come to the country that the patriarchs were seeking. As we continue we see that they are already there. Hebrews 12:22–23 “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,”

We find that the celestial city is not empty, but teeming with inhabitants. First mentioned are the angels who ready to celebrate; they’re preparing a party. The choruses sung to the shepherds outside Bethlehem wouldn’t hold a candle to the celebration these angels are preparing for, and there’s too many of them to even count. The legions of heaven that Jesus told his disciples he could have directed to save him from the cross, are now serving the celebration of the saints.

Next we have listed the “assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven.” The word “assembly” is the word which we normally translate as “church” (ἐκκλησία). This is not a further description of the angels, but refers to those whom Jesus proudly calls “brothers” from Hebrews 2:11 “For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers,” In other words, all those who put their faith in Christ. Remember that angels in Hebrews 1:14 are described as serving the elect: “Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?” Furthermore, it is believers who are referred to throughout Scripture as being enrolled in a book (Dan 12:1), called the “Book of Life” in Revelation (3:5, 13:8, 17:8).

Then, God, the owner, builder, and creator of the city is listed as being there. He is described as “the judge of all” which we might have expected to read in the previous section on Mt Sinai, but is surprising for it to show up here in the midst of the celebration. Next week we’re going to see the author pick up on this to make his point in the final verses of chapter 12, but for this week we’re going to focus on a few other things within this passage.

The mention of God as the judge of all is intimidating to all those who find justice dangerous. As humans, you and I are people who are not perfect. We’ve done things we know are wrong and would be ashamed for others to find out. But God sees it all. He’s got a perfect record of our thoughts, words, and actions with the aim to bring all crimes to justice. You can’t escape God’s sight, everything you do, say, and think is an open book to him. And every sin that we rack up each day adds to our spiritual stench and increase our punishment sentence. We need God’s promise of cleansing if we are ever going to have any hope of going to a place where God the judge of all the earth dwells.

This is why that next phrase in verse 23 is so interesting, “and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect,” Because there are some sinners who find cleansing. Instead of being burdened down and punished for their debt of sin they find forgiveness, cleansing, and even righteousness. Their spirits are perfected. This is what makes the judge of all the earth their friend and even vindicator instead of their enemy.

Who are these “spirits of the righteous made perfect,”? Well, this certainly would overlap with the previous group of “the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven.” But the mention of “spirits” here suggests that what may be in view rather those who are not yet fully present with the Lord. What I mean is that there is a certain sense in which believers are said to already be present in spirit with God.

Consider Colossians 3:1–4 “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” Or Ephesians 2:6 “and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,”

Now, I want to urge caution. The Scriptures are not suggesting that we ought to consider ourselves as divided beings with various pieces of ourselves existing in various locations. It is speaking metaphorically of the way that there is a sense in which believers do mysteriously already have deep union with Christ by faith.

This would mean then, that the “spirits of the righteous made perfect,” is less of a reference to the believers who have already passed on to glory, and more of a reference to the believers still alive all around you. Even those here in this room. If you are a believer there is a sense in which you have already begun participating in this celestial city.

The burning fearful mountain upon which God descended to give the people of Israel his law produced untouchable terror and distance for the people under the Old Covenant. But this is not where the New Covenant believers have come. They have come not to the terrifying mountain of Sinai but the celestial city of the living God who is preparing a party, known in Revelation as the “marriage supper of the Lamb.” But this can only happen because of the who is listed in verse 24. So third we see:

III. Better Word of Jesus’s Blood

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.”

The crowning jewel of what makes Zion truly blessed is who we find mentioned in this verse, Jesus. It would not be a place of joy and delight, it would not be heaven, if Jesus were not there.

Here we are reminded of why New Covenant believers can come into a place of joy rather than fear and judgment, because of the mediating work of Jesus Christ. It is he who brings us a new covenant.

But the last phrase in this verse has always struck me as a little odd. Why are we suddenly talking about Abel here? It is certainly not where mind was going when I was reading the whole description of saints and angels having a party in the heavenly Jerusalem.

We saw Abel mentioned in chapter 11 as the one who through faith offered an acceptable sacrifice. Hebrews 11:4 “By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks.” In the final phrase we find a reference to Abel’s speaking despite his death. This takes us back to Genesis 4 where we find the account of Cain and Abel.

Genesis 4:8–10 “Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?” And the Lord said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground.”

God tells Cain that Abel’s blood is speaking to him. What he means is that Abel’s death requires justice. Abel’s blood did not merely disappear out of sight out of mind, but Abel’s blood is like his lawyer arguing his case before God. It is calling on God to bring Cain to justice.

This brings us back to the contrast between the two mountains in this passage. Abel’s blood is calling on God’s judgment his trumpet, darkness, tempest, and thundering voice from heaven. Abel, as the first martyr in Scripture, his blood represents the collective cry that we find coming from under the altar in Revelation 6:9-10 “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?”” Abel’s blood calls for justice, for judgment against those who have done wrong. Which unfortunately for you and I, includes all of us. There is not a man, woman, or child on earth today who has not broken God’s law and become criminally liable for God’s holy judgement. Yet, there is hope to be found in Christ. In fact, even the Apostle Paul who was a killer of Christians, sending those martyrs to the altar to plead for his judgement before God, found mercy because he found another blood. (1 Tim 1:12-16)

Jesus, who has been shown to be better than angels, Moses, Israel, David, Melchizedek, Abraham, and all the Old Testament sacrifices and temple ceremonies, is said to have blood which speaks a better word.

Recall Jesus’ words on the cross, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” Even in his death, Jesus pleaded for the forgiveness of his killers rather than their destruction. Instead of calling for judgment, he called for mercy and forgiveness. But remember his final words from the cross especially, “It is finished.” Jesus shed every last drop of blood needed to complete our salvation.

The reference to Jesus’ blood as sprinkled is a reference to his sacrifice which is what makes “the spirits of the righteous perfect.” Hebrews 9 and 10 went into great detail of the way that Jesus’ death on the cross was no mere crucifixion on earth. It represented the sacrifice of all sacrifices, which was taken into the presence of God and sprinkled on the heavenly mercy seat to propitiate for the sins of his people for all time.

The Old Testament temple and ceremonies were inaugurated on Mt Sinai under a cloud of judgment representing the fact that the intimacy the tabernacle appeared designed for proved to be elusive. We see the Apostle Paul making a similar argument regarding the ineffectiveness of Old Covenant in 2 Cor 2:7-11.

2 Corinthians 3:7–11 “Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses’ face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end, will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory? For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory. Indeed, in this case, what once had glory has come to have no glory at all, because of the glory that surpasses it. For if what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have glory.”

Paul describes the Mosaic administration initiated on Mount Sinai as “the ministry of death.” He acknowledges there was significant glory that was revealed on Sinai, but then says it doesn’t hold a candle to Zion.

The writer of Hebrews says to his readers that they haven’t come to Sinai, but they have instead come to Zion because of Jesus’ blood.

We ought to especially think of this as we come to worship.

How many times do we struggle into worship thinking about our own sorrows, difficulties, or simply our own individual lives and immediate concerns? We might lift our eyes to consider the others in the room around us, perhaps even God, but what about the church across history? Have you considered that as you come into worship you’re not just joining the voices you hear in this building, you’re singing with the assembly of the firstborn enrolled in heaven!

But even more broadly in terms of our life before God, I think it has implications for interacting with those around us. We saw in the “spirits of the righteous made perfect” that believers who are joined to Christ now are to a certain extent in the celestial city.

Conclusion

Dear brothers and sisters, as we stand at the foot of these two mountains, the contrast could not be clearer—or more glorious. You have not come to the blazing terror of Mount Sinai, where fire and darkness thundered a message of judgment that even Moses could not bear, where the voice of God drove sinners to plead for distance rather than nearness. No, by God’s grace, you have come to Mount Zion—the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem alive with the festal joy of countless angels, the triumphant assembly of the firstborn whose names are forever enrolled in heaven, and the spirits of the righteous made perfect.

And what makes this access possible? What silences the accusing cry of Abel’s blood that demands justice against us all? It is Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, whose sprinkled blood speaks a better word. Where Abel’s blood cried out for vengeance, Christ’s blood cries out, “Forgiven! Reconciled! It is finished!” His once-for-all sacrifice has cleansed us, perfected us in spirit, and flung wide the gates of the celestial city. Because of His blood, the Judge of all the earth is not our terror, but our Father. Because of His blood, we approach not with trembling refusal, but with confident joy.

So let this truth reshape your worship and your life. When you gather with the saints—here, or in any local church—you are not merely joining a small group in a building. You are entering the outskirts of the heavenly assembly, adding your voice to the eternal chorus that surrounds the throne.

Therefore, let us live as citizens of Zion. Let us draw near with boldness, cleansed by the better blood that speaks mercy. Let us worship with awe and celebration, knowing we stand already in the presence of the living God. And let us press on faithfully, for the day is coming when faith will give way to sight, and we will join the marriage supper of the Lamb in the full glory of the city whose gates are never shut. Amen.