Running to Zion

Hebrews 12: 18-24 10-3-21

Introduction:

Over the last few weeks we have looked extensively at Hebrews 12 and talked about how the writer uses the illustration of running a race as a way to describe what our lives in christ are like. Today we are going to look at the next part that shows what we are running to and what we have been running from. We are going to look too day at two different paths the these Jewish believers were on the first is when they were on the path to Sini and the second is when they are on the path to Zion.

Mount Sinai (The Old Covenant) v18-21

The old covenant was associated with Mount Sinai because this is where God meet with Moses and gave him the 10 commandments which would be come known as the law. Here are a few things that the old covenant or the law was

It was a covenant of laws It was a covenant of judgment It was a covenant of fear

It contained things that said: “Do this or do not do that or you will be judged”

It also said “Do not do this or you will die” The old covenant was given to earthly people and had an earthly land mark

It was given to the people of Israel and it was never intended to be a permanent thing. The earthly mountain was used to symbolize the earthliness of that covenant as contrasted with the Heavenly Jerusalem of the New Covenant. The old covenant was the foundational covenant, the kindergarten covenant, which gave the rudiments, the elementary principles, of Gods nature, will and standards. It was therefore given and was to be obeyed in more physical, tangible, picturesque, and symbolic ways. Exodus 19 describes what the whole nation had to go through to prepare for God giving them His Law.

The day God gave the covenant to the people of Israel was meant to be a unique day in human history. The demonstration of power was through the physical means of:

Thunder Lighting Thick clouds Loud trumpets Fire Smoke Violent tremblings of the earth The primary purpose of all these signs was to convince the people of the absolute unapproachableness of God. Sinful man could not come near the perfect God. The God of Sinai is truly a God to be feared, a God of judgment and of punishment, Sinai, representing the old covenant was a mountain of fear and of judgement. The writer of Hebrews is saying to his readers, “If you go back to Judaism, you are going back to a covenant of law, fear, judgment, and death” Since no man in him self can fulfill its demands, no man in himself can escape its punishment. At Sinai, sinful and unforgiven man stands before an infinitely holy and perfectly just God. Guilty, vile and undeserving of forgiveness, he has nothing to expect from Sinai but Gods condemnation.

Mount Zion (The New Covenant) v22-24

In this passage Mount Zion stands in stark contrast to mount Sinai

The opposite of Sinai it is not touchable, but it is approachable Sinai symbolizes law and Zion symbolizes grace No man can be saved by the law, but any man can be saved by grace The law confronts us with commandments, judgment, and condemnation Grace presents us with forgiveness, atonement, and salvation Whereas Sinai was forbidding and terrifying Zion is inviting and gracious Sinai is closed to all, because no one is able to please God on Sinai’s terms which is fulfillment of the law Zion is open to all because Jesus Christ has met those terms and will stand in the place of anyone who will come to God through Him. Zion symbolizes the approachable God Sinai was covered by the clouds and darkness; Zion is the city of light Pslams 50:2 says “Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God has shone forth” Sinai stands for judgement and death; Zion for Forgiveness and life By coming to Zion we come into seven other blessings;

The Heavenly City (City of God)

- by coming to Zion by pithing our faith in Jesus Christ we will one day be welcomed into the city of God Zion its self

The General Assembly (Angles)

- we will be joined by the Angles of heaven in worshiping the king

- they were there on Mount Sinai when God gave the Old Covenant to Moses and they will be there in the new city of Zion Worshiping God Almighty

The Church of the First Born

- this is the body of Christ

- This is all the believers that have ever trusted Christ as their savior

God, The Judge of All

- On Mount Zion we can come into God’s own presence

this would have been incomprehensible concept to a Jew who knew only the God of Sinai

- this is because of what Jesus did not the cross when he took his last breath the veil of the temple was rip down the middle and now any man is allowed to come into the presence of God.

- To come into Gods presence at Sinai was to die to come into Gods presence in Zion is to live forever!

The Spirits of Righteous Men Made Perfect

- just imagine being in the same area worshiping with Mosses, David, John, Paul and Daniel.

Jesus

- ultimately we came to Jesus at Zion the mediator of the new covenant

- when we come to Zion we are coming to our savior, our redeemer, our one and only Mediator with the father

The Sprinkled Blood

- The blood is what allows us to come to the father

- The blood that Christ shed for us on the cross is ever lasting, the blood that was offered in the old testament was only temporary it kept having to be redone and reapplied

- The blood that Christ shed was ounce and forever