Hebrews 12:18-24 (NIV)

To read this verse, CLICK HERE

 Hebrews 12:18-24 (NIV) 

18 You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; 19 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, 20 because they could not bear what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death.”[a] 21 The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, “I am trembling with fear.”[b] 22 But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, 23 to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. 

Once again, we find the Old Testament referenced in the New Testament in Hebrews chapter 12. In Exodus 19, when Israel came to Mount Sinai, the ground was most definitely holy. It was an area where they did not trespass for fear of death. God commanded them to wash their clothes and abstain from sexual relations. There was thunder, lightning, a thick cloud, fire, smoke, earthquakes, and the sound of a trumpet. Even Moses was “exceedingly afraid and trembling.” 

However, we are in a different place than the Israelites. We come to Mount Zion, where Jerusalem sits and not Mount Sinai. See the contrast between the two below.

With Jesus as our mediator, we should come boldly to the Throne of God. Again, the importance of being His children, members of a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and God’s special possession noted in 1 Peter bears repeating, as does reminding us of the contrast of the Covenants that the recent sermon series taught us. The question is, are you walking in the desert or The City of God, darkness, or light, powerless or fully engaging the power of the Holy Spirit given to us for victorious life?

Prayer: Jesus, you promised us The Gift, the Holy Spirit in Your Word. Forgive us when we do not walk in the Holy Spirit’s power. Forgive us when we do not rely on You and do not listen; when we have not because we do not ask of you, when we sometimes have the short-sightedness of the Israelites. We know your ways are better than our ways, yet we fall short so many times. Thank you for Jesus, our mediator who paid the price for our atonement, in whom we have the promise of eternal life in Your City with You. And it is in His Name we pray,

Amen