"The Shadow, the Substance and the Savior"
Hebrews 12:18 For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest, 19 And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more: 20 (For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart: 21 And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:) 22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, 24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.
Introduction: You cannot study the Book of Hebrews without seeing it in its context. The author was a Jew writing to Jewish believers in Asia Minor, most likely the Apostle Paul considering the writers familiarity with Jewish customs and traditions. So our understanding of this book needs to be sifted and filtered through its context to fully appreciate it.
Let's look at: The life of a Hebrew Christian in the first century would have been a difficult one. We are told that when they converted to Christianity that they were exposed to all kinds of indignities and insults. They would no longer be considered Jews but apostates from the true faith. They would be excommunicated from the synagogue and be unable to worship or offer sacrifices. Because they would be considered to have the same status as Gentiles, they would be considered unclean and contact with them would be avoided. Several years ago I heard a statement that in some cases involving orthodox Jews who converted the family would have a funeral service as though their family member had died all because they had converted to Christianity. Dr. F. B. Meyer writes, "To how great splendor had these Hebrew Christians been accustomed, marbled courts, throngs of white-robed Levites, splendid vestments, the state and pomp of symbol ceremonial and choral psalm! And to what contrast were they reduced, a meeting in some hall or school with the poor, afflicted, and persecuted members of a despised and hated sect!" Little wonder that the writer of Hebrews points to the glory that awaits those who have embraced the "meek and lowly One!" Some of these Jews may have been wondering was it worth it; was this new life that was centered around Yeshua (Jesus) worth it? I'm afraid that there are many believers today who are wondering if it is worth it. We have seen so much violence and corruption in the world in the 20th century and in the first part of the 21st. I read a story of persecution during the Boxer rebellion in China. The Boxers attacked a missions school with 98 students. They laid a cross in front of the door and said that anyone who walked on the cross would be spared. The first 7 students did so but the 8th, a young girls prayed about it, walked around the cross and was immediately murdered. All the rest of the children followed her example and were also murdered by the boxers, 91 Christian students died for their faith in Christ. In our day Christians are being beheaded, crucified, raped and tortured for their faith. Churches and homes are being desecrated and destroyed. In our country Bible believing Christians are
I. Life in the Shadows (18-21)
What these Jews gave up.
a. The mountain
Hebrews 12:18 For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest,
b. The message
Hebrews 12:19 And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more: 20 (For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart:
c. The mediator
Hebrews 12:21 And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:)
Exodus 19:12 And thou shalt set bounds unto the people round about, saying, Take heed to yourselves, that ye go not up into the mount, or touch the border of it: whosoever toucheth the mount shall be surely put to death: 13 There shall not an hand touch it, but he shall surely be stoned, or shot through; whether it be beast or man, it shall not live: when the trumpet soundeth long, they shall come up to the mount.
Exo 19:18 And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly.
Exo 19:16 And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled.
Exo 20:19 And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.
II. Life in the Substance (22-23)
What they gained. F. W. Boreham writes, "They gave up the shadow because we have found the substance. We gave up the material, for the spiritual."
a. The access
Notice that the opening words of verse 22 that add a new dimension to the Christian experience. The believing Jew and all believers in particular no longer have to rely on the appearance of a priest on their behalf. We may stand in the holiest of holies for ourselves. "Ye are come..." is not a possibility of the future but an experience of a present reality. Most believers have very sense of their standing. The holiest is accessible to the lowliest!
1 John 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. I remember hearing Dr. Adrian Rogers ask the question, "When do we have eternal life, now or later and the answer is now!" You and I receive the promise of eternal life at the moment we believe.
John 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. John 6:47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.
b. The address
Their feet are already on Mt. Zion. Believers are already citizens of a heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. What majesty these words must have imparted to the minds of these Hebrew believers when they read them. The OT seemed to encourage thoughts of immortality but here it is so much different. This text fills in the blanks and irradiates the vagueness and obscurity of the old words. The language of the ancient documents was not calculated to awaken their enthusiasm or transport them to thoughts of another world but not so here. Father Abraham, "...looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. Hebrews 11:10 All the saints of the Old Covenant died in faith looking for something better.
Hebrews 11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 14 For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. 15 And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. 16 But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.
c. The assembly
They are already members of the general assembly of the church of the first born. The first-born are the heirs, "...heirs of God and joint-heirs of Jesus Christ..." The assembly consists of an innumerable host of angels and redeemed men. Their names are registered on a roll that records their citizenship in heaven. They are already come to God, the judge of all! A better translation is, "they are come to a judge who is God of all!" F. W. Boreham writes, "We gave up a revelation that was clouded and obscure for a revelation that a child can understand. We gave up a revelation that was narrow and exclusive, only Moses was allowed to draw nigh, for a revelation that is all-embracing and universal. We gave up a revelation that was terrible and forbidding, even Moses exceedingly feared and quaked, for a revelation that is all grace and mercy and love. We gave up a revelation that shuts us out for a revelation that takes us all in!"
III. Life with the Savior (24)
This text was not meant to be uplifting to Jewish Christians alone from those days, which are now long dead. Richard Baxter, 15 centuries later on his deathbed, declared they were "worth a thousand, thousand thoughts," to him. For those of us who are seeking to live the Christian life here and now this text is worth a thousand, thousand thoughts indeed. Best of all is verse 24. What do we find? We find that in between Mt. Sinai with all of its terrors, the fire, the blackness, the darkness, the tempest, the trumpet and the voice that caused them to plead with Moses that the word should not be spoken to them anymore and Mt. Zion with all its pleasures, the city where God dwells, and the great company of angels, and the general assembly of the first-born who's names are written in heaven and God the judge of all is another mount that is called Calvary. Between Sinai and Zion is Calvary and if we would go to Zion we must go to Calvary. At Calvary we will find:
a. A Savior
There is an invitation here for all may come to Jesus because He is the, "...one mediator between God and man..." Paul speaks of this reconciliation between God and man in:
Romans 5:10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
Colossians 1:21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled
b. A sacrifice
All throughout the book of Hebrews the writer has declared the better quality of this new covenant, superseding the old, outworn, insufficient covenant. Here he speaks of the "...blood of sprinkling..." that speaketh "...better things..." The blood of Abel cried out for vengeance and revenge while the blood of Jesus calls for mercy and forgiveness. Vincent's Word Studies
Matthew 26:28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
Acts 20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
Ephesians 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
Hebrews 9:11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; 12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. 13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: 14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
Conclusion: You may be here this morning and you have been wondering about the future. There seems to be so much violence, pain and suffering in our world , much of it directed towards Christians. Our text is one that all believers need to hear.
1. Come, we that love the Lord,
And let our joys be known;
Join in a song with sweet accord,
Join in a song with sweet accord
And thus surround the throne,
And thus surround the throne.
2. Let those refuse to sing
Who never knew our God;
But children of the heavenly King,
But children of the heavenly King
May speak their joys abroad,
May speak their joys abroad.
(Refrain)
3. The hill of Zion yields
A thousand sacred sweets
Before we reach the heavenly fields,
Before we reach the heavenly fields,
Or walk the golden streets,
Or walk the golden streets.
(Refrain)
4. Then let our songs abound,
And every tear be dry;
We're marching through Emmanuel's ground,
We're marching through Emmanuel's ground,
To fairer worlds on high,
To fairer worlds on high.
Refrain:
We're marching to Zion,
Beautiful, beautiful Zion;
We're marching upward to Zion,
The beautiful city of God.
After forty years of faithful service to the Lord as a missionary to Africa, Henry Morrison and his wife were returning to New York. As the ship neared the dock, Henry said to his wife, �Look at that crowd. They haven't forgotten about us�. However, unknown to Henry, the ship also carried President Teddy Roosevelt, returning from a big game hunting trip in Africa. Roosevelt stepped from the boat, with great fanfare, as people were cheering, flags were waving, bands were playing, and reporters waiting for his comment, Henry and his wife slowly walked away unnoticed. They hailed a cab, which took them to the one bedroom apartment which had been provided by the mission board.
Over the next few weeks, Henry tried, but failed to put the incident behind him. He was sinking deeper into depression when one evening, he said to his wife, �This is all wrong. This man comes back from a hunting trip and everybody throws a big party. We give our lives in faithful service to God for all these many years, but no one seems to care.�
His wife cautioned him that he should not feel this way. Henry replied �I know you're right, but I just can't help it. It just isn't right.�
His wife then said, �Henry, you know God doesn't mind if we honestly question Him. You need to tell this to the Lord and get this settled now. You'll be useless in His ministry until you do.�
Henry Morrison then went to his bedroom, got down on his knees and, shades of Habakkuk, began pouring out his heart to the Lord. �Lord, you know our situation and what's troubling me. We gladly served you faithfully for years without complaining. But now God, I just can't get this incident out of my mind...�
After about ten minutes of fervent prayer, Henry returned to the living room with a peaceful look on his face. His wife said �It looks like you've resolved the matter. What happened?�
Henry replied, �The Lord settled it for me. I told Him how bitter I was that the President received this tremendous homecoming, but no one even met us as we returned home. When I finished, it seemed as though the Lord put His hand on my shoulder and simply said, 'But Henry, you are not home yet!'�
Comment:
I have to believe that when Henry Morrison finally went home, the celebration dwarfed the welcoming received by Teddy Roosevelt on the docks. I can just image thousands upon thousands of Africans, who he had reached for Christ, standing at the Gates of Heaven, applauding and welcoming Henry home. And one day we will be welcomed home and faith will become sight and we will come
Hebrews 12:22 "...come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, 23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, 24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.
