A Study of Hebrews
“Jesus Is Better”
Sermon # 25
“Grace Is Better Than The Law”
Hebrews 12:18-29
The key thought of Hebrews is seen in the word “better” and our whole series has been “Jesus is Better.” Throughout this book we have seen the superiority of Jesus displayed; Jesus is better than the Old Covenant, Jesus is better than the Prophets, Jesus is better the angels, Jesus is better than anything that can be imagined. Now the writer again points out that Jesus is better, in that, the New Covenant is better than the Old Covenant. Grace is infinitely better than the law.
In Galatians 3 the Apostle Paul had some very stern words for those who have added works to salvation. “O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified? (2) This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? (3) Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?” (Galatians 3:1-3) Paul says, I just have one question, “Were you saved by keeping the law?” The answer of course is No! Why then would anyone wish to add some legalistic requirement to salvation or the Christian life?
The writer of Hebrews also addresses the problem of legalism in 12:18-29. Here he points out that Legalism takes the individual back to Mt Sinai, where the law was given.
“Every man or woman will be judged based on one of two bases. Either they will be judged by the law or by grace; by their works or by Christ’s work; by the provisions of Sinai or by the provisions of Mt. Zion. God has two sets of books. In one is recorded the names of all those who have rejected God, in the other the names of those who have accepted Him through his Son, Jesus Christ (Rev 20:12). The saved are in the book of Life, sometimes called the Lamb’s book of life (Rev. 13:8). Those who whose names are in this book will be judged by what Christ has done on their behalf.” [John MacArthur. The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Hebrews. (Chicago: Moody, 1983) p. 410]
We have before us this morning the God of Mt Sinai and the God of Mt. Zion. Some biblical scholars today dismiss the God of Old Testament as God of wrath and terror and say that the New Testament version of God demonstrated in the person of Jesus as a God of Love, is the right perspective. But we do not have two different Gods, the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New Testament, but the same God revealing two different aspects of His power and two ways to approach God.
Two contrasting pictures are introduced with opposite expressions, (v. 18) says “for you have not come” and (v. 22) says “but you have come.” If a person wants to meet God on the basis of their works then it’s back to Mt. Sinai they must go and when they do there are certain things they need to understand.
How to Approach God (12:18-21)
• Mt. Sinai– The Mountain of Fear (vv. 18-21)
“For you have not come to the mountain that may be touched and that burned with fire, and to blackness and darkness and tempest, (19) and the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words, so that those who heard it begged that the word should not be spoken to them anymore. (20) For they could not endure what was commanded: “And if so much as a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned or shot with an arrow.” (21) And so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I am exceedingly afraid and trembling.”
Although the author of Hebrews never mentions Sinai by name it is clearly this mountain he has in view, for Mt Sinai is the place where God appeared to Moses and the children of Israel in Exodus 19-30 to give them the law. Mt. Sinai was untouchable, unapproachable and so off limits to the people that God commanded Moses to set up a boundary around the mountain so that the people might not accidentally walk into God’s presence and be consumed because of their sin.
Moses led his people to the foot of Mt. Sinai and according to Exodus 19:18-19 this is what they saw. “Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly. (19) And when the blast of the trumpet sounded long and became louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him by voice.”
Imagine the scene if you can, the ground upon which you are standing is being shaken – the sky is icky blackness only broken by crashing of lightening – a eerie sound like a trumpet is heard and above it all the voice of God. Everything about this picture of Sinai says, “Keep your distance. Don’t come any closer!”
The people who witnessed this awesome demonstration of God’s power knew without a doubt that God was not one of them – He possessed a power they could not even comprehend – He was holy beyond anything they had ever imagined. They had no desire to draw near to Mt. Sinai they were perfectly content for Moses to simply tell them what God desired of them. The experience at Mt Sinai was not designed to produce intimacy, but rather a healthy reverential fear of God.
Mt. Sinai is a way to God. If someone can
Do all that God has declared from the mountain then he or she has the right to go up and stand in the presence of God. But that clearly is impossible. Dependence on works or ritual leaves you at Sinai but faith in
Christ brings us to Mt. Zion.
• Mt. Zion–The Mountain of Faith (vv. 22-28)
“But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, (23) to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, (24) to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.”
The writer is not speaking here of the literal Mt. Zion located in Jerusalem. Rather he is speaking in spiritual terms symbolic of a spiritual place that we shall by faith see, the heavenly Jerusalem.
“The mountain of the New Covenant is
Mount Zion, representing the heavenly Jerusalem. 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 - perfect 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 approach-able God…Sinai was covered by clouds and darkness; Zion is the city of light. ’Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God has shone forth.’ (Psalm 50:2) Sinai stands for judgment and death: Zion for forgiveness and life, ’for there the Lord commanded the blessing - life forever.’ (Psalm 133:3) (John MacArthur, Hebrews, pp. 413-414.)
When the writer says, “you have come” (proselelythate) it is in perfect tense, meaning a condition already in existence with continuing results. We are already permanent citizens of heaven (Mt. Zion). Christians are now citizens of the heavenly city and enjoy its privileges. As Paul states in Philippians 3:20, “our citizenship is in heaven.” Where Mt. Sinai was only a temporary stop over Mt. Zion or heaven if you will, is a permanent dwelling place.
Verse twenty-three us that there we will be a part of “the general assembly” but this word is better translated “festal gathering” and implies a festive, celebratory atmos-phere. Rather than the gloom of Sinai, coming to faith in Jesus Christ draws you near into the joyous presence of the Lord.
How to Respond to God. (12:25-29)
• Don’t Ignore God (vv. 25-27)
“See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven, (26) whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven.” (27) Now this, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain.”
The word of God is a reality with which each person must reckon. The Word can be received or the Word can be rejected, but there really is no neutral ground. Verse twenty five warns us not to “refuse the voice of God.” How do we refuse the voice of God?
* We can refuse to believe what God tells us is true.
* We can refuse to believe that we have a need.
* We can refuse to believe that God really loves us.
“Sometimes the reason that people have
such a hard time relating to God as their heavenly Father is “ ….our tendency to project onto God the unloving characteristics of the people we look up to. We tend to believe that God is going to treat us as other do. … Intensive clinical studies on the development of peoples’ images of God show … our negative images of God are often rooted in our emotional hurts and destructive patterns of relating to people that we carry with us from our past.
Imagine a little girl of seven who has known only rejection and abuse from her father whom she loves dearly. At Sunday School she is taught that God is her heavenly Father. What is her perception of Him going to be? Based on her experience with her natural father, she will see God as an unstable, rejecting, abusing person she cannot trust. … If your father was distant, impersonal and uncaring,…you may see God as having the same characteristics. As a result,… you find it difficult to draw close to God because you see Him as disinterested in your need and wants.
(However if your earthly father exhibited positive character traits then this will have a positive influence on the way you see your heavenly father.)
If your father was patient, you are more likely to see God as patient and available for you….
If your father was kind, you probably see God acting kindly and graciously on your behalf. You feel that you are worth God’s help and intervention. You feel God’s love for you deeply and you’re convinced that He wants to relate to you personally.” [H. Norman Wright. Always Daddy’s Girl (Regal Books, 1989) pp. 193-195]
* We can refuse to believe that there is a need for us to respond now to the voice of God rather than waiting for a more convenient time.
• Don’t forget to be grateful. (vv. 28-29)
“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. (29) For our God is a consuming fire.”
The word translated “let us have grace” can also be translated “let us be grateful.” A heart filled with gratitude to God is always expressed in worship which is what is being described by the phrase “serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.”
Conclusion
If you are trying to get to God on the basis of what you do, then you are still at Mt. Sinai. Whether you are a Jew or a Gentile, to try to approach God by our works is to come to Sinai and to discover that our works will never be enough to save us. Whether we are Jew or Gentile, to trust in the blood of Jesus shed at Calvary is to come to Zion, where our mediator will lead us to the Father where we will forgiveness and peace and joy everlasting.
“Grace Is Better Than The Law”
Hebrews 12:18-29
How to _________ God (12:18-21)
•Mt. Sinai– The Mountain of _________. (vv. 18-21)
Mt. Sinai says, “Keep your distance. Don’t come any closer!”
• Mt. Zion–The Mountain of __________. (vv. 22-28)
Mt. Zion (Heaven) says “Come on in, be a part of the celebration.”
How to __________ to God. (12:25-29)
•Don’t __________ God (vv. 25-27)
The word of God is a reality with which each person must reckon.
We can refuse to believe what God tells us is _______.
We can refuse to believe that we have a _______.
We can refuse to believe that God really ________ us.
We can refuse to believe that there is a need for us to respond ________.
•Don’t forget to be ____________.
