Two Mountains: A Choice Between Fear And Grace

Church family, I want you to imagine standing at the foot of two mountains. One mountain is shrouded in darkness, smoking with fire, echoing with the sound of thunder. The other mountain is bathed in light, filled with celebration, where angels sing and the righteous have gathered. Today, the writer of Hebrews presents us with this very choice – two mountains that represent two different ways of approaching God.

Our ancestors knew something about mountains. They knew about the mountain where Moses received the Ten Commandments – Mount Sinai, covered in smoke and fire. But they also sang about another mountain: "I'm gonna lay down my burdens, down by the riverside... ain't gonna study war no more." They understood that God had prepared a better mountain, a mountain of peace and grace.

The Mountain of Fear (Verses 18-21)

The writer begins by reminding us what we have NOT come to: "For you have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; 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."

Let me paint you a picture of Mount Sinai. Picture Moses leading the children of Israel through the wilderness after 400 years of bondage in Egypt. They've been delivered from Pharaoh's army, they've walked through the Red Sea on dry ground, and now they find themselves at the foot of this mountain that's on fire.

The mountain is smoking like a furnace. Thunder crashes overhead. Lightning splits the sky. A trumpet blast – not the sweet sound of Gabriel's horn we sing about, but a sound so terrifying that the people begged Moses, "Don't let God speak to us directly anymore! We can't handle it!"

Even Moses, the great deliverer, was trembling with fear. This was the mountain of the law, where God gave the commandments written in stone. But stone is cold. Stone is hard. Stone breaks when it falls.

Our ancestors in the faith understood this mountain well. They lived under systems that operated by fear – the overseer's whip, the master's rules, the segregationist's threats. They knew what it meant to live under a system where one mistake could cost you everything, where the rules were clear but mercy was scarce.

The Mountain of Grace (Verses 22-24)

But church, listen to what the writer says next: "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, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven."

What a difference! Instead of darkness, there's light. Instead of terror, there's joy. Instead of a voice that threatens, there's celebration. This is Mount Zion – not the physical mountain in Jerusalem, but the spiritual mountain where God dwells with His people in grace and love.

Let me tell you about Mount Zion. This is where David brought the ark of the covenant. This is where Solomon built the temple. This is where the people came to worship and find forgiveness. But the writer of Hebrews is talking about something even greater – the heavenly Mount Zion, where Christ reigns as our eternal High Priest.

Notice who's gathered on this mountain:

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Thousands of angels in joyful assembly – not terrifying, but celebrating

-The church of the firstborn – that's us, church! We who have been adopted as God's children

-The spirits of the righteous made perfect – the saints who have gone before us

* Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant – our advocate, our Savior, our friend

This mountain doesn't operate by the old rules. This mountain operates by grace. On Mount Sinai, the blood of bulls and goats covered sin temporarily. But on Mount Zion, we have "the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel."

Abel's blood cried out for vengeance, but Jesus' blood cries out for mercy! Abel's blood demanded justice, but Jesus' blood declares "It is finished!" Abel's blood said "Someone must pay," but Jesus' blood says "The price has been paid!"

III. The Choice We Must Make (Verses 25-29)

Now church, the writer gives us a solemn warning: "See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven?"

We have a choice to make. We can choose to live on the mountain of fear, where we're always wondering if we've done enough, always worried about God's judgment, always trying to earn our way into heaven through our own works. Or we can choose to live on the mountain of grace, where we know we're accepted in the beloved, where we're confident of our salvation, where we approach God not as frightened servants but as beloved children.