Two Mountains, Two Messages

Two Mountains, Two Messages I. There are various ways in which men come unto God but all such comings are by Jesus Christ. JOH 14:6. A. God will not hold audience with the unrighteous. PSA 5:5. 1. Christ supplies our righteousness to overcome this barrier. 2CO 5:21. 2. King Jesus holds forth His own sceptre of righteousness to receive us, similar to Ahasuerus’ holding forth of the sceptre for unworthy Esther. EST 4:11; 5:1-2 c/w HEB 1:8. B. There are passive comings in which God draws men unto Himself by His power. 1. Such is the promise of eternal life. JOH 6:37-40. 2. Bodily resurrection is such a coming. JOH 5:28-29. C. There are active comings in which men are responsible to approach God through Christ. 1. All active comings must be by faith. HEB 11:6. 2. Jesus bids men come unto Him for rest. MAT 11:28-30. 3. Conversion and discipleship are a coming to Him. LUK 14:26 c/w 1PE 2:4-5 c/w JOH 7:37-39. 4. Because Christ is our High Priest and Intercessor, we may come boldly to God in prayer. HEB 4:16. 5. There is also a coming to God in duty and worship in the place where He resides. HEB 10:1 c/w EPH 2:18-22. a. Of old, men came before God with offerings of that which had its life sacrificed. HEB 10:2-4. b. We approach through Jesus Christ Who was sacrificed for us. HEB 7:27. c. We present our bodies in church worship as a living sacrifice. ROM 12:1. II. Paul sets forth a contrast in practical coming to God under the Old Testament of Moses with practical coming to God under the New Testament of Christ. HEB 12:18-24. III. Mt. Sinai was a visible mount that could be touched but to touch it or even its border meant death for man or beast. c/w EXO 19:12-13. A. Only Moses the mediator and Aaron the prospective high priest were permitted there, nobody else. EXO 19:24. B. The presence of God on Sinai was a horrid, fearful thing. HEB 12:18. 1. Sinai was ablaze, black, dark, stormy, quaking (EXO 19:18). Visualize yourself on top of an erupting volcano with soot-black cloud and lightnings everywhere. 2. The trumpet and voice of God made the earth shake and struck fear in men, even Moses. HEB 12:21, 26. C. Everything about that event and mountain said, “Not Welcome!” to the church. It was in accord with what took place there: the giving of the Law which spoke condemnation to all under it. ROM 3:19. 1. That Testament was the ministration of death and condemnation. 2CO 3:7-9. 2. It made nothing perfect (HEB 7:19) because its “do and live flawlessly” demands for righteousness could not be met. GAL 3:10, 21. D. Sinai’s awful message was even seen by Jesus Christ as He considered the awful weight of our sins being brought to bear upon Himself and what that represented. HEB 5:7. E. Mt. Sinai’s message is not Hope or Heaven but Hell. c/w ACT 2:27. F. Everything about Sinai shouted fear: fear of God’s presence, fear of death. G. Vain is hope in Sinai for justification: “Indignant justice stood in view; to Sinai’s fiery Two Mountains, Two Messages 2-1-26 Page 1 of 2  mount I flew. But justice cried with frowning face, This mountain is no hiding place.” IV. Mt. Sion in heaven has a better message. Between Sinai and Sion is a Savior. The blood of sprinkling is there. Mediator and mountain are receptive. A. By His sacrificial death in our stead, Christ abolished Sinai’s law which condemned us. EPH 2:15; COL 2:13-15. B. The flawless righteousness that Sinai demanded, Christ fulfilled. ROM 10:4. C. There is therefore no condemnation to all in Him. ROM 8:1. D. For believers in Him, the specter of fear has been replaced by the sceptre of righteousness. He has not re-issued Sinai’s message. HEB 2:15; ROM 8:15; 2TI 1:7. E. He does not drive us from His mount but bids us still to come to Him there. MAT 11:28. F. His mount is invisible to our eye but plain to our faith and He is thus touchable: “...touched with the feeling of our infirmities” (HEB 4:15). G. Even His borders are available and accessible: He has risen with “...healing in his wings” (MAL 4:2). 1. The same word translated “wings” here is translated “borders” in NUM 15:38. 2. His salvation is very extensive and inclusive, touching even the fringes of mankind. H. Instead of the Book of Death (the Law), the Book of Life rules Mt. Sion and believers’ names are written in it. HEB 12:23 c/w REV 20:12 c/w LUK 10:20. I. At Sinai, they dared not “...break through to come up unto the LORD...” (EXO 19:24). 1. But Sion has a message of bold approach to God through Christ. HEB 10:19-22. 2. The blood of Christ was truly a breakthrough in God’s accessibility. V. With all this advantage of heavenly Sion and its message, we actually have a greater incentive to serve God than they had at Sinai. HEB 12:25-29. Two Mountains, Two Messages 2-1-26 Page 2 of 2