Rest in Christ Alone

Hey, hey, good morning. Good morning. Welcome to Coffee and Devotions. This morning, we're at Hebrews chapter 12, verses 18 through 24. We're going to be talking about the Old Covenant versus the New Covenant. And I got to tell you, there's quite a wonderful contrast. Let's have some coffee. We'll pray and we'll get into God's Word. Let's pray.
Father, we thank you so much for this day. What an amazing blessing it is to get to read your word. The truths and the joys that are contained in it are unspeakable for you are an amazing God. Father, we pray that you would please help us to understand your word. Lord, we pray that as we read it, Your Holy Spirit would take it, apply it in our hearts. Lord, we pray that we would have joy and confidence because of what Your Word says and because of how Your Word applies it to us. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Here we go, Hebrews chapter 12, verses 18 through 24. For you have not come to the mountain that may be touched, and that burned with fire, and to blackness, and darkness, and tempest, 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, for they could not endure what was commanded. If so much as a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned or shot with an arrow. And so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, I am exceedingly afraid and trembling. But you have come to Mount Zion, and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly of the church of the firstborn, who are registered in heaven, to God, the judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.
Well, we need to ask ourselves, A, what is this about? B, what's the best verse to summarize this? And C, what are we called to do in response to these words? So A, what is this about? There's an old covenant, Sinai, a new covenant, Jerusalem Mount Zion, right and this is very similar to what Paul does in Galatians chapter 4 and here it's specifically saying there there are seven different things in the Old Covenant that it was like John Owen lines them out here and he says there's a mountain that cannot be touched a fire that burned a darkness gloom storm trumpet blasts and a terrible voice Owen will go on as he talks about this passage. By the way, John Owen has a wonderful commentary, Crossway has done a good job republishing this in a very helpful edition. And he says that the outward manifestations are of God's infinite holiness, justice, and severity. Right?
I mean, the mountain shakes, there's all sorts of problems, there's fear, there's trembling, so much so that even the mediator of that covenant, Moses himself, Even though these words aren't actually in the scriptures, the Holy Spirit is speaking them through Moses, or through the author of Hebrews.
Moses said this, I am exceedingly afraid and trembling. We definitely get that since in Exodus 19, 19. But Moses the mediator is trembling because God is there. God is there and Moses is allowed to draw near and yet he's absolutely terrified. Again, John Owen says that this is a superiority of gospel state over the old covenant. Because in heaven, It's very different. In the heavenly Jerusalem, Mount Zion, where we go to, it's not just God's infinite severity and holiness. It's not fear and trembling, though we still have reverence for the Lord. Because of Jesus, our mediator, we get to come with joy and confidence. Did you notice the difference here?
There's a mountain that shakes. burned with fire before them. It's as if in Exodus chapter 19 that this means certain death for them. But, but not so now. Not to the letter of the law that kills. Not to Mount Sinai and the tablets that pronounce judgment and death and a future hope possibly in Jesus Christ. All of that pomp and all of that circumstance without faith was absolutely nothing more than a judgment decree, but not for you if you're in Christ. There's something better than all of that.
But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels. You get to join the myriad and myriads of angels who are worshiping the Lamb who is slain. You don't stand before them trembling as if the Lord was going to send his angel to surround you and even kill you, no. No, to the General Assembly of the Church of the Firstborn who are registered in heaven, we know that our names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life. We know that we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses by those people who have been made perfect by the blood of Jesus, have been given his righteousness. to God the judge of all. Notice that.
We come to the heavenly Jerusalem, to Mount Zion, to a God who judges all, to the spirits of just men made perfect. Just men made perfect. Righteous men brought to their end. not fearing the judgment seat of God. See, they were brought before the judgment seat of God in Exodus chapter 19 as the conquering king, as their sovereign Lord, and they feared with trembling. Don't let God speak to us anymore or we're going to die. But not so now we boldly enter into his throne room, before his judgment seat, knowing that Christ makes us righteous and perfect.
To Jesus, the mediator. Why do we not fear coming before God, the judge of all, because we also come to Jesus, verse 24, Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant, and to the sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel. We have such a blessing that the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all our sins. And if we sin, we know that we have an advocate with the Father, one who's made propitiation for us with a perfect sacrifice, better than that of the blood of bulls and goats.
It's Jesus. It's unlike Esau, who didn't care about his birthright, sold it for a bowl of stew, Jesus. Jesus was the perfect inheritor of that promise. He was that seed. He was the promised one to come. And because we are in Him, we also get our names written in the Lamb's Book of Life. What a great blessing it is. What a joy it is.
So we don't need to go back. I had such a fun time with you and with the kids going through Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, but I have no desire to go back to the law. There's no need for the bells and the smells. There's no need for the fancy hats and the garments. There's no need to try to have our citizenship in some type of earthly kingdom. We don't need to go back to Mount Sinai.
We go to the heavenly Jerusalem. We don't need to turn back. We've tasted the good things. We savor them. We trust in Christ. That's what this is about. What's the best verse to summarize this? Well, I've got most of 22, 23, and 24 underlined, but especially verse 24. What are we called to do? Don't go back.
Rest in Christ. Look to the one who can make you perfect. Look to the one who can have you stand before the judgment seat of God and not fear. Look to the one who is worshiped by the myriads of angels. There's a universal church By that I mean a church for everyone who believes and calls upon the name of the Lord, no matter what nation, what tongue, what people group, what ethnicity, what nationality they might be, if they are a believer in Jesus Christ, if they are trusting in Him alone for salvation. Their names are written, and they worship with the angels in heaven. And so do you. You're not alone. So don't turn back. Don't despise the birthright. Trust in Christ, the firstborn of all creation.
Let's pray. Father, we thank you. We thank you for Jesus Christ. We thank you for the hope of our salvation. Father, we pray that you would please help us. Lord, help us to walk in your paths and follow in your ways. Please, Lord, care for each one of us as we may be tempted to go back to the old things. But Lord, we know that the letter of the law kills. It's incapable of bringing us life, so Father, we pray that we would truly trust in you and follow in your ways. In Jesus' name, amen. May the Lord bless you as you trust in Jesus Christ and rest in him alone for salvation. I'll see you next time. Bye.