You Have Come to Mount Zion
Context: We are in the middle of the final exhortation to endure in faith, to not fall short of the grace of God, to not turn away from the Gospel.
(18) 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.") (22) 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.
See that you do not refuse Him who speaks.
Introducing the Mountains
Mount Sinai
- God takes the Israelites to Mount Sinai and meets with them
- Read all of Exodus 19. Really helps set the stage.
Mount Zion
- Zion: Originally referred to a particular mountain in Jerusalem, or where the original stronghold was, but grew to refer to the temple mount as well (mt. Moriah) and the City of Jerusalem in general. It came to be synonymous with Jerusalem, especially in the Kingdom of God.
- Common phrase: Daughter of Zion
Zechariah 8:1-3
(1) Again the word of the LORD of hosts came, saying, (2) "Thus says the LORD of hosts: 'I am zealous for Zion with great zeal; With great fervor I am zealous for her.' (3) "Thus says the LORD: 'I will return to Zion, And dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Jerusalem shall be called the City of Truth, The Mountain of the LORD of hosts, The Holy Mountain.'
- Five Comparisons between the Mountains
- Four Observations on Mount Zion
- Our Responsibility
1. Five Comparisons
The preacher has spent much time in Hebrews discussing the covenants, the differences and similarities between them, and the superiority of the new covenant. Here, like a very skilled preacher, he sums up his message with a vivid illustration. The two mountains represent the two covenants.
I. One mount is of earth, the other of heaven
The old covenant was inaugurated on an earthly mountain that will pass away. The new covenant is mediated in the eternal, heavenly Jerusalem. Twice our passage mentions "heaven".
Hebrews 7:24-25
(24) But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. (25) Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.
II. One is in the wilderness, the other is a city
The old covenant was inaugurated in the wilderness - a parched land, destitute of rain and lushness. A desert. The new covenant, Mount Zion, is a city, a place of abundance and civilization.
You have not come to Mount Sinai, you have come to Mount Zion. And even its location shows how much greater it is.
III. One is of our physical senses, the other is of spiritual realities
One is of our physical senses. There is a "mount that may be touched", "blackness", "sound of a trumpet", "voice of words". The other of spiritual realities. "Heavenly Jerusalem", "company of angels", "spirits of just men made perfect".
IV. One mountain God visited, the other is where God lives
Exodus 19:18
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.
Isaiah 66:1
Thus says the LORD: "Heaven [is] My throne, And earth [is] My footstool. Where [is] the house that you will build Me? And where [is] the place of My rest?
"City of the Living God". The new covenant is not one of God visiting us, it is one of God dwelling with us forever and forever
V. One has a trembling mediator; the other has a triumphant mediator
One has a mediator who trembles, fears, and must rely upon the blood of animals to be clean. Moses said "I am exceedingly trembling and afraid".
The other has a mediator who has no need of cleansing, and instead has given us his own blood. He is the one who "ever lives to make intercession" for us.
Hebrews 9:11-14
(11) But Christ came [as] High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. (12) Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. (13) For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for 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, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
2. Four Observations
"You have come to Mount Zion".
I. Zion is the city that Abraham sought
Hebrews 11:8-10
(8) By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. (9) By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as [in] a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; (10) for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker [is] God.
II. Zion is the country that the people of God believed for - and obtained
Hebrews 11:13-16
(13) These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced [them] and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. (14) For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. (15) And truly if they had called to mind that [country] from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. (16) But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly [country]. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.
How do we know that they obtained it?
"Spirits of Just men made perfect".
III. We enter Mount Zion by the blood that speaks better things than Abel
Genesis 4:8-12
(8) Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him. (9) Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where [is] Abel your brother?" He said, "I do not know. [Am] I my brother's keeper?" (10) And He said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood cries out to Me from the ground. (11) "So now you [are] cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. (12) "When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth."
Consider Abel. He was a man of faith, a man of God, a righteousness man, an innocent man. And he was brutally murdered. His blood was spilled on the ground. "Justice! Justice!", his blood cries. "Justice must be done! The curse must be applied!"
Now consider Jesus. He is the man of faith, the man of God, the righteous man, the most innocent man who ever walked the earth. And he was brutally murdered. His blood spilled on the ground. "Mercy! Mercy!", his blood cries. "Justice has been done! The curse has been applied... and reversed. Now there is mercy and grace for those who trust in Him."
IV. Zion is our heavenly destiny
There, said they, is the Mount Zion, the heavenly Jerusalem, the innumerable company of angels, and the spirits of just men made perfect. [Heb. 12:22-24] You are going now, said they, to the paradise of God, wherein you shall see the tree of life, and eat of the never-fading fruits thereof; and when you come there, you shall have white robes given you, and your walk and talk shall be every day with the King, even all the days of eternity. [Rev. 2:7, 3:4, 21:4,5] There you shall not see again such things as you saw when you were in the lower region upon the earth, to wit, sorrow, sickness, affliction, and death, for the former things are passed away.
John Bunyan, Pilgrim's Progress
3. Our Responsibility
(18) 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.") (22) 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.
See that you do not refuse Him who speaks.
Why does the preacher take 7 verses to compare and contrast Mount Sinai and Mount Zion? It is all done to accentuate this main point:
Mount Sinai is extremely serious; Mount Zion even more so. The joys and rewards of this new covenant are so much greater than the first. But the consequences are worse as well. You have come to Mount Zion. See that you do not refuse Him who speaks.
What ought this to stir within us? Joy and Fear.
- Joy
- This is the real deal! No more shadow.
- Fear
- This is the real deal. No more shadow.
Illustration of me video calling on a work trip vs being in person with my children.
Let us not think that now that Christ has come and done His priestly work that God is more casual than he used to be. Do we think that? Do we think that because we don't see the blackened mount that God's holiness or power is not as great? Because we don't slaughter sheep and oxen every day, do we forget the seriousness of sin? Do we forget the gravity of the Gospel?
The Speaking
- The "speaks" is present tense. Some translations even say "see that you do not refuse him who is speaking"
- This means that not only has God spoken (past tense) through his Son (Heb 1), but that he is continuing to speak through the completed work of the Son.
- The content of the speaking in this context is are NOT signs, coincidences, or subjective feelings... It is the call of the Gospel. It is the call to repent. It is the cry of "mercy" from the blood of Jesus that is yet available to all who will put their trust in Him. It is the call to draw near. It is the call to not cast away your confidence. It is the call to run with endurance the race that is set before us.
Ways to refuse him who is speaking
Let's close with this list, and examine our hearts as we enter into Communion. You have come to Mount Zion.
- Outright rejection of the call
- Closing the ears (like Steven's persecutors)
- Distraction (Like the seed that sprouts but is choked by the cares of this world)
- Hypocrisy (Inwardly rejecting, but outwardly putting on a show - like Annanias and Saphira)
- Limp-wristed obedience (Your heart is not in it.)