She'll be coming 'round the mountain...

I love teaching middle school Sunday education (school)!!!

I have a great group of students who are at least most of the time paying some kind of attention to what I'm saying. Even though I have to get onto them at least once every Sunday about focusing and being respectful of, not just me as a teacher, but God whose Word we are studying, I still enjoy them very much. So, to all my students - I love you guys!

As for content...

This past Sunday we looked over Hebrews 12:18-29. Here we find the author making a comparison between the events that took place on Mt. Sinai and Mt. Zion. He presents the comparison in such a way as to make the reader desirous of one of the Mountains over the other - Mt. Zion over Mt. Sinai.

The author paints the picture of Mt. Sinai in colors of grey and black; conjuring up a remembrance the terrible happenings that took place there. He recalls the clouds and thick darkness, the fire and pronouncement of judgment to any (even animals) who would come near enough to touch the mountain. To be sure, Mt. Sinai was the place of God's dwelling in that moment, but it was an abode that produced fear and anxiety and hurled only a promise of judgment.

On the other hand we see the same author using a palette of white and ivory to paint the picture of Mt. Zion. He we see only wonderful and amazing happenings as we encounter angels, God and Christ Himself. At this mountain one finds not judgment, but mercy in the mediating blood of Christ. Those who come are not threatened with death but are promised life! Here also is the dwelling place of God, it is His city, but it is a glorious abode that invokes praise, worship and adoration!

These are the 2 mountains being compared; yet, it is not the mountains alone that the author wishes us to take notice of, but the heralds of those mountains. As Mt. Sinai has for its herald the great Moses, so, Mt. Zion has as its herald the even greater and ever blessed Jesus Christ. As Moses calls for obedience to the law or judgment, Christ, who was completely obedient to the law on our behalf, calls for faith in Himself or judgment. So, as the text says, we must not refuse Christ's call, b/c those who refused even the call of Moses encountered judgment and the call of Christ is an even better, more sure call and will by no means be refused w/o judgment.

From here we looked at how this would take place - the judgment. It will come by another shaking of the earth and even the heavens. This will be the removal of all things that can be shaken - i.e. - all that is not fixed upon Mt. Zion. Thus, the call of Jesus Christ goes out from Mt. Zion for all to come. Come from Mt. Sinai, from Jerusalem, Judea, Africa, Asia and North America; come all to Christ, to a mountain and a Kingdom that cannot be shaken. Come and find forgiveness, salvation and life!

With all of this, we ended by asking "what mountain have you come to?" If we have not come to Mt. Zion; to Christ, then we must. If we have, then we need to be a demonstration community (the church) of what life on that mountain looks like, so that those we encounter from elsewhere will want to join us.

Why?

"For our God is a consuming fire." He will be swift and perfect in judgment. All will once again be shaken by His marvelous voice. So, come to that which is unshakable; come to Christ!

For His Kingdom...