Sermon Tone Analysis

“You have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

“See that you do not refuse him who is speaking.

For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven.

At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, ‘Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.’

This phrase, ‘Yet once more,’ indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain.

Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.”

[1]

Considerable energies are spent attempting to “worship” among modern church goers.

Tragically, much of what is identified as worship appears merely to be efforts designed to gratify the personal desires of the worshippers.

Worshippers are focused on how they feel rather than focusing on Who they are to meet.

Worship is defined as the ascription of worth to One who is superior to the worshippers.

Worship is not about me—worship is about God! Worship is ascribed to the Lord of Glory according to the Psalmist.

“Ascribe to the LORD, O heavenly beings,

ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.

Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;

worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness.”

[PSALM 29:1, 2]

Worship is acknowledging the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me; it is rendering to Him the glory and honour due His Name.

Only incidentally can we say that worship is about how I feel or even whether I enjoy the worship experience.

After Job had met the Lord God, he confessed, “I despise myself” [JOB 42:6b].

I do not mean to imply that we must content ourselves with a dull liturgy and leaves us feeling empty; neither do I mean that we will be emotionless as we worship—we will experience a range of emotions; however, our feelings must not lead in worship!

Meet the True and Living God, we will worship—involuntarily!

We will be lost in wonder at His majesty, stunned into awed silence in the presence of His glory and dumbstruck with fascination before His grace.

Coming into the presence of the Lord our God, our senses will be excited as they could never otherwise be stimulated.

Above all, we will experience reverential attitude and find ourselves suffused with gratitude that we are recipients of unimaginable mercy and that He has revealed such marvellous love.

Perhaps that points to the reason so many worshippers fail to worship—we cannot worship without gratitude.

The writer of the Letter to Hebrew Christians scattered in the Diaspora spoke of this very subject.

It is appropriate on this day before Thanksgiving to consider what that ancient writer said, applying His words to our own lives today.

*IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD* — “You have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

“See that you do not refuse him who is speaking.

For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven.

At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, ‘Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.’

This phrase, ‘Yet once more,’ indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain” [HEBREWS 12:22-27].

Moses had led the people of Israel to Mount Sinai where God would deliver the Law.

God had used Moses to deliver Israel from Egyptian bondage.

He did not merely turn them loose, trusting that they would somehow work out the business of knowing His will on their own; He brought them to the mountain of Sinai so they could worship Him.

Since the writer is providing instruction to Hebrew Christians, it is appropriate to bring Mount Sinai into the picture.

However, we need to ask what the significance of this particular introduction is for contemporary believers who are less familiar with the giving of the Law.

I suggest that this is an excellent reminder that we have been delivered from sin so that we may worship and serve the True and Living God.

A saying that was once current among the churches reminded believers that they were “saved to serve.”

Underscore that concept in your mind—/we are saved to serve/.

We are not given the assignment of somehow influencing culture, though we should so live that we do influence culture; we are responsible to worship and serve the One whom we call “Master.”

The author brings Mount Sinai into the picture in order to contrast what was then with what is now.

I want you to go back to the time when the Law was given.

The writer speaks of that in HEBREWS 12:18-21.

“You have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them.

For they could not endure the order that was given, ‘If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.’

Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, I tremble with fear.’”

He is quoting liberally from Exodus and Deuteronomy when he tells us, “You have not come to what may be touched.”

Refresh your memory by turning to EXODUS 19:12.

There, God instructed Moses, “You shall set limits for the people all around, saying, ‘Take care not to go up into the mountain or touch the edge of it.

Whoever touches the mountain shall be put to death.”

There was a separation between man and God at the Mountain of Law.

Man could not approach God directly.

God’s holiness and man’s sin ensured a separation that could not be ignored.

Also, a “blazing fire” kept worshippers from approaching the mountain.

This was not a faux fire pictured on a television channel.

This was blazing fire, fire that menaced people with its hot flames.

This was fire that that would consume anyone venturing too close.

This fire was akin to the flaming sword that kept our first parents from returning to Eden.

Then, there was “darkness and gloom” to keep worshippers from coming too close to God.

The darkness and gloom was intensified by “a tempest.”

To approach God under the Law was to experience genuine terror.

There was the sound of “a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them.”

Worshippers could not bear the voice of God! Therefore, they sent Moses up into the mountain to mediate for them.

Get the picture!

The writer rattles off the setting to ensure that we are aware of the terror worshippers felt.

Even Moses, a man who spoke with God face-to-face, was terrified.

The writer states that even the stalwart of the Faith, Moses, quailed, “I tremble with fear.”

This is the mountain to which Israel was brought after they were delivered from bondage.

This was worship under the Law.

One stalwart of the Faith from a past generation has written, “The mountain is lost in the fire and smoke.

It was, so to speak, no longer a mountain.

It becomes a manifestation of terrible majesty, a symbol of the Divine Presence.”

[2]

The writer abruptly introduces a transition when he writes, “But!”

The Greek conjunction /olla/ is presenting a logical contrast.

Those to whom the writer pens this letter understood that this was not their experience in worship.

Just so, we who are redeemed know that this is not our experience in worship.

We’ve been brought into the presence of God Himself.

We’re brought to a mountain; but it is not that mountain!

Like Israel, the people of God have been brought out of bondage in order to honour and serve the Living God.

As the people of God, we Christians are brought into His presence where we are appointed to worship.

One scholar has written, “Such were the terrors of Sinai, the mount of God’s law, where because of their sinfulness the people were unable to draw near to God’s presence.

How different are the circumstances of Zion, the mount of God’s grace, where, thanks to the perfect law-keeping and the all-sufficient sacrifice of himself offered by the incarnate Son in our stead, we are invited to draw near with boldness into the heavenly holy of holies.”

[3]

Having presented the terrifying spectre experienced during worship under the Law, the writer makes a contrast with our present situation.

“But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering” [HEBREWS 12:22].

The author says, “You have not come to that mountain; rather, you have come to Mount Zion.

Mount Sinai spoke of blazing fire, dark gloom and raging storms accented by blaring trumpets and a terrifying voice.

Mount Zion speaks of grace and peace, freedom and love in the presence of the True and Living God.

This is the city of God, the city “whose designer and builder is God” [HEBREWS 11:10].

The writer shifts our gaze from the Mountain of God to the Mountain of Grace.

At Sinai, sinful man was condemned and kept from coming to God.

Terror seized the sinner; no man or woman, no child, not even a beast, could set foot on that awful mountain.

A voice boomed out forbidding any from coming near.

Here, on Mount Zion, a voice invites sinners to draw near that they may find grace.

The darkness has been taken away, replaced by light.

Terror is displaced by love and the mountain of fear has been transformed into the mountain of grace.

The transformation has been effected through the coming of Christ Jesus our Master.

We read, “You, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands.

This he set aside, nailing it to the cross” [COLOSSIANS 2:13, 14].

We don’t always realise the transition that has already occurred for us who believe because of our life in the Beloved Son.