Contrasting Testament Beginnings (Part B)

He is pure sinless mercy. He knows how to work with those who are not sure those were more simple.

He knows how to handle them. Those who come to him.

He knows how to keep them. So Paul said.

Finally, there is laid up for me the righteous crown which the Lord, the righteous judge will give to me on that day and not to me only, but to all who have loved his appearing who has love that Jesus has come, died for them.

This is cross reference radio with our pastor and teacher Rick Gaston. Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of Hebrews. Please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about cross reference radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching, and now here's Pastor Rick with his continuing study called contrasting Testament beginnings in Hebrews chapter 12 that day in the wilderness, God was awesome. He is no less awesome because he does not perform this way. Now and so the Old Testament sinner knew to watch themselves in his presence, or suffer the consequence and many did verse 22.

Many did suffer the consequence verse 22.

What you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem to an innumerable company of angels.

Now the contrast is here. He says that was then this is now no understand Joshua and Kay Libman and Aaron. They were there for that intense presentation of God at Mount Sinai and though as terrifying as it was still in their heart. Was this attraction and love for God. It did not ruin the relationship it stabilize it for the nation.

But the writer says what we've got something even greater. Now you have come to Mount Zion, the city of the living God.

He is saying that this there is a Mount Zion is a physical Mount Zion on earth that was David stronghold became the Strongest Pl. in Jerusalem because of its fortifications. But the writer is saying there is a spiritual Jerusalem. There is a spiritual center for the righteous where he meets his people. That is, the new Jerusalem as he will bring out verse 23, when he talks about the general assembly gathering there but continued even in this verse, the heavenly Jerusalem.

This is new Jerusalem spoken about in Revelation 2122 it is the spiritual dwelling place of God.

It is heaven. It is the place where the righteous Jew and Gentile alike dead and now alive alike to be one day in heaven will all gather together it will dwell over the millennial kingdom. Almost like the Shekinah. Those of you familiar with that becomes a figure of the kingdom of heaven in the New Testament cyanide Britain death to those who came close. Calvary offers life to all who arrive there willingly their own will.

All who come to Christ invitations a standing invitation so what a picture of this makes that the old law, no one could please God on Sinai's terms. Mount Sinai with the thunder and the lightning and the death to any animal or human that came through to it by stone or by arrow. No one could please God on those terms. Mount Zion accessible through Jesus Christ become synonymous with heaven, the dwelling place of God and his people and that's the picture he's painting so he says here in verse 22, the heavenly Jerusalem, not the earthly one is where the true citizens of Christ will dwell those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life with the grace of God is finally realized Paul writing to the Galatians trying to deal with these things Amanda here this many sees Jesus Christ. He was against him.

He was totally into Judaism, but he meets Christ he finds out okay this is a whole new thing going on and dedicates his life to communicating this note. No matter what the cost and the cost was ultimately his life, but in dealing with the churches in Galatia. He says tell me you desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law what is written that Abraham had two sons, one a bond woman and the other by a free woman.

But he who was of the bondwoman was born according to the flesh. He was of the freewoman through promise which things are symbolic so we saying listen.

There were trying to make the broadest pictures from their histories.

It was Hagar.

She was the concubine, a servant of aunt Abraham. She had Abraham's first son Ishmael. But the Bible doesn't recognize Ishmael as his first son because he was brought about through human effort, human understanding, apart from God. Contrary to God and he really doesn't count when it comes to spiritual things and then there was the one his wife Sarah God gave him. Sarah and he gave a child of them in their latter years, Isaac by name. That is the child of promise anything is to symbols.

Here you have one that is of the flesh. It's carnal, but then you have one of the spirit.

You're now in the New Testament crisis, spiritual now.

He says these things are symbolic for these are the two covenants. The one from Mount Sinai which gives birth to bondage, which is Hagar for this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to Jerusalem which now is and is in bondage with her children. I probably lost some of you with that. He saying the Jerusalem in the days that he wrote this was still under the law they were offering blood sacrifices of sheep and bowls after their Messiah had come in their religious leaders had murdered him. He saying they've missed it, they missed the point.

This offends people. He says, but the Jerusalem above is free.

Galatians 4 verse 26, which is the mother of us all got our eyes on something greater than God has done.

He has moved forward. So which will it be Sinai on earth or Zion in heaven.

Our fallen nature.

It really doesn't care about spiritual things it wants its thrills. It's what temptation is built off. It's why we stumble. That's why we get in the flesh. We become short tempered with people and moody and defiant and bullheaded and and all those things. How many of you and don't raise your hands have made a decision concerning the place where you worship without even asking God what he thinks. How many of you say I'm leaving or I'm coming out of that means you never even asked God any standing in what am I not standing and you just made you move because he is merciful. You can get away with it for as far as not being slammed for this not what he expects from his people lean not on your own understanding, but in all your ways acknowledge him for as many as are led by the spirit of God, these are the children of God. But what happens when you're not led by the spirit in you not behaving as though you are a child, though you may be so may we tighten up our behavior.

Do you not want a pastor who asked God everything before he acts on anything concerning the body of Christ because you recognize the difference between the spirit and the flesh you recognize and when a man is governing himself. He is not governed by God and that will create problems. So much so that there be little difference between corporate America church social club in the church church is supposed to have a holy character about it, but what we have.

A people come to church this want to know if you are tolerant, they use the word loving. They don't mean loving you have to love on their terms and get all of them on their terms. And I do love you back. So we aspire to be loving. Of course, but also to be firm with our convictions because the spirit guides us. And if you are a Christian. It is not been doing that. Why not, how would you expect to grow without the Holy Spirit, how do you expect to grow in Christ without prayer. How do you expect to grow in Christ without the study of his word. How many of you rely on the pastor to give you your spiritual food and you never go nosh on the Scripture yourselves well if I'm talking to you. I hope it's not.

I hope it's bothering you if you're guilty enough to do something about it and not to chess react in a carnal way. Verse 23. Before we read verse 23. I'm making these comments to try to draw contrast between our Christian behavior and the behavior of our flesh. The flesh is never going to surprise us with its antics. It may surprise us with how it goes about it or its timing whenever surprise that the flesh is always against the spirit and we are to live as though we belong to a different system and we are to fight these things continually because we belong to something better. Verse 23 he says, continuing the thought well verse 23 is be read along with verse 22 but you have come to Mount Zion to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem to the new two and innumerable company of angels to the general assembly and the church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven to God, the judge of all spirits of just men made perfect, to the general assembly and the church of the firstborn will take those first while having mentioned the city of God, the new Jerusalem, the heavenly Jerusalem is now speaking of its citizens who are going to be in that's city. The Gen. assembly, the Greek word, therefore, assembly is one of a festal nature, one of excitement the people coming out in ancient Rome or Greece.

When you came to a big sporting event. They were to see say that you are assembling their coming to that stadium they would use the Greek word the public games but for us it is assembly nonetheless but it's not for games. It's for glory. Here it refers to the gathering of the Angels, the angelic beings and the saints living in dead alike will all be in heaven. At one point it is contrasted with the dark tempest in the storms and Sinai. You have this glorious assembly but this word church in the Greek in the New Testament every time you come across the word church is a translation of the Greek word ecclesia those who are called out.

It is unfortunate that we interjected another word for church. In our language from the from the Latin meaning is good, but still confusing.

So the church is the called out know it was the Jews, the righteous Jews.

There were also part of the ecclesia those called out when the church was established. When Jesus said the gates of hell will not prevail against the ecclesia, the called out once his people. The New Testament church was born when he made that statement, but it was a statement that reach beyond the moment that he spoke it and even to this very time when the New Testament church was born if they are there. The assembly of those called out saints separated from the world, willfully receiving the invitation of the Lord to come to Calvary to be forgiven of sin, our English word church goes back to the Greek also and take some other twists and turns, but essentially the word means is from curiosity, which is Greek word in Scripture. Meaning, Lord or ruler. So both words are right.

So where he says here in verse 23 is a little different.

Another chapter of verse we becoming too many rooms to the general assembly and the church.

The called out ones. Those who belong to the Lord. It is very unfortunate.

The churches are now referring to themselves as campuses cool as overruled solid tradition. Some traditions are useless. In fact, they are a hindrance, but then there are some that are solid, they are built on solid knowledge of Scripture and what God has done and is doing to call the assembly of believers. Anything other than a church might be disappointing.

This is not a campus to campus is from the Latin meaning essentially a field far as back as I can research it has to do with universities in the there the grounds that campus separating them from everybody else outside of the campus church. It is the place where Christ rules.

It is the place where he is called his people to assemble before him in this life.

It is a place where he meets us.

It is a place where he says the gates of hell are not to prevail. There is the local church and there is the universal church and they are both essential to him and unfortunately some of the older saints have higher views of the church than many of them modern saints. When you say well you know it at that.

I think it started out with churches saying what we started out other assemblies in different parts of town and really doesn't have a pastor over there then is not a church get a pastoral. This is something God Ephesians 4 he himself has given some to be apostles, prophets, evangelist, pastor teaches for the work of ministry, for the edification of the body of Christ. This is something that belongs to us because it is given to us from Scripture and it is being eroded with sort of. This new age approach New Age religion but the age we live in that is mixed up with things that have no root in the word of God. So going back to our verse this morning to the general assembly and the ecclesia. The church of the firstborn firstborn here stands for the head of creation, not the first one created in the line of created being. When it refers to Jesus Christ and never refers to him in that sense, it refers to him as the one who is a leader and linked to us linked to sinners.

This was willful. Christ came and is numbered with the sinners because he cares for you. So the next time you find yourself stumbling in sin.

Remember, Christ cares for you.

Nonetheless, the very reason why he is, he will not leave you nor forsake you. He will encourage you build you up. In fact, he has a whole bunch of others who are the same way as you, not according to Satan. Satan will say your unique case.

Your your just worse than anybody else. Nobody got your products alive from hell price it for you getting me I have an entire assembly of them all over the earth of Hanover from the beginning. They are mine and I love every single one of them and he doesn't love Daniel more than he loves you. He does love you more than he loved Daniel his love is not fickle damaged love that creates a pecking order of who gets more attention and who does not. And so this should strengthen us. He says here in verse 23 who are registered in heaven as the Lamb's book of life that is you who believe that is me. Satan again will come along ascending, are you kidding you you're not good enough. Like you, I'm not. Thank you for reminding me the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses me from all sin and ever they won't bill will not be one stain of sin on you when you get to heaven though your sins be as red as scarlet, Christ says I will make them. I will make you white as snow. I will wash them away. He says to God, the judge of all of everybody's accountable judges someone that you are accountable to one that upholds justice, God is our judge is not an activist judge, but he is an active judge is pure and merciful and there is no judge like him. He is pure sinless, but he is merciful. He knows how to work with those who are not pure. Those who work our sinful.

He knows how to handle them. Those who come to him.

He knows how to keep them. So Paul said.

Finally, there is laid up for me the righteous crown which the Lord, the righteous judge will give to me on that day and not to me only, but to all who have loved his appearing who has love that Jesus has come, died for them. That is to love his appearing to love what the Scripture says Genesis. Abraham reasoning with God about being merciful to those in Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham understood the horror of of judgment from God.

And so far be it from you. Abraham says to God to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked far be it from you shall not the judge of all the earth do right. Yes, every single time God will not treat those who reject him as though they were like those who accepted him in the world is not like that they do not like the separation of the sheep and the goat and it is up to us to try to make them understand the value of this he says to the spirits of just men made perfect. This refers to those made perfect by Christ. Those who spirits are alive in heaven with Christ. Daniel 12 verse two and many of those who slept in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life. In some everlasting contempt.

John says, beloved, now we are children of God, and it is not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when he is revealed, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is God will do right.

He knows what he is doing. Verse 24 to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant to the blood of sprinkling that speaks of better things than able, so he says to Jesus, he's continuing the thought.

We've come to the assembly to all the things he's been saying ahead the church to Jesus. That's who we have come to mediator of the new covenant is the giver of grace John's gospel for the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth through Jesus Christ. John was a Jew. He was raised up in the Jewish side, but he now knew the splendor of that which came from God and incorporated everything that he was exposed to from the prophets, and put it in the in its proper place. First Timothy four there is one God and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus, and again to pray to Mary is a sin, we do not pray to the dead. We can praise God for the dead. I can thank God for my mother and my father and other righteous people who have died and gone to heaven.

I can praise God for them, but I can't pray to them that we don't talk to the debt is forbidden in Scripture. No probability that having a better day in heaven than the left had never adhere then not in need of prayer. I'm what needs prayer.

You need prayer.

I can just look at you and tell your human you need prayer. So Paul describes Moses as a mediator of the first coming of Christ. The better one of course I've got many more Scripture verses what time will not allow to go on into the blood of the sprinkling that speaks of better things than that of Abel, while at the giving of the law. Exodus 24 Moses took blood sprinkled it on the people and said this is the blood of the covenant which Yahweh is made with you. According to these words. That was the first covenant. The Old Testament Testament and covenant synonymous. Matthew 26 Jesus said, for this is my blood of the new covenant.

The New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins gone is the penalty saved from the penalty of sin, through Jesus Christ, man puts a lot of energy to hiding his sin, redefining sin, ignoring sin, excusing sin, attacking those who point to send sinners put a lot of energy into that crisis, you just come in. I'll deal with that sin well better things than that blood sacrifices of Abel, of course, the blood of Christ better than the blood of lambs. I closed with this verse from Colossians chapter 1 verse 20 and by him to reconcile all things to himself by him with the things on earth.

Things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of his cross is better than anything anybody else can offer and so if you were lost somewhere in this, get familiar with spiritual things. Don't say to the church to the pastors. Can you dumb it down know the responses can you step it up and you and the few who are not following step it up next time maybe you want to contain yourself the deer or whatever it is you do.

Maybe you should go to the Scripture say you know what I was going to have a little devotional. God will show me move you been listening to cross reference radio the daily radio ministry of Pastor Rick asked Calvary Chapel in Mechanicsville, Virginia. As we mentioned at the beginning of today's broadcast. Today's teaching is available free of charge at our website. Simply log on to cross reference radio.com that's cross reference radio.com would also like to encourage you to subscribe to the cross reference radio podcast subscribing ensures that you stay current with all the latest teachings from Pastor Rick, you can subscribe cross reference radio.com or simply search for cross reference radio your favorite podcast to the next time as Pastor Rick continues teaching through the book of Hebrews right here on cross reference radio