Mount Zion & the Privileges of the New Covenant | Hebrews 12:22-24 | Pastor Daniel Banna

The letter to the Hebrews chapter 12 verses 18 to 24. For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and tempest, and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the heavens beg that no further message 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.

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, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkle of blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. Lord Jesus, we come before you this afternoon. We sit at your feet, Lord. We ask that you enlighten our hearts and minds as we study your word. You will open our hearts and mind to receive it and endeavor our life to live by it for it is the truth that sets us free.

In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. We have looked at this passage of scripture a couple of months ago, but mainly at verses 18 to 21, we will attempt today to look in more details at verses 22 to 24. The writer of the Hebrews, in verse 18, he begins by telling us, for you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest. He's referring to Mount Sinai.

We have talked about that a couple of months ago. After contrasting the old system of worship, Jewish worship, with the new system of worship in the new covenant, after contrasting the sacrifice of Christ and the supremacy of the sacrifice of Christ with all of the sacrifices of the Old Testament, after proclaiming the proof the supremacy of Christ himself above everyone else in the universe, he concludes by telling his readers, by telling us, each one of us, you have not come to Mount Sinai, to the mountain of fear, to the mountain of wrath, of distance from God, to the mountain of slavery and death. It is not the old covenant that you are under. It's what he's telling us. The old system of worship with all of its regulations and sacrifices has been done away with.

Jesus would have died in vain if he wants us to go back there. He did not die to take you back there. It is under the new covenant. It's to a new place Christ have brought you to. It is Mount Zion, far greater mountain.

Now if Mount Sinai represents what we have said already, what then Mount Zion represents? If Mount Sinai represents the law, the old covenant, then Mount Zion represents grace. Right? If Mount Sinai represents slavery, Mount represents freedom in Christ. If Mount Sinai represents being far from God in the old covenant, Mount Zion represents closeness, intimacy with Christ.

But much more, let us look at this aspect of Mount Zion a little bit deeper. Now, I want you to pay attention to verse 22. He said, but you have come to Mount Zion. Remember your place believer. You have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering.

Now there are three things the writer of the Hebrew tell us in this verse, we have come to. And remember, he does not say you shall come to Mount Zion as if it's still future. No. But he says you have come to Mount Zion. It's a present reality for you believer.

You have come to Mount Zion. Now, the moment you put your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Bible says you are at Mount Zion. That means by faith. You have already entered the blessings and the privileges of the new covenant. All of it.

Now when you open your Bible, and I hope all of us open the Bible on a regular basis, you will come across the word Zion again and again. In fact, it's mentioned in the scripture more than 150 times, Mount Zion. And the word Zion comes from the Hebrew Hebrew word, which literally means a fortress. From that word, we come up with the word Zionist and Zionism. Now we're not going to talk about the political aspect of that, but we will stick to the spiritual meaning of the word Zionist or Mount Zion, which is really very, very profound.

The first occurrence of the word Zion, and you don't have to open there, is in second Samuel chapter five verses six to nine, where David approaches the city of Jerusalem and he captures it from its inhabitants, the Jebusites. And he captured the Fortress Of Zion that was in the city of Jerusalem. Now, Mount Zion becomes later called also the City Of David. And this word my my Zion becomes synonymous with the word Jerusalem, and you see that often in the scripture. Now there are several spiritual lessons we can learn from this, but let us look only at three this afternoon.

And the first lesson I learned is found in Psalm 48 verses two and three. What does it mean to me as a new covenant believer that I have come to Mount Zion? What kind of privilege I have in this new covenant as a believer coming to Mount Zion? Psalm forty eight twenty says, beautiful in elevation is the joy of all the earth. Mount Zion, in the far North, the city of the great king, within her citadels, God has made himself known as a fortress.

Two words stand out for me in these two verses, joy and fortress. Joy and fortress. The security we have in Christ who is our king and who is our fortress. He has made himself known as a fortress to me, to you, and the joy of our salvation, knowing that in him we are secure and we are safe. In other words, we have come to a place of security and joy.

When he says you have come to Mount Zion, in the new covenant you will experience continuous joy and security in the Lord Jesus Christ. You are eternally safe and eternally secure in him. But number two, Psalm one thirty two verses 13 to 14. For the Lord has chosen Zion. He has desired it for his dwelling place.

This is my resting place forever. Now we know that Zion was the earthly dwelling place of God. The temple was built there. And that represented God's rule, God's favor, God's nearness to his people, God's presence among his people. So it was a sign of sovereign and grace triumphing over sin, failure, and ruin.

For God to dwell among us sinners, it is not less than pure grace, sovereign grace. So when he says you have come to Mount Zion, it means I have come to God's presence, God sovereign grace triumphing over my sin, over my failure, over my ruin. This is what you have in Christ Jesus. You're a believer in the new covenant. The old covenant people do not have any of that.

You have it in the blood of Jesus. The third truth, the third truth we found it, in fact, everywhere in the scripture. But let me just verse mention couple of verses to show you that. Isaiah two three. Out of Zion shall go forth the law and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

Let's look another one. Isaiah thirty five ten, and the ransom of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing. Everlasting joy shall be upon their heads. They shall obtain gladness and joy and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. And you are familiar with Psalm one ten when he says, the Lord sends forth from Zion, your mighty scepter.

Rule in the midst of your enemies. You see the prophets of old looked at Zion as the center of God's coming kingdom, where the Messiah will rule with peace, justice, and salvation would be not just to Israel, but to all nations. Zion then became a symbol of God's redemptive plan for all people. So coming to Mount Zion means entering now by faith into the kingdom of his son, and living the reality of that great future hope when Christ will reign and we will reign with him, being perfected in him, because he is perfect and he will clothe us with his own perfection. This what does it mean that we have come to Mount Zion?

It is a present reality for all of us. But you see, he does not say you have come to Mount Zion only. That's not the only privilege we have in Christ Jesus. That's not the only privilege of the new covenant is much, much, much more. He says in the second place, you have come to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem.

Another present reality. You have come to the living to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. Now clearly, we have not come to the literal Mount Zion, but what it signifies. We have not come to earthly Jerusalem, beautiful as it is, beloved as it is. No.

The Christian hope is not in this passing city or any other city, but in that eternal city, most glorious city, the heavenly Jerusalem. Now what does the heavenly Jerusalem signify? Yeah. When I look at the scripture, I see at least two aspects of the heavenly Jerusalem. It is a people and it is a place.

It's a people, and it's a place. Let us look at the first instance, a people. Revelation chapter 21 verses one and two. John says, then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned to her husband.

What he's talking about? He's going to clarify it being in verse nine. Look at that. Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last legs and spoke to me saying, come and I will show you just pay attention on the line. I will show you the bride, the wife of the lamb.

What did he show him? Verse 10. And he carried me away in the spirit to a great high mountain and he showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. It cannot be more clear than that. If I ask you this question, who is the bride of the lamb?

He tells him, come and I will show you the bride of the lamb. The bride, the wife of the lamb. Who is she? The immediate answer is what? The church.

The assembly of the saints. We are the bride of the lamb, aren't we? We are the bride of the lamb. So here, he identified the holy city Jerusalem as the bride of the lamb, the people, the saints of God who have been washed in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. And we should not be surprised at all.

We should not be surprised. If you go back to chapter 17 of the book of Revelation, you see the contrast the angel or John is making. In seventeen one, one of the angels told John, come and I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who is seated on many waters. Okay. Who is she?

Verse 18, he tells him who is she. He says, and the woman that you saw, the greater prostitute you saw is the great city that has dominion over the kings of the earth. Now, can you see the contrast? In one hand, you have the great prostitute, who is also the great city, who is also, in Revelation eighteen twelve, it's called the great city Babylon. He calls it by name.

On the other hand, you have the bride of Christ, who is also the holy city, who is the new Jerusalem. As the contrast is very clear. One represents the true church, the assembly of the saints washed in the blood of the lamb, made holy and righteous and perfect on him. And the other one represents the world system, blasphemous, corrupt, sometime professing to be Christian, yet denying the the gospel, the authority of scripture, and the sufficiency of the curse of the Lord Jesus Christ. But the new Jerusalem in Hebrews 12 is not the same as the new Jerusalem in Revelation 21.

For he says but you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to. It's very clear. As the apostle made the contrast between Mount Sinai and Mount Zion, he's making another contrast between the city of David and the city of the living God, the earthly Jerusalem and the new Jerusalem. Now the the letter of the Hebrews is really, carrying forward a thought he began back in chapter 11 of the book of Hebrews.

If you turn with me there to 11 chapter chapter 11 verses eight to 10. By faith. Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance, and he went out not knowing where he's going by faith. He went to live in the land of promise as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations whose designer and builder is God.

You see, Abraham obeyed God's call, leaving behind the familiar for the unknown. No promise of safety, no guarantee of success, only the word of God. He believed that the one who has promised is faithful. He left the land, traveling hundreds of miles to reach the the promised land. And even when he entered the lands of promise, how did he live?

He lived in tents. Why did he do that? He knew Canaan was not the finish line. Canaan was only a station. It was only a temporary stop on the way.

Verses Tversington tells us that Abraham had a heavenly focus, a heavenly perspective. He was looking for the city not built with human hands, but has a foundation that is built by God himself. He had in mind the heavenly Jerusalem, even Abraham. Abraham lived as a pilgrim, longing for that eternal inheritance. And now the Apostle, the writer of the Hebrews declares and he tells us, we have come to that city.

You have come to that city, not to an earthly Jerusalem, not to a city built with brick and mortar, but to the heavenly Jerusalem, the eternal city of God. Now the Jews longed for their ancient city. Even these greetings these greetings still to this day, they greet each other by saying, next year in Jerusalem. Maybe you have heard it. But our hopes, not in Jerusalem, neither any other earthly city.

Our hopes not in walls that crumble, but in foundations that can never be shaken. Our hope not in a city built by man, but in the heavenly Jerusalem, designed and built by God himself. Yes. Your hope is not in Washington, because for your deliverance is not coming from there. Our hope in heavenly Jerusalem, where Christ is head, where Christ is king.

What remained of the ancient city of Jerusalem but ruin? What remains of any ancient city but ruins? How much blood has been shed for Jerusalem and still being shed to this day? For what reason? For a piece of land.

That it's more important for the world than the soul of men. The Bible tells us our hope is in heaven, not in earth. Now in Hebrews thirteen fourteen, the up the the the writer of the Hebrew comes back again to the same truth. Look at it with me. He's mentioning the city back in chapter 11, in chapter 12, now in chapter 13 again.

And he says, for we for here we have no lasting city that we seek, but we seek the city that is to come, the same city that Abraham longed for. For we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. Now remember, here he's speaking about city that's still future. In chapter 12, he tells us, we have come to that city. So is it a future, or is it a present reality?

What is it? It's both. It is both. Yes. Our future hope is that heavenly Jerusalem, but this text this text reminds me and remind you, you have to live as if it is a present reality.

You have to live as if you are in the heavenly Jerusalem as a citizen of heaven. That what he's teaching us, that you are a citizen of heaven. Live even now as a citizen of heaven. Even though you have not taken full position yet of that heavenly Jerusalem, live as a citizen of heaven. Enjoy all the endless blessings that you have in Christ Jesus.

And as a citizen of heaven, how shall I live? Paul tells me, in many places, but one of them in Colossians three one to four, he reminds us saying, if then you have been raised with Christ, you are a believer, you have been raised with Christ. Right? That was signified even publicly when you got baptized. You've been raised with Christ.

Seek the things that are above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on Washington and its politics. It doesn't say that. It doesn't say that. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.

Don't forget, ever forget that you are not just a resident of this world, you are a citizen of heaven. Let us detach from this world and its fleeting value. Let us live by the laws of our eternal home heaven, not the shifting values and morals of this world. Let us represent Christ as ambassadors of heaven. Let us invest in eternity.

And yes, let us long for the for the redemption of our souls at the coming of Christ Jesus. And I pray that our prayers, our daily prayers, our deep heart desire is, Lord Jesus, come. Lord Jesus, come. Deliver us, that we might enjoy eternal sweet fellowship in your presence. Now the third thing we are told we have come to, at the end of verse 22, he says, to innumerable angels in festal gathering.

Mount Zion, the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and the third thing is, you have come to innumerable angels in festal gathering. Now, the writer of the Hebrews still drawing a contrast. Under the old covenant, there was fear, there was distance, there was trembling at Sinai, but under the new covenant, he tells us that we are not alone to fear. You have come to innumerable the multitude company of angels. You are not alone.

You are part of unseen of myriads of angels. And you remember, at the birth of Christ in Luke two thirteen, when the shepherds were keeping their watch, that the skies, the heavens were were filled with multitudes of angels and heavenly hosts praising God and saying glory to God on the highest, and on earth peace among those whom he is pleased. Why is this joy? Why is this praise? Clearly we know because the savior has come.

Grace has entered the world to deliver man from his sins. And Jesus himself tells us in Luke fifteen ten, he tell fifteen ten, he tells us, there is a joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents. Heaven erupts with joy when even one sinner turns to Christ. And here in the book of Hebrews, the writer remind us that when we believe, we are brought not into a company of sad or silent angels, but to multitude of angels in festal gathering. What are they celebrating?

They are celebrating your salvation. They are celebrating the results of grace, what the blood of Jesus has done. They are celebrating forgiveness from sin. They are celebrating when they see the bride of Christ being gathered together and prepared for Christ's coming. They are celebrating with full joy, festal gathering.

And if angels are celebrating, who cannot experience redemption as we do, how much more you think we should be celebrating today? We should corrupt with joy when one sinner returns to Christ. Heaven celebrates and the church on earth must join heaven in that celebration. The fourth thing, it says we come to in verse 23, and to the assembly of firstborn who are enrolled in heaven. And this a group of people who once were completely lost and without hope, but now they are brought near by the cross of Christ.

They are in the company of angels, yet believe it. They are higher than them in position, much higher than them. You know what's your position in Christ, believer? I hope you understand. I hope you know the privileges you have in Christ Jesus.

You're not just only a child. That's a greater privilege, but what comes with being a child? Look what Romans eight seventeen tells us. It says, and if children, then heirs. Heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

Now here in this verse, in verse 23 of Hebrews, the church is described as the assembly of firstborn enrolled in heaven. Now remember, this title is never given to angels. Angels are never called firstborn, enrolled in heaven. This title is for you and for me. We are heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ.

Angels are not. Now in human terms, you know, there can be only one firstborn. No. I'm not the firstborn in my family. I'm the youngest, but we know there's only one firstborn.

But in Christ's kingdom, all believers share equally in that status. Because Christ threw infinitely above them, he has graciously chosen to call them his brethren. He calls us brethren. So what do we see when we come to the assembly of the first born? So you have come to the assembly of this for the first born enrolled in it.

What do we see? What do we experience? What do we get? What we need to understand? Here it is, that we are one body, united under Christ our head, who is the first born among many brethren.

We are heirs with Christ. We are distant to receive our full inheritance and reign with him in glory in glory forever and ever. We are citizens of heaven, our home above. Focus. Think about these things, who you are in Christ Jesus, the privilege you have in that.

Number five, it says, we have come and to God the judge of all. To God the judge of all. You remember? Fear and trembling envelope every Israelite at the thought of approaching God. There was always fear and trembling.

God was so distant. Even David, when he brought the the ark to Jerusalem, in the beginning, he he was fearful to bring the ark into Jerusalem after God struck he struck, Uzzah. But we are told here we can approach God as a New testament, as a new covenant believer, we can approach God with faith and confidence, not lightly, but reverently, knowing that he is the judge of all. And that, by the way, should encourage us as believers. It should encourage you to know that God is the judge of all.

The unbelievers should fear that, Should fear and tremble before the thought that God is the judge of all. But believers, we should be encouraged by that. We should rejoice by that, knowing that God is a just God and he will execute a justice in the right time. In our journey on this earth, we will experience and we have been experiencing, many of us, a lot of injustice. Millions of believers have been tortured and killed even now as we as we speak.

And here, the writers is comforting the Christian, comforting us saying, listen, you have come to Mount Zion. You have come to the holy city of God. You have come to a company of angels. You have come to a community of believers. But most of all, you have come to God who will execute judgment, justice, who will repay everyone according to his deeds.

Don't seek revenge. Do not despair because of persecution and just injustice. In the world, you will be persecuted. Injustice is rampant, but remember the day is coming when God would put an end to all injustices. When Christ comes and establishes his kingdom with peace, with justice for everyone.

Let these thoughts fill our hearts and minds as we live as pilgrims on this earth, and remember when Christ will come, he will come and his reward with him for you. Not for us as a church, no, for you individually based on your faithfulness. Look forward for that coming day. Next he says, and you have come to and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect. To the spirit of the righteous made perfect.

These are the saints who have finished the race, and now they rest in God's presence. What a great company is this. What a joyful company is this. What a beautiful reminder that Adam will be there, we will see him. That Noah will be there, that Abraham will be there.

That Moses, and Samuel, and David will be there. Isaiah will be there. John, Peter, Paul, James will be there. Yes, John Calvin and Martin Luther will be there. Wesley, Moody, Whitfield, Spurgeon will be there.

And yes, John MacArthur will be there. Jodi Beckham will be there, whom we very much love. Many of them have died thousands of years ago, others just a few days ago. But all will be there. We will be within within there and they are made perfect.

And yes, we will be made perfect. We will join them and now we can remember them. We can remember their faith. We can remember their walk with the Lord, and we can imitate their faith and their walk with the Lord. That's the company that you have come to.

The writer of the Hebrews tells us, no more suffering. Let not your sufferings overcome you. Let let your sickness and weakness overwhelm you. Let not your sins and failure bring you despair. The day is coming when you and I will be made perfect.

No more weakness. No more sickness. No more suffering, no more sin. Only joy in the presence of Christ and the company of angels and believers from all generations. What a beautiful reminder.

The seventh thing, and before the last, it tells us that we have come to Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant. Now, this is profound. First notice, the writer does not tell us we have come to the new covenant itself. You would think he would say that. He doesn't say you have come to the new covenant.

No. But we have come to who? To my to the mediator of the new covenant. Now, we know according to Jeremiah thirty one thirty one, the new covenant will be between God and Israel and Judah in the future. It's not that covenant we are brought to.

Now, of course, after the resurrection we know of Christ, God brought us the Gentiles into the blessings of that new covenant. But Ephesians tells us, as we know, we are who were afar been brought near by the blood of Christ. But remember, the contrast that he's making here, the old covenant was received through an intermediary. Galatians three nineteen, Acts seven fifty three tells us that, and the intermediary was Moses. It was delivered through angels.

But the new covenant was not given through intermediary, but it was given by the only begotten son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ himself and sealed by his blood. So you have not come just to a covenant, but you have come to the mediator of the covenant, the Lord Jesus Christ. And because of that, you have full access to God now through his finished work on the cross. No religion can do that. No man can do that.

Only Christ can do that. And if you have not come to Christ yet, I'll ask you to come now and receive all those privileges that you have and available to you even today. And the last thing, and how appropriate, it says we have come to, and it says, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. Now this takes us from the heights of heaven back down to earth. The heavenly Jerusalem is in heaven.

Angels in festal gatherings, they are in heaven. The assembly of the firstborn enrolled in heaven. God the judge of all is in heaven. The spirits of the righteous made perfect in heaven. Jesus the mediator of the new covenant is in heaven.

The sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel on earth. On earth. It is here to earth Jesus came. Here on earth, Jesus suffered and died for wicked men. He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, an awful death of the cross.

His blood was shed there on Golgotha, That blood of the perfect lamb of God. The blood of Christ spoke loudly there on the cross and has been speaking loudly for the last two thousand years, he still speaks loudly even this afternoon to us. What does he say? When you come to the blood of Jesus, what do you hear? When Abel was murdered, his blood cried out from the ground and brought curse.

That blood called for justice and for vengeance. The vengeance. The blood of Jesus, it tells us, speaks a better word. The blood of Jesus does not cry for justice and vengeance. It speaks of mercy, of grace, of redemption, of reconciliation.

The blood of Jesus speaks to every believer. The blood of Jesus speaks to every unbeliever, to every sinner. The blood of Jesus speaks and we hear him speaking loudly. There's a fountain filled with blood, drawn from Emmanuel's veins, and sinners plunged beneath the flood lose all their guilty stains. Dear lamb, their dying lamb, the precious blood shall never lose its power till all the ransomed ones of God be saved to sin no more.

The message of the blood is this. There is forgiveness in the blood. There's redemption and freedom in the blood. There is access to God's presence In the blood, there's a cleansing and new life. In the blood, there is peace with God.

In the blood, there is victory over Satan, over sin, over the world, in the blood. Come to the blood. Come to the cross. Come to Jesus. If you have not done that so yet, come and receive all of that.

It says, you have come believer to sprinkle blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel of Abel. That's what you have in Christ Jesus. That's what you have in Christ Jesus, beloved believer. Let's pray. Our eternal God, most glorious savior, we praise you.

We thank you for the results of grace. Sinners made perfect. The distance brought near. Enemies became friends. Slaves became free, became children.

Lord Jesus, we thank you for your blood. We thank you for your presence among your people even now. We think that we can approach you with confidence, without fear. Lord, as we approach this afternoon, your table, help us approach it with joy and reverence. Thanksgiving and in gratitude.

We give you the glory and the honor. Amen.