If you turn in your Bibles again,
please, to the passage we read. Matthew 4 through Matthew 5. This passage in Matthew chapter
5 is obviously very well known to many Christians. It's the
opening to what is commonly called the Sermon on the Mount. And
you may well have read it many times in the past. Now, it isn't
my purpose this morning so much to concentrate on the content
of the sermon as the setting. I'd like to draw your attention
particularly to chapter 5, verses 1 and 2. And seeing the multitudes,
Jesus went up into a mountain, and when he was set, his disciples
came under him, and he opened his mouth and taught them. We cannot really understand the
teaching of the Sermon on the Mount unless we understand the
context and the setting in which it is given because that very
much sets the scene, it sets who it's being addressed to and
it sets the nature and it adds illumination to just what is
taught. When Christ saw the multitudes
he went up into a mountain. Previously we read in chapter
4, 23 of how the multitudes followed him how he went about preaching
the gospel of the kingdom he healed many diseases but seeing
the multitudes he went up into a mountain and when he was sat
down his disciples came unto him now this picture of a mountain
often throughout scriptures we read of different mountains and
the picture of the mountain is an evident picture of being elevated
up from the world mountains, the top of a mountain is the
meeting place of heaven and earth, and the picture here really is
of Christ ascending a mountain, Christ being ascended, sat down,
it's a picture of heaven. This whole sermon is in figure
delivered by Christ from heaven above. Its whole subject matter
is heavenly. He is sat down there, this is
a picture of him having completed his work on earth, completed
his work at the cross, risen again, ascended up on high, sat
down in glory, and from glory he gives this blessed teaching. We have here a heavenly speaker
with heavenly teaching about a heavenly kingdom comprised
of heavenly citizens. And the whole passage, the whole
discourse of the Sermon on the Mount is really a description
of the character of these heavenly citizens. It describes them in
contradistinction to those who are earthly. There are various
ones who are blessed, theirs is the kingdom of heaven, they
shall be comforted, they shall be filled, they shall obtain
mercy. And yet this is not all men, for we read that such a
people will be persecuted for righteousness sake. So there
are people who oppose these. These are Christ's disciples,
those who were brought up to heaven. And immediately in the
first verse, as well as seeing that this is Christ speaking
from a great height, Christ speaking from heaven, we see a distinction. We see that Christ, seeing the
multitudes, went up. He left the multitudes, he went
up into a mountain. and the disciples came unto him.
It does not say that all the multitudes came unto him, it
says the disciples came unto him. So immediately we see a
distinction, we see a separation between the multitudes who remained
upon the earth and the disciples who as it were came up to Christ,
up into the heavenly heights. Because you see, in the previous
verses in chapter 4 we saw how the multitudes followed Jesus,
we saw how he went about. And as long as the multitudes
knew of this man who went about healing sickness and curing all
sorts of diseases and torments that attracted them. Many people
will follow a man who will heal them of their woes and their
illnesses, who will give them what they need in this world.
The multitudes followed Jesus, but they did not go up the mountain. Many multitudes will follow a
Jesus who is earthly. Many will follow a Jesus in the
gospel, declaring a Jesus, which declares a Jesus who will solve
all your woes in this world. Come to Jesus if you want to
be healed of your illnesses. Come to Jesus if you want to
fill that gap that's in your life. Come to Jesus if you're
downcast, he will bring you joy. Come to Jesus if you want prosperity
in this world. The real way to prosperity is
to come to a Jesus that brings it in this world. But such a
gospel is presented in an earthly Jesus. And an earthly Jesus is
very appealing to multitudes. And you only need to look around
in religion in Christendom today to see that that is the case.
There are many churches that profess Jesus. There are multitudes.
There are many other churches in the town here. Up and down
this nation, you can meet many people who will say, I follow
Jesus. But you question them further,
and the Jesus they follow is one who gives them what they
want in this world and that's as far as they will follow him.
As soon as he says to them, take up thy cross and follow me, as
soon as it comes to climbing up a mountain, as soon as the
pathway gets a bit hard, then they tend to become offended,
they drop away, they find excuses and they remain upon the earth. But there's another people, the
disciples, who are brought up the mountain. They do come to
him. they do come to where he is and they do listen so we see
a distinction this distinction is repeated throughout the chapters
from 5 to 7 we see the disciples described we see that they are
the salt of the earth in verse 13 we see verse 14 they are described
as the light of the world we see in chapter 7 and verses 13
and 14 how two ways are described the straight gate, the narrow
way and the broad the broad way, the wide gate and the broad way
there's two different ways two different sorts of people we
see the warnings from verses chapter 7 verses 16 to 20 we
see these warnings about false prophets and we see how different
men, different prophets, different men can be identified by their
fruit. They're described as trees, good
trees and bad trees. Good trees bring forth good fruit,
bad trees bring forth bad fruit. And we may know those who are
of God by their fruit and we may know those who are not of
God by their fruit. And finally towards the end of
chapter 7 we see of two men building houses. There's one man built
his house upon the rock and another foolish man builds his house
upon the sand. The foolish man will be lost
when the rains come, but the man who's built his house upon
the rock will be saved. And such teachings, such teachings
that gave such a distinction, such heavenly teaching astonished
the people. When Jesus had ended these sayings,
the people were astonished at his doctrine. He taught them
as one having authority and not as the scribes. this was not
the words of a man who was just a man this was not the words
of an earthly man this was not earthly words, this was heavenly
and they came with authority because they came down from God
above and such teaching astonishes man so we see this distinction
we see the disciples are brought irresistibly to Christ as distinct
from the multitudes Their gospel, their desire, their desire for
Jesus is not for what they can get in this world. They come
to the one who is heavenly. They know there is more. So this
passage is delivered from a mount. Now let's contrast this mount. Upon this mount Christ delivers
a message, a heavenly message about a heavenly kingdom. We
see here the gospel. But let's contrast this mount
with another mount that we read of in scripture where God met
With man, we read in Exodus 19 and 20 of when God delivered
the law upon Mount Sinai. The picture here is very different. The children of Israel being
delivered from Egypt, being brought out of bondage, God leads them
through the wilderness and he brings them to the foothills
of Mount Sinai. and the one whom he has chosen
to lead this people, Moses, his servant he calls to come up into
Mount Sinai and there he delivers his law he delivers the holy
law of God and he delivers it to prove the people but we see
a very different picture here we do not see many people coming
up the mountain we only see Moses and this is a mountain which
is fearsome. We read in Exodus 19 verse 10,
And the Lord said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify
them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes.
And be ready against the third day. For the third day the Lord
will come down in the sight of all the people upon Mount Sinai.
And thou shalt set bounds unto the people round about, saying,
Take heed to yourselves that ye go not up into the mount,
or touch the border of it, Whosoever toucheth the mount shall be surely
put to death. They shall not in hand touch
it, but he shall surely be stoned or shot through. Whether it be
beast or man, it shall not live. When the trumpet soundeth long,
they shall come up to the mount." Verse 16, And it came to pass
on the third day in the morning that there were thunders and
lightnings and a thick cloud upon the mount. and the voice
of the trumpet exceeding loud, so that all the people that was
in the camp trembled. And Moses brought forth the people
out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the nether
part of the mount. And Mount Sinai was altogether
on a smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire, and
the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the
whole mount quaked greatly. And when the voice of the trumpet
sounded long and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake and God
answered him by a voice and the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai
on the top of the mount and the Lord called Moses up to the top
of the mount and Moses went up and then through chapter 20 he
delivers God speaks the Ten Commandments I am the Lord thy God which hath
brought thee out of the land of Egypt out of the house of
bondage thou shalt have no other gods before me thou shalt not
make unto thee any graven image or any likeness of anything that
is in heaven above or that is in the earth beneath or that
is in the water under the earth thou shalt not bow down thyself
to them nor serve them for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God
visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto
the third and fourth generation of them that hate me and show
mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments
continues on and at the end of the delivery
of the ten commandments verse 18 it says and all the people
saw the thunderings and the lightnings and the noise of the trumpet
and the mountain smoking and when the people saw it they removed
and stood afar off and they said unto Moses speak thou with us
and we will hear but let not God speak with us lest we die
Moses said unto the people fear not for God is come to prove
you and that his fear may be before your faces that ye sin
not and the people stood afar off and Moses drew near unto
the thick darkness where God was so we see here a very different
picture we see a mount which could not be touched a mount
where the people feared to go, a mount where if they touched
it, God promised that they'd be struck down, they would die,
they'd be shot through. And the people saw the darkness,
they saw the thunderings and lightnings, and they were afraid. It struck fear into them. We
don't see a picture here of many disciples going up the mount.
We don't see access under God here. We see one mediator, Moses,
who went up and he was given the law. And he brought the law
down to the people to prove them. We see a great contrast here
between the law and the gospel. We see a mediator here in Moses. But he went up to the mountain,
he brought the law down. He brought it down to the earth,
to the people, to prove them. but the people remained upon
the earth. That law that he brought down
did indeed prove them. It proved all men to be under
sin. It proved that all have sinned and fallen short of the
glory of God. It showed them their vileness,
their wickedness, their corruption. Immediately after the delivery
of the law, the people fell into gross sin. Even while Moses was
up in the mount, The people rose up to play. They carved them
out an idol. They committed all sorts of wickedness
and violence. Even whilst God was in the mount
with Moses. So vile was man's heart. Even
though the people knew that Moses was in the mount, meeting God,
their deception of sin within them caused them to stumble,
caused them to fall, caused them to rebel. And they were wicked. And the law which Moses brought
down from God condemned man. And it continues to condemn man.
When you bring this record before man, when you bring the law upon
man, when God applies it to your soul, you will find yourself
guilty. This is a law which condemns
each and every soul upon this earth. No one can attain to it.
It's a law which descends from heaven above down to earth beneath.
It's which soars up to heaven. It soars left and right. It finds
out every deed. It covers the whole world. You
cannot escape it. It governs your every action.
It governs everything done in public and in private. Thou shalt
not kill. Thou shalt not commit adultery.
Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not bear false witness
against thy neighbor. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's
house. Which one of us has kept this
law? It finds us all guilty. And because of it, it kept man
upon the earth. Man had no access unto God. In the complete law which God
gave Moses, delivered to the people, he also gave a priesthood,
and he gave a service, and he gave a tabernacle, he gave the
Ark of the Covenant, He described the holiest of holies. He described
the rituals, the ceremonies that the priesthood should conduct
on behalf of the people to make peace with God for their sin
whilst they were in this world. It was strictly given they could
only come before God in one way and that was through the mediatorship
of the priest who would go into the holy of holies and you had
to go in with a sacrifice and you had to go in with blood because
this was a sinful people and you cannot become before God
with sin upon your hands you cannot ascend the mount of God
and come into the presence of God it cannot be done if they
touched the mount they'd have been struck down dead yes the
law proved man under sin but what a contrast we see in the
gospel What a contrast we see in the New Testament. What a
contrast we see with Christ, the mediator of the New Covenant.
Matthew 5, Christ goes up into a high mountain and his disciples
come to him. They come to him as it were in
heaven. They have access to him. Moses, the mediator, brought
the law down to earth. But Christ, the mediator of the
New Covenant, In the gospel, he brings the spirit and the
spirit by the gospel brings the people up to heaven. The spirit
draws the people irresistibly to God. By grace, he saves them. By grace, he quickens them from
death unto life. By grace, God causes the people
to be born again. By grace he takes their sin away,
by grace he draws them to the Saviour, and by grace he brings
them up to Christ, up in the mountain, up to where he is sat,
up into heaven above. In John's Gospel we read that
promise given to all God's people, that Christ said, All that the
Father giveth me shall come to me, and him that cometh to me
I will in no wise cast out. there's access unto the Father
access into the heavens in the gospel but how is this? if we're all guilty under the
law if we've all broken it if we're all sinners by nature if
the Mount of Old, Mount Sinai could not be tucked for fear
of death what's changed? what's changed? how has Christ
brought his people to the Father? how can it be? we're sinners
Has he relaxed the law? This gospel which declares the
grace of God, the grace of God brought by the Spirit, does grace
relax the law? Has it set it aside? Does God
just say, I have chosen to forgive a people, I will not look upon
their sin, it doesn't matter anymore? Does he just preach
a message of love? Does he just turn a blind eye
to our sin? No. not at all Jesus says in the
Sermon on the Mount in chapter 5 and verse 7 he says think not
that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets I'm not come
to destroy but to fulfill Christ didn't come to set the law aside
he didn't come to say that it's judgments against the sins of
the people don't matter what the law pronounces as a judgment
against our sin is absolutely true we are guilty and we are
condemned. And there's a just sentence against
man's sin and that is everlasting damnation. Man's sin separates
him from God. It will separate him from God
for all eternity if he remains in sin. The law has to be answered. His penalty must be met. It cannot
be simply dismissed or set aside. Now Christ came to fulfill the
law. Well how did he fulfill the law? Let us turn to Romans
and chapter 8. Turn to Romans and chapter 8.
We will see there how Christ fulfilled the law. Christ did
not set it aside. He came to fulfill it. He took
his people's place. His people broke the law. They were condemned by the law.
The judgment of God rang down from heaven upon them. The penalty
needed to be met. But we read at the beginning
of chapter 8 in verse 1 a remarkable statement about God's people.
We know that the law condemned them, but it says in verse 1,
there is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.
No condemnation? What is that? to them who are
in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh but after the
spirit for the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus have
made me free from the law of sin and death for what the law
could not do in that it was weak through the flesh there was no
way that man could fulfill the law the law was perfect, it was
holy, it was just, it was good we ought to keep it we ought
to fulfill it It is perfect, but we haven't. It's condemned
us. And it's condemned us because
we are weak in the flesh. We are sinners by nature. Whenever
the Lord says, Thou shalt, we do not. And when it says, Thou
shalt not, we do. And we find ourselves crushed
by its yoke. Yes, the Lord could not do what
it said through us in the flesh, because it was weak through the
flesh. But what the law could not do, in that it was weak through
the flesh, God, sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful
flesh, and forcing condemned sin in the flesh. We couldn't
condemn it, we couldn't fulfill the law, we couldn't deliver
ourselves from sin. But this great truth of the Gospel, this
truth which sets forth the mercy and the love of God for his people,
This truth which declares the work of God in his son. God sending
his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, condemned
sin in the flesh. That the righteousness of the
law might be fulfilled in us, will walk not after the flesh,
but after the spirit. Oh, what a blessed truth this
is. There's no condemnation, for those who are in Christ.
Why? Because standing in their place, he came as a man. He took upon himself flesh. In the likeness of sinful flesh,
he was without sin. He knew no sin. But he took upon
himself flesh that he might suffer and die as a man in the place
of his people. He might have their sin laid
upon him. He might bear their sins in his own body upon the
tree. He might be made sin, but they might become the righteousness
of God in him. God sending his own Son in likeness
of sinful flesh and foreseeing condemned sin in the flesh. Christ
when he went to the cross was nailed upon it and upon his
back he took a mountain of sin every one of his people's sin
he bore upon his back and he lifted it up and he took that
burden and as he hung there God's wrath poured down upon him and
God's wrath poured upon that mountain and God's wrath burnt
that mountain to a cinder and he took it away Christ took that
sin away he blotted it out he took it as far as the east is
from the west man was a sinner but all God's people in Christ
had their sin blotted out in him Christ took their place Christ
suffered Christ died the death that they should die and he blotted
their sins out what a gospel there's no condemnation
there's no condemnation not because of anything we have done, not
because of our fulfilling of the law, not because of our keeping
the law, but because Christ met the law's every single charge
against our every single corruption. Every transgression which I have
committed, he took upon himself, he owned as his own, he was fully
accountable for, and God charged him with the just sentence against
that sin. and God's wrath poured out upon
it and blotted it out and took it away and at the end Christ
could say it is finished Ephesians 2 verse 13 for now in Christ
Jesus ye who sometimes were afar off at enmity with God far off
are made nigh by the blood of Christ for he is our peace it's
about peace brought the people who were estranged from God unto
the Father. He who is our peace hath made
both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition
between us. He has brought Jews and Gentiles together, and brought
them unto God, having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even
the law of commandment contained in ordinances, for to make in
himself of twain one new man, so making peace, and that he
might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having
slain the enmity thereby, and came and preached peace to you
which were afar off and to them that were nigh. Christ fulfilled
the law. He took away the condemnation.
He fulfilled the law's every demand. He took away the law. He delivered us from it. He delivered
us from its penalty. He delivered us from its rule. He delivered us from the bondage.
He brought us nigh to the Father. and he made peace. Let's consider another mount
finally. There's another mount in Matthew. If we turn to chapter 17, we
see another mount. Mount Sinai that people couldn't
touch. The mount where Christ delivered
his sermon in chapter 5. He drew his disciples to him
as it were in heaven. And we see another glorious picture
of Christ, another mount in chapter 17, where Christ is transfigured
before his disciples. This follows on from chapter
4 where Christ had just been speaking to his disciples. Peter
had owned Christ as being the Son of God. This had been revealed
to him by the Father in heaven. He'd been given a blessed sight
of just who Christ is. And then from that time forth,
chapter 1621 from that time forth Christ began Jesus to show unto
his disciples how that he must go into Jerusalem and suffer
many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes and
be killed and be raised again the third day and Peter took
him and began to rebuke him saying be it far from thee Lord this
shall not be unto thee but he turned and said unto Peter get
thee behind me Satan thou art an offense unto me for thou savourest
not the things that be of God but those that be of men Yes,
Christ spoke of his death. And he said to the disciples,
verse 24, if any man will come after me, let him deny himself
and take up his cross and follow me. For whosoever will save his
life shall lose it, and whosoever will lose his life for my sake
shall find it. For what is a man profited if
he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul? What shall
a man give in exchange for his soul? the son of man shall come
in the glory of his father with his angels and then he shall
reward every man according to his works verily I say unto you
there shall be some standing here which shall not taste the
death till they see the son of man coming in his kingdom Christ
says that those who will follow him will deny himself and take
up his cross Christ had to suffer and die upon the cross he had
a cross to take up and so will his people if they will follow
him but look at this glorious picture that we see of what Christ
would enter following his cross work, following his death, following
his resurrection and his ascension. We see chapter 17 verse 1, And
after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James and John his brother, and
bringeth them up into a high mountain apart, and was transfigured
before them, and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment
was white as the light. And behold, there appeared unto
them Moses and Elias talking with him. Then answered Peter,
and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here. If
thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles, one for thee, and
one for Moses, and one for Elias. While he yet spake, behold, a
bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the
cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well
pleased. Hear ye him. or a glorious picture
of Christ in his glory. Transfigured, white, he shone
as the sun, Draymond was white as the light. I want you to notice
verse 1 here, chapter 17 verse 1. As it's mentioned, and after
six days Jesus taketh Peter, James and John his brother and
bringeth them up into a high mountain. Goes up into this mountain
after six days. Now what's six days here? What
does six days remind you of in the scriptures? Back in the law, back in where
we read Exodus 19 and 20, we read of six days. A clear allusion
in this passage, when Christ is transfigured after six days,
it's meant to draw your attention back to what six days pictures. It says in Exodus 20, verse 8. Remember
the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour and
do all thy work. But the seventh day is the Sabbath
of the Lord thy God. In it thou shalt not do any work,
thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant,
nor thy castle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates. For
in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea and all that
in them is, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed
the Sabbath day and hallowed it. Six days thou shalt labour. Picture is of labour. After six
days Jesus was transfigured. God created the heavens and the
earth in six days and rested the seventh day. He blessed it. He entered into rest. At the
cross Christ performed his greatest work. At the cross Christ fulfilled
the laws every demands. At the cross Christ suffered,
bled and died for his people. At the cross Christ by faith
wrought righteousness. He brought in an everlasting
righteousness to the account of his people. He took away sin,
he took away every charge against sin. He delivered the people
through the rivers of death. He brought them into eternal
life, brought them into union with Him. At the cross, He overcame
sin, He overcame death, and He overcame hell. At the cross, Christ labored. At the cross, Christ performed
a creative work no less glorious than that creative work which
God did, which Christ did as God when He created the heavens
and the earth. At the cross, Christ saved his people. At the
cross, he brought in a new creation. He delivered people from their
deadness in the old Adam. He brought them to life in the
last Adam, in Christ. He caused them to die with him
and to rise with him on the third day. And having completed his work,
he cried out, it is finished. As it were, his six days of labor
were over. And rising and ascending, he
came to sit upon the throne of glory, and he is at rest. And upon that throne, he will
be seen by his people in glory. His face shines as the sun, and
his raiment was white as the light. And here we see this glorious
picture, this glorious foreshadowing of what Christ would enter into
when his work was complete. He tells the disciples of that
death that he must die at Jerusalem. And after six days, he leads
them up into a mountain, and he shows them what rest he would
have, what glory there would be, and what glory they would
see in him. there's not many people here,
we don't see a multitude described here took Peter, James and John but he took his own and he showed
them his glory and he's at rest and we see this in Matthew we
see this contrast we see this heavenly picture we see the disciples
in Matthew come to in Matthew 5 we see the disciples come and
they sit at his feet and he teaches them as it were from on high
and this is the teaching of the glorified saviour about a heavenly
kingdom which they will come to which is theirs they are citizens
of it why? because they earned it because
they merited it because they made the right decision because
they had the right religion the right birth, no because God showed
them grace God showed them mercy God chose them before the foundations
of the world and God drew them irresistibly by his spirit in
time to have their eyes opened to see Christ in the gospel and
to be brought up to see him. In this picture in the Transfiguration
there appeared Moses and Elias but When God spoke, this is my beloved
son in whom I am well pleased, he, him. The disciples heard
it and they fell on their face. They were sore afraid. And Jesus
came and touched them and said, arise and be not afraid. And
when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man. Moses
and Elias had faded from view. Because all that Moses' demands
had been met, all that the prophets prophesied of Christ had been
fulfilled. The six days were over. Christ had entered his
glory. And they saw no man, save Jesus only. Now, what of you? What of you? Who are you following? Are you following an earthly
Jesus? Is the gospel you want? Is the Jesus you want? Is the
Savior you want? One that brings you what you
want in this world? You know, we carry the flesh
around. If we're believers, we carry the flesh with us to our
dying day, and the flesh lights its comfort. It wants ease in
this world. It wants to be healed of sickness. It wants to be free from bondage.
It's easy to want an earthly Jesus. Many want an earthly Jesus.
Multitudes seek after an earthly Jesus. Are you? Do you want an easy life? Is that what you're looking for?
Or do you want to know that Christ is in heaven above? Do you want
to know of his heavenly kingdom? Do you want to know of his everlasting
salvation? Perhaps so you do. Perhaps you want to be there.
Perhaps you want to go up on the mount. But are you trying
to get up it by your own strength? Are you trying to climb this
mountain your own strength? Are you trying by your good deeds,
your prayers, your law keeping to get there by your strength?
Well you won't do it. You can't keep the law. It condemns
you. You can only get there by grace.
You will only get there when you have come to an end of your
labour. Six days thou shalt labour. and
the seventh day thou shalt rest. When your labours are over, then
you'll be brought to the Saviour. Only when you've been brought
to an end of self, only when you've been brought to an end
of your own strength, only when you've been brought to an end
of your own pride in your own abilities, only when you've been
brought low, only when you've come to see that you are a sinner,
only when the Spirit has convicted you of sin and brought you to
know that you are nothing and Christ is all, And you will only
be saved if he shows you mercy. Then you'll fall at Jesus' feet.
And then God will lead you up to see him. And he'll give you
faith to see him. And Moses and Elias will fade
away. And you'll have ears to hear
and eyes to see Jesus only. Yes, this is my beloved Son,
in whom I am well pleased. Hear ye him. Finally, let's just
read Hebrews 12. A few verses in Hebrews 12. See the contrast between two
mountains. Hebrews 12 and verse 18. For ye are not come into the
mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor
unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest, and the sound of
a trumpet, and the voice of words. Which voice? They that heard
entreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more.
for they could not endure that which was commanded. And if so
much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned or thrust
through with a dart. And so terrible was the sight that Moses said,
I exceedingly fear and quake. But ye, God's people, those who
know the Saviour, ye come unto Mount Zion, and unto the city
of the living God, and heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable
company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn,
which are written in heaven, and to God the judge of all,
and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jesus the
mediator of the new covenant, to the blood of sprinkling, that
speaketh better things than that of Abel. See that ye refuse not
him that speaketh. For if they escape not who refuse
him, That spake on earth, much more shall we not escape if we
turn away from him that speaketh from heaven. See that ye refuse
not him that speaketh. Have we ears to hear? Have we
heard Christ speak from heaven? Is he our all? Are we indeed
taking up our cross? Are we willing to? Are we denying
ourselves? willing to give up what this
world would seem to hold as pleasures, do we want Christ more than what
is here and now? Do you know anything of the blessings
which Christ has spoken of in Matthew chapter 12? These blessings,
blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are they that mourn,
blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness.
Do you know these things? Do you know what it is to be
blessed? as those who are persecuted for righteousness sake is that
a blessing to you or is it a curse? because people it's a blessing
rejoice and be exceedingly glad do you know it? do you know this
saviour? do you know his kingdom? as God brought you up the mount
to Jesus' feet and seeing the multitudes he
went up into a mountain and when he was set His disciples came
unto Him, and He opened His mouth and taught them. May the Lord
bless this Word, and may He give us ears to hear our Saviour speak
from Heaven.