SAVED BY GRACE
HEBREWS 12:18-29
In this text two dispensations are presented; the
dispensation of the Law and the dispensation of Grace. Verses 18-21 points to
the dispensation of the Law. Verses
23-29 presents the dispensation of Grace. Dispensation just means house rules; the way
God deals with man. God gave the Law to the Jews, but He gave
Grace to all mankind.
The Law was fulfilled in Jesus death on the cross and Grace
began.
THE OLD APPROACH TO GOD: THE LAW
V:18. "For ye are not come unto the mount that might be
touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and
tempest."
A. God will not tolerate sin in His throne. The mount refers
to Mount Sinai where God
gave Moses the
Law.
1. The Jews were
warned not to touch the mountain unless they were destroyed.
Ex
2. The Holiness of
God was separated from the sinfulness of man.
B. Those who willfully disobeyed God's commands faced the
burning fire.
1. Believers do not
face the fire, but are saved by Grace through faith.
2. The Law was
given to the Jews as a tutor until Grace began. Gal 3:24
V:19. "And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of
words; which voice they that heard intreated that the word should not be spoken
to them any more."
A. The sound of the trumpet was a call to attention to God's
also a battle sound.
1. At the mount,
they heard the Word of the Lord but they could not see
Him. Ex 19:16
2. They were frightened by the trumpet and Word of the
Lord.
B. They prayed that the Word would not be spoken directly to
them.
1. The Lord is and awesome God and ought to be
feared by all.
2. In His
presence, we ought to present ourselves holy and acceptable to Him.
Rom 12:1
C. The Jews preferred that Moses to be the mediator between
them and God.
1. His awesome
power was fresh on their mind from the parting of the Red Sea
and
destruction
of the Egyptian army.
2. God had set
them free from 400 years of slavery, yet they were afraid of His
voice.
3. If you are
doing the right thing, you have no need to fear God.
A. The voice of God
was so powerful that the Jews could not stand to hear it.
1. The voice of
God reminds you of His holiness and your sinfulness.
2. God's vastness
and your littleness are recognized when you meditate on the
Word.
B. Anyone who touched
the mountain while God was present died.
1. God separated
Himself from the Jews to reinforce His Holiness.
2. This is
illustrated by the death of Uzzah (2Sam
6:6) when he touched the Ark
keep it from
falling. The Ark
a. The Ark
b. The Ark
c. The Ark
3. We are now
under the New Covenant that was ratified with the blood of Jesus.
a. We are made
holy before God by the blood of Jesus.
V:21. "And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said,
I exceedingly fear and quake."
A. Moses, God's
selected leader of the Nation of the Jews feared God and probably
trembled in His
presence.
1. Moses
understood the awesome power of God to destroy the unrighteous and save
whom He please.
2. Moses
understood that God is no respecter of person and that the wrath of God
could fall on
anyone.
3. Moses understood
that the God he served deserved his respect and honor.
4. Moses understood
that the God he served was to be feared above all mankind.
THE NEW WAY TO THE FATHER: GRACE
V:22. "But ye are come unto
A. Sion is God's
throne room made accessible to all believers through the blood of
Jesus.
1. The throne room
is the dwelling place of God.
2. The throne of God
is surrounded by a host of angels giving praise to God
continuously.
Rev. 5:11
3. The throne of
God is our heavenly hope.
a. Jesus said,
"Where I Am, you will be also."
B. Believers have a
place in heaven.
a. Jesus said,
"I go to prepare a place for you."
C. We do not have to
fear coming to the throne of God.
a. We have been
made holy by the blood of Jesus.
b. God has not
given us the spirit of fear.
V:23. "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."
A. We are all part of
one big family.
1. "To the general assembly"
a. Those who
have been predestined to be part of the church, but not yet called
out.
b. To the
Jews, God's first family.
c. To all the
angels in heaven.
2. "To the church of the firstborn"
a. Those who
have accepted Christ as their personal Savior.
b. Those who
are part of the body of Christ.
3. "To the
spirits of just men made perfect"
a. We are
made just before God through the death of Christ.
b. We are
only perfect in death.
c. Those just
men who died and are now with Christ.
4. "To God
the Judge of all"
a. God is the
Father of us all.
b. It is by
His judgment that we will enter into heaven.
c. Good News;
we were predestined before the foundation of the earth to be
in heaven. Eph 1:4, Rev. 13.8
B. " Which are written in heaven"
1. All who God has
claimed as His, have their names written in the
Lamb's Book of
Life. Rev. 21:7
A. We have to give
thanks to Jesus for volunteering to die for our sins.
1. The old
covenant was made with blood of animals.
2. Abel brought
the first and the best of his flock for a sacrifice to God as an
offering for sin.
a. The problem
with Abel's offering, was it had be continuously reoffered.
B. The blood Jesus shed on the cross ratified a new covenant
with God for the sins of
man. Luke 12:20.
C. Jesus is now the mediator between God and man.
1. The blood of
Jesus on the cross cleanses man of all unrighteousness before God.
2. The sacrifice
of Jesus was made and once for all. Heb
10:10
V:25. "See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if
they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we
escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven."
A. We should be
careful to pay attention tothe Word of
God.
1. The Word is
the truth concerning the righteousness of God.
2. The Word is
the truth concerning the way of life.
3. The Word is
the truth concerning the rewards for living according to God's
commands.
4. The Word is
the truth concerning evil.
5. The Word is
the truth concerning the consequences of sin.
B. God gave His Law to the Israelites through Moses.
1. Obedience to
God's commands resulted in successful living.
2. Disobedience caused
God to withdraw His hedge from around them and
they suffered the consequences of God's
wrath.
C. We have the Word
of God from heaven.
1. We have an advocate
in heaven seated at the right hand of the Father.
2. If we disobey
God's commands, we will be chasten by the Father.
V:26. "Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he
hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also
heaven."
THE POWER OF THE WORD
A. It was by the Word of the Lord that the world came into
being.
1. It was by the
Word of the Lord that the earth was flooded.
2. It was by the
Word of the Lord that the earth was repopulated.
3. It was by the
Word that Jesus came down from heaven and died
for the sins
of man.
B. It is by the Word of the Lord that the current heaven and
earth will be
destroyed by
fire.
1. It is by the Word of the Lord that a new
heaven and a new earth will
come into existence. 2 Pet 3:13
2. It is by the
Word that saints will live forever with God.
V:27. "And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the
removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that
those things which cannot be shaken may remain."
A. Under the Law,
certain commands of God to the Jewish nation were temporary
to be done away with the coming of Jesus
Christ.
1. The sacrifice
of animals for the atonement of sin was replaced with final
sacrifice of
the life of Jesus.
2. Under the Law,
the priest interceded for the people with the Father.
a. Jesus seated
at the right hand of the Father is the intercessor.
3. Under the Law,
the Veil in the Temple
the rest of the
Temple
holiness where
the Ark of the Covenant was kept.
a. At the death
of Jesus, the Veil was split into from top to bottom.
b. Believers
now have direct access to the Father through Christ Jesus.
B. With the death of
Jesus all of the requirements of the Law was fulfilled.
1. Under Grace,
Jesus is the one true sacrifice.
2. Under Grace,
the temple is the body of believers.
3. Under Grace,
sin is atoned for by the blood of Jesus.
4. Under Grace,
the Spirit of the Lord dwells in all believers.
5. God now deals
with man by Grace and not the Law.
V:28. "Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be
moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence
and godly fear."
A. Jesus is the King
on the Throne over all mankind .
a. Jesus said,
"All Power Has Been Given To Me Over Heaven And Earth."
b. We receive the
Kingdom by Grace through Faith.
B. The Kingdom of God
is permanent.
1. Our
citizenship is secured by the Holy Spirit.
2. The purpose of
our being is to serve God and give Him glory. 1 Cor 15:58
3. We are to
serve the Lord with our whole heart. Eph
6:7
V:29. "For our God is a consuming fire."
A. God is the great
Judge of all mankind.
1. He has the
power to create and the power to destroy.
2. He deserves
our praise and worship.
3. He deserves
our undivided devotion.
4. He deserves
our complete love.
5. He deserves
our complete obedience.
B. It is by the fire
of God that we receive eternal life with the Father. Mat 3:11
1. It is by the
Spirit's fire that we are stirred up to serve God. 1 Th 5:19
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