27th September 2020
Text: Hebrews 12:18-29
Minister: Pastor Seyi Osanyinbi
Most of us do not realize that there are certain things that only the Jews understand. For example, the Jews celebrate feasts and festivals which are usually called solemn assemblies which we Gentiles now call love feasts which are not like what the Jews did. These meetings are conducted as a reverence for God.
Anytime we gather together unto the Lord, there is transportation from here to the presence of the Lord. You must have an understanding of this and see yourself in His presence. Technically you are the one coming to the presence of God and you must come with a prepared heart, not just as if you are coming to meet a man.
May God give you encounters you will never forget. Amen!
When Paul penned down these scriptures in chapter 12 of the book of Hebrews, he began to show the physical encounter of Moses and Israel with God. Moses had an unforgettable encounter with God on the mount. Whatever appeared to Moses that day must have been so fearful and scary. People do not fear God anymore because He does not appear as He appeared to Moses. We must know that God is a God of love and also a consuming fire.
Every time God begins to speak you must be careful and pay attention. If God does not bless you with fear, you are not blessed. When God blesses you with fear of Himself, you will know how to tremble before Him. God is a God of love but He must be feared and reverenced.
Unlike Moses who met God on Mount Sinai which burned with terrifying thunders and everyone including Moses trembled, but in the NT, the question is whom have we come to meet? The Spirit of God tells us that there are seven entities that we fellowship with under this testament, namely:
- Mount Zion
You have come to mount Zion which is the city of the living God and it is also called the heavenly Jerusalem (Hebrews 11:8).
There are certain operations in the earth you must be careful about. Abraham desired a better country. He was not mindful of the city from which they came out from. What is your own desire? These men desired a better country. They stayed away from Sodom and Gomorrah because they were seeking a better country.
There is nothing we are doing today that the ancient cities were not doing, so do not think there was nothing attractive in the ancient cities. What makes you think you are better? What we are enjoying, they enjoyed it too in their own way. Because of heavenly Jerusalem, these men abandoned this earth to pursue it. For this reason, God was not ashamed to call them His people and to be called their God. God was happy to boast about Job. Can God boast of you?
Revelation 3:12; 21:2
This city is so important that those who will live in it must have their names written down before they leave the earth! They must prove their worthiness of living there. This is the city that God Himself has built! It is superior to any planet that God has ever created. You have to appreciate the fact that the new Jerusalem is thrice the size of this earth and so much godly pleasures abound. Some people who experienced heaven through death and came back to earth always do not want to come back because they have seen that the earth is only full of corruption.
- Innumerable numbers of Angels
The angels are around us but the problem is that we are unaware of their presence. These angels are also described as “the joyful company of angels.” They stand rejoicing in the presence of God because in the presence of God there is fullness of joy. These angels find pleasure in serving the bride of the lamb and doing the will of God (Psalms 103:20). Every time we gather unto the Lord, these heavenly beings join us in our worship and are eager to minister to us. You cannot come into their company and be sorrowful or unwilling to rejoice in God’s presence. Remember when they appeared during the announcement of Jesus’ birth, they were very happy because of what God was doing on the earth (Luke 2:10-14). Furthermore, these angels are very careful about the state of our hearts and our conformity to authority. This is why Paul warned about the disorderliness in Corinth saying that we should be careful because of the presence of angels (1Corinthians 11:10).
- The General assembly
This refers to the church of the firstborn whose names are written in heaven. As Israel was regarded by God to be His firstborn under the old dispensation, so has He regarded the Church to be His firstborn in this dispensation and this is why people ought to be careful how you treat her. God does not play with His firstborn. God does not play with His children so let us be careful the way you approach the matter. The day you gave your life to Christ, your name was written there. Strange names does not find their way into God’s books. God keeps records and He is meticulous.
Also realise that when you come to warfare, the enemy will bring the records of your sins to condemn you before the Lord just for the purpose of getting God to remove your name from the book of life. You must do whatever it will take for your name not to be removed from the book of life. You need the blood to keep your record clean. Always remember the son or the daughter of whom you are.
- God, the Judge
The next entity that is present in our fellowship is God Himself who is introduced as the Judge of all. God is many things to many people at different times. The titles of God are often tied to the way He revealed Himself to people. You must be careful not to provoke His wrath because the final destiny of all men is determined by Him. God is the judge of all. The reason why He is revealed as the judge can be found in Isaiah 33:22, where He is the Judge, the lawgiver and our king who saves us. And to avoid getting a negative response from Him, you must approach God with the blood. When you come to Him, you must also come with fear and reverence because He is a consuming fire.
- Spirits of just men made perfect.
These men in heaven have been made perfect or mature. Perfect men are those who are mature to discern both good and evil. They are the cloud of witnesses that surround us, they stand as testimonies before us and God has put their stories there for us to learn from(Galatians 4:1-4).
- Jesus the mediator of the new covenant (Hebrews 8:6-13)
The covenants of the old have promises and its efficacy was predicated upon obeying those commandments. However, Jesus is the mediator of the new covenant who teaches and ensures the integrity of the covenant. He was tempted as we are being tempted daily and did not sin. He is the mediator who makes a way of escape and always committed to helping us through the challenges that we face daily.
- The blood of the sprinkling
The blood of Jesus cries for mercy while that of Abel cries for vengeance. Just like the blood of bulls was used to ratify the Mosiac covenant when Moses sprinkled the people with the blood, so in this Testament, Jesus ratified this covenant with us by sprinkling us which admitted us into His family and bonded us to obey Him forever. God also cleanses our sins with the blood when we repent. We must handle the blood well and not despise it. If you disregard the blood, there is no basis for atonement. You must know what you are doing. Learn to engage God intelligently and mentally, do not come with an empty mind. You do not approach God non-gallantly. Prepare your mind to meet God every time.