Hebrews 12:18-29
You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them, because they could not bear what was commanded: "If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned." The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, "I am trembling with fear."
But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven? At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, "Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens." The words "once more" indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our "God is a consuming fire."
If you can, then make the time to read Hebrews 10-12 to have a better understanding of the context of our passage for this week.
The writer of Hebrews is making a contrast with the Mountain of the Old Covenant with the Mountain of the New Covenant. A quick read of Exodus would be helpful in understanding his argument.
1. How are the 2 "mountains" different?
2. The writer says that we "come to" a lot of things? What are they?
3. What warning does he present?
4. What does it mean that we are receiving a kingdom?
5. What does it mean to worship God "acceptably with reverence and awe"?
Sunday, May 17, 2009
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11 comments:
How's it going?
Another look at the woman at the well.The video got mixed reviews in my Life Group. The biggest complaint was the speed at which the woman talks (fast) and the inability to hear everything.
It really is worth watching at least a couple of times.
Allen, you may need to rethink your definition of bicycling. You are supposed to ride the bike not give the bike a ride in the back of your truck. ;-)
Yes, but the training log sure looks great when I write down:
Bike: 40 milesFor those who don't know (I didn't say anything about caring) I am biking some now as cross training for my Boston Marathon qualifying quest. I have a really good bike that belongs to Jay. Yes, I had to adjust the seat A LOT.
I had never been on a good bike before. Wow, what a difference there is! I am really enjoying biking, when I get a chance. I try to ride for a while after a run.
I had a good Bread of Life Church assembly yesterday. We doubled our attendance! We had 2 in attendance + me. It is very interesting experience so far. I feel that God is blessing it.
Here's a note that will be in this week's bulletin:
“I Wonder What God Thinks About ‘Gay Marriage’?”
That’s the title of next Sunday’s sermon. There is so much in the news about this controversial topic, and we hear opposing views and opinions. What are we to think? What are we to do? For Christians the place to start is to understand what God thinks about the topic. Can we know that? Yes, we can. It’s best to understand how God views “gay marriage” by considering his creative intent for human sexuality. We’ll consider all this next Sunday morning.
I am spending a lot of time with a young man who recently got out of jail.
We've got him doing some work around the ReGeneration Store. He is doing a good job, which will make it possible for us to advocate for him.
Kedra and I got away for a little while on Saturday afternoon and watched The Soloist.
I really liked it. A lot. I will warn you that it moves slowly, but I liked that. It's a true story and really gives you some insight into a whole different world.
I found the scenes of L.A.'s Skid Row very disturbing. I felt sadness and compassion for the strange collection of people who gather there. I think Jesus would have been right in the midst of them.
CheesusThis is what you get when you find a Jesus shaped cheese snack.
No wonder the aliens never stay.
My posts keep running together. Sorry about that. They look good in the preview. Somehow it is not honoring my spacing.
Busy...
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