Mensa Otabil - The City of the Living God
- Watch
- Donate
Yesterday we talked about the mountain we have not come to, and today we’re looking at the mountain we have come to: Mount Zion. Hebrews 12: 22 — 23 states, «But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and Church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect.»
So yesterday we talked about Mount Sinai. The old Covenant, the Old Testament, is represented in Mount Sinai, the place where God made a covenant with Israel, and they felt very terrified in the presence of God. Then there is another mountain; the New Covenant is represented by Mount Zion. Now, the Bible is a tale of two mountains: Mount Sinai and Mount Zion.
What is Mount Zion? Mount Zion is the place where Solomon’s Temple was built. It was a glorious edifice, and the worship was beautiful. People rejoiced on Mount Zion; they approached the presence of God with great excitement, very different from Mount Sinai, where people approached God with fear. So God is telling us through the book of Hebrews that in the New Testament, when we come to Christ, we don’t come to the terror of Mount Sinai; we come to the joy, blessing, happiness, and gladness of Mount Zion.
That is what we have come to, and it is called Mount Zion, the city of the living God. It is God’s dwelling place. When you become a Christian, you are in the presence of God; you are in God’s dwelling place. It is called a heavenly Jerusalem, not the earthly Jerusalem, not a physical Jerusalem, but the heavenly Jerusalem. The New Testament presents us with a new relationship with God, a heavenly relationship.
Then it calls us that when we come to Christ, we come into the innumerable company of angels. Isn’t that exciting? A Christian life brings us into an innumerable company of angels, not of demons or devils. You know, there are people who talk as if our whole Christian life is about demons surrounding us; every time they’ll say, «There is a devil following you,» and that they’ve seen a vision of demons surrounding you.
But the Bible says we have come to the innumerable company of angels. There are more angels of God surrounding us than demons. You are in God’s presence; you are in the New Jerusalem; you are in the city of the Lord, and the angels of God are at your service. You are in a good place when you are in Christ Jesus.
It is also called the Church of the firstborn, the firstborn meaning Christ Jesus as the first one to resurrect from the dead, and we are in His company. As He resurrected, so will we also resurrect. Then it says we have come to God, the judge of all. God is the judge of all people. For the Christian, God’s judgment is not terror; God’s judgment is reward. God’s judgment is His blessing.
So we have come before God, the judge, who judges us under the merit of what Christ has done for us. He is a good judge to the righteous. Then it says that we have come in Mount Zion to the place where the spirits of men are made perfect. When we come into the presence of God, His Holy Spirit perfects us and makes us sanctified and right to stand in the presence of God.
So the Christian life is not a call to approach God with fear and trepidation, but to approach God with joy, praise, thanksgiving, reverence, and honor, knowing that He is with us, that His blessing is with us, and that He will do us good. That is what the Christian life is аbout: we have come to Mount Zion, to the presence of God, with joy unspeakable and full of glory.
Let us pray. Say with me: Heavenly Father, in Your presence, there is fullness of joy. I receive an abundance of blessings from You. In Jesus' name, amen and amen.