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you're somebody is a wonderful place I hope you've been there
a few years ago I had the privilege to visit
yosemite for the very first time in my life my wife and I
took a little vacation and the little campaign
and a little bit hiking and we saw
one of the most beautiful spots on earth
and the picture you see on the screen is of course the famous Half Dome
I took this picture from down by the
the campgrounds that are down there and
is just a a wonderful place if you've never been there
please treat yourself to that opportunity if you get the chance
but we decided that we were
not only going to drive-in we were going to do a little bit hiking
and so we sat a goals for ourselves we looked on the map
and we decided that Nevada
false would be a wonderful place to
hike up to now I kinda wanted to go all the way to the top of Half Dome
but a without the necessary preparations and
time it seemed a little more likely that we could
make it to Nevada falls so we started out
and you will see on the next slide
you'll see a picture about a fall
now we're not there yes and
it seem like there were plenty of moments than that hike
up those ridge's them those trails
plenty of are we there yet moments you know what those are
I if you've ever traveled with
small children or wives who like to stop a lot
you you know those are we there yet
moments now I will admit to you I
there is the flaw in my character
and that is I well more than one but I
I'm I'm very goal-oriented
one when I travel when I get in the car
where I get on the trail or whatever I'm doing
I have a goal in mind and I A
head towards the goal I do not like to deviate
I do not like to stop a unless I really really have to
I have and I you know just keep going
and I I hate it when I'm on the freeway
and I get back on the freeway from a rest stop
and I recognize the same semis that I've already passed
and I have to pass them all over again
well hiking is not too much different from that
but we did eventually make it to Nevada falls
and in fact I we cross there's a nice little bridge up there is just a
beautiful spot we came down
the other side of the canyon there and just had a wonderful time
are completely worn out by the time we got back to camp that night but it was
so well worth it New Years
is one of those are we there yet
moments it is the
and of one period of time
and the beginning up another and yet
as pilgrims to the promised land
we know we're not their
yet and so we
often take this time annually
to remind ourselves where we come from
and where are we going are we there yet
or have we already arrived
or what are we doing here anyway
why are we here in
what are we doing is a good question to ask ourselves
I the answers very
probably the simplest and serve what are we doing here right now is that
this is our religious cultural
obligation this is what we do
we're here week after week to worship
it's what we do its part of ourselves and
sometimes we don't ask ourselves the obvious or even
the difficult questions as to why
what are we doing here why
but there are family there are friends that attract us to this spot
every week every year every decade perhaps
and we have a history here and we have connections
that's one of the things that draws us here many of us are here to do a job
some of us are hired to do this job
many of us volunteer our time and
it makes really no difference in the final analysis where they were paid to
do this or not
we are here because we are called
to be here to do something to do something positive to make a difference
in this world in this church in our community
and even in ourselves
perhaps were here to give kind even
in time warning we have always been conscious
love the signs that the times and so
we gather here week by week two remind ourselves
where we are in this world history
and of course many of us if not all of us
are here for rest
for encouragement for the music
for pleasant surroundings for
a time to get away from the world
and be in the president's God these are all good reasons
why we are here why we do what we do
and yet we come back to that question
are we there yet is this the end
is that the in the beginning is at the beginning of the end
where are we what are we doing
we r all I think in a very real sense
looking for and needing
the same thing
have you found what you're looking for
Hebrews 12
give this a summary
some scholars say it is the one spot in the entire book
that sums up in a condensed way the message if the entire book of Hebrews
and so we're going to take a look at Hebrews 12
starting with BIR's 18 before we start reading
I want to remind ourselves of something that
is not always obvious at first and that is
we don't know for sure
who wrote the book of Hebrews or exactly
Quinn it was written now tradition tells us
it was Paul the road I could be
if so he's writing in a very different manner than he wrote in all of his other
letters and books I so
the a
you might say scholarly consensus is that probably the book was written by
one of his disciples a someone that
you know was close to him and at the early church
and probably written either before or after
are 78 be so somewhere around when
Jerusalem and the temple was destroyed which makes
the following texts very
very interesting Hebrews 12 starting with the first
18 you have not
com that's quite a a way to begin
affection here I'll you know we wanna
know where we're going we want to know where we've come from
but Hebrews is telling us right off the bat
where we have not come from you have
not come to a mountain
that can be touched and that is burning
with fire what is hebrew is talking about here
Mount Sinai yeah he says
you have not come to mount sinai
you wanna know where you come from and where you're going and where you are now
well here's where you're not you're not
at Mount Sinai but let's let's read on to a trumpet blast
or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it
Bay that no further word
be spoken to them this is a graphic description of the experience a
Israel at finite
now Hebrews was likely written to a
Jewish Christian community these were
I a community of Christians who were largely Jewish
in ethnicity and religious origin
and so to describe Sinai
in this way would have hit a nerve
not a bad nerve necessarily but it would have
struck a chord you might say it would have immediately grab their attention
because sign I was burned into their experience as a people
sign I was this is where the covenant was given
this is where Israel could trace its reason to exist
and now Hebrews is telling them
you're not there anymore you've moved on
don't worry about Sinai
its in the past and this
fits in with the overall theme Hebrews
which is Jesus is superior
Jesus is better Jesus
supersedes everything before
but let's read on first 20
because they could not bear what was
commanded wasn't just the Thunder in the fire and the smoke in the trumpet
from heaven them in all of that it's actually quite was commanded
that was so scary if even an animal
touches the mountain it must be ***
that was one other directions God gave Moses
in preparation for the giving above the law
verse 21 the site west so
terrifying that Moses
even Moses said I
him trembling with fear
worship of God has
often been Associated with fear
with doomsday with
threats with a vengeance
with a view of God's character that makes him out to be a monster sometimes
worship God has often been Associated
with fear and I'm not talking about the legitimate you serve
a fear as in fear the LORD that
kinda respectful of fear we're talking about terror
the worship God unfortunately has often been associated with
terror and fear
but the entire mood changes
in verse 22 it's like a veil has lifted
it's like here is the good news finally
verse 22 but you have
come noticed the past perfect tense there
you have come to mount
is I am to the heavenly Jerusalem
the city of the living God you have come to thousands upon thousands have angels
in joyful assembly it's like the author Hebrews
is just grappling to grab every piece a
imagery he can about the expectation up Israel
Israel always look forward to
what we would call the in time but they look forward to the restoration
above the priesthood and
kingship the the monarchy and everything embodied in the Messiah
and that would of course defeat the enemies of Israel and Sat Israel up as a
sovereign nation once again
and the author Hebrews is is grabbing all of that imagery
and what is he doing as we will see in the next few verses
he is applying it directly to Christ
in other words if you have come to Christ
you have all ready come
to mount zion and the heavenly Jerusalem
this is not something that you have to look forward to
you know pie-in-the-sky by and by its
it's not something that is so far out there that you can't grasp it
it's not even like my hiked in Nevada falls where
it finally we we came around the corner net think so close that thing like you
can reach out and touch it
yet we had a lot of hiking yet to do before we could get there
no of therapy bruce says if you come to Christ
you have com to the heavenly
jerusalem but three Don
first 23 to the church of the firstborn
Jesus is called the firstborn whose names are written in heaven
you have come to God the judge if all men
to the spirit the righteous man made perfect probably kind of an allusion to
martyrs who had gone before
and then burst 24 finally
he names the person to
Jesus this is this is where this
entire text has been leading us you've come to
mount zion you've come to the heavenly Jerusalem you've come to all of these
things and finally what does that mean
you've come to Jesus the mediator
have a new covenant that's why we're not at Sinai anymore
because we're with Jesus
the mediator having new covenant and to the spring cold-blooded
and noticed this next phrase that speaks
a better word than the blood
up able you remember that old Genesis account
Kane had killed his brother able
a treacherous act a violent act
the first *** recorded in biblical history
and God said for Cain the blood
love your brother cries out to me from
the ground the blood able
was a message a vengeance a message
I've revenge against
the murderer the blood up able spoke
above a need for God to put things right
a need for God to deal with evil in a way
that wouldn't give yet its just
rewards
so how does the blood of Jesus speak a better word
than the blood avaible
simply and profoundly this
the blood of Jesus is not a message a vengeance
or revenge or warfare
or destruction the blood of Jesus speaks a better word
than the blood up able because it speaks a word
reconciliation a forgiveness
have mercy I've got the arms
opening wide to
save the entire world
if it's possible if all
would just respond to this message
to the gospel God would save
the entire world it is not the message up able
where the bad guys get what they deserve
and the good guys get to watch
and that's actually quite literally the way a lot of
jus look for it to happen God was going to come down
and destroy their enemies and they would enjoy watching
and later on in Christian history some other early Christian
fathers used to describe held the same way
churchillian for example used to say you know there's going to come a time when
we get to watch
you know the the charioteer or the tragedy in which is
his description of those who worked in the theater
a doing their thing in the flames and you know was kinda like
don't enjoy the entertainment now because our entertainment going to be
much better when hell is here
the blood of Jesus speaks a better word than the blood
up able because it is a it is
a message signed in blood
intended to reconcile all
tucci
unfortunately
many have not received that message yet
even though the temple
was either gone or about to be gone
there were many in that day who did not receive the message that jesus
was now the temple that Jesus was now
the heavenly Jerusalem in a sense if you have come
to Jesus you have come to mountain lion where the temple was
you have come to the heavenly Jerusalem which is where God is
but there were many who did not get that message or
could not bring themselves to believe it
and then you had that horrible history polls
even after jerusalem failing at Masada and you have the park aqua revolt and
all those bloody wars that were completely on
necessary had the world
not just talking about Jews but had the world
recognized the Messiah for who he was and what he stood for
much of this world history in fact has proven
unnecessary a very interesting story has come
out have the post World War two
history specifically
the Japanese
soldiers who for one reason or another were separated from
the rest of their a commanders
their armies in whatever and holed up out in the jungle somewhere and didn't
realize that when the war was over
you've probably heard these stories before
and one story in particular stands out above all the others and that's the
story up
second lieutenant here ru on no doubt
and on Oda was fighting on an island in the Philippines
when his unit became separated from the rest
and they escaped into the jungle to try to get away from
the Americans and the war ended without them knowing it
for twenty 9 years
Onoda hid out in the jungle
and during that time his other companions
the three in number died one by
one until finally he was all alone now it wasn't because nobody knew
that he existed the Philippine
army in fact tried to leave him letters
and newspapers so that he would know what was going on
but he didn't believe them he would
only except a direct order from his commander
then around 1974 75
a young university student by the name of Suzuki
decided that he was going to quit school and I'll
seek adventure around the world are he wanted he wanted to find a lieutenant
on no doubt he also wanted to find a panda and he said he wanted to find the
abominable snowman that was you know his
his life goals I guess that was his bucket list so he goes out there
and he finds Onoda
and he makes friends with them and still Onoda
will not believe but the war is over
until finally Suzuki brings one his
all the commanding officers who still life
and gives him the order to stop fighting
and to come back a note it was given a hero's welcome back in Japan
I'll what I E
what a tragic a
kinda bittersweet story that is
here's a man who wasted you could say
20 9 years up his life
fighting a war that did not exist
in fact for fifteen of those years he had been declared dead
so here we are
today and we need to ask ourselves are we fighting a war that does not need to
be fought
are we willing to accept the message Hebrews
and Paul in the Gospels
the Holy Spirit who tells us
the war is over we have
come to mount zion already
we have come in a spiritual sense at least
to the heavenly jerusalem not that doesn't mean that there's not more
hiking to do
that doesn't mean that there's not another goal
ahead of us the earth made new
it it's there it's still there
but how much better our faith and our lives would be
if we would live as if the war's over
because it is as if we would live
as if we had achieved our goal
because Jesus has
achieved our goal for us
on our hike up into yosemite
to Nevada falls I I look back on my pictures
about little hike and I realize that even though
we were goal-oriented to get to a certain spot on the map
when you consider where we were in this world we were already in paradise
we were already right in the middle of one of the most beautiful
places on earth so there was a real sense in which we had already arrived
and we were still going somewhere that's what the Christian life
is supposed to be like we can celebrate
that got already won the war
that our salvation was completed at the cross
and that by virtue of being in Christ
we have already come to mount zion
and heavenly Jerusalem and all the heavenly hosts
as we look forward to this new year
let's not be like the soldier stranded out in the jungle who can't believe that
the war is over
and let's not be so goal oriented that we forget the blessings that we have
right in front of us and the fact that our salvation is secure
let's live truly lived
as citizens above the kingdom
now and for eternity
movie keenan into the tonight menace
spirit moonbeam upon the high
yeah
spoons let the and the
mad
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Edwin you command due to winds and seas laughing
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you mind on mom the
yeah
on creations splendid is the
leave you
the hill USL
days
you love that show I'm yeah
I'm estimation
mom
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to make a Dr into my dog me
means rising upon a hard man
use both the moon's then they can't be mad
my canine
comes the Brahmins
the news magazine he always
has Don you love my the and making mommy
Sandra it
yeah
this
in seventh-day Adventist Church is large and small
they're all singing the same tune
yeah