The Glory of the Gathered Church
Hebrews 12:18-24
Tony Walsh 04/12/26
Main Thought: There is no better place be and no more glorious activity on this earth than to be gathered in worship with the local church!
Tony Walsh 04/12/26
Main Thought: There is no better place be and no more glorious activity on this earth than to be gathered in worship with the local church!
I. The Terror and Distance Before Mt. Sinai
“Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.” (Heb.1:1-4)
“This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood” (Lk.22:20). The writer of Hebrews tells us why this New Covenant Jesus made for us fulfills the Old and is superior to it saying:
“He entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption....and that, “Jesus appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.” Heb.9:12 and 26)
“We have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh...So, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith...” (10:19-22)
“This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood” (Lk.22:20). The writer of Hebrews tells us why this New Covenant Jesus made for us fulfills the Old and is superior to it saying:
“He entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption....and that, “Jesus appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.” Heb.9:12 and 26)
“We have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh...So, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith...” (10:19-22)
II. The Glory and Access of Mt. Sinai
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” (Rev.21:1-4)
“Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.” And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.” (Rev.21:9-11)
“Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.” And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.” (Rev.21:9-11)
III. The Glory and joy of the gathered church
A. The Already but not yet
We must also view this passage in Hebrews 12 through the lens of the “already but not yet.”
“The kingdom of God is inaugurated (already) though not consummated (not yet). In other words Christians can experience, in part, the fulfillment of God’s promises even as they await the complete experience of those promises in the new creation. This is the tension we feel between this age and the age to come.” Al Mohler
“The kingdom of God is inaugurated (already) though not consummated (not yet). In other words Christians can experience, in part, the fulfillment of God’s promises even as they await the complete experience of those promises in the new creation. This is the tension we feel between this age and the age to come.” Al Mohler
B. The Significance of why we gather
1. When we gather together, remember why we gather
We come to Mt. Zion, to the very presence of God among His people! The writer of Hebrews adds that we have come “To God the judge of all” and “To Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant.”
“God will manifest His presence to you in congregational worship in ways you can never know, even in the most glorious secret [i.e., individual] worship. That’s because you are not only the temple of God as an individual, but the Bible says, and far more often, that Christians collectively are God ‘s temple. God manifests His presence in different ways to the living stones when they are gathered than when they are apart.” Donald Whitney, Spiritual Disciplines Within the Church.
Friends, do you think of our Sunday service first as coming into the presence of God together? God is here! Jesus is here, as He promised! We don’t gather merely to sing, but to encounter and respond to God!
2. When we gather together, remember who you are and who you are gathering with!
They may not look like much now, but each brother and sister in Christ next to you and all around you will one day shine brighter than the sun! They are the saints for whom Christ died! And in His eyes they are already righteous in His sight!
3. When we gather, remember that Jesus is worthy!
Sometimes we might struggle with feeling unworthy or just not feeling God’s presence.
Remember what the writer of Hebrews has said, “We come to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant” and to “the sprinkled blood (His blood) that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel” (24). The blood of Abel cried out for justice, but the blood of Christ which has cleansed us from our sins cries out “Forgiven!” and “Righteous in God’s sight!” This is why we can come into the very presence of God!
We are not worthy of Jesus, but Jesus is worthy of our worship!
Remember what the writer of Hebrews has said, “We come to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant” and to “the sprinkled blood (His blood) that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel” (24). The blood of Abel cried out for justice, but the blood of Christ which has cleansed us from our sins cries out “Forgiven!” and “Righteous in God’s sight!” This is why we can come into the very presence of God!
We are not worthy of Jesus, but Jesus is worthy of our worship!
4. When we gather, it's a supernatural event
As we gather as the people of God to worship and respond to God, we do not worship alone! “There is a great cloud of witnesses” worshipping Jesus with us (12:1), who include the saints of God (12:23), but we are also in the presence of “the gathering of innumerable angels” (22), who worship continually before the throne of the Lamb of God!
Listen, if God rolled back the veil that keeps us from seeing into that heavenly spiritual realm, we would see all of Heaven worshipping Jesus and even the angels of God among us, so that their worship mingles with our worship! Our gathering is so much more than we can even imagine!
Listen, if God rolled back the veil that keeps us from seeing into that heavenly spiritual realm, we would see all of Heaven worshipping Jesus and even the angels of God among us, so that their worship mingles with our worship! Our gathering is so much more than we can even imagine!