HEBREWS 32


     We will repeat one verse from the last lesson to get the full
impact of the next verse. Hebrews 12:20 "(For they could not endure
that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the
mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart:" Hebrews
12:21 "And so terrible was the sight, [that] Moses said, I exceedingly
fear and quake:)"

     We know that Moses was to go on this mountain and meet with God.
Moses is just a man and you can easily see why he would feel fear. He
knows that anyone who approaches God, who has sin in his life will
die. God has called him and he must go, but you can imagine the fear
in his heart. we see the voice of God speaking with Moses in the next
verse. Exodus 19:19 "And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long,
and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a
voice." This experience of John tells just how fearful it is to come
into the presence of God. Revelation 1:17 "And when I saw him, I fell
at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto
me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:" No one except Jesus can
stand in the presence of God. Deuteronomy 5:26 "For who [is there of]
all flesh, that hath heard the voice of the living God speaking out of
the midst of the fire, as we [have], and lived?" Moses was achosen
vessel of God, and was invited of God on the mountain, or he would
have died.

     Hebrews 12:22 "But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city
of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable
company of angels,"

     We see in this Scripture that this physical mount that Moses was
to go on is symbolic of the city heavenly Jerusalem which comes down
from heaven. Mount Sion is spoken of throughout the Bible symbolically
as the city of God. Remember Abraham was looking for a city whose
maker is God. If we are sincere Christians, we are looking for that
city as well. This city is not made with human hands. This is a city
where God is supreme Ruler. Revelation 21:10 "And he carried me away
in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great
city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,"  John
got a view of that heavenly city, in the Scripture above. Moses on the
mount was in the presence of the builder of that city. We will see a
promise in the very words of our Lord Jesus in the next verse.
Revelation 3:12 "Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the
temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon
him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, [which is]
new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and [I
will write upon him] my new name."

     Hebrews 12:23 "To the general assembly and church of the
firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all,
and to the spirits of just men made perfect,"

     Who are the church of the first born? Jesus Christ the righteous
is the first born. Everyone who continues to believe in Jesus unto the
end, is His church. We find in the next Scripture that Jesus Christ
purchased the church [the Christians] with His own blood. Acts 20:28
"Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the
which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of
God, which he hath purchased with his own blood."  We see that the
body of believers are the church in the following verse. Colossians
1:18 "And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the
beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all [things] he might
have the preeminence."  To be saved, our name must be written in the
Lamb's book of life. Revelation 20:15 "And whosoever was not found
written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." We see
the terrible fate of those who neglect to get their name written in
the book of life. The only way to get your name into that book is to
believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. John 3:16  "For God so loved the
world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in
him should not perish, but have everlasting life."  How are just men
made perfect? We have taken on the perfection of Jesus Christ when we
were washed in His precious blood. He took our sin that we might
become His righteousness.I Peter 2:24 "Who his own self bare our sins
in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live
unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed." Acts 10:42 "And
he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is
he which was ordained of God [to be] the Judge of quick and dead."
You see Jesus will judge each person. We will be classified as His
sheep and live in heaven with Him, or He will classify us as a goat
fit only for hell. Matthew 25:32 "And before him shall be gathered all
nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd
divideth [his] sheep from the goats:" Matthew 25:33 "And he shall set
the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left." Matthew 25:34
"Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed
of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation
of the world:"  Matthew 25:41 "Then shall he say also unto them on the
left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared
for the devil and his angels:" We stand or fall on the judgement of
Jesus Christ the King of kings and Lord of lords.

     Hebrews 12:24 "And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and
to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than [that of]
Abel."

     Mediator, above means go between. Jesus goes between us and God
and reconciles us to the Father. I Timothy 2:5 "For [there is] one
God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;" The
new covenant is the covenant of grace through belief in Jesus Christ.
The old covenant was the law, by which no man is saved. The blood
sprinkled on the mercy seat, covered the sin of the person for one
year. It did not do away with sin, it just covered it. Jesus precious
blood completely did away with sin. Matthew 26:28 "For this is my
blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission
of sins." I Peter 1:2 "Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the
Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and
sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be
multiplied."
     Hebrews 12:25 "See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if
they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more [shall
not] we [escape], if we turn away from him that [speaketh] from
heaven:"

     Of course, this One speaking from heaven is God. This is the
voice they heard at the mount. When Jesus spoke here on the earth, it
was actually the Voice from heaven speaking. He and the Father were in
total agreement. John 14:10 "Believest thou not that I am in the
Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak
not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the
works." To reject the Word of God is to reject Life. Jesus is the Life
of each one who believes. Matthew 17:5 "While he yet spake, behold, a
bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud,
which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye
him." This Scripture we just gave shows that the Father and Jesus
speak the same thing.

     Hebrews 12:26 "Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath
promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also
heaven."

     The voice of God was mistaken for thunder. When it thunders, the
earth shakes. Luke 21:26 "Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for
looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the
powers of heaven shall be shaken."  Notice from this next Scripture
that God's Word never ends. Matthew 24:35 "Heaven and earth shall pass
away, but my words shall not pass away."

     Hebrews 12:27 "And this [word], Yet once more, signifieth the
removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made,
that those things which cannot be shaken may remain."

     I believe the shaking has begun. God is shaking the church, so
that those who have a form of religion will be shaken out. Those that
remain will be those who cannot be shaken. These next 2 Scriptures
should be the condition of the true Christian. Romans 8:38 "For I am
persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor
principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,"
Romans 8:39 "Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be
able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our
Lord."

     Hebrews 12:28 "Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be
moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with
reverence and godly fear:"

     This reverence and godly fear is not evident in too many churches
today. It seems most church services have gone to the frivolous. We
must take God serious. He is God, and we are His servants. We must pay
Him the respect due Him. Romans 12:1 "I beseech you therefore,
brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living
sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, [which is] your reasonable
service."  The will of the Father must be our will. We must crucify
our flesh that the spirit can take control. Galatians 2:20 "I am
crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ
liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the
faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."

     Hebrews 12:29 "For our God [is] a consuming fire."

     There are a number of Scriptures which show God as a fire, I will
quote a few here. Exodus 24:17 "And the sight of the glory of the LORD
[was] like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the
children of Israel." Genesis 19:24 "Then the LORD rained upon Sodom
and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;"
Exodus 13:21 "And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a
cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give
them light; to go by day and night:"  It was a bush that was burning
with fire that God spoke to Moses from. We could go on and on. there
are literally tens of times God is spoken of associated with fire.
Deuteronomy 9:3 "Understand therefore this day, that the LORD thy God
[is] he which goeth over before thee; [as] a consuming fire he shall
destroy them, and he shall bring them down before thy face: so shalt
thou drive them out, and destroy them quickly, as the LORD hath said
unto thee." II Thessalonians 1:8 "In flaming fire taking vengeance on
them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus
Christ:" This should let us have no doubt. I will mention one more
thing and then go on. Jesus baptizes with the Holy Ghost and fire.
Luke 3:16 "John answered, saying unto [them] all, I indeed baptize you
with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes
I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost
and with fire:"

























                             Questions 32

1.  The sight of God on the mountain was so terrible that Moses felt
    what?
2.  If God called Moses to the mountain, why would he fear?
3.  When the trumpet sounded long and louder, Moses spoke to God. What
    did God do?
4.  When John went to heaven and was in the presence of the first and
    last, what did he do?
5.  The city of the living God is what?
6.  Who is there an innumerable number of in the city?
7.  This physical mount that Moses was on was symbolic of what?
8.  What was Abraham looking for that we Christians should be looking
    for too?
9.  When John was carried away to a high mountain, what was he give3n
    a glimpse of?
10. Him that ___________ will I make a pillar in the temple of my God.
11. What will Jesus write on each believer?
12. Who are the church of the firstborn?
13. What did Jesus purchase the believers with?
14. Who is the head of the body of believers?
15. Where must our name be written, if we are saved?
16. What happens to those who are not written in this book?
17. What must we do to have our name written in the Lamb's book of
    life?
18. How are just men made perfect?
19. Who is the Judge of the quick and the dead?
20. What are those on the left side classified as by Jesus?
21. What are those on the right classified as by Jesus?
22. How long has the kingdom been prepared for the believers?
23. Who was the everlasting fire prepared for?
24. Who is the mediator of the new covenant?
25. What does mediator mean here?
26. What is the new covenant?
27. What one word in Matthew chapter 26 verse 28 means does away with?
28. The One speaking from heaven is whom?
29. Jesus said that the words He spoke on earth actually came from
    where?
30. In Matthew chapter 17 verse 5 how do we know for sure that Jesus
    and the Father were in agreement?
31. What will shake heaven as well as earth?
32. What 2 unlikely things shall pass away?
33. Why is God shaking the church?
34. How are we to present our bodies to God?
35. Our God is a _________ _____.
36. Tell several times that God was associated with fire.