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 to death.” The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, “I am trembling with fear.”
Hebrews 12:18-21
We’re in the home stretch now on our tour of Hebrews, and it begins with two mountaintops. In these verses, we see Mount Sinai in quotes from both Exodus and Deuteronomy. Notice that the author is speaking in the negative: “You have not come to a mountain that…” See it? He is about to describe a place we have moved away from…
Read the passage slowly, try to picture the terror the people felt when they came to Mount Sinai. Fire, darkness, gloom; everything about the place was intimidating and terrifying; they were in the presence of God, and that was not a place you wanted to be. Poor Moses had to climb up there and receive the Law from a God who was unapproachable. Yes, He was a God of love, but He was dealing with a people who were in rebellion against Him, yet He had taken the initiative to build a relationship with them. These were the descendants of Abraham, now grown to the size of a small nation. This was not a negotiation; it was a truce being offered by the stronger side: Take it or leave it. If they took it, God was willing to be their God, as long as they kept His Law. If they left it, well, let’s not think about what might happen. What is really important for us to understand is that God, the party in the stronger position, was offering the truce, and this was an act of mercy.
Oh, yes… and it wasn’t the end of the story; it was just the beginning!
But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. 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, to the spirits of the righteous 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.
Hebrews 12:22-24
Now, the second mountaintop, and what a contrast; this is the mountain we have come to, Mount Zion, the heavenly Jerusalem. This is the reality that was only pictured in the old earthly city. Joyous angels, the spirits of the righteous, the presence of God… without the fear and the dread, for now we are made perfect in His sight by the blood of Jesus. No longer are we at war. This is not just a truce, this is a Treaty of Alliance, of Fellowship: We are now members of the Family!
Here’s a little bonus for you: notice the terms that are used here as one: Mount Zion, city of the living God, Heavenly Jerusalem, church of the firstborn. These are combined with the descriptive comments; thousands of angels, spirits of the righteous, the presence of God and Jesus the mediator of a better covenant. You see, they all refer to what we would call the heavenly church or heaven. Remember this when you read the prophets and the Psalms and you will find them easier to understand.
Finally, that sprinkled blood, the blood that was brought by the mediator of the New Covenant, His own blood. It speaks a better word than the blood of Abel, for it speaks not of senseless hatred and violence, it does not cry out for vengeance, it speaks of redemption and life; what an awesome picture this is.
Several years ago, I read a book on railroads called “The Modern Railroad” by Edward Hungerford; you should check it out on Kindle… it’s a freebie. In this book, Mr. Hungerford tells of the amazing uses of technology by modern railroads, technology that allows railroads to keep track of trains, hundreds of them, all at one time. They use signals on the lines to keep the trains safe as they rumble across the land, they can operate huge yards that serve hundreds of trains per day. In fact, he goes into great detail about how three men in the control tower of a major passenger terminal such as Washington, DC’s Union Station, can maintain a smooth and on-time flow of from 600 to 800 trains each day, controlling dozens of switches simultaneously with a single flip of a switch…
Did I mention that the book was published in 1910?
To be honest, I never realized how technologically advanced railroads were in 1910.
I also couldn’t help but notice that reading “The Modern Railroad” sounded very much like listening to people today discuss the wonders of modern science and technology, only the modern speakers and writers would all say that 1910 technology wasn’t much more advanced than the stone age. Mr. Hungerford made about the same observations about mid 19th century technology.
To be fair to science and technology in general, I must acknowledge that amazing strides have been made, and hopefully will continue to made, but we need to keep some perspective on the subject of such things. The day will come soon, when the things we gush about today will seem primitive to us… like mobile phones that used to weigh several pounds for instance, or monochrome monitors, or my old Kaypro 2 computer, or a Commodore 64.
There are many things today that some folks claim that science has “proven” that haven’t been proven at all, but even so, science and technology are great and have provided us with many useful tools, like the internet, for example. Yet where can we place our trust? In scientific findings that have a way of changing over time? Let’s not forget that “modern” science proved the theory of spontaneous generation, that the world was flat, and that some ethnic groups were superior to others: Those guys aren’t looking all that brilliant now.
As I sit here and look forward to the next great discovery about how something God has created works, and the next great innovation that our God-given intelligence can devise, I must stop and reflect upon the Creator of everything that science investigates, and as I do, I am struck anew with the awesome majesty of our God.
Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. Even though he sought the blessing with tears, he could not change what he had done.
Hebrews 12:14-17
This is a particularly interesting little paragraph; look at it carefully, and let’s see what riches are in store for us…
First, the author exhorts us to live in peace with everyone, and to strive to be holy (set apart) for without that, no one will see God. Living at peace with everyone seems to be referring to a lifestyle that is not engaging in controversy and discord; things that the New Testament teaches in many places, as we have seen. Living holy lives is also a common theme in the New Testament, and keeping in mind that holy means “set apart” it isn’t too difficult to follow what that means. We are to be set apart from the world we live in, set apart for God and not partakers in every crazy thing that comes along. We are to be willing to undergo God’s discipline and to stand for the Truth of His Word; these things would be very consistent with the 11 chapters of Hebrews that we have been through so far, and would make sense considering the historical context that we have seen so many times.
We’ve been told before in this letter to help and encourage one another to hold onto our faith, and so to be told here not to let anyone “fall short of the grace of God” and to allow no “bitter root” in our midst to defile others, would also seem to make sense. That sexual immorality is mentioned right after this is interesting… but the most interesting little piece of the entire paragraph comes right after that. “Godless like Esau” is a very interesting thing; the author goes on to remind his readers that Esau sold his birthright for a dinner, and could not get it back.
His birthright, or inheritance, is a covenant reference, for he was to inherit his right as a patriarch of old, as a direct descendant of Abraham. Remember that Esau didn’t really take that inheritance as seriously as he should have, and traded it to his younger brother, Jacob, for a bowl of stew, and thus Jacob inherited upon Isaac’s death. So, what will we take away from this?
What has Hebrews been all about so far? It was written to the Jewish Christians in Rome in a time of severe persecution, to urge them not to give up their faith under severe trial. The message has been that in the New Covenant relationship with Christ, we have a superior high priest who brought a superior sacrifice to establish a superior covenant based upon superior promises. We have just been warned not to be like Esau who lost his place in Abraham’s covenant when he valued a bowl of stew more that his birthright. Once again, in a slightly different way than before, the author is telling his readers, including you and me, to place our highest priority on our New Covenant birthright as co-heirs with Christ to everything, lest we should lose everything.
Interesting, isn’t it? So, I must ask…
Is God speaking to us in this passage? I sure “hear” Him. What’s He saying to you?
The great Commission had been given, and the plan of Ages was being revealed… the Apostles waited in Jerusalem until they received “power from on high”. God wanted it to be clear that the Apostles had the authority to speak for Christ.
I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified. My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.
John 17:14-20a
The Apostles understood that they had the authority to speak for Christ, that to lie to them was to lie to the Spirit, that to disobey them was to disobey the Spirit, and that to listen to them was to hear what the Spirit was saying.
Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God.”
Acts 5:4
…but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.
1Cor. 2:10-13
And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe.
1Thess. 2:13
Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.
You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.
1John 4:1-6
Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.
1Thess. 4:8
So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.
2Thess. 2:15
He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.
My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.
James 1:18-25
There are two basic assumptions at work here: First that the Apostles spoke with authority. Second, the Apostles were not only men who understood what Jesus wanted, but that they were faithful in doing what Jesus wanted. If we accept these assumptions, we can then also understand their message: the church and the Great Commission. In addition, we can look at the activities of the Apostles, and see what Jesus wanted. The Apostles established local churches and nurtured their growth: Therefore, that is what Jesus wanted.
Acts and the New Covenant People
When Jesus returned to Heaven, the “last age” began. (Acts 2:17) By the Spirit, the sad events of the Tower of Babel were reversed, and all men heard the same message; the Gospel of Christ. They declared Him to be risen: Messiah…Christ.
When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 2:37-38
Jesus had given to the Apostles the authority to set the terms of entry:
I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
Matt. 16:19
The new church was organized by the Apostles into local assemblies that were devoted to “the Apostles’ teaching, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer” (Acts 2:42) and the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. (Acts 2:47)
Two Philosophies of Mission
In the book of Acts, we see two methods of mission. They were not necessarily in conflict, both were successful, and they both fulfilled prophecy relating to the period. Both of them have huge theological implications…
1. The centripetal theology of mission was practiced first. This is an inward theology. In the early days, the Apostles, except for Paul, remained in Jerusalem, and seldom left the city. Even when Peter eventually did so, at the express instruction of the Spirit, he was called to account by the Jerusalem church for having done so. (Acts 11:1-4) Later, of course, Paul would begin the process of openly taking the good news to the Gentiles. The Apostles would go daily to the Temple to instruct the people concerning the Lord, and such prophetic passages as Isaiah 2:2, Micah 4:1 ff., and Isaiah 66:18-19 demonstrate this era. Luke, in Acts, took pains to show parallels between passages describing the glorious reign of Messiah and what was happening at the time:
Isa. 65:25
The wolf and the lamb will feed together
Acts 6:1-7
Isa. 66:12
I will extend peace to her…
Acts 9:31
Isa, 66:12
And the wealth of nations like a flowing stream
1Cor. 16:1-4
Jer. 31:19
And I will add to her numbers
Acts 2:47
Jer. 33:17
David will never fail to have…
Acts 7:56
Isa. 49:6b
I will make you a light to the Gentiles
Acts 10-11
Isa. 42:7
Free captives from prison…to release from the dungeon… darkness
Acts 5:19Acts 16:26
Isa. 42:6
To be a covenant to the people
Acts 3:25
Isa. 42:1
I will put my Spirit on him…
Acts 7:55
Isa. 42:7
To open the eyes of the blind…
Acts 9:18
Isa. 44:18
Forget the former things, do not dwell on the past…
Acts 17:34
Isa. 44:25
And remember your sin no more
Acts 3:19-21
Isa. 56:4
To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths…
Acts 8:38
Amos 9:11-12
And Gentiles that bear my name
Acts 11:26
Amos 9:11-12
I will rebuild the fallen house of David
Acts 15:14-16
Isa. 2:4
And settle disputes for many peoples
Acts 15:1-8
Isa. 2:17
Ananias heard this he fell down and dies
Acts 5:5
While there are many more examples, this should suffice to see the Apostles’ thinking. The Gentiles flowed into Jerusalem and brought their wealth with them which they laid at the Apostles’ feet, and the Word flowed out to the entire world when they returned home: Isaiah’s prophecies came true.
2. The other philosophy of mission is called centrifugal, meaning that it flowed out from the center. When Paul, on his journeys, went out to the ends of the known world and took the Gospel to the nations, this is what he was doing. After the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, this has become the mainstay of Christian Missions.
The Truman balcony was added to the South Portico of the White House during the reconstruction that began in 1948, and has served well ever since as a refuge for first families during the warm months of the year. It is accessed from the Yellow Oval Room on the second floor, a room that once served as Mary Lincoln’s sitting room, and must have a million dollar view!
In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says,
“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”
Hebrews 12:4-6
Our author moves from the high ground of the first 3 verses into an area that isn’t quite as warm and fuzzy… or is it? Remember who he is writing to, Jewish Christians in Rome during the time of Nero’s persecution. These brothers are enduring very difficult times, times most of us can hardly imagine. This whole letter has served to encourage them to persevere, to hold on to their faith in Christ, and to recognize that whatever the current crisis may be, it is never worth throwing away our future hope to avoid it. Now, the author takes a different approach: Discipline.
Notice that right off, he paints discipline as a positive. To receive the discipline of the heavenly Father is to have our sonship confirmed! Have you ever thought of it that way? I hadn’t until about the third or fourth time I studied this.
As we struggle with sin… and yes, we all have that struggle in one form or another… we have not resisted (sin) to the point of shedding our blood (being killed). Even for the original recipients, this statement must have been obvious. Then the word of encouragement, that we receive discipline because we are God’s children… Take a minute to reflect on this quote from Proverbs 3. Early on in this letter, we rejoiced at the thought that through Christ, we have been made His sons and daughters, remember? We are co-heirs with Christ! As sons and daughters normally do, we come under the authority and discipline of Father. Are we still rejoicing?
Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all.
Hebrews 12:7-8
I have three children, all grown now, and when they were growing up, they were subject to my discipline. There were times when they were punished. There were times when I lectured them, times when I scolded them and times when I pleaded with them. As they grew, some of my methods changed because their understanding changed. There were times with all of them when I had to step aside and let them get hurt so they could learn the hard way a lesson they were slow to learn by other means; this was the worst for me. Oh, how much it hurt to step back and let them do something stupid; how hard it was to force myself not to say “I told you that would happen!” (I sometimes failed at this point, by the way) Of course, there were times when they blamed me for not stopping them when they set out to do something they knew better than to do. Maybe this sounds familiar to you parents out there… maybe this sounds familiar to all of us in our relationships with God also.
Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
Hebrews 12:9-11
Our human fathers did their best with us in most cases, as I did my best with my kids. But neither I nor any other human father was always right, no human father did as good a job for their children as our heavenly Father does with us. The sad truth is that for many, the concept of a loving and merciful father is hard to comprehend because of the imperfections of their human father, yet the truth remains that our heavenly Father is love itself. He is able, willing, and more than capable of guiding us along through this great adventure that is our lives… this “race” we are in. Yet, from time-to-time we are much like any stubborn teenager, slow to learn.
Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. “Make level paths for your feet,” so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.
Hebrews 12:12-13
A word of encouragement! Yes, may we learn, may we come to see the way that we should go. May we be like the young person who is willing to be taught, rather than like the one who is certain that they know everything already. May we accept our Father’s lessons and discipline and learn and grow quickly, and run our race straight to the finish line.
St. John’s Episcopal Church is located on Lafayette Square, Washington, DC. It has stood on this site since 1816, and every president from James Madison to Donald Trump has attended services here, thus it is sometimes called “Church of the Presidents.” Not all have been regular attenders, some were regular in different churches, while others seldom attended anywhere, but through the years they have all come here. When you look at it today, it is difficult to think of it as being the first building on the block as the newer buildings seem to crowd it out and the Department of Veteran’s Affairs looms behind it, but it was not only first on this block, but second only to the White House on the Square.
More important than simply having been frequented by the high and mighty of the Republic, is the fact that the faithful have worshipped our Lord here for almost 200 years. While this isn’t much in European terms maybe, here in America there are few churches where people have worshipped longer than this. I might go so far as to say that they have left us all with a legacy of hope, faith and light, and I sure hope that our generation will continue that legacy.
It is for all of us, wherever we may be, and whatever style of worship we might engage in, to ensure that the faith goes beyond our time on the earth. It is for each of us to live as Christ would have us to live, and to pass His love on to the next generation. May each of us be up to that challenge as we go forth today and in the days to follow.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Hebrews 12:1-3
We begin chapter 12 with an amazing shift in tone, yet it is a small section that is actually in the position of summing up the previous chapter. Remember that chapter 11 has been all about active faith, and here in summing that up the author, sounding very much like the Apostle Paul, uses a sports metaphor. We are surrounded by a “great cloud of witnesses” referring to all of those great people of faith who were named in chapter 11, and here they are the spectators at a great race; the stage is set…
The author now urges us to throw off everything that hinders, as an athlete would remove all hindering clothing, in preparation for a race. Then, he applies this to our reality when he says “and the sin that so easily entangles.” If we were athletes in a locker room before a great race, we would change out of our street clothes and into the garb of a runner; minimal clothing that allows full freedom of movement, with no extra weight, and nothing to limit our ability to run the race. Likewise, as servants of Jesus who are running the “race” of life, we must get rid of anything that would limit our ability to run our “race.” Sin, distractions and the like must be left behind, lest they should inhibit our efforts.
Then, we run our race that has been “marked out for us” with our eyes fixed on Jesus. When you run a race, you don’t just make up the course as you go along; it has been fixed by the racing officials. Likewise, the race that is our lives has been marked out by God, so that we run a certain course. We usually call this our “calling.” Each of us has been “called” to His service in a certain way, and the author is trying to encourage the people to fix their eyes on Jesus, and run the race we have been called to effectively and without distraction or restraint.
Jesus, who is the author and perfecter of our faith is our model for the race. Notice that He is author (pioneer); He is the One who has written this tale and marked out our race. He has perfected our faith by His work on the cross. As you read further, we see that Jesus is our model, for in His earthly ministry, He has done exactly what we are to do now in our own rights. He threw off sin and distraction, fixed His eyes upon the will of the Father, and ran His race to win. We are to throw off all distraction and sin and fix our eyes upon Jesus and run our race to win, just as those great people of faith in chapter 11 did.
Finally, Jesus sat down at the right hand of the throne on high; He reached the finish line. For just as He reached the finish line and as He sat down on high, so shall we, when we finish the course before us. I’m struck at this moment that the whole concept of this is so simple. It’s really easier to comprehend than it is to describe, which is the mark of a great metaphor. Will we get ready and run that race?
Jesus saw His death as formal covenant ratification, and that fact can be seen in the following verses:
This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.
Luke 22:20
This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins
. Matt. 26:28
The words “this is the blood of the covenant” were intended to refer to a formal covenant oath taking (Exod. 24:8). God was promising in the oath remission of sins through Christ, and was signing the New Covenant in blood. As surely as Christ died on the cross, God will save to the “uttermost all that draw near to Him in Christ“ (Heb. 10:19-23). The cross was intended to show God’s goodness and mercy to Man, and to draw humanity to repentance…
But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself
John 12:32
Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance?
Romans 2:4
What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?
Romans 8:31-32
God did at the cross what the Old Covenant promises had not done; He broke men’s hearts and gained their allegiance… something that says quite a bit about God’s character and His love for us. The cross assured all of us of God’s love toward us:
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8
But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
1Cor. 15:20
Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure,
because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.
You have made [known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
Psalm 16:9-11
God had indeed kept His commitment to Christ by raising Him from the dead; the first of millions! Paul called the resurrection a “guarantee offering” using the old sacrificial system as a frame of reference, to illustrate the fact that the resurrection of Christ confirmed all that Christ had taught and promised.
In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.
Acts 17:30-31
Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.
Hebrews 7:25
…and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 1:4
The Great Commission
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Matt. 28:18-20
Jesus invoked authority to begin His commission. When someone invokes authority, what he is doing is communicating to his hearers that what follows is very important. If you ever read words that say something like: “I, __________ ____________, president of the United States of America…” you would know right away that the president is making an official statement placing the whole power of his office behind it. When Jesus said: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me…” He is letting you know that you had better listen to what He is telling you, because it is coming from the highest authority in the entire universe, and that this official statement had better be taken seriously.
In the Great Commission, Jesus was laying out terms of service: go, make disciples, baptizing, teaching to obey. These four actions are not suggestions, or something to be left to the professionals: they are direct covenant commands from God Almighty through Jesus Christ to each of us. In fact, they look an awful lot like a covenant:
Parties: God, and the disciples of Christ
Terms: Go, make disciples, baptizing, teaching to obey Christ
Promises: “I will be with you always”
This is not a command that will be measured by the attempt, but by the results. It isn’t enough just to go; we must MAKE DISCIPLES. More than any other single passage of scripture, the Great Commission illustrates the end of the Old Covenant.
Join us on a journey through life following Jesus Christ. Our journey of life is an adventure of discovery that is both exciting and challenging. It is a discovery of clear and simple faith that comes from the a clear and simple understanding of the Word of God.
No, we aren't perfect, we are works in progress. There's no judging, no guilt and no condemnation here, just perspectives on life and truth as we work on our Project to become a little more like Him every day.
Join 7,768 other subscribers
AWARD FREE ZONE
The Life Project is an award free zone. Oh, don't get me wrong, I appreciate the thought more than you can imagine, but for me it's a matter of conviction, the Lord leading me... or maybe managing me! Your visits, "likes" comments and "follows" are more than enough... really!
Life Project Blog 