The Book of Hebrews

0:00 Welcome to the Read Scripture podcast. The goal of Read Scripture is to get people alone with God in His Word. For more information, visit readscripture.org. This week we read through the book of Hebrews, and I just want to dwell on one passage.

0:21 In fact, I even want to be careful with how I speak about it. It's a passage that jumped out to me. It's a passage that I've been meditating on. And I hope you go back and read it. I hope you have your Bible open right now. I hope it's one of those passages that comes to mind when you pray from here on out. The book of Hebrews, it seems like the author just is trying to get us more serious about what we do, about the God we worship, helping us understand the history and everyone who's dealt with this being and how magnificent he is and understanding in these last times for him to give us his son and to speak to us through his son.

1:19 This is a huge, huge thing. And then in chapter 12 is one of these passages that I know I've read before. I've read over and over, but I guess I've never meditated on it because I've never really thought this through. And so I just want us to take each word seriously, understand the weight of it. Let me just get into it. It's Hebrews 12, verse 18.

3:57 so often we can just rush into prayer without recognizing who we are approaching so often we can rush into his word without realizing who is speaking and that's why this passage is so sobering I mean earlier in Hebrews he explains that we do have access to God and we can come before his throne with confidence because of what Jesus has done and that's an amazing, amazing privilege but he here in chapter 12 is reminding us again of who is speaking when we read the Bible and who we are speaking to when we pray.

5:01 And that's why it would do us well if we really focus on passages like this and remind ourselves rather than casually jumping into prayer and casually jumping into his word. He reminds us, he says, You have not come, verse 18 again, You have not come to what may be touched. we're coming before an invisible God an invisible kingdom and you get that so we interact with what we can see and touch all day long and he's saying now you've got to understand we're coming before something that you can't just go out and grab but then he uses these words think of these words he goes a blazing fire After That God. He's not just someone you can touch. You're talking about a blazing fire, darkness, gloom, and a tempest. This is the kingdom that we're a part of. He says the sound is like a trumpet.

6:26 And listen to a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them. this is a voice that the people are like okay stop stop i can't this is too much i can't handle this voice this darkness this tempest this fire And Moses, it says, indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, I tremble in fear. My body is physically shaking. I am terrified right now. And he's saying that this is who we come before. We have come to Mount Zion, the city of the living God. That's not a casual thing.

7:21 This is a big, big deal. We are coming to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to innumerable angels in festal gathering. Take your eyes off of yourself for a moment. ok imagine the presence of God Imagine this being, his voice, this city, innumerable angels. This is not about you. and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

8:35 Do you see the beauty of this kingdom? Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant. So you come before the judge of all. You also come before Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant. he goes on to explain that, you know, when Moses ascended that mountain back in Exodus,

9:07 God shook the earth. That mountain was shaking. Moses was trembling. The people were terrified. And God says, there's going to come another time when he doesn't just shake the earth, but he shakes the heavens. And he talks about how he's going to remove the things that have been made in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken. understand that we are a part of something eternal. That mountain could be shook, and the earth and the heavens as they are can be shook. and he talks about how he's going to remove these things, but there's going to be that which is unshaken.

10:08 he says let us be grateful because when that time comes we're we're not going to be shaken those of us who are part of this kingdom this is what we have signed up for this is what we're a part of and he says therefore let us be grateful for receiving that kind of kingdom you see that that terrifying being, the darkness, the gloom, the tempest, the blazing fire, the voice that made people scream, stop, stop speaking. See, now we're a part of that kingdom, and we should be grateful. It's like, wow, I don't have to face this God as an enemy of God, but I'm actually a part of this unshakable kingdom.

11:05 I'm a part of these innumerable angels and festal gathering. I'm a part of all of this, and here's the judge of all, and here's the mediator, Jesus, and I'm actually on their side. And so I'm extremely grateful because I'm a part of this kingdom that can't be shaken. But the result of, you know, therefore, you know, let us be grateful. He says, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship with reverence and awe for our God is a consuming fire. when you worship God is it acceptable worship with reverence and awe is there this reverence this awe like I am coming before him I'm coming before someone who can't be touched this blazing fire, this gloom, this darkness Moses was like I'm terrified of this do we get this and when we worship him are we just singing songs Are we just praying these prayers, or are we doing it with reverence and awe, recognizing that our God is a consuming fire?

12:22 It is an incredible honor to read the Word of God, to hear the words of God, and we don't want to take this lightly, and it's an honor to come before him and pray. So as you pray this week, take some time to meditate on Hebrews 12 and think about who you're speaking to. As you read his word, don't just look at it as a textbook.

13:06 Look at these words. Realize that they come from Almighty God and his voice. And realize how seriously people took his voice in the past. And recognize that we should take it even more seriously.