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Sermon Notes for Dec. 21, 2008
“The Greatest Present the World
Has Ever Been Given”
Exodus 19:16-19
Hebrews 12:18-24
Introduction
A. The SUPERFICIALITY Of Christmas.
1. How we have missed the true meaning of Christmas!
A. NEIMAN MARCUS 2008 CHRISTMAS FANTASY GIFTS
1. Three Chimneys Thoroughbred Farm Racing Stable
Package
a. they will train 12-15 thoroughbreds and race them for 4
years
b. for $10,000,000.00
2. Luxury Destination Wedding Package
a. on the coast of Newport Beach, California
b. 40 beachside villas
c. wedding gown, bridesmaid dresses
d. starting at $1,300,000.00
3. His and Hers: Life Size Replica in LEGO Blocks Package
a. will build a full-scale replica of a couple
b. for $60,000.00
4. Harlem Globetrotters On-Court Experience Package
a. the buyer will get a uniform
b. guaranteed playing time in a game
c. access to the team
d. for $110,000.00
5. Jack Nicklaus Custom Backyard Course Package
a. 3 hole course designed and built by Jack Nicklaus in
your yard
b. you get to play with Nicklaus
c. starting $1,000,000.00
6. Dallas Cowboys Texas Stadium End Zone Package
a. after the Cowboys move into their new stadium
b. the current end zone of the Cowboys field will be sold
c. for $500,000.00
b. it is NEARLY impossible even for Christians to maintain a proper
focus of the meaning of Christians
c. “To perceive Christmas through its wrappings becomes more
difficult with every year.” E.B. White – The Second Tree From the
Corner
2. Even as Christians, we seem to focus solely on a “part” of the entire Christmas
story.
a. the manger scene; the stable, the town of Bethlehem
b. we never seem to take the story or event “any farther”
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B. The SERIOUSNESS Of Christmas.
1. Without a doubt, Christmas is a joyous, momentous time for the believer.
a. I love Christmas
b. I love all of the family times, presents, etc.
2. But, we seem, at times, to have “missed the whole point” of Christmas.
a. for the birth of Jesus as a baby was simply the “beginning” of the
journey for the Christ-child
b. for He would eventually leave the security and peace of the wood of the
stable in Bethlehem and eventually be placed upon the wood of the
cross of Golgatha
3. Today, we will see the “true meaning” of Christmas as we study closely a scene
from the Old Testament.
a. more than likely you have never heard a Christmas sermon from these
texts before
1. we will look at a text from the Old Testament – the people of
God at Mount Sinai
2. and we will look at another text from the New Testament – the
people of God at Mount Zion
b. HOWEVER, these texts will CLEARLY TEACH the true meaning of
Christmas
I. The Mountain Of JUDGMENT.
A. A Mountain Of FEAR.
1. The spiritual fear on the mountain.
a. the first scene is of Mount Sinai in the desert
Exodus 19:16-19 – “On the morning of the third day there was thunder
and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud
trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled. Then Moses led the
people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of
the mountain. Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the
LORD descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like
smoke from a furnace, the whole mountain trembled violently, and the
sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder. Then Moses spoke and
the voice of God answered him.”
1. after some 400 years in Egypt, the Jews had been led out of
Egypt by Moses and had arrived at Mount Sinai and were
waiting to hear from Moses who had ascended the mountain to
talk to God
2. “Imagine for just a moment that you are an Israelite living
in the fifteenth century B.C. You have spent your entire life
in the land of Egypt as a slave. You have existed to do the
bidding of your Egyptian taskmaster, and there is a pyramid
outside of Rhamses that is a testimony to your labor. But now a
man named Moses has appeared on the scene who is a
spokesman for the God of your ancestors. The power of this
God named Jehovah has humbled the mighty Egyptian empire,
and now for the first time in your life you are free.
You have just made a very treacherous journey through
the desert of Sinai, and it is obvious that you are being led there
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by God himself. A pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire
by night is leading you onward. Your life has been spared
from the Egyptians at the Red Sea and from hunger and thirst
in the desert by the direct intervention of God Himself. And
now you finally stand before the foot of the mountain upon
which Moses had first met God some forty years before.
Your joy at completing your long journey through the
wilderness is short lived, though, because it is replaced by
absolute terror. You have witnessed the plagues that brought
a proud Pharaoh to his knees; you have seen an entire army
drowned in the sea. But you have never seen anything as
terrible and frightening and awesome as this. The mountain
that rises up before you is covered by a thick cloud, but the
darkness is repeatedly pierced by the flashing of lightning.
The silence is shattered by the rumbling of thunder. The
blasting of a trumpet announces what you already know –
that God is on this mountain. You have to struggle to keep
your balance because a great earthquake is rumbling, and
your knees are just a bit shaky anyway. Moses disappears into
the cloud and then he returns to warn you not to approach the
mountain or else you will die. He doesn’t really need to tell
you that, because you’re not about to take a chance and go near
that terrible and holy place.
And then the most terrible and awesome thing yet takes
place. Through the cracking of the thunder and the rumbling of
the earthquake, a voice is heard by all the people, “I am the
Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.
You shall have no other gods before me. . .” God Himself
speaks from the mountain giving you the Decalogue, The
Commandments. The experience is so terrifying that you
plead with Moses to go and speak to God for you, before
you’re convinced that if you hear God speak again that you
will die.”
b. The scene of Mount Sinai in the desert was one of warning.
Exodus 19:12-13 – “Put limits for the people around the mountain and
tell them, 'Be careful that you do not go up the mountain or touch
the foot of it. Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to
death. He shall surely be stoned or shot with arrows; not a hand is to
be laid on him. Whether man or animal, he shall not be permitted to
live.' Only when the ram's horn sounds a long blast may they go up to
the mountain."
1. the Lord is saying through Moses that the people are not to try
to meet with God or they will perish
2. in fact, they are not even to “touch” the mountain or they will
die
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2. The physical fear of the mountain:
a. there was smoke and fire
b. the mountain trembled violently
c. a trumpet continued to blast from the mountain
d. it was a terrifying scene
B. A Mountain Of FURY.
1. Do you sense the atmosphere at Mount Sinai?
a. it is one of darkness
b. it is one of fire
c. it is one of fury
d. it is one of distance
1. the Israelites were NOT to approach God
2. they were not even to “touch” the mountain or they would die
3. God was saying to the Israelites to KEEP OUT! DON’T
COME NEAR ME!
2. Do you wonder WHY there was such an atmosphere at Mount Sinai?
a. was this “God of Mount Sinai” the “same God” that we understand
today?
1. or was this simply the “God of the Old Testament”
2. while we today experience a “God of the New Testament”
b. several points need to be made to clarify:
1. ONE – this God was EXHIBITING HIS WRATH on
Mount Sinai.
a. a wrath that was full of fury and judgment against the
sin of man
b. this was “truly” a scene of fire and brimstone
2. TWO – this was the EXACT SAME GOD that we read about
in the New Testament
a. God has not changed
b. there has never been a “God of the Old Testament” and
a “God of the New Testament”
3. THREE – God IS STILL WRATHFUL against sin
a. God’s attitude toward sin HAS NOT changed
b. God’s fury “still” burns against sin
c. Romans 2:5 – “But because of your stubbornness and
your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath
against yourself for the day of God's wrath, when His
righteous judgment will be revealed.”
c. this picture of God at Mount Sinai should make us stop and think about
WHO GOD REALLY IS and of our relationship to Him
1. “We seem to think that somehow God has changed.”
2. “That He has somehow “become” more gracious, more
forgiving, more loving.”
3. “Because that is NOT the God that I know.”
a. “I don’t know of a wrathful God.”
b. “All that I know is a God of grace, mercy and
forgiveness.”
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d. let me show you ONE MORE PICTURE of God’s wrath as seen in
the Old Testament – (II Samuel 6:6-7)
1. the Philistines had captured the Ark of Covenant
2. when David became King, he along with 30,000 men, went to
Philistia, to retrieve the ark
3. upon returning with the ark to Jerusalem, one of the Levites
who was to help transport the ark, was walking beside the ark as
it was being carried on a cart
a. the oxen who were pulling the ark stumbled, and
Uzzah, the Levite, without thinking, reached out his
hand to steady the ark
b. upon touching the ark, he was instantly killed by God
because he “touched” the ark
c. notice why Uzzah was killed
Numbers 4:15 - "After Aaron and his sons have
finished covering the holy furnishings and all the holy
articles, and when the camp is ready to move, the
Kohathites are to come to do the carrying. BUT THEY
MUST NOT TOUCH THE HOLY THINGS OR
THEY WILL DIE. The Kohathites are to carry those
things that are in the Tent of Meeting.”
1. and although Uzzah was a Kohathite 2. he “touched” the ark
3. What are we learning from these Old Testament scenes of God?
a. GOD IS HOLY!
b. in fact, when you look at the book of Isaiah, the prophet was transported
into heaven and he heard the angels and the seraphim praising God and
saying: Isaiah 6:3 – “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord Almighty. The
whole earth is full of His glory.”
1. This is a Hebrew song, and the lyrics are simply Holy, Holy,
Holy. It is said THREE TIMES!
2. in English we can emphasize the importance of something
by printing the words in italics or bold face type.
3. in Hebrew poetry, the way to show emphasis is to repeat it:
a. Jesus would say, “Truly, truly I say to you . . .”
b. Revelation 8:13 - “Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants
of the earth.”
c. and now in Isaiah 6:3 – “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord
Almighty.”
4. the prophet Isaiah was so overwhelmed with God’s holiness
that he said:
Isaiah 6:5 - "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a
man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips,
and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty."
c. DO WE REALLY HAVE ANY CONCEPT OF THE HOLINESS
OF THIS GOD OF THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENT?
1. How perfect, awesome, complete, true and righteous God is!
2. And how much His holiness hates sin.
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3. A.W. Tozer – God is holy and holiness (is) the moral condition
necessary to the health of his universe . . . Whatever is holy is
healthy . . . the holiness of God, the wrath of God, and the
health of creation are inseparably united. God’s wrath is
His utter intolerance of whatever degrades and destroys.
He hates sin as a mother hates the polio that would take the life
of the child.”
4. So, do you sense the scene at Mount Sinai?
a. it is one of judgment and fear
b. God is expressing His wrath against man’s sin
c. but, there is “another mountain” that we will visit
1. a mountain with a “very different atmosphere”
2. a mountain with a “very different message”
II. The Mountain of JOY.
A. The Mountain of INVITATION.
1. The contrast of the mountain.
Vs. 22 – “But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city
of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful
assembly,
a. but now we come to “another mountain” - notice the ABSOLUTE
CONTRAST of these two “mountains” – “BUT you have come”
1. the word but is an EMPHATIC WORD OF COMPARISON
a. nevertheless
b. rather
c. instead
2. the word come in verse 22 is the same Greek word used in
verse 18
a. Vs. 18 – “You have not come to a mountain that can be
touched.”
1. they are the SAME, EXACT WORD!
2. to come near, to approach
b. our “coming” to this other mountain is very very
different:
b. on one mountain, Mount Sinai, we ARE NOT to approach or come
near; while on the other mountain, Mount Zion, we WERE to come
near.
2. Can this be the same Bible, the same people and the SAME GOD as we saw at
Mount Sinai?
a. how can we see such a God of wrath, WHO REFUSEES our approach
of Him, at Mount Sinai
b. while at Mount Zion we are called to COME CLOSE to God!
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B. The Mountain Of INSPIRATION.
1. YOU HAVE COME TO A DIFFERENT MOUNTAIN.
Vs. 22 – “But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the
city of the living God.”
a. Mount Zion historically.
1. Mount Zion was known as the place where King David lived
2. later, Mount Zion would include the highest area of Jerusalem,
where the Temple was located
b. Mount Zion spiritually
1. here in our text, Mount Zion, is seen the Temple in heaven
2. here is the “courthouse in heaven” where God “transacts His
business”
2. You have come to a different MOOD.
a. here, at Mount Zion, there is no thunder and lightning
1. there are no black clouds
2. there is no mountain shaking
b. instead, there is praise and joy
Vs. 22b-23 – “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 men, to the
spirits of righteous men made perfect.”
1. there are thousands upon thousands of angels praising God
2. all in a chorus about the joy of salvation
3. You have come to a different MEMBERSHIP.
Vs. 22b-23 – “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 men, to the spirits of righteous men
made perfect.”
a. at the base of Mount Sinai, we saw frightened and scared Israelites
1. seeing and hearing the thunder and lightning
2. they were afraid to even “touch” the mountain
b. but here at Mount Zion, we are called the “church of the first born”
1. to a Jew, the firstborn child was the one who was given favor
2. if there were a firstborn son, he would be given 2/3rds of the
father’s inheritance
3. the oldest son, as well, would be given the blessing of the father
4. You have come to a different MESSAGE.
Vs. 22b-23 - “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 men, to the spirits of righteous men made
perfect.”
a. we are not seen as those who cannot approach God
1. those who tremble at the base of Mount Sinai
2. instead, we are called “righteous men made perfect”
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b. What does it mean in Greek to be perfect?
1. the Greek definition is telios
a. to complete
b. to carry through
c. to accomplish
d. Jesus used this exact word when He died on the
cross
1. He screamed tetelestai!
2. IT IS FINISHED.
3. IT IS COMPLETE.
4. What He had just done on the cross WAS
PERFECT!
2. the Greek tense of telios
a. perfect tense
1. something that was completed in the past
2. “I married my wife”
b. passive voice
1. to be affected by something “done to you”
2. the ball was thrown to him
c. participle mood
1. in English, the word would have an “ing”
2. what was “don’t to you” is still affecting you
3. the Greek application of telios
a. the Greek word perfect means . . .
1. because of the work of Christ, we are seen by the
Father as PERFECT
2. and you cannot make something perfect “more
perfect”
3. our Holy God sees us as perfect in Christ.
b. the Greek tense perfect means:
1. our perfection was given to us by Christ’s death
on the cross
2. we did not earn it: it was “given” to us
3. and we still have that perfection today
5. You have come to a different MEDIATOR.
Vs. 22-24 - But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city
of the living God. 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 men, to the spirits of righteous men 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.”
a. we, as believers, can come to Mount Zion:
1. because, Jesus came to this earth in the form of a baby
2. because this baby became a man and went to the cross on our
behalf
3. because Jesus rose from the dead and presented His work
before the Father
4. because Jesus is MEDIATING for us RIGHT NOW!
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b. THIS IS THE DIFFERENCE IN THE TWO MOUNTAINS
6. But, you have come to the SAME GOD.
Vs. 23b – “you have come to God, the judge of all men.”
a. THIS IS THE SAME GOD THAT WE SAW AT MOUNT SINAI
1. THE God who displayed His wrath and fury against the
Israelites at Mount Sinai
2. the SAME GOD who forbade the Israelites from coming before
Him, from actually “touching” the mountain
b. THE THING THAT IS DIFFERENT IS JESUS!
1. we can approach Mount Zion because Jesus paid the penalty for
our sins
2. we can approach Mount Zion because Jesus endured the wrath
of God on our behalf!
C. GOD DID NOT CHANGE . . . OUR MEDIATOR DID
1. Jesus came
2. Jesus died
3. Jesus absorbed the wrath of God
4. Jesus is mediating on our behalf
Conclusion:
1. THIS IS MY STRUGGLE AT CHRISTMAS.
a. Why do I preach on such a depressing, morose topic such as the death of Christ
upon the cross at Christmas?
1. because, if Jesus Christ did not come to this earth as a baby and
eventually give His life for us on the cross, we will spend an eternity in
hell
2. BUT HE CAME AND PAID THE PRICE – that’s why the angels were
praising God at the birth of the Christ-child.
Luke 2:13-14 – “Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host
appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the
highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."
a. Jesus came to absorb God’s wrath for us
b. and thus bring peace and not wrath
b. this message is ANYTHING but depressing!
2. THIS IS THE MESSAGE OF CHRISTMAS.
a. now, if we don’t know what you have been saved “FROM” . . . we will never
REALLY understand the true meaning of Christmas
b. if you ONLY think that Christmas is about peace and joy, you have missed its
true, essential message
c. Christmas IS about peace and joy, but it is about peace and joy BECAUSE they
have replaced fear and wrath . . . because of Jesus
d. HOWEVER, PLEASE LOOK AT THIS VERSE . . . John 3:36 – “Whoever
believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life,
for God's wrath remains on him."
1. FOLKS, THIS IS THE GREATEST “PRESENT” the world has ever
received
a. Jesus absorbed the wrath of God, so that we did not have to
b. but we have to “accept” the Son just like we “accept” a present
on Christmas Day
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2. BUT . . . WILL YOU ACCEPT THIS PRESENT THIS
CHRISTMAS?
3. In one of his last interviews in 1971, British author, J.R.R. Tolkien stated that he did not
intend for his book Lord of the Rings to be a Christian allegory.
a. However, I choose to see a great spiritual allegory of WHAT CHRISTMAS IS
ALL ABOUT in the closing scene of The Return of the King from the Lord of the
Rings
1. Frodo and Sam have taken the ring all the way to Mordor and Frodo
has thrown the ring into the fire of Mount Doom
2. as soon as the ring enters the fire, Mount Doom begins to erupt,
sending molten lava everywhere
3. Frodo and Sam manage to jump into a huge rock, where they are safe,
surrounded by fiery lava flowing around them
4. but, while they have found a safe place to rest, their future is set. They
cannot escape. (show video) . . .
5. until the eagles come to rescue them
b. this is a wonderful illustration of Christmas to me
1. Frodo and Sam are helpless hobbits, the least of all people in Middle
Earth
2. they are helpless to save themselves – surrounded by the fire of hell
3. but they are “rescued” by the eagles
a. the hobbits are not able to help themselves at all
b. they cannot climb onto the eagle’s backs
c. the eagles do all of the work to save the hobbits (show video)
d. look at Exodus in its reference to eagles
1. eagles are mentioned some 38 times in Scripture, most
of the time in reference to being agents of rescue
2. Exodus 19:4 – “You yourselves have seen what I did to
Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles' wings and
brought you to myself.”
c. YES, THIS IS THE MESSAGE OF CHRISTMAS
1. yes, we love the season of Christmas
a. family, friends
b. presents
2. but, the true message of Christmas is this:
a. because of our sin, we found ourselves as totally helpless,
destined to experience the all-consuming wrath of God
b. but God sent His Son to rescue us from the coming wrath
Colossians 1:13 – “For he has rescued us from the dominion
of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he
loves.”