July 25, 2025 | Be God's Family
The Mountain of Jesus
Scripture: Hebrews 12:22-24(NIV)
22 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, 23 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, 24 to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
Devotional
Yesterday we saw how Moses led the Israelites to Mount Sinai, filled with warnings and fear. Here we see how Jesus gave us Mount Zion, filled with promise and joy. Hallelujah!
The Mountain of Jesus is not one of trying desperately to legalistically keep every commandment flawlessly. That is what Moses brought down from Mount Sinai, instilling fear and trembling into the people. Rather, Jesus took us to Mount Zion, where He shed His blood for the forgiveness of our sins. The former is based on fear. That latter is grounded in faith.
When I was young, I was afraid to do anything wrong. First, I was afraid of my dad’s cowboy belt. I can remember the sound of it being yanked through the loops of his jeans: “thwup, thwup, thwup, thwup, thwup.” I don’t really remember every being swatted with it. Just the audio-visual effects were enough to scare me straight.
But mainly, I didn’t want to disappoint my parents. I knew they loved me. I knew they wanted the best for me. I knew they were in charge of me. I bore their name. I was their son. I represented them at home, at school, at practice, at church, when I was alone, with my brother, or with my friends.
Too often we look at God as a cosmic killjoy with an oversized cowboy belt, just ready to give us the what-for. Rather, we come to the city of the living God, to angels in joyful assembly, to the church of God in heaven and on earth, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant by His blood!
You can keep the Mountain of Fear.
I’ll ascend the Mountain of Joy!
Poem
Judgment
Psalm 75
You say, “I choose the appointed time; it is I who judge with equity.
When the earth and all its people quake, it is I who hold its pillars firm.
It is God who judges: He brings one down, he exalts another.
Psalm 75: 2-3, 7
J—Justice
U—Ultimate
D—Decision
G—God’s
M—Meted upon
E—Everyone
N—Necessary
T—Thousands upon thousands
