PREPARED FOR A NEW LIFE IN CHRIST
Hebrews 12:14-16, 18-29
GODLY ATTITUDE
14 Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.
15 See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.
A. Two of the prerequisites to enter heaven are peace and holiness.
1. To live in peace take considerable effort on our part.
2. We are by nature in opposition to rules and authority.
3. We have the power of the Holy Spirit that enables us to submit to
authority of the Word of God.
4. We can submit to those who submit to The Word of God and we
can avoid those who oppose God.
5. I think we have to recognize that we cannot associate with some people
because they are persistence trouble makers.
B. We should make an effort to pursue the holiness of God.
1. We first must have an attitude of doing the right thing.
2. We can treat others with kindness and respect regardless of how we
are treated.
THE END OF THE OLD COVENENT
18 You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm;
19 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,
20 because they could not bear what was commanded: \”If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned.\”
21 The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, \”I am trembling with fear.\”
A. The Jews were under the Law God gave Moses at Mount Horeb.
1.While God visited with Moses on the mountain, no one was to touch
it unless they die.
2. The sound of God was so frighten that the people did not want Him to
talk to them directly.
3. They requested that Moses give them the Word from God.
4. The law could not save, but pointed to their unrighteousness and judgment.
B. Having being freed from slavery in Egypt, they brought slavery with them to
desert in the form of idol gods.
1. They could not make peace with God because of their desire to hold on to the
past.
2. They spent 40 years wondering in desert because of their disobedience
and unbelief.
THE NEW COVENANT IN JESUS
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,
23 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,
24 to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
A. All of the requirements of the Law given to Moses were fulfilled by the
death of Jesus on the cross. Matt 5:17
1. A New covenant of grace was ratified with the blood of Jesus on the cross.
2. Under the Law, Moses was the mediator between God and Israel.
3. Under the New Covenant of Grace, Jesus is the mediator between the Church and
God.
B. Under the Old Covenant, the blood of animals was required as a sacrifice for the
the atonement of the sins of Israel.
1. The blood of animals could not save but was a type of the sacrifice of the blood
Christ shed on the cross which atoned for sins of all men for all times.
2. Angels rejoiced when Christ was born.
3. Angels also rejoice every time a person excepts Christ as his/her personal savior.
Luke 15:10
C. Our Faith in Jesus Christ make us perfect before the Father in Heaven.
1. We were buried with Jesus in His death and reborn in His resurrection
2. Any man in Christ is a new creation.
D. Christ is the first born of the New Creation in Him.
1. Christ is the first born of the Church.
2. All believers are members of the body of Christ.
3. We sons and daughters of God through our faith in Jesus.
OBEDIENCE TO THE WORD
25 See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven?
26 At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, \”Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.\”
27 The words \”once more\” indicate the removing of what can be shaken — that is, created things — so that what cannot be shaken may remain.
A. Unlike the Israelites in the desert, we have a complete copy of the Bible,
God\’s Holy Word.
1. We have all the instructions God gave Israel under the Law and all the instructions
Jesus gave under Grace.
2. The Israelites could not keep the Law and many perished because of their
disobedience.
B. We have the advantage of having the Word of God in print and the power of the
Holy Spirit to interpret the Word for us.
1. It is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that reminds us of God\’s Words and gives
us the will and the spirit to obey the Word.
2. Proverbs 9:10 states; \”The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and
knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.\”
3. If anyone lacks wisdom, let him ask the Lord and it will be given to him.
C. Because of sin that enter in to God perfect creation, in the Garden of Eden,
this current heaven and earth will be destroyed after the second coming of Christ.
1. God will make a new heaven and new earth in which all believers have
membership.
2. We have been chosen before the foundation of the world to be in this new heaven
and new earth. Eph 1:4
3. We owe it to God the Father and Jesus the author of our salvation to be obedient to
the Word of God.
4. We are the Church that world should see and be drawn to Christ.
THE KINGDOM OF GOD
28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe,
29 for our \”God is a consuming fire.\”
A. We have to develop an attitude of gratefulness.
1. We have grown up in world of unbelief and selfishness.
2. We learned to complain about out our situations.
3. Our hearts were harden by the world we live in.
B. But by the grace of God we were drawn to Christ.
1. Armed with the Word of God we are taught to be grateful and thankful.
2. It is not by our works that we are saved, but by the grace of our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ.
C. Everything that has breath should praise the Lord.
1. If God chose some for heaven, then there are some God did not choose.
2. If God called some out of the world to Himself, then there are some who He
left in their sinful state,
3. We were not chosen because we are good, but because of God\’s love.
THANK GOD FOR CHOSING US
Rev M. Mitchell
Asst Pastor Of Greater Macedonia Baptist Church
5510 West Sam Houston Toll Way North
Houston, Texas 77041
For more lessons, follow me on facebook and visit my blogs
revmmitchell.com and goodnewsrevmitc.blogspot.com
