TWO MOUNTAINS CONTRASTED (Part #1)

Heb. 12:18

Good day to each of you and here we go again with another devotional thought. Even in a casual reading of the scriptures, we can hardly miss the significance of the many mountains mentioned in God’s Word. For example:
1. Mt. Ararat where Noah’s ark rested following its five month journey during the flood.
2. Mt. Carmel where the prophet, Elijah, challenged the prophets of Baal.
3. Mountains Ebal and Gerizim from which Moses announced blessings and cursings on the children of Israel.
4. Mt. Hermon, a 9,100’ mountain about 30 miles southwest of Damascus, possibly the location of the transfiguration.
5. Mt. Hor, Aaron’s burial place.
6. Mt. Moriah, where Abraham offered Isaac on the altar; where David made sacrifice for his sin of illegally numbering the people, and where the temple was built.
7. Mt. Nebo from which Moses viewed the Promised Land.
8. Mount of Olives that overlooks Jerusalem from the east across the Kidron Valley and the Pool of Siloam. Also where Jesus would go with His disciples to pray.
9. Mt. Seir where Esau went to live. The area became known as
Edom, and the residents, the descendants of Esau, were
called Edomites.
10. Mt. Sinai where Moses received the law and the ten
commandments.
In our lesson text for this devotion, I want you to notice with me these TWO MOUNTAINS CONTRASTED.
I. MOUNT SINAI vss 18-21 (Exodus 19)

II. MOUNT ZION vss 22-24

These verses are describing salvation. The Hebrew Christians had come to:
1. Zion In the Bible, Zion was referred to as the place of God (Ps. 132:13-14; Rev. 14:1 & Phil 3:20).
2.“the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem”. In the Scriptures, Zion and Jerusalem are used to refer to both the capital city of the Jews, but also of heaven. (Heb. 11:10)
3. myriads of angels = innumerable...“myriads of myriads” (Rev. 5:11).
4. the general assembly and church of the first-born. These are both describing the saved. In Col. 1:18, Jesus is called “the first-born from the dead.”... “the church of the first-born” = church of Christ. “All the churches of Christ greet you” (Rom. 16:16).
5. “to God, the judge of all”
6.“to the spirits of righteous men made perfect” only in heaven. This would refer to those departed saints whose spirits were made perfect by the blood of Christ when they were saved.
7. “to Jesus” vs 24 (1Pet. 1:1-2) Just as the blood of the Passover was sprinkled on the lentil and the doorposts in order that those who dwelt therein might be saved from judgment, so is the blood of Jesus Christ sprinkled on your soul when you obey His commands in becoming a Christian so that the Lord will pass over you in judgment. So the children of Israel had come to Mount Sinai, but the Hebrew Christians had come to Mount Zion.

Next week we will see the beginning of these two mountains as they contrast each other. God bless until our next time.

LOVE


1 John. 5 :2

"There are ten strong things. Iron is strong, but fire melts it. Fire is strong, but water quenches it. Water is strong, but the clouds evaporate it. Clouds are strong, but wind drives them away. Man is strong, but fears cast him down. Fear is strong, but sleep overcomes. Sleep is strong, yet death is stronger. But loving kindness survives death."

Love is probably the strongest emotion that we, as humans, can express. We are born with the ability to love and to accept love. This is one of the areas that separate us from the animal kingdom. Because of being created with the ability to choose, we can either choose to love or not; we can either choose to accept love or reject love. It is up to each individual. To love and accept love is actually seen as good for your health. Through studies it has been shown that, on the average, happily married people live longer than either those who remain single or those who have unhappy marriages.
First of all in this lesson;

I. LOVE GOD; WHY?
Well, the basic reason above all is that He deserves it.
1. He created you
2. He has blessed you with all necessities to sustain life
3. He gave His only Son Jesus to die for your sins.
He demands it for our benefit and HIS glory.

Luke 10:27 tells us, "And he answered, "YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND; AND YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF." (NAS95)

Loving God also shows that we love God’s children properly.
1 John 5:2 tells us, "By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments." (NAS95)


II. LOVE PARENTS

Ephesians 6:1-3 reads, "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER (which is the first commandment with a promise), SO THAT IT MAY BE WELL WITH YOU, AND THAT YOU MAY LIVE LONG ON THE EARTH." (NAS95)

Notice that this is:
a.) a command
b.) a command with a promise
c.) an unconditional promise – Honor whether you agree with them, respect them, or even like them.
One way to love your parents is never embarrassing them by your actions.
Joshua said, "As for me and my house, WE will serve the Lord." (Deuteronomy 27:16)
'Cursed is he who dishonors his father or mother.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen.' (NAS95)

III. LOVE OTHERS
Galatians 5:14 we are told, "For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF." (NAS95)

In what ways can I show love to others?
1.) Share Jesus and His church with those who are lost
2.) Serve without the expectation of payment
3.) Have the proper attitudes in life and worship

a. Jealousies and angers must be controlled
b. Competition among members should cease
c. Showing a Christian example for those inside The Church and outside of Christ

Romans 13:10 the Apostle Paul by God's Holy Spirit tells us, "Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law." (NAS95) Now go and do the right thing.

I hope you all enjoy this devotion and remember to stay faithful to our GREAT GOD!! Until next time may God bless.

"A GOOD STEWARD"

Good day everyone and I want to welcome you back to another devotion. Today we want to look at the topic of stewardship as mentioned in the Bible. First, let us define the word from two different perspectives. First from the worldly view;

"Stewardship is personal responsibility for taking care of another person's property or financial affairs. Historically, stewardship was the responsibility given household servants to bring food and drinks to a big castle dining hall. The term was then expanded to indicate a household employee's responsibility for managing household or domestic affairs. Stewardship later became the responsibility for taking care of passengers' domestic needs on a ship, train and airplane, or managing the service provided to diners in a restaurant. The term continues to be used in these specific ways, but it is also used in a more general way to refer to a responsibility to take care of something one does not own." "One employed in a large household or estate to manage domestic concerns (as the supervision of servants, collection of rents, and keeping of accounts)."

From a biblical perspective it is similar in many ways but with greater importance. One of the Greek words used is, "oikonomov, oikonomos, oy-kon-om'-os; which means a house-distributor (i.e. manager), or overseer, i.e. an employee in that capacity; by extension, a fiscal agent (treasurer); figuratively, a preacher (of the Gospel):--chamberlain, governor, steward."

From either definition it is the idea of one person taking care of the belongings of another. The idea from God's Word seems to show, first, Christ as a steward of the things of God. He was to do only the Will of God in His dealings while on earth, and He did. Then prior to His ascension into heaven He left His disciples with the same idea of being stewards of those things they, and we, are to do faithfully until His return. Peter was given what was called "THE KEYS" to the Kingdom, The Church, in Acts 2 and he was a good steward of those things given him and the rest of the Apostles as he preached on The Day Of Pentecost.

Those keys are the same keys we are to use as good stewards of God's kingdom and without changing any one of them to accommodate man. A good steward of the things of God means we are to deliver them as HE has stated and not how we might think best for our world or culture at the time. Looking at many congregations today, it seems that the ideas of "intelligent men"(?) have over-ridden the things of God's Word. Man, then, becomes not the steward, but the one who makes the rules and laws by which others will follow.

Paul, as he is inspired of God's Holy Spirit, tells us in 1 Corinthians 4:1, "This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. (2) Moreover it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy." (RSV)

So, I want to encourage each of us not to treat God's Word as a smorgasbord and pick and choose what we want and do not want. Let's take it all as He has delivered it to us and "DIMINISH NOT A WORD" (Jeremiah 26:2).