HEB 12:21 The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, "I am trembling with fear." n22 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. 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?

Dr Tong revisited some of the points last week to further emphasize the importance of some lessons.

Last lesson was on the difference between the Old and the New Testament. In the OT, we see the wrath and justice of God; but in the NT, God revealed His love and compassion. So the right order is for us to know of His righteousness and holiness, realising our own shortfalls and sin, before we come to appreciate His love and mercy. This was why the first thing that was proclaimed in the NT was "repent, for the kingdom of God is near!" In the OT, we come to Mt Sinai; while in the NT, we come before Mt Zion. When the laws were given in the OT at Mt Sinai, 3000 people died. When the Holy Spirit came in the NT, 3,000 people were saved, signifying a new beginning.

What do we see in this new beginning? We have received not an earthly Jerusalem, but the Jerusalem in heaven. This is a city where we should fix our gaze upon as we journey through this earthly life. We would be welcomed with joy by the angels when we finally arrive home.

Dr Tong then focused on verse 23, the church of the firstborn. He believes that these firstborn are not the typical Christians. They are firstborn like Christ is the firstborn. In other words, they are people who are so much like Christ that they can be chosen among the masses to have an esteemed position, to be set aside for special honor and mention. Dr Tong asked if we know how many people in Singapore have claimed themselves to be Christians? But how many people are actually living a life that is obedient to the will of God? The answer is obvious; many people would claim themselves to be Christians, but few would actually be people who walked closely with God. Most people looked down on the status of the firstborn, like Esau did.

Dr Tong said that it is difficult to know why God would place such emphasis on the physical first born in Israelite history, but since it is the revelation of God, we ought to honor it. The Jewish customs ensured that the first born would receive twice the inheritance, and become the leader of his tribe and people. But Esau simply did not treasure this status, and sold it away to Jacob for a mere bowl of stew. In the same manner, some Christians led honorable and godly lives, while many other simply live day by day without any spiritual concerns whatsoever. Some people speak with spiritual authority, while some preaches like a snake-oil salesman with no credibility whatsoever, as if the WORD of God is without any value or significance. The apostle Paul said that we are to be instruments of honor for the LORD if we cleanse ourselves. So we ought to honor our calling and treat it with utter respect and responsibility.

A person selling sand and a person selling diamonds would behave very differently towards his customer. The sand seller would give away extra sand and throw his ware everywhere, for sand is of little value. But a diamond seller would be very precise, and would not give a speck of extra diamond to his customer, for diamonds are of great value. A luxury watch seller would also treat his products with the greatest care, and he is able to tell if his customers are worthy simply by observing how they handle expensive watches. So Christians ought to honor the great worth of his salvation, and not abuse his status of honor, and behave accordingly.

We will also see Christ the mediator, whose blood is more precious than the blood of Abel. Jesus Christ spoke to us not merely through words alone, for His words were affirmed by His blood. So a preacher needs to speak through his very life, and not speak empty words alone. When Christ came to bear testimony in the flesh, He spoke the way He did because He is God. He said, "The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life" (John 6:63). We need to bear testimony to Him not through our words alone, but through our very lives.

Why would Christ use words to preach to us? This is because we need words to carry the truth to us while we live in this temporal world. But the words spoken by Christ is of a different category than those by normal human beings. As Lao Tze once said, the Tao that can be spoken of cannot be the real Tao. Christ came to exemplify the real way (Tao) through His very life and deeds. The human kind is unique among all living things in his capacity for words and speech. Words are significant because it carries meaning. And meanings are significant when it has relationship with the truth. And the truth is linked with eternity. Therefore the WORD has eternal significance.

The human being was created to be able to listen to the WORD, to understand the WORD, to preach the WORD and to be one with the WORD. There are millions upon millions of words being spoken and written everyday; but few are of significance. When we understand the WORD of God and its significance, we will be able to tell what type of words are worth listening to, and what are without worth. Mary was praised over Martha precisely because she knew when to listen, and when not to talk.

Christ words are so different from other mankind that He dared to proclaim in Matthew 5 that heaven and earth will pass away, but not the WORD of God, and then apply that to Himself in Matthew 24:35 "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away".

John wrote in John 3:31- 35: "The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all.He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. The man who has accepted it has certified that God is truthful.For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit. The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him." Dr Tong said that when he was 22, he wrote many sermons based on this passage alone, on how we can see Christ's divinity and His relationship with eternity through His words alone.

Christ was so bold that when He spoke to His disciple, He used words like "You are of the world" (John 8:23). No one in history would dare use these words unless he was crazy, because it indicates that the speaker is not of the world. So the words of John in describing Jesus Christ indicate that this young apostle really did understand the Christ was not like any person in history.

Christ also said that He will be with His disciples until the end of the world (Matthew 28:20) and that He will be with us so long as two or more pray in His name (Matthew 18:20). These are words that require someone to transcend the constrain of time-space, and Christ is that person.

Christ proclaimed in John 12:44 - 49 "When a man believes in me, he does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. When he looks at me, he sees the one who sent me. I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness. As for the person who hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save it. There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day. For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it." Dr Tong emphasized that no one in history could have spoken these words, with such authority and certainty, except Jesus Christ, for He is indeed God.

This was why Hebrews 12:25 spoke about how important it is for mankind to heed the words of warning, for they did not come from mere human beings, but from heaven itself. The one who spoke was not simply another human being, but God Himself. But ironically, when Christ spoke the words of heaven, people plotted to have Him killed. Dr Tong said that when Christ met with Plato, that was the convergent point of human arrogance at its height, and God's humility at its lowest point. He termed this as "The silence of God when He is being judged". God did not say anything, revealed nothing and kept silence when sinners persecuted and judged Him. Many a times, when God seemed silent to us, it is similarly because we are arrogant and demanded answers from Him.

The French philosopher and paleontologist Pierre Teilhard De Chardin (discoverer of the Peking Man) said that when a great thought has been revealed in history, nothing will be able to destroy it." But the Jews and the world attempted to destroy Christ by killing Him. But Christ said that we are not to be afraid of that which can kill the body but not the soul (Matthew 10:28), for His WORD lasts forever and ever, not an iota will be taken away. So we ought to have a solemn response towards His WORD, for we cannot say in the last day that we did not take His WORD seriously, and expects to be forgiven lightly.

Dr Tong ended by relating an incident. A few decades ago, a rich man had a son whom he loved dearly. The son was seriously ill and no one could cure him. Someone recommended a doctor who was a specialist who could heal the child. While the child was dying, the rich man summoned the doctor, who said that he could only come at night. In the evening, the rich man waited impatiently and went out to the road to look for a taxi to bring him to the doctor because his own driver was on leave. Finding no taxi, he stopped a passing car and demanded that the driver takes him to the doctor's home. The drive refused, and the rich man shot him dead, took over the car and drove to the doctor's house. The doctor's wife opened the door, and told the rich man that her husband had gone out, but why was he driving her husband's car? Inevitably, the rich man shot and killed the one man who could save his only son.

This is how we are like, killing the one Christ that could save us. This is why we need to heed His words of warning.

Disclaimer: This summary does NOT represent the official position of STEMI (Stephen Tong Evangelistic Ministry International), and is the personal opinion of the author, expressed without prejudice. Expressed opinions are meant for academic discussions only.