Are you in a place in your life where you feel afraid of God’s presence, because you are well aware of the contrast between Him and you? Do you feel powerless to change, helpless, or out of control? Are you weary from the struggle?Good news: God has moved mountains for you!Hebrews 12:22-24: “But you have come to Mt. Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel.” Do you see it? God moved mountains! He did it for you. Whereas the Law from Mt. Sinai introduced sin and sin resulted in our death, Grace from Mt. Zion invites us to come near and be made alive: “but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more” (Romans 5:20).  GOD has moved MOUNTAINS for YOU! Below is a contrast between the two mountains in Hebrews 12:18-24:  Mt. Sinai                       Mt. Zion  Sin is ever before         Sin is eternally      God’s throne                 dealt with @                                             the cross  Stay Away–                 Come Near–     Run for your life!      Come for your life!  Law (written on cold, Grace (written on      hard stone),                   heart, 2 Cor. 3:3)     and with it comes:       and with it comes:  Condemnation             Righteousness  Wrath                             Mercy  Death                             Life You see, God has moved mountains for you! What does this mean for you?You do not approach God in fear of what might happen if you DO come, but in fear of what might happen if you DON’T! Why? Because… 1.  The Father doesn’t condemn/punish you for your sin.       Many people are made to feel guilty for the death of Christ by preachers who proclaim, “YOUR sins nailed Christ to the cross!” 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” Your sins did not nail Christ to the cross, but God’s love nailed your sin to the cross.  Which sins did Jesus die for? 1 John 2:2 says all of them–the sins of the whole world! The wrath of God was placed on His Son! Jesus took our punishment. “Therefore there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1). To the woman caught in adultery, Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go. From now on sin no more” (John 8:11). “When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross” (Col. 2:13-14)!      Where else will you go to have your sins removed?! 2.  The Holy Spirit does not convict the believer of sin, but convinces him of righteousness.           Look at this verse carefully: “And He [Holy Spirit], when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; concerning sin, because they [the unbeliever] do not believe in Me [the sin is unbelief]; and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you [disciples or believers] no longer see Me; and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged” (Jn. 16:8-10). In a recent conference, Steve McVey pointed out that the work of the Holy Spirit in the believers life was not in reference to sin but righteousness. He works in us to convince us of our right standing before God, reminding us of who we are in Christ.           This is HUGE for daily warfare: The enemy accuses the wayward believer saying, “Why are your trying to be good you sinner?” However, the Holy Spirit whispers, “Why are sinning My holy child?” In John 15, Jesus tells the disciples, “You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you” (Jn. 15:3). In Christ, we work from holiness, not for it!       “Then why do I feel bad when I sin? It feels like God is angry with me.” a)    It’s SIN punishing you, not God. Sin and punishment are one in the same:                  2 Peter 2:13 “suffering wrong as the wages of doing wrong” (also Rm. 3:23)        Romans 1:27 “receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.”        Colossians 3:25 “for he who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done, and that without partiality.”                   Lamentations 1:20 “See, O Lord, for I am in distress; my spirit is greatly troubled; my heart is overturned within me, for I have been very rebellious….for my groans are many and my heart is faint”        (Also Psalm 38; Prov. 5:20; 7:16; 8:36; 10:16; 11:27)b)    Your sin is not who you are! I can prove it…”        A sheep and a pig in a mud pit in the barnyard, What does the pig do? He wallers in it! What about the sheep? He cries out. You see, the animals are revealed by their struggle. If you struggle against sin, are you a sheep or a pig? Your struggle reveals your true nature. 3.  Jesus invites you to come to Mt. Zion; to become who you are in Him!          A hunched-over beggar sat outside a studio apartment every day, and each day the attendant would give him a small donation. One day the beggar asked the attendant why he was so kind. Was it because of his vocation? The attendant replied, “I am a sculptor. In fact, I have sculpted you from my window.” “Sure!” the beggar responded, but when he reached the studio, he only noticed the sculpture of a tall, handsome man, well-dressed, chest out and head slightly lifted. “Why that isn’t me!” the beggar  remarked. “That’s not the way I look.” “Well, that’s the way I see you,” said the sculptor. With tears in his eyes, the beggar concluded, “Well if that’s the way you see me, that’s the way I’ll be.” “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit” (2 Cor. 3:18). Even when you feel as though your life has amounted to nothing, Jesus says, “But I chose you!” “all things belong to you, and you belong to Christ; and Christ belongs to God” (1 Cor. 3:22a-23). “having nothing yet possessing all things” (2 Cor. 6:10b). God does much with little, most with least, and everything with nothing. The invitation is to come to the Mt. Zion, come to Calvary!      …not only to be saved from eternal hell, but also be saved from the daily hell.      You cannot climb the mountain. of your problems; you must come to Jesus!       What is it that you’ve been trying to overcome in your own strength?       What is the situation you are in that is convincing you that you are weak?      Admit your struggle and simply get on your knees and run to Jesus in prayer.

                I am calling you to repent of self-effort and believe in Jesus’ finished work on the cross for you! Return to the Lord and be healed!