Summer Road Trip #5: Road to Zion

The Book of Hebrews is themed as Better Things…In other words everything coming out of the book of Hebrews is better than anything coming out of the Entirety of the Old Testament…

Now no one knows who wrote Hebrews…there are many opinions, but we don’t know…we do know it is someone who is well educated in the Torah, the Pentateuch and the History of Israel…

Heb 12:18-24

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.”

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.

NIV

Title: Summer Road Trip – Road to Zion

Introduction: Soon after rededicating my life to Christ…I received this Christian Record…it wasn’t the first one I received but it was pretty close…

Petra – “More Power to Ya” on that album was a song entitled: Road To Zion

There is a way that leads to life
The few that find it never die
Past mountain peaks graced white with snow
The way grows brighter as it goes

There is a road inside of you
Inside of me there is one too
No stumbling pilgrim in the dark
The road to Zion’s in your heart
The road to Zion’s in your heart

The river runs beside the road
Its waters living as they flow
In liquid voice the water calls
On thirsty knees the pilgrim falls

Sometimes a shadow dark and cold
Lays like a mist across the road
But be encouraged by the sight
Where there’s a shadow, there’s a light

Sometimes it’s good to look back down
We’ve come so far – we’ve gained such ground
But joy is not in where we’ve been
Joy is who’s waiting at the end

The Song is about two things in my mind:

The Song is a compiling of the book “Pilgrams Progress” written by John Bunyan in 1678…

- A reprint of the book was given to me soon after giving my life to Christ as well and was required reading to me…
King David bringing the Ark of the Covenant to Zion…

Transition: Today we are going to talk about the Road to Zion…as it pertained to David…and how it pertains to you and me.

Transition toward Zion
1. The verses I’m about to read to you is a transition David is going to have to go through before he can take His rightful place as King…yet more importantly…before the Ark can take its rightful place on Mount Zion
2. David was anointed King…some 16 years earlier…but yet to assume the title of King of all of Israel…
  1. Another has been sitting in the place of king with no anointing to be king…
  2. One who is anointed to be King…has no place to be King…

1. 2 Sam 3:12-16

12 Then Abner sent messengers on his behalf to say to David, “Whose land is it? Make an agreement with me, and I will help you bring all Israel over to you.”

David is not yet King of all of Israel…He is King of Judah…but not yet king of all of United Israel…this guy Ish-Bosheth has assumed Kingship since how Saul his father has died…

13 “Good,” said David. “I will make an agreement with you. But I demand one thing of you: Do not come into my presence unless you bring Michal daughter of Saul when you come to see me.” 14 Then David sent messengers to Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, demanding, “Give me my wife Michal, whom I betrothed to myself for the price of a hundred Philistine foreskins.”

Now Michal is David’s wife…but wasn’t supposed to be…

David was promised Saul’s oldest Daughter if David would kill Goliath…her name is: Merab

But David didn’t think he was worth having Merab…because that would make him a Prince in Line for the Throne…yet because of David’s own insecurities 1Samuel 18:18…

This happens because David wasn’t in agreement with His Anointing…
Sometimes you’ll miss your road because you’re not in agreement with the anointing on your life….
We heard at the beginning of the Year about the Memshach anointing…
- The anointing of Increase
- The anointing of Blessing
- The anointing of Favor….
All that can be in your future…but you better transition where you are in your thinking…to where the anointing is in your life…
I told you at the beginning of the Year that the Most Spiritual thing you’ll do this year is make a decision: that decision better be in alignment with the anointing and assignment on your life…or you’ll be in trouble.

So later David is sent out to kill Philistines, a hundred of them…and get personally acquainted with them…to take Michael as his wife…the younger daughter of Saul.

15 So Ish-Bosheth gave orders and had her taken away from her husband Paltiel son of Laish. 16 Her husband, however, went with her, weeping behind her all the way to Bahurim. Then Abner said to him, “Go back home!” So he went back.

When Saul set out to kill David…David goes on the run…so Saul in an act of Hate toward David…gives his own daughter and the wife of David to a man named Paltiel…who is an old man…and this old man is following her weeping behind her…as she is on her way to her rightful husband…but she has been with this old man for 10 years…

This is a picture of us getting saved…
Our old man is still weeping over us and wanting us back…
But we are on our way to meet our King and we’ve got to say good-bye to the Old Man…
Notice who is weeping…it’s the old man, not her…
- Why are you weeping over the sin of your old life…
- We are heading to our King…
- We are now on the Road to Zion…
- We’re moving back into the Relationship we were created for; we were born for…

NIV

1. 2 Samuel 6
  1. We read about David now going to get the Ark of the Covenant…
    1. The ark was that piece of furniture that was in the Holy of Holies…in Moses tabernacle…
    2. It had been stolen by the Philistines and David is going to go get it and bring it back to Israel….
    3. In the process of bringing, it back anyway He thinks he can…on a new cart…Uzzah, a friend of David’s reaches out and touches the Ark and is killed…because you aren’t suppose to touch it…
  2. But David goes back and takes three months to figure out how do you carry His Presence…
    1. He learns the Ark must be carried on the shoulders of men and women…not on carts…
2. David brings the Ark to Zion…
  1. But we have a problem…Moses’ tabernacle is in Shiloh…
  2. David is doing what has never been done…
    1. See if you are going down the Road to Zion…you may have to do what you have never done…
    2. He is placing the Ark in a Tent…that is surrounded by Worshippers 24/7…
    3. The ark isn’t being visited once a year…by a select person…it is being worshipped around 24/7….
  3. If you are going to make it on the Road to Zion…
    1. You may have to do what has never been done….
    2. You may have to learn to worship like you aint never worshipped before…

Two Tabernacles
1. 1. We have Moses’ tabernacle that teaches us the cost of Redemption…
  2. But David’s tabernacle teaches us the Effects of Redemption…
    1. The effect of Redemption demands a sound….
      1. That’s why I can’t be quiet in my praise…Redemption demands a sound…
      2. It ain’t about your personality
      3. Your denomination
      4. Or your ethnicity….
      5. It is about REDEMPTION….
    2. Zion is filled with Praise…
    3. There is a sound in Zion…
    4. The Power of Death and Life are in the Tongue…in the Sound you make…
    5. When we are in Praise and Worship…we are making a sound…
      1. Clap your hands all you people shout unto God with a voice of triumph…

1. Song: Zion is Calling by Clint Brown
  1. Zion keeps calling me to a higher place of praise
    To stand upon the mountain and magnify His name
    To tell all the people
    And every nation, that He reigns
    Zion keeps calling me to a higher place of praiseIt becomes my highest praise
    When all that I am responds to who You are
    It becomes my highest praise
    Just to know You Lord
    Just to know you lord
2. There is a place in Praise and Worship…where you realize I’m not by myself anymore…where I have come to Mount Zion…
3. Put on the Garment of Praise for the Spirit of Heaviness….
  1. There ain’t no heaviness in Zion…
  2. So, if I put on Praise…heaviness has got to go…
  3. Depression has got to go
  4. Fear has to leave…
4. You don’t know…there have been times that I have had to stop everything and just praise him…
  1. Just like Christian in Pilgram’s Progress…if I can praise him for a minute…I’ll make the next leg in this journey…
  2. CAN ANYBODY RELATE TO THIS ROAD TRIP
Get Me to Zion
1. Ps 126:1-3

126 When the Lord brought back the captivity of Zion,

We were like those who dream.

I’m telling you if you’ll get Zion in your soul…you’ll dream again…

2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter,

If you can get to Zion…in the Spirit…you’ll start laughing over some stuff that has been causing you heartache…
“A Merry Heart doeth good like Medicine…”

And our tongue with singing.

Paul said…”we’d sing in a hymn, in a spiritual song and in another tongue…”

Then (when the people of God get on the road to Zion and begin to Praise Him like they know Him… they said among the nations,

“The Lord has done great things for them.”

3 The Lord has done great things for us,

And we are glad.

NKJV

Spiritual Zion

Hebrews is about Better Things…there is a Spiritual Zion…that you can step into this morning….
Let’s go to our opening Text…Bring Out a Couple of Thoughts before we Close…

Heb 12:18-24

This is about Moses at Mount Zion…but the writer says…BABY WE’VE GOT BETTER….

Hebrews 12 started in verse 1…”we are surrounded by a Cloud of Witnesses…”

When we begin to Praise the Lord…Our voice unions with the Voices of Angels…and those who have gone before us…

I know you can’t hear it because our ears aren’t tuned into that frequency…but there is a praise that even the Angels join in on…

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.

God is there, of course, and so are the Old Testament saints (“spirits of just men made perfect”).

Jesus Christ the Mediator is there, the One who shed His blood for us.

We learned that Abel is still speaking (Heb 11:4);
and here we discover that Christ’s blood speaks “better things than that of Abel” (Heb 12:24).
Abel’s blood spoke from the earth and cried for justice (Gen 4:10)
while Christ’s blood speaks from heaven and announces mercy for sinners.
Abel’s blood made Cain feel guilty (and rightly so) and drove him away in despair (Gen 4:13-15)
but Christ’s blood frees us from guilt and has opened the way into the presence of God.
If it were not for the Blood we could not Enter Zion!!!!

NIV

Summer Road Trip #5: Road to Zion

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