Mount Sinai and Mount Zion: The Journey of the Believer to the Mountain of God

Long ago, a man named Moses was walking up a hill, and he discovered a bush that was burning, the flames rushed through the bush over and over, but, the bush was not consumed by the flames. The bush held the flames, the bush allowed the flames to flow through it, but the bush remained safe in the flames, bearing the flames without being harmed.

God spoke from the flames to Moses, and called Moses to a great mission, a mission that one day would lead Moses into Egypt, and out of Egypt again, with the entire Hebrew nation, all the way back to Mount Sinai, also known as Mount Horeb, where he first met God in the burning bush.

We’re going to be looking at Hebrews chapter 12 today. The author of Hebrews is writing to Jewish Christians who were facing severe persecution, after having fled persecution in Israel, they now faced new persecutions throughout the provinces of the Roman Empire.

Being Jewish converts to Christianity, their entire history is steeped in the Old Testament, steeped in Jewish traditions and beliefs, much of them centering around the words of Moses in the Torah. The Torah is what Jews called the first five book of the Bible, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Number and Deuteronomy. So, throughout the book of Hebrews, the author is going to reference Old Testament events and activities thoroughly.

Chapter 12 is no exception. In particular, we're going to see Mount Sinai referenced, as well as as second mountain, Mount Zion. 

Today we’re going to be looking at these two mountains, the activities surrounding these two mountains. We’re going to see one of these mountains represents a temporary kingdom and one of these kingdoms an eternal kingdom. We’re going to look at the danger of turning away, as well as the safety of the eternal foundation, the shaking that God brings about, the fire of God, and the we’ll touch on paradise and damnation today.

I hope you’re excited, I know I am.

We come to the first mountain, described in verses 18-21. This is Mount Sinai, the text is taking us back in time to the moments when God had brought millions of Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, and they were now camped at the foot of Mount Sinai, the place where God first met with Moses in the burning bush.

Have you ever gone back to a place that meant the world to you when you were younger? Maybe it was Grandma’s kitchen, or the house you grew up in? Can you imagine the emotions Moses was feeling as he led the Hebrews toward the mount where he met with God in the burning bush?

Yet this was a scary situation for Moses and the Hebrews. They were told, you must not even touch mount Sinai. There was thunder, lightning, and the fear of God. Only Moses and Aaron were permitted to come up to meet with God.

And the writer of the book of Hebrews is helping us understand that the situation is different now, than it was back then. The writer tells us, it’s “not” quite like coming to this mountain.

It’s written, verses 18-21: "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 to death.”[c] 21 The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, “I am trembling with fear.”

Mount Sinai symbolizes justice for us today. A dark mountain, a mountain of fear, and laws, and a system that we could not obey. The law showed us our sinfulness, and that we could not be good without god.

This is not the mountain we are journeying toward as Christians.

We are all on our pilgrimages through this world to a particular mountain, the mountain of God. And though we are grateful for Moses and the burning bush, the 10 commandments, the old testament laws and regulations, they do not primarily define our current journey with God.

Our journey with God is different. It’s built on those events, built on those commandments and historical events, but, our story is centered on Jesus. We’re on a journey, similar to the Hebrews as they journeyed out of Egypt. We’re journeying out of the world of sin, and toward a new world. The author calls is “Mount Zion.”

Verses 22-24 say this: "22 But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. 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, to the spirits of the righteous 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.”

We are at the second mountain. But really, it’s a city. Our journey is toward a city. A city that God has made. A home for all of us.

Now I’ve been to a few cities in my life, Chicago, built along the edge of lake Michigan, San Francisco, built along the ocean, St. Louis built at the gateway to the western part of the nation, and Washington D.C. built on seven hills. But this city of God talked about in scripture is very different from any city we’ve visited.

This city is not built along a lake or in a valley, but it is built around the throne room of the eternal infinite God who made the universe in which we currently reside.

If you flip in your Bible back to Revelation 21, it describes the layout of the city, in verses 16-19:

“16 The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia[c] in length, and as wide and high as it is long. 17 The angel measured the wall using human measurement, and it was 144 cubits[d] thick.[e] 18 The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. 19 The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone.”

That’s about 1,500 miles in length, and width and height. 200 feet thick walls. These are very specific measurements, don’t you think? Much like the measurements given for Noah’s ark in Genesis 6:14-16, and the instructions for Solomon’s Temple in 1st Kings 6-7. Which tells me the Bible isn’t speaking in symbolic terms here, but specific terms.

To visualize 1,500 miles, imagine driving from Traverse City, mi to Florida.

Our Christian journey ends at this city. And a new life begins when we reach this city. It is the heavenly Jerusalem. It is filled with endless billions and billions of angels. It is a place in which your names are written right now in heaven.

If you are truly born again through Jesus Christ, your name is written in the book of life right now.

Ultimately, coming home to the new Jerusalem is coming home to God himself, your true father, the God who designed you, spoke you into existence, crafted your soul, and placed you into the body within the body of your mother before you were even born.

Your mom and dad cared for you and raised you, but something deep within you longs for your true Father, your God, the one who made you, and knows you more deeply than anyone ever could imagine.

He Knows You.

To enter the city of God we must be washed in the blood of Jesus. We must be as the text says, 'the righteous ones, made perfect.'

And in that city we will meet Jesus, our King, our Lord, our friend, our brother. The one who loves us and died to bring us there safely.

By his sprinkled blood, on the altar, his blood removed all our sins. And that blood speaks a word over us.

It’s not like the blood of Abel, mentioned here in the text. The blood of Abel if you recall in Genesis, cried out from the ground to God, as God told Cain his brother: "The blood of your brother cries out to me." It cried out for justice. 

So it was during the time at Mount Sinai, the law cried out for justice, the ten commandments, and no one could fulfill the law. Everyone fell short. We were guilty, like Cain, with the blood of his brother calling out for justice.

Does this mean that Mount Sinai was bad, or that the law was wrong? Not at all. The law was perfect. It displayed God’s perfect standard. And Jesus did not do away with the law, he fulfilled the law, he lived under the law, and he perfectly obeyed the law for us.

But now the sprinkled blood of Jesus speaks a new word over us, not like the word Abel’s blood spoke, crying out for justice. Instead, Jesus’ blood cries out a new word over us: Justified. Redeemed. Forgiven. Innocent.

This blood of Jesus covered us, covered over our sins, and we were declared clean. But it did more than that. It didn’t end there, it began there. When Jesus was pierced on Calvary by the spear, a flow of blood and water came from his side.

Jesus said, (John 4:14) “Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

This represents the Holy Spirit. The blood covers us, and instantly we are born again, of water and the spirit, and this begins our journey toward the eternal city, like a spring within us, bubbling up toward eternal life.

Again, turn back to Revelation, 22:1-5: "Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. 3 No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.”

That is your destiny. That is your future. The living water bubbling up within you now, is the water that flows down the great main street of the city of God. And it flows from the Father and the Lamb, down from the throne like a waterfall, and toward the tree of life. That is the city we long for, that is the place our hearts long to be. No place really feels like home in this life, our hearts always long for something more. They long for this city, for the God at the center of this city, and the adventure we shall enjoy for all eternity at this city, and in the new heavens and new earth. Praise God!

So we’ve looked at the two mountains, Sinai, and Zion. Now the author of Hebrews is going to challenge us.

Verse 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?"

Again we’re getting a comparison between the two mountains. The Hebrew nation traveling through the wilderness was warned by Moses, obey the Lord, follow the Lord, don’t turn aside to idols. But as scripture says, their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. The generation that was delivered from Egypt died in the wilderness without seeing the promised land, except for Moses (saw it), Joshua and Caleb (went in).

Similarly, we today are on a journey through another wilderness. The wilderness of this world. This world is not our home. The author of Hebrews challenges us, do not turn away from the God who speaks from heaven. If they didn’t escape in the wilderness of sin (Exodus 16:1), how will we escape in our wilderness of sin, if we turn away from the living God?

I’ve seen it happen many times. A once dedicated believer begins to drift away from the Lord, and eventually they end up back in the world, worse off than before. Guard against this danger. Hold fast to the Lord. He who endures to the end shall be saved. Indeed, much of the book of Hebrews deals with this command: Do not fall away. Do not drift. Hold close to the word of truth.

Next, verses 26-27: "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.”[e] 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."

At Mount Sinai God’s voice when he spoke, shook the Earth. But now, God promises he will not only shake the Earth, but also the heavens. What does that mean? The author of Hebrews tells us, the “once more” statement points to an end, and a new beginning. Meaning, we currently dwell in the old heavens and old earth system. They will be removed, destroyed, and replaced with the new heavens and new earth discussed in Revelation 21 and 22. That is one form of shaking, shaking that removes the old and reveals the new.

Another form of shaking, is how God "shakes" us. God shakes us from time to time through trials and difficulties, so we are slowly becoming mature, we become spiritual, which is to be unshakable. But the shaking will continue on the Earth, and the culmination is the end times talked about in Revelation, leading to the end of the old system, and the beginning of a new system, new heavens and new earth.

When the author writes, what cannot be shaken may remain, he’s talking about you.

Lastly, verses 28-29: "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.”

Let’s pull all this together: We are receiving an eternal kingdom as our inheritance: The new city of God, the new Jerusalem. We must not turn aside on the journey. We must not let ourselves be distracted by worldly pursuits.

I’ve seen so many different layers and levels of being a Christian. From a Christian who you can barely tell they’re a believer, to a Christian who is growing but still caught in sins, to a Christian who is devoted but distracted by the world at the same time, to a fully devoted believer who is truly on fire for Jesus. My only challenge to you is, to have the mindset of slowly giving more and more of yourself to Jesus. See it as a spectrum in which you’re moving from one end to the other. You do that through slow gradual changes. If you do that, you’ll be moving toward full devotion, and arrive there one day.

Therefore, let us be thankful for what is coming. It’s exciting. Let us thank God every day for the good things he provides. And let us then worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.

Going all the way back to Mount Sinai and Moses standing in front of the burning bush, the scriptures say, the bush burned but was not consumed by the fire. God was even speaking to Moses in the bush, saying to him, if you believe in me, you will be like the bush, a clay pot, average, but you will carry the fire of God within you. And it will not harm you. It will not consume you. It will burn within you.

So it is for us as Christians. The Holy Spirit of God burns within us. The fire of God does not consume us, it burns within us, and we are consumed with Him.

You will be consumed by something in life, let that thing that we are consumed with, be God.

Consumed with, or consumed by.

The choice is ours: Countless souls are being consumed by the fire of God in a place called hell. They did not seek God. They refused God. And so the fire consumed them.

But we know God. We have accepted his son Jesus into our hearts. And so we are led by the flame of God. It does not consume us. It does not harm us. We’ve allowed that fire to forge us and mold us and shape us. And so we now carry the flame within us, but more so, it carries us.

You may be wondering: How do I apply this to my life? The application for today is simple: See yourself as on a journey to the eternal city of God. See yourself as a pilgrim on the Earth. See yourself as one who carries and follows the flame of God within you. And if you have that mindset about your life and your journey, that God is writing your story, you will be seeing the world rightly, and that is truth, and when you see through the lenses of truth, you will succeed, because the truth will set you free. 

How do you see your life? Let God define it. You are journeying home to the New Jerusalem.

Perfecting Holiness out of Reverence for God

Before we start today, I want to tell you a little about myself. My name is Justin Steckbauer, I’m originally from Wisconsin. I’m 40 years old. I became a follower of Jesus when I was 27, and God radically changed my life. I have a past, a dark past, which you’ll hear me touch on from time to time, I shared on Pentecost that I was once an atheist. But once I came to know Jesus, I was called by Him to the ministry.

I have several degrees in the study of theology, a bachelors in Christian counseling from Liberty University, I’m a graduate of Salvation Army training college in Chicago, with a two year degree. And I hold a masters degree in the study of ministry from Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, IL.

I’ve served in ministry in various roles for the past 12 years. 6 of those as an ordained minister in The Salvation Army. So Chelsey and I are coming from an extended ministry in the Salvation Army.

I’ve served in ministry with The salvation army, in Wausau wi, Escanaba, mi, Owosso, Mi and Gary, In. Chelsey and I met in Owosso when I was the pastor there, and we worked together in ministry for several years, and got married in 2024. We don’t have any kids yet.

We are very passionate about doing ministry together, Chelsey has served in the past as the program coordinator, and I as the pastor. So we’re looking forward to continue doing ministry together here.

In the last year we felt God calling us toward the church of the Nazarene, and in particular we’ve felt drawn for years toward traverse city. In fact, I was so sure that Chelsey and I would end up in traverse city one day, that I asked Chelsey to marry me here on the beach at mission point light house.

Chelsey and I believe with all of our hearts, that it is God’s will that we are here

I’m going to ask my wife to share a bit about herself as well...

Generally the way that I select a scripture for Sunday morning is I ask God, and God will lead me to a particular passage, so unless we’re in a sermon series, where it’s one section after another, it’s something God brought up.

So let’s get into the passage for today, 2nd Corinthians 7, we’re going to focus in on verse 1, then we’re going to comb through the rest of the chapter.

Verse one says, “Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.”

There are three parts of this verse, the first is “since we have these promises.” Meaning, as Christians we are living from a place of already having the promises of God.

We are not working our way toward the nest, we’re not climbing the tree to get to the nest, we are in the nest, accepted by God, children of God, loved by God, and holders of the promises.

We are not a teenager working toward the keys to his new car, we already have the new car, the keys are in our hands, and we are going for a drive in it.

We are not working on the house, hoping to live in it, we are living in the house, as we are working on it.

Second portion of this scripture, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit.”

As we live the Christian life month by month, year by year, God brings things to our attention, things he wants to purify out of us. When we notice those things, we take action, the Holy Spirit within us, helps us. We pray, we repent, we seek God’s help, we confess what’s going on to a trusted friend, we grieve, and turn. We often seek healing, and that healing will help us, in whatever sin we’re struggling with, it breaks free, when the healing comes.

Third portion, “perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.”

Our God is holy. In fact he is holy, holy, holy. If we could see him right now, we would all instantly, feel completely undone, and we would cry out as Isaiah did, I’m a man of unclean lips.

Therefore, since we have these promises, from a place of acceptance, we purify ourselves of anything that could contaminate our body or spirit, which is, perfecting holiness. That process is perfecting holiness. Slowly we are setting ourselves apart for special use.

What is our motivation? It is reverence for God. The NIV translates that word there reverence, but almost every other translation renders it the fear of the Lord.

We’ll say reverent fear of the Lord. And I’ll share this illustration. Back in 2022 I met my future wife Chelsey. One thing she told me, was that other men treated their faith a bit like a happy go lucky game, and what she saw in me, was that I really did fear the Lord, and really wanted to do what God wanted.

Is it good to have a healthy fear of God? Yes it is. The fear of the Lord keeps us from evil. It’s like a guard rail, and it keeps us from the edge. Now, at the same time, the main thing in my life is the ever flowing love of God. That’s the main thing, daily, all day, every day, all night, all the time. But, at the appropriate moments, the fear of the Lord will come upon me, and it helps guide me away from evil, away from danger, and toward the right. Then the fear fades again, and its replaced by love. The love is the constant, the fear pops up when it’s needed.

Those three portions helps us understand how it works. We are at home with God already, we hold the promises in our hands. This leads us to purify ourselves on the sanctification journey. The motivation in this is the fear of God, that prompts us, to not play games with sin, but to put those sins to death quickly with the help of the Holy Spirit.

The rest of the chapter, Paul is going to be dealing with a very specific situation at the Corinthian church. He’s dealing with issues like repentance, facing difficulties, joy and endurance. I don’t want to get too into the weeds with all of this, so for the rest of the chapter, we’re going to jump around a bit, and try to mine out some gold nuggets, key principles ,we can apply to our own lives today.

Chapter 7 of 2nd Corinthians continues like this, “2 Make room for us in your hearts. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have exploited no one. 3 I do not say this to condemn you; I have said before that you have such a place in our hearts that we would live or die with you. 4 I have spoken to you with great frankness; I take great pride in you. I am greatly encouraged; in all our troubles my joy knows no bounds.”

A few things to glean here… The command to “make room for us in your hearts” is beautiful to me. It reminds me that we need to make room in our hearts for Jesus. We need to also make room in our hearts for each other. There’s a beautiful Christian Christmas song that includes the phrase, “Is there room in your heart, for God to write your story?”

Often times, we have so many things in the world that we love, there isn’t room in our hearts for the things of God. Can you relate today?

Paul also says, “in all our troubles, my joy knows no bounds.” Is that not wild? Paul had constant problems in his ministry, yet he also claimed joy that was boundless in the troubles.

Joy is the mark of a true believer, a joy that overcomes everything else. I remember being with the church board and sensing a joy among us, because we could all sense God was doing something. Despite all the difficulties, and it’s been difficult! And despite the difficulties, I had a joy with me through all of it. A sense that God was doing it, and it would all work out. If you are going through something, look for the joy.

We’re mining nuggets from this chapter, two nuggets, make room in your heart, and joy despite difficulties.

Let’s look at our next portion, verses 5-7:

5 For when we came into Macedonia, we had no rest, but we were harassed at every turn—conflicts on the outside, fears within. 6 But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, 7 and not only by his coming but also by the comfort you had given him. He told us about your longing for me, your deep sorrow, your ardent concern for me, so that my joy was greater than ever.”

You will face seasons in your life when you will feel like Paul, harassed at every turn, conflicts outside, fears within. That’s real. I’ve been through some seasons like that. Conflicts going on around us, and fear within. But, God always brings comfort and consolation in those seasons. He will bring someone, or some event, that encourages you, and give you new strength and new hope to keep going.

For Paul, this encouragement came through Titus who came and visited him. And the end result was, Paul says, his joy was greater than ever. Paul knew he wasn’t alone. 

I was on vacation in Minocqua wi and I had an experience that brought me great joy. The vacation had gotten a little rough that day, some traumas from the past came up, and I felt overwhelmed. But, we got to sit around a camp fire with some old friends that night, Skip and Sandy, and the conversation was spiritual, deep, meaningful, and it encouraged Chelsey and I. It was like a cold drink on a hot day. God does that. He may do it for you, or use you to help someone else. When you feel that nudge to call someone, or reach out, or have someone over, maybe they need it more than you realize. Act on it!

Next, verses 8-11: 8 Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it—I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while— 9 yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. 10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. 11 See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.”

Paul’s letter to the Corinthian church brought about sorrow, but, it’s clear that his letter, used by the Holy Spirit, brought about godly sorrow. Godly sorrow, leads to good things.

Godly sorrow leads to repentance, that leads to salvation, and leaves no regret.

This brings us back to our key passage for today, 2nd Cor 7:1, purify yourself from all things can pollute spirit and body.

How does this happen? It happens through the process described in verse 10.

It happens like this, first, the Holy Spirit identifies the issue. We begin to notice, something in our lives, is causing a slight alarm bell to go off in our conscience. It’s not often very loud at first, but each time we do it, it goes off a little louder.

Soon we identify it, and say, ah, the Holy Spirit is saying something to me about this thing.

What follows is something called godly sorrow. We see it, we wrestle in our mind back and forth, trying to justify why it’s ok for us to do that, but, eventually sorrow takes over. And we start to feel sad, that this thing is in our lives, and it shouldn’t be.

It leads us to a valley of decision. What am I going to do? And often times we tell someone about it, we confess it, to our pastor, or a trusted friend. Often we start to study the issue, we read books about it, or even talk to a counselor, and eventually we come to the altar, not necessarily at church, but the altar at home, and we pray: “Lord forgive me, I’ve done this and I see you pointing it out. Please forgive me Lord by the blood of Jesus, and we use the power word, Lord, I repent.”

Which means to turn away from that activity or thing or person or action, and we turn toward God. And this brings a victory. And afterward we may feel tempted to do it, but we stand firm, with the help of prayer, friends, scripture, even support groups if necessary, and we find true and lasting freedom.

For some things, it may be more difficult. A lot of these things I’ve found, are connected with something from our past that needs healing.

Again, we take that to God, and God brings healing. We confess it. We journal about it. We ask God to heal our heart. We bring it to a counselor or pastor, and we share about it. We grieve the original hurts, even with tears, and this brings lasting healing.

This all may seem difficult, sad, like walking through a fire, it may include wrestling, painful memories, and ugly tears. But, the fruit that flows from it, there is no regret after it’s been confessed, healed, and repented of. It’s gone. It’s forgiven. And that hurt that sin that’s been sitting there for years like a splinter in your mind is GONE, and you just want to jump for joy, you’re so excited that your free.

It took walking through the godly sorrow, and hurt and healing and repentance, and exposure, but, the result is a harvest of righteousness.

You’ve fulfilled 2 Corinthians 7:1, you’ve perfected holiness in the fear of God. And you’re free.

God did this with me most recently, with coffee, I’m not saying all coffee is sinful. But for me, God convicted me about 6 months ago, and I was misusing it. Using it to power me through each day. That isn’t right. And I repented, I simply stopped using it. And that splinter in my mind was suddenly gone, and I rejoiced. And I’m glad, I’m glad to be free.

Whatever it is in your life, sometimes we hide it, but it just nags at us, just let it out, confess it, repent of it, and enjoy freedom.

Lastly, verses 13-16:

In addition to our own encouragement, we were especially delighted to see how happy Titus was, because his spirit has been refreshed by all of you. 14 I had boasted to him about you, and you have not embarrassed me. But just as everything we said to you was true, so our boasting about you to Titus has proved to be true as well. 15 And his affection for you is all the greater when he remembers that you were all obedient, receiving him with fear and trembling. 16 I am glad I can have complete confidence in you.

Paul writes that Titus when he visited the Corinthian church during this controversy, his spirit was refreshed.

I think the key here, with repentance, and cleansing ourselves from things that would contaminate us, perfecting holiness in the fear of God, the end result after each victory along the journey, is an incredible refreshing of our spirit.

Every time God grows me through some challenge, afterward, I feel stronger, cleaner, refreshed, renewed, and revived.

That will be your experience individually as well, as you engage in this process with the Holy Spirit.

But in conclusion today, let’s expand it, to say, what will the experience of the body of Christ be?

It will be, if the believers are not hiding their sins, or ignoring them, but actively allowing the Spirit to remove them, the body of Christ will experience, refreshing, renewal and revival.

What two things have led to revivals in the body of Christ on Earth? Prayer, and repentance from sins. Those two things when combined, have moved the heart of God to pour out revival on Earth.

Do you long for a new day in the body of Christ? Do you long for a new time in Michigan? Do you long for a new season in Traverse City? Do you long for revival?

Let it start with you. What if each one of us, were praying, and exposing our sins, repenting of them, perfecting holiness in the fear of God? We may yet see a move of God that will shake the foundations of this city forever.

Remember, it starts with you, getting honest, asking God for help, repenting, and praying. Then we will see a revival, in these end times in which we live.

How to Guide on Anointing with Oil

I want to share a list of answered prayers in my life with you today.

While I was in Escanaba, I had become addicted to soda. I was pounded back about 6 sodas a day. Again, prayed, and in time, God delivered me from that addiction. Answered prayer.

For a year I prayed God deliver me from smoking cigarettes. And boom, God set me free.

I was praying for years for my step dad Jim to come to know Jesus, today he’s becoming a soldier soon at The Salvation Army in Anderson, SC.

I prayed for 10 years, from 2012, to 2022 to meet the woman I was supposed to marry. And in 2022 I started dating the woman I would marry. Answered prayer.

Recently, prayed for someone to be healed and they were healed.

Prayed for someone for a demon to go that it was speaking lies into their life, and it went.

But it all starts back in 2012 when I was depressed, broken, and ready to give up on life. I had so much trauma built up from abuses and brokenness in my life, that every moment felt exhausting. And in that place of intense sorrow, drinking, deadness, I prayed a simple prayer, Jesus please help me, please save.

That prayer was answered, and the answer to that prayer stands before you today.

All of that to tell you, not how great I am at praying, but how powerful prayer is. It tells you how God answers prayers. And how as you develop your prayer life, God will answer some huge prayers in your life.

But always remember, it’s His will, His timing, and His purposes, not our own. There are also many prayers God did not answer, because they were not His will.

Our scripture today is going to deal with prayer, but it also deals with several other factors in the life of a Christian.

It’s sort of a “how to” manual, practical of course, like the whole book of James. You might say this last section is asking a question, then answering it, asking a question, then answering it.

The first part of verse 13 says: "Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray."

The Greek word translated trouble actually means "afflicted" or "suffering through hardships."

If you are going through something difficult your first step should be to pray.

The development of your prayer life is really the key issue of being a Christian. If I want to successfully complete my journey as a follower of Jesus Christ, it will be contingent on developing a successful prayer life.

It starts very simple, just short prayers in the morning and at night, over meals and so on. And slowly you build from there. 30 seconds becomes 1 minute, 1 minute becomes 3 minutes, 5 minutes, ten minutes.

See it as a journey that you’re on with God. It’s something you’re slowly building together with God.

It kind of like if you were in a new relationship, and slowly and naturally, you develop personal contact, through phone calls, texts, chats, talking in person, and slowly but surely those times get longer and longer.

Types of Prayer:
Thankfulness – thanking God for things

Intercession – all kinds of requests

Talking Father-Son/Daughter – about my day

Processing Prayer – expressing deep emotions and excitements, hopes, and traumas

God’s Presence – sensing God all around you

Hearing from God – divine truths come to you

Deeper Levels – no limits, prayer goes deeper than you imagine

There are also different kinds of prayer. I think the one most of us know is thankfulness. God thank you for my family, thank you for my home, thank you for my car, thank you for this and that. Another we all know is intercession, goes like this, Lord be with my mom, my dad, my grandma, my grandpa, my cousin, my sister, my best friend, my neighbor, and so on. That’s called intercession, it’s a good kind of prayer, but it can be tiring.

Here’s another kind of prayer I want you to do: Telling God about your day. As if you were talking to your dad, or a good friend, tell God about your day. I call it processing prayer. I’m talking to my Heavenly Father and simply telling him about what happened today. And it helps me to process through everything. I like to do this sitting in nature as well. ...Except lately the mosquitos are getting me. Oh well.

Asking God to bless a list of people is great, but if you want to develop an intimacy with your heavenly Father, tell Him about your day, and then begin to pour your heart out, God here's what I’m struggling with, here’s what I’m happy about, thank Him for good things, cry out for issues, and soon it becomes quite a long and thorough dialogue. It goes deep!

And as you get into extended periods of prayer, you’ll begin to have moments where you stop talking, and God’s presence washes over you. Something shifts in the environment. And then you’re just still and silent before Him.

As that stillness grows, and you feel His presence, you’ll also then begin to hear things back from God. I like to repeat this phase, “Lord, I seek your face.” This prayer comes from scripture, “if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves, pray, and seek my face, I shall heal their land…” As you seek God’s face, you’ll begin to hear His voice. Not necessarily in an audible voice, but you’ll simply begin to know things, you’ll receive a download from heaven, and you’ll naturally know what His will is for certain situations in your life.

There are even deeper levels of prayer, the journey of prayer goes deeper and deeper. But those are some of the things we can experience in prayer.

See it as a journey, year by year, slowly growing in your prayer times with God, and slowly your prayer times will grow into deep, rich times of God’s presence surrounding you.

Second part of verse 13, “Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.” Many of you I know are cruising around in your cars with Christian rock or hymns playing in your car. That is great!

What should I do if I'm suffering? Turn that suffering into prayer.

What should I do if I’m happy? Turn that happiness into worship.

Prayer is not the only way to communicate with God, though it’s treasure. Another glorious way to communicate with God is through worship, pouring out your heart to God in singing.

Create a playlist, on Itunes, Youtube, Spotify, a CD, whatever your platform is, and play that playlist when you’re ready to rejoice with God. Play it when you’re happy. And sing to God.

Why do we sing at church? Because it’s fun, because it encourages us? Because the lyrics communicate a message to us?

All those things are true, but, they are not the main reasons we worship. The main reason we worship is to express our praise to God, which is itself a powerful movement of the Spirit, that changes the world, it changes the atmosphere around us, and it changes us.

Verse 14, "Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord."

The Greek word for sick here means, sick. But it can also mean weary. So I think we should assume sick can mean physically sick, but also mental struggles, struggles with depression, or anxiety.

I want to stop on this and discuss the anointing of oil. 

Anointing oil is simply olive oil in a small bottle, nothing too fancy. It’s something that was practiced in the Old Testament, and in the New Testament.

It’s something the Lord has prompted Chelsey and I to utilize in recent months, in our prayers and ministry. And the results have been astonishing. Now, there’s nothing special about the oil itself. But, it is true that certain prayers should be prayers, and certain prayers should be matched with anointing at the same time. The Lord will prompt you when you should anoint. You’ll know in your spirit, that the situation in front of you, needs anointing.

I think it's important we do use olive oil. The Bible specifically mentions olive oil, not other kinds of oil. 

Now, the most powerful form of anointing is of course what is discussed in the scripture today, gathering the elders of the church around someone, while they are anointed. But, you can anoint one on one. The key is the faith of those who are doing the anointing. Faith is key here. Believing that God is about to heal someone in a powerful way.

As it says in verse 15: “And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.”

The prayer offered in faith. As the scriptures say, Mark 11:24 (NLT), "I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours.”

Believe that you’ve received it. So if I pray for someone to be healed from a cold, I should believe that the cold is gone as I pray.

Very simple.

Gather around with a family member or friend the person you want to pray for.

Have your olive oil jar ready.

Begin to pray for them.

Dab some of the oil on your fingers.

Wipe the oil on their forehead or heart, or even a part of their body where they have requested healing, you can make the sign of the cross as you wipe the oil on them, sometimes I do.

Then place your hand over the area where you anointed, and pray in the name of Jesus Christ that they would be healed. Speak to their body, "In the name of Jesus, I command your kidneys to be healed!"

If you suspect they may have an unclean spirit/demon you will want to cast it out, command it to go, Go out in the name of Jesus, and it will obey your command of faith as well.

I pray: "In the name of Jesus, be healed, I command the sickness to go, in the name of Jesus, amen.”

But simply pray as the Spirit leads you. Don’t anoint someone if they don’t want to be anointed, is important too. Always ask.

I’ve seen the Lord use anointing in mighty ways. I was with two of my staff at a nursing home around Easter and we were going around Casa in Hobart, anointing the sick. We saw several amazing ways in which God used the anointing.

One story I’ll share is this older gentlemen was there, and he was delirious, half naked, calling for everything to just end, upset, mumbling incoherently, we anointed him, his family was there watching and we moved on. But as we moved from room to room, we saw this gentlemen suddenly change, he got dressed, was suddenly coherent, and his family took him to his wife’s room, she was also there. And later, we were at his wife’s room, and there he was holding his wife’s hand, coherent, God had calmed him and strengthened him. It was amazing.

It says: “God will raise them up.” God certainly did so that day.

It also says their sins will be forgiven. Sometimes sickness or weariness or depression is connected with sins in the life of the person seeking help. Not always, but sometimes.

Part of the healing process will mean that their sins will be forgiven by God through this process. But confession of such sins is important as well. If we want to be forgiven, we do need to confess.

Sins in your life as a Christian that you’ve not confessed, I believe, are not yet forgiven. So, if you sin as a Christian, as you sense the Holy Spirit convicting you, confess it to God quickly, ask His forgiveness, and repent. God will prompt you, if you have unconfessed sins in your life, but please do be quick to tell God, and ask His forgiveness.

It says in verse 16, "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”

Certain sins that you’ve committed, the Lord will prompt you to contact the person involved, even the person you sinned against, and confess it directly to them. The Lord has done this with me a few times. Just a few days ago the Lord prompted me to call someone in The Salvation Army, and confess how I had sinned against him. I did this just a few days ago. And it brought healing.

I know it’s tough. But it’s so worth it to do this, if God prompts you to. It will bring healing. Now, you’re forgiven if you’ve repented of it, but, sometimes the emotions are stuck and healing is needed that can only come from a phone call or letter to that person. 

But in general, even if you didn’t sin against someone, confessing a sin that you can’t quite escape from, to a good friend or family member, can be VERY powerful. It exposes the sin, so that it can’t hide inside you anymore. Suddenly, it’s in the open, and the power of God moves in. Confess it to someone you trust, your pastor, your mom or dad, a good friend, and watch God use that confession to bring healing.

It loses it’s power when it’s put into the open. Now be cautious you don’t want to air your dirty laundry everywhere, but, if its someone you can trust, please do it.

Second part of verse 16, “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”

There are things that can hinder your prayers. Sins in your life can hinder your prayer. 1st Peter 3:7 says that the prayers of a husband can be hindered if the husband does not honor his wife. But, if we are living in alignment with God, righteous, in holiness in Christ, our prayers will be both powerful and effective. They will be answered in full.

Next, verses 17-18: "Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops."

My wife pointed out when we were reading this verse that it wasn’t quite as simple as that. Elijah when he prayed, had to be very persistent.

He bent down and put his face between his knees and prayed. Seven times Elijah had to keep praying, sending his helper to go look and see if the clouds of rain were beginning to form yet. Each time the helper came back and said there was nothing. But then the last time, he came back and saw a tiny cloud like a man’s hand. And from there, a strong wind brought in heavy rain, after 3 and half years of a long and devastating drought.

Elijah prayed for the rains to stop, and it did not rain for years. Elijah prayed again for the rains to come, and they did come. 

In your authority in Jesus Christ, you can even come before a storm and command the storm to cease in the name of Jesus Christ. Do you doubt it? Jesus spoke to the wind and waves and told them, “Peace be still.” If it’s God’s will, you can command a tornado to stop, a severe thunderstorm to be silent, and it will happen.

Always with this caveat: If it’s God’s will.

A time may yet come in our world when you need to gather the believers together and command the storms to cease in the name of Jesus, and they will.

Pray. About. Everything. I can’t emphasize this enough. And dare to believe God for amazing prayer requests, things beyond your wildest dreams. Pray, and watch God do it.

But also, don’t get discouraged when He doesn’t. Keep praying. That’s part of the challenge too. Keep praying. I’ve heard it said God answers prayers in three ways: Yes, No, or Not yet.

Lastly, verses 19-20: "My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins."

James wrote early in his letter, we all stumble in many ways, but to wander from the truth is something else. But I’ve seen it many times. Many believers slowly drift away, and soon they no longer believe in Jesus. They add other religions into the mix. They fall away. They change their mind about Jesus. They wander away from the truth onto other pathways that lead toward destruction.

But the word of God tells us that someone who has wandered can be brought back. I’ve seen that many times before too. They had drifted away from God, they had left church, they had embraced odd beliefs, stuff they read on the internet, they read the Da Vinci code, someone told them ancient aliens did it, they read something about pagan gods having comparable stories to Christianity, and it won them over.

Others I've seen, they allowed politics to overtake their faith walk and become more important. Their beliefs got a little funky, a little off, a little odd. They became focused on social justice instead of Jesus, their main focus became tearing down society and fighting the system, instead of on Jesus.

I remember my mom and I went on a retreat when I was a new believer, and the priest there said basically just throw out everything you heard in church. I caused a scene, I confronted him and said, "Don’t you believe in Jesus anymore you’re minister!" It got tense. But later on, I saw him in the chapel at the retreat, in tears, repenting. 

Your words matter. You can help bring someone back who has wandered away from the truth. There is so much weird stuff out there, on the internet, on TV, strange theories, things people just make up on the spot, and you have to guard your heart and mind, because the world is trying to steal Jesus from you. If they can’t do it with a tasty temptation they may use a cleverly phrased conspiracy theory. Guard your heart.

It may be done in very subtle means. I remember growing up in public school, they taught us about the wonders of scientific evolution and they did their best to debunk things like the rainbow and explain away the beauty and majesty of God's design in nature. They tried to label, and categorize and push aside any mention of intelligent design. At the same time, very clever, they showed us videos by Carl Sagan, stating "the cosmos is all there is, every was or ever will be." Fascinating, because that statement can't be proved by science, its a purely ideological statement. At the same time, they taught us extensively about Greek gods, and the silliness of the stories and behavior of the Greek gods. Fascinating assault on my belief structure at the time, attempt to label nature as in no need of a god, push ideological statements that promote materialism (the idea that there is nothing beyond the physical universe), and smear the idea of any deity with the bizarre accounts recorded in Greek mythology.  

Yet despite all these ideologies and worldviews at play in the world, God is still able to bring back wanderers. There is hope for those who are wandering. Bring them back home gently, with love and truth.

Last point, remember what’s at stake, “Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.” This is life and death. If we help someone return to Jesus, that's huge, because their soul will be saved from everlasting death. That’s a big deal! What could be more important? When you do bring them home to Jesus, you will help cover over a multitude of sins. They will be forgiven afresh. Come back home, if that’s you, turn back to Jesus, he will wash you anew and afresh. Thank you Jesus!