Psalm 121:1
People make pilgrimages to “saint places”. They are going to Palestina, Mecca, long time ago they were walking to Kiev. They were expecting and are expecting that the Lord have exceptional mercy on them and they will get salvation, unfortunately there is not any benefit. Worthless (beggarly) elemental things will not save. Spiritual changes will save us.
Today we will make some kind of pilgrimages to saint places. We will visit seven mountains of Palestine and will try to extract a lesson visiting them.
The teaching on seven mountains picturesquely reveals us the full understanding about the more perfect Christian life.
1st Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:20).
This mount reminds us the law of God, righteousness of God.Have you ever been on this mountain? Have you been convinced of your sinfulness? Do you know this from your experience? And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin (John 16:8).Do we behave rightfully in our life? Proverbs 20:9. Psalms 142:2.It’s necessary to be near Sinai every day. 2 Corinthians 13:15. (Zephaniah 2:1).
2nd Mount Golgotha (Matthew 27:33). Psalms 24:11.
Our sins are on him. The peace is with God.
When we climb Golgotha and imagine Christ’s excruciations, His death for our sins in our mind’s eye, when we will deeper understand His divine love and within the light of Golgotha we will not rely on our righteousness, but on God’s grace and forgiveness. And let us be as written in Proverbs 19:11.
3rd The Mount of Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1).
God’s spirits leads to the Mount of Beatitudes where every Christian should go to acquire knowlege sitting next to Jesus.
Some people thing that the teachings which have been outspoken by Jesus on this mount are new. But it is not. All the teachings were in the period of the Old Testament. Even in that time people were aiming for perfection.
Examples:
Jesus was teaching in the Gospel: “Don’t repay evil for evil”.
Proverbs 24:29.20-22. Psalms 36:27.
Christian’s beatitude (rejoice) depends on loyalty to God in any situations in the life, on moral life.For being blessed let us come to the Mount of Beatitude more often and listen to Jesus.
4th Mount Moriah (Genesis 22:2).
This mount symbolises separation, dedication and purification (making sacrifices of own Isaacs). “Offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God” (Romans 12:1). Many favourite things we have to sacrifice. Have you ever been on this mount? Have you сertainly brought your will onсe and for ever?
Oh, my friends! Do not pass through the Mount Moriah, otherwise you can’t be brought up to Mount of Transfiguration and to God’s service. Pray that the God tests your hearts (Jeremiah 17:10).
(Solomon began construction of Lord house in Jerusalem on the Mount of Moriah.2 Chronicle 3:1).
5th The Mount of Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1).
Any human comprehension, body, and personal life – everything disappears and they see one Jesus. (Matthew 17:8). The Apostle Paul was writing in 2 Corinthians 3:18. –We are being transformed. Have you already changed yourselves? Have you been on this mount? You can’t worship God, if you aren’t on the Mount of Transfiguration.
6th Mount Pisgah (Nebo) (Deuteronomy 34:1).
An expectation of the heaven with joy. Have you seen glorious earth? Is it far ? All prepared people see it in their faith. 1 Corinthians 2:9-10.
We also should more often climb on this hill that we better understand Lord’s care and grace.
7th Mount Sion (Revelation14:1).
Thanksgiving to God. In everything give thanks (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Never stop praising Him (Psalms 34:1). Christians rejoice in their troubles (Romans 5:3). Rejoice with an inexpressible joy (1Peter 1:8. Habakkuk 3:17-18). That’s the life of glory. We approached Mount Sion (Hebrew 12:22). Psalms 48:2. “His Yoke is easy”(Matthew 11:28-29).
Trying the joice of communication with Christ – be on this mount. Do we often come here? It will be in the future, it exists in nowadys as well. We only need to reach it.
In order to abudant blessings on every mount we have to reach the peaks. We need to climb higher and higher. We will not walk near mountains, we will climb up the peaks .
So we made piligrimages to “saint places”.
Literal pilgrims returning from the “saint places” believe that after journey they are saved. Muslims put white turbans on their head. But it does not save. We will be saved if we after our spiritual piligrimage will put on white clothes marked with Christ’s character. And for this reason we should more often climb Israel’s mountains, not once in our life, but we should be every day on them and let us lift up the eyes more often to the mountains, as David wrote (Psalms 121:1). The help comes from there.
We have learned about God’s Law, justice on Mount Sinai; Lord’s grace and forgiveness on Mount Golgotha; we found out who is really blessed and rejoiced sitting near the Lord’s legs on The Mount of Beatitudes; on the Mount Moriah we found out how to make self sacrifice; on the Mount of Transformation we realised Jesus’s glory, glory of His character; On the Mount Pisgah we saw the promised future, we took a look at the glory of future; on the mount Sion we experienced joy of communication with Christ.
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Vladimir Shelkov
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