Part 1
The Book of Hebrews is very precious. Where does this book lead us? It leads us to come before God. God’s purpose is for us to enjoy the Father, the Lord, and His grace. Hebrews chapter 12 tells us that we have come to Mount Zion. Now, Mount Sinai represents the Old Covenant and living out the commandments under the law. Mount Zion, on the other hand, represents the New Covenant and living in grace.
“For you have not come to what may be touched (Mount Sinai), a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest and the sound of a trumpet and a voice…” (Hebrews 12:18-19a)
“…whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them. For they could not endure the order that was given, “If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.” Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, …” (Hebrews 12:19b-21a)
Part 2
Moses was the closest to God in his time. He was considered the mediator of the Old Covenant. On behalf of the Israelites, he made a covenant with God.
“…that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.” (Hebrews 12:21b)
You may read the Bible for the detailed description. The scene was extraordinary and terrifying! The earth shook and trembled. The mountain smoked, like smoke coming out of a kiln. There was thunder, with the extended sound of a trumpet, a loud voice and a speaking voice. This was the scene when God gave the Ten Commandments.
Part 3
Another important passage is in Galatians chapter 3, 4 and 5. God wants us to live in grace. He does not want us to follow the old way, which was to live by the works of the law. You might say, “But I do not live by the works of the law.” However, if you rely on yourself, you still live by the same principle of living by the works of the law. If you do not live by faith, though you may not follow the law as the Israelites did, you still live by your own standards or other people’s standards. You may know what is right, yet you do not have the strength to walk it out. Though you are in grace right now, without faith, you are in fact still living by the works of the law.
Romans chapter 5 tells us that we stand in grace after we have believed in the Lord, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Grace and hope is so precious that we can endure tribulations with joy. We ought to live in this grace so that we can have joy.
Part 4
The gate of God’s love and grace has been opened! We need to enjoy the eternal covenant that the Lord established by His blood. The Bible calls it “a covenant of peace” and “an everlasting covenant.” This covenant is very precious! Why is it an everlasting covenant? How wonderful that the effect of this covenant is forever! We can enjoy the endless blessings from this covenant. It will never expire! The New Covenant brings us into eternal life, which is to know the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom God has sent. This covenant brings us into the deepest relationship with God. Now we have the deepest relationship with the Father, the Lord and the Holy Spirit. In God’s family, we also have the deepest relationship with one another. These relationships satisfy the Father, the Lord, the Holy Spirit and us the most.
Part 5
Furthermore, the blessings of the New Covenant will not end, and we will also continue to enjoy more and more. Therefore, this is an everlasting covenant. This is final, and nothing beyond. If you understand the essence of this covenant, you will know that this is what the Father, the Lord and the Holy Spirit enjoy the most. God is satisfied, and so are we. The capacity of our spirit will continue to grow, glory upon glory.
For more than 60 years, I have been giving thanks to the Lord for this love relationship every day. When I see Him face to face, even for another 100 years, I will not sin. Now I can overcome sin because I live in His grace. This victory comes so naturally. This is how we overcome the world— enjoy the Lord Himself, enjoy Abba and His love. We can overcome the world with joy. What we gain is much more precious than anything in this world. It is so precious that you don’t want anything to disturb this enjoyment. You will no longer waste your time on other things or replace it with anything in this world. You don’t want to fall, or to give into Satan’s temptations, because you know it’s not worthy.
Part 6
Therefore, enjoying the Lord is the key to overcoming the world. When you taste the preciousness of the Lord, you will not want anything in this world to disturb your enjoyment and your relationship with the Lord. Our faith gives us victory over the world—accept the Lord, enjoy Him and His grace, then you can overcome the world. It is not by saying “no” to this world. More important are what I have and what I enjoy. For example, will you choose chicken feet over a chicken drumstick? Unfortunately, many people nowadays choose something even worse. We don’t have to struggle to gain victory. Rather, we can be more than conquerors in all things.