The Things That Cannot Be Shaken

Sermon transcript

If you would turn in your Bibles to the book of Hebrews for our reading this morning will be taken from book of Hebrews chapter 12 and we’re focusing in particular on verses 25 through 29 but I’m going to start reading in verse 18. Hebrews chapter 12 verse 18 this is the word of God for you have not come to what may be touched a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest and the sound of a trumpet and a voice 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 indeed so terrifying was the sight that Moses said I tremble with fear but you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God the heavenly Jerusalem and to innumerable angels in festal gathering and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven and to God the judge of all and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect into Jesus the mediator of a new covenant and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel see that you do not refuse him who is speaking for if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth how much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven at that time his voice shook the earth but now he has promised yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens this phrase yet once more indicates the removal of things that are shaken that is things that have been made in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship with reverence and awe for our God is a consuming fire amen let’s pray father in heaven we thank you for this your word that you have spoken you have written down you have preserved for us and you have given it to us we ask that you would accompany this word by your spirit that as the word is proclaimed this morning your spirit would give power and conviction to the speaker and also receptiveness believing accepting to the hearers that we might have life and you might be glorified so Lord we pray that you would send your spirit to these ends for the sake of Jesus in whose name we pray amen may be seated on May 22 1960 the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in human history struck southern Chile near the city of Valdivia registering a staggering magnitude 9.5 it unleashed energy equal to tens of thousands of atomic bombs with intense shaking lasting 10 minutes which must have felt like an eternity the ground rippled like water tearing open massive fissures triggering enormous landslides that buried entire villages and causing widespread destruction liquefaction that turned solid earth into quaking flurry whole forests sank lakes vanished and volcanoes erupted in the aftermath the earthquake generated devastating tsunamis with waves up to 80 feet high that ravaged the coastal towns of Chile and then raced across the Pacific Ocean striking Hawaii 15 hours later and even Japan 22 hours after the initial rupture causing destruction thousands of miles away nearly 2,000 people lost their lives tens of thousands were injured and over 2 million were left homeless entire towns like Valdivia or Puerto Montt were reduced to rubble with countless homes churches factories and bridges built on unstable soil or without adequate reinforcement collapsing completely yet even in this apocalyptic shaking some things did endure a few well-constructed buildings on firm ground survived with minimal damage traditional Chilean homes simple flexible wooden structures tied together without rigid nails often remained standing while modern concrete buildings nearly nearby crumbled in some areas structures anchored to solid bedrock or designed with natural flexibility fared far better than those rigidly fixed to the shifting ground when the earth finally stilled and the waters receded everything built on shaky foundations lay in ruins but the things rooted deeply in what cannot be shaken remained our passage promises a final shaking one day that will come and friends this small shaking is a vivid picture that God of what God gives us in our passage in Hebrews chapter 12 he warns that a final greater shaking is coming and one that will not only shake the earth but the heavens themselves everything that can be shaken will be removed so that only the things that cannot be shaken will remain forever as we stand here on January 4, 2026 the first Sunday of the new year question echoes across the centuries to us this year what is your life built upon the shifting ground of this world success security or comfort or the unshakable kingdom of God offered to us in Jesus Christ let’s turn to our passage this morning discover the things that cannot be shaken as we examine our passage this morning we’ll consider three exhortations number one listen to the voice that cannot be silenced number two release the things that will be shaken and number three cling to the things that cannot be shaken number one listen to the voice that cannot be silenced now before we consider the specifics of verse 25 let’s take a few moments to orient ourselves within the book of Hebrews as a whole as we’ve been going along the author is placing his original audience and including us as later readers as well into the drama of redemption we’ve seen this move from the author of Hebrews starting from verse 1 of the letter verse 1 long ago at many times and in many ways God spoke to our fathers by the prophets but in these last days he’s spoken to us by his son the author tells the readers that they are current participants in a final epoch in the unfolding of the drama of God’s redemption all throughout the book of Hebrews the author has been highlighting the way the place in which his readers exist in the history of redemption is superior to all others because of the coming of Christ we’ve seen the author explain the multitude of ways in which Christ is superior to the Old Testament priests sacrifices and figures in chapters three and four the author cautioned his readers that they face their own current Canaan crossroads he made clear the stakes and urged his readers that the story of redemption never ended with Israel but God’s rest is a present reality available to all who enter by faith all throughout the book of Hebrews we’ve seen that theme that the previous history of God’s people is part of a larger story which is not yet complete this made his warnings more intense as the author reminded his readers that if anything the stakes have only gotten higher today the danger of ignoring missing out refusing or walking away has only increased over time and at the present point in the drama of biblical history it has reached a fever pitch but then we noticed those last two verses of Hebrews chapter 11 verses 39 and 40 all these though commended for their faith did not receive what was promised since God had provided something better for us that apart from us they should not be made perfect so while the danger is greater so are the blessings and instead of us having to look back longingly to the good old days when God was invested in history the story is not finished the Hall of Faith is not merely a record of historical admiration and exemplary interest it is held out as an unfinished story of which we too are a part we are involved in the continuation of the story that they started God never finished the story with them because it involves you and I we’re not mere spectators of bygone multitude of faithful Saints but we are the continuation of the grand story of God the drama of redemption which is climaxed in the death of Christ but not yet concluded in the heavenly Jerusalem God’s story in redemption is not merely in the past it remains present and future we rightly place our hope and security in Christ who has done his work in the past died on the cross and rose from the dead but we’re not meant to run the race of faith facing backwards faith is inherently forward-looking and as we saw all the patriarchs who in Hebrews 11 15 if they had been thinking of the land which they had gone out they would have had opportunity to return instead they looked ahead and for us to have faith it will require us to look ahead look forward as well not back to the land from which we came it is quite possible to believe that God has provided for Saints even ourselves in the past while remaining doubtful that he will be able to help us today or even tomorrow you need faith that believes God will help you now that he will still have everything that you need tomorrow and chapter 12 started out telling us to run forward looking at Jesus throwing off anything that would keep us from completely trusting God and now as we come to the end it is ending with a reminder that the gaze of faith is forward not backward last week we saw that we have not come to look back at Mount Zion Mount Sinai but we have been caught instead come to look forward to Mount Zion which brings us up to verse 25 where he says see that you do not see that you do not refuse him who is speaking for if they do not escape when they read when they refused him who warned on earth much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven our passage is a continuation of the contrast between the threatening Mount Sinai and the celebratory celestial Mount Zion which was set up in the previous verses and which we looked at the author painted vivid pictures of these contrasting mountains which represented the distance which existed in the old covenant despite the sacrifices and ceremonies versus the accessibility and the intimacy available in the new covenant because of Jesus but immediately after describing Festal Mount Zion the author returns to a theme that he has been focused on ever since chapter 2 chapter 2 therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard lest we drift away from it for since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation the superiority of the new covenant brings with it a greater severity for ignoring despising or rejecting it and we saw this laid out most clearly in Hebrews chapter 10 verses 28 and 29 anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses how much worse punishment do you think will be deserved by the one who is trampled underfoot the son of God and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified and is outraged the spirit of grace recall as we saw last time that within the heavenly Jerusalem resides God the judge of all Sinai was terrifying but Zion will be worse for those who refuse to listen because with greater privilege comes greater responsibility and there is now no option of going back to Sinai so we have come to Mount Zion whether we like it or not Mount Sinai is irreversibly in the past you have not come to tangible Mount Sinai Mount Zion is the present reality God has spoken his final word in Jesus Christ and this means that the rewards are much greater but the stakes are much higher imagine the difference between ignoring a beeping smoke detector which may or may not be legitimate and completely ignoring air traffic control while you’re attempting to land a commercial jet the people of Israel had Moses the Ten Commandments written by the finger of God the tabernacle the pillar of cloud and fire dwelling in the midst of their camp and yet that generation that left Egypt failed to enter the promised land and even after entering as a nation they were eventually exiled for persistent disobedience and unbelief but despite its tangibility the Old Covenant was unable to bring about intimacy with God instead it pointed ahead to the realities that Jesus fulfills and this is why it is all the more important to listen to the voice it cannot be silenced the voice of God’s final revelation speaking from heaven which is Jesus therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard Hebrews 2 says the Israelites tried to turn down the volume on God’s voice on Sinai they asked Moses to be their go-between in verse 19 of our chapter 12 the hearers begged it says the hearers begged that no further word be spoken to them and the Greek word therefore begged is actually the same root word as the word we have translated as refuse in chapter 25 which is why he picks up on that concept that the previous they refused him who warned them on earth Israel refused to listen to God asking Moses to become a mediator between them and the God of Sinai and yet Moses pointed ahead to the ultimate mediator between God and man Jesus Christ but now that Jesus has come there is no mediator between him and humans he is the mediator he is also the final authoritative word of God it was dangerous to refuse the thunder from Sinai but that was given locally to Israel Zion is far more dangerous as Psalm 2 makes clear Psalm 2 verses 5 and 6 then God will speak to them in his wrath and terrify them in his fury saying as for me I have set my king on Zion my holy hill and verses 10 and 12 now therefore O Kings be wise be warned O rulers of the earth serve the Lord with fear rejoice with trembling kiss the Sun lest he be angry and you perish in the way for his wrath is quickly kindled blessed are all who take refuge in him when it comes to Christ there are two choices refuge refuse or take refuge the author is urging his readers not to choose to refuse Sinai was terrifying but it was local it was God’s voice on earth but Zion on the other hand is global it’s God’s voice from heaven which brings us to our second exhortation which is to release the things that will be shaken verses 26 and 27 at that time his voice shook the earth but now he has promised yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens this phrase yet once more indicates the removal of things that are shaken that is things that have been made in order the things that cannot be shaken may remain as he makes his point the author brings in a quote from Haggai chapter 2 verse 6 which we read earlier in the service for that says the Lord of hosts yet once more in a little while I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land the author breaks author of Hebrews breaks it down for us this is a reference to the final judgment that is coming yet once more means it’s still in the future there is a final once for all shaking that will take place the shaking is not merely a disruption a remove but a removal a sweeping away think of a sieve or a strainer which is shaken until all of the particles the smaller particles fall through and only the large ones remain and this is the picture of the final judgment that we have in our passage if you recall from chapter one of Hebrews he quoted Psalm 102 and the author uses the imagery of changing out the created order like old clothing Hebrews chapter 1 verses 10 through 12 he says and you Lord lay the foundations of the earth in the beginning and the heavens are the work of your hands they will perish but you will remain they will all wear out like a garment like a robe you will roll them up like a garment they will be changed but you are the same and your years will have no end what we see here explicitly is that God is the one constant he remains no matter what happens to everything else and this presents us with two categories things that are shaken and removed and things which cannot be shaken and remain there is coming a day when this distinction will be utterly unmistakable and inescapable but for now the distinction is muted it is discerned by faith Hebrews chapter 11 verse 1 now faith is the assurance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen and verse 3 by faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God so that what was seen is not made out of things that are visible we saw when we looked at that earlier a number of weeks ago faith acts like night vision goggles helping us see things that we could not otherwise see it orients our hearts and our minds so that we gain clarity on reality so that we can properly perceive and value what is permanent and distinguish that from what is transient in this world so many things feel solid and permanent we build houses on concrete slabs we build skyscrapers on foundations of bedrock the earth under our feet feels stable but in an earthquake we suddenly see things very differently what we see with our eyes right in front of us often feels more solid and stable then holiness and then eternity and faith is the only way to gain an eternal perspective ahead of time on this side of judgment before it is too late so often our problem is that we obsess over things that are inconsequential we obsess over temporary success and status pouring endless energy into climbing ladders that will one day collapse promotions titles follower counts net worth the approval of people whose opinion opinions will not outlast this age we obsess over physical appearance and comfort hours in the gym or diets or fashion or anti-aging routines or the perfect home decor all focused on a body and world that are wearing out like a garment our bodies and homes are gifts to steward but obsessing over them as if they are eternal is to mistake the shadow for the substance we obsess over control and security in a shakeable world stockpiling money insurance policies political solution or even prepping for every possible crisis as if we could make this present order permanent jesus warned against storing up treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy and instead to store them in heaven the final shaking will make every earthly safety net irrelevant we obsess over grievances and minor conflicts we nurse grudges replay arguments cancel people over disagreements lose peace over slights that an eternity’s light will seem absurdly small we obsess over fleeting pleasures binge watching scrolling shopping food sex entertainment anything to numb the ache and fill the void these are not wrong in and of themselves but when they become our functional heaven we’re clinging to things that will be shaken not what is real and stable the tragedy is not just that these things are temporary instead obsessing over them crowds out the things that cannot be shaken every hour spent frantically grasping at shadows is a is an hour not listening to the voice from heaven or clinging to christ and his kingdom the picture we have is of all creation melting away under our feet falling through a sieve with god being the only thing that remains god and those who are connected to him by faith our passage portrays a divine judgment by which some will be proven to be eternally established in god’s presence while others will not the final shaking will even sift the church the writer of hebrew is not giving this warning only to those outside out there he’s speaking to the community of faith this is a judgment that cuts through the church as well as the world because just being a member of a covenant community does not exclude you from the shaking and if you’re not anchored if your soul is not clinging to christ you will be swept away so our final exhortation number three is to cling to the things that cannot be shaken verses 28 and 29 therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken and let us offer to god acceptable worship with reverence and awe for our god is a consuming fire we might have expected a final exhortation to shape up to obey to pay attention instead we’re told to be grateful how does gratitude fit in well gratitude is a response that fits in between two wrong responses one wrong response would be to refuse i don’t need your help i don’t need an unshakable kingdom thank you very much i’m fine another response would be to say well i deserve your help i deserve nothing less than unshakable than an unshakable kingdom but gratitude accepts the help that it knows it needs but it doesn’t deserve and that’s why gratitude is such an appropriate response to this astounding gift of an unshakable kingdom one of the ways you show your appreciation is to hold on to it if i gave you a gift this past christmas and find it the next day in the giveaway or throwaway pile i might be a little offended and i’m definitely not thinking that you’re grateful for my gift now sometimes there are gifts that warrant that but the point is to give it away immediately is not to appear grateful gratitude is to hold on to it and the same is true with god’s unshakable kingdom here if you ignore it if you pretend it doesn’t exist or doesn’t matter to your life that’s the opposite of being grateful so we’re told to be grateful that we’re receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken the language receiving here echoes that of daniel chapter seven the famous passage in which daniel sees a vision of the end of time with the son of man which is the title that jesus takes to himself who rises up and receives a kingdom and then we’re told in verse 18 but the saints of the most high shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever and ever the unshakable kingdom is not something we build it’s a gift that we receive so therefore an unshakable soul is not achieved by human effort but by being firmly anchored to the unshakable realities god gives us in christ so how does your soul become unshakable well hear and receive the voice from heaven the process begins with listening god is speaking today through his son in the gospel to refuse or ignore that voice is to remain rooted in the shakeable what will be removed to repent and repent and trust christ alone for your salvation for forgiveness and righteousness faith is the open hand that receives the kingdom in the moment you believe you are transferred from the domain of darkness into christ’s eternal kingdom let the number two let the coming shaking do its work now god’s final shaking will remove everything temporary so that only the eternal remains and you ought to allow that future to shape your present priorities regularly examine your life what am i obsessing over that belongs only to this passing world release your tight grip on inconsequential things status comfort control grudges pleasures the more you loosen your grip on the shakeable the less the future shaking will unsettle you cling to christ the unshakable foundation jesus is the founder and perfecter of our faith he endured the ultimate shaking on the cross was raised imperishable and now sits enthroned forever and union with him makes your soul bedrock steady abide in him daily through prayer scripture the lord’s supper remind yourself constantly my life is hidden with christ in god colossians three verse three your life is untouchable it’s hidden with christ in god and when trials come preach to your soul christ cannot be shaken therefore i cannot ultimately be shaken and finally cultivate grateful reverent worship gratitude anchors you in grace received reverence and awe anchor you in god’s holiness our god is a consuming fire worship reorients your heart towards what is eternal so make god make thankful god-centered worship a daily habit a weekly habit in every circumstance joy or pain say i have received a kingdom that cannot be shaken therefore i will give thanks and draw near with holy fear in short your soul becomes unshakable not by becoming stronger in yourself but by being united to the one who is eternally unshakable jesus christ and by living increasingly for that kingdom that you have already begun to receive the shaking is coming but if your life is hidden in christ when everything around you falls you will stand unshaken because he holds you fast therefore dear friends brothers and sisters as we conclude this morning hear the urgent plea of hebrews 12 the final shaking is coming yet once more god will shake not only the earth but the heavens heavens themselves removing everything that can be shaken so that only his eternal kingdom remains what will be left of your life on that day the fleeting pursuits of this fading world its successes comforts and leisures securities or will it be the unshakable realities of mount zion so do not refuse him who speaks from heaven today release your grip on things destined to fall and instead with grateful hearts cling to christ and to his kingdom the gift that you are now receiving around that no earthquake no judgment no power in heaven or on earth can overthrow let gratitude fuel your worship let reverence temper your joy and awe remind you that our god is a consuming fire holy yet welcoming all who take refuge in his son so finally run the race looking to jesus live today in light of eternity and when the final shaking comes you will not be moved for you are anchored to the rock that cannot be shaken amen let’s pray our father in heaven we thank you that you have spoken to us from heaven despite the danger that comes with such speaking such danger of turning away and incurring judgment but lord we thank you that that word from heaven this is my beloved son my beloved son with whom i am well pleased gives us comfort and security if we are in christ so lord we ask that you would give us eyes of faith to see christ for who he is our treasure and our glory and we would rest in him give us hearts of resting in christ all our days till we see him face to face we pray this in jesus name amen well in response let’s stand and sing him 404 the church’s one foundation let’s sing him number 404 the church’s one foundation

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