FEAR THE FIRE

Hebrews 12:25–29 “25 See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven. 26 And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heaven.” 27 This expression, “Yet once more,” denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. 28 Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; 29 for our God is a consuming fire.”

Intro:

80% of U.S. Adults believe in God

56% of the 80 believe in the God of the Bible

97% of the 56 say that God loves ALL peoples regardless of their faults

What do these statistics tell us about the state of the “church”?

That the american church in large part has substituted the God of the Bible for a god of their imagination.

This exchange has led to the following beliefs

61% of evangelicals - believe everyone is innocent in Gods eyes

56% of evangelicals - believe God accepts worship from all religions

57% of evangelicals - believe that everyone is GOOD by nature

Why is this happening? It is not simply a misunderstanding of the word of God

its not even a rejection of the word of God

It IS a rejection of the GOD OF THE WORD

when you love sin, you will change god to be someone who allows your sin

you will deny the awesome, holy, righteous, perfect, judge that we find in the Bible

and you will embrace a SOFT, cushy, passive, pliant god.

One that does not judge sin, will not punish sinners, and apply gospel benefits to non gospel believers.

This is the culture that we live in, these are the beliefs of your co-workers, family, friends. It’s the belief of most churches.

If we are not careful - this thinking can invade our hearts and minds aswell. In fact, we’d be ignorant to say that this thinking has not already made its way into our congregations.

it is into this world the Bible speaks - in very clearifying terms. Where we go today will leave us with no question on the character of God, & no question on the way in which we can be forgiven, cleansed and reconciled to God.

We know there is ONLY 1 gospel & 1 way to to respond to it. So in the midst of a culture that refuses God and rejects the gospel, Hebrews 12:25-29 will provide us with 3 ways we MUST respond to the gospel.

Prop: 3 ways YOU must respond to the gospel.

Context: We are coming on the heels of a comparison - that of Sinai & Zion - the OLD & NEW COVENANT. We remember that the audience of this letter are jewish christians under intense pressure and persecution to return to judiasm. They have departed from Sinai & come to Zion BUT many in this crowd would be daily tempted to go back to the old ways. Whether that be in small ways; dietary laws, temple sacrifices, jewish tradition or in an all out rejection of Christ.

They’ve been encouraged reminded that the OLD covenant is insufficient now that new covenant is here. They’ve been warned that the LAW brings judgement BUT grace brings salvation. They’ve seen the DISTANCE the law creates between them and God and the NEARNESS grace brings.

NOW - as a result of the NEW COVENANT - as a result of the GOSPEL - the author presses forward to a more ultimate point. An intelectual or even logical understanding of the gospel is important but not ultimate - the author desires immediate and active obedience, a real RESPONSE.

Trans: Thats what we find here - how we ought to respond to the gospel in 3 ways...

1. Obedience v.25

Hebrews 12:25 “25 See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven.”

See to it - PRES, ACT, IMP

This is important - you MUST NOT refuse God.. WHY?

Remember the comparison of Sinai & Zion - There were many who heard God speak at Sinai and rejected Him. The result - was inescapable judgement - they died without reaching the promised land.

Well, similarly there are MANY who hear God speak from Mt. Zion & will reject Him. The result will be an inescapable judgement. They will die and not reach the HEAVENLY promised land.

Hebrews 1:1–2 “1 God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, 2 in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.”

It is all too common that people ignore God - who calls to them through the preaching of His word.

Illus: In my experince those who refuse God treat His word Like a phonecall from a telemarketer

Someone is at the door

I’m in the middle of something

I’m about to eat

walking into an important meeting

important responsibility “picking up your kid from practice”

Getting another call

family emergency

phones about to die

bad service

We refuse God because:

Someone else (spouse, child, friend) is on the throne of our heart

Because we are preoccupied in idolatrous things

We enjoy the lust of the flesh TOO MUCH

We consider other things more important

We like the god of another religion or our made up religion BETTER bc it will approve of a sinful lifestyle

or we think that it would be bad timing to start doing things Gods way

Maybe you have been obedient to the call of the gospel BUT are in the midst of a battle against sin - you must recognize that there is no legitimate reason to refuse God.

But maybe MORE importantly we’d be wise to preform self evaluation to be sure that we have NOT rejected the gospel. Because just like the blessing of obedience to the NEW covenant is GREATER than the OLD - SO the PUNISHMENT for refusal of the NEW is GREATER than the OLD.

Hebrews 10:28–29 “28 Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?”

The gospel is this -

God created everything, He is perfectly Holy and requires perfect obedience to His law

Man - has broken God’s law, must pay the eternal penalty for sin & cannot save himself by hisgood works

Christ - came to earth as both God and sinless man, displayed God’s love by dying on the cross, rose from the dead and is alive today

SINNERS - MUST believe in Jesus as LORD & saviour & REPENT of all that dishonors God

If you sit here unsure that you not only believe that to be true BUT have actually responded in the way God demands - then hear the warning and OBEY the gospel!

If you sit there and KNOW of someone who has not yet responded to the gospel - than consider delivering this warning to them OUT of love.

Because the GOSPEL requires a response and the response laid out here is FIRST obedience & secondly… confidence

2. Confidence v.26-27

Hebrews 12:26–27 “26 And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heaven.” 27 This expression, “Yet once more,” denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.”

At MT Sinai God shook the earth with His voice - like a loud song vibrates the car - one word from God “violently shakes” the entire earth

verse 26 quotes from...

Haggai 2:6 “6 “For thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Once more in a little while, I am going to shake the heavens and the earth, the sea also and the dry land.”

This is a reference to the LAST day - the end

the point the authr is making is this - IF God spoke at Sinai, shook the earth and THAT was inescabable HOW MUCH MORE is this future judgement where He will shake NOT just the earth but the heavens inescapable

Every square foot of the universe will be VIOLENTLY SHAKEN

Revelation 6:12–14 “12 I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; 13 and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. 14 The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.”

a quite HORRIFIC day - the author provides a bit of commentary on this OT quotation stating

Hebrews 12:27 “27 This expression, “Yet once more,” denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.”

He is saying EVERY PHYSICAL THING WILL BE DESTROYED! Every last ounce of matter will be annihilated and all that will be left are the eternal things.

So why is it that I say these verses invoke a reposne of CONFIDENCE?

It is because those who have come to MT. Zion - those who have come to Christ - are part of v.28 an unshakable kingdom

You can and must have confidence that the God who created the world, sustains the world and will destroy the world WILL PRESERVE YOU through the complete annihilation of the world.

How amazing is it that the following even is going to take place and you will escape COMPLETELEY unharmed?

2 Peter 3:10 “10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.”

2 Peter 3:12 “12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat!”

App: So if you will reach the otherside of that event in better shape than you are RIGHT NOW - how much more confidence should you have in the daily struggles of life?

Financial crisis

health concerns

marital difficulty

or what the original audice faced PERSECUTION in a declining culture.

You can walk through life confidently because you are part of an UNSHAKEABLE kingdom.

What you have in Christ is eternal - it cannot be taken away.

I can just imagine the difficulty this audience would have faced - leaving judiasm to follow Christ would have costed them social status, their livelihood, their family, their safety - and yet how these words would land on their ears - everything you’ve lost is going to be destroyed anyways - you’ve now inherited that which will never be destroyed.

we must press on in the Christian life because we have an eternity with Christ to look forward to

Philippians 3:8 “8 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ,”

Would you respond to the gospel with OBEDIENCE, CONFIDENCE & lastly… REVERENCE

3. Reverence v.28-29

Hebrews 12:28–29 “28 Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; 29 for our God is a consuming fire.”

Lest our confidence turn into cockiness we see sharply here that our reception of this unshakable kingdom DEMANDS our gratitude.

the word therefore shows us that this plane is landing

“let us show gratitude” literally means “have thankfulness”

Notice the connection here between gratitude and service.

“If thankfulness does not move us to serve God, then we do not truly understand who our God is and what He has done in our behalf. Without gratitude for Christ’s sacrificial love, our duty will become nothing more than drudgery and our God nothing more than a dissatisfied boss.” Chapel

I think thats helpful because the language here of “offering to God acceptable worship” is priestyly language - thats why later in ch.13 the author will say we are to offer a sacrifice of praise

but unlike the priests in the OT who often timed begrudgley or resentfully perfromed priestly duties

which led them to casually “serving God”

We are to THANKFULLY worship God in an acceptable way WITH AWE and REVERENCE

This is paramount - without FEAR one cannot be saved, without fear one cannot worship properly.

The statistics showed us that our culture is departing from the Biblical description of God. They attmept to pit the God of the OT against the God of the NT.

But what Hebrews is making clear is that you must be overwhelmed by the God of Sinai - the God of lighting, fire, gloom, whirlwinds and earthquakes - IN order to truly embrace the God of Zion - the God of grace.

Because they are one in the same - the fear of the lord is the beginning of wisdom.

ILLUS: Scripture doesn’t seem to describe our approach to God in laxidasical terms.

You know i’ll confess that throughout my teen years my car was a MESS. I’d leave stuff in it, forget to wash it, find trash in it from months ago.

But i didnt care it was JUST me most the time.

Although when I knew someone was going to be in my car I’d clean it up a little. If it was one of my guy friends that means I’d throw the stuff from the front seat onto the back seat.

If I knew my parents would be in it, I’d take all the trash out, throw an air frehsener in and be content if they say “your car is a little dirty”

BUT when I knew that I would be picking up my girlfriend (now wife) to take her to the football game - I’d spend hours cleaning that thing

FULL VACUME

Shampooing the carpets

waxing the paint

multiple air fresheners

WHY? Because I cared SO MUCH about what she thought, I wanted to please her & impress her.

BUt what if I was picking up John Macarthur? I mean I’d not only be cleaning the car, I’d be changing the oil, checking the brakes.

BECAUSE of a healthy fear & respect

When it comes to our worship of God it should be so thorough, so thoughtful & so diligent BECAUSE we LOVE & FEAR Him.

Whether its settiping up chairs or preaching a sermon -ALL is to be done in REVERENCE - for who He is and what He has accomplished on our behalf.

no one laughs there way into heaven - you must first be HUMBLED, broken and fearful because your sin deserves punishment - and it is only then that you will look to a saviour from that punishment.

And the author here drives the nail in ONE MORE TIME - with maybe the most severe warning in the entire book of Hebrews, he states “Our God is a consuming fire”

I like the way Jmac puts it “Some of you have come to the edge of full acceptance of Christ. Don’t go back to Judaism now. Only judgment awaits you at Sinai, and even worse judgment in refusing the offer of Zion. Don’t be consumed in God’s fierce, unrelenting fire of judgment.”

The hearers were left with a choice - go back to sinai, rely on their works and be condemned OR forsake sinai come to zion, rely on Christ work and be saved.

As if the offer of a relationship with Jesus Christ was not enough motivation alone, the warning comes that if you do not come to God now through Christ - you will come to God later and face His fiery judgement

BUT “The believer knows that in the presence of that bright light all his sins are exposed. He also rejoices that mercifully, in its refining flames, they can also be consumed.”

Conclusion:

Luther once said that “the worst fear is no fear at all”

We must leave here today reminded of who our God REALLY is - not one who accepts all people regardless of their faults

not one who overlooks iniquity

not one who is soft, flexible & passive

BUT the ALMIGHTY, UNIVERSE SHAKING, CONSUMING FIRE - who PROMISES judgement BUT offers you grace

Will you allow that grace to DRIVE you to obedience?

In the big things or the little things ACCEPTABLE worship - means TOTAL obedience.

Will you TRUST in God?

That in a declining culture and dying world - God will sustain you.

When you read scary headlines, or get tough news - will you trust that you’ve come to an unshakable kingdom and that your spirirt dependent endurance will result in you salvation

Will you FEAR God?

Watch what you say, how you act - because God is REAL and He is present and HE cares! He desires your REVERENTIAL AWE in worship.

Have you responded to the gospel though obedience, confidence and reverence? If not I invite you today to come to Christ - to turn from your sin - and find forgiveness at the Cross and be reconciled to our awesome God.