Unshakeable Kingdom (3)
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Introduction
Quick recap
Unshakeable foundation
Unshakeable people
Unshakeable kingdom
Writer begins with the picture of mountains
I love mountains
Even part of why I travelled to BC to work at a camp
They are beautiful and majestic
Here some examples from around the world
Kirkjufell- Iceland
Fuji - Tokyo
Mitre Peak - New Zealand
Would be amazing to see and hike around
Exodus pic
Would you want to go to, yet alone hike on this mountain?
This picture is a depicition of what the author describes in vs 18-21
It’s recorded in Exodus 19 and 20
Listen as I read a small section of it
Exodus 19:16-20
I. Two Mountains vs 18-24
I. Two Mountains vs 18-24
The first description leads us to Mount Sinai
Foreboding, fear inducing,
reminds us of what God says later in Exodus no man can see me and live
judgement
John Piper, “unmediated holiness”
MIght bring to mind the gruesome scene in Indiana Jones - Raiders of the lost Ark - when the ark of the covenant is found and opened and everyone who looks melts away.
And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”
What comes out of this meeting with God is the Mosiac covenant and law
while Moses went up to God. The Lord called to him out of the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel: ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.”
This is not inviting
Secondly, Mount Zion
For the Lord has chosen Zion; he has desired it for his dwelling place: “This is my resting place forever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it.
Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised in the city of our God! His holy mountain, beautiful in elevation, is the joy of all the earth, Mount Zion, in the far north, the city of the great King. Within her citadels God has made himself known as a fortress.
here the writer describes Meeting of heaven and earth, God and man in harmony
temple - hill on which the temple was built
city of the Living God, heavenly Jerusalem (original - shadow of what was to come)
1000’s of angels in joyful assembly
Assembly of the firstborn - names written in heaven
God, judge of all - on his throne
spirit of the righteous made perfect
Jesus
- mediator
sprinkled blood
Forgiveness
New covenant
For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.
Through Jesus are heaven and earth brought together now and forever
II. Which Mountain? vs 25-27
II. Which Mountain? vs 25-27
Which mountain have you come to this morning?
Again these believers were under threat of turning away
The author says: “see to it that you do not refuse”
Mount Sinai, in a sense, will happen again only it will be even more significant
shaking heavens and earth
It will be enormous
Sort of like sifting until only what you want is left
vs 27 - only the unshakeable will remain
This is what they had come to already
With this warning not to go back
Why would you return to what will be shaken and destroyed
For some of us this morning this warning may be for you
are you looking walk away?
For some this is a invitation - for the first time to consider the two mountains and through faith in Jesus enter the kingdom that is unshakeable
We can think everything is good and then face mount sinai or we can experience life now and forever
For some of us it is a reason to hope
For others it is a means of rejoicing as we wait for Jesus to come
III. The Unshakeable Kingdom
III. The Unshakeable Kingdom
Only one kingdom will stand in the end, which we are a part of now
“As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.” I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you.
vs 22-24 tells us what will be left
God’s kingdom and those who have joined Him through Christ
This is also why it is to our destruction to do what Romans 1 describes of worship created things rather than the creator.
The one who has made all things, will also shake all things, and build his kingdom forever
He is the first and the last, the alpha and omega...
What’s our response?
Thankfulness -
Remember the words of Paul,
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Are we thankful despite the brokeness of our world?
Worship - this is the activity of those who are connected to heaven
reverence and awe
God is still a consuming fire
These two activities lift our eyes from the shakeable to the unshakeable
They can lead us away from fear, worry, anger, vengenace etc.
Towards being a city on a hill
to shine the glory of Christ and His kingdom, inviting all to come?
People who are less and less panicked by our current world, resting more in our King and the kingdom that will last forever
Would that describe you/us?
Here’s why it’s secure…Jesus
Communion
Conclusion
