A Kingdom That Cannot Be Shaken

Hebrews Ch 12:15-29

Pursue Holiness! very important idea.

Esau his birthright for a bowl of soup.

sinai and zion- contrast exdus 19:10-25

Spurgeon described four types of people who try to get on without holiness:

· The Pharisee: Confident in outward ceremonies instead of true holiness.

· The moralist: Feels no need for holiness because his life is so good.

· The experimentalist: Their entire Christian life is lived inward, never looking to outward conduct but only to feelings.

· The opinionist: Their Christian life is all about believing the right doctrines and is unconcerned about the way one lives.

lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble.

i. “A bitter root is a root that bears bitter fruit… So it is possible for the seed of bitterness to be sown in a community and, though nothing is immediately apparent, in due time the inevitable fruit appears.” (Morris)

ii. Bitterness corrupts many, rooted in a sense of personal hurt, and many hold on to the bitterness with amazing stubbornness. What they must do is remember the grace of God extended to them, and start extending that grace towards others – loving the undeserving.

William Barclay wrote that the phrase fall short of the grace of God might also be translated failing to keep up with the grace of God. The idea is that the grace of God is moving on, past the pain and hurt of the past. We should move on also.

All this fear did not succeed in promoting holiness among the people of Israel. It did not succeed in changing the heart of Israel. 40 days later, they worshipped a gold calf and said it was the god that brought them out of Egypt.

(22-24) Be bold, because you have come to Mount Zion.

To the blood of sprinkling that speaks of better things than that of Abel: The blood of Abel does not mean the blood he shed in his martyrdom. Rather, it was the blood of the sacrifice he made – the first recorded sacrifice from man to God in the Bible. The blood of Jesus speaks better things than the blood of animal sacrifice, the blood of Abel.

i. Yet it is true that the blood of Jesus the Messiah speaks better things than that of the blood of Abel the martyr. The blood of Abel cried, justice must be satisfied, bring vengeance. The blood of Jesus cried, justice has been satisfied, bring mercy.

(22-24) Be bold, because you have come to Mount Zion.But you have come to Mount Zion: The lesson is plain. We shouldn’t come to Mount Zion as if we were coming to Mount Sinai. So put away your hesitation, be encouraged and get bold in coming to God.

i. Consider the contrasts between Mount Sinai and Mount Zion.

· Mount Sinai was marked by fear and terror – Mount Zion is a place of love and forgiveness.

· Mount Sinai is in the desert – Mount Zion is the city of the Living God.

· Mount Sinai spoke of earthly things – Mount Zion speaks of heavenly things.

· At Mount Sinai, only Moses was allowed to draw near to God – at Mount Zion, an innumerable company, a general assembly is invited to draw near.

· Mount Sinai was characterized by guilty men in fear – Mount Zion features just men made perfect.

· At Mount Sinai, Moses was the mediator – at Mount Zion, Jesus is the mediator.

· Mount Sinai brought an Old Covenant, which was ratified by the blood of animals – Mount Zion brought a New Covenant, which is ratified by the blood of God’s precious Son.

· Mount Sinai was all about exclusion, keeping people away from the mountain – Mount Zion is all about invitation.

· Mount Sinai is all about Law – Mount Zion is all about grace.

ii. Of course, the idea of the superiority of the New Covenant is also repeated. It shows that these Jewish Christians should not even consider going back and preferring the religion of Mount Sinai to the relationship of Mount Zion.

(25-26) Watch out; great privilege has a great warning and danger within it.

See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven, whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven.”

a. See that you do not refuse Him who speaks: As described in the previous verses, God holds the goodness and glory of Mount Zion before us – the perfect and finished work of Jesus and the New Covenant through Him. If we choose to refuse this from God, we can’t ignore the consequences.

b. They did not escape: There were consequences for rebelling at Mount Sinai. There are and should be even greater consequences for resisting God’s greater work at Mount Zion.

c. Whose voice then shook the earth… Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven: At Mount Sinai God shook the earth with His voice. The New Covenant shakes things up even more (Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven).

i. It’s easy – and dangerous – to think that God was severe and mean in the Old Testament and somehow became nice in the New Testament. This is so simplistic that it is deceiving – there is more mercy in the Old Testament than many imagine, and there is more judgment in the New Testament than many imagine.

ii. When everything is shaken the only question is, where are you standing? Is it safe and secure?

(27) Why God shakes the existing order.

Now this, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain.

a. Indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken: God promises to shake things again to take away (the removal) reliance on the material – as in material things, materialism.

b. That the things which cannot be shaken may remain: God shakes things to test them, and then to take away the things that can’t take the test.

(28-29) The unshakable kingdom.

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire.

a. Since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken: In contrast to the instability of the world around us, the kingdom of Jesus cannot be shaken, and we are receiving this kingdom.

i. This is our stability in an unstable world. We don’t yet full have this kingdom; it is yet to come. Yet we are receiving it. Griffith Thomas noted that the ancient grammar and phrasing indicates “We are constantly and perpetually (Greek) receiving a Kingdom that is incapable of being shaken.”

ii. How we have already received the kingdom

· We have received it in promise; a promise from a trustworthy man is just as sure as having the thing itself.

· We have it in principle, and we see the principles of God’s kingdom at work in the world.

· We have received it in power, and see the life-changing and miraculous power of God at work in the world today.

· We have received some of the provision and protection of the kingdom, because our King provides for and protects us.

· We have in received it in community, for our congregational gatherings are kingdom communities.

b. Let us have grace: The kingdom itself will never be shaken. So we must seize God’s unmerited approval in Jesus, helping us to serve God acceptably.

i. “Glory be to God, our kingdom cannot be moved! Not even dynamite can touch our dominion: no power in the world, and no power in hell, can shake the kingdom which the Lord has given to his saints. With Jesus as our monarch we fear no revolution and no anarchy: for the Lord hath established this kingdom upon a rock, and it cannot be moved or removed.” (Spurgeon)

ii. We may serve God acceptably: These words explain just how this may be done.

· Our acceptable service begins with our being receivers (since we are receiving a kingdom).

· Our acceptable service is offered by the work of God’s grace in us (let us have grace).

· Our acceptable service is marked by reverence (with reverence).

· Our acceptable service is marked by the spirit of happy reverence (with godly fear).

· Our acceptable service is marked by a profound sense of the divine holiness (for our God is a consuming fire).

iii. Some wrongly argue that “too much” grace gives license and breeds disrespect towards God. Actually, grace gives us reverence and godly fear. Perhaps those who think grace gives them license to sin aren’t walking in grace at all.

c. Our God is a consuming fire: Since God is in fact a consuming fire, we do best to come to Him on His terms. These are the terms of unmerited approval in Jesus. He will consume all that is outside of that sphere.

i. Elijah knew that God was a consuming fire; He consumed the sacrifice at the altar on Mount Carmel. Solomon knew that God was a consuming fire; He consumed the sacrifice at the altar at the dedication of the temple.

ii. The truth that God is a consuming fire is a comfort to the believer. They realize that the Father poured out His consuming fire of judgment on the Son in our place. When He did, it completely consumed the guilt of sin in all who believe. The penalty of sin was consumed in Jesus at the cross.