Do Not Refuse Him - Hebrews 12:25-29

Hebrews 12:25–29 ESV

25 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, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. 26 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.” 27 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. 28 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, 29 for our God is a consuming fire.

INTRO

Commentary on the Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Hebrews Chapter 12

And he pursues the argument from the less to the greater, when he says, that God or Moses spoke then on earth, but that the same God or Christ speaks now from heaven.

Also, you can point out in this lesser to the greater argument, that we are hearing the voice of Jesus.

“Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.” (Hebrews 1:1–4, ESV)

Don’t forget that this really is the conclusion of most of Hebrews’ argumentation. This is the wrapping up of this sermon of encouragement before ch. 13 ends with a few works of practical application.

Don’t forget that great repeated phrase from Psalm 95 — the one that is being repeated here at the end.

“Today,” saying through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.”” (Hebrews 4:7, ESV)

Now let us consider what the contrast means, the contrast between the old mountain and the new mountain. “See that you do not refuse him who is speaking . . .” (v. 25). Here is the point where modern Christians draw the lesson down when God speaks up. Our tendency is to assume that that the New Covenant is more user-friendly and tolerant of contempt displayed by the worshipper. This is precisely the opposite of what the Bible teaches. “. . .

Wilson, Douglas. Hebrews Through New Eyes: Christ and His Rivals (p. 166). (Function). Kindle Edition.

Points and Beats

I. The sifting and judgement

Think of the things that can be shaken. Civilizations and empires, politicians, senators, wealth, and fame. It is all so worn out. Think of the great poem by Shelly of Ozymandias.

This quote about shaking the earth comes from Haggai. And in the context of the quote the people have returned from exile and have rebuilt the temple. But there are people there who remember the old temple and its former glory. To this new temple, they weep because of how far it seems to have fallen from its former state. It was shaken. And to this God says to them, “For thus 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. And I will shake all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord of hosts. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the Lord of hosts. The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts. And in this place I will give peace, declares the Lord of hosts.’ ”” (Haggai 2:6–9, ESV)

And God does shake the nations. Empires fall and nations fail. God even continued to shake Israel, wiping out their third temple in 70 A.D. All will be shaken. And man is always looking for his footing. he is looking to get away from the fragile and find permenance and stability, to build his life upon a rock.

But this text tells us that it is all stubble. Even the heavens and the earth will be rolled up like a garment. Even the stars and the sun are in the hands of the Lord and will be shaken, but God’s kingdom never will.

Hear this voice. Heed this warning. Do not harden your hearts. Do not try to build upon hay and sand, but build upon the Rock and the Rock is Christ! Look to the Son. How much more judgement will come upon you who have heard of this offer and reject it? How foolish not to see here all your hope. How ignorant not to leap here with all of your desires and needs.

II. “Let us be grateful”

earnest of heaven, and an earnest is of the same nature as what it guarantees. We who are born to God have the first-fruits of the kingdom of God in possessing the indwelling Spirit; and in the first-fruits we see the entire harvest. Rise to this, my brethren, and under a sense of your immeasurable indebtedness go out and serve your God with joyful thankfulness. This is the spirit in which to worship the Lord who has given us the kingdom.

11. Moreover, in a measure we have received this kingdom in its power.

Notice, the text does not say we have received a little lordship, a small estate, a scanty portion, but we have received a kingdom. No gift less than this could satisfy the great heart of our heavenly Father. He never stops half way in his march of mercy. He made us first his subjects, then his children, then his heirs, and here he makes us kings; for every heir of God is heir-apparent to a throne. "He has made us kings and priests to God, and we shall reign with him." Brethren, in the grace which God has given you, you eceived a measure of kingly power: you who have believed in Jesus have power over yourselves, power over your passions, power over the powers of evil, power in measure over your fellow men for their good. You have also power in prayer, and what a real power that is when a man can ask what he wishes and it shall be done for him. God has endowed you with power from on high by giving you the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. So you have received a kingdom in promise, in principle, and in power.

See the power here and the glory — be grateful.

Also, think of an appliance that is plugged in and going rogue or wild, a mixer that is entangled in its cord and causing mayhem, then think of unplugging it from the wall. The Spirit of God has not just forgive us of our sins, it is also the power of God over them and over us. He has unplugged the mayhem from the wall.

“For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.” (Romans 8:14–17, ESV)

Kingdoms come and go - this world is shaken, but no power of hell and no scheme of man can ever pluck us from His hand!

We fear no revolution or anarchy.

Even the sun and the moon will pass away - the heavens will be shaken, but not the kingdom of the Lord, the one who upholds the universe by the word of His power.

You can never pay back even the millionth part of what you owe.

The translation here is let us let us be thankful, because the greek is a little strange to our ears in a sentence. It says, “let us have grace”.

When we are grateful, this is where it comes from. Not our effort, not our skills, not our talents, not our particular good emotions to serve when we feel like it. We are grateful as we have grace. And what kind of grace do we have? And in what amount? We have lavish grace. And what does grace do with our little selves and our weak flesh and our small talents, it grants to them more grace. It works in us to will and to do God’s good pleasure. It blesses our homes, he uses our voice in evangelism, our meager poetry into songs of worship, our small efforts into great building up of the body of Christ. So, let us have grace indeed. Let us be filled with thanksgiving and gratitude as we have more grace, ask for more in prayer, seize more in our minds to give thanks about, refuse worry and anxiety and complaint at the sight of it. It’s everywhere and blessing us in all things.

Do we serve God in the power of grace or in the power of our nature?

III. “Let us offer to God acceptable worship”

Do we worship with honor and gladness? We forget that we are serving not in toil or drudgery labouring as if we were galley slaves, we are sons, and princes, and priests, we serve in dignity but in wonder and humble gratitude. We serve and worship in

Hebrews for You (Being Unshakable)

It is noteworthy that worship follows thankfulness because the latter naturally leads to the former. It is really hard to worship if you are not grateful. If you go through life thinking you got the short end of the stick, then worship will not come easy. But when you read a passage like this, you realize that there is no short end of the stick here. You have come to Mount Zion and Christ—the very best place to be. It is by grasping this extraordinary grace that you can worship with gratitude.

This worship is given “with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire” (v 28–29).

— Think back to Chalmers’ essay on giving the greater affection. See in Christ not only the object to worship but the motivation and fuel — see His grandeur.

The humble spirit of worship. We are so unworthy and so weak, and yet do we come to God shamefaced and guilty? No, we come boldly before the throne, but not in pride. For what have we received that isn’t a gift and why would we boast as if it wasn’t? We come with great exaltation in our station, but humbly asking why, like the hymn:

And can it be that I should gain An int’rest in the Savior’s blood?….

Long my imprisoned spirit lay Fast bound in sin and nature’s night; Thine eye diffused a quickening ray, I woke, the dungeon flamed with light; My chains fell off, my heart was free, I rose, went forth, and followed Thee. My chains fell off, my heart was free, I rose, went forth, and followed Thee. No condemnation now I dread; Jesus, and all in Him, is mine! Alive in Him, my living Head, And clothed in righteousness Divine, Bold I approach the eternal throne, And claim the crown, through Christ my own. Bold I approach the eternal throne, And claim the crown, through Christ my own.

We worship because we know our frame, or at least have a close acquaintance with it. We know our hypocrisy, somewhat, even though God knows it all. We know the precipice of our depravity and our thoughts and our sins. We often mimic humility rather than attaining to it. When we see our humility we are usually proud of it.

We blush. That might be a good picture of it. We are given grace and we know we don’t deserve it. Worship right here honors the Lord. It isn’t smashing us under the pride of God, but it is smashing our pride.

Worshipping God in the way that He has appointed. This is a fulfillment of the second commandment — to worship Him rightly an in no false way, no imaginative way that is not Him. Not according to our preference or designs, but as He has called us by His word. To observe the sabbath, to confess our sins, to preach the scriptures, to sings psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, to partake of the Lord’s supper. We must worship the true God, which is the first commandment, but we must also worship the true God in His own way, which is the second commandment. IF God has not commanded it, God cannot accept it.

IV. God is a consuming Fire

The NT does not present us with Jesus, a tamer of the holiness of the OT. No, God is still a consuming fire, but that fire has been consumed on Christ instead of us — He has taken us through it.

We often can creep in a way of thinking that loves the kindly Jesus and thinks little of the Holy God. God is holy.

No sin goes unpunished, but the law’s demand for justice is all rectified and honored in the death of Jesus. Perfect atonement and perfect holiness.

God does not simply forgive us and then care no more for our holy lives. We should reverently fear to walk before Him in gratitude and wonder.

What is to your credit this week? What are you taking the honor for? What do you consider wasn’t of grace but earned or gained by your strength? What are you standing on? What are you taking credit for?

Hebrews for You (Being Unshakable)

We are not just praising someone a little bit bigger than ourselves or a little bit better than ourselves. We are worshiping the Lord of the universe—a Lord who is “holy, holy, holy” (Isaiah 6:3). Although our worship is joyful like the festal gathering of the angels (Hebrews 12:22), it should also have gravity. Those two things seem incompatible, and for sinners they would be if it were not for Jesus. But in him the holiness of God and the joy of being in his presence are brought together. In Christ alone your sins are dealt with completely, and when he comes again, you will not be shaken. When you worship the Son, worship in the light of that fact.

- You can stand there but rejoice.

- You no

Perfect love has cast out fear.

God is a consuming fire. And the gospel is not a declaration that this fire has cooled. It is a declaration that Jesus, our Mediator, has brought us safely through it.

Applications:

We as Christians are in the process of receiving this kingdom—as Jesus taught us to pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven . . .” He did not teach us to pray, “Your kingdom go, your will be done in heaven when we get there after we die . . .” In Daniel’s vision this kingdom, which will last forever, struck the statue of the pagan king on the feet and destroyed them all. It grew to become a mountain that filled the earth. This kingdom can never be removed.

Wilson, Douglas. Hebrews Through New Eyes: Christ and His Rivals (p. 168). (Function). Kindle Edition.

So the conclusion of the matter brings us to the importance of worship as the appointed means that God has assigned to bring about the manifestation of the Lord’s kingdom. God is a consuming fire (v. 29). Our responsibility as New Covenant Christians is not to approach him with a breezy nonchalance. We must serve God acceptably (v. 28) with “reverence and awe” (v. 28). We are to worship God acceptably. This must mean that it is possible to worship him unacceptably. He may require blood sacrifice, and we are like Cain, showing up with the produce truck. The key note of this acceptable worship is reverence and godly fear. Worship must not be breezy and casual. The Bible says that it ought not to be. When we cultivate breezy and casual worship, we are retarding the growth of the kingdom. One of the fundamental confusions of our era is that which muddles intimacy and informality. The Spirit does cause us to cry out Abba, Father, but the Spirit will never remove godly fear or awe because we always hallow his name.

Wilson, Douglas. Hebrews Through New Eyes: Christ and His Rivals (p. 168). (Function). Kindle Edition.

Charges/Conclusion

Hebrews 12:25–29 calls us to:

Hear God’s voice with seriousness.

Hope in God’s final shaking, which purifies rather than destroys.

Rejoice in receiving an unshakable kingdom.

Worship with reverence the holy God who is also our gracious Father.

This is not a text of terror but of hope-filled warning—a summons to cling to Christ, the one foundation that will stand when all else collapses.

Table Sermon

Table sermon - the presence of god now in worship. We have come to mt. Zion