An Unshakeable Kingdom (Hebrews 12:18-29)

INTRO

You need to hear this this morning: the earth and everything in it will fade away, but the kingdom of God endures forever.

That’s the simple, glorious message of this passage.

There are things in our lives that we might think will last forever:

Grandparents would never die

a kid in school thinks he’ll be in school forever (graduation will never come)

Sadly, some people we thought would be in our lives forever aren’t any longer (death or becoming estranged)

Our own experiences prove that the things of earth will fade away, yet we easily tend to live more for the present than for the future reality.

It makes sense— there are things we have to do now on this earth. God has given us responsibility; we’ve become stewards of much— small things, large things— we have things to do. But we must do all things with an eternal perspective.

the mundaneness of your daily job

parenting

student- your studying

your hospitality toward others

Whatever you do, do for the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31), and that means having an eternal perspective.

Here’s the challenge: sometimes our lives feel out of control.

When we started Hebrews, didn’t know we’d be in a pandemic— the meaning of Scripture never changes, but the application can. Interesting how applicable Hebrews has been through these last 6 months!

Conversation this past week with a church member about how much in their lives have changed. And we talked for a while about how we don’t know what to believe and we don’t know what the end of this pandemic will look like. In all of the confusion, the most comforting part of our conversation came when we said when everything around us seems shaky, our greatest hope is knowing that we serve a God of an unshakeable kingdom!

v.28- a kingdom that cannot be shaken.

So what is this kingdom, and why is it unshakeable?

Our outline:

v.18-21 — Old Covenant (Mt. Sinai)

v.22-24 — New Covenant (Mt. Zion)

v.25-29 — Invitation

Don’t refuse Jesus

Be grateful

Offer acceptable worship

Old Covenant (18-21)

The writer is looking back to the giving of the law at Mt. Sinai. Ex.19 tells how God gave the law to Moses and the Israelites. God told Moses to tell the people not to go up to the mountain or touch it or they would die.

Mt. Sinai symbolized God’s holiness, and that mountain was consecrated and had to remain separate and undefiled from sinful people.

When God was present, the mountain was consumed by thick smoke, earthquakes, thunder, and lightning.

It would have been a terrifying sight for the Israelites.

When it talks of fear, it’s talking about being afraid. Moses literally trembled with fear.

The writer is calling them to remember the Old Covenant, which was characterized by fear to some degree.

Fear can be a motivator.

High dive at pool, Go deep in water, fear kicks in and you swim to the top.

Fear can be a motivator, but fear isn’t foolproof.

Ex.32 Golden Calf

There has to be something more than fear to motivate people to righteousness.

There certainly is a sense in which any person should tremble before the Lord because of His authority to judge all people. But there is a greater motivation toward righteousness, and that is found in the New Covenant.

Some even grow up in the faith in such a way that they start to think that it is only about fearing the consequences if they disobey the Law or rules.

So faith in Christ is nothing more than keeping rules, and whenever they get outside of the environment of fear, they might go astray. Because they never fully realized the grace that comes in Jesus. They haven’t understood or gotten to the point of understanding that being a Christian is having a proper fear or reverence of God, AND being grateful for and obedient to all that He has for us in this life and for eternity.

This comes through understanding the New Covenant.

The New Covenant

v.22— “But” — Here’s the contrast. The audience is Jewish believers. The writer is reminding them that they were under this old covenant but now they have something even better—the fulfillment of that covenant.

They have come to Mt. Zion now. And to Jesus, the mediator of the New Covenant.

Mt. Sinai v. Mt. Zion.

Zion was a city captured by David (2 Sam. 5). Throughout the Bible, Zion is synonymous with Jerusalem.

But it’s not being used here to simply refer to Jerusalem-- it’s referring to the heavenly Jerusalem.

Mt. Zion stands as a mountain of fulfillment because Jesus Christ had fulfilled the Law, the Old Covenant.

Interesting— v.22— you have come to Mount Zion. But wait- they weren’t in the New Jerusalem- we’re not in the New Jerusalem yet. It hasn’t fully come yet.

And here’s a reminder of the now/not yet tension that believers live in. The Kingdom of God is now and not yet. We’ve talked about this before, but let me summarize it this way— I’ve seen people say that the Kingdom of God is inaugurated though not yet consummated.

Now/not yet tension: the Kingdom of God is inaugurated though not yet consummated.

The tension is that Jesus even said the kingdom of God is at hand (here), — that’s now. But then we read that there’s still more to come. So it’s now, but it’s also not yet.

This tension should bring so much hope, because we know that God’s Kingdom is here now, even in this sinful, fallen world and all its consequences, God is on His throne.

And one day, we will fully realize and experience the New Jerusalem for all eternity in a glory that we have never seen like this before!

So even when everything around us seems shaky, we know that the King of Kings is on His throne, and one day he will return and usher in an eternal New Jerusalem where the redeemed will worship Him in all His glory!

[Read Rev.21:10-27]

The blood of Jesus speaks a better word than the blood of Abel (v.24). Abel was murdered by his brother, Cain, and “And the Lord said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground. And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.” (Genesis 4:10–11, ESV)

Abel’s blood cried out where is justice?

Jesus’ blood declares here is justice.

We have a world crying out for justice in so many ways right now. But in order to have justice, you have to know what is just. There is only true standard of justice— the words of our Creator. He has provided the way of justice.

But yet, so many reject the only way.

Invitation

Don’t Refuse Jesus.

If those who heard Moses’ earthly warnings didn’t escape the judgment of God, we who have the full words of Christ declaring from the heavens don’t stand a chance!

One day, God will bring judgment in finality where the things of this earth, which can be shaken, will be removed. The earth and everything in it will fade away.

For some, this will bring great sorrow. Because all they have is this world. They don’t have the greater hope.

But not for believers in Jesus Christ!

Be grateful.

v.28— be grateful you have received a kingdom that can not be shaken.

Received— you were given citizenship in this kingdom— be grateful! You didn’t earn it.

So often, we don’t live with gratitude. Our outlook on life can be so negative sometimes. How do you think your soul would be impacted if for one week every time you felt like complaining you said one thing you’re grateful for instead?

Let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe.

God is a consuming fire— there should be a proper fear of God because he will consume the unrighteous into eternal torment of hell.

But acceptable worship comes from a place of gratitude for the grace of God. I don’t deserve any of this, so I’m going to give my all to Christ.

It’s worshiping the One who is always with us through all of life’s turmoil. It’s the Solid Rock!

So how do you need to respond this morning?

Salvation? Not rejecting Jesus any longer.

Practicing gratitude this week. How?

Changing your heart in worship. Do you have the right attitude even right now? How’s your attitude throughout the week, and how can you keep priming your heart for proper worship throughout the week?