The Unshakeable and Unstoppable Kingdom of God

Introduction

A couple of months ago my wife and I took our 2 year old son, Gabriel, to a park in our town to play with some friends. After a while of playing, he decided that he wanted to go and play in a nearby pool of water and he started to jump in the puddle and get himself nice and wet. The more he jumped, the wetter he got. My wife and I laughed because this was something that he had never done before, but it got me thinking about the way that we interact with other things. Whenever you get a lot of rain the ground can turn into mud - now, what happens whenever you touch the mud? Your clean finger gets muddy. The mud attaches to you. Whenever there is a sickness going around, if you get close to someone who is sick then you might get sick. You might be healthy and fine, but sickness can go from one person to another. In our world dirty things can make clean things dirty whenever they touch.

What’s so interesting about the life of Jesus is that we see the opposite thing happen! In the Bible we read about Jesus touching people who were sick and considered unclean… and what happened? We would expect the person who is unclean to make Jesus unclean because that’s how things work in our world. But we read in the Bible that instead of Jesus becoming unclean, Jesus made others clean. Instead of the sin of other people infecting or impacting Jesus, His holiness changed other people and Jesus continues to change people today.

In our world lots of things are changing. There’s a lot of uncertainty and there has been a lot of loss in recent years. It seems like people have a lot of different ideas about how to make things better but the Bible gives us the only solution that will actually work: trust in Jesus Christ. Trusting in Jesus doesn’t mean that all of your problems will go away… but as you trust in Jesus to provide, you can have peace in the middle of sickness and confusion because you know that He is with you and that He knows what is truly best for you.

This morning I want to spend some time studying from God’s Word in the book of Hebrews, toward the end of your Bible. We’ll be in Hebrews 12:18-29 if you want to turn there now as we look at the promise given to followers of Jesus Christ. We see in these verses that we receive a kingdom that cannot be shaken. If you’re a follower of Jesus Christ, friend, you are a part of something unshakeable and unstoppable and you can have hope and joy even in difficult times. Do you have this hope that only Jesus can bring today? Let’s read from God’s Word

Hebrews 12:18–29 CSB

18 For you have not come to what could be touched, to a blazing fire, to darkness, gloom, and storm, 19 to the blast of a trumpet, and the sound of words. Those who heard it begged that not another word be spoken to them, 20 for they could not bear what was commanded: If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned. 21 The appearance was so terrifying that Moses said, I am trembling with fear. 22 Instead, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God (the heavenly Jerusalem), to myriads of angels, a festive gathering, 23 to the assembly of the firstborn whose names have been written in heaven, to a Judge, who is God of all, to the spirits of righteous people made perfect, 24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which says better things than the blood of Abel. 25 See to it that you do not reject the one who speaks. For if they did not escape when they rejected him who warned them on earth, even less will we if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven. 26 His voice shook the earth at that time, but now he has promised, Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens. 27 This expression, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what is not shaken might remain. 28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful. By it, we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and awe, 29 for our God is a consuming fire.

God’s Kingdom is Universal

Whenever we think of kingdoms, we usually think of their power or the land that they control. There have been a lot of kingdoms on the earth over the years. You have the Egyptians, the Greeks, the Romans, the Aztecs, the Mayans, and many other kingdoms that have existed and ruled for a period of time. The Romans conquered much of Europe and some of Africa and Asia. They were a very mighty kingdom and they ruled for nearly 1000 years… But what happened? They came to a collapse and were conquered. They were shaken. Nation after nation, kingdom after kingdom has risen and after a period of time they have fallen and been conquered. The Bible tells us that this isn’t because of random chance… God is the sovereign king who is in control

Job 12:23 CSB

23 He makes nations great, then destroys them; he enlarges nations, then leads them away.

Our God reigns over all things and His Kingdom is over all things. So many times in our world we like to divide ourselves into small groups - if you’re a sports fan you likely have a team that you root for and possibly your friend cheers for another team, this can divide us into 2 different groups. It’s the same way with churches. We can think that we’re good and the other baptist church down the street are on a different team. We think that we’re a little kingdom and other Christians are apart of a different kingdom - we might not say that but we live that way at times. The Bible reminds us that this isn’t true at all! The Bible tells us that because of what Jesus Christ has done, everyone who has been saved by grace through faith in Christ is now apart of the same team. We’re citizens of the same kingdom. It doesn’t matter if you’re from Springfield or Chimaltenango or Mexico City or New York City, if you’re a born again child of God, you’re a part of God’s Kingdom and were all brothers and sisters in Christ. Revelation 7:9 tells us of this truth

Revelation 7:9 CSB

9 After this I looked, and there was a vast multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language, which no one could number, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes with palm branches in their hands.

In Hebrews 12 the Bible tells us that there are 2 options - there are 2 mountains. In the Old Testament, the people of Israel had the law and the law showed them that they are sinners who couldn’t keep the law perfectly like they were supposed to. Do you know what the Bible says about the punishment of our sin? Romans 6:23 says that the wages of sin is death! The law of God reminds us of our sinful condition and the reality that we deserve to be separated from God… This is bad news - but some people fight against it. They’ll say this, “I’m a good person and God will definitely forgive me because of all the good things that I do.” Have you ever met someone who says this? That their good things will save them? Let’s look at God’s Word for a mintue

Ephesians 2:8–9 CSB

8 For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— 9 not from works, so that no one can boast.

The Bible tells us that we can’t save ourselves because of our sin… We need help! We need a savior! This is what Jesus does. Hebrews 12:23-24 tells us what Jesus has done. God is the righteous judge and as the judge who is righteous, He has to be fair. This means that God has to judge sin. He can’t wipe the slate clean. Sin must be punished.

If a man was found guilty of murder and stood before a judge and the judge let him walk away with no punishment, would you say that the judge was just? No - He was unjust. Our God is a just God and that means that He must punish sin. How did God punish sin? By sending Jesus to die and bear upon Himself the sins of His people. Without Jesus you and I are helpless and hopeless - just as Hebrews 12:21 says, it’s terrifying to come before God apart from Christ!

But if you’re in God’s Kingdom, if you’re born again, you can have assurance that because of Jesus, you have access to your Father as Hebrews 4:14-16 tells us

Hebrews 4:14–16 CSB

14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens—Jesus the Son of God—let us hold fast to our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin. 16 Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need.

Because of the Gospel of Jesus Christ - because Jesus came, lived a perfect life, died a criminals death, rose from the grave, ascended back to glory, and will come again - you and I have hope today because His blood speaks on our behalf. His blood doesn’t cry out for justice like that of Abel in Genesis 4:10

Genesis 4:10 CSB

10 Then he said, “What have you done? Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground!

Instead, Jesus’ blood cries out for mercy on His people

Luke 23:34 CSB

34 Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, because they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided his clothes and cast lots.

Today we rejoice that God’s Kingdom is universal and not just for one nation but that God’s Kingdom includes people from the United States, Guatemala, and every nation on the earth as people repent of their sins and place their faith in Christ as Lord and Savior.

God’s Kingdom is Certain

As we continue making our way through this text, we see verse 25 give us the last of 5 warning passages in Hebrews. Hebrews 12:25 tells us to not reject the One who speaks… There are consequences whenever we disobey a command or order. Have you ever disobeyed someone and had a consequence? Whenever I was 14 I was working at our church in Ozark and a couple friends of mine wanted to play hide and seek in the church. I thought this would be fun but to win the game I had the best hiding place - on the roof! A friend followed me to the roof and a couple of minutes later my boss finds out what has happened and calls us down and I got in big trouble. Why did I get in trouble? Because I disobeyed my boss. Whenever you and I disobey someone there is a punishment or consequence. Whenever we disobey or sin against God, there is a consequence for that. See, God always comes through on His Word. This can be a bad thing because it means that there will be a real time of judgment and a real time where the earth is shaken… But because God always comes through on His Word it can also be the best news in the world!

God isn’t going to lead you astray or wanting more. What He says is true and it will happen. Has someone ever made a promise to you that they broke? A friend who promised to have your back and they didn’t? A family member who promised to be there to pick you up and they were no where to be found? A significant other who promised to love you and they broke your heart? Are you ready for some good news, Christian? God doesn’t break His Word or go back on His promises. Whenever He says that you are His - you belong to Him. Whenever He says that you are forgiven, you are forgiven. Whenever He says that His Kingdom cannot be shaken, you’d better believe that His Kingdom cannot be shaken.

See, as a Christian you have nothing to worry about. This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t care about things going on or that you have a license to sin or be a jerk to other people… But if you are a born again child of God, you are secured in Christ! You are a part of His Kingdom today and His Kingdom will not be shaken. So whatever happens in your life, good or bad, you can have hope that you are in Christ and that God is for you.

See, this is the motivation for missions. If you have eternal hope and joy and someone else does not, the most unloving thing that you could do is to not tell them about the hope and joy that you have. They might think that they have hope and joy but it’s temporary… The way that you can know this is by seeing what someone does whenever tragedy strikes. For many people they are happy whenever their life is going well. Whenever their circumstances are favorable… But what about whenever things don’t go their way? What about whenever they suffer? Are most people happy or sad whenever times are hard? Normally people get sad… But if you’re a Christian, you can have joy at all times - even hard times!

Charles Spurgeon, the well known preacher in England a hundred plus years ago, once said this, “I’ve learned to kiss the waves that throw me against the Rock of Ages.” How can Spurgeon say that he can rejoice in the middle of a storm of difficulty? Because hard times in the life of a Christian throw us to Jesus - the rock and foundation of our faith. As a Christian, your eternal destination is secure in Christ but you also have Christ with you today… You are in Him and you can have hope at all times because God promises to not leave nor forsake you.

What Must We Do as Followers of the King?

We rejoice at what Jesus has done and how we have an unshakeable hope in Christ - but what do we do with that hope? How should being a part of God’s Kingdom impact our lives today? Hebrews 4:14-16 comes to mind here as we are called to draw near to our King. Whenever you draw near to God it’s like coming into the eye of a hurricane. There is danger on every side but in the middle of the hurricane there is peace. Whenever you come to God through faith in Jesus Christ, you receive mercy, forgiveness, and grace. His blood speaks on your behalf and you are adopted into His family. Jesus’ blood still speaks and His blood still transforms lives - has He changed you today? Are you a follower of Jesus Christ?

Has Jesus’ holiness invaded your life and changed you from the inside out? Some people are concerned that they are too bad for Jesus or that they’ve done something so awful that Jesus can’t forgive them. The Bible tells us that we aren’t that powerful and that Jesus is still in the business of rescuing and restoring dead sinners and making us alive. If you are here and you don’t know Christ as your Lord, based on the authority of God’s Word, I encourage you to spend some time looking at your foundation. Is your foundation built on God’s unshakable kingdom or is it based on yourself or a worldly allegiance? If it’s not built on Christ then one day it will shake and come crashing down.

If you’re here and you do know Jesus as Lord and Savior and He has changed you and saved you then there are several things that we must do as obedient followers of Christ.

God’s Word is clear that we can’t just say some magical words… We are called to follow after Him each day of our lives.

Luke 9:23 CSB

23 Then he said to them all, “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me.

What Jesus wants from His people is obedience in the things we say and in the way that we live our life!

As members of God’s Kingdom we must do 5 things:

We must Listen (25)

We must Obey

We must Rejoice (28)

We must Worship

We must Witness

Don’t look at the God of the Bible as a far off Father who doesn’t care about His children. The book of Hebrews reminds us that our God has come near. He has spoken. He sent His Son to save us. He calls on us to serve Him. You and I are not saved to sit - we are saved to serve. Wherever you’re at and whoever you are, God has a unique purpose for you. He has sealed you with the Holy Spirit and God expects a return on that seal just like the parable of the talents in Matthew 25. Are you using your gifts and your time to serve Jesus and proclaim the Gospel to people around you? If not, ask God to help you do this with urgency… Because one day, the kingdoms of this world will be shaken. Everyone who is not in Christ will be separated from God for all eternity. You and I are responsible to go and make disciples - to go and tell others about what Jesus has done - and to serve our God who is a consuming fire.

Come to Jesus and be saved, satisfied, and secured.