There’s A Shaking Going On!
Hebrews 12:25-28 See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven.
26 Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.
27 And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.
28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.
Introduction:
I know you have heard on many different occasions that in the last days there would be signs and wonders. The word of God also says that in the last days there will be wars and rumors of war, and famine and pestilence throughout the land, earthquakes in diverse places. Do you see the signs? Even though we’re the generation that’s looking for a sign, we’re oblivious to the signs that are all around us. We’re wondering are these the signs? Are we in the last days? There is a shaking going on. Yes we’re in the last days. The last days began with the advent of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, for in Hebrews 1 : 1-2
(1 God who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds.)
God is now speaking from heaven. He is trying to shake us and wake us out of our stupor. We have become over-stimulated with the cares and concerns of making a living until we don’t have a life in Christ.
Hebrews 2: 3 (How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him.
The word says we have eyes to see but we don’t see and we have ears to hear but we don’t hear. Are you a human doing; or a human being? You know you’re so busy doing, all you can, what you can, and who you can, until you can’t be who and what God has called and commissioned you to be. Some of us are doing too much. We’re going to” make it do what it do”. We have become desensitized to the voice of God, the word of God, and the will of God. We are to be the church and not do church, and have church. If you’re having church or just churching, then its’ not church unless your favorite preacher is preaching. It’s not church unless your girl, your favorite soloist is singing.It’s not church unless your favorite deacon is praying. We’re so busy trying to be spiritual until we have become anesthetized to the unction of the Holy Ghost and the leading and guidance of the Holy Spirit. For it’s the Holy Spirit that leads us into prayer, praise, and worship; and into all truth and knowledge of God. We’re not human beings trying to be spiritual, but we are spiritual beings trying to be human. We are eternal beings, we had a before – our earthly existence.
God told Jeremiah he knew him before he was formed in his mother’s womb. “There’s a Whole Lot of Shaking Going On”, that was a hit song back in the day. Also “Shake Rattle and Roll”, but the king of rock, Elvis Presley had a hit where he said he was all shook up â “I’m in Love, I’m All Shook Up”. Do you see the shaking? Can you feel the shaking? Our spiritual consciousness ought to be shaken. God is trying to tell you something (Speak Lord!) Right now nature is all shook up. There’s tropical depressions, storms, hurricanes, tornadoes,and torrential rains, flooding, and earthquakes. Also to the other extreme intense heat. When there is devastation and loss of life we refer to these events as natural disasters. More definitively I suggest that this is natural evil in contrast to evil that is perpetrated by man such as the terrorists in the 9-11 attack. So then is evil natural?
Isaiah 45:7 (I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all of these things). Explain
Haggai 2: 6 ( For thus saith the Lord of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land.
Isaiah 13:13 (Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the Lord of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger).
The tsunami was an earthquake that happened underwater. The force was so great, scientist say that the earth was knocked off it’s axis by some degree, which caused the rotation of the earth to slow down, thus shortening the length of the day by so many nano-seconds (one billioneth of a second). It appears from the reading of these text, that we have an explanation for the natural disasters. It seems that God is making a confession, that these things occurred out of his wrath and anger. But, I beg to differ. We must be careful about blaming God. That’s the easy way out. By doing this we remove ourselves from blame and responsibility. Calvinism or Calvinist believed that natural disasters are the result of God’s wrath and anger and He punishes His people for their sins.
In II Chron 16:9 ( For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughtout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly : therefore from hence-forth thou shalt have wars).
Jeremiah 29:11( For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end).
However, there is a day of the Lord, where God will pour out His wrath and anger on all the earth. There’s a shaking going on. Let’s look at our text.
I. Verse 25 (Warning)
a. Do not refuse or reject the voice of God
b. Mt. Sinai, Moses, old covenant, Mosaic law, Judaism,
dispensation, revelation.
c. Did not escape - the letter killeth, curse of the law is death.
II. Verse 26
a. The Holy mountain burned with fire and smoke and shook with
an earthquake clouds and thunder and darkness, the presence of
God, the word of God revealed, God revealed.
III. Verse 27
a. Mt. Sinai removed and replaced by Mt. Zion ( 2 mountains)
b. Mt. Zion (spiritual) – Mt. Sinai (physical)
Mt. Zion (new covenant) - Mt Sinai (old covenant)
Mt. Zion grace ( Jesus) - Mt. Sinai law (Mosaic)
Mt. Zion Christianity/Gospel - Mt. Sinai (Judaism)
IV. Verse 28 (Kingdom that cannot be moved)
a. Kingdom of God/ Heaven
b. Reverence and Godly fear
c. The Lord’s Day vs The Day of the Lord
God shakes the heavens and the earth, with His voice; the word, the gospel, His presence. Not with tsunami, hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods these are acts of nature. When the barometric pressure, humidity, dew point and temperature is just right it will rain.
Arminianism suggest that man is the cause of the deterioration and destruction of our environment and atmosphere leading to conditions favorable for natural disasters. The sinful state and condition of man has sickened the land. In II Chron. 7:14 God says If my people which are called by my name shall humble themselves, pray and seek my face, turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from Heaven and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. I’ve got to close this up. This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. Why should we rejoice and be glad?
We should be glad that it is the Lord’s Day and not the Day of the Lord. There is a difference. The scene in our text, on Mt. Sinai was the Day of the Lord (past!) People were terrified and afraid of the presence of God. There was darkness, clouds, thunder, also an earth-quake, the mountain burned with fire and smoke. But, there is a Day of the Lord (future).
In II Peter 3:10 - 13
(10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. 11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, 12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? 13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
Mt. Zion the New Jerusalem , the New Holy City of God, a New Heaven and a New Earth. Everything that can be shaken will be shaken, those things that are made or temporal, and everything that is shaken will be removed. That those things that cannot be shaken may remain. The kingdom of God, Heaven cannot be moved. It is eternal. Make sure you are rooted and grounded in the Lord. If you be in Christ and Christ be in you, then you are of the Kingdom of God. Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
If your marriage can be shaken it will be
If your (job) finance can be shaken it will be
” Health ” “
” Mind ” “
” Faith ” “
If the Church can be shaken it will be. Unless you are of the kingdom of God and rooted and grounded in the Lord. The kingdom of God comes when we proclaim His word, obey His word, and do His will . Thy will be done, thy kingdom come. My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus name. On Christ the solid rock I stand all other ground is sinking sand. In times like these you need a Savior, in times like these you need an anchor, be very sure your anchor holds and grips the solid rock. This rock is Jesus the only one. Amen..Amen…Amen.