Hebrews 12:28-29 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.”
One longing people share is to rest securely in an unshakable life. The good things we enjoy—we want them to last forever. But life hurls various hardships our way, leaving some insecure, fearful. Some experiences may shake to the core. I have found a sure foundation in Jesus
Some find themselves scrambling to build security, to remove every ounce of uncertainty; only to discover it doesn’t work. We lack the power, the resources, the knowledge. Moreover, the broken world keeps hitting us in the face. Nation’s rage. Economies fall.
Some can be left shaken, longing for real security. Not only does the Bible confirm that longing, it tells us why we experience it. The world shouldn’t be this way. That longing exists because sin separated us from the true peace and security found in God’s presence alone. The kingdoms of this world remain shakable, uncertain, insecure, fragile. It’s only with God that anyone finds real security in an unshakable kingdom.
Consistently in Hebrews, there’s a contrast between what’s earthly and what’s heavenly. Sinai represents what’s earthly. Dos and don’ts. Legalism, fear, judgment. Sinai was shaken.
Heb:12:22-24 But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
Some things remain forever.. the new covenant.
Mount Zion is the heavenly Jerusalem, place of Jesus. The author of our new covenant and our mediator before the eternal judge. Jesus is the way.
What took place at these two mountains serves as a summary statement of the way law and grace operate in our lives every day. At Sinai there was only gloom and dread. On Zion, though, there’s great joy, “to innumerable angels in festal gathering.” Thousands upon thousands of angels gather to celebrate. The church of the firstborn, our privileged position as heirs of Christ worship.
At Sinai, there was no access to God. But on Zion there’s free access for everyone. What changed? God didn’t change. On Zion, he’s still the divine king of kings whose holiness will not tolerate sin. What changed was that God took away our sins through Jesus. Jesus is the mediator of a new covenant, verse 24 says. we’ve come to him; and that new covenant said this in 8:10, “I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.”
In the New Covenant, God extends grace to us.
Sin is our biggest problem. Sin separates us from God. And the law can’t take it away. Sinai perfected nobody. But Jesus does. Jesus poured out his blood for the forgiveness of our sins. We come to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. What does the blood of Abel speak about his brother in Genesis 4:11? Guilty! Cursed! You can’t enter Zion/heaven Guilty. But Jesus’ blood speaks a better word. It says, “Forgiven” -Heb 10:18
Now, this reality leads next to the author of Hebrews exhorting the people with God’s kingdom. But I want to pause here for a moment and ask a few questions. How do you relate to God? Is God far away to you? Is he unapproachable? Like he’s still angry with you all the time? Like he’s distant? Like he’s doing all he can just to tolerate you from day to day? When you sin, do you resort to doing good things as a way to improve your relationship with God? To do so is to relate to God from Mount Sinai. It’s to relate to him as one still under the Law, still under condemnation.
But let’s say you’re already a Christian. What about you? Have you reverted to relating to God from Mount Sinai? Having been saved by grace, are you now trying to justify yourself by works? We need to hear this word too: “You have come to Mount Zion.” You have come. It’s a done deal. God brought you into the heavenly city, he enrolled your name there, the festival has started, and you’ve got a spot at his Table—it’s where you live now. The perfection of beauty, the joy of all the earth—that’s your city now; that’s your true home. Your true citizenship is there. You relate to God from there. You can approach his throne of grace with confidence and without fear. Jesus suffered for the unrighteous that he might bring us to God. Come to him freely!
Christians are to be a joyful people to be around! They belong to another world that is awesome! Their God is so full of grace toward them.
God’s Kingdom is Unshakeable.
But that shaking of the earth at Sinai, is nothing compared to the shaking that will occur on the Last Day. He then quotes from Haggai 2:6, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” God intends to shake the entire cosmos at the very end of time. “The mountains melt like wax before the Lord.”
God promises to come again. His arrival will shake the earth and the heavens. In other words, we better listen up when God speaks; and he has spoken in his Son, Jesus Christ.
Our country is being “shaken” right now. People are scrambling; and based on the way some Christians are responding to this cultural moment, it makes me wonder if we’ve lost sight of the unshakable kingdom. Perhaps the Lord is shaking our country to humble us and force us to see that we’re not so unshakable. Perhaps the Lord is shaking our country to help us see that our hopes are set in a better country, in a better city that has foundations whose designer and builder is God.
Don’t let the fears consume you. We have reason to give thanks. We have come to Mount Zion—The heavenly kingdom.. “Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people, from this time forth and forevermore” (Ps 125:1-2). That’s a great assurance, isn’t it? Recall your participation in the benefits of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Give thanks for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken. The author of Hebrews knew what was sure.
From a heart of thanksgiving, we give our whole selves in devotion to the Lord’s service. We belong to him now. He is our God and we are his people. Listen up, be thankful, worship God—not only is he worthy of all these responses, but this same God has made us part of his unshakable kingdom. Whatever you give yourself to in the name of his kingdom, it will be worth your investment and tears and struggle. It’s not in vain. You’ve invested in Zion, and Zion cannot be shaken.
It was not just that God’s kingdom would not be shaken—it could not be shaken because it has a quality that is not earthly. A higher order of magnitude. A mystery.
I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again here; this world we walk in, the things we see and touch, the things we tend to put so much value in, are not the reality. They are the shadows. They are the myth. They do not last forever.
The eternal kingdom we have received is what is real. I invite you to step outside on a clear night. Get away from artificial light. Look up into the stars and as you gaze at them and wonder at the vastness of space and all the planets and moons and stars that reflect back God’s glorious light…remember that you will outlive them all. Because God is going to shake creation once more, and all that will be left will be all that matters. All that will be left will be that which cannot be destroyed.
Hebrews 12:28, Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe.