Good morning. Well, let's take our Bibles and turn to Hebrews chapter 12, if we could. Hebrews chapter 12. And we want to look today at verses 18 through 29. Let me start reading at verse 25. So the title this morning is, An Unshakable Kingdom. Give thanks. An unshakable kingdom, give thanks. So the end of Hebrews chapter 12, we'll read for now beginning at verse 25. Hopefully you're there. Word of the Lord comes to us, His perfect word, and it says, Hebrews 12, 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. 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. Hebrews 12, 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. 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, for our God is a consuming fire. If you're physically able, let's stand this morning for prayer and keep your Bibles open as well. Let's bow for a brief moment of silent prayer together, and then I will lead us after that. Lord, our great God, we thank you that we were able just to sing the words from your word, from Psalm 136, that we were just singing about how you rescued your people out of Egypt and you saved us from death and hell. Lord, we praise you. We thank you for being able to sing the gospel this morning. Our sins, they are many. Mercies are more. The Lord help us to praise you with joy and from the heart with everything that we are, including our emotions. Lord help us to worship you as this text says this morning, as your word addresses us this morning, help us in the right worship of you for you are worthy in reverence and all. And again, we pray, Lord, as we celebrate this good American holiday this week. It's a good holiday. Lord, help us to truly give you thanks. Lord, we confess as your people this morning, we confess that we sin daily in our words and in our deeds. Things that we have done and said that we should not have done, even today. Or things that we should have said or should have done that we omitted. Lord, we confess that we sin daily, these sins of commission, these sins of omission. Lord, we pray that you would have mercy. We confess our lack of gratitude. Lord, we are a people who do not deserve your great and your lavish mercies, but you have given them to us through Christ our Lord, and we thank you for his death on the cross. We thank you that the blood of Christ speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. We thank you that the blood of Christ speaks a better word. Lord, again, we pray, help us in our members meeting, help us as a church, and help us in this time now. We pray in Jesus' name, amen. Let's stand, flip back with me just a bit. I will not be able to give much attention to these verses beginning in verse 18. Hebrews 12, 18. Let me just tell you, it may not seem like it to most Christians, 18 through 24 not only sets up what we're looking at today, but it's massively important. Hebrews 12, 18. You have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest. and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them. For they could not endure the order that was given. If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned. Hebrews 12, 21. Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, I tremble with fear. But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. You can be seated. Thank you. I don't know if you've ever heard of Henry Ward Beecher. But many years ago, Thomas Beecher once substituted for his famous brother Henry Ward Beecher at Plymouth Church in Brooklyn, New York. So the really famous guy was Henry Ward Beecher. His brother Thomas is filling the pulpit for him in Brooklyn. Many curiosity seekers had come to hear the renowned Henry Beecher speak. Therefore, when Thomas Beecher appeared in the pulpit instead, some people got up and started to leave. Sensing that they were disappointed because he was substituting for his brother, Thomas raised his hand for silence and announced, all those who came here this morning to worship Henry Ward Beecher may withdraw from the church. All who came to worship God may remain. The example of godly leaders is helpful, but only the Savior is worthy of our worship and devotion. The text says this morning, and I just want to express my gratitude that this text just so happened to dovetail with Thanksgiving week. The text not only says in verse 28, be grateful, but the text says in the middle of verse 28 of Hebrews 12, let us offer to God acceptable worship. We're thinking here this morning, friends, as we pray that God would help us in the message this morning, we're thinking from Hebrews 12 about this an unshakable kingdom. Give thanks. give thanks for an unshakable kingdom. And really, it boils down to two things this morning. It boils down to gratefulness and worship. Those are the two things that we'll see that it boils down to this morning, gratefulness and worship. So as you may see in the heading, the whole text is 18 through 29. And we're talking about a kingdom that cannot be shaken. an unshakable kingdom. And let me just say, first of all, that if you are here this morning, and if you are in Christ, then we have received one of these. We have received a kingdom that cannot be shaken. This is our salvation. A kingdom that cannot be shaken. You see it there in verse 28. Just see these words. As he says there in the middle, a kingdom that cannot be shaken. And we have received precisely this. So first of all, if you're taking notes on paper or in your head, first of all, first point is this. Give thanks. Give thanks. It says there, if you'll look at it with me, therefore, verse 28, therefore, let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken. Glance back at verse 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. Therefore, let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken. So the first thing this morning is to give thanks. And let's just focus on that just in and of itself for just a moment. Let's just focus on that as we know it is Thanksgiving week. It's hard to believe it's already come upon us, but let's just focus for a minute on that idea of giving thanks. It just so happens to be right here in our text. Thankfulness is a big deal. In fact, it's been said that these two things from our text this morning are the two things that should mark the church. These are the two things that should mark the Christian life. Worship in reverence and all. And gratefulness. I've shared this with you before. You've heard of Matthew Henry, who like lived about 300 or 400 years ago, wrote a very helpful commentary. He was robbed. And he wrote in his diary this account of him being robbed. He said, let me be thankful. First, because I was never robbed before. Second, because although they took my wallet, they did not take my life. Third, because although they took my all, it was not much. Fourth, because it was I who was robbed, not I who robbed. Matthew Henry giving thanks in his diary on the occasion of being robbed. A lesson for all of us. The first point this morning is to give thanks. Again, verse 28, let us be grateful. Therefore, let us be grateful. This obviously comes at the end of what he has been saying. Therefore, let us be grateful. for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken. Give thanks, give thanks for what? Give thanks for an unshakable kingdom. Give thanks dear brother and sister this morning for your salvation, which was purchased through the blood of Jesus Christ. Give thanks for a kingdom that cannot be shaken. You hear Christians sometimes and even teachers and pastors talking about how we can bring in the kingdom, things that we can do to help the kingdom, to help usher in the kingdom. And I've got news for us. We can't do anything to bring in the kingdom. It's God's kingdom. Christ Jesus is the king of the kingdom. And God sovereignly brings in his kingdom. You and I can't help the kingdom. You and I can't bring in the kingdom and do some things in the community to, we can't advance the kingdom. The kingdom is God's sovereign prerogative. And so that's why it says, here's what we can do. We can be grateful for what? For receiving a kingdom. As John chapter 1 says, to all who have received Him. Dear friend, have you received Him? Received who? The Lamb of God, Jesus Christ. To all who received Him, He gave them the right to become and to be called children of God, who were born not of the will of man or the will of flesh, but of God. The kingdom is not something that we produce, John chapter 3. Unless somebody is born from above, you cannot even see the kingdom. So we can't bring the kingdom in. We can't advance the kingdom. What we can do, dear saints, is we can be grateful for receiving a kingdom, an unshakable kingdom. The kingdoms of this world will not last. The kingdoms of this world totter and they're imperfect. There is only one kingdom which is permanent. His kingdom. So let us be grateful. Grateful for turkey this week. Grateful for stuffing. Grateful for cornbread and green bean casserole. Grateful for family. Mindful that many people find holidays particularly a trial because of a recent loss or mourning a loss from 20 years ago, whatever it is, let us be grateful for receiving an unshakable kingdom. And dear friend, if you're here this morning and you're not a believer in Jesus Christ, we're glad that you're here and you need to bow the knee to King Jesus. God loved the world. He sent his son to die for you, for everyone who will repent, if you will repent of your sins and believe in the gospel, believe in Jesus Christ. Let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken. Number two. Number two. Let us offer to God acceptable worship. Earlier on, and I want to go back to this maybe in a few minutes, but really, you could really expand this passage to 14 to 29. You could really take the whole big paragraph, 1214 to 1229. And there in 14 through, stay with me, in 14 through 17, it talked about peace and holiness. Peace and holiness. And then at the end of the chapter, it talks about gratefulness and worship. It's really simple, and it's all by the grace of God, through the blood of Jesus Christ, peace and holiness, gratefulness and worship. So we say here, number two, let us offer to God acceptable worship. Number one was give thanks for an unshakable kingdom. Number two, let us offer to God acceptable worship. You've heard before about the worship wars of the past four decades in the evangelical church. There's these worship, you know what the worship wars are. Or if you don't, it's not hard to think about. What are we going to do? Are we going to be stuffy and do traditional music and do like liturgical? Or are we going to be contemporary and seek to reach people and be Bill Hybels at Willow Creek and all of these things? Well, this passage is not so much talking about those worship wars, but it would inform that. We do need to start here and it says, let us offer. Do you see that in verse 28? Are you looking at it with me? Having already said, let us be grateful, it says then, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship. Compare Romans 12, one and two. That by the mercies of God, let us offer our bodies. Let us offer our whole being, ourselves, to God for worship. God help us. that this is the whole Christian life, that we could not help ourselves. We were on a fast track to hell, but God reached down and saved us, all of His chosen people through the blood of Christ. And so what is our duty? Through the Holy Spirit. Listen to me. Through the Spirit, our duty is to live lives of gratefulness. It's really simple. Live a life of gratefulness to God for His salvation, and live a life of worship. Dear friend, you've got to know that this God is holy. You've got to live before this God and offer acceptable service. You say, what's that? Well, it's probably what he goes on to talk about in chapter 13 and all the nitty gritty stuff in chapter 13. You've got to offer. We have got to offer. We have the privilege of offering to this holy God acceptable service, worship. This is all of our lives with reverence and all. With reverence and all. You know where I stand and you know where we stand if we are talking about the worship wars. The church is not a place primarily for us to design our services around so-called seekers. Because for one thing, no man seeks after God. The church is not a place where we seek to entertain goats, but where we feed the sheep. And if unbelievers come in, and even if that's you here this morning, that's fantastic. But may we worship this God is holy. He is thrice holy, as we may say. He's holy, holy, holy. He's God, one God in three persons. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. And it's really very straightforward and simple, isn't it, this morning? Would you look at the text again? Let us offer to God acceptable worship with reverence and awe. The fear of God is what we need. This passage reminds me of Romans 1. Romans 1 talks about there is no fear of God before their eyes. This is our problem as sinners living in a fallen world. This is the root problem. There's no fear of God before our eyes. And this also is our problem in gratitude. Again, Romans chapter one. Same thing that this passage talks about. Listen, after attending church with his father one Sunday morning before getting into bed that evening, a little boy kneeled at his bedside and prayed this. Dear God, we had a good time at church today, but I wish you had been there. And even so, so many times we may gather, but the question is, in a very real sense, have we met with the Lord? God speaks today. God speaks today, not outside of His Word, but only through the Scriptures. And when we faithfully teach and preach the Scriptures, and only then, but then, but when we do that, when we faithfully teach and preach the Scriptures, and when you interact with one another, dear Crossway members, over coffee, during the week, when ministry happens in everyday, normal, ordinary ways, God speaks through His Word And we're not to turn away from that word. Let us offer to God acceptable worship with reverence and all. How do we offer God acceptable worship? Well, with reverence and all in the fear of God. This will change your Christian life. It's not just, it'll change your Christian life if you read Sproul's book, The Holiness of God, but if you just grasp from the Bible, the holiness of God, it should and it will and it must change your life. With reverence and awe, why? Look at the text, why? For, for our God is a consuming fire. The New Testament is different than the Old Testament. It is the New Covenant. Here's what I'm really getting at. The New Covenant is superior. It's better. It's different than the Old Covenant. What that does not mean is that God is different. It does not mean the new covenant is greater and superior and better than the old covenant. It does not mean that God is different. What am I saying? Listen to me. Look at this, Hebrews 12, 29. Our God is a consuming fire. One man, it was Ajith Fernando, pointed this out. You know, sometimes we shy away because we don't think it's very spiritual that we would avoid sin because of possible punishment. You know, it's not totally biblical. Sometimes it's actually okay that you would avoid serious sin because you understand from the Word that God is threatening serious destruction and punishment. Sometimes that's actually okay. And there is a sense of that. Do you see what I'm saying? There's a sense of that here. As he says, what? This is the New Testament, right? This is the New Covenant. And he says here, our God is a consuming fire. To whom is he writing? To believers? To the church? Dear friend, don't play with fire. Now we say that casually. Don't play with fire. Don't play with serious sin. And if it takes you thinking about the punishment from God, If it takes you thinking about the possible punishment from God, dear believer, then use that as part of your arsenal to refrain from sin. There's more to it than that, but that can be part of it as well. God is the same. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. You know, this, our God is a consuming fire. What does that mean? Well, it comes from Deuteronomy. Listen to this. Deuteronomy chapter 3. I'm sorry, Deuteronomy 9.3. Listen, know therefore today that he who goes over before you as a consuming fire is the Lord your God. He will destroy them and subdue them before you. Please listen to this. In Deuteronomy 9.3, it's saying God's gonna go before you when you fight this battle to your enemies and he's going to destroy them because he's a consuming fire. But in Deuteronomy 4, In Deuteronomy 4.24, he's talking about God's people. God will come against you, he says to the Israelites, as a consuming fire. Take care, Deuteronomy 4.23, lest you forget the covenant of the Lord your God, which he made with you, and make a carved image, the form of anything that the Lord your God has forbidden you. or the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God. That is true love. True love involves a holy jealousy. True love involves a right jealousy. And this is talking about the wrath of God. God has brought us into covenant with Himself. We are His people. He is our God. He is a jealous God. And we casually, as I've already said, say, don't play with fire, but don't play with God who is a consuming fire. This is something that the Old Testament says and the New Testament. Deuteronomy 4, Deuteronomy 9, other places, Hebrews 12, in the new covenant context of worship, our God is a consuming fire. Those are helpful words in Deuteronomy 4, as it talks about the covenants. Look at me, listen, as we think about the marriage covenant. Primarily, it's the covenant between God and His people. What did he say there in Deuteronomy 4? Take care. Friends, let's root out idolatry from our lives. Let's root out any cheating and let's return in repentance to God who is a consuming fire. Well, there's the two things. Number one, give thanks. Let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken. And number two is worship with reverence and all. It's like Romans 12, it's the whole Christian life. Let us offer to God acceptable worship with reverence and all for our God is a consuming fire. Let me give you a couple of things before we end here, a couple of things. One of those things would be having thought about the two main points. One of these things in closing would be verse 25. Look at verse 25. See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. Look at the text. 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. You see that in verse 25? If then, if this, then that. From the lesser to the greater. Do you see that? If they did not escape back then on Mount Sinai, Moses, when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape And he's talking to the church. He's talking to believers. What do you think? You think you'll come out unscathed? You think you'll be okay? What is this? This is the author saying, be warned one more time against apostasy. Be warned one more time against falling away. The book of Hebrews is not only about the five famous warning passages. If you've been here at all, hopefully that sounds familiar. The book of Hebrews is not primarily about the five famous warning passages. This right here is the fifth and final. This is the fifth and final warning passage in the book of Hebrews. They're wonderful, they're scary, they're wonderfully helpful, they're clear, It's Hebrews 2, Hebrews 3 and 4, Hebrews 6, Hebrews 10, and here. See that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. Keep listening to the Gospel. Stay with the Word. No, the main point of Hebrews is Jesus Christ and the superiority of Jesus Christ over angels, over Moses, over the Old Covenant, over all of the other priests. the superiority and the supremacy of Jesus Christ, and because He's so great, because He is so wonderful, because this new covenant is so much greater, because the blood of Christ, verse 24, the blood of Christ, this is wonderful language, speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. Oh, the blood of Abel cries out for vengeance. The blood of Christ pleads the grace of God. The blood of Christ speaks a better word than able. 25, see that you do not refuse him who is speaking. If then, lesser to greater. I thought in the New Testament, I thought he's a soft guy. No, our God is a consuming fire. It is greater in the New Testament. It's much greater. You've not come to a terrifying mountain to where if a beast touched it, it would be destroyed. You've come to the heavenly Jerusalem, to Mount Zion. Therefore, why would you leave? Therefore, don't ever leave. Keep listening to the Gospel. Stay with the Gospel. Let me warn you, he says, let me warn you one more time, in this fifth and final warning, compare Hebrews 10, 28-29. Compare Hebrews 10, 28-29 and Hebrews 2, 1-4. Not right now, but compare those. Haggai. How many of you were doing Haggai in your devotions this morning before church? You guys are shameful. Shameful. Listen to this, Haggai chapter two. Haggai two. 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. Why do I read Haggai 2, 6 through 9? Because that's what he quotes here in 25 through 29, Hebrews 12. 25 through 29, see that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. See that you, I'm telling you today, don't refuse Him who is speaking. Who, me? No, not me. Don't refuse the Lord Jesus Christ, the great high priest, the true and better high priest. Don't refuse Him who is speaking. Today, today, don't refuse Him as He speaks through His Word. He speaks a better Word. His blood speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. You see, Jesus, listen to me, Jesus on the cross bore the wrath of God in our place as believers. He bore the wrath of this holy God. Our God is a consuming fire. And Jesus, who did not deserve it at all, He drank the cup of the wrath of God down to its very dregs so that we could be free and forgiven and cleansed in our conscience if we repent of our sins and trust in Him. Don't forget, by the way, Haggai chapter two. Let me close with what may seem like something weird. I'll just close with this. Crossway. See to it that no one is sexually immoral or unholy. I've said already that you could expand this whole thing and it could be 14 through 29. That that would be very appropriate. And I think 25 through 29 takes us back to 14 through 17 and talked about Esau. Esau was ungodly. What's the definition of ungodly? Your God is your appetites. An ungodly person has their appetites as their God. So I'll just close with this. See to it from this same passage, see to it that no one is sexually immoral or unholy. Young people, everybody, let's see to it peace and purity. Peace and purity, gratefulness and worship for our God is a consuming fire. Let's pray together. Lord, we thank you for your word. Thank you for these five warning passages in the book of Hebrews. Thank you that you keep us on the path by warning us Lord, we, your people, we hear you warning us, and this is a big part of how you keep us on the right path. Oh, Lord, please help us. Help us to search our hearts. Have mercy upon us. Help us to have great confidence through Jesus Christ and through His blood. Help us to have boldness, and we do have boldness and confidence, to approach Your throne, O God. Father of mercies and the God of all comfort, we praise You. Again, help us to praise You with all of our beings. Help us to give You thanks. Help us to worship You. Thank You supremely that Hebrews is about Jesus is better. We confess that today. Jesus is better. And we pray in his name. Amen.