We come back to Hebrews chapter 12 for one last Sunday as we continue our exposition, or I should say finish our exposition of this chapter. We're going to be looking at these last few verses that Ben read for us a moment ago. And when we think about this important chapter, and I think it is an important chapter in the Scriptures and what it's telling us about what we are called to, we would remember that it builds upon the argument of the end of chapter 10 and 11 for the need for faith. If there is something that is showing weakness in these believers, it's their faith. They're not running a walk of faith or a run of faith like they seem to at the start. And so the author encourages them and tells them several points that we should think about in this text and take away from it that's in the imagery of the athlete. First of all, and these are points on a macro level, first of all, our run should be taken seriously. We're not casually Christian. It's not something we just add on, you know, as a member of some club, like maybe you're a member of a club or something, that it's just something that you associate with. That's not how Christianity is, right? We are transformed by the Spirit of God and made, if you will, remade and conformed to the image of Christ. We are being transformed, 2 Corinthians says. We're a new creature, and therefore, this is something that we should recognize and take seriously. Second of all, one of the major points of chapter 12 is we should expect hardship in our walk. The reality is just as the athlete must train hard and the student must study hard, so as Christians we should expect opposition. Jesus told us we should expect it. Paul told us we should expect it. In fact, you can find very few places in scripture where you find an author who doesn't tell us to expect opposition and hardship. And another point alongside that is that hardship is ultimately for our good. Just as the hard training for the athlete makes him a better athlete or the much studying and difficulty in studying makes the student better, so us going through hardship is part of God's means by which he is conforming us into the image of Christ. And therefore, as we grow in our understanding of how God works, it doesn't mean that we're always welcoming hardship, welcoming difficulties or valleys, but we recognize that through those valleys, difficulties, and hardships, God will work in amazing ways to shape us to be more and more like Christ. So those are some important points. But a third point I think that we need to consider that the author began to build upon last week is, again, referencing the Greek games, which this author is kind of making us think about. What does it mean to be an athlete? What does it mean to run a race? And in those days, in the Olympics, they didn't run for nations, they ran for cities. You ran representing Sparta or Athens or Philippi, wherever it may be. And the author is asking us, think about whom you represent. What group are you a member of? And last week he contrasted that in two mountains, one representing the Sinai covenant and the Old Testament people. And then he says, or Mount Zion, a heavenly mountain, representing the new covenant people of God. Because remember, at the heart of this letter is the people who have claimed to be Christians and are thinking about going back to Moses and the law and to the synagogue to find safety. And the answer here over and over again is you can't do it. Think about whom you represent. Think about what part or what mountain you represent. And today we'll see it's shown a little bit differently, but it's something we have to think about. What are you a part of? What covenant are you a part of? What people are you a part of? What hope do you have? Who is your mediator? Who is your savior? Who is your king? These are important questions. Who are you? In the early church, the book of Acts, it was considered a slander to be called a Christian, right? These are Christ ones. For us, that's a compliment, right? It was for them as well, by the way. They took it as a compliment. If you say, I look like Christ, you don't know how much you're wrong at this point, but being empowered by the Holy Spirit, conformed, transformed by the Holy Spirit, the fact that you recognize I belong to Him at all, I take as a win. And I'm thankful to God for it. So my friends, again, there's all these themes that we're thinking about. And that line of argumentation will continue today because today's text is kind of a warning to heed and listen to what God says, but also a message of an encouragement to realize that in Christ we have become citizens of a unique kingdom, the only kingdom that is unshakable. And so my friends, as we think about this day, I want to read the text one more time. As Ben read it a moment ago, it's found in Hebrews 12, 25 through the end of the chapter. See that you do not refuse him who speaks, for they did not escape who refused him who spoke on earth. Much more shall we not escape if we turn away from him who speaks from heaven, whose voice then shook the earth, but now he is promised, saying, yet once more I shake, not only the earth, but also the heavens. Now this, yet once more, indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear, for our God is a consuming fire. Amen. As we think about this text, I want us to look at three points this morning. First of all, hearing our glorious God. Second of all, believing His mighty promises. And third, serving our holy God. Beginning first with hearing our glorious God, that's the message here right off the bat. We need to heed, we need to hear, we need to listen. It builds upon what we looked at last week. The last verse of the last section was that the blood of Christ speaks better things than the blood of Abel. And we spoke about that last week. I don't want to go back through all of it again, but just to recognize that Abel's blood was crying out, speaking from the earth, calling for divine judgment and justice. And that's what we all as fallen sinners deserve. The Bible tells us that. All of us deserve the wrath of God upon us. But praise God, Christ's blood speaks better things. It speaks of mercy and forgiveness and reconciliation to our Heavenly Father. And so in the idea of speaking and thinking about this speaking that we would recognize, the author reminds us that in that last section, there was already speaking being referenced, not only the blood of Abel and the blood of Jesus, but before that of the voice of God being spoken at Sinai. And again, we spoke about it last week, but it's important for what's being developed today to remember that the voice of God was frightening. Sounding out like thunders and lightnings and judgment and people were fearful to hear the voice of God and they said, let us hear no more of the voice of God. Let us hear it no more. Now they asked for a mediator, Moses to be the one who hears the words of God and brings them to the people and that was an acceptable arrangement. In fact, as we think about this for a moment, And we see the thing that the author is doing here to say that people rejected hearing God's voice. We might say, well, if we turn back to the law, is that what happened? Or they just were afraid of it, didn't want to hear it directly. In fact, it would seem in the Torah that it's almost admired what Israel did in saying that we revere God and respect God and fear God and cannot hear his voice. Let Moses or a mediator go up upon the mountain and hear the voice of God and then bring it to us. But the author of Hebrews would remind us of what he's been saying throughout this letter. We don't just have the experience at Sinai. Now, if we were to really take some time here and develop this, I would argue, as I did last week, that Baptist covenant theology would explain this very well indeed if we were to walk through exactly what happened at Sinai and exactly the covenant that was offered the people of God there. But the point is this, this isn't just referencing Sinai. The author of Hebrews has never just referenced Sinai, but he references how did the people of God react to the voice of God and the instruction of God? Were they obedient or disobedient? Were they mindful or unmindful? What was the result of the people of God hearing the voice of God, hearing the instructions of God, even in the way they wanted, the way they desired, the way they called for, Moses bringing it to them? Well, God says, if you obey my laws and if you obey my commandments. Did they do that? Did they do that? Well, I think if we go back for a moment and read the previous section, we would see what we read last week. It gives us the answer. It says here, in that previous section, that, and the sound of a trumpet and the voice of word, so that those who heard it begged that the word should not be spoken to them anymore. For what? they could not stand the fright of the sound? No, the author of Hebrews, inspired by the Holy Spirit says, for they could not endure what was commanded. The author is saying they couldn't bear the commandments of God. Now we went through that last week and said that's a common phrasing used for the law throughout the scriptures. Peter uses that very language in Acts chapter 15 we said. Would we ask the Gentiles to take the yoke of the law upon themselves, a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have ever been able to bear? We cannot bear the law. Christ alone perfectly took the law upon himself, went under the law, and perfectly kept the law. He alone could do it. No sinner could do it. And so again, as you think about this just for a moment or wrestling with this text, the author of Hebrews is trying to turn you away from thinking it's just the words, but it's the commandments of God, which the people rejected. Now at Sinai, they said, let all these things be done to us. Let us be under all this agreement. But they didn't live it. They didn't live it. I don't have to exposit this. We spent quite a bit of time back in the earlier chapters. of his picture over and over again of the children of Israel in the wilderness not obeying God, not being a people who seek his heart, not being a people who love him and obey him, but a people who are rebellious against him. A stiff-necked people, he calls them. Now why? Because they're human beings. We were talking in Sunday school this morning about the days of Solomon and the amazing glories of the kingdom God gave Solomon and the wealth It says, we were just marveling at this wording in 2 Chronicles, that it says that Solomon had so much wealth and so much gold that not a silver cup was to be found in his palace. Imagine that being so wealthy, like silver isn't good enough. You're just like, get that out of here, replace it with gold. It says that Israel and Jerusalem was so wealthy that silver was as available as stones. If you saw silver on the ground, you might not even stop to pick it up. It's not worth your time. What's the author telling us? God blessed Israel in the days of Solomon. Exceedingly blessed them. And when you think about that for a moment. you realize how far they fell, right? The whole thing is, God tells them, Solomon says this, that God, I want you to bless this nation, and when we turn to you, you forgive us and all these things. And he says, I will keep my word to my servant David, the conditional part of the Davidic promise. If your sons walk according to my commandments and do the things that are said, then a son of David will be on the throne. I'm paraphrasing. We also recognize in Covenant Saint School, there's an unconditional part of the Davidic promise as well. that just as God had promised, or David wanted to build a house for God, a temple, and what did God say? No, I'm going to build you a house. And upon a throne will be a descendant who will reign forevermore. There's no if-then statement there. That's a promise of God that he will do it. And even when Israel fell off the rails and were driven into a dispersion, if you will, first into captivity in Babylon and then dispersed amongst the nations. Some came back, but they didn't have a Davidic king. But God did not fail to keep his promise. The promise of God stood. A son of David reigns forevermore, reigns today. Jesus Christ, our King of kings. And so when you think about this from what we see here, that it's amazing to think about the heights, even in the greatest days of the kingdom of Israel, men stumbled. Solomon stumbled. Men stumble. That's just the reality. And so this reminds us that the covenant given at Sinai was a covenant that was a burden and unkeepable by sinners. would argue that our Baptist forefathers had been right when they've said for centuries, that's the entire purpose of its being given, was to show you your exceeding sinfulness and your inability, I should say, to reconcile yourself to God, who is holy and righteous, and that you need a mediator. You need a sacrifice. And of those things, the law doesn't provide. We read today of the thousands and thousands of sacrifices that Solomon offered in the dedication of the temple. How many are enough? 1,000, 2,000, 5,000, 10,000? They're never sufficient. That's the author of Hebrew's argument. They have to be done again tomorrow and next year and over and again because none of them are sufficient. They cannot do what we need, which is cleanse the conscience. Only the blood of the Lamb of God can do that. He did it once and for all. So again, as we think about this, we recognize that what we see in the example of Israel is a people who did not listen. The Sinai experience is kind of a type, if you will, or a symbol for what happened through the rest of Israel's history. They had some good periods where they repented and then right back into disobedience and over and over again, And I've said this so many times. God showed them favor and love and grace and mercy again and again and again. And even at the end of the Old Testament, God says, how I've loved you. And Israel says, how have you loved us? My friends, what we see here is a stiff necked people as all human beings are. We're not picking on Israel. They had more revelation. They had more blessings given to them, but they were still sinners. And what they needed was something that would change their hearts, circumcise their hearts. What they needed was the promise of the new covenant. What God was setting before them constantly, what those even in the Old Testament who believed in the promises of God received, a justification that was not based on their own righteousness, but that of a mediator, Christ. And so my friends, as we're working through this, we see that there was a message given and not listened to. over and over again. We could give countless examples of what the children of Israel cried out in the wilderness showing they weren't listening to God. But what happened was judgment fell upon them. There's no question. You can go back through and read all the different examples of fiery serpents coming into the camp and of all the things that happened to them, but ultimately the judgment of God was delivered. None of them shall enter my rest. None of them shall enter the land of promise. In fact, of that generation that rebelled, right, Joshua and Caleb entered. That's it. And then the next generation entered in. God said, none of them will die in the land of promise. All of them will die outside the promise in the wilderness. The author of Hebrews says, don't jump over that picture, but recognize the message there because you don't want to die outside the promise. But those who will not heed the word of God will die outside the promise. They won't hear what God says. They won't understand what God says. If you have been a professed Christian for years and you think that it is nothing at all to put yourself back under the law, you haven't been listening. If you think it's nothing at all to return to Moses and think that you'll find salvation there, you haven't been listening at all. That's what the author is saying. And if those in the wilderness who heard an earthly revelation given on an earthly mountain didn't listen and fell into the judgment of God, what will happen to you? How much greater will the condemnation be to those who heard the message of the gospel, heard the message of God's grace, heard that yes, there is no way you can reconcile yourself to a holy and righteous God. It isn't possible for you to do that. But God sent his own son, a mediator, who did it for you. And by the grace of God, we can be redeemed and reconciled to God. And so again, when you think about this for a moment, it's asking the famous thing that this author asks often, how much more then, if not listening at Sinai brought judgment, how much more now will you fall under the judgment of the greater revelation given to you if you reject God's grace? and make no mistake about it, it's not just here in Hebrews, but elsewhere, to put yourself back under the law is to fundamentally misunderstand the gospel and reject it. To reject it. Now we could go to Galatians and see that, we could go to Romans and see that, but the fundamental problem of the law that Paul identifies in Romans 9-11 is what? He says it's not about zeal, it's not about passion for God, He said, my brethren, according to the flesh, have that in spades. Paul said, I had it in spades once upon a time. Zeal for God. But he said, it's not according to knowledge. And what Paul goes on to argue there is that by the way of the law, they try to construct a righteousness of their own before God. That's the exact opposite of what the law is there to do. The law is there to do what Paul says earlier in Romans, to shut every mouth before God. I think I'm gonna boast to God how righteous I am and how much he's got to allow me into glory. The law kicks my feet out from under me. It says, quit fooling yourself. You haven't read it if you think that. By works of the law shall no flesh be just in his sight. But the reality is, It's pointing us over and over to our need of a mercy that only God can give us, a mercy that God promises from Genesis 3 throughout the scriptures. We cover that so often. But if you will not hear it, if you will not heed it, if you will not recognize your need of grace, if you think you can earn it, then what shall happen to you? you'll also find yourself outside the promise on that great day. My friends, that is a serious, serious warning to these people who I believe the author believes are Christians, but are making a testimony error that would make us question whether or not they ever knew the Lord. In fact, he says, if you go away, it's pretty clear you were never transformed by the Holy Spirit. Well, if we come to understand that, that we need to hear our glorious God, that brings us right to believing His mighty promise, because the question is, what has He said? Now, we've been talking all about the gospel, and that's clearly at the heart of this entire letter, but there's an exact promise mentioned here, isn't there? An exact promise that is given to us, and I want us to look at it one more time. He says, yet once more I shake, not only the earth, but also heaven. Once more I shake. And I want us to come back and think about that in just a moment. But again, we'd recognize just for a moment that there is a word that he's saying specifically you need to think about, you know, not just platitudes on the gospel or just, you know, the teachings of Jesus. Yes, all those things we need to consider. But he's saying, I want you to think about this specific wording for a moment. God promised in the Old Testament that once more he would shake the heavens and the earth. And he doesn't just say that it's important to think about that just for a moment. But he says, I want you to specifically look at the wording, yet once more. Yet once more. I think we would recognize this comes from Haggai chapter two, verse six. And here's what it says in the text of the Old Testament. For thus says the Lord of hosts, once more, it is yet a little while, I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and the dry land, and I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the desire of all nations. And I will fill this temple with glory, says the Lord of hosts. It doesn't take much exposition to recognize this is speaking about something messianic, the desire of nations. Speaking of the nations coming and everything being shaken, it's one of those prophecies we often talk about that's covering a lot of ground. But Haggai says there is going to be this thing one day that's going to happen and it's both messianic and eschatological or dealing with the eschaton or the end times. And as you think about this for a moment, what is he saying will happen? That there'll be such a great shakening one more time. Notice the author interprets that for us. If he's going to do it one more time, he means only one more time, meaning this next shaking will be the last shaking. And when it happens, it'll be a great shaking, so great that all of heaven and earth will be shaken by it. Well, what's the purpose of that, we might ask? Well, he tells us. It's to shake and test everything that exists in heaven and on earth. And those things which can be shaken and collapse will be done away with. And those things that are unshakable will remain. Is that not what he says? Yet once more indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken. If it is shakable, it will be removed. As of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain. God has a purpose in that great shakening that's coming one day. It's to get rid of everything that is shakable and temporal and not eternal. And all that will remain then are those things that are unshakable and glorious and His. And that's what the author's trying to get you to think about for a moment. Who are you running for in this race? It's not some Greek city. It's not even really a mountain, so to speak. You're running for the glory of the King of Kings. You're running His race. You represent Him. You are running as representative of a kingdom that is glorious and eternal and unshakable. Unshakable. Now he's clearly talking about when those things will be shaken in the eschaton. I was reading this week, one of the early church fathers, Gregory of Nazianzus said this, this last shaking is none other than the second coming of Christ, when the universe will be transformed and changed to a condition of stability, which cannot ever again be shaken. That's the glorious things we sing about often, right? A day of no more tears, no more pain, no more changeability all around us. Our hope can't be in earthly kingdoms, right? Earthly kingdoms can change like this. We had a presidential candidate almost assassinated yesterday. That could be a president. That could be anybody, right? A leader, a national leader. They can be here today and gone tomorrow. Your nations can shake. They are not unshakeable. Economies can collapse. Famine can strike. There's only one kingdom that is unshakeable. And that is the kingdom of God. And so he reminds us here, what kingdom are you a part of? Who do you run for? Where is your hope? This author says that what will remain at the end of days is the kingdom of Christ, the new covenant kingdom of Christ, and the promises that we enter by God's grace, by faith in God, in Christ particularly. And that's nothing new. We've talked about this all along. In the chapter 11 of Hebrews, we're hearing about Abraham and his movements and the promises that God gave him, and it says that he was looking for a city. You might think for a moment, oh, he's looking forward to Jerusalem, a future earthly city, but it says no. A city who's maker and who set the foundations, that was done by God, not by man. He was looking to a heavenly Jerusalem, not an earthly Jerusalem. It says the same thing about Isaac and Jacob. In fact, I think over and over again when you are careful to read about these great men and women of faith, what you find is they were always looking beyond just an earthly promise. They were looking to the eschatological promises of God that would be fulfilled one day by God alone, He alone being able to fulfill them. And as we think about this for a moment, we realize that all people who have entered have entered the same way by God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ. That was true of Abel, it says in chapter 11, that was true of Noah, that was true of Enoch, that was true of Abraham. That's true of everyone who enters today. It's by faith we enter this kingdom that shall never end. Now that brings us to our third and final point, and I'll be quick about it here. But it is important because we might say, well, how do we respond? We know immediately we're supposed to listen, right? That's given to us right off the bat. We're supposed to listen, but how are we to respond? And notice what the author says here at the end of this chapter. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken. That's what you're receiving in Christ. Not just some temporary state of grace or something like that, but you're receiving an eternal blessing of the kingdom of God that shall never shake, shall never be lost, cannot be taken from you, can never be corrupted. You will have it eternally, everlastingly, you shall have it. And because of that, what to say we should do? Let us have charis or grace. And that's how my translation may be, you're all says thanksgiving or thankfulness. Oftentimes when grace is used in this way, it means to be shown such a state of favor that the proper response is thanksgiving. And so that's why it's often translated that way, is be thankful. Be thankful. The greatest need you had, God has delivered an answer to, has delivered you into a state in which you no longer face shakability. but have an eternal promise. And so what is the right thing to do? Well, he says what? He says, let us be thankful or be gracious by which we may serve God acceptingly with reverence. Let's worship him rightly. Let's give Him proper reverence. Let's come before Him with thanksgiving, with praise, giving Him praise and glory. Free is worthy. That's what we're supposed to do when we come here on Sunday mornings, right? It's not just about like, oh, I like the songs. And if we like the songs, it should be because they're about giving praise and glory to God. I mean, we should want to see each other. There should be fellowship. But the primary reason the people of God gather is for worshiping our great God together. A couple of years ago, you may have seen commercials on TV where an entire denomination was talking about gathering on Sunday mornings and then going out and serving the community. And, you know, might have seemed like a good idea to them, like, hey, this is really good. We're showing that we're serving and all this sort of thing. But my friends, There's plenty of other time to do that. Sunday mornings has always been set aside by the people of God since the earliest days of the church to gather to give praise and glory to our God. That's what we're to do. That's why this hour, I believe, is the most important one of our week. I think it's incredibly important to gather as the people of God to worship Him together. Now, if we recognize here that it is something that we should do, that we should serve Him acceptably with reference and with godly fear. We need to remember that God calls us to have a godly reverence and fear of Him and that fear itself is the beginning of wisdom. To understand who God is and to understand how glorious He is. It isn't, in other words, saying just because we can approach Him boldly means that we treat Him flippantly. He is God, the creator of all things, just and holy. And so we must approach Him with reverence, for He is a consuming fire." That's a warning given to the people of God in the Old Testament by Moses saying, don't come to God wrongly. He is a consuming fire. Just like this, you'll be consumed. Come before Him with thanksgiving and praise and reverence. Now, all that is to remind us that for those who do not listen, do not heed, do not understand their need of the grace of God, they will experience that consuming fire one day. They will experience it. And I think the question he's asking ultimately is, where are you at on this? Before you leave and try to find shelter in Moses, ask yourself, where do you stand? Where do you stand? That's a question any of us could be asked. Where do we stand? Where do you stand? But as we think about it just for a moment, it's really important light of this shakening that's coming. I don't know when that day's coming. I'm willing to venture you don't know when that day is coming. Because I understand it, the Bible tells us no man knows the day that's coming. Could be today, could be tomorrow. Might be a long time in the future. We have to think about this. When that day of shakening comes, where will we stand? Because when that day comes, there'll be two very different experiences. Two very different experiences. In fact, we just sang a great hymn on that very fact. I want to read these words again that we just sang. The second verse of See Who Comes talks about the warning that's given here to those who would find themselves not in the kingdom that is unshakable. Those who mocked and scorned his name, pierced and nailed him to the tree, deeply wail in sorrow grieve when they the true Messiah see. Every eye will see the Lord, dressed in dreadful majesty. Every knee shall bow before the judge of all eternity. Amen. My friends, those are words that very much sum up what the scriptures say about that day. Yet the third verse of that song reminds us of the hope graciously set before those who are in that unshakable kingdom in the same exact day and experience. Still he bears the holy scars, evidence of saving grace. All the saints bought by his blood shall then rejoice to see his face. Yes, amen, let all adore Christ on his eternal throne. All the power and might are yours. Come, claim the kingdom. as your own. My friends, I don't know what more I can add to that than what the scriptures say and then also as a summary what this song says. What more important question you're going to deal with today than whether or not you are part of that unshakable kingdom. So that whatever happens in this world, and it will be chaotic, that's just the nature of being in the world. It's going to be chaos. But we know that there is an unshakable kingdom that we are in even now. to be evident and more evident as time goes on, particularly on that great day. But where do you stand?