While Matt was singing that,
I looked at the, I surrendered all in my, our hymnal. It was
so offensive. And I'm so thankful for that
version of that song. I've entitled this message, Things That Cannot Be Shaken. Get that from this verse of scripture,
things that cannot be shaken. Now you'll see in verse 26, whose
voice then shook the earth. And this is a reference to the
Lord coming down on Mount Sinai. Let me read you the scripture
from Exodus chapter 19. And it came to pass on the third
day in the morning that there were thunders and lightnings. and a thick cloud upon the mountain,
the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud, so that all the people
that was in the camp trembled. And Moses brought forth the people
out of the camp to meet with God. And they stood at the nether
part of the Mount and Mount Sinai was all together on smoke because
the Lord descended upon it in fire and the smoke thereof ascended
as the smoke of a furnace and the whole Mount quaked greatly. Can you imagine seeing this? feeling the tremor of the earthquake,
seeing the smoke rising up. Verse 26, his voice then shook
the earth, but now he hath promised saying yet once more, I shake
not the earth only, but also heaven. And this word yet once more signifies
the removing of those things that are shaken as a things that
are made that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. What can be shaken? Anything that was made. What cannot be shaken? Only that
which is eternal. Everything else can be shaken. There's going to be a great shaking
going on that will cause a removal of all that can be shaking. shaken
of all that has instability, whatever has not been nailed
down, everything that is made, everything that you can see.
Remember when Paul said the things that are seen are temporal. The things which are not seen
are eternal and only those things that cannot be shaken that are
eternal will remain. Perhaps you've heard this before,
only one life to live, it will soon be past, only what was done
for Christ shall last. There's a sense in which I can
see this in terms of what's truly important. I know you've heard of the Nobel
Prize awarded, given to those who in the previous year have
conferred the greatest benefit on mankind. The Nobel Prize of
physics, the Nobel Prize of chemistry, medicine, literature, and peace.
These achievements are nothing in comparison to that woman who
broke that alabaster box of ointment on the Lord's feet. These achievements are nothing
with comparison to when the Lord said to his church, in as much
as you did it to the least of these, my brethren, you did it
to me. These achievements are nothing
compared to the cold cup of water given in a disciple's name. These achievements are nothing
compared to the blessed of the dead who die in the Lord. Yea,
from henceforth saith the Spirit, they have rest from all their
labors, and their works do follow them. All these achievements
of the Nobel Prize, it's famous, probably most of us have heard
of it, maybe all of us have, they're nothing compared to the
least thing done in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Would
you rather die with a Nobel Peace Prize or trusting the Savior? But notice these words, only
one life will soon be passed. Only what is done for Christ
shall last. How do I feel about what I have
done for Christ? I think we have a perfect example
of I surrender all and he surrendered all. All the difference in the
world. In reality, it's only what Christ
has done for me that will last. You believe that? It's only what
Christ has done for me that will last. Now let's see if we can
make that good from the Holy scriptures. I got a question.
Does the Bible teach that the only ground of acceptance before
God is the righteousness and merits of Jesus Christ? Does
the Bible teach that? Turn with me in Romans three. Verse 19, now we know that what
thing so ever the law saith, it saith to them who are under
the law that every mouth may be stopped and all the world may become
guilty before God. None of these people will be
singing, I surrender all. Therefore, by the deeds of the
law, there shall no flesh be justified in his sight for by
the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of
God. Don't miss that. The righteousness
of God without the law, without my personal obedience to the
law, without anything that I've done. The righteousness of God
without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and
the prophets, even the righteousness of God, which is by faith of
Jesus Christ. Now note that it doesn't say
by faith in Jesus Christ. By the faith of Jesus Christ,
the obedience, the law keeping, the faithfulness of the Lord
Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe. For there's
no difference for all have sinned and come short of the glory of
God being justified freely by His grace through the redemption
that's in Christ Jesus whom God set forth to be a propitiation
through faith in His blood to declare whose righteousness?
His righteousness. for the remission of sins that
are passed through the forbearance of God to declare, I say at this
time, his righteousness, that he might be just and the justifier
of him which believeth in Jesus. Paul said in Philippians 9, three,
nine, oh, that I may win Christ and be found in him. And God comes looking for me.
I simply want to be in Christ. Not having, now listen to what
else he says, not having my own righteousness. I know what my own righteousness
amounts to, what the scripture calls filthy rags. Not having my own righteousness,
which is of the law, but that which is through the faithfulness
of Christ, the righteousness, which is of God by faith. In Revelation chapter 19 verse
8, we read with regard to the church, to her was granted that
she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white. And this
fine linen is the righteousness of the saints. Now, does that
mean the righteous works they performed? Do you have any works
that you performed that you would consider fine linen, clean and
white? The righteousness of Jesus Christ is the righteousness of
the saints. Christ is the end of the law
for righteousness. To everyone that believeth. I
love the song we sing. 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. Now here's the second question
I've got. First question is, does the Bible
teach that the righteousness of Jesus Christ is the only ground
of acceptance before God? Yes, it does. Here's my second
question. Does the Bible allow us to look
at any work which we have performed as sinless and able to stand
before the judgment of God? This sermon I'm preaching. Would I want to stand before
God in judgment based upon this sermon that I've preached my
motive in preparing it, the thoughts that have gone through my mind?
No. Turn with me to first John chapter
one verse eight. If we say that we have no sin,
now there is the noun form of the word sin. At no time can
I say, whatever my experience may be, I have no sin. I can't
say that because I always have a sinful nature. It's always
there. And if I make that claim, I have
no sin, what does John say? We deceive ourselves. And the
truth is not in us. The man who makes that claim
has lost all credibility. Look in verse 10 of the same
chapter. If we say that we have not sinned. Now there, the word
sin is the verb form. With regard to anything I do,
including preaching this message, what I give, My prayer, my wit
with regard to anything that I do, I don't care what it is.
If I say, I didn't see him there. Well, we make him a liar because
he says we have, and his word is not in us. That kind of thinking proves
somebody does not have the spirit of God for even saying something
like this. No work that a man performs can
be accepted by God in and of itself. Now I want you to turn
to the book of Ecclesiastes for a moment. Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes. Now this is Solomon, the word
Ecclesiastes means the preacher, and here what God's preacher
says, the words of the preacher. The son of David, king in Jerusalem,
vanity of vanities, saith the preacher, vanity of vanities,
all is vanity. Now that word vanity, it's If
you go out tonight and it's cold enough and you breathe and you
see that, what do you call it? Vapor that comes out. How quick
does it disappear? It's not there very long, is
it? And he says, vanity of vanities, all is vanity. Look in verse eight of the same
chapter, all things are full of labor. Man cannot utter it. The eye is not satisfied with
seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing. The thing that hath
been, it is that which shall be, and that which is done is
that which shall be done. And there's no new thing under
the sun, nothing, nothing new. Is there anything wherever it
may be said, see, this is new. It has already been of old time,
which was before us. There's no remembrance of former
things, neither shall there be any remembrance of things that
are to come with those that shall come after. That's how frustrating
things are here. Verse 12, let's go on reading.
I, the preacher, was king in Jerusalem. I gave my heart to
seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are
done under the heaven. This sore travail hath God given
to the sons of men to be exercised therewith. I've seen all the
works that are done under the sun and behold, all is vanity
and vexation of the spirit. That which is crooked cannot
be made straight. That which is wanting cannot be numbered. I commune with my own heart,
saying, lo, I've come to great estate, and I've gotten more
wisdom than all they that had been before me in Jerusalem.
Yea, my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge. I gave
my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceive
that this is vexation of spirit. For in much wisdom is much grief,
and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow. Chapter two, verse 11, then I
looked at all the works that my hands had wrought and all
the labor that I'd labored to do and behold, all was vanity
and vexation of the spirit. And there was no profit under
the sun. Look in verse 17. Therefore I
hated life because the work that is wrought under the sun is grievous
unto me for it's all vanity and vexation in spirit. Yea, I hated
all my labor which I had taken under the sun because I should
leave it to the man that shall be after me. Look in chapter
three, verse 14. Here's what lasts. I know that
whatsoever God doeth, it shall be forever. Nothing can be put
to it, nor anything taken from it. And God doeth it that men
should fear before him." Turn to the last chapter, chapter
12, verse 8. In his conclusion, He begins
with vanity of vanities. Save the preacher. All is vanity. Everything done under the sun
in this period of space we call time is vanity and vexation of
the spirit because man at his best state is what? Altogether
vanity. That's me. That is you. There's nothing under the sun
that is stable. What about governments? Are there
any stable governments? Where's Babylon? Where's Rome? Where's the British Empire that
controlled the world for several centuries? We think of ourselves
as being the most powerful nation, but if we're around long enough,
somebody else will take our place. There is no stability in human
government. How unstable is the economy? How unstable is personal property,
our stuff? We can lose it just like that.
We lose everything. How unstable are relationships? You know how sad divorce is?
How sad divorce in this church is when someone gets divorced?
They love one another. They go through troubles, problems.
They feel like they no longer love one another. They split
apart. unstable, even good relationships.
A lost individual, two people can be married and have a good
marriage. I've seen it. They seem happily married. But when
they go to hell, they're going to hate one another. That relationship
will not remain. All the restraints taken away.
And even a good marriage between two believers, that's not going
to last. In heaven, you're not going to have that kind of relationship. Everybody's going to be the same
and they're going to have the same love one for another. There's
no stability in relationships. What about our religious experience? Something done under the sun.
We've had quite a number of religious experiences, every one of us
have. things that felt very much. And I can quote Charles Spurgeon
on this better than I can say it. So let me read this to you
with regard to religious experience. Spurgeon said, I have not the
shadow of a shade, of a ghost, of a confidence as to my ultimate
salvation, except in Jesus Christ alone. And one reason why I dare
not have any confidence except in Him is that I do not know
anything I ever did or ever thought or ever was in which I could
confine, so I'm driven to trust Him and to Him alone. I lie at
the foot of His cross because I can't stand upright. I must
do that, for like Luther, I can do no other. If I search myself
and my whole life over and over again, I cannot see anything
but that I call a filthy rag, and I fling it all away. Good
works and bad works, so far as mine are concerned, are not worth
the trouble of sorting out. So I tie them all up in one bundle
and pitch them overboard and just cling to the everlasting
life buoy of the merits of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior. Amen. You know, the scripture points
out that all the externals of Old Testament religion can be
shaken. God finds fault. Turn with me to Hebrews 8 or
Hebrews 7. Verse 18, for there is verily
a disannoying of the commandment, the Levitical priesthood going
before for the weakness and the unprofitableness thereof. That's
what God says about it. Look in chapter eight, beginning
in verse seven. For if the first covenant
had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for
the second. Look in verse 13. In that he
saith a new covenant, he has made the first old. Now that
which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away. We look not on things which are
seen, the things you could see in the old covenant, but things
that are not seen. For the things which are seen
are temporal, temporary. Everything you're seeing right
now, it's not going to last. The world's going to be melted
with a fervent heat. Everything, anything you see,
anything that's made is temporal. It's not going to last. It's only the things that are
not seen, which are eternal. I love what James said. What
is your life? It's even a vapor. There, I got the word Aaron.
I had it in my notes this time. It's a vapor that appears for
a little while and vanishes away. How many of you know the names
of your grandparents' parents? or the parents of your grandparents'
parents. I bet nobody here does. I certainly
don't. When it says all that goes under
the sun is vanity, it means our life doesn't have any more relevance
in the grand scheme of things than a little vapor that came
out for a little while and is gone. I love what Joe McSherry
would always say, that we have about as much impact as sticking
your thumb in a lake and pulling it out. Nobody's going to remember
my name in 100 years or 200 years or whatever. You know, people
talk about, I want to leave a legacy. I could care less about a legacy.
I mean, if I'm in heaven, you think I'm going to care anything?
I won't. I won't. Everything we see is unstable. Now, Hebrew says it's appointed unto
men once to die, and after that, the judgment. Now, what can't
be shaken on that day? When you stand before God in
judgment, what is it that cannot be shaken? Most people hope their good works
will outweigh their bad works. There are others who have some
vague hope that God will be merciful. There are many who hope in the
religious experience they had in the past. Lord, Lord, this
is on judgment day. Have we not preached in your
name? Have we not cast out devils in your name, works of power?
Have we not done many wonderful works? The quantity, many. The quality, wonderful. Then will I profess unto thee,
depart from me, ye that work iniquity, I never knew you. It's only that which is eternal
that cannot be shaken. Now we know from the light of
nature that God must be eternal. Nobody made him. I mean, a second
grader can figure that out. Nobody made God. He's not God
or somebody made him. God is eternal. We know from
the creation of the world, his eternal power and Godhead so
that they are without excuse. Now, when God saves somebody,
they're given what the Bible calls eternal life. God so loved the world that he
gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should
not perish but have what? Eternal, everlasting life. Now, the reason that We have
eternal life is because the eternal God gave us eternal life. Listen to this scripture. This
is the record. 1 John 5, 12. This is the record that God has
given us eternal life. And this life is in His Son.
That's why it's eternal. Did Christ ever have a beginning?
No. Will He ever have an end? No. That's the life I have that is
eternal life, the life of God in the soul. Eternal life is
life that has no beginning, no end, and that's what every believer
possesses because of their eternal union with Jesus Christ. I love
the scripture, Hebrews 2.11, both he that sanctifies and they
who are sanctified are all of one. They're not just close together,
they're one. I've always been one with Christ.
Is Christ eternal? Yes. Have I been eternally united
to Christ? Yes. eternally, eternal life. Not just life that had a beginning
and a point of time, going both ways. Eternal in the beloved,
the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord said, I am the way,
the truth, and the life. I love that, don't you? He's
my life before God. When Christ, who is our life,
shall appear, then shall you appear with him in glory." Now,
all that will be valuable on judgment day will be the life
of Christ. Eternal justification, now that's
all that's valuable to a believer and it's of no value to an unbeliever.
justification. Now I've heard people over the
years deny or object to this idea of eternal justification
because they think well that'll give people some hope maybe they'll
be saved even if they don't believe. It does no such thing. It doesn't
do anybody that way that really believes it but eternal justification that's the fact that the believer
has been justified in eternity before God because of his eternal
union with Christ. Now God said, I'll by no means
clear the guilty. Under no circumstance whatsoever
will I ever clear somebody that's guilty. What would you think
of a judge? If somebody was guilty of a crime and that judge said,
well, I'm going to clear you. I'm going to justify you. Well,
we'd kick him out. He couldn't be a judge. God is
just. God said, I will by no means
clear the guilty. If he did, he would no longer
be just. I love that scripture in Proverbs 17, 15. He that justifieth
the wicked and he that condemneth the just, they're both alike
an abomination to the Lord. I love Revelation 13, eight. He's the lamb slain, the lamb
having been slain from the foundation of the world. Romans 8, 29 and 30 says whom
he did predestinate them. He also called whom he called
them. He also justified whom he justified them. He also glorified
a completed act already done being justified freely by his
grace. Now remember justification means
you never sinned. It's better than just as if you've
never sinned. It means you've never sinned. And this justification
of the believer is eternal. And it is what will stand in
judgment day. The gospel is called in Revelation
14, six, the everlasting gospel, the gospel that had no beginning
and no end. Do you understand this? No. Do I
believe it with all my heart? And I love it. I wouldn't want
it to be any other way. Ephesians 1, 4 says, according
as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world,
that we should be holy. and without blame before Him,
in love having predestinated us unto the adoption of children
by Jesus Christ Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,
to the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made
us accepted in the Beloved. In Hebrews chapter 13, verse
20, we read of the blood of the everlasting covenant. that's
the covenant David spoke of in 2nd Samuel 23 verse 5 when he
said although my house be not so with God yet hath he made
with me and believer he made it with you personally Yet hath
he made with me an everlasting covenant, one that never began,
one that will never end, ordered in all things and sure. And what did David say about
this covenant? He said, this is how much of my salvation? All my salvation. and all my
desire. It's all I want. Me too, David. This is all my salvation and
all my desire. He's called in Hebrews chapter
7 verse 22, the surety of a better covenant. Now remember, only
that which is eternal will last before time began Christ became
my surety and took complete and full responsibility for my salvation. Listen to this scripture from
Genesis chapter 43 verse 9. This is Judah speaking of Benjamin. This is Christ speaking of us,
seeing the lad with me. I will be surety for him of my
hand shalt thou require of him. And if I bring him not before
thee and set him before thee, let me bear the blame forever. And that's what Christ said with
regard to me. I will be surety for him. If
I don't bring him back and set him before my father, then let
me bear the blame forever. And that was said before I was
ever born. In Hebrews chapter 5, verse 9,
we read of an eternal salvation. In Hebrews chapter 6, verse 2,
eternal judgment. Hebrews 9, 12, eternal redemption. Hebrews 9, 15, eternal inheritance. Second Thessalonians 2, 16, an
eternal consolation. 2 Corinthians 4 18 we read of
the weight an eternal weight of glory as we're seated right
now in eternity in Christ having already been glorified now all
that cannot be shaken and will remain is that which is eternal
nothing else will anything that's made anything that you see It's not eternal. Let's turn
back to our text in Hebrews 12. Are you relying on that which
is eternal? Have you ever shaken a rotten
stick? Just give it a good shaking. A lot of it falls off, doesn't
it? The only part that has strength is what remains. And God is going
to give everybody a shaking. And only that which he has done,
that which is eternal, shall remain. Verse 26, whose voice
then shook the earth, but now he is promising yet once more,
I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. And this word yet
once more signify the removing of those things that are shaken
as a things that are made. That those things, which cannot
be shaken, things that are not made. things that are eternal
will remain. So I don't like that line, only one life till soon
be past, only what's done for Christ shall last. I like this. Only one life, it soon will be
past. Only what Christ has done shall
last. Amen. Let's pray. Lord, how we thank you that you
are eternal God. How we thank you for the eternal
salvation you've accomplished on our behalf and Lord, We are
completely dependent upon you to give us the faith to rest
all together in what your Son has done and look nowhere else
but Him. Lord, teach us that He is all. Enable us to glory in Him being
all. How we thank you for that eternal
salvation that has nothing to do with us achieving anything,
but it's wholly what your son has done. And Lord, we ask for
grace to live in such a way as to honor your salvation. Bless
us for Christ's sake. In his name we pray. Amen.