Let us turn in our Bibles to
Hebrews chapter 12. Hebrews chapter 12. And tonight
we are looking at the last verses in this chapter, beginning with
verse 25. But I want to begin our reading
in verse 18. And I do this because our text
tonight shows three more similarities and contrasts between the two
mountains, what we referred to as the two mountains last time. The mountain that might be touched,
Sinai. That was a mountain that could
actually be touched. And Mount Zion. the city of the living God, the
church of the firstborn. The contrast, the similarities
between the two mountains, Mount Sinai and Mount Zion. Let's begin in verse 18. For
you are not come unto the mount that might be touched and that
burned with fire, nor unto blackness and darkness and tempest. and
the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words, which voice they
that heard entreated that the word should not be spoken to
them any more. For they could not endure that
which was commanded. And if so much as a beast touched
the mountain, it shall be stoned or thrust through with a dart.
And so terrible was the sight that Moses said, I exceedingly
fear and quake. But you are come unto Mount Zion,
and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem,
and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly
and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven,
and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of just men
made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant.
and to the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better things than
that of Abel. Now here's where we begin tonight,
verse 25. See that you refuse not him that
speaketh. For if they escape not who refused
him that spoke on earth, much more shall not we escape if we
turn away from him that speaketh from heaven. whose voice then
shook the earth. But now he hath promised, saying,
yet once more I shall shake not the earth only, but also heaven.
And this word, yet once more, signifieth the removing of those
things that are shaken as of things that are made, that those
things which cannot be shaken may remain. Wherefore, we receiving
a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace whereby we
may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire. Three things in these verses
I call our attention to tonight. First, we have another warning. Another warning. in verse 25,
see that you refuse not him that speaketh. Now I said we have
another warning, for this is certainly not the first warning
that is given in the letter of Hebrews. Let's look back to chapter
two at the first warning that is given, Hebrews chapter two,
and remember this letter is written to men and women who professed
faith in Christ. Hebrews chapter two, beginning
with verse one, therefore we ought to give them more earnest
heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should
let them slip. For if the word spoken by angels
was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just
recompense of reward, 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? This is
the first warning that we find in this letter of Hebrews. Look
in chapter four, verse one, another warning. Let us therefore fear, lest a
promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should
seem to come short of." And then in chapter six, we won't read
these other warnings, but we know there are other warnings
in chapter six and chapter 10. Back in our text now, the warning
is, do not refuse him that speaks from heaven. Notice that. See that you refuse not him that
speaketh. That's the warning against refusing
to hear him that speaketh. He reminds these Hebrews, these
Jewish believers, Jews who profess faith in Christ, he reminded
them that their ancestors Their progenitors, many years back,
many generations back, they did not escape when God spoke on
earth. When God spoke at Mount Sinai,
that generation did not escape because they refused Him. Notice
in verse 25, see that you refuse not him that speaketh, For if
they escaped not, who refused him that spake on earth? Who
was it that spoke on earth? It was God. He spoke there at
Mount Sinai. And how did they refuse him? They refused to believe. They
refused to believe him. And we know that with the exception
of two men, Joshua and Caleb, with the exception of those two
men, every other man who was above 20 years of age when they
came out of Egypt, and then God spoke to them at Mount Sinai
just after they'd come out of Egypt, but they refused to hear
Him. And what happened to all of those
people? They all perished in the wilderness.
We know that from the Word of God. They did not escape. They refused Him. They refused
to believe Him. If we see nothing else in the
letter of Hebrews, I think we should be reminded of this truth,
God speaks. People have the idea that God
is way off in heaven, and He is there in heaven, but He's
everywhere. And God speaks. Remember this
letter begins with that truth stated. It begins by reminding
us God who at sundry times and in diverse manners spoke in time
past unto the fathers by the prophets. In the Old Testament
dispensation, God spoke. And God spoke through the prophets.
He spoke to our fathers through the prophets hath in these latter
days spoken unto us in his Son." God speaks. If you look in verse
24 here before our text begins, remember the blood of sprinkling
speaks. The blood of Jesus Christ speaks. All through this letter we are
reminded that God speaks. Now when he says the blood of
Christ speaks, he doesn't mean that the blood articulates words,
but the blood of Jesus Christ testifies. Just like the blood
of Abel testified that his brother Cain had committed sin in slaying
him, in killing him, Abel's blood testifies that the soul that
sinneth, or rather that the wages of sin is death. His blood testifies
because you remember God promised Adam, in eating thereof thou
shalt surely die. And death entered the world by
sin. Now Abel, we're not saying that
he sinned, Cain sinned in committing murder, killing his brother. But his blood speaks. It reminds
us sin is in the world. Sin is in the world. Here's a
brother killing his own brother. Not only does it remind us that
sin is in the world, but that death is a result of sin. Death
came into the world because of sin. The blood of Christ speaks. It speaks better things than
the blood of Abel. What does it say? Well, it speaks
about forgiveness, doesn't it? It speaks about reconciliation. It speaks about an atonement
that has been made, whereby men are reconciled unto God. Now, it is him that speaks. This is the warning here. See
that you refuse not him that speaketh. That's present tense,
isn't it? Speaketh. He spoke past tense. See that you refuse not him that
speaketh. He continues to speak from heaven. And how is it that He speaks
from heaven? We know He speaks from heaven
because the Lord Jesus Christ came down from heaven, His teaching
was from heaven, and having finished the work which the Father gave
Him to do, He's ascended into heaven, and Christ speaks from
heaven, and He speaks through the gospel. When the gospel is
preached in the power and demonstration of the Spirit of God, God is
speaking. And I think every one of us should
be cognizant and remind ourselves when we come here, we're coming
here to hear the Lord speak. We're coming here to hear the
Lord God speak to us through His Word, through His messenger.
He speaks from heaven. See that you refuse not. him
that speaketh, the apostle says. The words God spoke on earth
concern that old covenant. And those who refused, those
who ignored, they heard, they ignored, they refused, they perished. The words of God now spoken from
heaven concern the new covenant. The words spoken before on earth
by God at Mount Sinai concerned that old covenant, but now the
word spoken by God from heaven concerned the covenant in His
blood, the new covenant. And the writer here warns about
ignoring these words, ignoring these words. Our Lord Jesus Christ,
he did the same thing. When he was here, when he came
into this world and ministered for three, three and a half years
preaching, he warned. He warned over and over those
to whom he was preaching to. Let me show you one place in
Matthew chapter seven. And I'll tell you what he warned
about. He warned about hearing the words, but not doing, refusing,
not believing, not trusting. In Matthew chapter 7, verse 21
through 23, this is at the end of his longest recorded sermon,
the Sermon on the Mount. Notice what he said, not everyone
that saith unto me, Lord, Lord shall enter into the kingdom
of heaven. But he that doeth, not just he
that heareth, but he that doeth the will of my father, which
is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day,
Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? We preached in thy
name. We prophesied in thy name. In
thy name have cast out devils. We've exercised demons in thy
name. And in thy name we have done
many wonderful works. We've fed the poor, the hungry
rather. We've fed the hungry. We've clothed
the naked. We've done many wonderful works. Then will I profess unto them,
I never knew you. Depart from me. ye that work
iniquity." Now this begs the question, anyone who reads those
verses should, should ask themselves this question, what is the will
of his father? Doesn't that appear to you? That's
the question that everyone who reads these words, not everyone
that saith unto me, Lord, Lord shall enter into the kingdom
of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father which is
in heaven. What is that will? I must know
that will. That's the question. We know
that that question was answered in John chapter six. The Lord
Jesus answered that question. This is the work, this is the
will of God, that you believe on him whom he hath sent. They refused to hear him that
spoke on earth. They didn't believe. They didn't
believe the word that was spoken there from Mount Sinai. So he warns against hearing and
not believing, hearing and not doing. James tells us, be not
ye hearers of the word only, but doers of the word. I want
you to look with me back in the book of Ezekiel. This is a verse,
I don't know that I've ever called our attention to it, but I've
thought about it for many, many times over the years. Ezekiel
chapter 33. You know, preaching is a very serious
business. And the older I get and the longer
I preach, the more serious I realize it is. Ezekiel chapter 33, beginning
in verse 30. Also thou son of man, that is
Ezekiel, the children of thy people still are talking against
thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses, and speak
one to another, every one to his brother saying, come, I pray
you, And hear what is the word that cometh forth from the Lord.
Let's go hear Ezekiel preach. My brother, my neighbor, my friend,
let's go hear Ezekiel preach. And they come unto thee as the
people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people. And they hear
thy words, but they will not do them. For with their mouth
they show much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness. And lo, thou, Ezekiel, art unto
them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice
and can play well on an instrument. For they hear thy words, but
they do them not. And when this cometh to pass,
lo it will come to pass, then shall they know that a prophet
hath been among them. It's a serious matter to preach
the gospel. It's a serious matter to hear
the gospel. Our Lord said, take heed how
you hear. And also he said, take heed what
you hear. Here's a warning, that's the
first thing we see in this passage tonight, a warning back in our
text. Therefore I say unto you, let me find the text, Hebrews
12, verse 25. See that you refuse not him that
speaketh, for if they escape not who refused him that spake
on earth, much more shall not we, escape if we turn away from
him that speaketh from heaven. Now, the second division or part
of the message, a final shaking. A final shaking. Notice verses
26 and 27. Whose voice then shook the earth. But now he hath promised, saying,
yet once more I shake the earth 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 of things
that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain."
When God spoke from Mount Sinai, we know there was the lightning,
there was a fire, there was a thunder, there was the trumpet that sounded
louder and louder, but we also find in the book of Judges that
there was something like an earthquake that was taking place there.
The mountain was shaking. Now, the writer of Hebrews here,
he quotes a prophecy that followed that, and he quotes from the
prophet Haggai. Remember those three prophets,
Malachi, Haggai, and Zechariah, who prophesied to the nation
of Israel after they came back out of Babylon, after 70 years'
captivity in Babylon, and they rebuilt the temple. And the writer
here quotes from the prophet Haggai a prophecy which foretold. Now this, we know that from the
last book from Malachi to the appearing of John the Baptist,
there was 400 years. They call it 400 years of silence
between the two testaments. But when Haggai prophesied, he
prophesied concerning a time that was then future and foretold
a shaking when God would shake not only the earth, but also
heaven. The shaking would occur according
to the prophecy at the time of the coming of the desire of all
nations. Now who is that? The desire of
all nations is Christ. He's that seed of Abraham in
whom all the families of the earth will be blessed. The only
savior. The desire of every child of
God is Christ. Haggai told that at the coming
of the desire of all nations that there would be a shaking. God would shake not only Earth
as He did at Mount Sinai, but He would shake the heavens also. Now, we know that when the Lord
Jesus Christ was born, there were things that took place that
some believe fulfilled that prophecy. When the Magi, the wise men,
when they came to Jerusalem and asked, where is he that is born
King of the Jews? We are told there, all Jerusalem
was troubled along with Herod. Herod was a king, and when he
heard those men ask, where is he that is born king of the Jews?
He was troubled, and the scripture says all Jerusalem was troubled
with him. Many refer, believe that refers
to the shaking of the earth at that time. And not only that,
but the shaking of heaven, that star that led the the wise men
that brought them to Jerusalem and on to where the child Jesus
was at that time. But some see this shaking by
the things that took place then at his birth, and we know this. Look in Matthew chapter 27. At
his death, at his crucifixion, there was an earthquake. Matthew chapter 27 and verse
50. Jesus, Matthew 27, verse 50. Jesus, there he is upon the cross
when he cried again and notice with a loud voice. That means
something, doesn't it? Have you ever watched someone
die? I have. I know many of you have. I've
never seen anyone die crying with a loud voice. If they even
tried to speak, you couldn't hear them. No, he was full of
life. He cried with a loud, no man
taketh my life from me. I lay it down of myself. And
until all things which were written concerning him in the scriptures,
he remained there on that cross. But when all things were fulfilled,
when he said, I thirst, then it was that he cried with a loud
voice, it is finished. I like that. Don't you? It is
finished. Period. Salvation, the saving
of his people. The work is finished. It's done. And it was accepted. God raised
him from the dead. But here it says, he cried with
a loud voice, yielding up the ghost. He dismissed his spirit,
his soul, yielding up the ghost. And behold, the veil of the temple
was ran entwined from the top to the bottom, and the earth
did quake, shaking up the earth. and the rocks rent, and the graves
were opened. And many bodies of the saints
which slept arose, and now notice this, and came out of the graves
after his resurrection. Remember, he's the first fruit
from the dead. It was after the graves opened
with that earthquake. But they came out of the grave
those that did after His resurrection, and went into the holy city,
and appeared unto many. Now back in our text. So this
prophecy here that the writer refers to of Haggai. But now
he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth
only, but also heaven. And this word, yet once more. First, I want to say that what
was shaken, this is what I believe. I know this can be applied to
the earth that was shaken, to signs in the heavens, the stars,
and things like that. But if you notice in verse 27,
It says, yet once more signify the removing of those things
that are shaken, or removing of those things that are shaken
as of things that are made. What was made? The tabernacle
was made. And everything that went along
with that tabernacle, the altar, altar of incense, The candlestick,
or the candle holder rather, and the table of showbread, the
brazen altar, and all of those sacrifices that were commanded
in relation to that tablet. Those were all things that were
made, and they were all swept away. They were shaken. They were taken away. Why? Because
they were all fulfilled. in the person and work of Jesus
Christ. They're all taken away. They
were things that were made, and they all found their fulfillment
in Christ by his coming and by his doing. And they were shadows,
and now the substance has come, and why in the world would anyone
ever go back to the shadows? People think it's religious,
don't they, to go back to the shadows? Go back and reenact
the Passover and things like that. It may make you feel religious,
but how can it be right when it denies the finished work of
Jesus Christ? Those things serve their purpose.
They're gone. And this word here, yet once
more, do you notice that? Yet once more. This speaks of
the fact that no economy of salvation will ever replace this dispensation,
this economy. In other words, we refer to the
Old Testament as a legal dispensation. Same gospel, people who are saved
were saved in the same covenant, but it was administered under
that legal dispensation. But with the death of Christ,
he inaugurated the new covenant with his blood. And there's never
going to be another dispensation. When Christ comes again, another
dispensation when salvation will be administered, I should say.
When Christ comes again, the eternal state will begin. There's one other thing. Third, an unshakable kingdom. Verses 28 and 29. Wherefore we
receive in a kingdom which cannot be moved, cannot be shaken, cannot
be moved. Let us have grace whereby we
may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For
our God is a consuming fire. One writer pointed out that it
was with the giving of the old covenant, the law from Sinai,
that Israel, the nation, really became a kingdom. So with this
new covenant, we receive a kingdom. And the Apostle Paul tells us
in Colossians 1, giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made
us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in
light, who hath delivered us from the power of darkness and
translated us into the kingdom of his dear son. Wherefore receiving
a kingdom, that is the kingdom of Christ, it's a kingdom of
grace. And I quote John Gill here, Christ,
he is king. Believers are his subjects, the
gospel is his scepter, and the ordinances are his laws and appointments,
and all are immovable. And a man may be said to receive
this kingdom when he is delivered from the power of darkness, is
regenerated, and has the blessings of grace actually bestowed on
him and is brought to Zion." End of quote. The apostle says,
let us have grace. My Bible, I'm sure yours does
likewise. If you have a marginal reading,
there's a number there in the margin margin, it is hold fast. That is hold fast grace. The principle of grace, we must
hold fast. We are saved by grace, and yet
we know there's always the temptation to look to something other than
grace for our salvation. We must do this. We must feel
this. We must experience. No, let us
hold fast grace, the principle of grace. We're saved by grace. We're kept by grace. We're delivered
by grace. And since we're saved by grace,
let us manifest grace in our lives. God, who is gracious to
us, let us be gracious people. Let us be gracious. In this way
we are to serve God acceptably by faith in Christ. Do you know
what is it that produces reverence and godly fear in a person? Well, I know it's the work of
God the Holy Spirit, but what does he use? He uses the truth
of grace. grace when we realize how unworthy
we are and how everything we have, if it's good, we've received
by His grace. We cannot look down on anyone. We cannot boast of anything in
ourselves. Everything that we are, have,
and ever hope to be is by the grace of God. And that's what
produces reverence and godly fear in God's children. The last verse, if you notice
in verse 29, he said, for our God is a consuming fire. I believe he's quoting here from
Deuteronomy chapter four, verse 24, for the Lord thy God is a
consuming fire, even a jealous God. And the point is, God is
to be worshiped in the way that he has ordained. Men are not at liberty to just
decide, I think this would be good. I think we should do this.
I think we should add this to God's. No, God is a consuming
fire. And the way that he has ordained
and the way he's given us in the word of God, that's the way
we must worship God. We're not at liberty to change.
how the scriptures teach us to approach unto him. And let me
close with this. He's a consuming fire. Fire gives two things. It gives light, right? It gives light and it
gives warmth. Our God, to a child of God, our
God is a consuming fire. He gives us light. He gives us
understanding through the word of God. That's our, as we like
to refer to it, that's our mind, right? Our head, light, understanding. But he also gives us heat. Not
only do we know the things of God, but we love the things of
God. Our God is a consuming fire. He gives us both light and heat. I pray that the Lord would bless
these words to all of us here tonight. Thank the Lord for everyone
who's here and for this warning, this warning that we all need
from time to time. Let us sing a verse or two of
a hymn and we'll be dismissed.