The Unshakeable Kingdom
July 10, 2023
Notes from Scott Sutton's sermon on Sunday, July 9, 2023.
Sermon text: Hebrews 12:18-29
1.) You have NOT come through Christ to Sinai! Read aloud 12:18-21...
- The Hebrew church needs to be reminded of Sinai and what the Mosaic Covenant of the Law looked like for their ancestors. To say it another way, The Hebrew church needs to understand that Jesus is not leading them back to the Law.
- Sinai is darkness and gloom and terror.
- Sinai is unbearable horror and unendurable order
- Sinai invokes trembling with fear
- Sinai is what God's presence looks like without a mediator
2.) Through Christ you have come to an eternal and unshakeable Kingdom! Read aloud 22-
24...
- A new heavenly Zion/Jerusalem have been anticipated by God's people for generations.
- Isaiah 62... "For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not be quiet... On your walls, O Jerusalem I have set watchmen; al the day and all the night they shall never be silent. You who put the Lord in remembrance, take no rest, and give no rest until he establishes Jerusalem and makes it praise the earth."
- Revelation 21... "Then I saw a new heavens and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God."
- The unshakeable heavenly Zion/Jerusalem is what God's presence looks like with Jesus as our mediator.
- The dwelling and judging place of God
- Innumerable angels in festal gathering
- Assembly of the firstborn... [Make the connection to Esau... Though an actual firstborn, Esau sought a blessing but did not seek it through repentance. Jesus is the true firstborn, and through repentance and faith, we are seated among the firstborn of heaven.]
- We have access to and fellowship eternally with the spirit of the righteous followers of God from all generations. An eternal heritage...
- While Abel's blood cries out for revenge, Jesus' blood cries out for forgiveness and atonement. It cleanses us and makes us right before God. This is the Kingdom you were brought to! It is unshakeable!
3.) Do not refuse the unshakeable. Read aloud 25-27...
- Jesus is warning us from heaven
- Some refuse him by holding too tightly to temporary things... sexual immorality, materialism, desire for fame and influence...Some refuse him through idolatry, serving other gods... our little golden calves... controllable and not so scary... seeking stability without God…
- Some refuse him through flippancy, not giving hardly any thought at all to who God is and what He is doing... [like MS with the bear]… often treating those pursuing the Kingdom of God as if they are ridiculous, shallow, zealots who are sad little sheep...
- v.26 PROMISE from GOD "Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens." This comes straight out of Haggai 2:6-9 "For thus says the Lord of hosts: Yet once more, in a little while, 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. And in this place I will give peace, declares the Lord of hosts." Haggai 2:21-23 "...I am about to shake the heavens and the earth, and to overthrow the throne of kingdoms. I am about to destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the nations, and overthrow the chariots and their riders. And the horses and their riders shall go down, every one by the sword of his brother. On that day, declares the Lord of hosts, I will take you, O Zerubbabel my servant, the son of Shelatiel, declares the Lord, and make you like a signet ring, for I have chosen you, declares the Lord of hosts."
- There will be ONE MORE FINAL SHAKING. Through it, all shakeable things will be eternally removed. And through it, the unshakeable kingdom of God will be forever established. Don't refuse Jesus. Don't refuse His offer. Don't refuse His warnings. Don't be like Esau, flippantly welcoming irreversible and eternal consequences because you didn't take the Christ at His Word.
4.) Receive Christ with Lives of Worship. Read aloud 28-29...
- The Kingdom is ours NOW! (not just in the future)
- God calls you to lives of acceptable worship that are marked by reverence and awe (opposite of Esau)
- Romans 2:4 "Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?" Do not presume upon God's kindness and patience. Why? Our God is a consuming fire... As members of an unshakeable Kingdom, that consuming fire will not consume you.
Questions for discussion:
- Are you presuming upon God's kindness?
- Are you presuming upon God's patience?
- Are you refusing God's warning?
- Are you refusing what Jesus is offering us from heaven?
- What temporary things are you holding too tightly to?
- In what ways are you being flippant and not giving enough thought to who God is and what He is calling you to?
- How does the reality of ONE MORE FINAL SHAKING quicken you to live lives of reverence and awe toward our God who is a consuming fire?
Notes from Ky Martin's sermon on Sunday, June 8, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 4:1-6 Prepare to suffer Is. 50:6-8a I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard; I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting. 7 But the Lord God helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame. 8 He who vindicates me is near. The martial language indicates that discipline and grit are needed to live the Christian life, particularly in view of the suffering believers encounter. -Thomas R. Schreiner Some people won’t like you if you follow Jesus When a culture abandons biblical standards, when extramarital sex, cohabitation, and birth outside of marriage become normal, people attack the church for its moral snobbery and judgmentalism. Peter warns us that if we do take a stand, we need to expect slander, not applause. -Daniel M. Dorian This is one of the hardest things a new Christian has to face. Your friends liked you because you shared in “the same flood of debauchery.” It seemed great fun at times, but then you came to embrace Christ… But your friends have not… They will be surprised when you say “No.” -Juan Sanchez. Keep an eternal perspective Our outcome is glorious Suffering is good for us Let’s remember that suffering accomplishes God’s purposes. It exposes what or whom we are trusting (1 Peter 1:6–7). - Juan Sanchez Ecc. 7:2 It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart. Discipleship Questions: Verse 1 tell us to arm ourselves by thinking as Christ did about suffering. How did Christ arm himself for and against sufferings? What does it look like for us to do that? Have you ever lost friendships (or had them change) because you were following Jesus? Do you fear that we (or our kids) will experience greater persecution in the future? If yes, how should we handle that fear?
Notes from Lance Shumake's sermon on Sunday, June 1, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 3:18-22 Jesus suffered and died in order to bring us to God Jesus conquered death by his resurrection “A wonderful text is this, and a more obscure passage perhaps than any other in the New Testament, so that I do not know for a certainty just what Peter means.” —Martin Luther Problem #1 - he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison —Jesus preached through Noah to those who lived at that time (1 Peter 1:10–12) —Jesus proclaimed His victory to evil angels (see Genesis 6:1-4) Problem #2 - baptism now saves you —Scripture is clear - we are saved by grace not works —baptism pictures our salvation from God’s judgment through the resurrection of Christ “The waters of baptism, like the waters of the flood, demonstrate that destruction is at hand, but believers are rescued from these waters in that they are baptized with Christ, who has also emerged from the waters of death through his resurrection. Just as Noah was delivered through the stormy waters of the flood, believers have been saved through the stormy waters of baptism by virtue of Christ’s triumph over death.” —Thomas R. Schreiner, 1, 2 Peter, Jude —in baptism we are appealing to God for a good conscience "This appeal is an act of the heart looking away from itself and from all human instruments and calling on God, appealing to God, for grace to save.” —John Piper —in baptism we are pledging to God to live in a manner worthy of the gospel Jesus ascended to heaven and now reigns over everything “We can face suffering as Christians with confidence rather than panic, and hope rather than despair, because the road marked with Christian suffering is, no matter what its twists and turns are, the road to vindication and glory. The God who vindicated Jesus will vindicate you, and he will sustain your faith until that day.” –Juan R. Sanchez, 1 Peter For You Discipleship Questions: How does Jesus’ death and resurrection encourage us when we suffer? Why did we need Jesus to suffer and die to bring us to God? How does Jesus’ victory over death give us eternal hope? What are your thoughts regarding some of the problems in this passage? How does what Peter says about baptism elevate the importance of baptism? When were you baptized and how does this passage inform your understanding of baptism? How does knowing our victory is secured help us with all the things this life throws at us?
Notes from Ky Martin's sermon on Sunday, May 25, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 3:13-17 Nobody can (truly) hurt Christians Psalm 118:6 The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? Rom. 8:31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? The train of thought is as follows: “No one will be able to harm believers on the future day if they are zealous for good” (v. 13). Indeed, even present suffering is not a sign of punishment but of blessing both now and especially in the future, on the day when God rewards his people with eternal life. -Thomas R. Schreiner Honoring Christ Erases Fear Share your faith with strength and gentleness Embrace balance Be prepared to share The truth of the gospel is a public truth that can be defended in the public arena. This does not mean, of course, that every Christian is to be a highly skilled apologist for the faith. It does mean that every believer should grasp the essentials of the faith and should have the ability to explain to others why they think the Christian faith is true. -Thomas R. Schreiner Be prepared to suffer “I’ve spent a number of years in India and Africa where I found much righteous endeavor undertaken by Christians of all denominations; but I never, as it happens, came across a hospital or orphanage run by the Fabian Society [a British socialist organization], or a humanist leper colony.” -Malcolm Muggeridge Be bold! We will likely suffer as Christians in this world, but that suffering is slight and temporary compared to the eternal inheritance that awaits us. The worst thing that can happen to us is that we die and receive our promised inheritance. Can you imagine how emboldened Christians would be if we only believed what Peter is saying? -Juan R. Sanchez Discipleship Questions: Does the fact that nobody can (truly) harm us comfort you? What would change if we lived like we really believe that? Are you a more confident person as someone who knows Christ? Does your security in Christ embolden you to take some risks in life, knowing that the worst that could happen is death? How equipped / prepared are you to give a reason for the hope that you have? What would grow your confidence and competence in that? Have you considered joining Michael Clark one day for evangelism at the harbor? Well….you should….
