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Sermon Manuscripts
The Removal of the Needless
and the Remaining of the Essential
a sermon in the series,
Hebrews: an Epistle of Encouragement
A sermon delivered
Sunday Evening, June 8, 2003
at Oak Grove Baptist Church, Paducah, Ky.
by S. Michael Durham
© 2003 Real Truth Matters
Hebrews 12:25-29
See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven: 26 Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. 27 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. 28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: 29 For our God is a consuming fire.
Last Friday morning, we, in Western Kentucky, experienced a small earthquake. It was not severe. I must confess to you I was in prayer when it took place. The very first thing I thought was the place where I was praying was shaken. But that thought didn’t last very long, and I realized that it was an earthquake. A shaking took place and some homes and businesses near the epicenter saw some damage such as broken windows and cracked foundations. But a shaking is occurring in the heavenlies and in the spiritual realm that exceeds the greatest of earthquakes.
Little do we appreciate or understand the ways of God. I speak concerning Christians and not the unregenerate. We admire men like Job who say, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him” (Job 13:15). But when trials descend on us we will not say this. Conversely, we misrepresent the Lord in our thoughts and often in our words and actions. We do not trust Him and we resist His ways. We feel as if God is being unfair toward us. When God shakes our lives, like we shake a snow globe, we are often confused and bewildered as to God’s purposes. Things become dislodged in our lives and some things become completely lost to us forever. And while the shaking is occurring we sometimes doubt the Lord’s goodness to us.
The Columbia space shuttle that burned up on its reentry into the earth’s atmosphere was commanded by Rick Husband, a faithful Christian man, who loved the Lord, loved his family, and loved his church. His testimony is remarkable. Before he left for the Columbia’s fatal mission, he made a video tape for his children of scripture verses, one for each day while he would be gone. We shake our heads and we ask why? The untimely death of Rick Husband seems senseless to us. We need more good men; we need soldiers of the cross in an hour when the battle is the fiercest. Yet, God takes a man like this. How do we understand? Frankly, we don’t. And any man who dares to say he can comprehend such wisdom—he is arrogant and a liar. But, we should not doubt God’s goodness. When God shakes our lives, it is good. Why is that? He is good.
Therefore, it is good that we try to understand our Father’s way with us. Our text will help us in this task.
First, look with me at verses twenty-six and twenty-seven.
Whose 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, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.
The writer of Hebrews says that there is a shaking of things that are made. Now what does this idea of shaking mean? We need to define this before we can understand this passage. What is the writer of Hebrews meaning when he says God is shaking? The shaking is a result of the coming of Christ and the establishing of the New Covenant. In verse twenty-five we discover the same voice speaking on earth as well as from heaven.
See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more [shall not] we [escape], if we turn away from him that [speaketh] from heaven (Hebrews 12:25).
Who is it that speaks from heaven? It is Christ. It is God’s revelation through Jesus Christ. The whole book of Hebrews has been about Jesus and His superior revelation. God the Father reveals Himself through Christ Jesus our Lord.
The voice that now speaks and calls from heaven is not the voice of Moses, it is not even the voice of John the Baptist, nor the famed apostle Paul, or John. Friends, the voice that now speaks and shakes earth and heaven is the voice of our dear Savior. So again I pray for grace tonight to have our ears attend to the voice, that voice—so sweet, so serene, yet so devastating, so awesome, and so terrible. When Christ came to this earth He was God’s voice or revelation. With His first advent there began a shaking. A shaking occurred when He became a man and died and thereby established the New Covenant.
Actually, the writer is quoting a prophesy from Haggai chapter two concerning the Messiah’s coming to the earth and establishing the spiritual kingdom of God on this earth. That is the shaking that is taking place. But what is being shaken?
In actuality there have been many things that have been shaken since Jesus has arrived. When Jesus came into this world he upset several apple carts. First, He shook the religious world and turned it upside down. As you read the Sermon on the Mount and read Christ quoting Moses,
Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart (Matthew 5:27-28).
Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire (Matthew 5:21-22).
Our Lord was not giving a new law as some believe. He was helping us to understand the very nature of God that was encapsulated in the law found in the Old Testament. But He taught it like no other man. In fact, that is what they said of Him, that He didn’t teach like other men. He taught as one having authority. When you read Matthew chapter 23 you find a man who was willing to upset the religious establishment. He scathingly rebuked the religious leaders of His day.
When Christ died on the cross the reverberations of His death literally shook the world. The shaking was typified by a literal earthquake. The hand of God ripped the temple curtain that separated the holy place from the Holies of Holies and exposed the Jews’ empty sham of a religion. The Ark of the Covenant had long been gone and with it the presence of God. The Lord opened the inner sanctuary and said, “I am not there. I am on Calvary reconciling man unto Myself.” God shook the religious world through Jesus Christ.
He also upset the political world as well as the religious world. Pilate was amazed at Jesus. Pilate saw this would-be king of the Jews and asked Him if He was the king of the Jews. Somehow this tin-horn governor felt threatened by this King of Kings. He challenges Christ, “Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee?” (John 19:10). Jesus meekly and humbly said, “Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above.” (John 19:11). Politics can’t handle that kind of conviction. This event would eventually drive Pilate to a state of insanity. But that is only the beginning of the political upheaval that Christ began. As you move throughout the centuries you can see that because of Christ’s coming kingdoms have risen and have fallen.
God through Christ Jesus has literally shaken kingdoms. He sent twelve men out who preached of this same Christ who had come in the flesh, and their preaching of Christ rocked nations. It eventually wore down the Roman Empire. The emperors of Rome had tried to destroy their message but not even these powerful and ruthless dictators could overcome them. The ancient empire of Rome lies in ruins, but the apostles’ message has reverberated down to this age. Nations will rise and nations with fall, but the gospel of Jesus Christ will stand forever.
Christ not only shook the political world and the religious world, but, dear friend, He also shook the scientific world. Did you know that if Christ had not come, many of the scientific discoveries that have been made throughout the centuries would have never been made, because Christians made most of them? The Reformation of the 1500’s that brought about the Renaissance was a religious event. This event brought about the Age of Reason and Enlightenment. Scientific scholars like Isaac Newton and others believed the word of God and believed that God was a God of order. Most scientists of this time period were men of Christian persuasion, and if not true believers, they at least held to the moral principles of Christianity. The medical breakthroughs that we hope in today have their roots in these Christian origins of modern science.
But as dramatic and wonderful these changes are, these are not the changes that the writer is referring to. No doubt we can call these “shakings.” These are tremendous and they show that Christ’s presence in this world has made a difference. Wherever Christ is, He will always make a difference. But what the writer is really referring to is something else. He is talking about something in the heavens as well as on the earth. So, I think he is talking about two things. First, I believe he is talking about spiritual powers that exist in the heavenly places. “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12). Principalities, powers, rulers of darkness, spiritual wickedness in high places, what are these things? Why, it is nothing more than Satan and his devilish legion and hordes of fallen spirits, the angels that followed him in his rebellion against God.
The earth’s atmosphere is where these fallen angels roam. That is their dominion. Christ, our Lord, says in Luke chapter ten that the gospel brought a shaking in the atmosphere. When Christ had sent out the seventy to heal the sick and to preach the good news of the coming of kingdom, the Bible says they returned with joy saying “Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you” (Luke 10:17-19). The coming of the gospel brought a shaking in the heavens and Satan has lost his power to rule over fallen man. God has given the church the authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, a metaphor for demons. And it is all attributed to the fact that Christ has established a New Covenant with His death.
Christ Jesus shook the kingdom of darkness. You don’t have anything to be afraid of from Satan, you have nothing to fear of him; he is a defeated foe. Why do you tremble in his presence? Why do you flinch when he says “Boo!” Why do you run when his shadow lurks? Stand like a man or a woman of God and fight and resist the devil and he will flee from you. That is the promise of God because Christ has come and He has shaken the heavenly powers, and Christ is Lord!
We will rule and reign with him. In this present system the powerful and rich rule; but in the age to come the “meek shall inherit the earth.” Shall not the sons of God judge the angels? Jesus said in John chapter twelve and verse thirty-one before He went to the cross, “Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.” The Apostle John said that Christ came that he might destroy the works of the devil, but I love how Paul says it in Colossians two and verse fifteen, “And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.” Here again is the referencing to these devilish creatures in the heavenly realms, demonic powers were disarmed. These powers were humiliated as Christ made a public spectacle of them.
I plead with you to reconsider who you follow. The Scriptures tell us that we either serve Christ or Satan. And should you say you have not weighed in with a decision, you are wrong because you have. Anyone who does not choose Christ has by default chosen to follow the prince of the power of the air. You have chosen a defeated champion. He has been humiliated and any hope of a rematch will only lead to his further embarrassment.
But there is a second thing that has being shaken, and that is the Old Covenant. Look at verse twenty-seven of our text.
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.
I want you to particularly notice the words “that are made.” The “things that are made” is what is being shaken. Now this is a phrase that we find often in the book of Hebrews especially in chapters eight and nine. Hebrews chapter eight and verse five the writer of Hebrews says,
Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, [that] thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.
Those “who serve” were the Levitical priests who served in the Old Covenant which was a shadow of heavenly and better things. When Moses was instructed by God to make the tabernacle, he was warned to make everything in the tabernacle according to what he saw on the top of the mountain. In other words, Moses was the architect of the tabernacle, which typified the Old Covenant, and he built it by what God showed him which was the anti-type. This anti-type is in the heavenlies, it was the tabernacle of heaven which is Christ.
Notice the layout of the tabernacle in Hebrews chapter nine verses one through five.
Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary. 2 For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread; which is called the sanctuary. 3 And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all; 4 Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant; 5 And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly.
What the writer of Hebrews is doing is going back to the center of the Old Covenant, which was the tabernacle, which later became Solomon’s temple. The whole worship of Israel revolved around the Tent of Testimony or Solomon’s Temple where the Ark of the Covenant was housed. This was the place that was “made” (v. 2). There is a relationship with this word “made” and the same word in our text in verse twenty-seven.
The writer purposefully shows the intent of the tabernacle was to deal with Israel’s sin problem as he continues in verses six and seven.
Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God. But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people:
The author explains his thoughts in verse eight.
The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing:
“The Holy Ghost this signifying,” in other words, the tabernacle and its construction is an illustration. From this illustration the Holy Spirit is going to teach that there is no access to God as long as the first tabernacle was yet standing. The way into the Holy of Holies where God was, was not manifested as long as that building was standing. Now of course, yes, we must remember that it was replaced with Solomon’s temple that was destroyed but was rebuilt and refurbished during the days of Herod. We are dealing with a physical building which was a figure of something yet to come.
Verse eleven shows the contrast between an old system that was made by a human mediator and a new covenant not made by a human.
But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;
Notice the words, “not made with hands.” This is making the distinction between the New and Old Covenants. Christ was not made with hands. He is the temple of God. That is what John says to us in Revelation, there was no temple in heaven because Christ was the temple.
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.
It is the Old Covenant that is being shaken and was eventually removed. The Old Covenant with all of its visible, tangible artifacts, ordinances, and instruments. It is more than an interesting side note that when Christ died, the curtain in the temple that separated the Holy of Holies from the Holy Place was torn and the Holy of Holies was made visible. The writer of Hebrews states that God was with Christ shaking Judaism and the Old Covenant system. He was removing it. He would literally destroy it. In fact, in the eighth chapter and the last verse the writer of Hebrews says just that. “Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.”
This was written before the year A.D. 70, the year that the Roman general Titus invaded Palestine and destroyed the city of Jerusalem and the temple. Our Lord prophesied this. He came out of the temple and the disciples said, “Look how beautiful the building is.” Herod’s refurbishing was beautiful. It was grand. It was something to see. Jesus said, “See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down” (Matthew 24:2).
I believe what the writer of Hebrews is saying is this, “It’s all about to go; you are not going to see anything left of the Old Covenant.” Nothing was going to be left because it was no longer necessary. The New Covenant was established and had replaced it.
Now why does God set up things to only remove them? Why did He go through all the elaborate methods and work? Why require these things through Moses only to one day destroy it? Why does God do that? Well, the Old Covenant was only meant to be a sign pointing to Christ. And Christ had come; the other was no longer necessary. And here is the practical lesson from which we can gather hope, that sometimes God does raise up and bring things into your life for only a season. They are not permanent. There have been things that God has brought into my life and there have been things that God has taken out of my life as well. As He took them, I found it sometimes difficult to bear because I was so attached to them and I missed them so. I had cherished them; I had fond memories of them. There is nostalgia in every one of us. It is not just those who are older that have nostalgic tendencies. People don’t like to change, and the older we get the less we like to change. Renovation is not something we normally enjoy. There is a characteristic of our being that finds safety and security in the routine. Oh, beloved, that is a mentality that is detrimental to your spiritual maturity and growth. Growing in grace demands change.
My friends, we are not permanent fixtures on this planet. We will not live here on this earth and in this present state forever. The things that we now possess we shall not forever keep. The less you hold onto them, the less tightly you grip them, the easier it is for you to follow and obey God wherever He might lead you.
It is a shame to be in this position, as I heard not too long ago. A pastor said to me that he couldn’t do what he thought God really wanted him to do because he had too much debt in his life. We become so attached to the things of this world that when God calls us, we aren’t able to obey because we have too many worldly and earthly obligations to fulfill. And so God continues to do what He must to mobilize us, and that is shake us. He continues to shake us because He is not going to let His people keep a death grip on the things of this world or the precious things in their life. The grip we have on many things in our lives is exactly that—a death grip. They are death to your spiritual growth. Therefore, God shakes us, He stirs us, and He agitates us. God causes us to cry, to hurt, to weep, and to mourn. He will not let us remain as we are.
The people of Israel did not learn this lesson, and how unfortunate it was that when Christ came unto His own they received Him not. God’s own people possessed the Scriptures and the prophesies of the Messiah’s coming, but when the Messiah came they rejected him, and they crucified Him. How could that have occurred? The answer was they detested change and they loved their present system more than they loved God. They were not willing to turn loose of it for Him. And so God had to shake and remove that which they held dear. Dear friends, the same is true in the New Covenant. God is not shaking the New Covenant to replace it with a newer covenant. Absolutely not! But God sometimes has to shake our lives to remove the impurities. There is enough hell remaining in us to fuel the flames for all of eternity. Thus, God is continually conforming us to the image of Jesus Christ, and it is a constant process.
But there is another reason that I believe God shakes even His own people. Anything that God gives to men will eventually deteriorate. This blessed New Covenant with the Scriptures, is the sole authority by which to live our lives. But even as blessed as this is, it is the natural progression of human nature to corrupt and pervert. From time to time God must to shake Christendom again to start something new, not another covenant, but a re-energizing, a renewing to cause men to return to the covenant that He established in Christ. Oh, I wish I had more time this evening so we could plod our way through church history. I could prove how the Lord does this shaking over and over again. He pours out His Spirit, and He sets hearts ablaze. We see this even in the New Testament Scriptures. By the time the book of Jude was written, the apostles seemed to be laboring over impure doctrine and false teachings. Paul warned the Ephesians,
Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock (Acts 20:28-29).
Wherever you see God’s work entrusted to men and placed in earthen vessels it is only a matter of time before it becomes deteriorated, corrupted and perverted. God has to once again breathe afresh and send a new wind and wave of His Spirit. This is an evident truth of the parable of the wheat and the tares.
Can we not agree that Martin Luther and John Calvin and these kinds of men prove this very point? It was the dark ages, spiritually and as well as politically, scientifically, and scholastically. Churches had become corrupt and perverted. The Roman Catholic Church monopolized the religious scene. False teaching and indulgences were the mainstay. The doctrine of justification by faith had been tossed aside by the works of men for the profit of priests and popes. But God did a new work and breathed life into a man called Martin Luther who nailed 95 theses on a church door. With that nailing there was a new work of God.
We see these kinds of new beginnings throughout history. We move to the 18th century and see England in darkness again. Churches were corrupted and many preachers of that day were unconverted. Men who did not believe in the new birth. They had come to believe that salvation was something that they did because they were born into “the church.” But God began to stir in the hearts of a man named George Whitfield and brothers named John and Charles Wesley and a fresh new work of God began and two continents were changed. A hundred years after the Wesleys had died, the Methodists were corrupted. Liberal theology had corrupted them and they were no longer a fervent people. The names change but it always happens. Man corrupts and so God must shake.
So tonight my confidence is that God is shaking us. In verse twenty-seven we have this hope that God’s work is always to purify. He purifies His true people and keeps them from the pollution of the world. “And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken.” It is important that you know this is in the present tense, not has been or will be. The writer of Hebrews is saying that at that very moment the shaking was occurring. And it is still continuing. I believe it is still happening. God is still keeping His people mobile. God is still keeping his people sharp and ready. God shakes us so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. What is it that will remain that can’t be shaken or destroyed? It is God’s New Covenant kingdom. What is the New Covenant kingdom? It is Christ, the King, and us His co-heirs, the church, the blessed church of Jesus Christ.
When devastation, trials, adversities, and pain comes into your life be not afraid. We shall not be moved. No weapon formed against thee shall prosper he said to us. Satan might come in like a flood, but God raises up a standard, don’t be afraid. We are a people of triumph; we are overcomers; “we are more than overcomers through him that loved us.” “Who shall separate us from the love of God? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine or nakedness or peril or sword?” Paul says “No sir! Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerers through him that loved us.” You may be shaken and your life may be turned upside down. It may feel like you are the epicenter of the largest earthquake ever, but, my dear friend, it is God keeping you mobile, keeping you sharp, and keeping you moving. Amen. |
