An Unshakeable Kingdom

One day, a bus driver was driving along his usual route. He didn't encounter any problems for the first few stops; a few people got on, a few got off, and things went generally well. At one stop, however, a big hulk of a man got on. He was 6' 8" tall, built like a wrestler, and his arms hung down to the ground. He glared at the driver and told him, “Big John doesn't pay!” Then he sat down at the back of the bus. The driver was 5' 3" tall, thin, and very meek, so he didn't argue with Big John. But he wasn't happy about it.

The next day, the same thing happened. Big John got on again, made a big show of refusing to pay, and sat down. It happened the next day, and the next, and the next. The bus driver began to lose sleep over the way Big John was taking advantage of him.

Finally, he could stand it no longer. He signed up for body building courses, karate, judo, and a class on finding your self-esteem. By the end of the summer, the bus driver had become quite strong and felt really good about himself.

The next Monday, Big John entered the bus and again declared, “Big John doesn't pay!”

Enraged, the driver stood up, glared back at Big John, and bellowed, “And why not?!”

With a surprised look on his face, Big John replied, “Big John has a bus pass.” (Ed Rowell, Monument, Colorado; www. PreachingToday.com)

Sometimes, people are afraid when they don’t need to be. I think some Christians are like that when it comes to their relationship with God. They think God is going to judge them for any little mistake; so, out of fear, they work themselves into a frenzy and then give up when they fail.

However, no believer needs to live that way! If you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to Hebrews 12, Hebrews 12, where we see the kind of relationship God wants to have with you and me who believe in His Son.

Hebrews 12:18-21 For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them. For they could not endure the order that was given, “If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.” Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.” (ESV)

Now, this is NOT the kind of relationship God wants with His people. God does NOT want them to “tremble with fear” like they did when He gave them the Law at Mount Sinai.

At that time, a trumpet blared, fire flashed, and smoke consumed the mountain. The sky was darkened as God thundered forth His law. The people were so scared, they begged Moses to talk to God privately and then relay to them whatever God had said. They couldn’t even bear the initial order, which told them, “Don’t even touch the mountain or you will die.”

You see, that’s the nature of the law. It condemns everyone who violates it. The law says, “The soul who sins shall die!” (Ezekiel 18:4,20). And since all of us are sinners, there is no hope for us under the law. There is only the fear of punishment, because we know we have broken the law.

It’s like driving down the road when all of a sudden you see flashing lights in your rearview mirror. You were going a little too fast, and now you know it’s going to cost you. You’re hoping for mercy (a warning), but you fear condemnation (a ticket). That’s the way the law works. Only it is far worse, because There is no mercy under the law. There is only the “fearful expectation of judgment” (Hebrews 10:26), which paralyzes many people.

Billy Joel has written a lot of popular songs, which made his early albums massive hits. But according to an interview with New York magazine, Billy Joel has always been unsatisfied with his music. “I never felt as good as I wanted to be,” he said. “My bar was Beethoven.” Although Billy Joel performed his 100th show at Madison Square Garden just a couple of months ago (July 2018), he hasn’t released a new album in 25 years.

Why? He says it’s because of his critics, who have often savaged his music as sappy and shallow. Billy Joel said, “Because I studied music I was suspect to critics. To them you're supposed to be a diamond in the rough and polish yourself.” Well, apparently, Billy Joel's inability to overcome his internal and external critics has frozen his creativity. (“Why Joel stopped making albums,” THE WEEK, 8-10-18; www.PreachingToday. com)