Living For What Cannot Be Shaken

We’ve all had moments in life when everything feels like it’s falling apart...relationships, finances, health, or even our faith. It feels like the ground beneath us is shaking, and we wonder, “Where is God in all this?”

The answer is: God is right here.

And His Kingdom cannot be shaken.

Hebrews 12 is a powerful reminder that we don’t live for what’s temporary. We don’t live for the things that can crumble. We live for a Kingdom that is eternal, unshakable, and holy.

I’d like you to open your Bible to Hebrews, chapter 12 beginning at verse 18. We heard just a part of this passage but this morning I want us to understand how we can be sure we are standing on solid ground.

Today’s passage contrasts two mountains, Mount Sinai and Mount Zion. One represents fear, distance, and judgment. The other represents grace, closeness, and joy.

Let’s unpack three truths from this passage that will anchor us when life starts shaking.

Hebrews 12:18–22: “You have not come to a mountain that can be touched… But you have come to Mount Zion…”

Let’s start with a simple truth: Fear-based religion will wear you out.

If your faith is based on guilt, shame, fear, and striving, it’s not going to last. And that’s exactly what Hebrews is warning us about.

The writer gives us this dramatic picture: two mountains that represent two very different ways of relating to God.

The first mountain is Mount Sinai, where God gave Moses the law. If you go back to Exodus 19, you’ll see the scene: thunder, lightning, thick clouds, smoke billowing up like a furnace. God’s voice was so powerful, so overwhelming, the people begged Him to stop speaking. Even Moses, the one chosen to go up the mountain, said, “I tremble with fear.”

That’s what approaching God under the old covenant looked like. It was terrifying. God was holy, yes, but He felt distant. Unapproachable. Untouchable. If you stepped too close, you’d die.

Why? Because the people were sinful, and sin separates us from God.

Now listen, some of you are still living your faith like it’s Mount Sinai.

You feel like you’re always falling short. You think God is mad at you.

You imagine Him with crossed arms, tapping His foot, waiting for you to get it together. You try to pray, but you feel guilty. You try to read your Bible, but you feel like a failure. You come to church, but you wonder if you even belong.

That’s fear-based faith. And it’s exhausting.

But Hebrews says something powerful:

“You have not come to that mountain.”

You are not standing in the smoke and fire.

You are not at the edge of judgment.

You are not being told to stay back and be afraid.

Instead, you’ve come to a different mountain, Mount Zion. And that changes everything.

Mount Zion is not a place of trembling; it’s a place of celebration.

It represents the new covenant. It’s the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. It’s the place of joy and welcome and open arms.

You’re not arriving at a courtroom. You’re arriving at a family reunion.

You’re not being shouted at. You’re being invited in.

You’re not being told to clean up your mess first. You’re being told, “Come as you are.”

And the reason you can do that is because of Jesus. Hebrews says that Jesus is the mediator of a new covenant. That means He stood in the gap between you and God. He paid the price your sin deserved so that you don’t have to be afraid anymore. He brought grace to where there was once only judgment.

Let me put it like this. Imagine you get invited to a fancy banquet. You show up in dirty clothes, hands still dirty from working outside, and you’re thinking, “I don’t belong here.” But the host comes up, throws his arm around you, and says, “I’ve already taken care of everything. The seat at the head of the table? That’s yours.” That’s grace.

And yet so many of us keep acting like we’re still trying to earn our way in. Like we’re still approaching Mount Sinai.

Listen, you can’t be confident in God’s love and constantly afraid of His wrath at the same time. That’s not how the gospel works.

God doesn’t want a relationship with you that’s built on fear. He wants a relationship built on love, trust, and grace.

That’s what Jesus made possible.

So stop settling for a faith that keeps you afraid.

Stop thinking you have to measure up before God can use you.

Stop living like your past is more powerful than God’s forgiveness.

If you’re in Christ, your location has changed.

You don’t live at Mount Sinai anymore.

You live at Mount Zion, the mountain of mercy.