THINGS WHICH CANNOT BE SHAKEN
Text: Hebrews 12:22-29 (KJV), "But ye are come unto mount Sion, 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. 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: 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. 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."
Introduction: A "pop" singer of yesteryear sang a song that contained the words "...whole lot of shaking goin' on."
First Corinthians 15:58 encourages believers to be steadfast (in the faith), unmovable (not easily shaken), and to always abound in the work of the Lord. The word unmovable denotes to be not moved from a place. One could say, "unmoved or firmly persistent." Hence, our sermon title Things Which Cannot Be Shaken.
A short list of what is being shaken:
earthquakes increasing in frequency and intensity
askew weather conditions
business failures due to corrupt practices
wars looming and rampant
marital disillusionment and divorce (Some things in this regard are too abominable to list.)
worldwide famine, pestilence, war, and devastation (Many Old Testament passages list the sword (war), pestilence and famine, i.e., 1 Chronicles 21:12, 2 Chronicles 20:9, Jeremiah 14:12, Jeremiah 21:7, etc.
A well known Biblical hermeneutic informs us that often a passage will have an immediate and partial fulfillment, and also a future and complete fulfillment. These passages listed above fit into that category--devastation then, devastation now; famine then, famine now; deadly diseases then, deadly diseases now.
Our subject at hand is THINGS WHICH CANNOT BE SHAKEN. "Shaking," to which we alluded, is mentioned in order that this treatise about things which cannot be shaken can be appreciated better.
Theme: "...hold fast the Gospel of the grace of God, and serve the Lord, according to his revealed will, with reverence and godly fear, which would be acceptable to him;..."__John Gill's Commentary on the book of Hebrews
I. Things Which Have Been Shaken
A. Define Shaken.
1. Casting down from a sense of security
2. Waver, Agitate, Rock To and Fro, Destroy, Topple, Disturb, Move
B. Opinions of men
1. Atheist
2. Agnostic
3. Moralist
4. Dualism
5. Humanistic Utopianism
6. Other opinions too numerous to mention
C. Kingdoms of this world which have been shaken
1. Old Assyrian Empire to modern Iraz
2. Xerxes to Saddam Hussein
3. Nebuchadnezzar to Cyrus the Great
4. Caesar, Mousallini, Stalin, Hitler, Ben Laden
5. Others
II. Recent Shakings
A. Confidence and trust in declension concerning the following"
1. United Nations/Security Council/North Atlantic Treaty Organization
2. National security of America
3. Religions
4. Law enforcement
5. Corporations (fortune 500 et. al.)
6. Retirement savings
7. Quality food distribution
8. Journalism
9. Public educational systems
B. Nations and their governments shaken
C. Great/well-known religious leaders
III. Things Which Will Be Shaken
A. False Foundations, i.e., Matthew 7: 27 (KJV)
B. Physical Human Bodies--mortal will put on immortality--1 Corinthians 15:53-54
C. Animal, Mineral, Vegetable--Romans 8:22; Revelation 21:5
D. Tombs and Graves
1. Unrighteous shaken unto eternal damnation 1 Corinthians--15:22a
2. Righteous shaken to live eternally with Christ 1Corinthians--15:22b
IV. Things Which Cannot Be Shaken
A. The Word of God--Psalm 119:89, "LAMED. For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven."
B. The Foundation of Christ
1. He is the Christians' firm foundation
2. (Illustration) The great architect Frank Lloyd Wright was given the challenge of building
the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, one of the most earthquake-prone cities in the world.
Wright's investigation showed that a solid foundation could be "floated" on a sixty-foot
layer of soft mud underlying the hotel, which would provide a shock-absorbing but solid
support for the immense building. Shortly after the hotel was completed it withstood the
worst earthquake in fifty-two years, while lesser buildings fell in ruins around
it.__Today in the Word, March 1989, p. 6. (as seen on sermonillustrations.com )
C. Kingdom of God
D. Kingdom of Heaven
E. Hope for the Christian
1. Consider the twelvth of the Bible book of Hebrews:
2. Its theme is "Endurance."
a. vv. 1-4--The Enduring Son of God
b. vv. 5-13--The Enduring Love of God
c. vv. 14-29--The Enduring Enabling of God's Grace
Conclusion: We must remain unshakably true to God; and in that day when the universe is shaken into destruction, our relationships with God will stand safe and secure.
"...hold fast the Gospel of the grace of God, and serve the Lord, according to his revealed will, with reverence and godly fear, which would be acceptable to him;..."__John Gill's Commentary on the book of Hebrews
