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.
It’s time to start living like you belong there.
When you pray, come with confidence.
When you fail, come with repentance, knowing you’re already forgiven.
When you worship, lift your head. You’re not an outsider. You’re family.
You have not come to a mountain of fear.
You have come to the mountain of grace.
So walk like it. Worship like it. And never forget who invited you in.
2. Listen When God Speaks Because His Voice Still Shakes the Earth
Hebrews 12:25–26 says: “See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven?”
There it is again. We just talked about this last week.
You see, God is not silent.
He never has been.
From the very beginning, God has been a speaking God creating the world with His Word, giving His law to Moses, speaking through the prophets, and ultimately revealing Himself in the person of Jesus Christ.
Hebrews reminds us, again, that God is still speaking today. The writer says clearly: “See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks.” That’s not just a suggestion, it’s a command. And it’s personal. It’s saying, “Pay attention. Lean in. Open your heart.”
We live in a world filled with distractions: phones buzzing, schedules packed, voices everywhere. But none of those voices matter more than the voice of God. And Hebrews warns us: Don’t tune Him out. Don’t turn Him down. Don’t ignore Him.
In the days of Moses, when God spoke from Mount Sinai, it shook the earth. The people trembled. They were afraid. God’s presence was overwhelming. But now, the writer says, something even greater is happening: “Now he has promised, ‘Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.’”
That’s powerful. It means that God is still at work shaking, refining, sifting the world around us. And this isn’t just about physical earthquakes or dramatic world events. This is about the deep inner shaking that happens when God begins to move in your life.
Sometimes God allows shaking in our lives not to harm us but to reveal what truly matters.
When the ground beneath us shifts, when what we once depended on starts to fall away, it forces us to ask:
• What is unshakable in my life?
• What foundation am I really standing on?
• Am I holding on to temporary things, or eternal ones?
This passage is clear: God is not done shaking things. He shakes what can be shaken so that what cannot be shaken will remain. Let me say that again: He shakes what can be shaken so that what cannot be shaken will remain.
That’s good news if you’re standing on the right foundation. But it’s a wake-up call if you’ve been building your life on things that won’t last like money, popularity, reputation, success, or comfort.
When God speaks and begins to shake things, it’s not to punish, it’s to purify.
It’s not to scare us, it’s to save us from building on the wrong things.
And so, the call is urgent: Listen when He speaks. Don’t turn away. Don’t harden your heart.
If the people in the Old Testament didn’t escape the consequences of ignoring God’s voice at Sinai, how much more should we listen now that He speaks through Jesus, His Son, our Savior, the Mediator of a better covenant?
In Christ, we don’t approach God with fear, we approach Him with confidence. But that confidence shouldn’t make us casual. It should make us even more attentive.
Because the stakes are higher. The message is clearer. The grace is greater. And the invitation is personal.
So how do you tune your ear to God’s voice?
• Stay in His Word. God’s voice is found in Scripture. If you want to hear from Him, you have to open the Book.
• Stay sensitive to His Spirit. The Holy Spirit prompts, convicts, encourages, and corrects. The more you respond to His leading, the clearer His voice becomes.
• Stay connected to His people. God often speaks through others, through a sermon, a trusted friend, a small group. Be open to His voice coming from unexpected places.
• Stay alert in your circumstances. God sometimes redirects us through doors that open or close, changes in season, or moments that shake our comfort. Pay attention.
Here’s the truth: God is always speaking. The question is are you listening?
If your life feels unsteady right now, it might not be random. God may be shaking things to get your attention—not to hurt you, but to remind you what’s worth holding onto.
Don’t resist it. Don’t run from it. Let the shaking draw you closer to what can never be shaken—His love, His presence, and His purpose for your life.
So listen. Lean in. And let God’s voice reshape what matters most.
3. Live with Awe Because You Belong to an Unshakable Kingdom
Hebrews 12:28–29: “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.”
We all want stability. We want to know that what we’re building our lives on is going to last, that it’s not going to collapse when the winds of trouble blow through. Hebrews offers us something better than wishful thinking. It offers us a promise:
“You are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken.”
If you are in Christ, you are part of a kingdom that is eternal, secure, and unshakable. Governments will change. Economies will fall. Relationships may break. Even your own health and body will eventually wear out. But God’s Kingdom? It will never fall. Never weaken. Never fade.
And that truth should change how we live right now.
The writer of Hebrews gives us a response:
Because we belong to something unshakable, we should live with gratitude, with reverence, and with awe.
Let’s take those one at a time.
The very first instruction is: “Let us be thankful.”
Gratitude is not a seasonal emotion; it’s a spiritual posture. It’s the natural result of understanding just how much you’ve been given.
You weren’t born into this Kingdom. You were brought in—by grace, through the sacrifice of Jesus. You didn’t earn it. You didn’t climb your way into it. You received it as a gift.
When you realize you belong to a forever Kingdom, when you realize your future is secure, your sins are forgiven, your purpose is real, and your eternity is set, it changes your attitude completely.
You start living with a thankful heart.
And a thankful heart turns every ordinary moment into an opportunity to worship.
Next, Hebrews says: “…worship God acceptably with reverence and awe.”
This isn’t about fear in the sense of being scared. This is about being humbled by the holiness of God.
You don’t casually stroll into the presence of the living God like He’s your buddy at the coffee shop. You come with awe. You come with wonder. You come with reverence because He is holy, and you are standing on holy ground.
Worship isn’t just singing songs. It’s the way you live. It’s your whole life your work, your relationships, your decisions, your words. All of it is an offering to God. And when you understand that you begin to worship differently.
You start asking questions like:
• Am I honoring God with how I treat people?
• Am I showing reverence for His Word in how I obey it?
• Am I giving Him my best or just what’s left over?
God isn’t asking for perfection. He’s asking for sincerity, devotion, and awe a heart that is fully His.
The chapter closes with this powerful line: “For our God is a consuming fire.”
That might sound intense, and it is.
This isn’t the gentle, feel-good version of God we sometimes like to keep in a box. This is the God of glory. The God who burns away sin, purifies hearts, and demands our full attention.
Fire can consume what doesn’t belong. And God, in His love, does the same. He burns away pride, selfishness, idols, and anything that gets in the way of His best for your life.
That’s not bad news, it’s good news. Because what remains after the fire is what was meant to last.
So don’t be afraid of the fire. Invite it.
Let God shape you, refine you, and make you holy.
So how do we live in response to this kind of kingdom?
We live gratefully, because we’ve received more than we could ever deserve.
We live reverently, because we serve a holy God.
And we live with awe, because His presence is real, powerful, and consuming.
If you’re tired of shaky ground, of chasing things that don’t last; there is a better way.
You’ve been invited into a Kingdom that cannot be shaken. You don’t have to live in fear. You don’t have to cling to what’s crumbling. You can stand firm, worship fully, and live with deep peace, because your foundation is secure.
So today, make it your goal to live in a way that reflects the glory of the Kingdom you belong to.
Not just on Sunday. Every day.
Because God is worthy of your worship and His Kingdom is worth your life.
