THINGS THAT WILL NEVER BE SHAKEN
HEBREWS 12:25-29
Comments made in the year 1957:
"I’ll tell you one thing, if things keep going the way they are, it’s going to be impossible to buy a week’s groceries for $20."
"If they raise the minimum wage to $1, nobody will be able to hire outside help at the store."
"When I first started driving, who would have thought gas would someday cost 29 cents a gallon. Guess we’d be better off leaving the car in the garage."
"I read the other day where some scientist thinks it’s possible to put a man on the moon by the end of the of the century. They even have some fellows they call astronauts preparing for it down in Texas."
"Did you see where some baseball player just signed a contract for $75,000 a year just to play ball? It wouldn’t surprise me if someday they’ll be making more than the president."
"The drive-in restaurant is convenient in nice weather, but I seriously doubt they will ever catch on."
"No one can afford to be sick any more; can you believe the hospitals are charging $35.00 a day.
Have you ever heard the saying ¡§Times are a changin?¡¨
Many things have changed even in my lifetime. Many things that people thought would never be destroyed no longer exist. 1)The Berlin Wall Built in August of 1961 as a symbol of the cold war and torn down in 1990
Things change, some things that appear unshakable are destroyed, but there are some things that will never be shaken. This morning lets take a look at those things:
I. GOD WILL NEVER BE SHAKEN. James 1:17
A) Go back into eternity past and you cannot find a time when God was not there.
Go forward into eternity future and you will never find a time when God¡K.
Scoffers say ¡§So what did God do for ions before He decided to create the world only 6,000 years ago?¡¨ He had fellowship within the trinity. Then He created the angels¡K.We don¡¦t know all the answers because we can¡¦t really grasp eternity.
B) A little girl was sitting on her grandfather’s lap as he read her a bedtime story. From time to time, she would take her eyes off the book and reach up to touch his wrinkled cheek. She was alternately stroking her own cheek, then his again. Finally she spoke up, "Grandpa, did God make you?" "Yes, sweetheart," he answered, "God made me a long time ago." "Oh," she paused, "Grandpa, did God make me too?" "Yes, indeed, honey," he said, "God made you just a little while ago." Feeling their respective faces again, she observed, "God’s getting better at it, isn’t he?"
C) When Abraham Lincoln was assassinated in Washington the news was relayed to New York. Soon the city was in utter confusion. Suddenly a man appeared on a balcony above the crowd and hoisted the American flag. Then the voice of General Garfield rang out ¡§Fellow citizens, there are clouds of darkness all about us but God still reigns.¡¨
D) He is:
All knowing¡XOmniscient¡XIsa 40:13-14
All powerful¡XOmnipotent¡XRevelation 19:6
Always present¡XOmnipresent¡XJeremiah 23:23-24
II. HIS WORD WILL NEVER BE SHAKEN. Isa 40:8;
A) You can take this copy of God¡¦s word and burn it but you can never destroy the Word of God.
B) Make no mistake about it. Satan has been trying to destroy the Word of God since the Garden of Eden, twisting and turning God¡¦s Word. Today we see an onslaught of new translations, some of them attacking the Deity of Christ, the Trinity, the Virgin birth¡K..One of the newest and most dangerous translations is Today¡¦s New International Version¡Kgender neutral, removes the individualism of the plan of salvation.
C) Stand firm upon the Word. Teach our young people to reverence the Word. Matt 24:35
„h There are 800,000 words in the English language, 300,000 are technical terms. The average person knows 10,000 words and uses 5,000 in everyday speech. A journalist knows approximately 15,000 and uses around 10,000. Source unknown But if we knew and used every word of the english language perfectly and left out the Word of God, we have failed to communicate the most basic need of mankind.
III. HIS CHURCH WILL NEVER BE SHAKEN. Matt 16:18-19
A) In the letters to the Seven churches in the book of Revelation we find a picture of the history of churches in our world.
1) Ephesus¡XPreoccupied Church
2) Smyrna¡XPersecuted Church
3) Pergamos¡XLax Church
4) Thyatira---Neglectful Church
5) Sardis---Powerless Church
6) Philadelphia¡XPersevering Church
7) Laodicea---Lukewarm Church
B) Notice here that Jesus built the church upon himself---Peter¡XPetros (small stone that is taken from a larger)---Rock¡XPetra (Large foundational stone)
C) Gates of Hell¡XGate is designed to keep people in or out. It is not an offensive weapon.
Shall not prevail¡K..(be stronger than) the Church¡K..
We can¡¦t literally go into hell and remove people (Rich man) but we can do battle with Satan over the soul¡¦s of people.
We are to be an active, well trained, courageous army, intentionally stealing the souls of mankind out of the hand of Satan---How? Simple. We tell them of God¡¦s love for them and of the way of Salvation that He has provided. The one true and living God who will never be shaken, taking His Word that will never be shaken, and using His church that will never be shaken.
One day we will hear: ¡§The battle is over and the victory has been won.¡¨
