Five Unshakeable Things
Hebrews 12:25-29
In October of 1989, an earthquake struck the San Francisco Bay area. It resulted in devastation, destruction, death and fear. It lasted for only 15 seconds but caused 7.5 billion dollars worth of damage, say nothing of lives lost and injured.
Some of those folks lived in homes built on landfills! Didn’t Jesus warn us about such things?
We’re not used to quakes in this part of the country (Midwest) even though they are prophesied in Matthew 24:7 as one of the signs of our Lord’s coming and the end of the age. Jesus said they would occur in “divers places” (KJV).
There are six literal earthquakes recorded in the Bible;
1) Mt. Sinai (Moses & Israel, after the Exodus in the Wilderness)
2) Mt. Horeb (Elijah’s cave experience, I Kings 19:11)
3) During the reign of Uzziah (Amos 1:1)
4) At the time of the Crucifixion (Matthew 27:51)
5) At the time of the Resurrection of Christ (Matthew 28:2)
6) That which freed Paul & Silas from prison (Acts 16:26)
Isaiah mentions eathquakes as being a form of judgment that God sometimes uses (29:6).
The Book of Revelation predicts many to come in the last days (8:5; 11:13; 16:18).
Every year there are some 500,000 detectable seismic or micro-seismic disturbances that occur around the world. Of these, 100,000 can be felt and some 1,000 cause some kind of destruction in either lives or property.
Worth in intensity: Alaska, 1964. It was 8.9 on the Richter scale.–equivalent to an explosion 100 times greater than a nuclear bomb of 10,000 megatons.
Worst loss of life: China, 1556. 830,000 died. In 1976, in Peking, 650,000 died and 780,000 were injured.
In the U.S., more than 70 million people live in regions that are high to moderate risk areas. Highest rist areas: San Francisco, Los Angles, Memphis, Tenn, Salt Lake City, Seattle, Anchorage, Alaska, and Charleston, S.C.
THERE ARE THINGS OTHER THAN EARTHQUAKES THAT ARE BEING SHAKEN TODAY—shaken with terrific force. Instituions are crumbling right before our eyes...
• families
• marriages
• churches
• government leaders
• politicians
Then there are things which tend to be more personal in scope:
• terrorism
• crime rate
• death of a loved oned
• betrayal of a frined or spouse
• loss of a job
• disease
BUT ENOUGH TALK OF THINGS THAT ARE SHAKEABLE! Let’s focus together on some unshakeable truths. The Bible speaks of at least five things that are so solid, so strong, so secure, that nothing can cause them to crumble
1. GOD’S NATURE
Malachi 3:6: “I am the Lord; I change not.”
Hebrews 13:8: “Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever.”
All that God is, He has always been; all that He has been and is, He will ever be.
This has reference to His character, His essential being, which is love, holiness, faithfulness, power, wisdom, and so much more!
What peace this brings to the heart of a child of God—to realize that ouR heavenly Father never differs from Himself!
He is always in a receptive mood. He doesn’t have office hours. He loves us as much today as when we were first born.
In thIs world where men forget us, change their attitudes toward us, revise their opinions of us for the slightest cause, isn’t it wonderful to know that we have a God who does not change?
He is Available. He is Accessible. He is Awesome!
2. GOD’S THRONE
Thrones symbolize power, authority, leadership. Hebrews 12:23 refers to God as the “Judge of all.” The throne He sits upon is an everlasting, unchanging one.
Ben Franklin: God governs in the affairs of men and if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, neither can a kingdom rise without His aid.
This throne not only represents authority, but it also is a place of prayer where we can come boldly, in the name of Jesus, offer our praises and bare our souls. We can be sure that the One who sits there has the desire and ability to meet our needs. And it is a throne of grace as well (Hebrews 14:6)Hebrews 4:16
I love watching kids. God sure does speak through them.
Two little guys were playing out in their backyard with a football. As they tossed it back and forth, one of them threw it a bit too high, and it became stuck on top of their house. One of the little boys asked, "Do you want me to climb up there and get the football?" The other replied simply, "You’re too small to do that...
...but I know who we can get."
"Let’s go ask our Father - he’s big enough to get it done for us."
And, with that, they went into the living room where their father was and asked him to get their football down. Then, they did a remarkable thing......they went outside and waited with confidence for him to do as they had asked.
Christian, that’s exactly how you and I are to pray. When we are up against something that we are just too small to handle, then...
...I know who we can get. We can ask our Father - He’s big enough to get it done for us.
You know, God has given us access to Him in prayer. That’s right, we can just slip into His Living Room and make our requests known to Him. And, upon sharing our heart’s burdens and needs and even wants, we should go outside and wait with confidence for Him to do as we have asked. That’s faith. Faith that moves mountains. Faith that gets footballs down off of houses.
How about it, friend? Do you have any footballs on the top of your house? You know, needs that are so high up that you just can’t meet them yourself. Maybe you are experiencing an illness or a financial burden. Perhaps there is a relationship problem or an unhappy workplace. You might even be struggling with a decision or a sin. It doesn’t matter what your need is , you can take it to the Father.
He’s there, right now, waiting for you to share what’s on your heart. The door of prayer is open...why not enter into God’s Living Room and leave your burden with Him?
Copyright 2003 Jimmy D. Brown
3. GOD’S WORD
Matthew 24:35: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”
Isaiah 40:8: “The grass whithers, the flowers fade, but the word of our God shall stand forever.”
Jesus stood in the Temple in Jerusalem almost 2,000 years ago and preached the Word of God. Today the Temple is gone, but the Word of God abides!
Paul walked into Athens and beheld all the great buildings of the Acropolis. He walked up the Appian Way to Rome and saw the Forum. Today these buildings are gone. All that remains are ruins.
But the Book of God remains.
Skeptics, critics, demytholigizers, liberal interpreters, atheists...they have all come and gone, but the Word of God is still influencing and even changing lives.
The story is told of a South Sea Islander who proudly displayed his Bible to a G.I. during WW II. He had received it as a present from a missionary some time before. The soldier said, “O, we’ve outgrown that sort of thing.” The native smiled back and said, “Well, it’s a good thing we haven’t, because if it weren’t for this book, you would be our evening meal.”
John Wesley wrote of this Book: I am a creature of the day, passing life as an arrow through the air. I am a spirit, coming from God, and returning to God; just hovering over the great gulf; a few months hence I am no more seen. I drop into an unchangeable eternity! I want to know one thing–the way to heaven...God Himself has condescended to teach the way. He has written it down in a book. O give me that Book! At any price, give me the Book of God!
There you have it...God’s Word, indestructible, eternal, unshakeable!
4. GOD’S CHURCH
Matthew 16:18: “...I will build my church and the gates of hell will not overcome it.”
God is building His temple made up of His precious stones, the people of God. It’s not a temple made with human hands, therefore it cannot be shaken. It is invincible. It is made up of those who have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb.
There are those who have tried to eliminate it, but you may as well try to eradicate thought. It is spiritual in nature. The true church is not a building or an organization, or even a denomination. It is a living thing. It derives its life from the Holy Spirit and is as indestructible as He is.
There are those who have tried to eliminate the church, but all have failed:
• communism
• secular humanism
• false cults and religions
• Satan–from within, by changing her focus and mandate, but God just raises up another fellowship of believers to carry on His work.
Thank God for the Church--His Body, His Bride, His Instrument to bring salvation, healing and reconciliation to a needy world. It’s here to stay!
5. GOD’S KINGDOM
Hebrews 12:28; “Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and let us offer up to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire.”
❏ This kingdom is unique because it is spiritual in nature.
❏ It is everlasting because it’s King is the Eternal One.
❏ It is vast, comprising untold millions of saints, angels, seraphims, cherabims, and who knows what other ims!
❏ It is all-encompassing–includes those in heaven and on earth–the prophets, apostles, and redeemed of all ages.
And to think that we are a part of this innumerable host! God’s kingdom exists wherever He rules. That heart which stubbornly resists His lordship is outside of this glorious reign. But the King is constantly wooing the lost, longing for their citizenship.
GOD IS GOING TO SHAKE THE WHOLE EARTH IN JUDGMENT SOMEDAY. Even the heavens will reel under His judgments. But those who belong to His kingdom need not fear. The future belongs to those who belong to God.
Put your trust in the Unshakeable God and He will give you an unshakeable faith! Then you will be able to say with the Psalmist, “I love you, O Lord, my strength, for you are my Rock, my fortress, and my deliverer. For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God?”
