A Kingdom That Cannot Be Shaken

In one paragraph

Pastor Ray opened Hebrews 12:14-28, finishing out a section of the chapter he had been working through for several weeks. He wove back through the forgiveness theme he had preached two weeks earlier before pressing into the contrast the writer of Hebrews draws between the old covenant and the new, landing on the command to show gratitude as the fitting response to a kingdom that cannot be shaken....

Read together

1. Hebrews 12:14 pursuit of peace and sanctification without which no one will see the Lord
2. Hebrews 12:15 see to it that no one comes short of the grace of God, no root of bitterness
3. Hebrews 12:16-17 warning against being like Esau who sold his birthright for a single meal and later found no place for repentance
4. Hebrews 12:18-19 description of Mount Sinai, blazing fire, darkness, gloom, whirlwind, and the blast of a trumpet
5. Hebrews 12:20-21 the command that even a beast touching the mountain would be stoned, and Moses saying he was full of fear and trembling
6. Hebrews 12:22-24 you have come to Mount Zion, the heavenly Jerusalem, the general assembly of the church, and Jesus the mediator of a new covenant
7. Hebrews 12:25 see to it that you do not refuse him who is speaking, warning from the wilderness generation
8. Hebrews 12:26-27 his voice shook the earth then, yet once more he will shake not only the earth but also heaven
9. Hebrews 12:28 since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude with reverence and awe
10. Galatians 1:8-9 if anyone preaches a gospel of works rather than grace, let him be anathema
11. Haggai 2:6 quoted as the source of yet once more I will shake the heavens and the earth
12. Haggai 2:21 speak to Zerubbabel, I am going to shake the heavens and the earth
13. Hebrews 11 Abel mentioned among the heroes of the faith, his blood still speaks
14. Romans 8:38-39 neither death nor life nor principality nor powers can separate us from the love of God
15. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 be thankful in all circumstances, this is God's will concerning you in Christ Jesus

Talk about it

1. Pastor Ray described an 'inner room' where we retreat to feel sorry for ourselves and away from community. When have you noticed yourself going there, and what pulled you back out?
2. Pastor Ray said that forgiven people forgive people, and that forgiving is a willful decision, not a feeling. What makes it hard to make that choice even when you know you should?
3. The sermon contrasted Esau's regret with genuine repentance, pointing out that Esau wanted the blessing back but never changed his mind about what he had done. What is the difference between those two things in your own experience?
4. Pastor Ray described the shift from Mount Sinai to Mount Zion as the difference between a covenant where it is all on you and one where it is all on Christ. How does that difference actually change the way you live day to day?
5. The sermon closed by saying that gratitude is the only acceptable service we can offer God, and that without it we stagnate and fall. Where do you find it hardest to be genuinely thankful right now, and what gets in the way?