The Holy Spirit and the Glorious Temple (Hag 2:1-9)

WEBVTT 1 00:00:01.439 --> 00:00:10.400 This is one of the last books of the Old Testament, Haggai, chapter 2 00:00:10.560 --> 00:00:32.759 two, verses one through nine. The grass withers, as we know, 3 00:00:33.039 --> 00:00:39.159 the heat flowers fade, but even in the harshest and most difficult seasons, 4 00:00:39.200 --> 00:00:45.520 the word of the Lord stands forever. In the seventh month, on the 5 00:00:45.520 --> 00:00:48.840 twenty one day of the month, the word of the Lord came by the 6 00:00:48.880 --> 00:00:53.719 hand of Hagi, the Prophet. Speak now to Cerebebel, the son of 7 00:00:53.759 --> 00:00:58.840 Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua, the son of Jeosdak, 8 00:00:58.960 --> 00:01:03.119 the high priest, and to all the remnant of the people, and say, 9 00:01:03.719 --> 00:01:07.879 who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? 10 00:01:07.719 --> 00:01:11.840 How do you see it now? Is it not as nothing in your eyes? 11 00:01:12.439 --> 00:01:17.959 Yet now, be strong, or iserebebel declares the Lord Be Strong, 12 00:01:17.959 --> 00:01:22.920 Oh Joshua, son of Jehosedek, the high priest, be strong, all 13 00:01:23.000 --> 00:01:27.560 you people of the land, declares the Lord Work, for I am with 14 00:01:27.680 --> 00:01:34.400 you. Declare is the Lord of hosts. According to the Covenant that I 15 00:01:34.519 --> 00:01:38.879 made with you when you came out of Egypt, my spirit remains in your 16 00:01:38.959 --> 00:01:45.719 midst. Fear not, for thus says the Lord of hosts. Yet once 17 00:01:45.840 --> 00:01:49.599 more. In a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth 18 00:01:49.640 --> 00:01:55.079 and the sea and the dry land, and I will shake all nations so 19 00:01:55.120 --> 00:01:57.959 that the treasures of the nation shall come in. And I will fill this 20 00:01:59.000 --> 00:02:05.040 House with glory, says the Lord of hosts. The silver is mine, 21 00:02:05.280 --> 00:02:09.000 the Gold is mine, declares the Lord of hosts. The latter glory of 22 00:02:09.039 --> 00:02:14.919 this House shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts. 23 00:02:14.960 --> 00:02:22.960 And in this place I will give peace, declares the Lord of hostsmen, 24 00:02:23.960 --> 00:02:44.439 you may be seated. Well, for those of you who might be a 25 00:02:44.439 --> 00:02:50.199 little bit unfamiliar with this book or this particular time in history, let's start 26 00:02:50.240 --> 00:02:53.520 with a little bit of a little bit of context and set up the story, 27 00:02:53.759 --> 00:03:00.919 remind us of what's going on. What's going on is that the word 28 00:03:00.960 --> 00:03:05.560 of the Lord has come to the Prophet Hagi and he is encouraging the people 29 00:03:05.599 --> 00:03:10.360 to begin a work, to do a work in building the Temple of God 30 00:03:10.479 --> 00:03:16.120 that had been neglected for some time, about forty years. What had happened 31 00:03:16.159 --> 00:03:23.520 previously is that, because of God's people's disobedience, because of their disobedience, 32 00:03:23.879 --> 00:03:29.120 the temple was destroyed and before the temple was destroyed. There was a vision 33 00:03:29.120 --> 00:03:36.280 in which the Prophet saw the spirit of God lift up out of the temple 34 00:03:36.400 --> 00:03:42.000 and depart. The spirit was not with them anymore. The spirit of God 35 00:03:42.080 --> 00:03:46.000 was going away. His presence, her his protection, His mercy, his 36 00:03:46.240 --> 00:03:53.199 covering, His Holiness, all of these things that their temple represented, his 37 00:03:53.319 --> 00:04:00.479 dwelling with man. It was going away. And so the spirit was seen 38 00:04:00.560 --> 00:04:06.639 to the part. And then eventually the temple was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar judgment of 39 00:04:06.759 --> 00:04:13.639 guns to God's people for their disobedience. But what happens next? Nebuchadnezzar takes 40 00:04:13.759 --> 00:04:17.000 the treasures that are in the temple. There's lots of gold there, various 41 00:04:17.120 --> 00:04:25.160 fine things of various religious objects, and he takes them to Babylon. He 42 00:04:25.240 --> 00:04:29.319 doesn't just take the stuff, he takes the people too. You might remember 43 00:04:29.360 --> 00:04:34.199 stories about Shadrach Meshack and a bit nego or Daniel and others. He takes 44 00:04:34.279 --> 00:04:39.439 people. He takes these people into Babylon and their exiles they all they're not 45 00:04:39.519 --> 00:04:43.079 in their place anymore. They are not in this place that God has said 46 00:04:43.160 --> 00:04:46.680 I will dwell with you and you will be my people. Instead, they're 47 00:04:46.720 --> 00:04:51.959 dwelling in a foreign land and within under a foreign king who does not serve 48 00:04:53.040 --> 00:04:58.120 the Lord of hosts, who does not love the Lord God of Israel. 49 00:04:59.279 --> 00:05:04.360 There's lamentation. There's a old book called lamentations describing these things. There's sadness 50 00:05:04.360 --> 00:05:11.600 and crying, there's weeping. But then the Lord comes and he speaks to 51 00:05:11.639 --> 00:05:17.000 a new king, King Cyrus, one from Persia, who has overtaken Babylon 52 00:05:17.160 --> 00:05:21.920 and Cyrus by the hand of the Lord, says it's time till the Temple 53 00:05:21.959 --> 00:05:26.040 of God to be rebuilt, and so he sends back the people and he 54 00:05:26.160 --> 00:05:30.319 sends some of their stuff with them and they get to work. They start 55 00:05:30.360 --> 00:05:33.199 to build the temple, they start to build, but then they face opposition 56 00:05:34.360 --> 00:05:38.519 by people in the land. There are people who don't want them to keep 57 00:05:38.560 --> 00:05:42.519 going. They say stop, they try to impede the work in various ways. 58 00:05:42.560 --> 00:05:46.800 We greet about this in Ezra and the alum they and what ends up 59 00:05:46.839 --> 00:05:53.199 happening is the people of God get discouraged, despite being brought back to the 60 00:05:53.279 --> 00:05:56.920 land by the Lord, by the command of the Lord, enriched by the 61 00:05:56.959 --> 00:06:02.519 Lord, empowered by the Lord, they lose heart, they become afraid, 62 00:06:02.920 --> 00:06:08.000 they lose their strength, they lose their courage, they lose their willpower and 63 00:06:08.040 --> 00:06:11.920 they stop building the temple. And, as we saw in the last chapter, 64 00:06:12.079 --> 00:06:14.920 God comes to his people and he says, why is it that I 65 00:06:14.959 --> 00:06:19.319 see your nice neighborhoods with your paneled houses and your landscaping and the Nice cars 66 00:06:19.360 --> 00:06:26.480 in the driveway, and yet my house remains in ruins, my house is 67 00:06:26.480 --> 00:06:30.399 not finished, my house is not done, as we thought about last time. 68 00:06:30.439 --> 00:06:33.199 Of course, it's not that God needs a house. The God is 69 00:06:33.199 --> 00:06:39.959 somehow homeless or in need of anything really. But his desire was to dwell 70 00:06:40.079 --> 00:06:44.160 with his people, with to be with his people, and that wasn't happening 71 00:06:44.199 --> 00:06:48.480 as long as their priorities were all mixed up, as long as their priorities 72 00:06:48.480 --> 00:06:53.920 were focused on this present life and that the things in the stuff of this 73 00:06:54.000 --> 00:06:58.600 world, and not on him and not on his worship and not on living 74 00:06:58.759 --> 00:07:02.319 that covenantal life with him, a life based on his promises, a life 75 00:07:02.319 --> 00:07:06.040 based on his work. As long as those priorities were all mixed up, 76 00:07:06.040 --> 00:07:10.160 things were not going to go well. And they weren't going well. He 77 00:07:10.199 --> 00:07:14.560 says to them back in chapter one, through Hagiss, look around you. 78 00:07:14.639 --> 00:07:21.560 Are you not experiencing drought, economic problems in various other things? This would 79 00:07:21.560 --> 00:07:27.800 and should have been expected, because when we go back to Mount Sinai, 80 00:07:27.879 --> 00:07:30.879 when we go back to when God brought his people bill out of Egypt, 81 00:07:30.879 --> 00:07:34.399 he made a covenant with them and he told them, if you disobey me, 82 00:07:34.519 --> 00:07:39.360 you will experience curses in the land, if you obey me, will 83 00:07:39.360 --> 00:07:43.399 experience blessing. And so he wakes them up and he says it's time to 84 00:07:43.439 --> 00:07:50.920 pay attention. And now in chapter two he continues to encourage them in that 85 00:07:53.439 --> 00:07:59.759 he says be strong. He says it three times. He says it in 86 00:07:59.959 --> 00:08:03.079 Verse Four. Be Strong. He says it's is a rebebl who's the governor 87 00:08:03.120 --> 00:08:07.160 of this land? At the time he says it's a Joshua. Be Strong, 88 00:08:07.279 --> 00:08:09.560 who is the high priest? And he says it a third time. 89 00:08:09.839 --> 00:08:16.319 Be Strong, all you people on the land, be strong, be strong, 90 00:08:16.519 --> 00:08:22.839 be strong. They felt weak, they felt discouraged. They looked, 91 00:08:22.879 --> 00:08:26.519 as we read in verse three, those who were left, those who could 92 00:08:26.560 --> 00:08:33.679 even remember what the old temple looked like, and they said it says nothing 93 00:08:35.360 --> 00:08:41.000 the glory when we think about the temple and its former glory. When we 94 00:08:41.039 --> 00:08:46.320 look at the what is going on now? It's all gone. It's all 95 00:08:46.360 --> 00:08:52.399 gone. But despite the discouragement, despite the obstacles they were facing, the 96 00:08:52.480 --> 00:09:01.120 Lord gives them a command. Be Strong, be strong, be strong. 97 00:09:03.320 --> 00:09:07.039 It's hard to be strong when you don't feel strong. It's hard to feel 98 00:09:07.080 --> 00:09:13.399 strong when you're discouraged and tired and you can't get out of bed. It's 99 00:09:13.399 --> 00:09:16.480 hard to be strong when you know the to do list that's in front of 100 00:09:16.519 --> 00:09:20.240 you and then all the things that are going to happen. It's hard to 101 00:09:20.279 --> 00:09:24.720 be strong when you know the obstacles that are against you. It's often very 102 00:09:24.759 --> 00:09:31.399 tempting to just give up, to say I'm tired of doing the right thing, 103 00:09:31.559 --> 00:09:35.440 I'm tired of setting my priorities right, I'm tired of struggling, I'm 104 00:09:35.440 --> 00:09:41.200 tired of trying. You feel weak, you want to give up. It's 105 00:09:41.320 --> 00:09:46.080 very hard to be strong. Be Strong, be strong when you are feeling 106 00:09:46.480 --> 00:09:56.320 weak. God commands them in the next word, the next sentence, work, 107 00:09:56.799 --> 00:10:03.759 get to work, get out of bed, get to work. And 108 00:10:03.799 --> 00:10:09.360 then he tells them, he gives to them a reason, he gives them 109 00:10:09.399 --> 00:10:18.519 something that will stir their spirits and encourage them. He says, for I 110 00:10:18.559 --> 00:10:26.159 am with you. Declares the Lord of hosts. Not this point the word 111 00:10:26.320 --> 00:10:30.240 phrase Lord of hosts. I may not have you may not have even knownict 112 00:10:30.279 --> 00:10:33.799 it when I read it, like okay, it's a Bible phrase, right, 113 00:10:33.919 --> 00:10:39.039 that describes God. But by the end maybe you did notice it because 114 00:10:39.080 --> 00:10:43.840 it's repeated so many times. Declares the Lord of hosts. In Verse Four. 115 00:10:45.639 --> 00:10:50.360 Again we have it in several times, and versus seven and Verse Eight, 116 00:10:50.360 --> 00:10:52.840 in Verse Nine, over and over and over again, the Lord of 117 00:10:52.879 --> 00:10:58.679 hosts. You know what hosts are, right, it's in this context it 118 00:10:58.720 --> 00:11:03.600 refers to armies. And whenever you hear the Lord of hosts, what I 119 00:11:03.639 --> 00:11:11.879 want you to imagine is a hundred million angels ready to do the Lord's will, 120 00:11:11.120 --> 00:11:18.559 thousands upon thousands, a thousands of thousands, as the scriptures describes them, 121 00:11:18.320 --> 00:11:28.679 millions and millions of angelic beings who desired nothing except to serve God and 122 00:11:28.759 --> 00:11:35.200 do his holy will. That's their job, that's what they love. Passage 123 00:11:35.240 --> 00:11:41.159 of Scriptures, we have a descriptions of these beings. They are awesome in 124 00:11:41.279 --> 00:11:46.440 terms of amazing, mind boggling. They are difficult, it would seem, 125 00:11:46.480 --> 00:11:52.600 to describe. They are described sometimes of scriptures as having a many eyes, 126 00:11:52.039 --> 00:12:01.080 as having the faces of powerful creatures like lions and Eagle us they are described 127 00:12:01.080 --> 00:12:07.519 as creatures which are able to do very, very great things, and one 128 00:12:07.559 --> 00:12:13.799 of the main things they do is praise God. They sound the surround the 129 00:12:13.840 --> 00:12:18.720 throne of God is singing to his praise. They are his messengers who go 130 00:12:18.879 --> 00:12:24.600 forth. They are, scriptures also say, ministering spirits to us, his 131 00:12:24.679 --> 00:12:31.240 people. Sometimes on people are given visions of angels, just the meaning to 132 00:12:31.279 --> 00:12:35.679 say they see them. So, for example, the shepherds in the field 133 00:12:35.720 --> 00:12:39.120 at the time of Jesus's birth, the angels appeared singing glory to God in 134 00:12:39.159 --> 00:12:45.600 the highest or their stories of people about to go into battle and the Lord 135 00:12:45.720 --> 00:12:50.960 opens their eyes and allows them to see the mighty armies of God that are 136 00:12:50.960 --> 00:12:58.200 on their side. An amazing thing. And if you were in a dark 137 00:12:58.200 --> 00:13:05.559 parking lot at night and you know big guy comes up to you is looking 138 00:13:05.639 --> 00:13:11.240 kind of aggressive, be scary, imagine he's got two people with him, 139 00:13:13.159 --> 00:13:18.799 three people. Imagine he's got thirty people with them and he's coming at you. 140 00:13:20.480 --> 00:13:24.919 Now imagine it's not thirty, but it's an army right, thousands of 141 00:13:24.960 --> 00:13:35.200 people coming at you. Now imagine it's millions of people. Now imagine it's 142 00:13:35.320 --> 00:13:43.440 millions of angels all ready to do the bidding of the Lord, God Almighty. 143 00:13:43.480 --> 00:13:46.360 Except here, in this passage, the Lord of hosts and his mighty 144 00:13:46.519 --> 00:13:54.840 armies are not coming at us. They are working for us, they're protecting 145 00:13:54.919 --> 00:14:01.080 US, they're keeping us all by the mighty word of theric and our commander. 146 00:14:01.120 --> 00:14:07.519 Their creatures like us, different creatures, but still creatures under the authority 147 00:14:07.559 --> 00:14:15.960 of the Creator of Heaven and heavenly beings and earth, the Lord of hosts, 148 00:14:16.000 --> 00:14:20.639 the Lord of hosts, the Lord of hosts, don't be afraid, 149 00:14:20.679 --> 00:14:26.679 be strong, fear not, for I am with you. I am for 150 00:14:28.039 --> 00:14:33.440 you, declares the Lord of hosts, declares the mighty general, the Great 151 00:14:33.679 --> 00:14:41.000 King, the commander of armies and of Heaven and in Earth. It's also 152 00:14:41.559 --> 00:14:48.039 it is an angel who speaks the word of the Lord and says to marry. 153 00:14:48.240 --> 00:14:54.200 Fear Not right, and he says this in a very similar way. 154 00:14:54.679 --> 00:15:01.960 I am with you, and indeed she gives birth to Jesus, the son 155 00:15:01.039 --> 00:15:05.919 of God, who is Emmanuel, God, God with us. Over and 156 00:15:07.000 --> 00:15:11.679 over we see God doing his work in the world. Are Strong God, 157 00:15:11.679 --> 00:15:16.960 a powerful God. When he is on our side, we have no reason, 158 00:15:16.320 --> 00:15:22.080 zero reason, to be discouraged, no reason to think that something in 159 00:15:22.120 --> 00:15:28.879 this world will be able to stand in his way of working for our good 160 00:15:30.159 --> 00:15:35.679 and doing all things for a benefit and for the glory of his name. 161 00:15:39.080 --> 00:15:43.200 We can work, we can be strong, even when we're discouraged, because 162 00:15:43.879 --> 00:15:54.600 God is at work and because God is God, the Lord, the I 163 00:15:54.639 --> 00:16:03.440 am of hosts. We see the strength of the Lord and more encouragement is 164 00:16:03.480 --> 00:16:11.000 given to these people who come back in verses seven and following, when he 165 00:16:11.080 --> 00:16:17.320 says, I want you to picture the future. I don't want you to 166 00:16:17.360 --> 00:16:18.960 be discouraged, I don't want you to be weak, I want you to 167 00:16:19.000 --> 00:16:23.480 go forward and work and build this house based on my promise to you to 168 00:16:23.519 --> 00:16:29.799 be faithful and my promise about the future glory of this thing that you are 169 00:16:30.039 --> 00:16:37.840 doing, this work that is going to be accomplished, this project that they 170 00:16:37.840 --> 00:16:45.559 are going to engage in, will have success. What kind of success? 171 00:16:47.000 --> 00:16:49.720 As they are disappointed and mourning the loss of the old is, they don't 172 00:16:49.799 --> 00:16:52.639 see the glory in the temple, what is the Lord say to them? 173 00:16:52.639 --> 00:17:00.080 He says, in verse seven, I will shake all nations so that the 174 00:17:00.120 --> 00:17:06.039 treasures of the nation shall come in and I will fill this house with glory. 175 00:17:06.519 --> 00:17:08.359 Right. So they're discouraged about the glory of the House. It's just 176 00:17:08.400 --> 00:17:12.960 a slab or whatever. You know, there's there's just it's not beautiful, 177 00:17:12.960 --> 00:17:15.599 it's not splendor, it's not a place that you would want to be. 178 00:17:18.480 --> 00:17:22.319 It's sad. It's in some ways a marker of passin and these kinds of 179 00:17:22.319 --> 00:17:30.799 things. Well, what's going to happen? God describes like a funnel. 180 00:17:30.440 --> 00:17:36.119 Or maybe a better example is those super fun things that you do when you're 181 00:17:36.119 --> 00:17:40.079 a kid, that those big parachute things that you all stand around in a 182 00:17:40.079 --> 00:17:44.880 big circle and you put the balls on the on the the piece of fabric 183 00:17:44.920 --> 00:17:47.920 and nylon or something like that, and there's a hole in the middle and 184 00:17:48.000 --> 00:17:52.359 everybody shaken, everybody's shaking it. They lifted up high, and then what 185 00:17:52.440 --> 00:17:56.680 happens? Like eventually the balls and things or toys or whatever, they fall 186 00:17:56.759 --> 00:18:00.319 down into the center. So that's really fun fun. This is not a 187 00:18:00.359 --> 00:18:04.599 fun picture. It is a picture of great power and what we see is 188 00:18:04.640 --> 00:18:11.640 God shaking the nations, shake, shake, shake, shaking the heavens, 189 00:18:11.400 --> 00:18:18.720 the Earth, the sea, the whole world, everything on the heavenly places, 190 00:18:18.839 --> 00:18:21.799 the earthly places, the sea, the dry land. It shakes it 191 00:18:21.920 --> 00:18:27.160 all and what happens is the treasures of the nation's just fall down into the 192 00:18:27.240 --> 00:18:34.200 glory of the temple. They fall down like like in a funnel. They 193 00:18:34.240 --> 00:18:38.079 come down into the House of the Lord. He is going to fill it 194 00:18:38.160 --> 00:18:42.680 up. As they look at Egypt, as they look at Battylon, as 195 00:18:42.720 --> 00:18:48.039 they look at Persian, say, man, those places are amazing. They're 196 00:18:48.039 --> 00:18:52.079 filled with art and architecture and music and language and all these things. What 197 00:18:52.519 --> 00:18:56.640 are we doing here? What's the point of this? I guess I'll just 198 00:18:56.680 --> 00:19:03.160 go work on my backyard. He's saying something is coming that is greater than 199 00:19:03.200 --> 00:19:10.440 this. He is going to fill the house of the glory. To underline 200 00:19:10.440 --> 00:19:14.359 that point, he then says in versus eight. There says in Verse Eight 201 00:19:14.480 --> 00:19:18.039 the Silver Is Mine, the Gold is mine, declares the Lord. This 202 00:19:18.119 --> 00:19:26.400 is both a promise of the future and an expression of a present reality. 203 00:19:26.920 --> 00:19:33.039 The scriptures say the Lord owns everything, everything. There's not a blade of 204 00:19:33.119 --> 00:19:36.559 grass, there's not a cloud in the sky, there's not a chair in 205 00:19:36.599 --> 00:19:41.440 this room, not a person that he doesn't own. But he doesn't have 206 00:19:41.480 --> 00:19:49.799 a right to because he's God. He's different than we are. His ways 207 00:19:49.839 --> 00:19:53.279 are not our ways, his thoughts are not our thoughts. He isn't like 208 00:19:53.680 --> 00:20:00.839 us, who has a beginning and an end. He's different. He is 209 00:20:02.559 --> 00:20:07.799 the great I am. He is the Lord of hosts and everything is his. 210 00:20:11.240 --> 00:20:15.000 He will fill the house and it will be more glorious, because he 211 00:20:15.079 --> 00:20:21.880 can and he will and he promises that in that place he will give peace. 212 00:20:22.160 --> 00:20:27.599 The violence and the shaking and the disruption that will happen in order to 213 00:20:27.720 --> 00:20:33.440 bring about this glory will not always stay that way, it won't always be 214 00:20:33.480 --> 00:20:38.920 a shaking, but it will be established and it will end in peace. 215 00:20:42.799 --> 00:20:47.599 Now we see in these last few verses that there is a the Lord is 216 00:20:47.599 --> 00:20:52.079 speaking in a metaphorical ways. Right, if all the nations are of all 217 00:20:52.119 --> 00:20:56.720 the glory and the treasures of the nations came into the House of God, 218 00:20:56.799 --> 00:21:02.559 well, that would have to be very, very big house, the size 219 00:21:02.599 --> 00:21:08.200 of the earth. Really Right, we see, and we also know from 220 00:21:08.279 --> 00:21:15.680 history, that things didn't quite happen exactly like this. The temple was rebuilt 221 00:21:15.759 --> 00:21:21.119 and it was glorious, but it was eventually destroyed again. Even today, 222 00:21:22.440 --> 00:21:30.640 it's not there, not like this. And yet the Lord has in fact 223 00:21:30.799 --> 00:21:36.599 kept his promise and will keep it in such a way that these promises are 224 00:21:36.640 --> 00:21:44.319 not just promises of hope for them but for us as well. He says 225 00:21:44.680 --> 00:21:51.480 that there is this shaking that happens and this shaking is a shaking of judgment. 226 00:21:51.480 --> 00:21:55.839 There are a few places in scripture that are very important that is referring 227 00:21:55.960 --> 00:22:02.920 to. The first one is the shaking of Mount Sinai, when God brought 228 00:22:02.960 --> 00:22:07.519 his people out of the land of Egypt and brought them and established them as 229 00:22:07.559 --> 00:22:11.960 a new people. He gave them the Law on Sinai and if you remember 230 00:22:11.960 --> 00:22:18.279 what happens there, that mountain shook, it quaked. There were other things 231 00:22:18.319 --> 00:22:22.400 that happened to there was lightning and fire and a booming voice. It was 232 00:22:22.519 --> 00:22:29.160 terrifying. As God gave them the law, there was this sign of judgment 233 00:22:29.200 --> 00:22:36.880 that came with it, a threat. Dare in a way, just try 234 00:22:36.880 --> 00:22:41.960 to disobey me, touch this mountain and see what happens to you. I'm 235 00:22:41.039 --> 00:22:45.559 paraphrasing, but the but the idea was, and God was very clear about 236 00:22:45.680 --> 00:22:55.599 this, that His Holiness would be established, that the people and their holiness 237 00:22:55.599 --> 00:23:00.200 and their closenesses with him would be established. No more would they be idolaters, 238 00:23:00.240 --> 00:23:04.119 no more would they go in their own ways. They would be his 239 00:23:04.200 --> 00:23:11.559 people and he would be their God, and that whole mountain shook. Well, 240 00:23:11.599 --> 00:23:15.599 there was another time which there was a another very important shaking, and 241 00:23:15.640 --> 00:23:22.960 that was when Jesus Christ died. When Jesus died there was another shaking as 242 00:23:23.039 --> 00:23:29.640 the threat and the curse of the law again was made manifest in the world, 243 00:23:29.720 --> 00:23:34.920 as judgment came down for sin and against sin. We read in Matthew 244 00:23:34.920 --> 00:23:41.200 Twenty seven, verse fifty one that when Jesus died the veil that was in 245 00:23:41.279 --> 00:23:49.200 the temple at that time as big thit. Curtain was torn from top to 246 00:23:49.279 --> 00:23:57.160 the bottom like a piece of paper. God just tore it. And on 247 00:23:57.240 --> 00:24:03.480 top of that the earth, we read, quaked and the rocks split. 248 00:24:06.160 --> 00:24:10.240 Perhaps some of you saw the video of the up at the lake. Have 249 00:24:10.359 --> 00:24:15.519 Asu the rock just falling off, just splitting, this huge, huge rock 250 00:24:15.559 --> 00:24:22.680 falling off and falling into the water. It seems impossible, right, how 251 00:24:22.680 --> 00:24:30.960 could something so strong and so stable just split? Well, because the Lord 252 00:24:32.079 --> 00:24:37.640 is strong and more stable and more powerful than anything in this world. The 253 00:24:37.680 --> 00:24:41.599 Earth seems so strong. It seems like it will never move until it does, 254 00:24:42.720 --> 00:24:47.319 until it does, and we experience this, of course, sometimes earthquakes 255 00:24:47.319 --> 00:24:52.440 and sink holes, rocks falling, landslides, these kinds of things. These 256 00:24:52.480 --> 00:24:59.599 are reminders to us that this world is not as stable as we often think 257 00:24:59.640 --> 00:25:04.440 it is. And that's important, because what Jesus does that his death, 258 00:25:04.720 --> 00:25:11.240 when judgment comes down upon him, not for his disobedience to the law, 259 00:25:11.279 --> 00:25:18.279 but because of ours. God is establishing us as a people forever, and 260 00:25:18.480 --> 00:25:22.960 he establishes, he says, in Christ a people and a city and a 261 00:25:22.960 --> 00:25:33.599 temple that is unshakable, that is unshakable, and this is our hope. 262 00:25:33.680 --> 00:25:38.000 Our hope is that when God comes again, when the son of God comes 263 00:25:38.039 --> 00:25:44.720 again into the world and shakes the world and pulls it apart and brings all 264 00:25:44.799 --> 00:25:49.799 things into this terrifying judgment, we will have no reason to fear, not 265 00:25:49.920 --> 00:25:59.319 because we're stronger than the earth, but because we live in God and we 266 00:25:59.359 --> 00:26:03.440 are established in the strength of God, who is stronger than the earth and 267 00:26:03.519 --> 00:26:11.599 has already begun to establish us in something that is forever. Listen to Hebrews 268 00:26:11.599 --> 00:26:18.079 twelve, and I'll conclude with this. Listen to Hebrews twelve of verse eighteen. 269 00:26:18.119 --> 00:26:26.039 That makes this contrast between Mount Sinai and Mount Zion. The kingdom in 270 00:26:26.079 --> 00:26:33.119 which we now stand is those who belong to the Lord Jesus Christ, Hebrews 271 00:26:33.160 --> 00:26:37.640 Chapter Twelve, verse eighteen says, for you have not come to what may 272 00:26:37.680 --> 00:26:41.680 be touched a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest and the sound 273 00:26:41.720 --> 00:26:48.160 of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further 274 00:26:48.279 --> 00:26:52.440 messages bespoken to them, for they could not endure the order that was given. 275 00:26:52.480 --> 00:26:57.440 If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stone indeed. 276 00:26:57.599 --> 00:27:07.720 So terrifying was the sight that Moses said, I tremble with fear. You 277 00:27:07.759 --> 00:27:15.880 haven't come to that, but you have come to Mount Zion and to the 278 00:27:15.920 --> 00:27:23.480 city of the Living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to listen this innumerable 279 00:27:23.519 --> 00:27:33.119 angels, the hosts in festal gathering. Right, it's a party. We 280 00:27:33.200 --> 00:27:41.480 have come to partying angels that are excited and rejoicing and celebrating. It gets 281 00:27:41.519 --> 00:27:47.599 better, verse twenty three, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are 282 00:27:47.720 --> 00:27:52.559 enrolled in heaven, speaking of those who have died and gone before us, 283 00:27:52.960 --> 00:27:56.920 and to God, the judge of all, into the spirits of the righteous 284 00:27:56.960 --> 00:28:03.559 made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and 285 00:28:03.599 --> 00:28:08.759 to the spankled blood, blood that speaks a better word than the blood of 286 00:28:08.799 --> 00:28:14.880 Abel. See to it that you do not refuse him who is speaking, 287 00:28:14.920 --> 00:28:18.440 for if at that time they did not escape, when they refused who warned 288 00:28:18.440 --> 00:28:22.880 them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns 289 00:28:22.920 --> 00:28:26.880 from Heaven. At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he 290 00:28:26.960 --> 00:28:33.680 has promised yet once more I will shake the Earth, but also the heavens. 291 00:28:33.799 --> 00:28:38.359 You hear that language from Haggai right this judgment that was promised to this 292 00:28:38.359 --> 00:28:42.440 be judgment that would come, that it was established glory. It's still coming. 293 00:28:42.480 --> 00:28:47.119 In a way, began at the Cross and it will be completed when 294 00:28:47.200 --> 00:28:52.119 Jesus comes again. He has promised, I'm in Verse Twenty Six, yet 295 00:28:52.160 --> 00:28:56.759 once more I will shake not only the Earth but also the heavens. This 296 00:28:56.920 --> 00:29:03.000 phrase yet once more indicates the removal of things that are shaken, that is, 297 00:29:03.359 --> 00:29:07.519 the things that have been made. God is going to remove the things 298 00:29:07.559 --> 00:29:12.000 that have been made. Why? Here's the answer. In order that the 299 00:29:12.000 --> 00:29:23.359 things that cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, let's be grateful for receiving 300 00:29:23.400 --> 00:29:30.039 a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable 301 00:29:30.119 --> 00:29:37.359 worship, with reverence and off for our God is a consuming fire. So, 302 00:29:37.440 --> 00:29:41.920 as the author of Hebrews speaks to these Christians, he says, let's 303 00:29:41.920 --> 00:29:45.039 remember back for a moment, just like Hag I says, let's remember back 304 00:29:45.079 --> 00:29:48.960 for a moment, Mount Sinai. Let's remember the shaking, let's remember the 305 00:29:49.079 --> 00:29:55.039 terrifying scene. Let's remember that even Moses said, I don't want to go, 306 00:29:56.799 --> 00:30:02.960 even Moses trembled. We, however, have come to something that cannot 307 00:30:03.079 --> 00:30:11.640 be shaken. In the resurrection, Jesus put on the imperishable, his mortal 308 00:30:11.799 --> 00:30:17.480 body that he took on in the incarnation, becoming like us, put on 309 00:30:17.799 --> 00:30:26.680 immortality, unshakability. It cannot be moved. His body, his human body, 310 00:30:27.079 --> 00:30:33.119 will never die. It remains firm and strong and stable forever, and 311 00:30:33.279 --> 00:30:40.039 he promises that all of us will receive those same bodies, have that same 312 00:30:40.119 --> 00:30:45.079 life and will be part of a kingdom, a new heavens and a new 313 00:30:45.119 --> 00:30:49.119 earth that cannot be shaken any more. It won't be shaken. That is 314 00:30:49.160 --> 00:30:56.200 eternal and steadfast and strong and safe. Why is it that way? Because 315 00:30:56.240 --> 00:31:03.480 it won't come under judgment, because it's perfectly holy forever and ever, because 316 00:31:03.640 --> 00:31:11.359 all sin has been removed and it has been established not by the People's righteousness 317 00:31:11.400 --> 00:31:18.000 but by God's perfect righteousness. When we stand in his kingdom, when we 318 00:31:18.039 --> 00:31:26.000 worship with his angels, when we live by his spirit, through the mediation 319 00:31:26.160 --> 00:31:33.480 of the son for the love of the father, it's all his, including 320 00:31:33.599 --> 00:31:40.200 us. That's why we worship the way we do. That's why we worship 321 00:31:40.319 --> 00:31:47.839 who whom we do, with reverence, with awe, with Thanksgiving, with 322 00:31:48.000 --> 00:31:52.440 joy. Let's pray