WHEN EVERYTHING IS SHAKING
(INTRO) ENCOURAGEMENT AND EVALUATION (Me/We)
[1]WELCOME: Good morning church family! So glad to be with you. If you are new with us either on campus or online, welcome! Thanks for joining us today. My name is Nic Cook and I’m one of the pastors here at Cornerstone church. Today we’re starting our new teaching SERIES: called ANCHORED. For the rest of this fall up to December, we are going to be digging into the book of the bible called Hebrews or as it was probably called when it was written, the letter to the Hebrews. [2]That title comes from one of the verses in Hebrews that says “19 This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary.” [Heb. 6:19] The writer of this letter is telling us, we can deal with the uncertainty of this life because of who Jesus is and what he has done for us. When the rains pour, when the wind shakes, when the waves toss us, Jesus is the anchor that makes it possible for us to weather the storm in security. When you read through the entire book of Hebrews, [3]the author is trying to both ENCOURAGE followers of Jesus as well as help them EVALUATE who and what they’re really placing their hope in. After everything we have experienced in the the past year and half and as we look forward to this fall, I think we all could use some…
· ENCOURAGEMENT AND EVALUATION: So this morning, I’d like to encourage you to turn to the book [4][HEBREWS]. It’s towards the back of your bible. We’re going to listen for God to provide us a sense of encouragement as well as help us evaluate what our hopes are build upon. But before we do, I’d like to ask the God who speaks, to speak to us today through his word. [5]
(TEACH/APP) EVERYTHING SHAKES… (God)
BACKGROUND: There is so much that we don’t know about who wrote this book of the bible, or the exact circumstances of the people who were being written to. As one scholar suggested, it seems like both the author and God decided it was better to leave it a mystery, so we should respect that. What we do know is that there is a significant use of Old Testament scriptures. The Old Testament is quoted 35 times as well as many images and stories that are contained in it are referenced. This means that the Author believed that the first half of our bibles were meant to help us see how amazing and important Jesus was. It also means that the people who it was written to would have known these stories and scriptures well. Later when we read about Melchizedek, animal sacrifices, the temple, and priests, we say Melchiza-who, why would animals be sacrificed, priests, you mean the guys with the white collars in the Catholic Church? But the original hearers would have known and understood all these things. They were most likely Jews who had become Christians. So, while we don’t know exactly who wrote it or who it was written to, we can tell by reading the whole book that the Christians who read it were…[6-9]
· STRUGGLING WITH WHETHER JESUS WAS ENOUGH FOR THEM. In [12:26-29] There’s a lot of language about things being shaken. It uses the imagery of God speaking to Moses and when God’s presence came into contact with the mountain, for the people at the bottom of the mountain, it felt like the whole world was shaking and coming apart. God was present but the world felt unstable. I love [v. 28] where it says that “we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable.” If you have a pencil or highlighter, that’s a great phrase to highlight, underline, and then memorize. Many bible scholars believe that Hebrews was probably written in the 60’s AD. If you look at what was happening in history and in the church at that time, it would have felt like everything was shaking. The Roman Emperor Claudius had expelled Jews from the City of Rome, Paul had been arrested and was eventually killed. [Heb. 13:23] tells us that the early church leader, Timothy, had just recently been released from jail. During that 10 years Jews revolted in Jerusalem, and in 70 AD the Roman Army would march in and destroy both Jerusalem and the center of Jewish worship, the Temple. During that 10 years Nero would take power and begin persecuting Christians. We don’t know exactly which of these things were happening when this was written, but the message would have applied none the less: [10]
o EVERYTHING IN THIS WORLD WILL SHAKE… HAVE YOU BUILT YOUR FAITH ON JESUS AND HIS KINGDOM, OR SOMETHING ELSE. Reading Hebrews forces us to ask, what do I really trust? Do I place my trust my in job? Do I place my trust my health? Do I place my trust my finances? Do I trust the government? Or do I place my faith in Jesus? Do we place our faith and trust in God’s word and promises? [11][Heb. 2:2] that says “the message God delivered through angels has always stood firm,…” The question of is Jesus enough? The question of have you built you faith on Jesus and his Kingdom, or something? These are both evaluation questions. The author of Hebrews was calling both Christians then and Christians today to ask… [12]IS JESUS ENOUGH FOR YOU? ARE YOU LIVING FOR HIS KINGDOM, OR FOR THE KINGDOM OF THISE WORLD? I believe that this world has been shaken, and as a result, many who would have said that Jesus was enough and his kingdom was unshakable, didn’t truly believe it. They had trusted in structures and people more than they had trusted in Jesus. They had been living their lives to build their own kingdoms instead of trusting and serving King Jesus. And as things have shaken, so have they. It appears like the Christians being written to in the book of Hebrews were being shaken and were considering…[13]
§ GOING BACK TO THEIR OLD LIVES: During the years of 60-70 AD, if you were a Jewish Christian, you would have had two strikes against you. Romans were suspicious of you and viewed the Jews as troublemakers and in their mind Christians were simply a distinct group of Jews. Jews and Christians were the same in their mind. However, if you were Jewish, you knew that Christians were different. They believed Jesus was God and considered them heretics. If you converted to Christianity, your family would disown you. It still happens today in Hindu, Muslim, and other cultures. You were the outcast among outcasts. So, think about it, you give your life to Jesus, and then circumstances don’t get radically better. You still struggle financially. You’re treated like dirt. You gather at a home with other Christians and see that they too are struggling. You hear about Jesus but wonder if it’s all true since the first leaders who actually knew Jesus are dead and gone. Eventually you get disillusioned. In [14-15][Heb. 10:23-25], the writer of Hebrews hears that people are beginning to get discouraged and quit gathering with other Christians. Additionally, they would be tempted to go back to their Jewish culture. If I’m going to be an outcast, I might as well go back to being a Jew. There’s more of them and it looks like God may be blessing them since they were able to retake Jerusalem. Maybe the old way of worship centered around the temple and sacrifices is the real way!
§ Have you picked up on why this letter is still relevant today yet? The ever-present pull of living in this world is to look back and say, well since Jesus didn’t make my dreams come true, maybe he’s not good. Maybe he’s not real. The temptation is to look at the world around us and think, maybe this Christianity thing isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Wouldn’t I be happier if I just lived like everyone else. It’s easier and it’s more convenient. Just like the ancient Israelites in the book of Exodus, they’re in the wilderness and they think to themselves, wasn’t life better back in Egypt. Yea, sure we were slaves, but at least we were well fed. At least there we knew what to expect. And the writer of Hebrews is saying, when things get hard, when the world is shaking, and it feels like your boat is going to go under, don’t run back to your old way of life. Look at Jesus! He is…[16]
(JC) JESUS: THE ANCHOR OF OUR PAST/PRESENT/FUTURE
LOOK AT HOW THE PAST POINTS TO JESUS: He loves to point back to the past and show how God’s plan was always moving forward. No matter how hard things got, or how uncertain the world felt, it was all being used as part of God’s plan to bring this world back to himself. Noah, Abraham, Moses, all were part of the plan to bring Jesus into this world. The sacrificial system, priests, sacrifices, all showed us what Jesus was coming to do. Jesus is the ark that Noah trusted in and was saved from the catastrophe that was coming. Jesus is the Abraham that left his home and became a blessing to the world. Jesus is the Moses that left his position of power and became like a slave in order to set us free. Jesus is the true high priest that makes it possible to come back into relationship with God. Jesus is the one that makes forgiveness possible once and for all and doesn’t need us to do anything to make God love us. All of this happened in a world that looked uncertain and dark. The writer of Hebrews is saying, ONLY WHEN YOU LOOK AT JESUS DOES THE PAST MAKE SENSE. Then the writer also turns and says…[17]
[]LOOK AT HOW EVERYTHING IN THE FUTURE POINTS TO JESUS: [Hebrews 2:5] tells that there is a world to come. Hebrews 11:10 says we’re headed towards a city built by God. A better country than the one we live in, an eternal home. And all of this belongs to Jesus. Hebrews 1:2 says that Jesus is the heir of all things. He owns us, he owns this world, and he is the owner of the next world to come. If you want the future things that come after death, you have to want the one who holds the future and conquered death. This book tells us that no matter how hard it seems right now, there is hope. Jesus is alive and well and we will be with him. When you look back at the past, you can see that it makes sense because it was leading to Jesus. When you look forward you can see that Jesus is waiting there at the end of time. So we can… [18]
LIVE IN THE PRESENT WITH CONFIDENCE BECAUSE OF JESUS: Right now, according to [19]Hebrews 1:3 Jesus is seated at the right hand of God in heaven. None of it is running out of his control. He is fully aware of what is happening and isn’t surprised, anxious, or frightened. We have confidence because we know He is alive and, on the throne, and at work. [20]Hebrews goes on to say that he is equipping us (Heb. 13:20-21). He is giving us the strength, wisdom, and endurance that it takes to live through times when the world is shaking. We can’t do it on our own, but we can trust that the all-powerful, all-wise, and all-loving, ever-present king of the universe is able to help us. It also says that he is working in us to do his will! This world needs to see people who are filled with hope, love, and peace. People who are joyful and kind in a place that is so hateful and divided. Jesus is in us and working though us. What Jesus started in this world, he is continuing to do through us and give us the power and strength to do it. [21]
THIS IS THE MESSAGE OF HEBREWS: Is your world shaking? Is your trust in Jesus? If it is, then you can look back at the past and it will make sense because it all points to Jesus. You can look towards the future and have a sense of hope because the future belongs to Jesus. He owns it all and will bring human history to it’s intended conclusion. And finally, you can live in the present with confidence. Jesus is still at work. He’s equipping us, and working in us. No matter how much the winds may blow and the waters may rage, we have an anchor for our souls, and his name is Jesus. Amen! Let’s Pray!
