Hebrews 12:27 (NKJV) 27 Now this, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain.
This week we started looking at Hebrews chapter 12. Verses 27-28 speak of shaking. These verses contrast the shaking that occurred when the children of Israel received the law under Moses and the shaking that occurred at the crucifixion of Jesus. Hebrews tells us that the former shaking was in the natural only while the latter extended to the spirit as well. Everything that could be shaken was shaken so that what remains in salvation is unshakable.
In looking at the whole of Hebrews 12, I believe that there is another meaning to these verses. God shook the heavens and the earth to remove anything in man’s potential relationship with God that could be vulnerable to the devil. In the Garden of Eden, vulnerability led to the fall. In Christ, there are no vulnerabilities. Our covenant is unshakable.
I believe that this idea of removing vulnerabilities extends to us personally. We have things in our lives that make us vulnerable to the devil. We can repent and deal with these things. We study the Word of God and this will strengthen us in our vulnerable areas. We need to deepen our spiritual relationship with the Lord so that he can help us cover them. When we do not do these things or when the vulnerabilities go beyond what we can see, God will shake us. There are specific ways he does that and in this chapter they are laid out in detail.
One of the most important things we must understand if we are going to respond to God’s shaking properly is that there is a purpose. He wants us to be unshakable. He wants us to be able to stand in any storm and come out victorious. Just as the house built upon the rock in Matthew 7 stood in the storm, so God wants us to be able to stand through any storm. The world needs something unshakable in such an unstable world and I believe this is one of the major keys to the coming revival.
I was thinking about places where cities are built in earthquake prone areas. In the United States, San Francisco may be the best know example. In 1906, a major earthquake led to the devastation of the city. In 1989, the city experienced another quake. It was still devastating but not nearly as much as the one in 1906. Should San Francisco be struck again, the damage would be less than in 1989. Why is this so?
The reason is simple. With each successive “shaking” the city learned more about its vulnerabilities and corrected them. In 1906, most of the construction was wooden. The earthquake itself destroyed many buildings, but far fires destroyed far more of the city. The earthquake ruptured water lines and the fires burned out of control due to lack of water.
In 1989, this was not as big a problem but there were some specific neighborhoods that sustained more damage than others did. Construction methods were changed in these areas. The building codes for the whole area were revised based on what engineers and scientists had learned from the earthquakes. Today, buildings are much safer than ever before. That is not to say that an earthquake would cause no damage. However, the knowledge and experienced gained from the “shaking” resulted in buildings that could withstand much higher stress levels than previously was possible.
I want to say again that we should not feel condemned if we get shaky sometimes. Everyone does. Even the buildings designed to withstand powerful earthquakes still shake when the earthquake comes. The difference is that they do not fall. You and I will be shaken in life. That is inevitable. What God wants for us is that we will have a supernatural peace in the storm. He wants us to have a power sustaining us that will carry us to victory no matter what we face.
In cities like San Francisco, people know which buildings were made to withstand earthquakes. If there is an earthquake, it is to these buildings that people would run for protection. When other buildings fall, it is to these buildings that people would turn to for shelter. The devastation of 1906 and the destruction of 1989 were terrible things but they led to a safer and more stable city.
In our lives, we face things that shake us. If we apply faith and the Word of God to deal with those things, we will become more unshakeable. If we learn from previous mistakes and build or rebuild on the foundation on the Word of God, we will become more unshakable. The more we develop our spiritual relationship with the Lord, the more unshakable we will become. However, the Lord cares so much about us and about what we can do for the world that he will shake us if needed so that all that is shakable will be identified and removed.
I believe we have a great opportunity today. We have been experiencing some sever tremors in the earth. There are wars, economic uncertainty and political instability. The answers proposed by governments are proving increasingly ineffective. The tremors have been severe but the earthquake is yet to come. When it does, it will be easy to identify the things that are unshakable.
I believe that the only unshakable thing in the world is the covenant of salvation in Christ Jesus. God wants us to be the ones that the world can run to for safety and shelter. We need to do what we know to do so that our foundation will be strong. I believe we also need to be willing to allow God to shake anything that needs to be shaken so that we will be ready for the coming earthquake.
It is not my intent to declare bad things. I do not think it takes a prophet to see the trouble our world is in. I do believe that God knows exactly where we are and that he is in complete control. He is preparing people to be part of the solution. He is preparing a people that can stand in the midst of anything and remain stable and unshakable.
In San Francisco it is not the outside of the building that makes it unshakable. It is what is inside. Some of the buildings designed to stand may be impressive to look at. Some are not. The shaking reveals the ones that are strong.
In our world, it is the unshakable kingdom of the Church that will stand. The question is whether you and I will be firmly planted in that unshakable kingdom or if we will be weak in our personal foundation. I believe the world needs you and I to be standing at the end of the day so they will know where to run during the storm. For that to be the case, everything in our lives that can be shaken must be shaken so that the unshakable will be all that remains.
Leave a Reply