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Relevant Verses: Hebrews 12-13

Leading question: What makes a kingdom “unshakeable”?

The reference to an unshakeable kingdom comes at the end of Hebrews 12. The section in which it appears is worth noting as it is jam-packed with vivid and potentially troubling images.

Heb. 12:25-29: See that you do not refuse the one who is speaking; for if they did not escape when they refused the one who warned them on earth, how much less will we escape if we reject the one who warns from heaven! 26 At that time his voice shook the earth; but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heaven.” 27 This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of what is shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain. 28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us give thanks, by which we offer to God an acceptable worship with reverence and awe; 29 for indeed our God is a consuming fire.

Comment: The emphasis on fear in this passage is sobering. At least three elements are listed.

*If you think the earlier warning is sobering, the next one will be more so (vs. 25)
*Next time God will not just shake the earth, but the heaven (vs. 26)
*Our God is a consuming fire (vs. 29)

Question: Why, in the name of gentle Jesus, does Hebrews focus on fear as the motivator?

Question: Hebrews 12:27 implies that everything earthly will be shaken and vanish, yet both Testaments refer to a new earth, a very material earth (Isaiah 65:17, Rev. 21:1-4). Why does Hebrews resort to such sweeping judgment on the material earth?

Question: Is the emphasis on the substitutionary atonement possibly part of the reason why Hebrews maintains such a strong focus on fear?

Acceptable Worship: Hebrews 13:1-6

At the conclusion of Hebrews 12, the author makes this statement: “Let us give thanks, by which we offer to God an acceptable worship with reverence and awe.” Then in Hebrews 13, the author lists all the ways that we can offer acceptable service. That’s a list we should examine more carefully:

Hebrews 13:1-6: Let mutual love continue. 2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it. 3 Remember those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them; those who are being tortured, as though you yourselves were being tortured. 4 Let marriage be held in honor by all, and let the marriage bed be kept undefiled; for God will judge fornicators and adulterers. 5 Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be content with what you have; for he has said, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” 6 So we can say with confidence,

                “The Lord is my helper;
                    I will not be afraid.
               What can anyone do to me?”

Comment: Let’s break that paragraph down into a list and than explore the list more carefully:

  1. Let mutual love continue
  2. Show hospitality to strangers
  3. Remember those in prison
  4. Remember those who are being tortured
  5. Preserve the purity of marriage
  6. Avoid the love of money

One Umbrella trait:

  1. Let mutual love continue

Three “outreach” traits:

  1. Show hospitality to strangers
  2. Remember those in prison
  3. Remember those who are being tortured

Two admonitions:

  1. Preserve the purity of marriage
  2. Avoid the love of money

Question: Is there any clue in the letter itself as to why these particular traits are singled out for special attention?

Comment and Question: Like a steady drumbeat, warnings and cautions are spread throughout the letter. Do these suggest that the recipients of the letter were unusually careless?

*2:1-3 Don’t drift away
*3:12-13 Beware the unbelieving heart
*5:11-12 You need someone to teach you the fundamentals
*6:1-8 Warning against falling away
*10:26-31 Danger of willfully persisting in sin
*13:16 Don’t neglect to do good

The final admonition: Hebrews 12:28. The memory verse for this week is noteworthy: “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us give thanks, by which we offer to God an acceptable worship with reverence and awe.”

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