A Kingdom That Cannot Be Shaken
“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.” (Hebrews 12:28)
I’m sure you’ve heard the story of the three little pigs. “Once upon a time there were three little pigs and the time came for them to leave home and seek their fortunes. Before they left, their mother told them “Whatever you do, do it the best that you can because that's the way to get along in the world.” Pig Number One built his house of straw – this was the easiest thing to do. Pig Number Two built his house out of sticks. It was a bit stronger than Pig Number One’s house but undoubtedly had its weak points. Pig Number Three built his house out of bricks. One night the big bad wolf, who dearly loved to eat fat little piggies, came along and saw the first little pig in his house of straw. He said “Little pig, Little pig, Let me in, Let me in, or I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house in!” Pig Number One said, “not by the hair of my chin-ee-chin-chin.” So the wolf huffed and he puffed and he blew the straw house down. Pig Number One’s world had fallen apart, so he hurried over to Pig Number Two’s home. The wolf then came to the house made of sticks. He knocked on the door of the second house and said, “Little pig, little pig, let me come in.” Pig Number Two said, “not by the hair of my chin-ee-chin-chin.” So the wolf huffed and he puffed and he blew that house in. Pig Number One and Pig Number Two where now homeless so they ran over to Pig Number Three’s home, which was very different from the other two. Pig Number Three had taken great care in how he built his home. He knew it would be tested from time to time so he built it on a good strong foundation with quality bricks so that it would stand the test of time. The wolf finally arrived at his front door. “Little pig, Little pig, Let me in, Let me in, or I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house in!” Pig Number Three said in reply, “Go ahead and try – you old windbag! I won’t let you in – not by the hair on my chin-ee-chin-chin.” So the wolf huffed and he puffed and he blew and he blew but he could not blow down that house made of bricks. And he really worked at it too! He tried and he tried but he just didn’t have enough wind to blow over that house. He eventually got so tired he had to give up. But that doesn’t mean that old wolf was totally defeated. He came up with a new strategy. That sly old wolf climbed up on the roof of the house and attempted to sneak into the house by coming down the chimney. But the three little pigs were on to him this time. They lit a roaring fire in the fireplace and placed a large kettle of water over it. The mean old wolf fell “KERSPLASH!” right into the hot water. That was the end of the big bad wolf and the three little pigs lived happily ever after.
So much for the imaginary world of fairy tales – let’s get back to the world of reality. In the real world we’ve all heard the wolf banging on the door, haven’t we? We’ve all faced times when it seemed as if our world was falling down around us. How do you stay stable when the strong wind blows hard? You need to be part of kingdom that provides protection against any and all enemies. And if you know Jesus as Lord and Savior you have all the shelter you’ll ever need. The writer of Hebrews reminds us - we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken. The writer is of course talking about the Kingdom of Christ. When a person commits his or her life to Jesus Christ they become part of an enduring kingdom that is strong enough to provide a shelter in every situation. It is a kingdom built not by the hands of man with perishable materials, or the plans of man with vanishing wisdom. Rather it is built by the power and wisdom of an unchanging, omniscient God. It is a kingdom that is powerful, enduring, permanent and everlasting. The world cannot destroy it and evil cannot prevail against it. It is our hope, our victory, our strength and our shield. It is unshakable, unstoppable, irrevocable and unconquerable. When you’re attached to it – you are untouchable. When you’re attached to a life built with straw, when the wind starts to blow hard – you’re world will crumble. If you’re attached to a stick existence, when the world starts to shake, you’re going to fall apart as well. But if you’re part of an unshakable kingdom that has been engineered by Almighty God, it doesn’t matter what is falling apart around you – you won’t be falling apart with it. Because God’s kingdom stands. Let the wolf prowl. Let the lion roar. Let the devil scheme his evil plans. The Kingdom of God still remains. His kingdom stands. It cannot be shaken.
The next time you hear the wolf banging on your door – don’t even worry about it. Remember the Kingdom. Remember that God’s glory and power flow in His kingdom. Lift up a prayer in the name of your Savior, and rest in the blessed assurance you have in the power of His protection. Remember in Christ you are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken. Stand firm.
Live the Victorious Life,
PT
I’m sure you’ve heard the story of the three little pigs. “Once upon a time there were three little pigs and the time came for them to leave home and seek their fortunes. Before they left, their mother told them “Whatever you do, do it the best that you can because that's the way to get along in the world.” Pig Number One built his house of straw – this was the easiest thing to do. Pig Number Two built his house out of sticks. It was a bit stronger than Pig Number One’s house but undoubtedly had its weak points. Pig Number Three built his house out of bricks. One night the big bad wolf, who dearly loved to eat fat little piggies, came along and saw the first little pig in his house of straw. He said “Little pig, Little pig, Let me in, Let me in, or I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house in!” Pig Number One said, “not by the hair of my chin-ee-chin-chin.” So the wolf huffed and he puffed and he blew the straw house down. Pig Number One’s world had fallen apart, so he hurried over to Pig Number Two’s home. The wolf then came to the house made of sticks. He knocked on the door of the second house and said, “Little pig, little pig, let me come in.” Pig Number Two said, “not by the hair of my chin-ee-chin-chin.” So the wolf huffed and he puffed and he blew that house in. Pig Number One and Pig Number Two where now homeless so they ran over to Pig Number Three’s home, which was very different from the other two. Pig Number Three had taken great care in how he built his home. He knew it would be tested from time to time so he built it on a good strong foundation with quality bricks so that it would stand the test of time. The wolf finally arrived at his front door. “Little pig, Little pig, Let me in, Let me in, or I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house in!” Pig Number Three said in reply, “Go ahead and try – you old windbag! I won’t let you in – not by the hair on my chin-ee-chin-chin.” So the wolf huffed and he puffed and he blew and he blew but he could not blow down that house made of bricks. And he really worked at it too! He tried and he tried but he just didn’t have enough wind to blow over that house. He eventually got so tired he had to give up. But that doesn’t mean that old wolf was totally defeated. He came up with a new strategy. That sly old wolf climbed up on the roof of the house and attempted to sneak into the house by coming down the chimney. But the three little pigs were on to him this time. They lit a roaring fire in the fireplace and placed a large kettle of water over it. The mean old wolf fell “KERSPLASH!” right into the hot water. That was the end of the big bad wolf and the three little pigs lived happily ever after.
So much for the imaginary world of fairy tales – let’s get back to the world of reality. In the real world we’ve all heard the wolf banging on the door, haven’t we? We’ve all faced times when it seemed as if our world was falling down around us. How do you stay stable when the strong wind blows hard? You need to be part of kingdom that provides protection against any and all enemies. And if you know Jesus as Lord and Savior you have all the shelter you’ll ever need. The writer of Hebrews reminds us - we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken. The writer is of course talking about the Kingdom of Christ. When a person commits his or her life to Jesus Christ they become part of an enduring kingdom that is strong enough to provide a shelter in every situation. It is a kingdom built not by the hands of man with perishable materials, or the plans of man with vanishing wisdom. Rather it is built by the power and wisdom of an unchanging, omniscient God. It is a kingdom that is powerful, enduring, permanent and everlasting. The world cannot destroy it and evil cannot prevail against it. It is our hope, our victory, our strength and our shield. It is unshakable, unstoppable, irrevocable and unconquerable. When you’re attached to it – you are untouchable. When you’re attached to a life built with straw, when the wind starts to blow hard – you’re world will crumble. If you’re attached to a stick existence, when the world starts to shake, you’re going to fall apart as well. But if you’re part of an unshakable kingdom that has been engineered by Almighty God, it doesn’t matter what is falling apart around you – you won’t be falling apart with it. Because God’s kingdom stands. Let the wolf prowl. Let the lion roar. Let the devil scheme his evil plans. The Kingdom of God still remains. His kingdom stands. It cannot be shaken.
The next time you hear the wolf banging on your door – don’t even worry about it. Remember the Kingdom. Remember that God’s glory and power flow in His kingdom. Lift up a prayer in the name of your Savior, and rest in the blessed assurance you have in the power of His protection. Remember in Christ you are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken. Stand firm.
Live the Victorious Life,
PT
posted by Larry | 3:46 PM
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