2nd Sermon On Hebrews 12:28-29- Let Us Worship God For He Is A Consuming Fire
Let me ask you a question this morning, “Having come to this point in the book of Hebrews are you now convinced that you have received an unshakable kingdom through Jesus Christ?”
Let me ask you one last question, “If you have responded to the teaching of this book what should your response be?”
This morning we have come to the end of Hebrews 12 and the author of Hebrews answers that question. Hebrews 12:28-29 says, “Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.”
At the end of this letter the author of Hebrews is beginning begins to show us how we should respond to what we have heard. Having listened to this message and responded in faith to Jesus and the Covenant of Grace that He has established we are to be grateful and offer to God acceptable worship. This worship is to be done with reverence and awe because our God is a consuming fire.
At the end of Hebrews 12 the author of Hebrews is mainly speaking about the way that we should worship the LORD as a church when we gathered together for public worship. We are to ‘serve’ and ‘worship’ God in reverence and godly fear.
However, we will see that in Hebrews 13 we are to offer acceptable worship to the LORD in every area of our lives. This is to be done every day and not just on Sunday’s. All of life is worship to God. Whatever God has called us to do each day we are to do all to the glory of God. {as a parent, work, hobbies, chores, etc.}
For example, in Hebrews 13 we discover that we are to offer acceptable worship to God by how we…
love and show hospitality to the people around us (13:1-3&16).
hold marriage with honor and realize that God will judge all sexual sin (13:4).
handle our money or the lack of it (13:5).
fear the LORD and not men (13:6).
view leadership within the church and imitate their faith (13:7&17).
are strengthened by the true means of grace and not strange teachings and practices (13:9-11).
turn away from the things of this world and draw near to Christ (13:11-14).
do good and share what we have with others, for such sacrifices please the LORD (16).
pray to the LORD for ourselves and others (18).
From this point on in the book of Hebrews we will find that everything that the author says is found in between two statements regarding ‘acceptable worship’.
Hebrews 12:28 begins by speaking of ‘acceptable worship’ saying, “Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship…”.
In Hebrews 13:20-21 the author finishes by speaking about what God considers as pleasing (acceptable) in His sight. We read, “Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen”
Everything that is mentioned in between these two texts are things that God will work in us by His grace. All these commands are to come fourth from a heart which is full of hope (because we are receiving an unshakable kingdom) and from a heart of gratitude (because this blessing is given by grace and not through the Law). We are to receive this grace which enables us to do these things ‘good works’.
Again, consider what is said in Hebrews 13:20-21, “Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.”
Our text in tells us that we ought to be ‘grateful’, ‘filled with gratitude’, and ‘be thankful’ for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken. The word that is used here for ‘grateful’ is the word ‘charis’ which is most often translated as ‘grace’. This is why some translations translate this word as ‘let us have grace’.
It is appropriate to translate this word as ‘grateful’ or ‘thankful’. We are a grateful people because by the grace of God we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken. We do not deserved to be granted access into this kingdom but it is now ours through the ‘Covenant of Grace’ that Jesus mediates. It is also by this same grace that we are able to conform to the virtues of this kingdom and into the likeness of the King who is enthroned there.
Jesus has done two amazing things for us as our Mediator of this new covenant. First, Jesus removes our sins from before God’s presence. Jesus has satisfied God’s righteousness and holiness requirements so that those who were once found guilty before Him can now be brought into His presence and experience peace. Jesus has fulfilled the Law and He has received the judgment and condemnation we deserved so that we now have peace with God through Christ.
Secondly, Jesus has also changed our hearts. When we are regenerated He changes us. We have been given us a new nature and His laws were put in our hearts. Apart from this regenerative work in us we would remain prideful, arrogant, and rebellious. However, now that God has done these things we are humble and contrite and in that disposition we respond with gratefulness for what the LORD has done.
Therefore, in our text we are told that we are to ‘worship the Lord acceptably’. The King James Version speaks of how we are to ‘serve the LORD acceptably’. This same word is used in Romans 12:1 in which Paul says, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship (service) to God.”
Those who would claim to be citizens in God’s kingdom ought to act in such a way that they would please their King. They ought to live in such a way that their lives would be acceptable to the King of that country and their lives should be conforming to the laws of the land to which they belong. For example, Jesus confronted those who were quick to call Him ‘Lord, Lord’ but they did not do what He said. Their confession was meaningless if they did not serve the LORD in obedience (Luke 6).
The implication of the words, ‘worship the Lord acceptably’, implies that there are things that are being are often done in the name of worship that God Himself does not find acceptable nor does He take pleasure in it. Just because ‘worship’ is being done by people who claim to be ‘sincere worshipers’ does not mean that God will receive their worship or be pleased by it.
The old historic confessions were not afraid to speak of things that were unacceptable in Christ’s church. We may read some of the things which are written in these confessions and wish that they could be removed. Their bold words make us uncomfortable today but I would argue that we could learn a lot from these things. These statements boldly declare, “The LORD Jesus Christ is the head of the church. By the Father’s appointment, all authority is conferred on Him in a supreme and sovereign manner to call, institute, order and govern the church.”
Those words do two things. First, magnify the LORD Jesus Christ! Secondly, they magnify the Father for His wise appointment of His Son to call, institute, order, and govern the church.
You may declare, “Preacher, those words don’t make me uncomfortable.”
What they say next may make you a bit uncomfortable. They continued, “The Pope of Roman Catholicism cannot in any sense be head of the church; rather, he is the antichrist, the man of lawlessness, and the son of destruction, who exalts himself in the church against Christ and all that is called God. The LORD will destroy him with the brightness of His coming.” (LBC 26.4)
If you sincerely believe those initial words about the Father’s appointment of His Son over the church then you will become very uncomfortable when any institution, or person, or philosophy, or doctrine which in any way tries to usurp Christ’s rightful throne. I would think that this will mean that we will become increasingly more uncomfortable in these days because so many people are doing just that. Therefore, what a joy it is to joint together as the church and worship God with grateful hearts in reverence and fear!
The ministers and theologians who wrote these old confessions believed what they had just written about the Father’s appointment of His Son over the church so they had to say something that makes us uncomfortable. It is easy to sit back and judge them, but what does this uncomfortableness say about us and our view of God and His Son. Do we believe these words, “The LORD Jesus Christ is the head of the church. By the Father’s appointment, all authority is conferred on Him in a supreme and sovereign manner to call, institute, order and govern the church.” If we do believe this we will worship the LORD in reverence and fear. And we will oppose anything that contradicts this truth.
Perhaps the lesson to be learned from this is that the more we rightly understand the Father and His Son Jesus Christ the greater clarity we will see between what is acceptable worship and what is unacceptable. The more we respond to the grace of God and worship the LORD in reverence and fear the less we will be drawn into false forms of worship that have a form of godliness but truly lack real power. When God is put in His proper place then everything else begins to ‘fall’ into its proper place.
I heard a preacher once say, “When you do not see and feel the greatness of God you become board with God and the world becomes exciting. If you have never seen the sun, you will be excited over a lamp post. If you have never known thunder and lightning, you’ll be impressed with fireworks. And if you turn your back on the greatness and the majesty of God, you will fall in love with your shadow. Then you will spend your whole life pursing ephemeral greatness's and pleasures...If you can’t see the greatness of God He is boring to you and the world becomes exciting. If this is the case, then by all means go on a vacation, buy another car, or computer, or clothes, or food, or a new house because these things have become your God.”
Those who have come to know the greatness of God will gladly become sojourners, exiles and pilgrims in this world. They know that they have no lasting city in this world so they will give thanks to God for receiving an eternal kingdom by grace. Having received the grace of God they will stop worshiping the things of this world and they give their affection and worship to God and worship Him in reverence and fear because they have come to see Him really and rightly. Their God is a consuming fire!
Those who have a high view of God, who know that He is a consuming fire, will worship Him reverently. Reverence speaks of those worshipers who approach God in humility and with contriteness. They will not be proud, boastful, and arrogant. ‘Reverence’ speaks of someone who keeps their head down in a godly and appropriate kind of shame. They don’t run from God as Adam and Eve did. Nor do they pridefully lie to God’s face about their sin as Cain did. They don’t stand close to the altar of God and say, “I am glad I am not like all these other sinners”. No, like the tax collector in Luke 18:9-14, they are modest, sincere, and reverent before the LORD. All that they accomplish in serving the LORD is only according to what is due because of His mercy.
Those who have a high view of God will worship the LORD with a sense of ‘Awe’. This speaks of the person who is devout, serious, and circumspect. It speaks of someone who displays a certain amount of caution because of Who they are approaching. They know that even though they are now under the Covenant of Grace God is still holy, righteous, and just and we are to stand before Him in awe for who He is and for all that He has so graciously done for us.
{Challenge: I would challenge you this week to read through some of the gospels and respond with awe in what you see in Jesus. Fall to your knees in awe like Peter when you see Jesus control the wind and the waves. Let your heart be filled with awe as the crowds were when Jesus had compassion on a poor widow whose son had just died. Let your heart be filled with awe as you hear Jesus’ sermons and you realize that He speaks as one who has authority.}
These two characteristics, reverence and awe, make perfect sense when we are told that we are told “…our God is a consuming fire.” Saying this is the authors antidote for not seeing God’s greatness. This is the authors way of reminding us to worship God and not the things of this world because our God is a consuming fire. This is the authors way of saying, “Do not dare be board with God because our God is a consuming fire.” This is the authors way of saying, “Don’t let vacations, cars, computers, clothes, food and houses become your replacement for God- our God is a consuming fire.” This is the authors way of saying, “Don’t fear men or doubt God’s promises because our God is a consuming fire.”
This phrase, ‘Our God is a consuming fire’, appears only here in Hebrews and twice in the book of Deuteronomy (4:24 & 9:3). It is important to note that in Deuteronomy Israel is about to go into the Promised Land and the LORD is giving them final instructions that they are to obey.
In Deuteronomy 4 Moses reminds them that He is a consuming fire and a jealous God. Therefore, they should be careful to not be idolatrous and serve any other god. They are not to worship any of the gods of the Egyptians from which they have been delivered. Nor are they to worship the gods of those nations that they had encountered while they were in the wilderness. Neither are they to worship the gods of those nations who were dwelling in the land to which they are about to go. They were also told that once they come into the Promised Land they are not to forget the covenant that the LORD had made with them. They were to remain steadfast in all that the LORD had taught them.
{Similarly, we are not to be idolatrous as we pilgrim in this world. We are to always remember the Covenant of Grace that God has made us partakers in. We too are surrounded by false gods in every direction; therefore, we are to serve and worship the One True and Living God with all our hearts.}
In Deuteronomy 9 the people are told that are to trust that the LORD will deliver them from all their enemies as they go into the land. Their enemies are bigger and stronger than they are but God is a consuming fire. When God gives them the land they are to never say that it was because of their righteousness that they were brought into the Promised Land. In fact, they were to remember that they were a stubborn people. Therefore, they cannot claim any righteousness of their own or boast before God or men. The LORD reminded them that they were continually rebellious and that they often provoked the LORD to wrath. If it were not for the intercession of Moses they would have perished.
{Similarly, we can not claim anything good has come by our own righteousness. We too can be a stubborn and rebellious people. It is only by the mercy and grace of God that we have received anything good. Jesus alone is our confidence and we find salvation only in Him. Therefore, we are to turn from any idolatry and serve the LORD acceptably. If the people under the old covenant law were not to boast as if anything had been given to them by their righteousness, how much more ought we never boast in that way. Instead let us declare, ‘It is all by grace from beginning to end!’}
Did Israel remember that their God is a consuming fire so that they would not be prideful, arrogant and boastful? Did they remember that their God is a consuming fire so that they would worship Him in an acceptable way and turn away from every other false god? Did they remember that their God is a consuming fire so that they faithfully served Him in gratitude with fear and trembling?
With the exception of those listed in Hebrews 11 and the faithful remnant the answer is no. No, the majority of them did not believe this about God.
It is ominous that in the last book of the Old Testament God condemns His people for being board with God and resentful of their responsibility to bring to God acceptable worship (Malachi 1:6-14). The LORD says to them, “A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is my fear? Says the LORD of hosts to you, O priests who despise my name.” At this time God’s people did not honor God or fear Him; rather, they despised Him!
Because they despised Him they offered polluted offerings on God’s altar. This means they offered blind, lame and sick animals to the LORD. They kept the good animals for themselves because they could profit from them. Let’s keep the good and give God the bad. God condemns them because they treated their earthly rulers with more honor than they were treating Him. At this time God’s people no longer saw their God as a consuming fire and the fact that they despised worshiping Him rightly proved it.
The LORD says to them, “Oh that there would be one among you who would shut the doors, that you might not kindle fire on my altar in vain! I have no pleasure in you...and I will not accept an offering from your hand.” (10) In other words, the priests and the people were not offering to the LORD acceptable worship. The LORD despised their worship and He took no pleasure in them or in what they offered in the Temple. In fact, the LORD wished that there was one person who would shut the doors of the Temple and who would not allow the fire to be lit at the altar. Every offerings that was offered was vain and it did nothing for them.
However, the LORD gives hope when He says immediately after this, “For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering. For my name will be great among the nations…” (11)
The LORD would take it upon Himself to honor His name among the nations. He accomplished these things when He sent His Son Jesus Christ into the world. Jesus is a perfect High Priest, He offered the perfect sacrifice, He did this in the perfect places in heaven. Therefore God has accepted Jesus’ ministry on our behalf once and for all. Now all nations can offer up acceptable worship in every place through faith in Him.
Jesus came and extinguished the fire on the altar for good. He shut the doors of that Old Testament temple and stopped the worship that was done according to that covenant of works. Whoever would seek to approach God through that old covenant will not be accepted and all that they offer would be in vain. Their gifts will not be acceptable to God and in doing so they are treating the blood of Christ in a profane and unacceptable way. All such offerings would be utter vanity and the LORD would have no pleasure in them.
The Father only accepts the worship that is grounded in faith pertaining to what His Son has done for us. Only those who receive Jesus and trust in His sacrifice are accepted before God and their ‘good works’ are accepted in Christ even though they are tainted with sin and weakness.
Celebration of Communion: With these things in mind let us approach the LORD with gratefulness and with reverence and awe as we celebrate communion this morning. And let us ‘receive the grace’ that is being offered to us as we celebrate the LORD’s supper with gratefulness.