A Kingdom That Cannot Be Shaken: Finding Certainty in Uncertain Times – Part 3
May 31, 2020
Review
- Last week, we talked about what to do when the unthinkable happens.
- Common examples are a death, a job loss, a divorce, or a person we trust suddenly turning on us.
- These are all things we can encounter in a world that is subject to .
- Thankfully, in a world that can be so easily shaken, we can be rooted in a kingdom that is .
- The Hebrew writer’s commentary on this gives us our theme passage:
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- Hebrews 12:27-28
- This passage addresses the tension many of us feel between our circumstances and .
- And for people in who subscribe to theology—as we do—this can be a hard pill to swallow.
- Part of the purpose of this series is to discuss the simultaneity of two key theological positions:
- A belief that God’s promises encompass the blessings of , which include, but are not exclusive to physical health, protection and provision.
- Accepting that life will bring unexpected loss or unwelcomed that will not always lend itself to easy or convenient answers or explanations.
What is Your Foundation?
- God’s is linked to what is : God Himself.
- are linked to what is shakeable: creation.
- Think about it. In an earthquake, do you cling to things that shake or things that are difficult to ?
- Earthquakes expose .
- Is your house built on the ?
- is that rock.
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- Matthew 7:24-27
- Some people erroneously think that building a on the rock means that they will not encounter trouble.
- On the contrary, storms come to .
- God’s is not that you will be storm-free, but that you will be shake-free if you build on the rock.
Faith that Stands the Test of Time
- The reality is that even those of us with the strongest faith will sometimes encounter contradictions between our physical reality and spiritual convictions.
- But this is not a sign that God’s promises are not true, even if we do not see them come to pass:
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- Hebrews 11:32-40
- Sometimes our faith is linked to something far beyond us—potentially beyond our .
- Sometimes the understanding we seek about we don’t receive will only come later in life or perhaps in the life to come.
Christian Suffering
- Some of life’s challenges are to the Christian life and documented in Scripture as suffering, persecution, tribulations, trials, and tests.
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- Romans 8:16-17
- Claiming Christ’s also means claiming His suffering.
- A true follower of Christ knows that it is a to suffer with Christ.
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- Luke 6:22-23
- Righteousness and suffering are paired together just as righteousness and are paired together.
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- Psalm 34:19
- The reality is that both suffering and prosperity are part of the life.
- Some people only have a of suffering.
- Some people only have a theology of .
- In the end, we want to approach life the way the Apostle Paul did:
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- Philippians 4:11-13
- Our relationship with is what keeps us steady regardless of the circumstances.
- This is why we must continue to pursue “a living, loving, growing relationship with Jesus” (A.R. Bernard)
Joshua D. Smith, Ph.D., 2020