Let’s start these series with a proclamation of the Word of God, which we find in Psalm 94:12–13:
“Blessed is the man whom you instruct, O Lord, and teach out of your law, that you may give him relief from the days of adversity until the pit is dug for the wicked.”
If you don’t see the appropriateness of that, I trust you will a little more clearly after you have finished these devotions.
I want to begin by reading the passage in Hebrews 12:25–29.
“See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For as they did not escape when they refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven. Whose voice then shook the earth, but now He has promised, saying, ‘Yet once more I shake not only the earth but also heaven.’ 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. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear; for our God is a consuming fire.”
And then we need to turn briefly to the passage from which those words were quoted, which was in Haggai 2:6-7a. And I read them for a special reason.
“For thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Once more it is a little while, I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and dry land.’”
And, he adds what is not stated exactly in Hebrews:
“I will shake all nations.”
So, God says, “I will shake heaven and earth, the sea, the dry land and I will shake all nations.”
That’s a tremendous theme to contemplate. Our imagination can scarcely take in what is involved in the outworking of that statement, that heaven and earth, the sea, the dry land and all nations are to be shaken by the power of God.
Before I go into the theme, I want to ask you a question which is based on Scripture. Do you believe in the judgment of God? Because, in my experience as I travel around and meet a lot of Christians in different places, very little is said today in most places about the judgment of God. The attitude almost seems to be, “Well, it’s not nice to talk about God’s judgment. Let’s stay away from that painful subject.” In fact, I think a lot of Christians almost have reservations about presenting God as a judge. It’s as if that will offend people or frighten people and perhaps, we won’t get them to listen about the gospel if we talk about the judgment of God. But judgement is as much part of the Gospel as is salvation.
Father, at the beginning of these series, I pray You’ll enlighten me with Your Holy Spirit and give me an open heart and mind to understand what You’re saying. Thank You, Lord, that salvation is for those who obey You, but judgement for those who don’t. And thank You for your patience and grace, and the time You still give to repent. In Jesus’ Name, amen.
