1
00:00:04,640 --> 00:00:11,560
A reading from the letter to the
Hebrews, For you have not come 

2
00:00:11,560 --> 00:00:16,200
to what may be touched, a 
blazing fire and darkness and 

3
00:00:16,200 --> 00:00:21,000
gloom, and a Tempest in the 
sound of a trumpet and a voice 

4
00:00:21,120 --> 00:00:25,760
whose words made the hearers beg
that no further messages be 

5
00:00:25,760 --> 00:00:29,540
spoken to them. 
For they could not endure the 

6
00:00:29,580 --> 00:00:33,700
order that was given. 
If even a beast touches the 

7
00:00:33,700 --> 00:00:39,100
mountain, it shall be stoned. 
Indeed, so terrifying was the 

8
00:00:39,100 --> 00:00:42,940
sight that Moses said, I tremble
with fear. 

9
00:00:43,860 --> 00:00:48,060
But you have come to Mount Zion,
into the city of the living God,

10
00:00:48,900 --> 00:00:53,260
the heavenly Jerusalem, into 
innumerable angels and festal 

11
00:00:53,260 --> 00:00:57,740
gatherings, and to the assembly 
of the first born who are 

12
00:00:57,740 --> 00:01:02,860
enrolled in heaven, And to God 
the judge of all, And to the 

13
00:01:02,860 --> 00:01:07,460
spirits of the righteous made 
perfect, And to Jesus the 

14
00:01:07,460 --> 00:01:12,260
mediator of a new covenant, And 
to the sprinkled blood that 

15
00:01:12,260 --> 00:01:15,020
speaks a better word than the 
blood of Abel. 

16
00:01:16,020 --> 00:01:21,280
See that you do not refuse him 
who is speaking, or if they did 

17
00:01:21,280 --> 00:01:24,880
not escape when they refused, 
him who warned them on the 

18
00:01:24,880 --> 00:01:28,640
earth. 
Much less will we escape if we 

19
00:01:28,640 --> 00:01:31,040
reject him who warns from 
heaven. 

20
00:01:32,200 --> 00:01:37,640
At that time his voice shook the
earth, but now he has promised 

21
00:01:38,160 --> 00:01:43,080
yet once more I will shake not 
only the earth, but also the 

22
00:01:43,080 --> 00:01:47,720
heavens. 
This phrase yet once more 

23
00:01:48,280 --> 00:01:53,360
indicates the removal of things 
that are shaken, that is, things

24
00:01:53,360 --> 00:01:57,600
that have been made in order 
that the things that cannot be 

25
00:01:57,600 --> 00:02:03,160
shaken may remain. 
Therefore let us be graceful, 

26
00:02:03,240 --> 00:02:08,479
grateful for receiving a Kingdom
that cannot be shaken, and this 

27
00:02:08,639 --> 00:02:12,080
thus let us offer to God 
acceptable worship with 

28
00:02:12,080 --> 00:02:16,960
reverence and or for our God is 
a consuming fire. 

29
00:02:18,010 --> 00:02:22,530
The Word is the Lord. 
Well, good morning, Emmanuelle. 

30
00:02:23,890 --> 00:02:29,010
We just absolutely always love 
coming back here to see your 

31
00:02:29,010 --> 00:02:35,010
faces, to be refreshed, to be 
filled by words, spirit and 

32
00:02:35,010 --> 00:02:38,250
sacraments, and to be encouraged
and set back out. 

33
00:02:39,130 --> 00:02:41,290
Thank you. 
Thank you for letting us be here

34
00:02:41,290 --> 00:02:45,470
with you this morning. 
As Father In said, we've been 

35
00:02:45,470 --> 00:02:48,430
missionaries in the Czech 
Republic serving young leaders 

36
00:02:48,430 --> 00:02:51,470
across Central and Eastern 
Europe for the last 5 1/2 years,

37
00:02:51,870 --> 00:02:56,430
having started at college four 
years ago and a bunch of other 

38
00:02:56,430 --> 00:03:00,190
initiatives to help fuel the 
movement of God among young 

39
00:03:00,190 --> 00:03:01,710
people in Central and Eastern 
Europe. 

40
00:03:02,750 --> 00:03:07,670
Just to give you a taste of the 
sorts of people that we draw, we

41
00:03:07,670 --> 00:03:11,790
have this rather small ministry 
team in Hungary that was just 

42
00:03:11,790 --> 00:03:15,190
starting out and doing. 
Evangelism and discipleship 

43
00:03:15,190 --> 00:03:18,350
working with local churches. 
And they had these three young 

44
00:03:18,350 --> 00:03:23,030
people that had come through had
been discipled and they came to 

45
00:03:23,030 --> 00:03:26,630
us and said we we would love to 
hire them on as staff members, 

46
00:03:27,070 --> 00:03:29,070
but we don't have the capacity 
to train them. 

47
00:03:29,470 --> 00:03:33,230
Would you train them for us? 
And we said, yes, please, we'd 

48
00:03:33,230 --> 00:03:35,670
love to do that. 
And so for three years, we've 

49
00:03:35,670 --> 00:03:39,590
been able to pour into them and 
give them a solid foundation in 

50
00:03:39,590 --> 00:03:42,870
biblical training and theology 
and prayer and in. 

51
00:03:43,170 --> 00:03:47,050
Mission and all the while 
they've been able to remain 

52
00:03:47,570 --> 00:03:50,850
engaged in their local ministry,
serving in their local youth 

53
00:03:50,850 --> 00:03:55,570
groups, participating in their 
broader hungry Hungarian team 

54
00:03:56,250 --> 00:03:58,410
and and one student in 
particular has has been a real 

55
00:03:58,410 --> 00:04:02,610
inspiration to me. 
Her name is Dorca and she is she

56
00:04:02,610 --> 00:04:04,890
was 19 when she came and studied
with us. 

57
00:04:04,890 --> 00:04:09,010
Started studying with us and as 
she started learning and 

58
00:04:09,010 --> 00:04:12,740
absorbing and. 
Being exposed to all the things 

59
00:04:12,740 --> 00:04:15,900
that God was doing. 
She would go back to her local 

60
00:04:15,900 --> 00:04:20,140
church and honestly, with a 
little disappointed, little 

61
00:04:20,140 --> 00:04:23,860
discouraged. 
They weren't being as ministry 

62
00:04:23,860 --> 00:04:27,780
focused or as discipleship 
orientated or as missional as as

63
00:04:27,780 --> 00:04:31,820
she had hoped. 
And in these sorts of situations

64
00:04:31,820 --> 00:04:33,900
it's easy for bitterness to take
root. 

65
00:04:34,300 --> 00:04:38,580
But she took that as a call to 
action, and she decided that 

66
00:04:38,580 --> 00:04:41,480
with her small group. 
In the youth group, she would 

67
00:04:41,480 --> 00:04:44,000
get each of them connected to an
older person in the church, 

68
00:04:44,280 --> 00:04:46,040
developing discipleship 
relationships. 

69
00:04:46,280 --> 00:04:49,280
She was going to start teaching 
about the mission of God and 

70
00:04:49,280 --> 00:04:52,720
encouraging this small group to 
reach out to their community. 

71
00:04:53,480 --> 00:04:56,400
And as she started doing that, 
you know what it started 

72
00:04:56,400 --> 00:04:58,000
spreading to the rest of the 
church. 

73
00:04:59,160 --> 00:05:03,760
Now 22 year old, 22 years old, 
she's graduated and she is 

74
00:05:03,760 --> 00:05:07,400
having a massive impact in her 
community but also across all of

75
00:05:07,400 --> 00:05:11,420
Hungary, clipping people to. 
Join in God's mission. 

76
00:05:13,380 --> 00:05:17,100
We're so thankful for stories 
like this, for students like 

77
00:05:17,100 --> 00:05:20,700
this that we get to share with 
you because as our sending 

78
00:05:20,700 --> 00:05:24,780
church and as our supporters and
partners, you get to benefit 

79
00:05:24,780 --> 00:05:26,740
from this sort of fruit. 
So thank you. 

80
00:05:29,580 --> 00:05:34,020
Now it's easy to tell the good 
stories, but especially the last

81
00:05:34,020 --> 00:05:39,100
two years have also been full of
challenges and full of fear. 

82
00:05:39,450 --> 00:05:44,810
Actually, just a month ago, and 
maybe it's two months ago now, a

83
00:05:44,810 --> 00:05:46,650
few weeks before we were 
supposed to come over here to 

84
00:05:46,650 --> 00:05:51,810
the States, I was talking to my 
wife, Laura and I just started 

85
00:05:52,050 --> 00:05:56,530
shaking, shaking from fear, 
trembling. 

86
00:05:56,610 --> 00:06:00,370
Out of all the challenges that 
we are facing right now that I 

87
00:06:00,810 --> 00:06:06,410
don't see a way out of, we're 
looking for new partners in our 

88
00:06:06,410 --> 00:06:08,650
ministry. 
We need finances. 

89
00:06:08,650 --> 00:06:12,490
We need a house to be built. 
We need new students. 

90
00:06:13,530 --> 00:06:16,570
We need capacity and margin in 
our life. 

91
00:06:17,090 --> 00:06:21,410
We need our kids to be healthy. 
And as I looked at all of this 

92
00:06:21,410 --> 00:06:23,690
mess in front of me, I was just 
overwhelmed. 

93
00:06:24,130 --> 00:06:27,730
And it resulted in shaking, in 
literal trembling. 

94
00:06:30,370 --> 00:06:33,330
And for me, when I get in that 
in the zone, which doesn't 

95
00:06:33,330 --> 00:06:35,810
happen very often, but what it 
does, it's it's intense. 

96
00:06:35,810 --> 00:06:38,660
I get tunnel vision. 
I can only focus on the 

97
00:06:38,660 --> 00:06:41,300
problems. 
I can only see the out of my 

98
00:06:41,300 --> 00:06:45,380
fear, and it's hard to get out 
of that. 

99
00:06:48,540 --> 00:06:50,580
There's plenty for us to be 
afraid of. 

100
00:06:52,260 --> 00:06:58,020
In fact, a recent survey of 
American pastors, they asked 

101
00:06:59,300 --> 00:07:02,740
they asked this question. 
Do you observe a growing sense 

102
00:07:02,820 --> 00:07:05,380
of fear within your 
congregations? 

103
00:07:06,930 --> 00:07:12,490
And seven pastors out of 10 
said, yes, there's plenty to be 

104
00:07:12,490 --> 00:07:15,890
afraid of. 
There's fear for our loved ones,

105
00:07:16,730 --> 00:07:20,090
for our parents, for our kids, 
for our family members. 

106
00:07:21,850 --> 00:07:27,290
There's fear for our future, for
the future of this country, for 

107
00:07:27,530 --> 00:07:32,730
the future of our vocations, for
the future of this church and 

108
00:07:32,890 --> 00:07:36,330
finding a place. 
There's fear for provision. 

109
00:07:36,920 --> 00:07:41,200
Will we have enough? 
Will we have a place to call 

110
00:07:41,200 --> 00:07:44,600
home? 
We have a place to grow. 

111
00:07:46,400 --> 00:07:48,840
There's also a reason for fear 
for justice. 

112
00:07:50,120 --> 00:07:53,760
God, how long will this war in 
Ukraine continue? 

113
00:07:55,960 --> 00:08:00,120
There's also fear for the lack 
of hope that many of us 

114
00:08:00,120 --> 00:08:01,840
experience. 
God. 

115
00:08:01,880 --> 00:08:04,080
Is there? 
Is there a way forward? 

116
00:08:06,430 --> 00:08:09,110
And fear often is like this 
tunnel vision. 

117
00:08:09,110 --> 00:08:13,270
It it narrows our fro focus and 
it blocks out everything else. 

118
00:08:14,110 --> 00:08:18,630
And some of us seem to be more 
wired to toward panic and 

119
00:08:18,630 --> 00:08:21,190
withdrawal. 
And that's that's definitely me.

120
00:08:21,510 --> 00:08:25,030
When I get overwhelmed and get 
tunnel vision, I I lock up and I

121
00:08:25,030 --> 00:08:29,350
want to escape. 
Others of you might be more 

122
00:08:29,350 --> 00:08:34,909
wired toward anger, toward an 
outburst for the lashing out in 

123
00:08:34,909 --> 00:08:40,289
the face of fear. 
But either way, the question is 

124
00:08:40,370 --> 00:08:44,370
how do we have faith in the face
of fear? 

125
00:08:46,130 --> 00:08:47,970
We all know that ignoring it's 
not going to work. 

126
00:08:48,970 --> 00:08:52,410
Just when I try to tell my wife,
just think it's fine, don't 

127
00:08:52,410 --> 00:08:54,730
worry about it, just ignore it 
doesn't work. 

128
00:08:56,450 --> 00:08:59,650
Acting like it's not as bad as 
it could be is not going to work

129
00:08:59,650 --> 00:09:05,010
in the long run, and we still 
have these real concerns. 

130
00:09:05,600 --> 00:09:11,160
These real needs So how do we 
cultivate faith in the midst of 

131
00:09:11,160 --> 00:09:16,720
our fear? 
We end our summer looking at the

132
00:09:16,720 --> 00:09:20,680
book of Hebrews, learning to 
walk by faith, we're going to 

133
00:09:20,680 --> 00:09:24,720
listen once more to these 
ancient words, which have 

134
00:09:24,720 --> 00:09:27,360
something very real and tangible
for us. 

135
00:09:27,360 --> 00:09:31,760
This morning, and in this text 
that we have had read to us 

136
00:09:31,760 --> 00:09:34,520
already, we are introduced to a 
situation that. 

137
00:09:35,270 --> 00:09:38,590
Feels very familiar. 
Fear. 

138
00:09:40,550 --> 00:09:43,110
And in this case, they're 
actually pretty good reasons to 

139
00:09:43,110 --> 00:09:46,470
fear. 
Let's take a look at our text. 

140
00:09:46,470 --> 00:09:51,630
If you'll open up your bulletins
to page 10, we'll take another 

141
00:09:51,630 --> 00:09:53,070
look at this and be a little bit
deeper. 

142
00:09:55,750 --> 00:09:58,510
For you have not come to what 
may be touched. 

143
00:09:58,790 --> 00:10:03,350
A blazing fire and darkness and 
gloom, and a Tempest, and the 

144
00:10:03,350 --> 00:10:07,150
sound of a trumpet. 
And a voice whose words made the

145
00:10:07,150 --> 00:10:11,630
hearers beg that no further 
messages be spoken to them. 

146
00:10:13,750 --> 00:10:19,630
This, of course, is referring 
back to Exodus, to the mountain 

147
00:10:19,630 --> 00:10:23,510
of God, to the creation of the 
people of Israel, to the 

148
00:10:23,510 --> 00:10:27,590
establishing of the covenant 
that we heard also read for us 

149
00:10:27,710 --> 00:10:32,940
from Exodus 19. 
This place loomed large in the 

150
00:10:32,940 --> 00:10:38,300
imaginations of the Israelites. 
This is the place of Amazing 

151
00:10:38,300 --> 00:10:46,260
Grace and also amazing threat. 
After the people of God were 

152
00:10:46,260 --> 00:10:49,300
rescued from slavery, they were 
brought through the desert to 

153
00:10:49,300 --> 00:10:53,420
this mountain, to the mountain 
that was promised to Mount 

154
00:10:53,420 --> 00:10:58,260
Sinai, where God would take them
to be his own. 

155
00:11:01,100 --> 00:11:05,620
And this is an amazing moment of
grace where God says, I love 

156
00:11:05,620 --> 00:11:10,540
you, I want you, I want to walk 
with you, I want to use you, I 

157
00:11:10,540 --> 00:11:13,500
want you to be a blessing to the
whole world. 

158
00:11:15,300 --> 00:11:20,860
But we're going to need to learn
how to work together, how to 

159
00:11:20,860 --> 00:11:23,260
live together, how to love one 
another. 

160
00:11:24,860 --> 00:11:30,480
Because God is a holy God. 
He's the God of power and might.

161
00:11:32,200 --> 00:11:35,280
And on the one hand, the people 
receive this amazing challenge 

162
00:11:35,280 --> 00:11:39,080
to be a Kingdom of priests, to 
be God's missionary people. 

163
00:11:40,000 --> 00:11:44,680
But also they come to face, to 
face with God's greatness. 

164
00:11:47,240 --> 00:11:50,960
Do not even touch the mountain. 
Don't come near. 

165
00:11:51,120 --> 00:11:53,080
Make sure that you're 
consecrated. 

166
00:11:53,360 --> 00:11:55,600
Make sure that you're in a in a 
place. 

167
00:11:55,960 --> 00:12:00,520
Where you acknowledge your 
distance between you and God, 

168
00:12:01,800 --> 00:12:05,160
and there are real reasons to be
afraid, as we're warned in the 

169
00:12:05,160 --> 00:12:11,080
text from Exodus 19. 
One biblical scholar talks about

170
00:12:11,080 --> 00:12:14,800
God's holiness as a sort of 
radioactivity. 

171
00:12:15,960 --> 00:12:18,080
Anybody seen the Oppenheimer 
movie recently? 

172
00:12:19,240 --> 00:12:24,120
So after the bomb, they 
developed nuclear power plants 

173
00:12:24,800 --> 00:12:27,080
and the. 
The thing about nuclear power 

174
00:12:27,080 --> 00:12:31,160
plants is that there's 
incredible power in them By 

175
00:12:31,160 --> 00:12:34,760
splitting an atom that releases 
exponential amounts of power. 

176
00:12:34,760 --> 00:12:39,760
That can be a blessing to so 
many, but just take a look at 

177
00:12:40,040 --> 00:12:44,560
Fukushima and what can happen if
that energy is not handled 

178
00:12:44,560 --> 00:12:47,480
correctly. 
You can spill out and cause 

179
00:12:47,480 --> 00:12:51,840
massive destruction. 
God's holiness is the same way 

180
00:12:52,040 --> 00:12:54,600
they're do approach God with 
reverence and awe. 

181
00:12:55,080 --> 00:12:59,960
And with obedience, recognizing 
that this power is a blessing 

182
00:13:00,040 --> 00:13:07,160
but could also be a curse. 
So as Israel comes to this 

183
00:13:07,160 --> 00:13:12,360
mountain, Hebrews says that they
could not endure this experience

184
00:13:12,360 --> 00:13:16,560
was overwhelming. 
They couldn't handle the 

185
00:13:16,560 --> 00:13:21,440
tension, they couldn't handle 
the the real reasons to fear and

186
00:13:21,440 --> 00:13:29,950
they got tunnel vision. 
Ian Moses says I tremble with 

187
00:13:29,950 --> 00:13:33,110
fear and the people said don't 
even speak to us, we don't even 

188
00:13:33,110 --> 00:13:37,550
want to hear. 
This is the first stop in our 

189
00:13:37,550 --> 00:13:40,590
journey this morning, The 
Mountain of Fear. 

190
00:13:41,870 --> 00:13:44,950
But thankfully, there's another 
stop as well. 

191
00:13:46,070 --> 00:13:50,870
Another mountain, but more 
importantly, a city on a 

192
00:13:50,870 --> 00:13:54,780
mountain. 
This is a culmination of many of

193
00:13:54,780 --> 00:13:58,940
the author of the book of 
Hebrews, pictures and arguments 

194
00:13:58,980 --> 00:14:04,180
up to this point where our 
perspective is widened to see 

195
00:14:04,180 --> 00:14:08,780
the greatness of this place to 
which God has invited us. 

196
00:14:09,340 --> 00:14:14,620
This is not a place for tunnel 
vision, for fear, for anxiety, 

197
00:14:14,620 --> 00:14:19,060
for panic, but this is a place 
for awe and reverence. 

198
00:14:20,860 --> 00:14:23,720
This. 
Is the city of the living God 

199
00:14:24,440 --> 00:14:29,880
with angels and endless worship,
where the Saints of old have 

200
00:14:29,880 --> 00:14:35,920
gathered with the Saints of new 
to the very judge of all, and 

201
00:14:35,920 --> 00:14:43,640
finally to the mediator of a new
covenant, Jesus, the little 

202
00:14:43,640 --> 00:14:45,280
hidden in our English 
translations. 

203
00:14:45,280 --> 00:14:49,240
But it really does culminate 
like that in the Greek It it 

204
00:14:49,240 --> 00:14:53,400
leads, it it withholds. 
Jesus is named till the very 

205
00:14:53,400 --> 00:14:56,000
end, till this moment of a mic 
drop. 

206
00:14:56,880 --> 00:15:01,400
Jesus. 
Slowly but surely, the text 

207
00:15:01,400 --> 00:15:04,800
helps us to widen our 
perspective, to see the city 

208
00:15:06,120 --> 00:15:11,280
which we have been invited to, 
to which we do pilgrimage, but 

209
00:15:11,280 --> 00:15:17,800
even more significantly, to the 
one that is calling us and this 

210
00:15:17,800 --> 00:15:22,590
one calling Jesus. 
Offers two solutions to our 

211
00:15:22,630 --> 00:15:26,430
tunnel vision, to our dual 
response of either panic or 

212
00:15:26,550 --> 00:15:29,790
anger. 
In the face of panic, he offers 

213
00:15:30,070 --> 00:15:34,150
wonder. 
Our eyes are lifted to see the 

214
00:15:34,150 --> 00:15:37,830
bigger picture of God's renewal 
of all things. 

215
00:15:37,910 --> 00:15:43,510
And in the face of anger, Jesus 
offers forgiveness. 

216
00:15:45,630 --> 00:15:50,230
Says here that Jesus, the 
mediator of the New Covenant. 

217
00:15:51,520 --> 00:15:54,760
And the sprinkled blood that 
speaks a better word than the 

218
00:15:54,760 --> 00:15:58,600
blood of Abel. 
This is imagery from earlier in 

219
00:15:58,600 --> 00:16:01,920
the book. 
The blood of Abel calls out for 

220
00:16:01,920 --> 00:16:06,880
vengeance with the blood of 
Jesus calls out for forgiveness.

221
00:16:09,680 --> 00:16:14,080
In all of this, what assuages 
our fears is not necessarily 

222
00:16:14,080 --> 00:16:17,240
where we are going, but to whom 
we have come. 

223
00:16:19,160 --> 00:16:22,680
And this is faith, is it not 
drawing near to Jesus? 

224
00:16:25,200 --> 00:16:28,480
So does this mean we just ignore
all of our fears, Leave them to 

225
00:16:28,480 --> 00:16:33,080
the side, even the ones that are
valid, Our needs for provision, 

226
00:16:33,080 --> 00:16:37,000
for safety, for hope? 
Do we just need to be more 

227
00:16:37,000 --> 00:16:38,880
optimistic, maybe than the 
Israelites? 

228
00:16:39,120 --> 00:16:40,640
Oh, it's really not as bad as 
you thought. 

229
00:16:40,960 --> 00:16:42,720
Yes, God's dangerous, but he 
also loves you. 

230
00:16:42,920 --> 00:16:48,020
It's Okay. 
Well, in verse 25 we are 

231
00:16:48,020 --> 00:16:52,660
reminded that there is still 
much to be alert to, but there's

232
00:16:52,660 --> 00:16:55,900
a difference. 
We're not told to be alert to 

233
00:16:55,900 --> 00:17:00,220
all the reasons for fear, but to
the one who is speaking in the 

234
00:17:00,220 --> 00:17:05,380
midst of our fear. 
Verse 25 says see that you do 

235
00:17:05,380 --> 00:17:12,770
not refuse him who is speaking. 
It's Sinai. 

236
00:17:12,770 --> 00:17:16,329
God was speaking to His people, 
exhorting them and warning them 

237
00:17:16,650 --> 00:17:22,530
they could not listen. 
Now Jesus is speaking to us, 

238
00:17:23,130 --> 00:17:26,849
exhorting us as well and warning
us as well. 

239
00:17:27,930 --> 00:17:32,250
Will we listen? 
Some of His words might not be 

240
00:17:32,530 --> 00:17:36,050
comfortable like the ones that 
are quoted here from Hagai. 

241
00:17:36,450 --> 00:17:39,930
Yet once more I will shake not 
only the earth, but also the 

242
00:17:39,930 --> 00:17:43,980
heavens. 
There is more shaking up to 

243
00:17:43,980 --> 00:17:51,700
come, but there are also words 
of hope assuring us that we that

244
00:17:51,700 --> 00:17:55,580
he is working toward 
establishing that which cannot 

245
00:17:55,740 --> 00:18:02,540
be shaken. 
It says in order that the things

246
00:18:02,540 --> 00:18:04,700
that cannot be shaken may 
remain. 

247
00:18:04,700 --> 00:18:09,060
And what is that which cannot be
shaken? 

248
00:18:10,310 --> 00:18:15,310
It's God's very own Kingdom, 
verse 28 says. 

249
00:18:15,310 --> 00:18:19,670
Therefore, let us be grateful 
for receiving a Kingdom that 

250
00:18:19,670 --> 00:18:25,870
cannot be shaken. 
This is God's Kingdom dwelling 

251
00:18:25,870 --> 00:18:30,590
in our midst and also still the 
place to which we pilgrimage, 

252
00:18:31,550 --> 00:18:36,270
the new creation of a world of 
beauty and order and justice 

253
00:18:36,510 --> 00:18:39,270
through the sacrifice and 
resurrection of. 

254
00:18:39,770 --> 00:18:44,530
Jesus, in this heavily Jerusalem
which has been painted for us, 

255
00:18:44,690 --> 00:18:52,010
is a place to which we may come.
Even now we're able to taste it 

256
00:18:52,410 --> 00:18:56,850
in our worship, in our 
obedience, and in our mission. 

257
00:18:59,690 --> 00:19:03,050
And all this hope leads us back 
to God. 

258
00:19:03,170 --> 00:19:08,570
Even in the face of fear, there 
is still much to fear. 

259
00:19:09,810 --> 00:19:16,210
After all, the text ends with 
for our God is a consuming fire.

260
00:19:18,610 --> 00:19:21,930
But this fear is different, 
because it's not the kind of 

261
00:19:21,930 --> 00:19:25,970
fear that leads to tunnel 
vision, to panic, or to anger. 

262
00:19:26,970 --> 00:19:34,290
But this fear or reverence or 
awe leads us to gratitude and to

263
00:19:34,290 --> 00:19:39,140
worship. 
The text says let us offer to 

264
00:19:39,140 --> 00:19:43,300
God acceptable worship and let 
us be grateful. 

265
00:19:45,020 --> 00:19:50,860
This kind of a fear leads us to 
an exercising of faith in the 

266
00:19:50,860 --> 00:19:58,380
one who is worthy. 
My encouragement to you and also

267
00:19:58,380 --> 00:20:02,620
to myself. 
Experiencing fear walking, 

268
00:20:02,620 --> 00:20:08,080
trying to walk by faith. 
Is that in the face of fear? 

269
00:20:08,160 --> 00:20:14,640
Walk by faith by listening to 
Jesus's voice and receiving his 

270
00:20:14,760 --> 00:20:20,080
unshakeable Kingdom? 
Listen to Jesus's voice and 

271
00:20:20,080 --> 00:20:27,200
receive his unshakeable Kingdom.
Have a couple ideas of what that

272
00:20:27,200 --> 00:20:29,400
could look like practically for 
us this morning. 

273
00:20:30,840 --> 00:20:35,200
First, maybe identify your fear 
response. 

274
00:20:36,200 --> 00:20:38,720
Reflect back on the times where 
you've experienced fear. 

275
00:20:38,720 --> 00:20:40,520
Or maybe you're experiencing 
fear right now. 

276
00:20:41,000 --> 00:20:45,720
Do you lean more towards panic 
and withdrawal, or do you lean 

277
00:20:45,720 --> 00:20:49,120
more towards anger and lashing 
out? 

278
00:20:49,800 --> 00:20:52,240
Do you withdraw like the 
Israelites at the mountain? 

279
00:20:52,240 --> 00:20:56,560
Or do you become angry and cry 
out like the blood of Abel? 

280
00:20:59,000 --> 00:21:04,480
Ask God for his perspective. 
Ask God for his forgiveness. 

281
00:21:09,540 --> 00:21:15,380
Second idea for us is to listen 
to the voice of Jesus in our 

282
00:21:15,380 --> 00:21:19,860
gospel reading. 
We we He heard Jesus's words to 

283
00:21:19,860 --> 00:21:24,340
his disciples in the face of 
fear, first walking up to 

284
00:21:24,340 --> 00:21:26,060
disciples who thought they saw a
ghost. 

285
00:21:26,820 --> 00:21:28,660
And what does God's what does 
Jesus say? 

286
00:21:28,660 --> 00:21:31,980
He says take heart, take 
courage. 

287
00:21:32,220 --> 00:21:41,080
It is I do not be afraid. 
And then as Peter attempts to 

288
00:21:41,080 --> 00:21:47,440
step out in faith and asks God, 
is it okay, Jesus says. 

289
00:21:50,440 --> 00:21:54,640
And when Peter doubts and 
experiences all the fear rushing

290
00:21:54,640 --> 00:21:59,560
back in the tunnel vision and he
cries out for help, Jesus 

291
00:21:59,560 --> 00:22:03,360
reaches his hand out and says, 
you have little faith. 

292
00:22:03,880 --> 00:22:10,540
Why did you doubt these baby 
words that you need to hear this

293
00:22:10,540 --> 00:22:13,180
morning straight from the lips 
of Jesus? 

294
00:22:14,980 --> 00:22:17,340
Take courage. 
It is I. 

295
00:22:18,740 --> 00:22:25,780
Do not be afraid. 
Come, you have little faith. 

296
00:22:26,140 --> 00:22:35,020
Why did you doubt? 
My last stop for us is to expect

297
00:22:35,390 --> 00:22:40,270
some more shaking up. 
We often hope in the face of 

298
00:22:40,270 --> 00:22:44,470
fear that things will get to a 
stable place that will kind of 

299
00:22:44,630 --> 00:22:49,430
be able to push aside the things
that that shake us up in our 

300
00:22:49,430 --> 00:22:51,670
life. 
Well, Jesus says I'm, I'm going 

301
00:22:51,670 --> 00:22:55,830
to shake things up a little bit 
more, but I'm doing it so that 

302
00:22:55,830 --> 00:22:57,910
that which is unshakable will 
remain. 

303
00:22:59,590 --> 00:23:04,230
So expect a little more shaking 
up, but even now receive an 

304
00:23:04,230 --> 00:23:12,530
unshakable in the face of fear, 
walk by faith, listening to 

305
00:23:12,530 --> 00:23:17,370
Jesus's voice and receiving his 
unshakable Kingdom. 

306
00:23:20,970 --> 00:23:26,170
Now in a paraphrase of our text,
Dear Emmanuel Anglican Church, 

307
00:23:27,290 --> 00:23:31,090
you have not come to a mountain 
that should leave you in fear, 

308
00:23:31,690 --> 00:23:36,640
either anxious or angry. 
You have received and will yet 

309
00:23:36,640 --> 00:23:39,920
receive in full the city of the 
living God. 

310
00:23:40,920 --> 00:23:44,520
In this city the praise of 
angels is joined with the praise

311
00:23:44,520 --> 00:23:50,640
of Saints, even you, where the 
Son of God is lifted high for 

312
00:23:50,640 --> 00:23:55,400
all to be drawn to him. 
And while you journey, and when 

313
00:23:55,400 --> 00:24:02,000
you were afraid, have faith in 
Jesus who speaks, Take courage. 

314
00:24:02,240 --> 00:24:07,410
It is I do not be afraid. 
There will be more reasons to 

315
00:24:07,410 --> 00:24:11,610
fear as the world will be 
shaken, but not forever. 

316
00:24:12,330 --> 00:24:15,450
We are receiving a Kingdom that 
cannot be shaken. 

317
00:24:16,490 --> 00:24:19,770
God is building His Kingdom even
now. 

318
00:24:20,130 --> 00:24:24,130
Here in Uptown, here in Chicago,
in the Czech Republic. 

319
00:24:24,770 --> 00:24:28,890
Cross the whole world. 
Let us be thankful. 

320
00:24:29,770 --> 00:24:36,290
Let us draw near to him in faith
and worship in the name of the 

321
00:24:36,290 --> 00:24:38,810
Father and the Southern in the 
Holy Spirit. 

322
00:24:40,690 --> 00:24:43,290
Let's take a moment to offer to 
the Lord whatever is getting in 

323
00:24:43,290 --> 00:24:48,490
the way of us, taking that step 
of faith toward the mountain 

324
00:24:48,490 --> 00:24:53,730
where God dwells and the path 
upon which Jesus calls us to 

325
00:24:53,730 --> 00:25:01,570
walk as Tyler preached and 
shepherded us through. 

326
00:25:01,570 --> 00:25:03,700
Maybe it is that. 
The anger. 

327
00:25:03,740 --> 00:25:08,700
Maybe it is the fear. 
Perhaps it's something else but.

328
00:25:08,700 --> 00:25:12,420
Often it is one of those two 
things keeping us from walking 

329
00:25:12,420 --> 00:25:16,260
on water, taking the step of 
faith, rusting Jesus. 

330
00:25:19,300 --> 00:25:23,700
Go ahead and give those things 
to the living God, now and. 

331
00:25:30,970 --> 00:25:33,490
Now, Lord, we pray that you 
would send your Holy Spirit and 

332
00:25:33,490 --> 00:25:35,450
move us, activate us on that 
journey. 

333
00:25:35,850 --> 00:25:38,890
We pray that you would remove 
obstacles from within us and 

334
00:25:38,890 --> 00:25:42,000
around us. 
From joining your unshakable 

335
00:25:42,000 --> 00:25:44,400
Kingdom in Jesus name. 
Amen.