There is a scene in the movie Finding Nemo where his Dad is telling him to stay close and to stay with him, and Nemo neither listens nor obeys. The result is that Nemo is taken away from his Dad, his friends, his environment, everything he knows, and this could have all been avoided if he had listened and obeyed.
Yesterday at Saar Fellowship we had an all-age service and read Hebrews 12.25-29,
25 See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. 26 At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” 27 This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. 28 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, 29 for our God is a consuming fire.
In the context of a family service, we talked about how the Bible teaches us that to listen and obey our parents is a good thing,
Ephesians 6.1 – Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do.
Colossians 3.20 – Children, always obey your parents, for this pleases the Lord.
Here in Hebrews, they are being taught the same lesson – listen and obey.
See that you do not refuse him who is speaking.
For the Hebrews then, previously if they didn’t listen to and obey the law, there were consequences. Now we know that Jesus is much greater than the law, don’t we. So if there were consequences for not listening to the law, how much more should we listen to and obey Jesus?
Hebrews 12 finishes with a powerful message about God –
He has given us a kingdom which cannot be shaken, something that can never be taken away from us.
He had spoken earlier to the Israelites at the giving of the Law through Moses. Those people had refused God’s message on earth and tried to do their own thing. Those that did not listen and obey and did not escape, like Nemo.
For us now, God is still speaking, at many times in many ways He spoke before, now it is all through the person and work of Jesus, that is what we need to listen to and that is what we need to obey.
He is so much greater than Nemo’s Dad, isn’t He, so much greater than laws and rules and regs, all of Hebrews has shown us how much greater He is than anything ever!
Surely we must listen and obey Him.
James Travis 