Will You Pay Attention Heb.2

WILL YOU PAY ATTENTION?

HEB.2:1-4

INTRO: COUNSEL & ADVICE STARTS WHEN WE ARE YOUNG. AS CHILDREN WE HEAR –“BRUSH YOUR TEETH; DRINK YOUR MILK; PUT YOUR COAT ON; DO YOUR HOMEWORK.  GRANTED SOME INSTRUCTION/ADVICE IS MORE SERIOUS THAN OTHERS—LIKE “SAVE YOUR SELF FOR MARRIAGE”  “DON’T DO DRUGS OR GET DRUNK”—YOUNG PEOPLE HEAR THOSE WORDS THEY THINK PARENTS DON’T WANT THEM TO HAVE FUN OR THEY DON’T UNDERSTAND---“DON’T GIVE IN TO PEER PRASSURE”  “CHOOSE YOUR FRIENDS WISELY”---OF COURSE TEENAGE WISDOM IS ALWAYS BETTER THAN PARENTS—SO YOU GO AHEAD BUT THERE MAY BE A HIGH PRICE TO PAY.  TEACHERS/COACHES DON’T JUST GIVE INFORMATION OR TEACH SKILLS—THEY TOO CAN HELP BUILD DISCIPLINE AND SHAPE CHARACTER—BUT SOME RECEIVE IT & OTHERS DON’T.  SOME LEARN LESSONS THE HARD WAY.  ADVICE/INSTURCTION COMES FROM MANY SOURCES BUT THE QUESTION IS WILL WE PAY ATTENTION & FOLLOW IT?

IT HAS BEEN SHOWN THAT THE TYPICAL CELL PHONE SUBSCRIBER NOW SENDS & RECEIVES MORE TEXT MESSAGES THAN PHONE CALLS---357 TEXT MESSAGE A MO. COMPARED TO 204 PHONE CALLS—GOD HAS SENT US A WONDERFUL TEXT MESSAGE 774,746 WORDS—SO TURN OFF THE CELLS & PAY ATTENTION TO HIS TEXT.  IN THIS TEXT HE REVEALED HIS LOVE/PLAN FOR US THRU HIS SON. BUT WE CAN CHOOSE TO IGNORE OR REJECT.  EVEN AS CHRISTIANS WE CAN LET THE TRUTH DRIFT BY US.   THE AUTHOR OF THIS TEXT OF HEB. WARNS US NOT TO DO THAT.

I.                  WHO IS THE WARNING GIVEN TO?

“FOR THIS REASON” DRAWS IUS BACK TO CH.1—JESUS IS SUPERIOR TO PROPHETS/ANGELS. HE IS RADIANCE/EXACT REPRESENTATION OF GODS GLORY. NOW THAT BRINGS US TO CHOICE. WHAT DO WE DO WITH THAT KNOWLEDGE? THE “WE” ARE THOSE WHO HEARD THIS TRUTH. THE AUTHOR WANTS CHRIST TO BE ACCEPTED—THE WORD DEMANDS A REPSONSE.  HELL IS FULL OF PEOPLE WHO DIDN’T DIRECTLY OPPOSE JESUS BUT JUST NEGLECTED (LET WORD DRIFT BY) GOSPEL. TOO MANY TAKE BIBLE LIGHTLY—(EX: 92% AMERICANS HAVE BIBLES & MANY HAVE 3—61% BELIEVE BIBLE IS ACCURATE & 75% BELIEVE MIRACLES TOOK PLACE—BUT 49% BELIEVE BIBLE TEACHES MONEY IS ROOT OF ALL EVIL—56% BELIEVE BIBLE TEACHES MOST IMPORANT TAST FOR CHRISTIAN IS TAKING CARE OF FAMILY & 75% BELIEVE BIBLE TEACHES THAT GAD HELPS THOSE WHO HELP THEMSELVES)—SALVATION IS TREASURE/GIFT—NOT TO BE NEGLECTED OR IGNORED—PAUL HAD DEEP CONCERN FOR HIS FELLOW JEWS (ROM.9:1-3)—JESUS WEPT FOR JERUSALEM  (EX: PROSTITUTE CAME TO MINISTER DEPERATE FOR HELP. SHE WAS TOLD ABOUT THE GOSPEL & SHE WAS READY TO RECEIVE JESUS. BUT WHEN SHE WAS ASKED TO BURN THE BOOK WITH ALL HER CONTACTS IN IT SHE REFUSED—SHE SAID IT WAS WORTH LOT OF MONEY. FINALLY SHE SAID “I GUESS I REALLY DON’T WANT JESUS DO I?”) HOW MANY VERBAL CONFESSIONS NEVER COME FROM HEART (EX: SIMON THE MAGICIAN—ACTS 8)  TOO MANY WANT TO KEEP WHAT IS WORTH NOTHING & REJECT JESUS WHO IS EVERYTHING! 

II.               WHY HEED THIS WARNING?

IF WE FAIL TO PAY ATTENTION THERE IS DANGER OF “DRIFTING AWAY”(THE IDEA HERE IS OF FLOWING OR SLIPPING AWAY—RING SLIPS OFF FINGER; BOAT SLIPS PAST PORT.  THE WORDS “PAY ATTENTION” & “DRIFT AWAY” ARE BOTH NAUTICAL TERMS—THE FIRST MEANS TO TIE UP SHIP & OTHER WHEN SHIP DRIFTS PAST HARBOR BECAUSE SAILOR FAILED TO CHART WIND/CURRENT.  WE COULD SAY “SECURE YOUR LIFE TO THINGS TAUGHT LEST YOUR LIFE DRIFT PAST SALVATION & BE LOST”—NOW MOST DON’T DELIBERATELY TURN BACK ON GOD—JUST SLOWLY NEGELCT IT ( NOT READY YET; MAYBE TOMORROW; DON’T FEEL NEED YET; LOVE OF WORLD)  THE GIFT OF SALVATION IS SECURE & JESUS NEVER CHANGES—“WE” ARE ONES WHO DRIFT & SLIP (PROV.4:20-22)—HOWMANY GET CLOSE BUT DON’T ACCEPT GIFT GOD OFFERS? (KING AGRIPPA TOLD PAUL—IN SHORT TIME DO YOU THINK YOU CAN PERSUADE ME TO BE CHRISTIAN?—ACTS 26:28)   (EX: WILLIAM PARRY AND ARTIC OCEAN)  THE DANGER OF DRIFTING IS FOR INDIVIDUALS AND GROUPS OF PEOPLE

CAN A NATION DRIFT?  WE HAVE MOVED FAR FROM FOUNDATION/VALUES OF FOUNDING OF OUR NATIONS

CAN PLACES OF LEARNING DRIFT? IVY LEAGUE SCHOOLS TRAINED MINISTERS & PRES. OF THESE COLLEGES WERE MINISTERS UNTIL EARLY 1900’S

CAN MARRIAGES DRIFT? PEOPLE SAY “WE JUST DRIFTED APART”—NEGLECTED RELATIONSHIP—DIDN’T INVEST TIME/ENERGY

CAN CUHRCHES DRIFT? YES, EPH. LOST FIRST LOVE & LAODICEA CHURCH WAS CALLED “LUKEWARM”—COMFOTABLE/SATISFIED

SO HOW SHALL WE ESCAPE IF WE NEGELCT GREAT SALVATION?  THE WORD GIVEN IN PAST WHICH INVOVLED ANGELS BEING PRESENT OR AIDING IN ITS COMMUNICATION (ACTS 7:37,38)—THE LAW WAS BINDING & CARRIED SEVERE PENALTIES FOR BEING BROKEN (NUM.15:30-36; JOHN 8)  BUT MOSES/LAW/ANGELS WERE ALL INFERIOR TO JESUS. GOD HAS GIVEN US FULL REVELATION IN JESUS. HOW MUCH MORE CRITICAL FOR US IF WE NEGELCT OR REJECT GODS FINAL WORD IN HIS SON JESUS---THIS WORD HAS BEEN CONFIRMED BY SIGNS & WONDERS (MIRACLES) & GIFTS OF HOLY SPIRIT (JN.20:30,31)

CONCLUSION:  (EX: ROBERT ROBINSON AUTHOR OF HYMN “COME THOU FOUNT OF EVERY BLESSING” LOST HIS COMMUNION WITH LORD HE HAD ONCE ENJOYED—IN HIS LATER YRS HE WANDERED AWAY—HE WAS TROUBLED IN HIS SPIRIT & TO RELIEVE HIS MIND HE DECIDED TO TRAVEL.  ON ONE JOURNEY HE GOT ACQUAINTED WITH YOUNG WOMAN. THEY BEGAN TO TALK OF SPIRITUAL MATTERS & SHE ASKED HIM HE THOUGHT OF A HYMN SHE HAD BEEN READING. TO HIS AMAZEMENT IT WAS HIS OWN HYMN. HE TRIED TO AVOID HER QUESTION BUT SHE PRESED HIM FOR ANSWER.  WITH TEARS COMING DOWN HIS CHEEKS HE SAID “ I AM THE MAN WHO WROTE THAT HYMN YEARS AGO.  I WOULD LOVE TO EXPERIENCE THE JOY I KNEW THEN. SHE TOLD HIM THE MERCY MENTIONED IN HIS HYMN WAS STILL THERE.  ROBERT ROBINSON TURNED HIS “WANDERING HEART” BACK TO LORD AND WAS RESTORED TO FELLOWSHIP)