Heed What You’ve Heard
Notes
Transcript
Prayer
As we have started this series through the book of Hebrews, which truly is an amazing letter. So far, the last couple of weeks we have covered the overarching story of the supremacy of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. And that God has spoken to us through the revelation of Jesus Christ…and God still speaks to us through the Son, who is…
The Heir of All Things
The Creator of All Things
The Radiance of God’s Glory
The Exact Representation of God’s being.
The Sustainer of All Things
The Purifier of All Sin
And now He is Seated at the right Hand of God, patiently waiting to open the scroll and receive His inheritance.
It is this same Jesus that we covered last week who is Greater than all the Angels because…
He has a better name than the angels
He is Worshipped by the angels
He Rules over the Angels as King
And He sends them to minister to us…
So after giving this thorough theological discourse on the Supremacy of Christ, the Author of Hebrews now turns his attention from theology to praxis…or in other words…he takes it from head knowledge and he tells us how to apply it to our everyday lives…
Let’s Read Hebrews 2:1-4
1 We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. 2 For since the message spoken through angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, 3 how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. 4 God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.
A Command to Obey
A Command to Obey
1 We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.
Pay Careful attention to what we have heard…
This is the equivalent to your teacher in school saying…class listen up, what I am telling you will be on your final exam.
And when every student hears that, what do they do? They stop doing whatever was distracting them, whether that was passing notes, paper footballs, which nowadays equates to texting, snapping or scrolling…they put down their distractions and pick up their notebook, sit up straight in their chair, look towards their teacher and actively listen. Prepared to respond to what is spoken.
I love how God works…the other night at prayer meeting, Mike brought a beautiful short devotion on what it means to truly listen to God. How we are prone to not truly listen, but that we need to position ourselves so that we can listen and then when God speaks…we obey. And then we had a sweet time of listening for the voice of God in prayer. We took about 10 minutes to just sit before God and listen for Him to speak…and He did! Some shared with those who were there, (btw, you really should be there) what God had spoke to them and we used the rest of our time to pray into those specific situations and encourage one another, but then others came up to me after the prayer meeting and shared very personal and intimate words of hope and comfort that God spoke to them.
I find it comical that God, when He wants to get a message across, will often speak it to us in various ways…On Wednesday…hey we need to listen for God…
Now this morning…
Pay careful attention to what we have heard…
Well what have we heard? We’ve heard the gospel, the good news about Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the heir of all things, the creator of all things, the sustainer of all things, the radiance of God’s glory…who takes away the sins of the world by taking upon himself our punishments and sin on the cross and then rising from the dead 3 days later and who is now sitting at the right hand of the throne room of God.
This is the truth. This is the Way. This is the Life.
We need to be anchored in that truth.
Truly we need to listen, pay careful attention to what we have heard… it is a command to obedience. God has spoken, will we anchor ourselves to His Word?
But the author doesn’t just tell us what we need to do…he gives us the reason why it is so important to listen and obey…
So We Don’t Drift Away…
So We Don’t Drift Away…
A stiff warning about drifting…
1 We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.
Pay Attention to what you have heard…heed what you have heard…so that you don’t drift from the truth…
Well what is drift? What does it look like to drift away…
The author paints a picture for us of a boat who’s anchor is dragging along the sea bed, not strong enough to keep it firmly planted.
And that is what we are called to do…to stand firm…to be anchored in the gospel…in the truth. But the undertow of the cultural current pulls us out to sea and before we know it we are far from shore.
Drifting is not an intentional thing, but it is the exact opposite of an intentional act. No one wakes up in the morning and says to themselves…You know today I think I am going to drift away from God. It’s not a decisive and abrupt change, but it isn’t until something grabs our attention, albeit a storm in life or a wake up call like doing something you never thought you would do in your life, where you wake up and realize that you have drifted from God. You have neglected your anchor. You have been just floating along with the current of the culture around you and now you look to where you are, and look at where you should be and you are far from shore.
18 years ago Casting Crown’s released a song that to this day convicts me and reminds me of this this passage from Scripture… It’s Called Slow Fade…
Let me read to you a few of the lyrics..
The journey from your mind to your hands
Is shorter than you're thinking
Be careful if you think you stand
You just might be sinking
And it's a slow fade
When you give yourself away
It's a slow fade
When black and white have turned to grey
And thoughts invade, choices made
A price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day (slow fade)
Daddies never crumble in a day (slow fade)
Families never crumble in a day
Drifting…fading. It’s not a decisive thing, its not intentional. It’s being unintentional. I would argue that drifting is one of the most dangerous sins of our day. And as the metaphor suggests, it is not so much intentional as from unconcern. Christians neglect their anchor— Christ—and begin to quietly drift away. There is no friction, no dramatic sense of departure. But when the winds of trouble come, the things of Christ are left far behind, even out of sight
William Newell wrote in his exposition of Hebrews called Hebrews, Verse by Verse. “The world is ever tugging at the believer, and that so often unconsciously to him, to go along with its false hopes. Satan likes nothing better than a neglecting Christian! We all know, too, that the tendency of our natures is to drift along with earthly things away from the gospel."
There are some major cultural currents that cause drifting not only to believers but to entire churches and denominations… And we need to look no further than to the LGBTQ movement inside the church and the worship of self. Where those of us who hold tight to the truth that
But more than cultural undertows…there are personal temptations that pull at us. This is not an exhaustive list, but simply a few that are common and are to get you thinking about some things in your life that might cause you to drift away from Christ.
1) An Out-of-Control Schedule.
15 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.
The ESV Reads…
Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Eph 5:15–16.
Make the best use of the time…
One of Satan’s greatest weapons against our generation seems to be his ability to make good people busier than ever before. We so often sacrifice the best things in life by spending time doing things that are just “pretty good.”
Seriously…listen for this response when you are talking to others…When you ask them how they are doing…the answer usually has something to do with…I’m busy…
If you desire to walk closely with God, you will absolutely, necessarily have to begin by taking a close look at your calendar. It is likely that you are currently doing too much. And it is also likely that your overly hectic schedule is affecting your relationship with God. So take out your pruning shears and begin to cut out any activities you can that will allow you to focus more time on your relationship with your Creator.
2) Misplaced Affections
Be careful not to set your heart on things that really don’t matter. I cannot tell you how many times I have seen good people lured away from church life because they have fallen in love with things or activities that have no eternal merit. For example, children’s sports can certainly be a thrilling activity for your kids to pursue. But if those sports begin to adversely affect the spiritual involvement and development of your family, then pull the plug immediately.
Same thing with media. Whether that is social media, or Television shows, Professional Sports,
Some misplace their affections in their hobbies…you name it, golf, motorcycles, hunting. They can quickly devour your schedule and grasp for your affection.
3) Discouragement and Disappointment
Satan often uses his weapons of discouragement and disappointment to drag people away from Christ. I have seen it many more times than I can number.
Someone encounters a trial in this life and that causes discouragement, they begin focusing on those problems and take their eyes off of Jesus. It reminds me of a little story in John 21, where after Jesus had died…the disciples went fishing.
1 Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee. It happened this way: 2 Simon Peter, Thomas (also known as Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. 3 “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. 4 Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. 5 He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?” “No,” they answered. 6 He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish. 7 Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. 8 The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards. 9 When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread. 10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” 11 So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. 14 This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.
Well maybe discouragement comes on because of a trial, but maybe your discouraged in your faith because someone disappointed you, they let you down. And so you drift away from relationship. You slowly fade away and stop attending.
It is important for you to know that when life’s clouds grow dark and your trials become fierce, that is the time to run TO Jesus and not FROM Him.
4) Sin
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,
Many people begin to drift away from God, because they have sins in their lives that cause them to feel guilt when they show up at church. And they feel reluctant to pray or read their Bible when they know they have these issues in their lives.
The solution here is not to run/drift from God. The key is to confess your sin to God who will restore you and make you whole again…
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
What is it that causes you to drift in life?
Take some time right now and ask God…
Lord have I been drifting away from my faith. How intentional have I been in holding fast to the truth? Or have I let the cares of this world, my busy schedule, my misplaced affections or have I been discouraged and disappointed? Have I been sinful, running from you instead of running to you?
Take a minute and pray through this…
There is an amazing song I came upon this week by Hank Williams. It’s called…”Your Drifting to Far From The Shore”
Out on the perilous deep
Where dangers silently creep
And storms so violently sweep
You’re drifting too far from the shore
Drifting too far from the shore
Drifting too far from the shore
Come to Jesus today, let him show you the way
Drifting too far from the shore
Today the tempest rolls high
And clouds overshadow the sky
Sure death is hovering nigh
Drifting too far from the shore
A Question to Consider…
A Question to Consider…
2 For since the message spoken through angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, 3 how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him.
The author then asks a practical question about the result of drifting away…
How shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation…
What are we escaping if we are saved?
A just punishment.
Again the author argues from the old covenant and the old testament. Going back to the Hebrews roots and showing them, from their own history how the law was binding, and God was just to punish Israel when they were disobedient or sinful.
And he takes that argument and says to us…if God was just then…If he was right to do it then, to punish them for disobedience and sin, how much more just is he now that he has offered to us such grace and mercy through Christ and we ignore it…we neglect it. We are indifferent to it?
You cannot lose your salvation but you can leave it. And that is what most of these warning passages as there are quite a few of them in the book of Hebrews are all about. Apostasy. Leaving the faith.
Apostasy has a renewed language in our culture today. We call it deconstruction. And there are many leaders, especially in the Contemporary Christian Movement who have deconstructed or who have even become apostate. The have left their faith. They have pulled anchor. Their faith is no longer in Christ.
Our Salvation is not based on what we have done or what we can earn…it is found only in Christ.
Our Salvation is delivered in Christ.
He is our anchor.
19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, 20 where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.
Our Salvation Delivered…
Our Salvation Delivered…
3 how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. 4 God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.
13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory. 15 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people,
So Heed what we have heard. Take it to heart. Obey it.
Trust and Obey, for there is no other way. To be happy in Jesus is to trust and obey.
Benediction
24 To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—25 to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.
