How Will We Escape?
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Intro
Intro
A pause in the discourse
To plea for the HEARTS of everyone who hears these words
An invitation to hold FAST to our salvation and never waver from it
“What will you do?”
How will we escape — many say the we is nonbelievers
The surety of salvation in Christ (3b-4) … of this salvation
The greatness of salvation in contrast to the penalty of rejection
He surety of salvation in contrast to the deceit of rejection
1. Careful vs. Careless
1. Careful vs. Careless
Hebrews 2:1 “For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it.”
For this reason… what is this reason?
This reason is CHRIST!
He is the SON, the heir of all things
The radiance of God’s glory
The exact representation of His nature
Upholding ALL things by the word of His power
He made purification for sins
He is seated at the right hand of majesty on high
Is GREATER than the prophets
GREATER than the angels
He is the eternal, unchanging, infinite GOD!
Don’t think LIGHTLY… about Jesus Christ
B/c on the BASIS of WHO HE IS… He is exceedingly worthy of our attention!
If the MERITS of Christ are TRUE… then the ONLY proper response, is to carefully, and obediently, hold fast to what we have heard… or else
The careful vs. the careless
Drift away from it
Most people do not go intentionally strutting into Hell… they drift
Not rebellious as much as careless
What slips?
Is it the gospel that slips?
Is it the unbeliever who slips?
Is it the Christian who slips?
The Word will never drift from us… The danger is our drifting from it
44 “Let these words sink into your ears; for the Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men.”
20 My son, give attention to my words;
Incline your ear to my sayings.
21 Do not let them depart from your sight;
Keep them in the midst of your heart.
22 For they are life to those who find them
And health to all their body.
How many thousands of people in Hell, were anchored with Christ… but drifted away over the course of time to where now they are eternally outside the favorable presence of God?
It’s easy to drift… all boaters know this
How?
1. Some, being in Him are not anchored in Him
2. Sudden and powerful tides and currents surge and tug against the souls safety
3. The believer fails to exercise due care and diligence in the defense and development of his faith
4. Some allow preoccupation with unimportant and secondary things to preempt too much of their time and attention
This is a depiction of apostasy
4 For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit,
5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come,
6 and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.
35 Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.
36 For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.
We should never be satisfied with
Religious feelings
Coming to church
Married to a Christian spouse
Church activities
2. Prize vs. Penalty
2. Prize vs. Penalty
Hebrews 2:2–3 “For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just penalty, how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard,”
The word “if” in verse 2, assumes the certainty of what’s about to be stated… READ
What is this message? We saw last week it was the Old Covenant!
Deuteronomy 33:2 “He said, “The Lord came from Sinai, And dawned on them from Seir; He shone forth from Mount Paran, And He came from the midst of ten thousand holy ones; At His right hand there was flashing lightning for them.”
Acts 7:53 “you who received the law as ordained by angels, and yet did not keep it.””
Galatians 3:19 “Why the Law then? It was added because of transgressions, having been ordained through angels by the agency of a mediator, until the seed would come to whom the promise had been made.”
Angels were instrumental in bringing the old law
And that law “proved unalterable”… unchanging, painstakingly rigid!
You blaspheme, you die
You commit adultery, you die
You worship false gods, you’re stoned
32 Now while the sons of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man gathering wood on the sabbath day.
33 Those who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation;
34 and they put him in custody because it had not been declared what should be done to him.
35 Then the Lord said to Moses, “The man shall surely be put to death; all the congregation shall stone him with stones outside the camp.”
36 So all the congregation brought him outside the camp and stoned him to death with stones, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.
For gathering WOOD!!
Nadab and Abihu offered strange fire, and died!
Uzzah touched the ark to stabilize it, and died!
Achan stole from the bounty of Jericho and he and his whole FAMILY died!
An entire generation died in the wilderness because of their murmuring and unbelief
10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.
Every transgression and disobedience received a just penalty
Transgression — to step over the line
Disobedience — knowing what’s right, but doing the opposite
Notice… they received a “just” penalty
We may think picking sticks up on a Saturday isn’t all that bad… but under the Old law… God was JUST to kill him!
The punishment was severe!! … but it preserved holiness among the people… and WARNED the people NEVER to transgress the law of God!
If He’s just to kill him… He’s just to kill me if I still be in my sins
The point in Hebrews
28 Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.
29 How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?
The penalty — eternal punishment
The prize — Christ!
The prize is a man
The prize is God
The prize is redemption from our sins
Our prize is the one who bore the cross!
He hung there and died in LOVE…
Can you see Him there?
Is He of value to you
We just took of the body of blood of Christ do you know what that MEANS church!
It means we’re His!
It means saved from punishment!
It means you have been rescued from certain death!
How can we ESCAPE if we neglect so great a salvation
Don’t live your life with Christ on a keychain or a necklace, live with Him in your HEART!
HE IS the prize!
How shall we escape?
None is possible where disobedience of the Word of God is involved
The one who neglects or fails to heed God’s message through His son will reap judgement worse than we could ever imagine
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
The theme of the Bible: Sin MUST be punished
God executed judgements upon the wicked, we’ve seen it
If God destroyed the world in a flood… burned Sodom… overthrew nations, kings, empires
Let all of us ask ourselves the question, HOW… shall I escape… when so many, have not
It’s a rhetorical question… the answer is you can’t. You cannot NEGLECT Christ and be rescued!
You must choose this day whom you will serve!!
Neglect — a powerful word
Neglect can lead to serious consequences
It’s not just the active pursuit of evil, but the carelessness and selfishness of a “Christian”… who FAILS to have the HEART of Christ, a TRANSFORMED life!… who KNOWS the DEMANDS of Christ, and says “I’ll take the sacrifice, but that’s ALL” … who lives under their OWN purview and not the authority of Christ
But if you KNOW Christ! … If THIS BE CHRIST! … and you’re drifting! … you’re neglecting! … Repent or all likewise perish — Luke 13:3
Neglect so GREAT a salvation
The greatness of the savior
The greatness of the crime
The greatness of our reward
The greatness of his love
The greatness of freedom in Christ
3. Belief vs. Disbelief
3. Belief vs. Disbelief
Hebrews 2:3–4 “how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard, God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will.”
In chapter one, we saw Jesus as the last and final spokesman for God in the world… and the merits of His ministry
Now we see, again, testimony to the surety of those words
The salvation was:
1. Spoken through the Lord
John 6:68 “Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life.”
There are many men who claim to have the words of eternal life… but Christ has proven Himself true
And if it’s men whom you believe, then look to them for your reward, not God
2. Confirmed by the apostles
3. Validated by signs, wonders, miracles, and gifts
22 “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know—
Undoubtedly there would be those who claimed, “This CAN’T be true!”
And by sign and wonders, their message could be confirmed
3 Therefore they spent a long time there speaking boldly with reliance upon the Lord, who was testifying to the word of His grace, granting that signs and wonders be done by their hands.
12 The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with all perseverance, by signs and wonders and miracles.
These gifts, then, were limited to the apostolic age
They weren’t to last indefinitely, and are not for today
What about if someone struts in here and says “thus saith the Lord”, or “the Lord told me this” … how do I know if it’s genuine or not?
Check it against scripture. You’re alarm bells should already being going off
2 weeks ago a man told me he was a prophet… I asked Him if he was another Isaiah… but he seemed hesitant
The question from the beginning, “How will we escape,” is a rhetorical question
The answer to that SPECIFIC question, no one can.
Then HOW is it that God’s Word declares you CAN escape!
By not neglecting so great a salvation
How will we escape?
Excellent tie-in to Hebrews 2
The examples illustrate the same principle found in Hebrews:
Those who escaped did so because they heard God’s warning and responded in obedient faith.
Those who did not escape were not necessarily the worst sinners, but they ignored, rejected, or neglected God’s revealed will.
That makes the argument of Hebrews 2:1–4 even stronger. The writer isn’t asking whether people can escape by their own effort; he’s asking, “If people did not escape under earlier revelations from God, how shall we escape if we neglect the salvation announced by the Son of God Himself?” The implied answer is: we will not
