“Pay Careful Attention” (prosecho)
Pastor Jason Spade
A Study of Hebrews • Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 44 viewsIn Greek and Roman cultures, where plays and dramas became popular, there was what was called Pantomime. This was an action meant to tell a story with out words relying on body language. The word prosecho could have been such a word. When it was used in acient plays or dramas the actor would lean in to indicate his/her attention to what was being said or seen.
Notes
Transcript
“Pay Careful Attention” (prosecho)
Have you ever been around someone that gets done talking to you and says “do you know what I mean?” Only for you to realize that you haven’t even been listening to them. In school it happens to teachers all the time. In counseling couples it shows up repeatedly in troubled marriages. We just weren’t that interested in what was being said. At least not interested enough to remove distractions and pay attention.
In Greek and Roman cultures, where plays and dramas became popular, there was what was called Pantomime. This was an action meant to tell a story with out words relying on body language. Give examples
The word prosecho could have been such a word. When it was used in ancient plays or dramas the actor would lean in to indicate his/her attention to what was being said or seen.
It would have meant that something was said to have wet your appetite.
Something that makes your ears perk up.
Something that draws your attention.
I talked about Drift last week. I do not wish to rehash that here but I do want to help us understand a subtle change in these first few verses of Chapter 2. the drift he is talking about here is a lack of diligence.
It can look like this
Hebrews Warning Against Drifting Away / 2:1–4
• We may become careless or complacent in our devotion to Christ.
• We may backslide into sin we formerly had rejected.
• We may compromise our morals and disobey Christ’s teaching.
• We may neglect Christian service and thus become inactive Christians.
We might resist the urge to gather together with other believers.
You simply drift away without effort on your part. Like when Karmen and I go kayaking....
The current of this world is not moving toward God.
The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man,
to see if there are any who understand,
who seek after God.
They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt;
there is none who does good,
not even one.
God looks down from heaven
on the children of man
to see if there are any who understand,
who seek after God.
They have all fallen away;
together they have become corrupt;
there is none who does good,
not even one.
no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
The nature tendency of this world, the natural current of them is to go away from God. Therefore, we must pay careful attention or we will drift away with the world.
So why pay more attention?
So why pay more attention?
Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.
Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.
Many of the prophets were delivered their message via angels.
Many of the prophets were delivered their message via angels.
as a matter of fact, the Jewish tradition credits angels with delivering the whole of the law to them.
This is the Moses who said to the Israelites, ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers.’ This is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and with our fathers. He received living oracles to give to us. Our fathers refused to obey him, but thrust him aside, and in their hearts they turned to Egypt, saying to Aaron, ‘Make for us gods who will go before us. As for this Moses who led us out from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ And they made a calf in those days, and offered a sacrifice to the idol and were rejoicing in the works of their hands. But God turned away and gave them over to worship the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets:
“ ‘Did you bring to me slain beasts and sacrifices,
during the forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?
This is a good time to add that this book, the book of Hebrews was not primarily written to be a theological or doctrinal rich book like Romans was for instance. It was written to warn Jewish Christians to hold fast to the message of the Gospel.
When none believing Jews or the scoffing world, ridiculed or persecuted them. or even just tempted them they should...
“Pay Much Closer Attention”
“Pay Much Closer Attention”
Pro-Sec-Kos
Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament based on Semantic Domains 31.47 ἐπέχω; προσέχω
to hold firmly to a particular belief—‘to hold firmly to, to continue to believe.’
encourages readers to consider their ways and also to act on what they have heard.
Bruce B. Barton et al., Hebrews, Life Application Bible Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1997), 15.
Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.
You have heard the word, you have professed belief in the word, now go do the things the word tells you!
Because if Jesus is greater than the angels, as we were told in chapter 1, then his declaration deserves more attention than those of the angels.
Because if Jesus is greater than the angels, as we were told in chapter 1, then his declaration deserves more attention than those of the angels.
To pay such careful attention is difficult, it is demanding, it is work.
To pay such careful attention is difficult, it is demanding, it is work.
Why work? not because we wish to save ourselves but because the work keeps us close to Jesus. It keeps us from drifting.
Why work? not because we wish to save ourselves but because the work keeps us close to Jesus. It keeps us from drifting.
That way we do not drift we rather swim like we talked about last week.
We want to do this because the message is serious. With serious consequences.
We want to do this because the message is serious. With serious consequences.
The message angels delivered was true and it carried heavy consequences. How much more will there be consequences for those who ignore or reject Christ?
Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.
FIRST DECLARED BY GOD
FIRST DECLARED BY GOD
THEN DECLARED BY THOSE WHO HEARD, THE APOSTLES.
THEN DECLARED BY THOSE WHO HEARD, THE APOSTLES.
THEN GOD PROVED THE TRUTHFULNESS BY DOING SIGNS, WONDERS, MIRACLES AND GIFTS RECEIVED BYTHE HOLY SPIRIT.
THEN GOD PROVED THE TRUTHFULNESS BY DOING SIGNS, WONDERS, MIRACLES AND GIFTS RECEIVED BYTHE HOLY SPIRIT.
Now, we have the Bible that declares it inspired by God
Now, we have the Bible that declares it inspired by God
We have the testimony of those who have experienced the conversion of Jesus.
We have the testimony of those who have experienced the conversion of Jesus.
God proves it through the lives of those changed by the Gospel.
God proves it through the lives of those changed by the Gospel.
My testimony
Whether then or now, the message is the same.
If we neglect such a great salvation as this, how will we escape?
If we neglect such a great salvation as this, how will we escape?
The answer is, we will not escape. We will experience His, God’s, full wrath on the sin we have in our lives.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
But now....
We have the chance to turn to Him, to Jesus, and experience salvation.
We have the chance to turn to Him, to Jesus, and experience salvation.
We also have the chance to reject Him.
We also have the chance to reject Him.
Maybe the only thing we lean into in the world. Maybe it is money, or sex or drugs or , you fill in the blank.
The question becomes,
What do you lean into?
What do you lean into?
What makes your ears perk up?
What wets your appetite?
If we are saved already
We have the chance to be diligent in our growth in Him and resist the urge to drift away.
We have the chance to be diligent in our growth in Him and resist the urge to drift away.
What does that look like?
Give your heart to Jesus
Read the Word of God
Resist backsliding into previous sin
Do not compromise your morals and be obedient to Christ
Get involved in Christian service somewhere and do not let yourself become inactive.
Gather with other believers
“Pay Close Attention”
“Pay Close Attention”
His word is true, his warning is worthy and we have such a great salvation available to us!
Won’t you surrender to Him today?