The Truth Cannot Be Ignored

Intro

Good Morning!

It is good to see all of you today.

Last week we looked at Hebrews 2:1 and we are going to continue on with the next two verses this week.

The point that God wanted to drive home for us last week was that Tension tempts us to turn away.

We didn’t discuss the reasons why the author is telling them to pay attention and remember what they had heard.

Today we will talk about the first reason that the author of Hebrews tells them not to drift away.

We are going to see that The Truth Cannot Be Ignored.

ME

Story of getting the trucks stuck last weekend.

I knew that it wouldn’t work, but I tried it anyway.

The result was my wife laughing hysterically at me as she pulled me out of the mud.

WE

If you always do what you have always done, you will always get what you always got.

We can’t look at the truth, disagree with it, and then shocked when we find out we are wrong.

The rules of the game have not changed.

Truth Cannot Be Ignored.

We all have areas in our lives where we try to ignore the truth.

All of us have tried to ignore the truth that once you are late there is no changing it.

Speeding to fix being late… it doesn’t work.

The truth is you are late and nothing is going to change it.

Have you ever done the math? If you are 5 minutes late and are going ten miles, will speeding help?

Driving 10 miles at 60 mph will take 10 minutes.

Driving the same 10 miles at 80 mph will only save you 2 minutes… you are still late.

The Falcon, “There is no such thing as ‘on time.’ You are ethier early or late, so pick one.”

-The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, Ep 1

We might have a small maintenance issue, but it’s annoying, so we ignore the truth and a small issue becomes a big problem.

We used to have a back porch that the previous owner had glassed-in and used it as a room.

It leaked and I tried a few times to figure out why, but it continually got worse and we eventually tore it down.

The truth was that it wasn’t a room, it was a porch.

Dirty things have to be washed.

Clothes, dishes, children, hair, cars, pets...

The list can go on and on.

The truth is that there are things on the “needs to be washed” list that we don’t like to do, but that doesn’t negate that it is true.

That unpleasant task at work isn’t going anywhere.

GOD

There are often truth’s in our lives that require our attention no matter how much we want to ignore them.

This is the issue that the author of Hebrews is addressing.

There were many that were being distracted from the beauty of what Christ gave them by the unpleasantness of other areas of their lives.

In those moments of tension, the enemy tempts us with things that seem like they aren’t really a big deal.

This is a slippery slope...

The author of Hebrews knew there was serious temptation to drift away from the truth.

Hebrews 2:2–3 CSB

2 For if the message spoken through angels was legally binding and every transgression and disobedience received a just punishment, 3 how will we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? This salvation had its beginning when it was spoken of by the Lord, and it was confirmed to us by those who heard him.

Follow the logic of verse two.

If the instructions from the angels had to be obeyed, how much more important was it to obey the direct instruction from God himself?

If breakers of the law did not go unpunished, certainly those that denied the gospel could not expect to go unpunished.

For the author, there is no desire to just give instruct us in proper doctrine, his desire is to reach our hearts and move our will to action.

Jesus declared his word to those who were easily robbed of its message, easily deflected by adversity, or easily preoccupied with either anxiety or coveting.

This is our truth that cannot be ignored, Jesus declares his word to us. We are in need of it.

He came to those that needed his grace and mercy the most and shared the truth with us.

How we respond to the truth makes a difference in our lives.

Mark 4:15–19 CSB

15 Some are like the word sown on the path. When they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word sown in them. 16 And others are like seed sown on rocky ground. When they hear the word, immediately they receive it with joy. 17 But they have no root; they are short-lived. When distress or persecution comes because of the word, they immediately fall away. 18 Others are like seed sown among thorns; these are the ones who hear the word, 19 but the worries of this age, the deceitfulness of wealth, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

How we choose to receive the truth, determines the outcome of the gospel in our lives.

Mark 4:20 CSB

20 And those like seed sown on good ground hear the word, welcome it, and produce fruit thirty, sixty, and a hundred times what was sown.”

When we choose to receive the truth, the result is the fruit of the spirit in our lives.

Our lives are changed because we allowed Jesus to change us.

The truth that Jesus came to fulfill the law on our behalf is the truth that cannot be ignored.

YOU

Track with me here.

If we cannot ignore the small truths in our lives, how could we ignore the most significant truth?

We have heard the gospel and now how should we respond.

If the truth cannot be ignored, we have to address it in some way.

We just looked at how Jesus instructs us to face those difficult truths.

What does it look like for you and me when we respond as Jesus tells us to?

First, you respond by choosing to receive that Gospel.

You accept the Gospel on God’s terms not your own.

There is no way to improve on God’s plan.

You can not add or take away from the gospel.

Second, you obey the truth that God is speaking into your life.

The fruit of the spirit will show up in your life as you walk in obedience to God.

We talk about the importance of obedience all the time. - Abiding Cycle

Third, you share the gospel as the Spirit leads.

This is non-negotiable and it includes both sharing with unbelievers as well as encouraging fellow believers to stay the course.

No one gets a pass on this one.

The truth that we are called to share Christ, as the spirit leads, cannot be ignored.

WE

This isn’t a particularly easy thing that we are addressing.

What we are hearing from this passage is that in the end, Jesus will reconcile our sin.

Either we accept his gift of salvation, or we are separated from him for all eternity.

All of us have stories to share and one that needs to be shared is when we were introduced to a truth that we could not ignore.

Share of how you confronted the truth when you heard it.

Not only do we have our own stories, but we share the stories of our brothers and sisters.

We have all heard, responded to, and experienced the truth of the Gospel.

We are a crowd of witnesses.

Someone in our life group was sharing something particularly difficult that God was doing in their life.

They started with, “I might be crazy”.

We know this person isn’t because all of us have experienced God do something difficult in our lives.

We are able to confirm with that person that God often does things that don’t compute in our world, but that doesn't make them untrue.

When we encounter the truth, it cannot be ignored.

We are going to face temptation and when the tension reveals itself, see the truth and follow it.

The author of Hebrews is reminding the hearers of the truth that they have heard.

That truth was confirmed by those that heard it directly from Jesus.

It is the absolute truth.

When we see the truth of the gospel, we can move forward in faith because of our experiences and the testimony of others that have experienced that same truth.

Let’s pray.

What are some things in your life that you like to try and ignore?

What small thing have you ignored and it turned into a big issue?

In what way can you relate to the hearers of Hebrews?

Are there any parts of the “Christian life” that you find yourself trying to ignore? What part?

How have you recently been encouraged by the testimony of another believer?

Has God given you an opportunity to share your story in the last few weeks?

How did it go?

Are you comfortable talking about areas in your life that it is difficult to obey Jesus?

How do you overcome those feelings when Jesus tells you to share?