Our Great Salvation

Hebrews 2: 1-4 > Pray

This is very important. This message is very important. I don’t mean by that, that this sermon is especially important, but this message of the gospel is very important. This message that we proclaim.

Some messages are not important at all, I’m sure you can all remember or imagine a meeting at work, or a class at school and it had nothing to do with your life. It won’t matter, you’ll never think of it again and that won’t make one bit of difference.

but other things are life and death. You can imagine an astronaut going on a space walk. That person may have done that many times before but he or she will very, very carefully review each step, remember each instruction, check each connection. Paying very close attention, because they are convinced, if he messes up he’ll die.

A pilot will go over his check list, line by line very carefully before each flight, even though he may have done it a hundred times, why? Because he is convinced that if something is missed the plane may go down and everyone on board will die. It is IMPORTANT. When you are convinced of it, you PAY CLOSE ATTENTION!!

If we think there is no danger, we stop paying attention. That is why Pilots have checklist, deeply ingrained habits to force them to focused on the instruction, we all are tempted to drift, and if we stop paying attention, we won’t notice when there is danger.

The pilot won’t notice that one time plane isn’t ready to fly – and it crashes,

We won’t notice when temptation is creeping up, we won’t notice when the ideas of the age shape us more than God’s word…

we have to pay attention, we won’t notice when our affections are being slowly drawn away.

Richard Phillips writes of this passage “There is a current to this present evil age, pulling strongly out from the safe harbor of salvation in Christ. We do not have to actively betray Christ to renounce our faith, simply by not paying attention , by becoming preoccupied with the sights and sounds of this world, we can be easily drawn out until we are swept away forever."

This GOSPEL message is the most important message, so pay attention…

THIS IS OUR GREAT SALVATION. Hell is the end when this message is rejected,

we should not be ruled by fear, but we should be realistic about ourselves, and the danger of this world and and the great salvation that we have in CHRIST so we PAY ATTENTION TO IT and let nothing move us from it!

That is what this sermon is about.

But before we jump into the main argument, it begins with the THEREFORE. That causes us to look back. The writer of Hebrews is making his first big point and we need to understand it.

BECAUSE Jesus Christ is the SON of God, because he made purification for sins and has be exalted above all others to sit at the right hand of the Majesty on High - far above every power and authority – far above every angel and being…

Because this Word came by the SON – the exalted One… THEREFORE PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THIS MESSAGE OF SALVATION!!

BECAUSE HE IS SO GREAT, pay attention to his message!

It is important! There is nothing more important for you, for your life, for your happiness, for your future, than this message.

So we’ll see in this passage the writer begins with an Exhortation, provides a Motivation and ends with a Confirmation.

I. EXHORTATION

Hebrews 2:1 (ESV) — 1 Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.

There is a command and a warning.

A. Command: Pay closer attention

Because this messages has come to us from the SON we must pay MUCH CLOSER attention. We must make special effort, abound in paying attention.

One commentator writes that the word for paying attention “was [a nautical term] used to denote holding to a course or securing an anchor. There is a danger, the writer argues, and there is also a remedy. TO avoid drifting off course you hold the wheel of the ship in line; to avoid slipping out with the current you make fast the anchor."

We are to hold fast to, and focus our attention on, what we have heard.

Romans 10:17 (ESV) — 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

Pay attention means to hang onto this word, to this message, to hold onto it, apply it and keep it safe. But we know the gospel, right? Jesus died for sinners. Ok I got that. I have faith… Check.

The writer here is writing to Christians – urging Christians, exhorting Christians to pay attention to this GOSPEL MESSAGE!

Give it daily heed, focus on it, think about it, pay attention because there is daily danger.

B. Warning: Lest you drift away!

If you don’t pay closer attention to it, you will drift away from it. There really isn’t a middle ground, pay attention or drift away. That will take energy, effort and focus!

Now, we’re touching on one of the big controversies of the Book of Hebrews. Can a Christian lose his or her salvation? Or what is apostasy?

John 6:37 (ESV) — 37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.

John 10:28–29 (ESV) — 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.

These are some of the most stabilizing and comforting words in the Bible.

GOD IS HOLDING ON TO US! If you are safe in Christ, there is no condemnation, and you are made holy because of what he has done, the price has been paid.

BUT GOD is a GOD of means, he keeps his people by means, you are kept by his Holy Spirit working in you, convicting you of sin, empowering you to turn from sin and bearing fruit in your life – like love, patience, self-control. So you do, obey, him and you do follow him and you do hold on.

The warnings of Scripture are real, if you fall away you will be lost, If you keep pursuing sin away from God, you will be lost!

So don’t play around to see how close you can get, to see how little you need to actually pay attention there is danger there. The scriptures and our world is littered with people who fell away.

1 John 2:19 (ESV) — 19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.

They seemed to be of us, one of us, but they fell away. They drifted away. Judas Iscariot one of Jesus’ closest disciples.

Demas, one of Paul’s dear friends.

2 Timothy 4:10 (ESV) — 10 For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica….

This was Jesus warning in the parable of the sower – the seed that falls on thorny ground seems good…

Matthew 13:22 (ESV) — 22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.

The parable of the virgins is all about paying attention, prepare, stay focused.

Matthew 24:13 (ESV) — 13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

The danger is real, Christian. Pulling us away from the message!

When we think the gospel is no longer for us, we start trying to earn it ourselves, we may begin to think we’ve earned it and little by little, we’re OK, we don’t need the Bible, we’ve heard that, Sunday Sermons, fellowship, Bible reading…. It’s not important.

And we start missing the signs, that we are loving the world too much, loving the stuff of the world, valuing the opinion of the world too much, drawn away, little by little. Because we have stopped paying CLOSE ATTENTION to what we have heard.

What would that look like for you? If you were convinced that you will drift away to hell if you don’t hold fast to this message.

How would that impact how you read your Bible? Daily habits would be important, but also how you read, not just confirming you know it all, but seeing your need for Jesus today, and resting in his provision. STAYING THERE, in that humble position takes practice, effort, diligence.

Pay attention to how you are treating others, thinking about others and yourself – what does that show you about how carefully you are paying attention to the message of the Gospel.

Because if pride rears it’s head, you are not paying attention, self-righteousness, disinterest in your own sin, more than others.

PAY EVEN CLOSER ATTENTION to what you have heard, lest you drift away!

II. MOTIVATION

Hebrews 2:2–3 (ESV) — 2 For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, 3 how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?

A. The Old Covenant Message Was Reliable

The message that was delivered by Angels proved to be reliable. What was that message delivered by Angels? We talked about that in an earlier Sermon – the Old Covenant law was mediate by angels.

And its promises and curses all came true.

God did in fact Pass over the homes of the Israelites in Egypt when blood was found on the door, and their first born as spared.

God did, in fact, keep them safe in the wilderness. God did, in fact, bring them into the promised land and defeated their enemies until they had peace all around. God saved them from slavery!

The message was reliable. But what the writer is focusing on is the punishment that came to those who ignored the message. “every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution.”

That was proved true too. The danger is real! Pay attention.

Those who strayed from the message were killed. You can think of Nadab and Abihu, they were given specific instructions about the spices to be used in the incense. They didn’t pay attention to God’s instruction about worship – they did it their own way and were killed.

Deuteronomy 28 tells of the blessings that will come if they are faithful and the curses that will come if they follow other gods, and the rest of the Old Testament is that story God blessing Israel as they follow him into the promised land, and then God cursing Israel as they follow other Gods.

But it’s not as though the Old Covenant is just moralism and the New Covenant is just grace. The point of the Old Testament failure is that they did not pay attention to the message, they did not love God with all their hearts and they drifted away to other gods and the punishment that brings. Drifting from GOD is drifting from life.

But it was always grace. There was always a message of hope, they just strayed from it.

Turn in your Bibles to the BOOK of EZEKIEL. After Psalms and Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations then EZEKIEL -

chapter 18. I want to look at a longer section with you.

Ezekiel 18:21–29 (ESV) — 21 “But if a wicked person turns away from all his sins that he has committed and keeps all my statutes and does what is just and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. 22 None of the transgressions that he has committed shall be remembered against him; for the righteousness that he has done he shall live. 23 Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord God, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live? 24 But when a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice and does the same abominations that the wicked person does, shall he live? None of the righteous deeds that he has done shall be remembered; for the treachery of which he is guilty and the sin he has committed, for them he shall die.

This never made sense, the graciousness of God always felt wrong..

25 “Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Hear now, O house of Israel: Is my way not just? Is it not your ways that are not just? 26 When a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice, he shall die for it; for the injustice that he has done he shall die. 27 Again, when a wicked person turns away from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he shall save his life. 28 Because he considered and turned away from all the transgressions that he had committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die. 29 Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ O house of Israel, are my ways not just? Is it not your ways that are not just?

Ezekiel 18:30–32 (ESV) — 30 “Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, declares the Lord God. Repent and turn from all your transgressions, lest iniquity be your ruin. 31 Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel? 32 For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord God; so turn, and live.”

This was the message that Israel ignored, they didn’t pay attention to it, and they did not turn back, turn away but plunged headlong in to judgement and terror. Misery and death! Today, you how hear! Turn and live!

B. How Then Shall We Escape?

We have a greater message! The clearer message!

Galatians 3:19 (ESV) — 19 Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary.

The message sent through Angels was a place holder waiting the offspring to come to RECEIVE the promise!! BUT NOW The offspring has come! The promise is fulfilled!

If just retribution fell upon Israel when they drifted away from the Word of God… What will happen to us, who have so much more, what is the judgement for us?

Matthew 11:23–24 (ESV) — 23 And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. 24 But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you.”

We have clearer truth, so we bear greater responsibility! We have a greater message given by the mouth of the king himself!

The Old Covenant law, had so many provisions about everything. All of life was touched by the law. We heard a little about that week from our dear brother from Christ Church.

Do we think the New Covenant is easier because he don’t have that law? “I don’t have to pay attention now, it’s all grace!”

Matthew 5:20 (ESV) — 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

The New Covenant always calls for more! Not just don’t murder, don’t hate. Don’t commit adultery, don’t lust. When Christ made the gospel clearer, we didn’t get it easier – all of life is HIS! Every moment every thought every deed!

MORE - it calls for more, so we see our need for him more, every hour and every moment!

A new measure - a higher bar!

John 13:34 (ESV) — 34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.

We don’t just breeze through because Jesus died for our sins. We have been PURCHASED by his blood! We are no longer our own – slaves to righteousness!

A little drifting, waning of our affection for Christ, dwindling concern for God’s law, and God’s ways until it doesn’t mean anything at all, and we prove we were never Christ’s at all! LOST!

There are powerful pressures in our culture to care about other things – opinion, success, money, family, politics - the pull - just care about anything more than CHRIST!

That religion stuff, that’s just a little thing, your hobby. Your interest. Friends, If it is not your life it is nothings. How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?!

That is the warning!!! If This SALVATION is not your life you don’t have it yet! Jesus buys all of you or none of you. That is the great salvation… I BELONG TO CHRIST! My life is hidden with… there is my life! With him in glory! That is salvation!

Apart from him I can do nothing, apart from him there is only hell and despair! Christian do you see your need for CHRIST right now and today!

So cling to this great salvation. I need him today, lest I fall.

That shouldn’t cripple me with fear, it instructs me on WHERE IS MUST PUT MY FAITH!

IT fixes my faith on that which cannot fail!! I will fail, the world stumbles more quickly toward insanity, those won’t do. ONLY CHRIST is my sure and steady anchor!

How will we escape, if we look for some other salvation, some other meaning. All other ships are going down. PAY ATTENTION!!

III. CONFIRMATION

Be convinced that this is the most important message!

Hebrews 2:3–4 (ESV) — 3 … It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, 4 while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.

This message is so important that God made sure it was clear!

A. Declared by the Lord

This is the main point of this whole section – going all the way back to chapter 1 verse 2 – This word is so important God himself took on flesh and came to proclaim the message of the Gospel!

B. Attested by those who heard

This was not done hidden away, this was done in the open. As when Paul made his defense to King Agrippa in Acts 26, after sharing the gospel with them he then said..

Acts 26:26 (ESV) — 26 For the king knows about these things, and to him I speak boldly. For I am persuaded that none of these things has escaped his notice, for this has not been done in a corner.

Jesus Christ was a known man with many followers. His death was public knowledge and his resurrection was displayed before hundreds.

1 Corinthians 15:3–6 (ESV) — 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.

Not some golden tablets give to one man and then hidden from view, but the man Jesus Christ came and made himself know to hundreds of eyewitnesses - after he was raised from the dead - to CONFIRM the message!

C. God himself bore witness by signs and wonders and miracles!

Acts 2:22 (ESV) — 22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know—

God gave proof upon proof upon proof… don’t neglect this message! Look and see – the dead raised, the blind have sight, the lame walk!

Look! The accounts are for us to see the confirmation of God – God is calling our attention! Pay attention.

D. The gift of the Holy Spirit.

God has given his Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, the comforter, the helper to confirm in your heart this message!

Ephesians 1:13–14 (ESV) — 13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

The Holy Spirit has been given to lead us into all truth and to be a pledge that God’s message is true. This message is what we must not move away from.

So this isn’t first and primarily about drifting into sin – though that will be the effect. The point is we must not drift from the message! The point is that we must stick close to the GOSPEL - we need to pay more attention to the GOSPEL because here we find the Great Salvation that captures our hearts and fuels our obedience.

Romans 8:12–17 (ESV) — 12 So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

This is who you are! This is the message of hope and life that fills ever molecule of our being with peace and purpose, joy and power. PAY ATTENTION TO THIS MESSAGE –

Form habits to think about it, remind each other of the message, help each other apply the message, PAY CLOSER ATTENTION to this message! When we sin, we must remember the message, so we turn back, to the mercy and love in Jesus!

This is the great salvation that is ours in Christ Jesus!

This is where there is life and joy and peace, for all who believe it is only found in Jesus, believe it and STICK TO IT!!

Believe on Christ and live!

Pray

His Mercy Is More

Call them men up who are serving the Lord’s Supper

We are One in Christ. One Body

1 Corinthians 10:16–17 (ESV) — 16 The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? 17 Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.

Family we are ONE in CHRIST HOLY and BELOVED! This table proclaims the message! Here Christ accomplished this GREAT SALVATION for us! And here is the proof of God’s unfailing commitment to build us up and keep us in Christ!

So, the Supper is a time to EVALUATE and CELEBRATE.

We evaluate ourselves, we see our need for change, we have sin, we have failed. We have not loved God as we ought. We have not trusted in Christ – We too easily drift, we don’t pay attention, we have valued other things too highly!

In repentance, then we turn to find help. And at the table we remember, there is boundless help for us in Christ Jesus. There is help, so we CELEBRATE! WE REJOICE We are not defeated, we are victorious in Christ. We are at PEACE!! We are not BEYOND GOD’s Power to change! so from that GOSPEL Power we move forward together in peace, for the glory of God.

THIS is for DISCIPLES of CHRIST

“Our understanding of being a disciple of Christ in the New Testament is one who has been transformed through FAITH in Christ, has been baptized into Christ and into his church, and continues to be committed to and serving CHRIST in the body of Christ – a local church. The Lord’s Supper is the fellowship meal for the covenant family of Jesus Christ.”

For those who are not Christians, and this is not for you. This is not for you, you have said no to this, with your life. No to this community, no to Christ. but this SALVATION is for you, Jesus is for you! You’ll see the emblems passing you by… don’t let salvation pass you by again. Make no more excuses, take hold of Christ and live!

Children – boys and girls. I know some of you are believing on Christ, as you wait to take that public step of baptism, and openly commit to be a disciple of Christ, it is good for you to wait to take the Lord’s Supper. For you, feed on Christ as this passes you by, think to yourself, I won’t let this day pass me by without Christ, and call out to him, and then turn and follow Jesus. I know your mom and dad would be delighted to talk with you about what that might look like. Believe on Jesus and live.

BREAD

1 Corinthians 11:23–24 (ESV) — 23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

CUP

1 Corinthians 11:25–26 (ESV) — 25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

731 Doxology

2 Corinthians 13:14 (ESV) — 14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.