Holding Fast the Faith
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In chapter one we saw.
The superiority of Christ to the prophets - He 1:1-3 The superiority of Christ to the angels - He 1:4-14
The superiority of Christ to the prophets - He 1:1-3 The superiority of Christ to the angels - He 1:4-14
The Hebrew people held that their religious and government insinuations had come through the agency of angels.
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.
The early Hebrew Christians were strongly tempted to relapse into Judaism; our besetting danger is that we allow ourselves to glide with the multitude down the swift current of worldliness and indifference.
This is the First of Five Warnings in the book of Hebrews - cf. He 2:1-4
2 Key words is Drift; Neglect
In which we find a warning about the danger of "drifting"
b. The figure suggested is that of a boat...
Drifting along at an almost unnoticeable rhythm.
Carried along in the wrong direction by a subtle current.
Neglect: It means to have the opportunity but to ignore or disregard the opportunity.
Reasons for the Warning
Reasons for the Warning
A. THE REAL DANGER OF "DRIFTING"...
It is possible for us to "drift away" from our salvation!
We can certainly "neglect" (dilapidation; disrepair) our salvation - He 2:3
It is to fall into the error of no longer working out out our salvation with fear and trembling.
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
Later, we will learn that we can "depart" from God - Heb 3:12-14
The danger of "drifting" is very real!
It is possible for a child of God to so sin as to be lost! (Demas who loved the present world)
Otherwise, such an exhortation as this is meaningless!
So Great Salvation
So Great Salvation
For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution,
When God spoke through angels...
His word proved steadfast (reliable; unfaltering)
Every transgression and disobedience received a just reward - He 2:2
How much more, then, when He speaks through His Son!
Will not His word prove just as steadfast?
Dare we neglect the Word of God spoken through His Son?
The new revelation far transcends the old, inasmuch as in the Son we have received a visible manifestation of God, an adequate atonement for sin,
As noted in He 1:1-2, God now speaks to us through His Son
We have seen that this Son is:
Superior to the prophets - He 1:1-3
Superior to the angels - He 1:4-14
We have seen that this Son is:
The appointed Heir of all things!
The brightness of God's glory, the express image of His person!
Our Sustainer and Redeemer!
The "Firstborn" who receives worship
"God" enthroned and anointed
The "LORD" (Yahweh) who is the eternal creator
The "Sovereign", reigning at God's right hand.
The word of Angels was steadfast, and breaking the law brought a reckoning, the word through angels was Law, stern, inflexible.
The Word of the Son: is “Salvation”, the word is grace, compassion, unfailing.
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.
Neglect: Hebrews 2:2–4 We find this word used in a parable of Jesus, Matthew 22:5 (they made light of it).
But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business,
This refers to those who disregarded the invitation to the marriage supper.
It means to have the opportunity but to ignore or disregard the opportunity. Guzik
It is a failure to grasp the gift of salvation!
The Authentication of the Message
The Authentication of the Message
The word spoken by the Son was confirmed by His apostles - He 2:3
The writer then offers clear evidence, in case anyone should question him, that the coming of Jesus, and the message which came to them from him, really was a visit from the King in person. Jesus himself had declared the good news of God’s kingdom; those who heard him confirmed that it had indeed been so...
Individuals who were eyewitnesses - Ac 10:39-41; 2Pe 1:16
God the Father :By God Himself, through signs, wonders, and miracles : Jn 10:37-38; 3:2
Then, equally important, God himself bore witness to it: when the message was preached, things happened—signs, wonders, mighty deeds, presumably often of healing but perhaps other things too, sudden conversions, the transformation of families, synagogue communities, villages. N.T. Wright
The Holy Spirit: By the Holy Spirit, with gifts according to His will. 1Co 12:7-11
To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.
We experience the power of God in our midst as he moves among us through the gifts he bestows. We can’t explain it but we know it to be true...
“Currents”: That Cause Us to Drift
“Currents”: That Cause Us to Drift
The drift...Happens.
Sometimes out of busyness...Sometimes out of hurt...Sometimes because things are bad...Sometimes because things are good...Sometimes because we’re overwhelmed...Sometimes because it’s hard to forgive and move forward.
By definition, to drift means “a continuous slow movement from one place to another.”..It doesn’t happen quickly. It often takes us unaware. It’s simply the natural process that occurs, when we lose our bearings, and stop moving in the right direction.
Familiarity: This is a warning many Christians need, perhaps especially those who have grown up in a Christian family or as part of a regular church community.
We cost along never testing, asking questions, we go with the flow of church never really doing the business of faith.
And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.
The pull of Culture (especially culture wars):
For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia.
The Flesh:
So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.
Anxiousness: Matt 6:25
“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
Key to Prevent Drifting:
Key to Prevent Drifting:
Take Heed: Hold with a firm grip
Hold Fast
Hold Fast
Pay careful attention, stay aware and alert.
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Sleeping/ Neglecting the Fellowship
Sleeping/ Neglecting the Fellowship
Do neglect so great a salvation
not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
Not using your gifts
For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.