WEBVTT 00:00:00.240 --> 00:00:03.759 And let us now take our Bibles and open them 00:00:03.759 --> 00:00:14.919 to the New Testament book of Hebrews. Hebrews 00:00:14.919 --> 00:00:17.980 chapter two, we're gonna look at verses one through 00:00:17.980 --> 00:00:26.039 four today. We started this book just a few weeks 00:00:26.039 --> 00:00:29.440 ago. And so we press on, just picking up where 00:00:29.440 --> 00:00:35.619 we left off. Hebrews 2, 1 through 4. And I would 00:00:35.619 --> 00:00:38.960 ask you to give attention to this. If you brought 00:00:38.960 --> 00:00:42.539 your Bible to open it. If you do not have a Bible, 00:00:42.640 --> 00:00:45.939 there is a pew Bible there in front of you. Hebrews 00:00:45.939 --> 00:00:53.640 2, 1 through 4. Therefore, we must pay much closer 00:00:53.640 --> 00:00:58.229 attention to what we have heard. lest we drift 00:00:58.229 --> 00:01:01.469 away from it. For since the message declared 00:01:01.469 --> 00:01:06.209 by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression 00:01:06.209 --> 00:01:09.349 or disobedience received a just retribution, 00:01:10.469 --> 00:01:15.230 how shall we escape if we neglect such a great 00:01:15.230 --> 00:01:18.989 salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, 00:01:19.670 --> 00:01:22.909 and it was attested to us by those who heard. 00:01:23.409 --> 00:01:28.700 While God also bore witness by signs and wonders 00:01:28.700 --> 00:01:32.859 and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy 00:01:32.859 --> 00:01:39.500 Spirit distributed according to his will. This 00:01:39.500 --> 00:01:45.200 is God's word. Let's pray. Teach us your way, 00:01:45.340 --> 00:01:49.799 O Lord, that we would walk in truth, unite our 00:01:49.799 --> 00:01:53.040 hearts to fear you. We will give you thanks, 00:01:53.219 --> 00:01:57.530 O Lord, our God. with all of our hearts and glorify 00:01:57.530 --> 00:02:08.189 your name forever. Amen. I was told a story from 00:02:08.189 --> 00:02:13.270 my family not too long ago, a story from my in 00:02:13.270 --> 00:02:17.110 -laws. My father -in -law one day was leaving 00:02:17.110 --> 00:02:21.650 work and I think he stopped to throw something 00:02:21.650 --> 00:02:25.310 in a dumpster outside of his work. And in doing 00:02:25.310 --> 00:02:30.030 so, he spotted a painting lying on top of the 00:02:30.030 --> 00:02:34.370 rubbish in the dumpster. And he thought it looked 00:02:34.370 --> 00:02:37.810 pretty. It was a beautiful painting. And so, 00:02:38.250 --> 00:02:41.370 he fished it out of the dumpster and he brought 00:02:41.370 --> 00:02:44.250 it home. He thought, my wife would like that. 00:02:45.030 --> 00:02:48.110 And for years, the painting hung on their wall. 00:02:49.610 --> 00:02:52.050 And they didn't really pay too much attention 00:02:52.050 --> 00:02:55.180 to it. But something kind of inspired them one 00:02:55.180 --> 00:02:58.180 day to look at it a little bit more closely and 00:02:58.180 --> 00:03:01.180 notice that the painter's name was George Clawson. 00:03:03.120 --> 00:03:07.580 I don't know a whole lot about art, but apparently 00:03:07.580 --> 00:03:10.979 George Clawson's a pretty good painter and a 00:03:10.979 --> 00:03:14.240 pretty famous painter. And so they called up 00:03:14.240 --> 00:03:18.840 a friend in New York City to inquire about this 00:03:18.840 --> 00:03:21.379 and this friend said, yeah, that's a pretty important 00:03:21.379 --> 00:03:26.090 painting. I will sell it for you." And they ended 00:03:26.090 --> 00:03:29.750 up banking tens of thousands of dollars from 00:03:29.750 --> 00:03:33.150 this painting that at one point was lying in 00:03:33.150 --> 00:03:37.930 the dumpster. They just did not know what they 00:03:37.930 --> 00:03:43.169 had. Sometimes we are like that with Christ. 00:03:44.030 --> 00:03:49.530 We don't seem to know what we have in Jesus Christ. 00:03:50.409 --> 00:03:55.250 The writer of Hebrews wants you to know of the 00:03:55.250 --> 00:03:59.310 greatness of Christ that surpasses everything 00:03:59.310 --> 00:04:02.590 else and I would say that his main point can 00:04:02.590 --> 00:04:07.090 be summed up in just two words pay attention 00:04:07.090 --> 00:04:12.150 Pay attention For what the author has to say 00:04:12.150 --> 00:04:15.509 is of the utmost importance to ignore such a 00:04:15.509 --> 00:04:22.000 message such a great salvation can prove to be 00:04:22.000 --> 00:04:27.920 deadly. Look at verse 1. My translation begins 00:04:27.920 --> 00:04:30.319 with the word therefore. You may have something 00:04:30.319 --> 00:04:33.779 similar there. What the therefore is doing is 00:04:33.779 --> 00:04:38.860 connecting Hebrews 2 with Hebrews 1. We should 00:04:38.860 --> 00:04:42.339 remember that chapters and verses are added later 00:04:42.339 --> 00:04:46.060 and sometimes we read scripture and we think, 00:04:46.100 --> 00:04:48.939 well, chapter 1 is just one complete thought. 00:04:49.120 --> 00:04:52.740 Chapter two, something different. We should not 00:04:52.740 --> 00:04:56.800 divorce Chapter two and Chapter one. He's continuing 00:04:56.800 --> 00:05:00.680 in the same sort of argument here. And the argument 00:05:00.680 --> 00:05:04.839 is that Christ is greater than everything else 00:05:04.839 --> 00:05:09.360 in all creation, for he created it. And so we 00:05:09.360 --> 00:05:15.079 must pay attention here, as he says. Children. 00:05:16.310 --> 00:05:19.269 You have started back to school recently, you're 00:05:19.269 --> 00:05:23.209 either in school or you're being homeschooled. 00:05:23.410 --> 00:05:26.569 Does your mom or does a teacher ever say to you, 00:05:26.870 --> 00:05:29.310 pay attention? How many times have you heard 00:05:29.310 --> 00:05:33.269 that? Pay attention. Or some of our teenagers 00:05:33.269 --> 00:05:36.329 who have recently gotten driver's license or 00:05:36.329 --> 00:05:38.829 preparing for that, you ever on the road with 00:05:38.829 --> 00:05:40.910 your parents and they're saying, pay attention 00:05:40.910 --> 00:05:44.459 to the road. Because what happens if you don't 00:05:44.459 --> 00:05:48.620 pay attention to the road? Again, it could be 00:05:48.620 --> 00:05:52.199 deadly for you. And so what's he saying here? 00:05:52.740 --> 00:05:55.699 Pay attention. Now, we've already said this, 00:05:55.819 --> 00:06:00.740 that the recipients of this letter are undergoing 00:06:01.050 --> 00:06:05.850 or in danger of undergoing some form of persecution. 00:06:06.110 --> 00:06:09.930 And so as these people may have experienced some 00:06:09.930 --> 00:06:12.050 form of persecution, they might have said, you 00:06:12.050 --> 00:06:16.350 know what, life was better before I came to Christ. 00:06:16.730 --> 00:06:19.350 Life was better before people hated me. Life 00:06:19.350 --> 00:06:22.089 was better before this persecution came upon 00:06:22.089 --> 00:06:25.389 me. And so some of them, perhaps they're thinking 00:06:25.389 --> 00:06:29.649 like, I got I got to leave Christ behind here. 00:06:31.370 --> 00:06:33.850 I don't think that they started off thinking 00:06:33.850 --> 00:06:39.029 this though, but pressures mounted and the shine 00:06:39.029 --> 00:06:42.310 of Christ may have wore off for some of them. 00:06:43.189 --> 00:06:46.009 And I think the Old Testament parallel to this 00:06:46.009 --> 00:06:51.769 is the Israelites getting out of Egypt in the 00:06:51.769 --> 00:06:56.180 wilderness. You remember that, right? They after 00:06:56.180 --> 00:06:59.160 getting out of Egypt after crossing the Red Sea 00:06:59.160 --> 00:07:03.680 in in Exodus chapter 15 There is this incredible 00:07:03.680 --> 00:07:07.199 time of worship and praise to God who is their 00:07:07.199 --> 00:07:12.720 deliverer. I Wish I could have been there But 00:07:12.720 --> 00:07:16.620 what happens after that? What do the Israelites 00:07:16.620 --> 00:07:23.139 start to do after that? I'm hungry. I'm thirsty 00:07:23.579 --> 00:07:27.660 They begin to complain. Now, I'm not belittling 00:07:27.660 --> 00:07:30.319 that because I don't think any of us have ever 00:07:30.319 --> 00:07:33.980 done anything as physically demanding as wandering 00:07:33.980 --> 00:07:37.939 in the wilderness for 40 years. However, remember 00:07:37.939 --> 00:07:41.939 where they were. They were under oppression. 00:07:42.060 --> 00:07:46.180 They were enslaved to the Egyptians. Our memories 00:07:46.180 --> 00:07:51.819 are so short, aren't they? Our memories are short. 00:07:52.199 --> 00:07:55.000 But would they really want to return to slavery? 00:07:55.319 --> 00:07:57.980 Would they really want to go back to that oppression? 00:07:59.759 --> 00:08:03.899 Well, friends, when we neglect our salvation, 00:08:04.839 --> 00:08:09.899 we're kind of saying the same thing. For these 00:08:09.899 --> 00:08:13.220 Christians, abandoning Christ would mean going 00:08:13.220 --> 00:08:17.100 back to the law. Listen to this from Galatians 00:08:17.100 --> 00:08:25.730 chapter 3. Verse 23 Now before faith came we 00:08:25.730 --> 00:08:29.829 were held captive under the law imprisoned until 00:08:29.829 --> 00:08:35.169 the coming faith would be revealed That's kind 00:08:35.169 --> 00:08:37.450 of what they're saying if they are tempted to 00:08:37.450 --> 00:08:41.009 go back They're going back to an old system in 00:08:41.009 --> 00:08:43.389 which they will not thrive in which they will 00:08:43.389 --> 00:08:48.850 fall short every single day of their lives They're 00:08:49.039 --> 00:08:51.799 They're really considering going back to the 00:08:51.799 --> 00:08:54.899 shackles and the chains of being not just under 00:08:54.899 --> 00:09:00.659 the law, but being underneath our sin. Now, I 00:09:00.659 --> 00:09:03.480 want to be very careful here because at this 00:09:03.480 --> 00:09:05.860 point somebody usually says, well, I thought 00:09:05.860 --> 00:09:09.960 you couldn't lose your salvation. And friends, 00:09:10.019 --> 00:09:13.379 that is absolutely true. You cannot lose your 00:09:13.379 --> 00:09:18.940 salvation. God does not. un -regenerate you. 00:09:19.340 --> 00:09:22.899 He doesn't have your old, cold, stony heart on 00:09:22.899 --> 00:09:25.340 a shelf. He doesn't surgically implant it back 00:09:25.340 --> 00:09:29.080 into you. That doesn't happen. So what are we 00:09:29.080 --> 00:09:34.059 talking about here? We are talking about apostasy. 00:09:35.000 --> 00:09:38.399 We are talking about those who previously professed 00:09:38.399 --> 00:09:42.799 faith in Jesus Christ, but now turn their backs 00:09:42.799 --> 00:09:47.500 on that profession. I want to encourage your 00:09:47.500 --> 00:09:50.860 hearts for a second. This is not talking about 00:09:50.860 --> 00:09:53.840 every sin that you commit. This is not talking 00:09:53.840 --> 00:09:56.899 about how we daily sin and thought word indeed. 00:09:57.000 --> 00:10:01.039 This is those who fully and finally turn their 00:10:01.039 --> 00:10:05.159 backs on Jesus Christ. This is the sort of people 00:10:05.159 --> 00:10:10.519 that are described in First John 2 19. First 00:10:10.519 --> 00:10:15.080 John 2 19 says they went out from us. But they 00:10:15.080 --> 00:10:19.159 were not of us, for if they had been of us, they 00:10:19.159 --> 00:10:22.500 would have continued with us. But they went out 00:10:22.500 --> 00:10:26.399 that it might be complained that they all are 00:10:26.399 --> 00:10:29.720 not of us. These are the sort of people that 00:10:29.720 --> 00:10:33.779 we might think never possessed faith in the first 00:10:33.779 --> 00:10:39.240 place. Friends, we are not merely after a profession 00:10:39.240 --> 00:10:43.929 of faith. We are after a possession. of faith. 00:10:44.190 --> 00:10:47.950 You must believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. He 00:10:47.950 --> 00:10:54.009 is the one and the only way to be saved. But 00:10:54.009 --> 00:10:59.350 I also want to say this. I believe that this 00:10:59.350 --> 00:11:04.049 is actually not unique to the recipients of this 00:11:04.049 --> 00:11:08.289 letter. I think that what is described here is 00:11:08.289 --> 00:11:12.370 actually a prevalent problem. This is a prevalent 00:11:12.639 --> 00:11:18.460 problem. And so therefore, this is for all of 00:11:18.460 --> 00:11:22.279 us. And so you've heard the command, pay attention. 00:11:22.600 --> 00:11:28.419 Now look at the warning. Lest we drift away from 00:11:28.419 --> 00:11:33.720 it. Have you had the experience of standing in 00:11:33.720 --> 00:11:38.799 the ocean on a beautiful day? Maybe you're playing 00:11:38.799 --> 00:11:41.360 in the water with your children. Maybe you're 00:11:41.360 --> 00:11:43.559 throwing a football around. Maybe you're floating 00:11:43.559 --> 00:11:47.039 on a raft. And it's just the kind of day that 00:11:47.039 --> 00:11:50.740 summers are made out of. But then you take a 00:11:50.740 --> 00:11:54.840 look at the shore and you realize that you have 00:11:54.840 --> 00:11:59.539 drifted. Maybe you're a dozen yards away from 00:11:59.539 --> 00:12:01.320 where you originally entered the water. Maybe 00:12:01.320 --> 00:12:04.889 you're further than that. The sudden drift is 00:12:04.889 --> 00:12:07.370 what is so surprising. And so what do you do? 00:12:07.470 --> 00:12:10.509 You're in the water. You realize, hey, our stuff's 00:12:10.509 --> 00:12:12.470 over there. And so what do you do? You get the 00:12:12.470 --> 00:12:13.990 children or whoever's in the water with you. 00:12:14.169 --> 00:12:17.950 Let's move back this way so that we are in front 00:12:17.950 --> 00:12:23.250 of our beach towels and our chairs. You wave 00:12:23.250 --> 00:12:26.090 hi to mom. You assure her that all is well. And 00:12:26.090 --> 00:12:30.279 you continue playing. Friends, it's the gradual 00:12:30.279 --> 00:12:32.860 currents that are surprising. I'm not describing 00:12:32.860 --> 00:12:37.759 a rip current. I'm describing drift here. And 00:12:37.759 --> 00:12:40.659 so sometimes without really realizing it, we 00:12:40.659 --> 00:12:46.059 drift. And then when the storm arises, we are 00:12:46.059 --> 00:12:50.519 very far from the shore. Rick Phillips says here, 00:12:50.639 --> 00:12:54.580 there is a danger, the writer argues, and there's 00:12:54.580 --> 00:12:57.730 also a remedy. To avoid drifting off course, 00:12:57.870 --> 00:13:01.649 you hold the wheel of the ship in line. To avoid 00:13:01.649 --> 00:13:05.230 slipping out with a current, you make fast the 00:13:05.230 --> 00:13:09.629 anchor. You see, drifting, what's being described 00:13:09.629 --> 00:13:14.210 here, is not making a beeline from your faith. 00:13:15.870 --> 00:13:19.149 Let's say Christ is the boat. Drifting is not 00:13:19.149 --> 00:13:22.649 jumping overboard. Drifting doesn't take a lot 00:13:22.649 --> 00:13:26.139 of effort. It's simply putting your feet up on 00:13:26.139 --> 00:13:31.019 the raft and slowly floating away. Drifting is 00:13:31.019 --> 00:13:34.419 being careless with your faith, not being aware 00:13:34.419 --> 00:13:36.899 of your surroundings and then suddenly finding 00:13:36.899 --> 00:13:41.600 you are not where you once were. Because notice 00:13:41.600 --> 00:13:45.039 the wording of this, even in verse three, how 00:13:45.039 --> 00:13:51.340 shall we escape if we neglect, if we ignore such 00:13:51.340 --> 00:13:57.539 a great salvation. O Palmer Robertson says this, 00:13:58.240 --> 00:14:01.500 just as you might be towed away imperceptibly 00:14:01.500 --> 00:14:06.080 from the ocean shore by a receding tide, so the 00:14:06.080 --> 00:14:09.460 distance between yourself and Christ may increase 00:14:09.460 --> 00:14:15.899 without your ever noticing the change. Doesn't 00:14:15.899 --> 00:14:18.860 take a lot of effort to drift. Would you like 00:14:18.860 --> 00:14:22.970 to know what takes effort? It is your growth 00:14:22.970 --> 00:14:27.769 in Christ. He is your anchor. And here is where 00:14:27.769 --> 00:14:32.169 I think it's helpful for us to go over two theological 00:14:32.169 --> 00:14:35.269 terms that you have surely heard of, justification 00:14:35.269 --> 00:14:38.889 and sanctification. Justification is the moment 00:14:38.889 --> 00:14:43.250 when God pardons our sins and accepts us as righteous 00:14:43.250 --> 00:14:47.070 in His sight through Christ Jesus. It's the one 00:14:47.070 --> 00:14:53.340 and done. But what about sanctification? This 00:14:53.340 --> 00:14:55.899 is a work wherein we are enabled more and more 00:14:55.899 --> 00:14:59.120 to die unto sin and live unto righteousness. 00:14:59.379 --> 00:15:01.940 It's like Paul writes, Paul at one point says, 00:15:02.399 --> 00:15:06.080 work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 00:15:06.460 --> 00:15:08.580 And sometimes we read that and we think, wait 00:15:08.580 --> 00:15:12.080 a second, I thought faith in Christ was monergistic. 00:15:12.360 --> 00:15:16.559 How can this say work out your salvation? The 00:15:16.559 --> 00:15:18.840 problem is that people don't continue reading. 00:15:19.950 --> 00:15:25.190 For Paul continues to explain For it is God who 00:15:25.190 --> 00:15:29.669 works in you both to will and to work for his 00:15:29.669 --> 00:15:33.610 good pleasure And so do you hear who is working 00:15:33.610 --> 00:15:40.350 within that passage? It is God and It's us. I'm 00:15:40.350 --> 00:15:43.470 not talking about justification. I'm talking 00:15:43.470 --> 00:15:48.049 about sanctification And so how do we work in 00:15:48.049 --> 00:15:51.110 sanctification? Well, God has given us his means 00:15:51.110 --> 00:15:55.450 of grace. Sanctification means feeding your faith 00:15:55.450 --> 00:15:59.450 with the word, with worship, with the sacraments. 00:15:59.549 --> 00:16:03.590 In these things you are growing. But friends, 00:16:03.629 --> 00:16:08.950 if you are not feeding your faith, you are not 00:16:08.950 --> 00:16:15.779 growing and you may be drifting. Friends, You 00:16:15.779 --> 00:16:20.580 can be right here right now in this sanctuary 00:16:20.580 --> 00:16:24.860 You can attend every Sunday school every men 00:16:24.860 --> 00:16:28.700 of the Covenant every women in the church every 00:16:28.700 --> 00:16:31.720 Vacation Bible school every table talk every 00:16:31.720 --> 00:16:34.519 prayer meeting you can attend every single one 00:16:34.519 --> 00:16:41.080 of these things and Your heart be far away We 00:16:41.080 --> 00:16:46.809 need to feed our faith truly and not be neglectful, 00:16:47.470 --> 00:16:51.129 not be careless of our faith, not just be going 00:16:51.129 --> 00:16:58.570 through the motions. And so what is it? Why do 00:16:58.570 --> 00:17:03.830 we drift? I've been thinking about this for a 00:17:03.830 --> 00:17:07.529 long time. I heard a term just a couple of years 00:17:07.529 --> 00:17:10.710 ago and I have not been able to stop thinking 00:17:10.710 --> 00:17:12.750 about it and I know I've shared it before, but 00:17:12.750 --> 00:17:17.680 it's pertinent. One of the biggest problems in 00:17:17.680 --> 00:17:22.420 Christianity today is apotheism. We are apathetic 00:17:22.420 --> 00:17:27.299 to Christ. We are apathetic to his word. We are 00:17:27.299 --> 00:17:30.059 apathetic to what we're doing right here. We've 00:17:30.059 --> 00:17:32.960 developed an apathy to prayer. We've developed 00:17:32.960 --> 00:17:36.099 an apathy to evangelism and missions, and we 00:17:36.099 --> 00:17:39.920 have developed slowly the mindset that these 00:17:39.920 --> 00:17:43.109 things just are not that important. Friends, 00:17:43.269 --> 00:17:49.130 nothing could be further from the truth. But 00:17:49.130 --> 00:17:52.470 I also think it didn't start out as a deliberate 00:17:52.470 --> 00:17:56.650 decision. I don't think a person starts out saying, 00:17:56.690 --> 00:18:01.730 you know what? I'm gonna neglect God today. You 00:18:01.730 --> 00:18:04.470 know what? I'm gonna break my membership vows 00:18:04.470 --> 00:18:09.069 today. You know what? I'm going to forget about 00:18:09.069 --> 00:18:12.299 loving my neighbor. I don't think it goes like 00:18:12.299 --> 00:18:16.119 that. I don't see it as a conscious decision 00:18:16.119 --> 00:18:18.220 that any Christian would make. Again, it's not 00:18:18.220 --> 00:18:21.619 jumping overboard, but it's being apathetic. 00:18:21.980 --> 00:18:25.799 That all of the cares and the concerns of this 00:18:25.799 --> 00:18:29.440 world crowd out Jesus and we realize that we 00:18:29.440 --> 00:18:34.240 are far away from safety. And so look at verse 00:18:34.240 --> 00:18:40.900 three. How shall we escape if we neglect? such 00:18:40.900 --> 00:18:45.859 a great salvation. Do you see how pastoral the 00:18:45.859 --> 00:18:48.839 writer is here? Because what does he do? He lumps 00:18:48.839 --> 00:18:55.079 himself into this group. Therefore, we must pay 00:18:55.079 --> 00:18:58.240 close attention to what we have heard, lest we 00:18:58.240 --> 00:19:01.500 drift away from it. How shall we escape if we 00:19:01.500 --> 00:19:05.339 neglect such a great salvation? He lumps himself 00:19:05.339 --> 00:19:10.160 in here as if to say, I need this to I need to 00:19:10.160 --> 00:19:14.500 preach the gospel to myself every single day 00:19:14.500 --> 00:19:18.700 lest I drift. And so as he lumps himself in here 00:19:18.700 --> 00:19:22.640 I can say this for every single soul within the 00:19:22.640 --> 00:19:28.039 sanctuary. We need this. We need to pay attention. 00:19:29.839 --> 00:19:33.380 Because look at verse three as as this is a rhetorical 00:19:33.380 --> 00:19:37.069 question. Look how he has asked the questions 00:19:37.069 --> 00:19:40.390 and answered the questions so far in the book 00:19:40.390 --> 00:19:44.809 of Hebrews. Chapter one, verse five, rhetorical 00:19:44.809 --> 00:19:47.390 question answered in the negative. He says he 00:19:47.390 --> 00:19:50.869 asks for to which of the angels did God ever 00:19:50.869 --> 00:19:53.710 say, you are my son today, I begotten you. And 00:19:53.710 --> 00:19:56.990 the implied answer is none. He never said that 00:19:56.990 --> 00:20:00.789 to an angel. Or again, I will be to him a father 00:20:00.789 --> 00:20:03.349 and he shall be to me a son. To which angel has 00:20:03.349 --> 00:20:07.559 he ever said that to none of them? Verse 13 of 00:20:07.559 --> 00:20:10.200 chapter one, and to which of the angels has he 00:20:10.200 --> 00:20:13.680 ever said, sit at my right hand until I make 00:20:13.680 --> 00:20:16.039 your enemies a footstool for your feet. To which 00:20:16.039 --> 00:20:18.279 angel has he ever said this? He has not said 00:20:18.279 --> 00:20:20.700 this to the angels. He has said this to Christ. 00:20:22.039 --> 00:20:24.119 And so when we get to the rhetorical question 00:20:24.119 --> 00:20:27.440 of chapter two, verse three, how shall we escape 00:20:27.440 --> 00:20:30.940 if we neglect such a great salvation? The implied 00:20:30.940 --> 00:20:38.690 answer is you won't. will not escape. There is 00:20:38.690 --> 00:20:45.190 no escape. For there is no backup plan. There 00:20:45.190 --> 00:20:50.670 is no other way for you to be saved. It is Christ 00:20:50.670 --> 00:20:56.450 and it is Christ alone. Friends, you abandon 00:20:56.450 --> 00:21:00.410 Christ, you have abandoned your faith. As Paul 00:21:00.410 --> 00:21:02.970 would say, you have shipwrecked your faith and 00:21:02.970 --> 00:21:05.670 there's no coming back for that. For there is 00:21:05.670 --> 00:21:08.130 no other way to be saved. And so I think what 00:21:08.130 --> 00:21:10.710 he's getting at here is eternal punishment. And 00:21:10.710 --> 00:21:13.150 actually this is a big theme in Hebrews because 00:21:13.150 --> 00:21:16.289 this is the first of five different warnings 00:21:16.289 --> 00:21:19.750 to those who profess faith in Christ and yet 00:21:19.750 --> 00:21:23.490 turn back. Let me show you this from chapter 00:21:23.490 --> 00:21:30.769 10 verse 29. How much worse punishment do you 00:21:30.769 --> 00:21:34.509 think will be deserved by the one who has trampled 00:21:34.509 --> 00:21:37.829 underfoot the Son of God and has profaned the 00:21:37.829 --> 00:21:40.569 blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified 00:21:40.569 --> 00:21:45.710 and has outraged the spirit of grace. The idea 00:21:45.710 --> 00:21:48.250 here is, friends, for those who have heard the 00:21:48.250 --> 00:21:51.150 gospel, for those who have professed faith in 00:21:51.150 --> 00:21:53.789 Jesus and yet would turn their backs on Christ, 00:21:54.130 --> 00:21:58.109 that those people are heaping judgment upon themselves. 00:21:58.390 --> 00:22:01.730 For it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands 00:22:01.730 --> 00:22:05.970 of the living God. And so we must give ourselves 00:22:05.970 --> 00:22:11.109 to this great salvation. And so let's thirdly 00:22:11.109 --> 00:22:15.289 look at his rationale. Why is this salvation 00:22:15.289 --> 00:22:21.130 so great? Look at verse two. For since the message 00:22:21.130 --> 00:22:25.130 declared by angels proved to be reliable. All 00:22:25.130 --> 00:22:27.210 right, so once again, just like in chapter one, 00:22:27.230 --> 00:22:29.750 we see the angels making an appearance here. 00:22:29.990 --> 00:22:32.960 But we may ask, What is the message that he's 00:22:32.960 --> 00:22:37.079 talking about? Friends, this is the message of 00:22:37.079 --> 00:22:41.480 the law, the mosaic law, the 10 commandments. 00:22:42.180 --> 00:22:44.339 But here is where you might think back to Exodus 00:22:44.339 --> 00:22:46.460 20 towards the giving of those commandments. 00:22:46.500 --> 00:22:49.019 And you say, where were the angels? As I read 00:22:49.019 --> 00:22:52.839 that episode, I don't see the angels. Well, friends, 00:22:52.859 --> 00:22:55.400 it is true when you read Exodus chapter 20, you 00:22:55.400 --> 00:22:58.259 don't see the mention of the angels, but scripture 00:22:58.259 --> 00:23:01.980 interprets scripture. And so listen to these 00:23:01.980 --> 00:23:05.980 passages to hear of the angels within the giving 00:23:05.980 --> 00:23:12.099 of the law. Acts chapter seven, verse 38, and 00:23:12.099 --> 00:23:15.099 I'm dropping you right down into the middle of 00:23:15.099 --> 00:23:17.640 Stephen's sermon, and I don't have time to cover 00:23:17.640 --> 00:23:20.819 it all, but just listen for the angels' involvement 00:23:20.819 --> 00:23:23.900 in the giving of the law. Acts seven, 38, this 00:23:23.900 --> 00:23:27.690 is the one. who was in the congregation in the 00:23:27.690 --> 00:23:31.670 wilderness with the angel who spoke to him at 00:23:31.670 --> 00:23:36.690 Mount Sinai. And then on down to verse 53 of 00:23:36.690 --> 00:23:41.329 that same chapter, you who received the law as 00:23:41.329 --> 00:23:45.730 delivered by angels and did not keep it. And 00:23:45.730 --> 00:23:48.210 then because we've already been in Galatians, 00:23:48.509 --> 00:23:53.250 let me take you to Galatians 3 19. Which says 00:23:53.250 --> 00:23:58.490 why then the law it was added because of transgressions 00:23:58.490 --> 00:24:01.990 Until the offspring should come to whom the promise 00:24:01.990 --> 00:24:05.470 had been made and it was put in place through 00:24:05.470 --> 00:24:12.789 angels by an intermediary Yes, the angels were 00:24:12.789 --> 00:24:16.289 involved in the giving of the law and the message 00:24:16.289 --> 00:24:18.869 that they give that they gave according to this 00:24:18.869 --> 00:24:23.490 text proved to be reliable But also notice this, 00:24:23.730 --> 00:24:27.170 that there is just retribution for the breaking 00:24:27.170 --> 00:24:29.809 of these things. We remember that in the Old 00:24:29.809 --> 00:24:32.690 Testament at times there was severe punishment 00:24:32.690 --> 00:24:35.349 for the breaking of the law. There was death 00:24:35.349 --> 00:24:38.569 in the Old Testament for these things. And so 00:24:38.569 --> 00:24:41.190 what the writer of Hebrews is doing is arguing 00:24:41.190 --> 00:24:47.309 from the lesser to the greater. Angels? Good. 00:24:48.430 --> 00:24:54.400 Law? Good. Christ? greater. And if you deserved 00:24:54.400 --> 00:24:57.640 punishment for disobeying the lesser law through 00:24:57.640 --> 00:25:00.920 lesser means, how much more does one deserve 00:25:00.920 --> 00:25:05.440 punishment for rejecting Christ, who is the author 00:25:05.440 --> 00:25:10.380 and the perfecter of our faith? John Calvin said 00:25:10.380 --> 00:25:13.160 here, in proportion to the greatness of Christ 00:25:13.160 --> 00:25:17.319 will be the severity of God's vengeance on all 00:25:17.319 --> 00:25:21.460 the despisers of the gospel. You see what's happening 00:25:21.460 --> 00:25:25.099 in verse three is it shows us the Lord declared 00:25:25.099 --> 00:25:29.539 this message by preaching it. Jesus preached 00:25:29.539 --> 00:25:32.319 the gospel, the good news, and his followers 00:25:32.319 --> 00:25:36.019 continued sharing that message all the way until 00:25:36.019 --> 00:25:38.519 it reached the ears of the author of the book 00:25:38.519 --> 00:25:41.759 of Hebrews. But he also bore witness through 00:25:41.759 --> 00:25:45.539 signs, it says, and wonders and miracles. And 00:25:45.539 --> 00:25:48.680 he didn't do this to show off. He did this to 00:25:48.680 --> 00:25:53.099 signify his message that even the gifts of the 00:25:53.099 --> 00:25:57.339 Spirit are for this purpose. And what is more, 00:25:57.380 --> 00:26:00.279 as you look at verses three and four, do they 00:26:00.279 --> 00:26:04.480 not show the involvement of the entire Godhead? 00:26:05.200 --> 00:26:07.819 Verses three and four show us the Father, the 00:26:07.819 --> 00:26:11.640 Son, and the Holy Spirit were all working together 00:26:11.640 --> 00:26:16.599 and attesting to the message of the gospel. Dennis 00:26:16.599 --> 00:26:20.990 Johnson says, a four -fold concert of witnesses, 00:26:21.430 --> 00:26:25.130 the Lord Jesus Christ, His apostles, God the 00:26:25.130 --> 00:26:28.109 Father testifying through the miracles, and the 00:26:28.109 --> 00:26:31.950 Holy Spirit empowering the church certifies the 00:26:31.950 --> 00:26:34.450 message of salvation announced in these last 00:26:34.450 --> 00:26:38.589 days. Those who taste this good word of God but 00:26:38.589 --> 00:26:42.269 then drift away will not escape the destruction 00:26:42.269 --> 00:26:45.529 that awaits those who commit treason against 00:26:45.529 --> 00:26:52.230 the Lord of the Covenant. And so let me ask you, 00:26:52.470 --> 00:27:00.349 friends. Do you know what you have in Jesus Christ? 00:27:01.250 --> 00:27:05.230 More accurately, do you know who you have in 00:27:05.230 --> 00:27:08.970 the Lord Jesus Christ? Do you know what you have 00:27:08.970 --> 00:27:13.049 in this great salvation? Do you know what Christ 00:27:13.049 --> 00:27:17.950 went through to purchase you? That He lived for 00:27:17.950 --> 00:27:21.720 you? and he kept the law perfectly and he underwent 00:27:21.720 --> 00:27:24.380 all of the miseries of this life and finally 00:27:24.380 --> 00:27:27.759 he was placed on a cross and all of the punishment, 00:27:27.980 --> 00:27:31.119 all of the full wrath of God was placed upon 00:27:31.119 --> 00:27:38.000 Jesus instead of upon you. Do you know the great 00:27:38.000 --> 00:27:44.420 salvation that you have in Christ? He is the 00:27:44.420 --> 00:27:49.849 Son of God perfect in every way. And on the cross, 00:27:50.269 --> 00:27:56.029 He welcomed your and my unrighteousness, and 00:27:56.029 --> 00:28:00.130 what was imputed to you was His righteousness. 00:28:01.650 --> 00:28:07.109 He did this for you. It is a great salvation, 00:28:07.250 --> 00:28:12.769 isn't it? Today, if you're trying to hold your 00:28:12.769 --> 00:28:16.609 feet firm in the sand with the water coming upon 00:28:16.609 --> 00:28:20.099 you, If today you're clinging to the dock of 00:28:20.099 --> 00:28:23.059 your own self -righteousness, white -knuckling 00:28:23.059 --> 00:28:26.019 it, if you are attempting to stay on course all 00:28:26.019 --> 00:28:28.500 by yourself, I can tell you one thing, it is 00:28:28.500 --> 00:28:31.400 not going well for you. It is not going well 00:28:31.400 --> 00:28:34.660 for you. If you're simply floating through life 00:28:34.660 --> 00:28:38.400 without a care of Christ or his means of grace, 00:28:38.700 --> 00:28:42.880 you are going to drift off course. You are going 00:28:42.880 --> 00:28:45.900 to get pulled under. And so would you recognize 00:28:47.279 --> 00:28:52.319 Would you recognize the danger now and the means 00:28:52.319 --> 00:28:56.400 that God has given for you to draw closer to 00:28:56.400 --> 00:29:01.579 Him? If you are drifting, I have just two scriptures 00:29:01.579 --> 00:29:05.400 to share with you and then I'll close. I would 00:29:05.400 --> 00:29:09.160 like you to memorize James 4 -8. Draw near to 00:29:09.160 --> 00:29:13.799 God and He will draw near to you. And then finally 00:29:13.799 --> 00:29:19.220 Psalm 51. David's prayer of repentance created 00:29:19.220 --> 00:29:22.880 me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit 00:29:22.880 --> 00:29:26.599 within me. Cast me not away from your presence 00:29:26.599 --> 00:29:30.319 and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore 00:29:30.319 --> 00:29:35.079 to me the joy of your salvation and uphold me 00:29:35.079 --> 00:29:43.779 with a willing spirit. Amen. Let's pray. Father, 00:29:43.859 --> 00:29:48.190 I thank you. that if we are clinging to you, 00:29:49.049 --> 00:29:52.609 you are clinging even more tightly to us. And 00:29:52.609 --> 00:29:56.450 I thank you that within your grasp, we will not 00:29:56.450 --> 00:30:00.349 be lost. For all that the Father has given to 00:30:00.349 --> 00:30:03.769 you will not be lost. We are adopted in your 00:30:03.769 --> 00:30:08.589 family, we're justified, but Lord, help us to 00:30:08.589 --> 00:30:12.269 take this command and this warning to heart that 00:30:12.269 --> 00:30:15.839 we would not drift from you. Keep us tightly 00:30:15.839 --> 00:30:19.200 within your grip and help us to give ourselves 00:30:19.200 --> 00:30:23.339 to your means of grace. These things we ask in 00:30:23.339 --> 00:30:26.019 the name of the one who is our salvation, Jesus 00:30:26.019 --> 00:30:27.400 Christ. Amen.