I asked Neil to read that scripture
as I was reading it this past week, just reading it. And verse 24 came to my eyes. Therefore, whosoever heareth
these sayings of mine, doeth them. I will liken him unto a wise
man which built his house upon a rock. I was thinking back on the message
last Sunday morning, considering keeping the commandments
of God, the Lord, and knowing that there is not one person
save for the Lord Jesus Christ that has ever, in word, thought
and deed, been perfectly obedient. You know that. God's people are
striving after obedience. Someone says, What's the commandments
of God? I think about when Mary came
to the Lord at Cana of Galilee at the wedding, and she said,
We're out of wine. And He said, Woman, what have
I to do with thee? And do you remember what she
told the folks? She says, whatever he says, do
it. When we look in the Scriptures
and we behold these sayings, these words of our Lord, I'll
tell you this, only a believer will admit the will is present with me.
how to accomplish that which I would, I find not. But there's
a striving after obedience to God's people. OK. Turn with me to Hebrews 2.
Let's look at the Scriptures for a few minutes. Hebrews chapter
2. In chapter 1, when we're coming
right up, I'm going to look at verses, Lord willing, 1 to 4. But in chapter 1, we had heard
that God who had sundry times and divers manners spake in time
past unto the fathers by the prophets. He hath in these last
days spoken unto us by son. Who the Scriptures reveal in
verse 2 is the appointed heir of all things by whom the worlds
were made. Verse 3 says, He is the brightness
of God's glory, express image of His person. He opposes all
things by the word of His power. Having purged the sins of His
people, the Scripture sets forth that He sat down on the right
hand of the majesty and high. Verse 4 told us that He is made
so much better than the angels by inheritance. By that which
God has given him as the Son of Man, he has obtained a more
excellent name than they, the angels. All the angels worship him. Verse 8, the Father acknowledged
him as God. His eternal reign is established
in righteousness. He's the Anointed One with the
oil of gladness above His fellows. Verse 12 says, as a vesture concerning
this creation, He's going to fold it up. They're going to
be changed, but not Him. He never changes. Now, these truths that we've
considered in that first chapter establish the exhortation that
we have tonight in Hebrews 2. Verse 1 says, Therefore, based
on what we have heard and read and studied and considered in
that first chapter, therefore, we ought to give the more earnest
heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should
let them slip. From the final spokesman of God,
the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Because He is the One that has
spoken, how needful How important, how
imperative it is for these things to be
in our remembrance. I read those words and I think
to myself, even as I'm just thinking right now, I'm thinking, Lord,
by Your Spirit, bring these things to my memory. calls me to give an earnest heed, an earnest heed, super abundantly given consideration. That's what that means, super
abundantly. We ought, it is necessary, we
must, this is not just good advice. It's just not a fleeting... We ought to give the more earnest
heed to the things which we've heard. To hear and not give heed
is dangerous. Eternally dangerous. Our hearing must be prayerful when we come to assemble ourselves together. God forbid that we should assemble
ourselves together and not ask the Lord to bless the hearing.
God forbid that I should stand in a pulpit and not ask the Lord
to bless the preaching. God forbid. To stand up and just,
as I've said before, I've got a set of notes right here. I've
gone over them. I've written them. I've rewritten
them. I rewrote them today. God forbid that I should stand
up here and think that just because I have a set of consistent notes,
that that necessarily secures the fact that God's going to
bless it. I've said before, I can I can't,
but somebody probably could train a parrot to probably quote Scripture. It's not by our ability. We pray this evening that God
Almighty bless His Word. We ought to give the more earnest
heed, lest at any time we should let them slip. Now, there's two
Let me read you what the literal of that is. For this reason it
is needful for us more abundantly to take heed to the things having
been heard that we should not slip away. That was the literal
of that. But also, there is a meaning
that could also say this, lest we let slip the things which
we have heard. by nature, we are so prone to let slip the
things that we hear. So often when someone will ask
me a question, and I know it's something I preached on, and
they'll say, you know, so-and-so, a passage of Scripture. And I'm
thinking to myself, oh man, I've got to go look that up again.
I'll tell them. Give me a little bit. Let me
look it up. I'm so sorry. And I'm thinking, this is words
of imperative thought. And I'm so prone to let them
slip. But I know this assuredly that
if He doesn't keep me, if He doesn't give me a heart to give
a more earnest heed to the things that I've heard, if He doesn't
keep me, I'll slip. I'll walk away. I'll leave. turn and show you Scriptures
where there were some." And He was talking about it and the
Scriptures referred to Him and said there were disciples. They
were followers. And as the Lord began to preach
and He set forth and He told them these wonderful truths of
God's sovereign grace. No man can come unto Me unless
it were given unto Him of My Father. No man can come. No man
has the ability. No man Without Me, you can do
nothing." And it said, and some of them heard those sayings,
and they said, you know, that's a hard saying. Who can hear that? And it said,
and they followed Him no more. He turned to the disciples and
He said, would you go away also? Peter said, Lord, where are we
going to go? You have the words of eternal life. And we're sure
that you're the Christ. You know the difference in those
two? The grace of God. But for the grace of God, anybody
in this room will walk away. You'll walk away. And you'll
justify it. You will justify leaving. You'll be right in your mind. We ought to give the more earnest
heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should
let them slip. God Almighty must keep us. Now unto Him that is able to
keep you from falling and present you faultless before the presence
of His glory with exceeding joy. For if, verse 2, the word spoken
by angels was steadfast, And every transgression and disobedience
received a just recompense of reward." And I'll just stop right
there, and we'll go into the next verse in a second. But it's
a continuance in verse 3 of what the thought. But here's, "...if
the word spoken by angels was steadfast." Now, what we're about
to consider is something that we're We're going to have to
just say that this is what the Scripture says. And we're going
to take God's Word against our own. If we're wise, we'll take
His Word against us. If the Word is spoken by angels, the Scripture bears out that
at the giving of the law, on Sinai. Almighty God was pleased to use
the medium of angels and the attending of their ranks. Their ranks were there at the
giving of the law. Now let me make good on what
I'm saying. What I'm saying is, and I'm going
to set forth what the Scripture sets forth. And I'll tell you
like old Robert Hawker says sometimes. He said, let me set forth what
the Scripture says. And he said, I'll trust the Spirit
of God to give us understanding on it. In Psalm 68, verse 17,
here's what the Scripture says. The chariots of God are 20,000,
even thousands of angels. The Lord is among them as in
Sinai in the holy place." Now from that scripture we know
that myriads of angels were present. at the giving of the law. And
the scripture sets forth, and the Lord is among them in their
midst, as in Sinai. Now I want you to turn to Acts
7, verse 52. Acts 7, verse 52 and 53. Acts 7, verse 52 and
53. Which of the prophets have not
your fathers persecuted? And they have slain them which
showed before of the coming of the just one, of whom ye have
been now the betrayers and murderers, who received the law by the disposition
of angels, and have not kept it." The word disposition, it actually
means the instrumentality or by the medium or by the arrangement
of. Galatians chapter 3 verse 19,
Wherefore, then serveth the law. It was added because of transgressions
till the seed should come to whom the promise was made And
it was ordained by angels in the hands of a mediator. I looked up ordained by. It means through the channel
of. So this is what we know. And
I'm going to go back down to Hebrews 2 too in just a second.
But we know that the law was given by God Almighty. You know that. It was the Lord
Himself, God Almighty, by His finger wrote the law in tables of stone, tablets
of stone. When He wrote that law, He was pleased to use or have
in the midst The instrumentality of angels. That was his good
pleasure. I can, I can sit here and I can,
I can read these words and I can tell you when it says by the
disposition in Acts 7, by the disposition of angels, I can
tell you what that word means. It means by the instrumentality. I can tell you that Psalm 68,
17 says the chariots of God are 20,000, even thousands of angels.
The Lord's among them as in Sinai in the holy place. I know that the law was added
because of the transgressions till the seed should come to
whom the promise was made and it was ordained by or through
the channel of. Now, you see why I'm saying that
Let me set forth what the Scripture says, and I pray the Spirit of
God give us some understanding. But back here in Hebrews 2.2, this is exactly what the Word
of God says. For if the word spoken by angels
was steadfast, and that's the law, and every transgression
and disobedience received a just recompense of reward, If the words spoken by or through,
here again, and I'm not using these words, I'm being very,
very careful what I say because I don't want to say anything
that I can't back up with, you know, a good Greek dictionary
trying to be a sensitive. I wouldn't stand here Mark can
say something knowingly wrong. If I knew that I had said something
knowingly, said something, and it was inconsistent, I'll be
the first to apologize to you, and I'll be the first to come
back and just say I was wrong on that. But I'm telling you
what the words set forth. If the word spoken by angels
was steadfast, was firm, was sure, and every transgression
outward act of rebellion and disobedience, inward act of the
heart, received a just recompensive reward. That is to say, if the
word spoken through or among angels is firm and sure and every
violation in word, thought and deed shall receive its just due. If one point, if you offend in
one point of the law, the Scripture says you're guilty of all of
it. If the words spoken by angels
were steadfast and every transgression and disobedience received a just
recompense of reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great
salvation? Let's just look at that part
first. How shall we escape if we neglect Christ? So great salvation as He is set
forth in the Holy Scriptures. If we neglect, if we're careless,
you make light of, or you're negligent with. So great salvation. Well, you know, when we read
those words, so great salvation, think of the demand of God's
law. The law of God demands absolute
strict obedience and the absolute strictest continuance in that
law. No deviation. Man, I think about
people that talk about something that they've done in order to
establish their salvation. They walk down an aisle. Listen,
listen, listen. If there was one deviation in
your attitude, in your commitment, if you ever deviate, if you ever
deviate, In word, thought or deed, anything. That walking
down the aisle, all that means is that you went anywhere from
about 3 feet to 40 feet. That absolutely means nothing. The law does not deviate. Absolute death, inflexible in
its demands. And there was no remittance of
any of its penalty. The soul that sins, it dies. Hebrews 10, 28 says, He that
despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses. So what does it mean when we
read the words, so great salvation? If the word spoken by angels,
if the word administered, if the word given among or given
in the midst of or with the myriads of angels when God Almighty at
Sinai in the holiness of His being wrote, gave the law, that
law. If that law was steadfast and
every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of
reward, how shall we escape? If you make light of, if you
neglect, if you're negligent with, So great salvation. That salvation set forth in the
gospel of God, the gospel of Christ, the gospel of God's grace
shown to God's people, the elect of God. That great salvation
that's manifested in the Scriptures that reveals the Lord Jesus Christ
to be the author and finisher of our faith. That's so great
salvation that sets forth that this law, that every transgression
and disobedience that received a just, recompensive reward,
that's so great salvation that was satisfied, satisfied that
law for a people that was everlastingly loved. One way. He said, I am the way. I'm the life, I'm the truth.
No man comes to the Father but by me. How are you going to escape? That salvation which at the first
began to be spoken by the Lord. The essential Word of God. The first gospel preacher, first gospel preacher, the Word Himself first. You say, well, I thought, man,
there wasn't preachers before the Lord Jesus Christ got here. Before Abraham was, I am. The Gospel was first spoken by
the Word Himself, God Himself. It was the Word Himself that
spoke to Adam and Eve, who at the first. It was the Word Himself
that preached to Noah. God's only spoken in His Son. God speaks by Christ. all the prophets, it was the
Lord. He came into this world, declared
Himself to be the One of whom the Scriptures spoke. That's
what He told the two on the road to Emmaus. He is the revelation. Look at
Luke 4, verse 16. He came into this world, Luke
chapter 4. One day he was in the synagogue
and they asked him to read the Scriptures. Luke 4.16. He came to Nazareth where he
had been brought up and as his custom was. Now you think about
this, where he had been brought up. They watched this boy. That's Mary and Joseph's boy. I think they call him Jesus. He's got some brothers and sisters.
We know them. We know their family. His dad
is a carpenter. He came to Nazareth where he
had been brought up. And as his custom was, he went
into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up for it to read. And there was delivered unto
him the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when he had opened the book,
he found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord
is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the
poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted,
to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight
to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised. Preach
the acceptable year of the Lord. Now you remember this. He was
reading out of the Old Testament. He was reading out of Isaiah.
He was reading this in the present. And he closed the book and he
gave it again to the minister and he sat down and the eyes
of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.
And he began to say unto them, this day is this scripture fulfilled
in your ears. and all bear him witness and
wonder that the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth.
And they said, is not this Joseph's son? How shall we escape if we neglect
so great salvation which at the first began to be spoken by the
Lord to Adam and Eve and Abraham and Noah and all the prophets,
Moses, and then in time Like that Word was made flesh. It
was always there. His Word was made flesh. And the Scripture says He came
preaching. And that which was spoken by
the Lord was confirmed unto us by them that heard Him. God,
verse 4, bearing them witness, The Lord God of Heaven confirmed
the preaching and the work of the Messiah by those who were
eyewitnesses. That's what the apostles said.
John says, I touched Him. I've handled the Word of Life.
Walked with Him. I saw Him. I was there. I was there. I saw Him take five loaves and
two fish He fed 5,000 men, women and children, plus the women
and children. I saw Him. I saw Him walk on
water. I saw Him. Those that the Lord used as true
witnesses had no other reason to be witnesses except for His
glory and honor. He cost all of them their life. They exposed themselves by God's
grace, power to persecution. So there was no earthly reason
for Him to be His witness. There's no reason tonight. I
mean, this gospel that we preach The gospel of free grace is the
most unpopular religious to the world. This is the most unpopular
religious preaching they can possibly think of. But to you
that believe, this is the power of God unto salvation. And the Lord bore witness to
those who bore witness to Christ in this way. God bearing them
witness both with signs and wonders and divers, miracles and gifts
of the Holy Ghost according to His will." That's a question
mark right there. It starts off in verse 3. That's
where it's a question. Verse 3 and 4, that's why there's
a question mark there. He bore witness with them, signs
of His gracious presence with them, wonders beyond the power
of any man to be able to perform. Diver's miracles, these mighty
works and gifts of the Holy Spirit, they bore witness of Him. Not like the workings of Satan,
these false people nowadays, they're claiming that these miracles
are still in existence. You know, I don't see like Peter that raised his, was
it his mother-in-law that God raised from the dead by Peter? Was it Peter and James that walked
up into that temple and that beggar was sitting there Lame. Lame. Asking alms. These two preachers came up. Peter said, look on us. Silver
and gold have I none, but such as I have given unto thee. In
the name of Jesus of Nazareth, rise up and walk. There are many that say that
these miracles are still in existence today. God confirmed those that
heard Christ by these miracles and signs and
wonders and proved who these men were, confirmed the message.
The New Testament had not been written and there was a confirmation. How shall we escape? if we neglect,
make light of, so great salvation which first began to be preached
by the Lord and was confirmed unto us that heard Him. How shall we escape? May Almighty
God be pleased to bless these words to our heart and grant
us a heart, truly, to give the more earnest heed to the things
that we've heard lest we should let them slip. For Christ's sake,
Amen.