This morning we're looking at
the book of Hebrews. Hebrews chapter 2. The book of
Hebrews chapter 2. Now this book, as with every
book in God's Word, is about the Lord Jesus Christ. Who He is. Why He came. Where
He is now. From beginning to end, the Lord
Jesus Christ is the subject. His glory, His power, His work,
and what that means to us, the human beings. In the first chapter
of Hebrews, the Apostle tells us that this is none other than
the Son of God, yea, God Himself. Verse 2 says, God hath in these
last days spoken unto us by His Then down in verse 8, he gets
more particular. He says that God calls him God. Thy throne, O God, is forever. He and the Father are one and
the same. And then the writer of Hebrews
talks about the angels, which are glorious and powerful creatures. Angels, which God Almighty used
often to do great things. which he will also use to someday
destroy this world. And so he says, because of who
it is that came, the Son of God, yea, God manifests in the flesh. Because of who it is that came
and who it is that spoke, God hath in these last days spoken
unto us by his Son. And because of what he said in
chapter 2, verse 1, He writes, Therefore, 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. We ought to give the
more earnest heed to the things which we have heard. He talks
about if angels spoke, we should listen, but because of who this
is that came and spoke, we ought to give the more earnest heed.
Now, out of kindness and courtesy and respect, we should listen
to anyone who is speaking. We can learn from many, but how
much more should we listen, give earnest heed, to the Word of
the living God. Earnest heed. Because this is
a message of life and death and deserves our undivided attention
because it's God's Word. The word heed is a combination
of the two words hear and deed. That is, to hear it and do it. If one hears it and yet does
not do what he says, that's hypocrisy and that is foolishness indeed.
So earnest heed, sincere heed, hearing and doing of what he
says. Now, he says, we ought to give the more earnest heed
to the things which we have heard from Christ, the things which
we have heard from the Word of God, lest at any time we let
them slip. Let them slip. Let them slide
by. Now, the Lord gave a parable
once of the sower sowed the seed, and some fell by the wayside,
and some fell on stony ground, and fowls came, and some fell
among thorns. And this is an illustration or
a parable of the Word of God being preached and falling on
a stony heart and falling by the wayside. and the fowls of
the air, the cares of the world, and deceitfulness of riches,
and so forth. And among the thorns, the cares
of this world choke out the word. What is heard is quickly forgotten
in place of other things. He says we ought to give serious,
more earnest heed to these things. It's life and death. It's not
an option for us to hear these things. It's mandatory and our
very life depends upon it. In verse 2 he says, Now if the
word spoken by angels was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience
received a just recompense of the war. The word spoken by angels. He's referring to the law given
at Mount Sinai through Moses, at which giving of the law It
was attended by a heavenly host, 10,000 angels were at the giving
of the law. And he says that word, the giving
of the law, and people did not heed and do what was said, received
a just recompense of a war, that is, punishment and rejection
by God for their rejection of his word. This has reference
to the Jews of old. No adult over 20 years old entered
the promised land other than Joshua and Caleb. No one entered
the promised land over 20 besides those two because they rejected
the Word of God. They rejected it. They heard
the Word through a preacher, through Moses, through Aaron,
but yet they rejected it. And as the Scripture says, they
sat down to eat, to drink, and rose up to play. They were more
concerned. They were interested in just
the things of this world, and they rejected and ignored the
Word of God. So they all perished. Sounds
like our generation. And now, that was for not hearing
Moses, a man, although it was God's Word, yet it was through
a man. Verse 3 says, How shall we escape if we neglect so great
salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord
himself, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him, by
the apostles? How shall we escape this condemnation
he spoke of, this just recompense, this punishment, the wrath of
God? which the natural man abides
under the wrath of God. John 3.36 says, it's so great
salvation, how shall we escape if we neglect it? So great salvation. The gospel, the story of salvation
through Christ, it's called so great a salvation because of
whose salvation it is. The Lord's salvation, this is
God's gospel, Paul wrote in Romans 1. Salvation is of the Lord. It's of the Lord in its purpose. God, the Father, purposed it. It's of the Lord, God the Son,
who purchased it. And it's of the Lord, the Holy
Spirit, who applies it. This is God's gospel, God's salvation. It's not man. It's not a cooperative
effort between God and man. This is God's gospel. And how shall we escape if we
neglect it, if we're not interested in it? And by the way, if anyone
is, it's by the mercy and grace of God. God is sovereign. Yes,
He is. And man is responsible. If anyone's
saved, God gets all the glory. If anyone's damned, they get
the blame. Don't ask me to explain that,
it's just so. The second thing about this so
great a salvation is, it's great because of the mercy of it. Salvation is all about God sovereignly
having mercy. He said to Moses there in Exodus
33, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy. I will have
mercy though, God said. Mercy is not getting what we
deserve. Salvation is all about mercy,
and the first thing in salvation is to cry unto God for mercy. Lord, have mercy on us. Salvation is not something we
deserve. It's not something we have by
right, something that is deserving to us, but it's of the Lord's
mercies that we're not consumed, the Scripture says. God doesn't
have to have mercy on anyone. But he does. He has mercy on
many. So it's great because of the mercy of it. It's great because
of the wisdom of it. So great is salvation. Great
because of the wisdom of it. This is the most worthy and ingenious
thing ever. Worth a lifetime of consideration
and certainly worth a lifetime of devotion to it. The wisdom
of it. It's worthy. It's so great a
salvation because of the cost of it. the blood, the sweat,
the tears of the Lord Jesus Christ, the lifetime spent fulfilling
God's holy law and perfection and thought, word and deed, thirty-three
and a half years, which is impossible for man to keep. Yet it took
even the Lord Himself thirty-three years to accomplish it. It took
an eternity for God Almighty to purpose it. So great, how
shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation, he says,
which was first spoken by the Lord, spoken by Christ himself. No man knoweth the Father, save
the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him. The Lord Jesus
Christ came down to confirm the Word of God and the salvation
of God and the purpose of God. The Lord Himself, God Himself
came down to confirm this Word. It's so great salvation. And
it says, "...it was confirmed unto us by them that heard Him."
The apostles to whom the Lord Himself revealed the very mysteries
abounded toward them in wisdom and prudence, revealing unto
them the mystery of His will. And they wrote many epistles
expounding more upon what the Lord Himself, which the whole
world could not contain the books of the wisdom and the word and
the acts of Christ, were it all recorded. But the apostles did
write what we needed to hear, what God determined for them
to write for us to have, expounding upon what He did and said, confirmed
unto us by them that heard Him. John said, We have touched Him.
We have handled Him. The Word of Life. In verse 4,
the writer goes on to say, God bearing them witness, these apostles,
bearing witness that they were truly sent by God, equipped by
God, gifted by God as no other before or since, bearing them
witness with signs and wonders and different miracles, gifts
of the Holy Ghost according to God's will, the apostles where
God called me and special men whom Christ said, if the world
hears you, they'll hear me. And he confirmed this by signs
and wonders. So, the writer of Hebrews said,
how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation? Now, this
great salvation is all about, as we said in the beginning,
all about the reign, the rule, the person, the work of the Lord
Jesus Christ. Now he says, to go on, he says
in verse 5, under the angels hath he not put in subjection
the world to come? Whereof we speak? Eternal life,
the world to come, new heavens and new earth. He didn't put
the angels in charge of these things. But one, David, in verse
6, David in a certain place testified. David wrote saying, now he's
quoting Psalm 8, What is man that thou art mindful of him?"
David said, what is man? Man is such an insignificant
creature that God would even take notice of him. David, a
man after God's own heart. David, a man who knew God. David,
a man whom God used to write His very Word, the truth of God. David says in truth, man is nothing. Man is not deserving of God's
consideration or notice. He did, and it says He visited
him, the Son of Man. God Himself was made flesh and
dwelled amongst us. And verse 7, He made Him a little
lower than the angels at the seat of Abraham, but crowned
Him with glory and honor and set Him over the works of His
hands and put all things in subjection unto His feet. All things. And so Paul says, that is, in
the Revelation, Christ Himself said, I have the keys of hell
and death. In all things, principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness,
rulers of this world, rulers of the next world, the rulers
of the demon world are all in subjection to Him. He reigns
and rules over it all now. And so everything He said and
did is a of paramount importance and vital, yea, it's life and
death. How shall we escape if we neglect,
if we ignore, if we do not take heed? So great is salvation. So we should give the most earnest
heed to the things we've heard and not let them slip. This message
you've just heard is a life and death matter. I hope the Lord
will give you ears to hear and more importantly, to receive. Salvation is of the Lord, and
it is in the Lord Jesus Christ. May He grant you faith in Him. In Christ's name this message
is presented. Amen. you.