Let's turn back together to Hebrews
chapter 2. Hebrews chapter 2. Look with me at verse 3. Apostle Paul writing the Hebrews
here in Hebrews 2 verse 3 says, how shall we escape if we neglect
so great salvation, which at the first began to be spoken
by the Lord and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him? How shall we escape? How shall we escape the righteous
judgment of a holy God? How shall we escape eternal punishment if we neglect so great salvation? That word neglect, it means to
have no regard for it, to make light of it, to view it in a
careless way. If we knew, if we knew this very
night was the last time we'd have an opportunity to hear the
gospel preached, Do you think we might give a
little less thought to the things of this world and truly focus
on the things of God's Word, what He has for His people? A little less thought for this
world and more regard for our Savior? Our Lord told a parable in Luke
chapter 12. He said this. He said the ground
of a certain rich man that it brought forth plentifully. And the rich man thought within
himself saying, what shall I do? I have nowhere
to store all of my goods. No place to store, no room for
all the fruits. And he said, this is what I'm
going to do. I'll tear down my old barns, and I'll build bigger
ones, greater ones. And there, I'll bestow all my
fruits and all of my goods And then the rich man, just kind
of picture him there, just kind of leaning back in the chair
and crossing his arms and saying, soul, thou hast much good laid
up for many years. Take thine ease. Eat, drink,
and be merry. But almighty God said to him,
thou fool, This night, this very night, shall thy soul be required
of thee. And then, whose things are all
these things, who will they belong to then? In Acts chapter 24, Paul spoke
to Felix, and we read that he reasoned with him. of righteousness
and temperance and judgment to come. And Felix trembled when he heard
those things. But he obviously wasn't that
concerned because he answered Paul when he said this. He said,
go thy way. And in a more convenient time, I will call, I will call upon
thee. A more convenient season, I'll
call for thee. In Luke 14, our Lord told another
parable of a certain man who had a great supper and he bade
many to come. He said, all things are ready,
come, come to the feast. And what happened? This is what we read. One man
said this. He said, I bought a piece of
ground, and I need to go look at it. Isn't that what we do? We find
all kind of excuses. I bought a piece of ground. I
need to go look at that. Another said, I bought five yoke
of oxen. And I need to go prove them. And another one said this. He
said, I've married a wife. Therefore, I cannot come. We find every reason, don't we?
Every reason. How shall we neglect? How shall
we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? Why is it a great salvation?
I find that interesting. He says it's a great salvation.
Well, there's many reasons it's a great salvation, but here's
one of them. Consider the author of it. Who's the author of this
great salvation? Turn over just a few pages to
Hebrews 5. Hebrews chapter 5. Look beginning with verse 8 of
Hebrews 5. Though he were a son, yet learned
he obedience by the things which he suffered, and being made perfect, he became the author of eternal
salvation unto all that obey Him." The Lord Jesus Christ is
the author, the author of eternal salvation. Now, He's not the
co-author. He and He alone is the author. He's the designer, he's the creator,
he's the worker, he's the cause of salvation. And by him, by
the Lord Jesus Christ, salvation has been accomplished. It's all
the work of our Lord. We read this, his right hand
and his holy arm have gotten him the victory. It's all of
him. We read, he hath trodden the
winepress alone, and of the people there was none with him. He did it all by himself. He's the author of eternal salvation. Every blessing comes through
Him. Every blessing comes through
the Lord Jesus Christ. Every part of salvation, all
of it, election, calling, justification, sanctification, it's all through
Him. We're blessed through Him. According
as the Father hath chosen us in Him from before the foundation
of the world. In Him we're called, in Him we're
preserved, in Him we're accepted. All grace flows from God the
Father through the Lord Jesus Christ. Salvation is of the Lord. It's all of His work. He sought
us. He bought us. He did it all. Scripture says he's our wisdom,
he's our righteousness, he's our sanctification, he's our
redemption. Not one thing left undone. He did it all. It's a great salvation
when you consider the author of it. Second, it's a great salvation
when you consider the wisdom of it. Who could have come up
with such a plan, with such a way to save sinners. Turn to Romans
chapter three. Romans three, beginning with
verse 24. being justified freely by his
grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom
God has set forth to be a propitiation, a sin offering, through faith
in his blood to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that
are past through the forbearance of God. Verse 26, to declare
I say at this time his righteousness, that he might be just and justifier
of him which believeth in Jesus. Only God in his wisdom could
be both just in punishing sin and justifying his sheep. Only God could accomplish that.
Third, it's a great salvation in the sense of who it's for. Who is this thing of salvation
for? It's for great sinners, great
sinners. For whom did the Lord Jesus Christ
come to save? His word says this, that He came
to save sinners, sinners. He said, I came not to call the
righteous, but sinners to repentance. The Pharisees, what'd they call
it? The friend of sinners. They thought they were insulting
him. Indeed, he was a friend of sinners.
He is the friend of sinners, isn't he? The scribes and Pharisees,
they struggled this and they asked, they said, why do you
eat with publicans and sinners? Why is that? There was a woman
that came and she washed our Lord's feet with the very hairs
of her head. And they said, if this man, If
he were truly a prophet, he would have known who and what manner
of person this woman is. For she is a sinner. You think our Lord didn't know
that? He knew. He told those Pharisees, he said,
I say unto her, I say unto thee, he told them, he said, her sins. You're right, she is a sinner.
Her sins, which are many. Was she a great sinner? Our Lord
said she had many sins. Yes, she was a great sinner.
He said, her sins, which are many, many, are forgiven. Are forgiven. For she loved much. but of whom
little is forgiven, the same loveth little." And then he turned
to her. He turned to this woman and he
said these four words, thy sins are forgiven. What joy. What joy does that
bring to the heart of a sinner? Thy sins are forgiven. Was she worthy? Oh, was she a
great sinner? Yes. But the Lord spoke in love
and mercy and he said, thy sins are forgiven. And we see that
throughout God's word. The Lord Jesus Christ saved great
sinners. How? by a great salvation. Christ is not entered in the
holy place made with hands, which are figures of the true, but
into heaven itself now to appear in the presence of God. For who?
For us. For us. Nor yet that he should
offer himself often as the high priest enters in the holy place
every year with blood for others. For then he must have offered
sacrifice since the foundation of the world. But now, once in
the end of the world, hath he appeared to put away sin. How? By the sacrifice of himself. He did it. A great, a great salvation. Fourth, why is it a great salvation? Well, consider the cost of it. Consider the great cost of salvation. God's word declares that we were
bought with a price. A price was paid. What was that
price? Was it the blood of goats and
heifers? Is it a price that we paid? Was it by any of our so-called
works of self-righteousness? What was the price that was paid? Titus 3 verse 5 says this, not
by works of righteousness which we have done. What a foolish thought. And many
of us thought it, didn't we? There was a time when many of
us thought that, that we could come to God by our own merit,
by our own works, by our own deeds. Indeed, we have, how many
times have we heard this? We have two high thoughts of
ourselves and two lower thoughts of who God is. Scripture says,
by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified in his
sight. Isaiah had that figured out.
That had been revealed to old Isaiah, hadn't it? He said, all
of our righteousnesses are as filthy rags in the sight of God. What was the price paid? What was it? Turn to 1 Peter
chapter 1. 1 Peter chapter 1. 1 Peter 1, look at verse 18. For as much as you know that
you were not redeemed with corruptible things, silver, gold, from your
vain conversations received by tradition from your fathers, not silver and gold, not tradition,
not ceremonies and rituals and other vain and useless things
received by our forefathers. No, the price of redemption is
far higher than that, isn't it? What was it? What was the price? What was paid? What was the cost? Look at verse 19 of 1 Peter. What was the price? The precious
blood of Christ. As of a lamb without blemish,
and without spot, purchased with the precious blood
of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah. Like that sacrificial
lamb without spot and without blemish. And this isn't just
any blood. Christ's blood's human blood.
He became a man. We can't even enter into that,
can we? That God became a man and he walked this earth? The blood of the Lord Jesus Christ
is the blood of man, and yet it's the blood of God. Freely shed in the stead of his
people. His blood, though human blood,
it's not tainted with sin. There was no sin, no sin in Him. And it's sufficient. The blood
of Christ is the sufficient price of our redemption because of
who He is. It's His precious blood. Precious to the Father, It's
the blood of His Son. Precious to the believer, isn't
it? Oh, the precious blood of the
Lord Jesus Christ. A great salvation for the cost
of it. Hebrews 9-12, neither by the
blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood, He entered
in. once into the holy place, having
obtained eternal redemption for us." Had nothing there about
a down payment, is there? No, he paid it. He paid it in
full. We sing that song, what can wash
away my sin? Nothing. Nothing but the blood
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Well, why is it a great salvation? Fifth, the power of it. The power of it. Romans 1, 16.
Paul writing in Romans, he said, I'm not ashamed of the gospel
of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation. To the Jew first, and also to
the Greek. The power of God unto salvation
for everyone, everyone that believe it. Power. Powerful. That word's taken from the same
word we use today for dynamite. That's power, isn't it? The power
of God unto salvation. In 1 Corinthians 1, verse 23,
Paul wrote, he said, we preach Christ crucified. That's it. Christ crucified unto the Jews,
A stumbling block unto the Greeks' foolishness, but unto them which
are called, both Jew and Greek, Christ, the power of God and
the wisdom of God. It's by his power that we're
saved. It's by his power that we're kept. Kept. Scripture says that. We're kept
by the power of God. through faith unto salvation. A great salvation. Consider the
author of it. Consider the wisdom of it. Consider
the greatness of it and who it's for. Great sinners. Consider
the greatness of it when you consider the cost of it by his
own precious blood. Great when you consider the power
of it. And listen, last, great when
you consider the character of it. It's eternal salvation. Eternal salvation. John 3.16, for God so loved the
world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth
in him should never perish. but have everlasting life. He said this. We looked at this,
I believe, Sunday. My sheep, hear my voice. I know them. They follow me. I give unto them eternal life,
and they shall never perish. Neither shall any man pluck them
out of my hand. My Father which gave them me
is greater than all. No man, no man is able to pluck
them out of my father's hand. I and my father are one. He is salvation, eternal salvation. And listen, Christ, the Lord
Jesus Christ is the only way the only way of salvation. Turn to Acts chapter 4. We've
got time. Turn to Acts chapter 4. Look back at verse 9 of Acts
4. If we this day be examined of
the good deed done to this impotent man, by what means he's made
whole, be it known unto you all and to all the people of Israel
that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified,
whom God raised from the dead. Even by him does this man stand
here before you all. This is the stone which was set
at nought of you builders, which has become the head of the corner.
Neither is there salvation in any other. For there is none
other name under heaven. given among men whereby we must
be saved. The only, the only way of salvation. Well, in closing, I'd ask you
again to consider what I read at the beginning of the message.
Listen to this question. How shall we escape? if we neglect so great salvation. Paul writing to the Corinthians,
he said this in 1 Corinthians 15. Turn with me, 1 Corinthians
15. 1 Corinthians 15, look, beginning
with verse one. Moreover, brethren, I declare
unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also you've received,
wherein you stand, by which also ye are saved, if you keep in
memory that which I preached unto you, unless you believed
in vain. For I delivered unto you, first of all, that which
also I received, how that Christ died for our sins according to
the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again
the third day according to the Scriptures." This gospel, it's
the gospel which has been preached to us. It's the gospel which God's people
receive. They love this Gospel. They hear
this Gospel. It's the Gospel in which you
stand. Don't we take great comfort and
have great hope as a result of this Gospel? This salvation? He said it's the Gospel by which
you're saved. Don't neglect it. Don't take
it lightly. Don't be indifferent to it. Brother Todd Nybert wrote an
article not too long ago and on this verse he said, how shall
we escape if we neglect so great salvation? And he asked this
question, what could be more insulting to God than to neglect
His great salvation. What do we typically neglect?
Those things that don't mean anything to us. That which is
of no value to us. Just like Esau, when he sold
his birthright, didn't mean anything to him, did it? of this week can be sure, this
week can be certain. We will not escape if we neglect
such a great salvation. Again, it's the gospel our Lord
declared. It's the gospel his disciples
declared. It's the gospel that his messengers
continue to declare this day. Don't neglect it. Don't neglect
it. I was sitting back there in the
tape room before the service and these two men came to my
mind. Remember Zacchaeus? Remember what the Lord said to
him? He said, this day, this day is
salvation come to your house. Simeon. What did Simeon say? He said, let thy servant depart
in peace. How? Because mine eyes have seen thy
salvation. Who was in Zacchaeus' house?
The Lord. The Lord Jesus Christ. Who did
Simeon see there in the temple? The Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, how
shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? I pray
the Lord would reveal him to us, continually let us see him,
cause us to look to him and rest in him for all things.