Today I just want to examine these first four verses of chapter 2. I don’t want to rush over this very important application and the question that Hebrews provides here in this section. And so we are going to go word by word and line for line, to make sure that we get the full import of this message which was written to the early church, because it is applicable to the modern church as well, if not even more so.
Chapter 2 starts with the phrase “for this reason” or depending on your translation, it may say “therefore,” which points back to the argument given in chapter one, which was that it is the last days, or the last era, and God has spoken in these last days through Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The argument made the point that word or gospel which He has spoken is greater than that of the prophets of old. They spoke having seen through a veil, not having the full revelation at that time. But in these last days, God has spoken completely and perfectly through His Son. Jesus is not a messenger from God, He is the message from God. He has spoken perfectly through His Son.
The other point made in this opening argument is that Jesus is far superior than the angels. Angels, for all their supernatural power, are created beings. And Jesus made all things, thus He made the angels. Furthermore, He is the Son of God. He is seated at the right hand of God. And no angel was ever asked to sit at the right hand of God. They were created to be ministering spirits for the sake of those who inherit salvation. That is those of us who are saved. Angels are messengers of God. Jesus is God, and thus His message is superior not only because of His message, but because of His position.
Therefore, in light of all that preceded in the previous chapter concerning the superiority of Jesus as the Son of God, in light of the superiority of His word which He has spoken, the author then says, “For this reason, we must pay closer attention to the things which we have heard, so that we do not drift away.”
Now let’s break that down. “We must pay closer attention to the things which we have heard…” The KJV says we must pay more earnest heed. The idea there is a danger of not paying close attention. Earnestness indicates not only sincerity, but also a sense of intensity, and perhaps even urgency. There is a very real and present danger to becoming complacent about the things of God. The gospel is not just about a future salvation from hell, though it is definitely that. But it is also a way of life. Jesus said it was the words of life. It is the truth and the life. It is the way to God. It is the way of abundant life. It is the water of life that washes us clean. It is the light that lights our path which keeps us from stumbling or even worse, from the destruction that is on either side.
It says specifically we must give more earnest heed to the things that we have heard. Give heed to the word. Give heed to the preaching of the word. Give heed to the reading of scripture. Give heed to the assembling of yourselves together. The gospel, the word of God, is the things which we have heard. They are like signposts on the road of life. They are warnings to keep us from straying, to keep us from falling. Bind the word of God upon your heart. Write them upon your doorposts and put them on the back of your hands and upon your forehead. In other words, take heed of the word. Give earnest heed. Pay closer attention.
We must pay closer attention because we are so easily distracted. I think that the enemy has so designed the world so that there are many distractions that keep us from the word. The world was a distracting place as it was, and then they invented cell phones. People are so distracted now days that they are completely unaware of anything going on around them. People are routinely run over by cars or trains because they are distracted by their phones. The world is a distracting place. And we need to renew a sense of urgency about what we have heard, lest we drift away from what is important.
That phrase, to drift away, speaks to the subtlety of falling away. To drift is to be without an anchor. To be without markers. To be unaware of your bearing. Sometimes I like to go to Assateague Island to surf. And it’s a pretty neat surf spot if the wind and swell are in the right direction. But one thing I don’t like about it is that sometimes it can be a little disorienting. Especially during the winter time when there aren’t a lot of other people around. I’m used to surfing at Indian River Inlet on the north side, and there is a jetty there which kind of keeps you in position. But at Assategue there are not a lot of landmarks. And a lot of times the current can really move you along without you realizing it. I’ve often been out there for a while and then looked back at the beach and it looks totally unfamiliar. Ive drifted so far along the beach, either because of the wind or currents, that I am not able to tell where I am.
And that tells us something about drifting. Drifting is characterized by not realizing that you are moving. It’s such a slow, imperceptible movement, and yet it is relentless. There is a danger in drifting in the Christian life. Let me tell you something that is very important. Salvation is not obtained by our works, but salvation is worked out. Phil.2:12 says, “work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” In other words, the life of the Christian requires work.
There are the currents of the world which are pulling at you, and moving you away from the Lord. In surfing sometimes it takes a lot of paddling to fight against the current. And likewise it takes a lot of effort to keep from being swept along by the world. The winds of the spirits are doctrines of demons that toss you here and there, like the waves of the seas, causing you to drift away from the truth. Perhaps the tides of life are causing you to drift, the rise and fall of fashions and trends and popular things which cause you to be distracted from the earnestness that is essential to faith.
Make no mistake, folks, faith is not easy. It’s not easy believism. Theologians tell us that faith is comprised of three elements, which in Latin are notitia, assensus, and fiducia, which means “knowledge, assent, trust.” Knowledge is important in that you have to have knowledge of the truth, and then believe in the truth, that is assent. To recognize and believe that something is true. But to have saving faith, you need the third element, which is trust. And trust, ladies and gentlemen, is not simply an intellectual exercise. It is faith in action. It is putting your actions to faith. True faith is swimming against the current. It is persevering. It is holding on tightly. It is standing firm. Standing firm against the schemes of the devil.
There is an old story about an ungodly, evil farmer that died. And it was discovered in his will that he left his farm to the Devil. So the estate ended up in court, and they didn’t quite know what to do with his bequest – how do you give a farm to the Devil? Finally, the judge decided: The best way to carry out the wishes of the deceased is to allow the farm to grow weeds, the soil to erode, and the house and barn to rot. He concluded, “In our opinion, the best way to leave something to the Devil is to do nothing.” We can leave our lives to the Devil the same way – by doing nothing, by drifting wherever the currents drive us.
So how do we protect against drifting away? First, we need a sure anchor. Hebrews 6:19 “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil.” Jesus Christ is our anchor, He is our Savior, He is the strength of our life. When we stay close to Him, and keep our eyes fixed on Him, He will be an anchor to us, to keep us from drifting.
And again in chapter 10, we see that devotion to the Lord extrapolated to the devotion to the church. Hebrews 10:23-25 “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging [one another;] and all the more as you see the day drawing near.” Hold fast, that is to hold on tightly. Persevere. To physically put yourself in the place where you are encouraged, where you are strengthened. A place where you are exhorted, and if necessary, where you are corrected. You need to be in church on a regular basis if you want to keep from drifting. The devil will attempt to distract you from devotion to church with every strategy imaginable. I urge you to make going to church and Bible study an essential part of your week. Just the physical act of putting yourself in church is an act of surrender to the Lord. And it is an act of war against the devil. And I will tell you, it’s an encouragement to other believers, and a testimony to those who are weak. We need to stop thinking of church just as something that is for our benefit, and realize that it is in church that we can encourage one another. As it said in chapter 10: let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another.
Now let’s consider vs2, “For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just penalty, how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?” What the author is referring to here is that the law in the Old Testament was conferred to Moses through angels. There are three passages in the Bible that confirm this, I don’t have time to turn to them. But in Deuteronomy 33:2, Acts 7:53, and in Galatians 3:19 they all speak of the angels of the Lord acting as messengers to Moses in delivering the law.
And what he is saying to this primarily Hebrew audience is that you know the consequences and repercussions that were built into the law, and how the law given through angels was unalterable, or unchangeable. Going against it was accompanied by dire consequences. So if that is so with the word of angels, then how much more is it so with the word of the Lord Himself? Jesus came to earth and delivered this gospel in person. Considering the significance and magnificence of that, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?
Now let me speak a moment to the idea of how shall we escape? What are we escaping? The idea of salvation infers that we are being saved from a calamity. We are being delivered from condemnation. We are being rescued from the judgment and wrath of God that is coming upon the entire world.
And I want to emphasize that coming judgment by turning your attention to a few verses in which it is talked about. Hebrews 9:27 says, “It is appointed unto man once to die and after that the judgement.” There will come a day when God will judge man, and every word and deed will be called into question. It’s not very popular today to talk about the judgment to come, or the wrath of God, but if it were not so, then why did Jesus have to die? What are we saved from, if not from the condemnation of the world? So I want to just read some verses that talk about the judgement to come and what we that have believed have escaped from.
Ecc. 12:14 “For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether [it be] good, or whether [it be] evil.”
John 5:28-29 “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.”
Romans 14:11-12 “For it is written, [As] I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.
2Cor. 5:10 “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things [done] in [his] body, according to that he hath done, whether [it be] good or bad.”
2Cor. 5:10 “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things [done] in [his] body, according to that he hath done, whether [it be] good or bad.”
2Tim. 4:1 I charge you therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom.” So without question, the Bible speaks of coming judgment. And this judgment is often referred to as the wrath of God.
Romans 1:18 “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.” But thanks be to God, Christ has made a way to be saved from this coming wrath, when God shall judge the world.
Romans 5:9 “Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath [of God] through Him.”
2Peter 3:9-10 “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.”
And then one more finishing up in Hebrews 10: 26 “For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and THE FURY OF A FIRE WHICH WILL CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES. Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on [the testimony of] two or three witnesses. How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, "VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY." And again, "THE LORD WILL JUDGE HIS PEOPLE." It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”
Now that is what we are saved from; the judgement that is coming upon the world. But as the author here speaks, “how shall we escape this judgment if we neglect so great a salvation?” The word ancient Greek word translated neglect is amelesantes, also used in Matthew 22:5 (they made light of it). 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.
Our salvation is great, because we are saved by a great Savior, we are saved at a great cost, and we are saved from a great penalty. What a tragedy if we should neglect it. I think that this speaks not only to the one who has heard the truth, but has not yet come to saving faith, but it also speaks to those who are saved, who have neglected their salvation in that they are not living as Christ died to enable them to live. They neglect their salvation because having been delivered from the corruption and condemnation of the world, they go back to be being enslaved to the weak and worthless elemental things of this world all over again. They are caught up by distractions. They are corrupted by lusts of this world, the lust for money, the lust for power, the lust for possessions. And being corrupted in their minds, they become enslaved to their temporal passions, and neglect the things of God.
Let me explain something about this great salvation. There are three parts to our salvation. There is first of all justification. Justification is imputed righteousness. It is having our sins forgiven, and the penalty of our sins paid for by the blood of Jesus Christ who died as our substitute, in our place. That justification is by grace, that means it is by a gift of God, through our faith in what Jesus did for us, and faith in who He is.
The second stage of our salvation is called sanctification. Sanctification is the process of being conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. Of being remade in His image. Of dying to self and sin and living for Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. Now this sanctification I think is where drifting most often takes place in the life of the believer. A man can be justified by faith, yet the process of sanctification has been interrupted by being distracted, by being caught up in the rise and fall of the tides of the world, by being swept from your moorings by the winds and currents of worldly affairs.
There is a third stage of our salvation which is glorification. That comes when Christ returns and we are given a new body, when this sinful world is burned up and every thing is made new. But what I think Hebrews is warning us about is that it is this process of sanctification that is in peril because we are prone to drifting away from our purpose; to be holy, blameless, conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. And folks, do not be deceived, this sanctification is essential. It is not an option. Hebrews 12:14 says, “Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord.”
Now the author emphasizes the urgency of this gospel which we have heard by reiterating the origins and confirmation of the gospel. Note first that it was announced by the Lord, that is the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus speaking in HIs first recorded message read from Isaiah and said, "THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED, TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD."(Luke 4:18) Now there are many other places where the Lord is recorded as speaking of the gospel of the Kingdom which He was preaching. But that will suffice for now. He announced the gospel of salvation.
Secondly, the author says it was confirmed to us by those who had heard Him. That means that this author was probably not an apostle, because he is not placing himself in the position of having heard Jesus directly as His apostles had. But he is saying that he had heard it confirmed through the apostles, those who had heard Him. And that is the record we have in the gospels, the record of eyewitness testimonies. Those who were with Him, wrote it down, that we might have the confirmation of eyewitnesses.
Thirdly, he says that God also testified to their truthfulness by signs and wonders with gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His will. 2Cor. 12:12 says “The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with all perseverance, by signs and wonders and miracles.” So the authentication of a true apostle was the signs and wonders and miracles which God used to show that they were His apostles.
There is a lot of interest today in signs and wonders and miracles. But I believe the scriptures teach us that these miracles performed by the apostles were given to authenticate their message. Consequently, when the scriptures were completed, there was no longer a need for authenticating miracles. And furthermore, when the apostles passed away, there was no longer a need to authenticate their message. There are no new apostles today, and there is no new revelation today. However, that doesn’t mean that God cannot do miracles today. I believe He does, but according to His will, as it says there in the fourth verse. But the idea of the gifts of miracles to be given to a person today I think is no longer valid, in that the scriptures have been completed and God has spoken completely in His word. And a thorough study of the scriptures will reveal to you that they are self authenticating. They do not need authenticating miracles, except the authenticating miracle of a changed life.
You either are a living testimony to the miraculous power of the gospel to save, or you are a stumbling block to the testimony of the gospel. Your life is the greatest sermon many people will ever hear. Do not neglect this great salvation. Live it and share it, that God may get the glory for the great things He has done.
In conclusion then, I will reiterate the question; how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? For those here today who may have never trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior, to live for Him, how else can you escape the condemnation of the world? How else will you escape the judgment from God? Someone said the most dangerous word in the English language is tomorrow. Don’t put off until tomorrow making a decision to surrender to the Lord. Tomorrow may never come. Don’t neglect to take up the offer of this great salvation.
And for those who have been justified by His grace, by the sacrifice and substitute of Jesus Christ for the penalty of your sins, how can you neglect such a great salvation? How can you neglect the purpose for your life, for which Christ died? I pray that regardless of which camp you find yourself in today, that today you will not drift away, but draw close to Him, and come to Him, that you might fulfill your salvation.
I close with the benediction found in the last chapter of Hebrews, chapter 13:20-21. “Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
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