[0:00] In a short time, as the Lord enables us, I'd like to look at words you'll find in the chapters we read. In Hebrews chapter 2, and we can read the first four verses again. Where we read these words.
[0:14] Therefore, we must pay much closer attention to what we've heard, lest we drift away from it. For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable in every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?
[0:35] It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard. While God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit, distributed according to his will.
[0:54] I'd like to look with you at this powerful section of scripture. And if we were to give it a title, I think a title that would be appropriate might be Almost Converted, or Almost a Christian, or Almost Saved.
[1:13] The book of Hebrews, I suppose, begins in perhaps one of the most powerful ways of any of the books other than perhaps John chapter 1.
[1:27] The book begins by reminding us of the supremacy of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. And surely that shows us the supremacy of Christianity.
[1:41] You see, Christianity is Christ. Christianity is to know the Lord Jesus Christ.
[1:51] It's to follow the Lord Jesus Christ. To be a disciple of Christ. So the writer of the Hebrews here sets before us the supremacy of Jesus Christ.
[2:05] He is greater than any of the prophets. Greater than any of the angels. Greater than any of the prophets. Greater than any of the prophets. Greater than anyone who took part in the Old Testament form of religion.
[2:21] The supremacy of the new covenant over the old covenant. This is what is unfolding for us as we read chapter 1. Jesus is greater than anyone who took part in the Old Testament.
[2:35] Jesus is greater than them all. So now we come to chapter 2, verses 1 to 4. Where we see that we all need to give our lives to Jesus Christ.
[2:47] It's not enough merely to hear about Jesus. That's not enough. To know him. To know him intellectually. But if this Christ is supreme.
[3:01] If this Christ is superior. Then we need to surrender our hearts to Jesus Christ. Anything short of that. Is inferior.
[3:14] And falls short. Very far short. We need to put our trust in this great saviour. My friends, we are surrounded by so much trivia in this world.
[3:33] People are so much caught up by the things of this world. Things that are not really worth living for in the end. As one man said.
[3:46] I've reached the very top of my career. I'm right at the very top. Can I see that I'm happy? Not particularly. Because I'm still not satisfied.
[3:58] And the things of this world do not satisfy. Now it's said of Stephen Jobs. Many of you will have known of Stephen Jobs. He died about 5 or 6 years ago. But I found this on the internet.
[4:09] And this is what it said. And I quote. It has been said that Stephen Jobs on his deathbed. He was a man who amassed a fortune.
[4:23] 600 billion dollars. Now we can't get our heads around that. He said the wealth I have made in my life. I can't take with me. I can afford the largest yacht in the world.
[4:37] I can afford the best houses. The best cars. I can afford the best health service provision that I can buy. And it says this.
[4:49] In the darkness of this hospital room. I see a green light. And I hear the hum of the machines. That are keeping me alive.
[4:59] But I feel the breath of God. The breath of death. Drawing near. And the regrets of a lifetime.
[5:12] Pressing by. All I had was my work. I can't say that I had much joy in life. My friends.
[5:23] What a lesson there is here. To live your whole life. For that which is bankrupt. Is dangerous. Jesus.
[5:36] Is the one we need to be looking to. So the message of the book of Hebrews. My friends. Is clear to us today. That Jesus Christ.
[5:47] Is the greatest. He is superior. He is supreme. Therefore what the Bible commands us to do. Is to give. Our lives.
[5:58] To Christ. Now we haven't a clue. Who the. Some speculation. About who the author of Hebrews is. But we can't be. Definite as to who wrote the book of Hebrews. But we can also.
[6:09] But we can say. That was ultimately written by God. The writer. Is writing to a people. Who have an intellectual knowledge. Who came to understand the gospel.
[6:22] To a degree. They have come to see Christ. They've seen him. They've watched him. As he preached. To them. They have.
[6:33] They knew. They knew about heaven. They knew about hell. They understood. That there was only one way. To come to God. And I was through the. Blood. The shed blood. Of Jesus Christ. Yet there are some people.
[6:47] Who like those Christians. And Hebrews. Or like those people. Of the Hebrews. Who were hanging still. Onto their old religion.
[6:59] And they had a hankering. To go back. To their old religion. And the writer here. Is calling them. Not to go there. Because that.
[7:11] Religion. Is passed. It is now a dead religion. And he is telling you. And I today. That anything. That is not the gospel.
[7:24] Is not the gospel. And you flee from it. Give it up. Come to Christ. It is not. Enough.
[7:35] Intellectually. To know the truth. We need. To surrender. Our lives. To Christ. You need to know. More than facts. You must go all the way.
[7:48] And put your hope. And trust. In the finished work. Of Christ. By faith. Your soul. And your all. Must be surrendered.
[7:58] To Jesus Christ. Christ. And you must. Actively. Follow Christ. Every day. I believe. That that.
[8:09] Is the heartbeat. Of these four verses. A calling out. To anyone. Who may be in this church today. Who perhaps. Is halting. Between two opinions.
[8:21] Perhaps. You are in the valley. Of decision. Come out. From the crowd. Give your life. To Christ. If you have Christ.
[8:32] My friend. You are the richest person. In this world. You have everything. But if you don't. Have Christ. As your savior. The bible.
[8:42] Says clearly. You have nothing. This is. My friends. A gospel. Invitation. To come unto me.
[8:53] And I will give you rest. Enter through the narrow gate. This is a calling. For sinners. To come. To Jesus Christ.
[9:04] How shall you escape. If you neglect. So. Great. Salvation. My friends. One of the greatest. Tragedies in life.
[9:16] Is to almost. Attain something. That you desperately need. But at the end. You fall short. How sad. When you go. And try to catch a plane.
[9:27] And you found. You've just missed it. Or you've been sitting. For exams. And you find. At the end. That you failed. In the end. You failed the course.
[9:38] My friends. These are tragedies. Yes. But the greatest. The greatest tragedy. Of all. Is to be almost. Converted. Or almost saved.
[9:52] Almost a Christian. But at the end. Of the day. You will be cast. Into hell fire. Countless. Multitudes. Of people. Will almost.
[10:02] Reach heaven. In fact. They will be about. Six inches. From heaven. The distance. Between head knowledge. And heart knowledge. Almost believing.
[10:17] Yet not converted. But sadly. What the Bible says. You are entirely. Lost. My friends. Let me tell you.
[10:28] The road to hell. Is paved. With good intentions. No one ever intended. To go there. Especially those.
[10:38] Who knew the gospel. And many of you. Are privileged here today. To come to church here. And hear. Good preaching. Sound preaching. You have no excuse. You need to surrender.
[10:52] Your lives to Christ. Because if you don't. You are entirely lost. This is a warning. To you folk. Who come to church. And it's good. To come to church. It's vitally important.
[11:03] You come to church. But if you haven't. Come to Christ. This is my warning. To you today. From God's word. To make. Your calling. And your election.
[11:14] Sure. So that you know. That you are saved. So that you know. That you have. You believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Are you today.
[11:29] Almost saved. You who have much knowledge. Perhaps you know folk. Who are in the same position. Well my friends.
[11:40] Encourage them. Challenge them. With the words of. With God's word. To flee. From the wrath. That is to come. Without Christ. So briefly. Let us look at these.
[11:51] I want to look at. Three great truths. That we see. In these verses. First of all. I want to look at. The superior. The superiority. Of Christ. In verse one. Secondly.
[12:01] The severity. Of judgment. In verse two. And three. A. And then. Number. The third point. Is the surety. Of the gospel. In verses three. B. And four.
[12:12] Three. Towering. Reasons. Why we must. Be completely. Saved. The superiority. Of Christ. The severity. Of judgment.
[12:22] And the surety. Of the gospel. Verse one. The first. Important. Reason. For accepting. Jesus Christ. Is this. It is the only.
[12:34] Way. To be saved. Therefore. We may. We must pay. Closer attention. To what. We have heard. For what. Reason. Do we need. To pay. Closer attention.
[12:45] Because Christ. Is superior. We see that. In chapter. One. Verse two. He is. Heir. Of all things. Creator. Of all things. Verse three. He is the radiance.
[12:56] Of God's glory. The representation. The imprint. Of God's nature. He upholds. This universe. My friends. By the word. Of his power. Why are the planets.
[13:06] Not crashing together. Why are we. In the right place. From the sun. So that we don't burn. Or we don't freeze. Because God. Is holding. His plan. Is.
[13:17] Is. Intact. And he is holding everything. By. The word. Of his power. Verse three.
[13:29] He purges. Sin. You see. Jesus alone. Can take our sin away. Can purge our sin. Can purge our depravity. He is enthroned.
[13:41] At God's right hand. We read. In verse four. He is the object. Of angels worship. In verse eight. He is the one. Who is declared. To be God. For this reason.
[13:54] For what Christ. Has done on the cross. There. And there alone. Are our sins. Purged. Where guilty.
[14:05] Sinners. Are pardoned. It is only. At the cross. Where blood was shed. That sin. Is washed. Away. That is the place.
[14:16] Where we are made. Right with God. And he says. For this reason. Because. Of the superiority. Of our Lord. And Savior.
[14:27] Jesus Christ. And we must pay. Closer attention. To what we've heard. About Jesus. When Christ speaks. My friends. We must all.
[14:38] Come to a standstill. And listen. To what he is saying. To us. If we can say. That. I mean. Many of us.
[14:49] Are in different jobs. I'm sure. I was in the military. For most of my life. And. You always. Paid attention. To the person.
[14:59] Of authority. Above you. Well. Who should we be. Paying authority here. But to the one. Who is superior. To the Lord. Jesus Christ. And we. Must listen.
[15:10] To what he has to say. Because. He is supreme. It is not enough. To know the truth. We must surrender. Our lives to Christ. As one. Verse says.
[15:21] We must. Pay closer attention. To what we have. Heard. So we don't. Drift. Away. From it. God. My friends. Surely. That is a very important.
[15:33] Conclusion. To this verse. Is it not? When you hear the truth. You're doing one or two things. My friend. When you hear the gospel preached.
[15:45] As you're hearing it this morning. Or today. You're actually moving towards it. Or you're moving further away from it. And my friend.
[15:55] If you're saying to yourself today. Well I'm not quite ready. To respond to the call of the gospel today. You might not get another chance.
[16:06] If your heart has been softened by the Holy Spirit today. The next time you come under the gospel. You may well find that your heart has become harder. Because that's what the Bible is saying to us.
[16:17] You will never come back to that same place. You're drifting away. From the revelation. That we have here.
[16:30] That God will save you. In fact you're like a ship. I would say drifting back and forth. With the tide and going nowhere. When people hear the gospel.
[16:43] And with their own efforts. And their own religiosity. Trying to add things to it. It's not going to work. You're never going to impress God.
[16:55] Because the Bible says. That even the best you can offer God. Is tainted with sin. You can come to church as often as you like. You can pray as often as you like.
[17:06] Unless you come to know Christ by faith. That is the only way. To have your sins purged. The Pharisees were probably.
[17:17] The most learned of their day. Knew the scriptures. But dead. Hearts were hard. They were religious. But they weren't Christ like.
[17:29] The second reason for coming to Christ. Verse 2. The severity of judgment. The verse begins with the word for. Now here. Is a second reason.
[17:42] I want you to go. Well if you. In Acts chapter 7. Verse 53. We have these words. You have received the law. As delivered by angels. And you did not keep it.
[17:55] In the law my friends. No one can be saved. Do you know. You've broken the law. Maybe a hundred times. Since you came into church. This morning. You cannot.
[18:07] Keep the law. You break it continually. You cannot save yourself. By obeying the law. It's an impossibility. You need to put your trust.
[18:19] In the one. Who came under the law. The Lord Jesus Christ. And who obeyed the law. To the letter. He's the only one. Who was able to keep the law perfectly.
[18:31] And what the law says. Even if you break. The law. You are condemned. And we all know. We've broken the law. So you are under judgment. Notice what the verse says.
[18:43] It says that. Every transgression. Every disobedience. Every sin. In the history of the world. Is going to be punished. By God. Now.
[18:53] If you're not a Christian. You're going to have to bear that punishment. Throughout the endless ages of eternity. In hell. But if you've put your trust in Christ.
[19:04] My friends. You will notice in the Bible. That Jesus. Paid the penalty. For all of your sins. Past.
[19:14] Present. Future. He paid that penalty. On the cross. Of Calvary. Every disobedience.
[19:25] Every transgression. Will be punished. By a holy God in heaven. You know the Bible says. In Romans 6 verse 21. The wages of sin. Is death.
[19:37] And my friends. That. Is a just penalty. In Ezekiel. We're told. The soul that sins will die. How many sins.
[19:50] Will cast the sinner. Into a lost eternity. In hell forever. Well the answer to that is. How holy. Is God. And how sinful. Is man.
[20:01] My friend. James 2 tells us. It only takes one. Sin. To condemn you. To hell eternally. One sin. Breaks God's law. And brings death.
[20:13] And this is what God. Told Adam in the garden. If they ate of the tree. It would bring death. And you will surely die. And that curse came upon all mankind. Hebrews 9 verse 27.
[20:25] It is appointed unto men. Once to die. After that. The judgment. Do you know that every man.
[20:36] Every woman. Every boy. Every girl. Has two appointments. Death. And judgment. And my friends.
[20:47] Let me tell you. That. Is. Certain. It is certain. There is the most certain thing. In this world. Appointed.
[20:59] Unto men. Once to die. After that. The judgment. And we are all. Under. Sentence. Of death. Why? Because of sin. Because of sin.
[21:11] And salvation. Can only come. Through Christ. Who died. For our sins. On the cross. At Calvary. So how can we escape?
[21:24] You might say. Escape from what? From what you need to escape? You need to escape. From the condemnation. Of our sins.
[21:36] The damnation of our souls. The wrath of God in hell. That is what we need to escape from. For the Christians. Romans. 8. 1. Tells us. There is therefore now.
[21:47] No condemnation. For those who are in Christ Jesus. What comforting words that is. But not for the person. Who has not come to Christ. How shall you escape.
[21:58] If you neglect. So great salvation. My friend. It is not just salvation. That is mentioned here. It is so great salvation. So great.
[22:10] Because it alone can pardon our sins. Wash us. Purify us. And make us clean. Come let us reason together. The Bible says. Though your sins.
[22:25] Be as scarlet. They shall be white as snow. Though they be red like crimson. They shall be. Sorry. They shall. Red like crimson.
[22:36] They shall be white as snow. How shall we escape. If we neglect. So great salvation. Don't act upon it. My friends this morning.
[22:51] This is made known to you. Salvation is offered to you this morning. It is proclaimed. It has been explained.
[23:02] But that is not enough. Because you the sinner. Must receive it. By faith. You must believe upon it.
[23:16] You must make it your own. You must repent. And turn from your sins. What does that mean? It means turning. From your sins.
[23:29] You must. You must. Give your life to Christ. And receive this gift by faith. And if you don't. You are neglecting this great salvation.
[23:40] Perhaps some of you here. Have grown up in this church. Or grown up in the free church. Or in the church of scholarship. It doesn't matter. Where the gospel has been faithfully preached.
[23:51] Over the years. But you have neglected. This great salvation. My friends. Can I urge you.
[24:02] From the very depth of my heart. Not to neglect it. Any longer. What a fearful thought. To be cast.
[24:15] Into a lost eternity. To be almost saved. Yet. To be almost saved.
[24:26] Is to be entirely lost. My friends. It would have been better for you. Never to have heard the gospel.
[24:36] Than to neglect the gospel. Because the bible tells us. That there are degrees of punishment. In hell. And none of you here are ignorant.
[24:50] You will have no excuse. On that day of judgment. So your punishment. Will be that much more severe. That's biblical. But finally.
[25:02] The surety of the message of the gospel. Are you here today. Perhaps halting between two opinions. How can you procrastinate.
[25:13] In other words. How can you delay. When the message. Is so sure. So powerful. So truthful. We talk to the children.
[25:25] Are we established. That the bible. Was the inerrant word of God. No mistakes. In God. In verses three and four. He gives us three reasons.
[25:37] For the surety of the gospel. First of all. He says. How we know the surety of the truth of the gospel. Because it was spoken. By Jesus Christ himself.
[25:49] Who declared first. By. He declared it first. When he began his public ministry. He preached. This truth. That you need.
[26:01] To repent. And believe. In his finished work. This is the message. That Jesus preached. Now are you going to tell me.
[26:13] That Jesus. Preached heresy. No you can't. This is powerful. This is sharp. With a 22 edged sword.
[26:25] Jesus is saying to you. This. Today. He is telling you. To repent. And to believe. Mark 1 verse 15. The time is fulfilled. The kingdom of God.
[26:37] Is at hand. Repent. And believe the gospel. Who was the preacher then? It was Jesus. Christ. Himself. And it is Jesus.
[26:47] Who is speaking to us. Through his word. Today. Now the second reason. The message is sure. Not only because. Christ. Preached it.
[26:58] But it was authenticated. By the apostles. Themselves. We see that. In verse 4. It was attested. By those. Who heard it. Now remember. When Christ.
[27:10] Was crucified. How timid. And fearful. The disciples were. They went away. Fearful. But then.
[27:20] When Jesus Christ. Appeared to them. After his resurrection. What a change. To go with the disciples. What a mighty change.
[27:32] Here we see the evidence. Of the change. That the gospel brings. They left. They left their hiding places. And fearlessly. Proclaimed the word. The word. And changed the world.
[27:44] As a result. Of their preaching. All of them. But one. Losing his own life. For the sake of the gospel. What had changed.
[27:56] These disciples. Had seen. And witnessed. The resurrected. Christ. They were eyewitnesses.
[28:07] And they were willing. To die. For what they testified. In relation. To the risen Christ. Then there is a third reason.
[28:19] And this is even stronger. Not only proclaimed by Christ. Not only attested by the disciples. But we see here. It was attested. By God himself. In heaven. He has witnessed.
[28:31] That the gospel is true. And the gospel is. The power. Of salvation. Verse 4. God affirming. That what they preached. Bore witness.
[28:44] To them. Of what Christ. Had achieved. On the cross at Calvary. What God was doing. With the disciples. Was he was.
[28:55] Placing a stamp. Of approval. On the ministry. How can we. See that. Well. They went out. And performed. Miracles.
[29:06] They weren't. Performing the miracles. In a sense. It was. God. Who was. Performing the miracles. Through them. The word.
[29:19] The word. Signs. Point. To the. Power of God. The power of these miracles. The word wonders. Represents.
[29:29] The amazement. Of the folk. As they saw. These miracles. Taking place. Performed by God. Now the disciples.
[29:40] Were. They were the only ones. Who were given. The power to do this. And it was temporary. After the death. Of the disciples. These signs.
[29:50] And wonders. Ceased. Because these gifts. Were given. To the apostles. Acts 2. Verse 43. It was God.
[30:00] Who gave them. These gifts. To authenticate. The message. A message. That. Was. True. True. And that is why. No one. Should neglect. Salvation. Because.
[30:12] Jesus himself. Was the preacher. The apostles. Authenticated. And God. Validated it. My friends. This is the gospel. Invitation.
[30:23] That we all. Need to be. Reminded of. I have committed. My life. To Christ. Or are you. Someone. Who's still.
[30:35] Halting. Between. Two opinions. What am I doing. With this message. As I hear it. This morning. Am I. Fleeing. To Christ.
[30:46] Or am I. Just receiving. Facts. I believe them. I believe them. To be true. I believe. In Jesus. But I'm not quite. Prepared. To give my life.
[30:57] To Christ. Is that you. This morning. So what do we learn. From this. Well. What we learn. From this. And I'm closing. With this. The gospel.
[31:08] Demands. A response. And it calls. For a verdict. And today. It is calling. From a verdict. Or calling. For a verdict.
[31:20] From your heart. Today. You see. You cannot be neutral. Towards the gospel. We must always.
[31:30] Choose. Which way. We're going to go. Concerning. Jesus Christ. In fact. What is done is. It's bringing us. To a fork. In the road. Two roads.
[31:43] One leading to heaven. One leading to hell. Death. Or blessing. Heaven. Hell. And every time. We hear the gospel. We're making a choice.
[31:55] Perhaps. You're saying. Hey. Wait a minute. I don't need to make a choice. You've just made one. By neglecting. So great salvation. Putting Christ off.
[32:11] And making no decision. My friend. How dangerous is that? You either receive him. Or you reject him. And you. My friends.
[32:22] Today. Are at the fork. Of this road. And you. Need to make a choice. Or are you going to continue. Keeping. Putting Christ off. Oh my friends.
[32:34] You must not neglect. So great salvation. Make the right response. Today. I plead with you. Go on your knees. Ask the Lord. To have mercy upon you.
[32:44] When you go home. Today. You need to believe in Christ. Today. Is the accepted time. Not tomorrow. Is never promised. Now is the accepted time.
[32:55] Today is the day of salvation. And the Bible says. If you hear his voice. Do not harden your heart. Because you might never. Get an opportunity. Like this again.
[33:09] Believe. In Christ. By. Faith. Faith. And he is calling us out today. So I plead with you.
[33:22] If you do not hear his heart. If you hear his heart. If you. Sorry. Let me say that again. He is calling. To you today. So if you hear his voice. Speaking to you. I plead with you.
[33:33] To respond. Do not harden your heart. And if you respond. Let me tell you. You will be eternally.
[33:44] Saved. That's the promise. Whosoever. Comes. I have preached the gospel to you this morning.
[33:56] And I now leave. The decision with you. May the Lord bless you.
[34:07] And may he. Bring you to that place. Where the publican was brought. And where every Christian here was brought. To that place where we had to beat upon our hearts.
[34:18] And cry out. From a broken and a contrite heart. Lord. Be merciful. To me. The sinner. Amen. Let us pray.
[34:28] Thank you.