WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.339 and to pay attention. We ask in Jesus' name. Amen. 00:00:06.740 --> 00:00:17.740 Now, let's read together just a short section from Hebrews chapter 2. It's the first four verses. 00:00:18.960 --> 00:00:24.500 Let's hear the Word of God. Hebrews 2 verse 1, 00:00:24.500 --> 00:00:32.299 We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. 00:00:33.219 --> 00:00:40.439 For since the message spoken through angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience 00:00:40.439 --> 00:00:47.340 received its just punishment, how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? 00:00:48.159 --> 00:00:54.480 This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard 00:00:54.479 --> 00:01:03.719 him. God also testified to it by signs, wonders, and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit 00:01:03.719 --> 00:01:12.420 distributed according to his will. So, as we continue in our study of the book of Hebrews today, 00:01:12.920 --> 00:01:22.259 we're listening to the author say to us, pay attention to your salvation. Now, I wonder how 00:01:22.260 --> 00:01:29.260 often and in what circumstances we hear someone say to us, pay attention. I imagine children, 00:01:29.460 --> 00:01:36.100 you probably hear that fairly regularly. Certainly from parents, perhaps, if you can remember back to 00:01:36.100 --> 00:01:42.000 when school was on, perhaps in the classroom. We might hear, pay attention if we are using some 00:01:42.000 --> 00:01:46.800 safety equipment and we need a demonstration. If we're being invited to follow instructions, 00:01:46.799 --> 00:01:54.340 or to follow government guidelines. We are encouraged in many ways to pay attention. Now, why do we say 00:01:54.340 --> 00:01:58.799 that? Why do we need to hear that? Well, sometimes it's because there's an important message coming. 00:01:59.700 --> 00:02:04.620 Sometimes it's to fight the distraction that somebody else faces, so we tell them to pay attention. 00:02:05.900 --> 00:02:13.060 Sometimes those words give a warning. Sometimes it's just so that we make sure that we communicate, 00:02:13.060 --> 00:02:21.640 here is the one thing I don't want you to miss. So, Hebrews, the book of Hebrews, many people see it as 00:02:21.640 --> 00:02:29.740 a sermon. So, if Hebrews is a sermon, then chapter 2, verses 1 to 4, is the point where the preacher has 00:02:29.740 --> 00:02:40.420 been demonstrating to us some of the what question. The what question, who is Jesus? And we've seen in 00:02:40.419 --> 00:02:48.819 chapter 1, Jesus is God's full and final word to us. What else have we learned in the what? Who is Jesus 00:02:48.819 --> 00:02:55.619 compared to the angels? Jesus is greater in glory and majesty than the angels. And now, as it were, 00:02:55.719 --> 00:03:00.779 there's a pause. We can almost imagine the preacher, sometimes preachers leaned over pulpits, 00:03:00.839 --> 00:03:05.199 didn't they? I never really do that. But sometimes preachers will lean over the pulpit so that they were 00:03:05.199 --> 00:03:13.719 making sure that people were paying attention to what was coming. He wants us to pay attention because 00:03:13.719 --> 00:03:20.159 here in this short section, he's answering the so what? Jesus is God's final revelation to us. So what? 00:03:20.479 --> 00:03:25.859 Jesus is greater than the angels. So what? Now, what does this mean for us? 00:03:25.860 --> 00:03:34.020 And it comes with this warning to pay attention. Pay attention to the word of salvation. Pay attention 00:03:34.020 --> 00:03:44.260 to our salvation. So three things to recognize from this short section. First of all, pay attention, 00:03:44.440 --> 00:03:51.980 verse 1, watch that you don't drift away. Let me read it again. We must pay the most careful attention, 00:03:51.979 --> 00:04:00.859 therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. Up there is a historical picture 00:04:00.859 --> 00:04:09.519 of when the Sky Ferry was still operating. I remember as a child, one October holiday, 00:04:10.060 --> 00:04:16.959 coming back from shopping in Inverness, going back home to Sky. And it was a particularly stormy night, 00:04:17.019 --> 00:04:21.959 and it was the one time where the ferry had to kill the engine and just drift in that little 00:04:21.980 --> 00:04:30.080 sound because the wind was too strong for them to get the boat safely into harbor. Folks from 00:04:30.080 --> 00:04:34.800 islands will have far more dramatic and more frequent stories, I have no doubt. But that's the one time I 00:04:34.800 --> 00:04:44.560 can remember drifting in the sea, unable to get to harbor. Well, if in the book of Hebrews, Jesus is the safe 00:04:44.560 --> 00:04:53.379 harbor. Then the danger is drifting away from Him, drifting away from His good news, drifting away from 00:04:53.379 --> 00:05:00.379 that message of grace that He has come to bring. That's one of the things we see as a theme behind 00:05:00.379 --> 00:05:08.480 the book of Hebrews. Here was a people tempted to drift away, to return to the Old Testament forms of 00:05:08.480 --> 00:05:16.500 religion instead of sticking with Jesus, to go back to trusting in their law and their law-keeping, 00:05:17.040 --> 00:05:24.100 to trust in those ceremonies and sacrifices, to go back, as it were, to the shadows rather than the 00:05:24.100 --> 00:05:33.500 substance who is Jesus. Now, what caused their drift was most likely opposition, persecution, 00:05:33.500 --> 00:05:40.439 leading to fear. It's more comfortable to stay within the confines of Judaism. So, they were tempted to 00:05:40.439 --> 00:05:51.959 leave Jesus behind. But drift doesn't just happen back then. Drift can happen now. There are many things 00:05:51.959 --> 00:05:59.600 that come as temptations to us and they're individual to us that might tempt us and draw us away from 00:05:59.600 --> 00:06:11.000 Jesus. What might that look like? Sometimes what causes us to drift is suffering. Suffering that we did 00:06:11.000 --> 00:06:21.200 not expect and that we struggle with that perhaps leads to bitterness and can cause drift. Sometimes that 00:06:21.200 --> 00:06:28.540 might be opposition from family members, friends, colleagues, and the going seems tough and so we are 00:06:28.540 --> 00:06:41.660 tempted to leave Jesus. Perhaps it might be busyness. Life is just so full of various responsibilities, 00:06:41.660 --> 00:06:50.620 so Jesus gets squeezed and left behind in favor of responsibility. On the other hand, it might be 00:06:50.620 --> 00:06:57.300 pleasures. We might be so distracted by all the opportunities that we have, the wealth that we have, 00:06:57.300 --> 00:07:04.360 creates so much freedom and choice, and perhaps that distracts us away from keeping Jesus central. 00:07:05.660 --> 00:07:13.780 Perhaps it's a particular sin in our lives that causes our hearts to be hardened to Jesus and His Word. 00:07:14.439 --> 00:07:21.860 There are many reasons that cause people to drift. And the author of the Hebrews knows it, 00:07:21.860 --> 00:07:28.480 and He wants to help us to avoid drift. And what's the answer that He gives to avoiding drift? 00:07:29.199 --> 00:07:39.199 In verse 1, it's to pay most careful attention to what they heard, to stay focused on the message of 00:07:39.199 --> 00:07:46.639 salvation which centers on Jesus the Savior. So far already, in just one chapter, we've seen 00:07:46.639 --> 00:07:52.779 that Jesus is God in the flesh. We've seen Jesus as the creator and the sustainer of the universe, 00:07:53.699 --> 00:08:00.180 that it's Jesus who washes clean from sin, Jesus who is ruling as king, Jesus who is superior to the 00:08:00.180 --> 00:08:06.399 angels. So the message to listen to is that Jesus is better, that Jesus and Jesus alone is good news. 00:08:06.479 --> 00:08:09.139 There's no other way to be saved. 00:08:09.139 --> 00:08:19.879 So He says to them and to us, pay attention to Jesus, the Word of God, Jesus and the Word of salvation 00:08:19.879 --> 00:08:25.779 that He brings. And if He tells us to pay attention, 00:08:26.979 --> 00:08:33.399 then that leads us to respond, doesn't it? Or it should lead us, if we are sensible, to respond, 00:08:33.399 --> 00:08:42.259 to think in terms of self-examination. What are the dangers for you? What are the dangers for me? 00:08:43.259 --> 00:08:49.220 What are those waves that come into our lives that are likely to pull us away from that safe harbor who 00:08:49.220 --> 00:08:59.299 is Jesus? Perhaps one of the most important ways we can respond to this text is in a reflection and 00:08:59.299 --> 00:09:06.159 repentance and praying for renewal, to have that joy of our salvation restored to us. 00:09:07.459 --> 00:09:15.240 So it calls us to self-examination, but it also calls us to active attention, to keep our eyes fixed 00:09:15.240 --> 00:09:23.740 on Jesus. He is the harbor, He is the safe place, He is the anchor we are to trust in. And so we cannot 00:09:23.740 --> 00:09:34.799 drift in our imagination, we cannot drift in our attention from Jesus, the Savior. So He calls us 00:09:34.799 --> 00:09:42.360 to pay attention, to watch that we don't drift away. But then He gives us another reason to pay attention, 00:09:43.100 --> 00:09:50.360 pay attention because God holds us accountable. Let's read again verse 2 and into verse 3. 00:09:50.360 --> 00:09:57.740 For since the message spoken through angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience 00:09:57.740 --> 00:10:04.539 received its just punishment, how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? 00:10:05.600 --> 00:10:12.060 So he's using one of those lesser to greater arguments here. In effect, what he's saying is that 00:10:12.060 --> 00:10:19.820 since the old covenant message that came through the angels was binding, it required obedience and 00:10:19.820 --> 00:10:25.900 faith from the people of God, and since every violation and disobedience was punished, 00:10:26.860 --> 00:10:34.700 that overstepping the mark falling short of God's standard was punished, how much more in the New 00:10:34.700 --> 00:10:41.020 Testament era, since the coming of Jesus, should we pay attention to Him and His message? 00:10:41.019 --> 00:10:55.699 Because God holds people accountable. We read in Numbers 11, one example, Israel grumble, God's just given us 00:10:55.699 --> 00:11:04.399 bread from heaven, we'd rather like some meat to eat also. And so God promised to provide, and the quail 00:11:04.399 --> 00:11:13.759 came and the quail fell, but so too did the judgment of God. We were in Joshua not that long ago as a church, 00:11:13.819 --> 00:11:20.419 and perhaps you remember the famous battle of Jericho, wonderful victory for the people of God 00:11:20.419 --> 00:11:28.919 in Joshua chapter 6, but chapter 7, we read of humiliating defeat, and we discover it's because 00:11:28.919 --> 00:11:33.639 one man, one man, Achan, disobeyed and took some of those things that were to be devoted to God. 00:11:33.939 --> 00:11:39.819 So the people face defeat, and Achan is judged. And we can go through the Old Testament, and we can 00:11:39.819 --> 00:11:48.279 discover that God holds people accountable for how we respond to Him and to His Word. And that's the 00:11:48.279 --> 00:11:58.279 negative motivation behind this call to pay attention. The author's point is that the holy God speaks with 00:11:58.279 --> 00:12:06.579 authority, and we are held accountable for disobedience or rejection of His Word. And as he says, if that 00:12:06.579 --> 00:12:13.299 was true in the Old Testament, in the Old Covenant era, how much more is that true in the New Testament, 00:12:13.419 --> 00:12:22.919 New Covenant, coming of Jesus' era? How shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? Because he's been 00:12:22.919 --> 00:12:29.139 at pains to point out that Jesus is a greater messenger, bringing God's Word than anything they 00:12:29.139 --> 00:12:33.299 had, anyone they had in the Old Testament. The Old Testament had prophets and angels, but we have 00:12:33.299 --> 00:12:39.259 Jesus, the Word who became flesh and made His dwelling among us. He is God's ultimate Word, so we have a 00:12:39.259 --> 00:12:45.759 greater messenger. What becomes clear, too, is that we have a greater light. There's a greater revelation. 00:12:47.019 --> 00:12:52.319 How do we know God's love? How do we know God's desire to save? Well, we look to Jesus, and we look to the 00:12:52.320 --> 00:13:00.000 cross, don't we? God's Word of salvation is more clearly heard. The cross stands as a great billboard 00:13:00.000 --> 00:13:06.680 to God's love and God's grace with greater clarity than they had even in the Old Testament. So, there's 00:13:06.680 --> 00:13:13.580 a greater light in the coming of Jesus as we see how that plan would climax. God's redemptive plan 00:13:13.580 --> 00:13:21.260 would climax in the sending of Jesus. Even in terms of the focus of salvation, in the Old Testament, 00:13:21.259 --> 00:13:26.720 there was very much a primary focus on the promised land. Yes, they were looking for beyond that, but 00:13:26.720 --> 00:13:36.240 so much of their hope rested in the promised land and that life there and then. But since Jesus, we see 00:13:36.240 --> 00:13:42.939 we have a greater hope with greater clarity. Eternal life with God is our ultimate hope. The new heaven and 00:13:42.940 --> 00:13:51.180 the new earth is our lasting home. So, in all these ways, we discover we have such a great salvation. 00:13:52.540 --> 00:13:57.980 So, what's the point the preacher is trying to drive home? He is saying it is a great tragedy 00:13:57.980 --> 00:14:09.260 to neglect or to reject your great Savior. We know that sometimes when we hear someone say to us, 00:14:09.259 --> 00:14:15.419 pay attention, we know that with that comes an accountability for our response. 00:14:17.179 --> 00:14:25.759 And so, sometimes as parents, we might say to our kids, you know, here are the rules. Here is what you need 00:14:25.759 --> 00:14:32.639 to do. If you don't listen, if you don't obey, there will be consequences. Sometimes we use that negative 00:14:32.639 --> 00:14:42.539 motivation for right response. I don't know why, but I was thinking of go-karting at camp, obviously 00:14:42.539 --> 00:14:50.220 feeling the sense of loss of another year of no camps. But when camps would go to the go-kart track 00:14:50.220 --> 00:14:56.319 and you have a whole bunch of excited kids and leaders ready to race and get really serious, 00:14:56.419 --> 00:15:01.340 you always had the safety talk. And towards the end of the safety talk, as they began to explain all 00:15:01.340 --> 00:15:06.540 the different flags that you might see, there was one flag that you never wanted to see, and that was 00:15:06.540 --> 00:15:12.740 the black flag. If you disobeyed and ignored all the safety rules, eventually you would get black flagged 00:15:12.740 --> 00:15:21.280 and you'd be pulled off the court. And here, the author to the Hebrews is wanting us to recognize 00:15:21.280 --> 00:15:28.379 and motivating us towards the goodness of salvation by warning that we'll be held accountable 00:15:28.379 --> 00:15:37.100 if we don't listen. So, in that sense, he's saying to us, look, for the sake of your own self-preservation, 00:15:38.259 --> 00:15:45.000 to avoid the judgment of God, pay attention. Now, as people who have heard the gospel, 00:15:45.159 --> 00:15:48.620 we are without excuse. Therefore, we should pay attention and respond. 00:15:48.620 --> 00:15:57.460 And connected to that, to borrow from the title of a book by David Gibson, we should endeavor to 00:15:57.460 --> 00:16:06.899 live backwards. We should live aware of the reality that we will die, live aware of the reality of 00:16:06.899 --> 00:16:12.480 judgment day, and we should aim every day to have the right verdict on that day. 00:16:12.480 --> 00:16:20.039 Recognizing the good news of the gospel, that when we're trusting in Jesus, 00:16:21.159 --> 00:16:27.420 the verdict on our life is already in, that we are welcomed, accepted, we are loved, we're forgiven 00:16:27.420 --> 00:16:37.420 in Christ. And so, he's saying, pay attention. God holds us accountable so that we would come to faith 00:16:37.419 --> 00:16:47.479 or we would stay trusting in Jesus. But he's not finished with giving this warning to pay attention. 00:16:48.099 --> 00:16:55.599 The last thing to notice, in verses 3 and 4, he says, pay attention because you can trust God's Word. 00:16:56.659 --> 00:17:02.980 Verse 3 and 4, this salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those 00:17:02.980 --> 00:17:10.860 who heard him. God also testified to it by signs, wonders, and various miracles, and by gifts of the 00:17:10.860 --> 00:17:19.180 Holy Spirit distributed according to his will. We know, don't we, that reliable sources are important. 00:17:19.960 --> 00:17:25.960 For those of us who are at school or university who have been through that, we know with our essays, 00:17:26.079 --> 00:17:30.620 it's important to find the right sources. We don't quote extensively from Mr. Wikipedia. That doesn't 00:17:30.619 --> 00:17:35.619 typically go down well. We want to get information from subject experts. We want to find the key 00:17:35.619 --> 00:17:44.319 texts. We want articles that are peer-reviewed. We need to find reliable sources of information. 00:17:44.719 --> 00:17:50.159 And our author's point here is that we are to pay attention to the message of salvation because we have 00:17:50.159 --> 00:18:00.599 the most reliable sources to back up what he is saying. How can we trust that this message 00:18:00.599 --> 00:18:12.500 well, imagine with me a courtroom scene? And the court case is along the lines of following Jesus 00:18:12.500 --> 00:18:19.659 versus returning to the old ways. You know, which is better? Is Jesus better? Is he worth persisting 00:18:19.659 --> 00:18:26.799 with? And so the author is going to marshal his evidence and his witnesses to say, yes, Jesus is 00:18:26.799 --> 00:18:37.339 better. He wants to give confidence to Christians who'd grown weak and fearful. So the key statement in 00:18:37.339 --> 00:18:47.539 this defense is where the message of salvation was first announced. And what do we discover in verse 3? 00:18:48.220 --> 00:18:56.779 This salvation was first announced by the Lord. So again, the aim of faith is that we would listen 00:18:56.779 --> 00:19:06.359 we would obey God's Word. We would listen to, we would obey the Lord Jesus. This Jesus who came to announce 00:19:06.359 --> 00:19:15.319 salvation. If you think about what we know about Jesus' life and ministry, Mark chapter 1, it records 00:19:15.319 --> 00:19:21.359 as Jesus begins his preaching ministry. What does he say? He says, the time has come, the kingdom of God is near. 00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:28.639 Repent and believe the good news. God's appointed hour of salvation when he would send the Savior is here. 00:19:29.059 --> 00:19:34.099 The kingdom is near because the King has come. And that call to believe the good news. 00:19:35.119 --> 00:19:40.779 Or what we read in Luke chapter 4, the Spirit of the Lord is on me because he has anointed me to proclaim 00:19:40.779 --> 00:19:47.799 good news to the poor, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. So from the beginning, 00:19:47.799 --> 00:19:55.700 Jesus declares that he is God's chosen King. He has come with power and authority from God. 00:19:56.139 --> 00:20:07.859 He's bringing good news and that good news and he requires response. The response of repentance, belief, faith. 00:20:09.220 --> 00:20:15.799 And then as his ministry progresses, what we discover that central to his message would be 00:20:15.799 --> 00:20:23.319 anticipating his death on the cross. So Mark 10, 45, the Son of Man came not to be served, 00:20:23.319 --> 00:20:33.799 but to serve and to give his life as a ransom. John chapter 10, verse 11, I am the good shepherd. 00:20:34.579 --> 00:20:39.339 The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 00:20:39.339 --> 00:20:48.179 Jesus, through his ministry, is also showing that he fulfills all the great promises and hopes of the 00:20:48.179 --> 00:20:53.500 Old Testament. As the people were longing for the King who would come and rescue, Jesus says, 00:20:53.579 --> 00:20:59.439 I'm that King. As the people were waiting for that prophet who would announce God's Word of salvation, 00:20:59.619 --> 00:21:05.500 Jesus would say, I'm that prophet and the Word is all about me. As they were looking for a priest who 00:21:05.500 --> 00:21:13.259 would offer sacrifices to atone for sin, Jesus says, I'm that priest and I give myself as that once for 00:21:13.259 --> 00:21:20.279 all sacrifice for sin. And again, our author is saying, don't go back. Why would you look elsewhere? 00:21:20.859 --> 00:21:28.700 Jesus is God's final complete Word for us and that Word is salvation. That Word is grace to be found in 00:21:28.700 --> 00:21:36.519 him. So we're in the court case. We're thinking about, is Jesus better? Should we stick with him or 00:21:36.519 --> 00:21:41.860 should we go back to something else? The author has said, remember salvation came first. This 00:21:41.860 --> 00:21:48.440 announcement came from Jesus, but he's got further witnesses to bring in to confirm where salvation is 00:21:48.440 --> 00:21:56.360 really found. So the first witnesses that are brought in are the apostles. So this is at verse 3 again, 00:21:56.359 --> 00:22:04.139 the salvation which was first announced by the Lord was confirmed to us by those who heard him. Those who 00:22:04.139 --> 00:22:13.579 heard him were the apostles, those who spent time with Jesus during his life and ministry. Just as an aside, 00:22:14.319 --> 00:22:22.019 this verse probably makes the case that the author of the Hebrews wasn't one of the apostles, since he says 00:22:22.019 --> 00:22:28.839 we heard the message from the apostles rather than saying, I am an apostle. But remember the words of 00:22:28.839 --> 00:22:35.980 Jesus to the apostles, you will be my witnesses. And isn't that what we see the disciples, the apostles 00:22:35.980 --> 00:22:42.079 doing in the rest of the New Testament, the book of Acts, as they taught the words of Jesus, as they teach 00:22:42.079 --> 00:22:46.319 the significance of his life and death and resurrection. And then they wrote, didn't they? 00:22:46.319 --> 00:22:53.059 They wrote the New Testament as that permanent record of the work of Jesus and the significance 00:22:53.059 --> 00:22:59.639 of that work. And so the apostles are brought in as witnesses to say salvation is found in Jesus, 00:22:59.799 --> 00:23:06.740 stick with him. Further confirmation that salvation comes from Jesus, verse 4, 00:23:06.740 --> 00:23:13.420 God also testified to it by signs, wonders, and various miracles. 00:23:15.420 --> 00:23:23.319 We know from Jesus' baptism that he was baptized with the power of the Spirit, that Jesus was the 00:23:23.319 --> 00:23:29.180 one who was filled with the Spirit, and he did miracles. And then he gave the power to the apostles 00:23:29.180 --> 00:23:36.720 to also do miracles by the power of the Spirit. And those miracles stand to give testimony, 00:23:36.720 --> 00:23:45.500 testimony to confirm who Jesus is, to confirm that he came to bring salvation. The miracles in that 00:23:45.500 --> 00:23:53.960 regard act as signposts for us. And where do they point us towards? Well, they point us towards 00:23:53.960 --> 00:24:03.400 his identity as the Son of God. They point us towards an anticipation of what God's kingdom will be like 00:24:03.400 --> 00:24:12.180 as Jesus provides. As Jesus provides a feast, as Jesus takes away pain and tears and death, he is 00:24:12.180 --> 00:24:21.360 giving us a glimpse into what eternity is going to be like. And there are also signposts that Jesus has 00:24:21.360 --> 00:24:27.720 come to remove shame and to give honor. Think of how many miracles Jesus does to make the unclean clean, 00:24:27.720 --> 00:24:35.559 to bring the outsider back into community. And so, the miracles speak, and they testify 00:24:36.500 --> 00:24:44.799 to the Savior. But he's not finished there as he brings in witnesses so that people would stick with 00:24:44.799 --> 00:24:51.940 Jesus. He also draws attention to the church. So, verse 4 again, God also testified to it by signs, 00:24:51.940 --> 00:24:58.680 wonders, wonders, and various miracles, and by gift of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will. 00:25:00.220 --> 00:25:05.640 So, we look to the church, the people of God, as evidence to the reality of salvation. 00:25:06.640 --> 00:25:10.740 Now, why do I say that when the church isn't mentioned? Because the Holy Spirit gives gifts 00:25:10.740 --> 00:25:22.940 to his people. We see God's salvation in the lives of God's people. We recognize that trusting in Jesus 00:25:22.940 --> 00:25:30.380 brings salvation, which brings transformed lives by the power of the Spirit. And maybe for some of us 00:25:30.380 --> 00:25:35.599 here, we were turned towards Christianity for the first time because we saw the change that Jesus brought 00:25:35.599 --> 00:25:43.159 in a friend or a family member. We are encouraged in our faith when we see the faith that another person 00:25:43.159 --> 00:25:51.500 has in the Lord Jesus. Those gifts are real, and they point to a real Savior and real salvation. 00:25:52.059 --> 00:25:56.899 So, when we're in the courtroom here, the author to the Hebrews would have us understand that the 00:25:56.899 --> 00:26:04.279 verdict is never in doubt that Jesus most certainly is better, that we can trust God's Word, and we should 00:26:04.279 --> 00:26:14.940 pay attention. It reminds us in the way that he brings out the evidence that our faith, it is built on 00:26:14.940 --> 00:26:23.559 eyewitness testimony. It is built on historical events, historical person who is Jesus. There is 00:26:23.559 --> 00:26:30.359 reliability. It can be tested and examined, and indeed Christianity has always encouraged examination. 00:26:30.359 --> 00:26:38.659 I think this is also a reminder to us of the importance of the church family. 00:26:40.639 --> 00:26:48.839 That if seeing God's Spirit at work in the lives of His people is evidence of salvation, 00:26:48.939 --> 00:26:55.059 then we should never underestimate the power of the church. Yeah, often we feel small, we feel weak, 00:26:55.059 --> 00:27:01.619 we feel powerless, and we wonder if people are watching or listening, but God is in us, and God is with us. 00:27:03.039 --> 00:27:11.220 And God has always been pleased to use His people, weak as we are, to help people see the glory of 00:27:11.220 --> 00:27:16.339 Jesus through us, through our lives, through our words. 00:27:16.339 --> 00:27:25.399 And we see again from our author how important it is for us to focus on Jesus. 00:27:26.639 --> 00:27:34.459 There are many times that we will hear in our lives, pay attention, family, school, and work, and leisure, 00:27:34.819 --> 00:27:38.319 but it will never matter more than this, pay attention. 00:27:38.319 --> 00:27:45.879 Pay attention to your salvation. Pay attention to the question, am I right with God? 00:27:46.839 --> 00:27:54.679 Am I trusting in Jesus? Am I walking with Jesus? Am I staying close, or am I drifting? 00:27:56.819 --> 00:27:59.639 What do you and I need to do today? 00:27:59.640 --> 00:28:05.060 We must pay. We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, 00:28:05.660 --> 00:28:08.560 so that we do not drift away. 00:28:10.300 --> 00:28:11.520 Let's pray together. 00:28:15.800 --> 00:28:19.600 Lord, our God, we thank you that in your kindness, 00:28:20.640 --> 00:28:26.000 you have not left us to guess how we are to be right with you. 00:28:26.000 --> 00:28:33.440 You have not left us in the dark and without hope of ever being at home with you, 00:28:34.019 --> 00:28:44.420 but rather you have sent Jesus, your word, your Son, into this world in order to live a perfect life, 00:28:45.180 --> 00:28:50.039 to die a sacrificial day, and rise as a victorious Savior, 00:28:50.039 --> 00:28:57.500 so that whoever believes in Jesus might not perish but have eternal life. 00:28:58.579 --> 00:29:01.220 We thank you for the good news of salvation. 00:29:01.980 --> 00:29:04.980 We thank you for the Bible that we have in which we can read it. 00:29:05.779 --> 00:29:09.980 Lord, we ask that you'd help each one of us to pay attention, 00:29:10.460 --> 00:29:12.639 to pay attention to our own hearts, 00:29:12.720 --> 00:29:16.799 to pay attention to how we are responding to Jesus and his salvation. 00:29:16.799 --> 00:29:23.680 of us to pay attention so that we would increasingly worship and love him and live for him, 00:29:24.099 --> 00:29:33.440 so that others too might come to see and enjoy Jesus as your Son and our Savior. 00:29:34.099 --> 00:29:36.559 We pray it in his name. Amen. 00:29:36.559 --> 00:29:47.879 Now we'll conclude standing to sing together Christ the sure and steady anchor. 00:29:47.879 --> 00:29:48.079 Amen. 00:30:06.559 --> 00:30:17.299 Christ the sure and steady anchor in the fury of the storm, 00:30:17.299 --> 00:30:27.419 when the winds of doubt blow through me and my sails have all been torn, 00:30:27.420 --> 00:30:36.980 in the suffering, in the sorrow, when my sinking hopes are few. 00:30:36.980 --> 00:30:46.900 I will hold fast to the anchor, it shall never be removed. 00:30:46.900 --> 00:31:03.940 Christ the sure and steady anchor, while the tempest rages on, 00:31:03.940 --> 00:31:13.460 when temptation claims the battle, and it seems the night has won. 00:31:13.460 --> 00:31:23.059 Deeper still then goes the anchor, though I justly stand accused. 00:31:23.059 --> 00:31:32.700 I will hold fast to the anchor, it shall never be removed. 00:31:32.700 --> 00:31:49.420 Christ the sure and steady anchor through the floods of unbelief. 00:31:49.420 --> 00:31:58.539 Hopeless somehow, O my soul, now lift your eyes to Calvary. 00:31:58.539 --> 00:32:08.539 This my ballast of assurance, see his love forever proved. 00:32:08.539 --> 00:32:18.359 I will hold fast to the anchor, it shall never be removed. 00:32:18.359 --> 00:32:35.139 Christ the sure and steady anchor, as we face the wave of death. 00:32:35.139 --> 00:32:44.879 When these trials give way to glory, and we draw our final breath, 00:32:44.880 --> 00:32:53.880 We will cross that great horizon, clouds behind and life secured. 00:32:53.880 --> 00:33:03.980 And the calm will be the better, for the storms that we endured. 00:33:03.980 --> 00:33:13.360 Christ the sure of our salvation, ever faithful, ever true. 00:33:13.359 --> 00:33:23.359 We will hold fast to the anchor, it shall never be removed. 00:33:23.359 --> 00:33:39.359 Close with these words from the book of Jude. 00:33:39.359 --> 00:33:40.359 Amen. 00:33:40.359 --> 00:33:46.359 To him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you before his glorious presence 00:33:46.359 --> 00:33:49.359 without fault and with great joy. 00:33:49.359 --> 00:33:59.299 To the only God our Saviour, be glory, majesty, power, and authority, through Jesus Christ our 00:33:59.299 --> 00:34:04.359 Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore. 00:34:04.359 --> 00:34:05.359 Amen. 00:34:05.359 --> 00:34:17.359 Amen. 00:34:17.359 --> 00:34:20.359 Amen. 00:34:20.359 --> 00:34:22.359 Amen. 00:34:22.359 --> 00:34:24.359 Amen. 00:34:24.359 --> 00:34:25.359 Amen. 00:34:25.359 --> 00:34:26.359 Amen.