For the moment, let's sing to God's praise now from Psalm 103.
Psalm 103 in the Scottish Psalter, page 369, and the tune is Evan.
We're singing verses 1 to 5.
O thou my soul, bless God the Lord, and all that in me is be stirred up his holy name
to magnify and bless.
Bless, O my soul, the Lord thy God, and not forgetful be of all his gracious benefits
he hath bestowed on thee.
Here is the psalmist, in a sense, speaking to himself, speaking inwardly to his own soul.
And it's not a sign of having lost the plot.
It's a sign of stirring up his soul to praise the Lord.
And it's something we ourselves thereby are directed to do as well as we speak into our
souls as we come to sing these verses.
Let's seek to follow the psalmist's words and example.
O thou my soul, bless God the Lord.
O thou my soul, bless God the Lord, and all that in me is,
O thou my soul, bless God the Lord.
Bless, O thou my soul, bless God the Lord.
And all that in me is, O thou my soul, bless God the Lord.
O thou my soul, bless God the Lord.
Let's join together in prayer.
O thou my soul, bless God the Lord.
O Lord, bless God the Lord.
Help us to enter into the spirit of the psalmist as well as follow his words.
Lord, bless God the Lord.
O Lord, bless God the Lord.
Amen.
that your concern is to bless your people abundantly
and not to be meager in your supply of grace for them.
And we thank you, O Lord, that you far exceed
what we ourselves even might rightly expect.
And yet remember that you are God,
and therefore the God who is infinite in his resources
and who is concerned to deliver to his people
all that would befit them as those who need his grace.
We give thanks, O Lord, tonight for this occasion.
Help us to prize it.
Help us to realize the privilege that is ours.
Help us to benefit from it.
Help us to commend it to those around us
as a time of worship that is of benefit to our souls.
Help us, we pray, to communicate to the world around us
how precious, how special gathering together for worship is.
How blessed we are in being able to come together
and in recognizing that the living God himself
has promised to be amongst his people,
to make a home for himself in them
and to speak through them to the world around.
And we give thanks tonight, Lord, that this is our privilege.
We thank you that your knowledge extends to each and every one of us.
And while we confess, O Lord, that that knowledge sometimes
brings us even to be disturbed at our own sinfulness,
yet we give thanks as well
that your knowledge of us as perfect
is therefore able to provide against all the detail of our need.
And we give thanks that you will miss nothing out
as you come to meet the need of your people,
that there is no sin that will not be forgiven in your forgiveness,
that there is no element needing to be sanctified,
that you will not sanctify in the work of your Spirit,
that there is nothing that we require, O Lord,
that has not already been taken account of
in the death of the cross,
in the resurrection from the dead of our Lord Jesus Christ.
And Lord, we thank you tonight for the reality of these things,
that they are indeed true and will remain true
throughout all eternity.
We pray tonight, Lord, as we give our minds once again to your truth,
help us to store in mind those things that we learn of
and to do it not in a merely intellectual exercise,
but with a concern to have these treasured in our hearts,
that our lives may be conformed by them.
We ask, O Lord, to be conformed to your truth,
for this is what you call us to,
not to be conformed to this world,
but to be transformed by the renewing of our mind,
that we may prove what is that good and perfect
and acceptable will of God.
And we ask, O Lord, for the delight the psalmist had
in the will of God being his portion.
And O Lord, at times we recognize that
your will contains for us
experiences and elements that we would not have chosen ourselves,
difficulties and challenges and trials and pains,
yet we give thanks, Lord, that they're placed in our lot
by a gracious and kind God,
by a God whose purpose lies behind
all his dealings with his people.
So, Lord, bless us, we pray tonight,
as we give ourselves once more
to the teaching of your word,
as we place ourselves under
the ministry of your Holy Spirit.
Lord, how we thank you that your own spirit
takes the things of Christ
and makes them known to us.
And we pray that this may be
our experience here tonight,
that those things of Christ,
those things of salvation,
those things that are of eternal importance,
will be impressed upon our minds and souls,
that we will have our minds renewed
in such a way as to receive him
and to receive the salvation that comes with him.
Bless us then, Lord, we pray,
as we come to seek your blessing.
We ask that you would bless us as a congregation
in this week that we have entered upon today.
And help us to carry from this Lord's Day
the blessings that we seek from you
into this week that lies ahead of us.
And, Lord, we pray that our portion may be
that you will go before us
and direct us in your ways
and show us your paths.
Bless us in whatever way we set out in the world
to our employment
or to whatever activities we have,
in our times of recreation,
in our holiday times,
in our times of rest.
We ask your blessing, O Lord,
to provide for us in all of those different facets of life.
And we give thanks that your word contains for us
the kind of attitude and mindset
that we need to have
in relation to the developments of our lives.
We ask that tonight, Lord,
you would bless all that we anticipate
by your will in this week ahead.
We pray for the holiday club.
We give thanks for the provision made
by so many willing hands.
We pray for the children
that will come to take part in the club.
We ask, Lord, for them
that they might have an enjoyable time,
a safe time,
but that they will also have a blessed time,
a time when your own word and truth
is impressed on their young hearts.
We pray for all who will be leading
in the various activities,
and we ask that you will bless them.
We pray too, Lord,
for the recordings that are taking place
in the session room
throughout this coming month
of the Gaelic translation,
a more recent Gaelic translation of the Bible.
We pray, Lord, for the Bible Society.
We ask that you bless them in this venture.
So much work, Lord, has gone into it, we know.
We pray that it will be to the advance of your kingdom,
to the furtherance of your glory.
And we pray that those who are currently brought up
through Gaelic medium education
will themselves come to value
the Bible in this language.
Not that we, Lord,
seek to elevate any language above any other,
but we value the various languages
in which your word is translated,
including the languages local to ourselves.
We do pray that this will be blessed,
and throughout the world,
that people will come to benefit from it.
We give thanks, too,
for the way in which we are able
to broadcast live stream services
from this place and from the seminary.
And we give thanks, Lord,
that that extends to services
associated with wakes and funerals,
as well as worship services
on the Lord's Day and other times.
We pray that all who hear your word
through this medium
will come to be blessed
in the various parts of the world.
And we thank you for the many messages
of encouragement
that we receive as a congregation
in relation to this ministry.
And we do ask, O Lord,
that you would continue to enable us
to depend upon yourself
and not upon any other medium,
not upon any medium in itself.
But, Lord, help us to realize
that it is your Spirit alone
that quickens
and the flesh profits nothing.
And we ask your blessing
to be with those tonight
who are ill.
We think of those
of our own number, Lord,
in the congregation.
We pray for those
who are recovering from illness,
from COVID,
other illnesses,
recovering from surgery.
We pray for those
anticipating surgery
in the days to come.
And they will be entering hospital
tomorrow or during this week.
We pray that you bless them,
O Lord,
and bless to them
the treatment
that they will receive.
Make us thankful, O Lord,
for the abundant provision
you make for us
in this regard, too,
compared to so many other places
in the world
that don't have access
to these facilities.
O Lord,
in a time of much complaint
and much grumbling
in our nation
and at times even
in our own hearts
who confess,
Lord,
make us thankful
for the blessings we have
and help us
to count our blessings
and to attribute
all the praise
and the honor to God.
And so we ask now
that your blessing
will be with all
who help us
in our times of need
with the health services
themselves,
locally and nationally.
Be with us as a nation.
Bless us as a nation.
Lord,
bless us at critical times
as we face them
during these days.
Times when
so much attention
is on the political system.
So much of the world
is in turmoil.
And Lord,
we pray that
through even
these events
themselves
that you would direct
people's minds,
including our own,
to issues of eternal importance,
to the gospel,
to the salvation
that is in Jesus Christ.
So receive us now,
we pray,
and as we confess
our sins
and as we seek
your cleansing
and accepting of us,
we pray this
in Jesus' name
and for his sake.
Amen.
Let's continue
to praise God.
We're praising him now
from Psalm 119.
This is in the Singed Psalms
version on page 159.
The tune is Finart.
And we're singing
the section
beginning at verse 33.
Teach me to follow
your decrees,
then I will keep them
to the end.
Give insight
and I'll keep your law
with all my heart
to it attend.
Psalm 119,
page 159,
verses 33 to 40,
to God's praise.
Amen.
I'll keep your law
with all my heart
to it attend.
Take me in your
commandment's hand,
for then, O Lord,
turn my eyes
from worthless things.
In life according
to your word.
To be your servant,
keep your pledge,
so that you may be
dear Lord.
In earth from me
the shame I've left,
your laws and sound
in uprightness.
O how I long
for your defeat.
Please serve me
in your righteousness.
Now, a reading of Scripture
this evening is from
the letter to the Hebrews
from chapter 1,
the beginning of chapter 1,
and down as far as
verse 4 of chapter 2.
So that's the letter
to the Hebrews
from the beginning
of the letter
through to chapter 2.
Long ago at many times
and in many ways,
God spoke to our fathers
by the prophets,
but in these last days
He has spoken to us
by His Son,
whom He appointed
the heir of all things,
through whom also
He created the world.
He is the radiance
of the glory of God
and the exact imprint
of His nature,
and He upholds the universe
by the word of His power.
After making purification
for sins,
He sat down
at the right hand
of the Majesty on high,
having become
as much superior
to angels
as the name
He has inherited
is more excellent
than theirs.
for to which of the angels
did God ever say,
You are my Son,
today I have begotten you,
or again,
I will be to Him
a father
and He shall be to me
a son.
And again,
when He brings the firstborn
into the world,
He says,
Let all God's angels
worship Him.
Of the angels,
He says,
He makes His angels
winds
and His ministers
a flame of fire,
but of the Son,
He says,
Your throne,
O God,
is forever and ever.
The scepter of uprightness
is the scepter
of Your kingdom.
You have loved righteousness
and hated wickedness.
Therefore,
God,
Your God,
has anointed You
with the oil of gladness
beyond Your companions.
And You,
Lord,
laid the foundation
of the earth
in the beginning,
and the heavens
are the work
of Your hands.
They will perish,
but You remain.
They will all wear out
like a garment,
like a robe
You will roll them up,
like a garment
they will be changed.
But You are the same,
and Your years
will have no end.
And to which of the angels
has He ever said,
Sit at my right hand
until I make Your enemies
a footstool for Your feet?
Are they not all
ministering spirits
sent out to serve
for the sake
of those who are
to inherit salvation?
Therefore,
we must pay
much closer attention
to what we have heard,
lest we drift away from it.
For since the message
declared by angels
proved to be reliable,
and every transgression
or disobedience
received a just retribution,
how shall we escape
if we neglect
such a great salvation?
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 gifts
of the Holy Spirit
distributed according
to His will.
Amen,
and may God
once again bless
this portion
of His Word to us.
Before we come back
to look at certain parts
of that passage,
let's sing again,
this time in Psalm 68,
Psalm 68
in the Scottish Psalter
on page 303,
and singing verses 18 to 20.
The tune this time
is Sheffield.
Thou hast, O Lord,
most glorious,
ascended up on high,
and in triumph
victorious led
captive captivity.
Thou hast received
gifts for men
for such as did rebel,
yea, even for them,
that God the Lord
in midst of them
might dwell.
Blessed be the Lord,
who is to us
of our salvation God,
who daily
with His benefits
as plenteously
doth load.
He of salvation
is the God
who is our God
most strong,
and unto God the Lord
from death
the issues
do belong.
These verses
thou hast,
O Lord,
most glorious.
Thou hast,
O Lord,
He is the Lord,
O Lord,
But through Picis,
thehu,
the Shen,
thei,
thei from the Lord,
and through the Word,
he is the Lord,
who is a Father,
who is one through
covenant SAY,
who is the Lord,
and unto his grace
and back He is the Lord,
who you great,
have any love,
who we do,
as may God bless you
and shall come to hisitalry,
and through the word,
both through the Lord,
and through the blood,
For men, for such us did repel.
Yea, in for them God called the Lord,
In his scope and might dwell.
He the Lord, who is to us,
Of our salvation, Lord,
Who daily with his benefits
Us plenched us lead the throne.
The all salvation is the God,
Who is our God most strong.
And unto God the Lord from death
He issues to be loved.
Now please turn with me to Hebrews chapter 2.
And tonight we're going to look at the first four verses as we read them earlier.
Hebrews chapter 2 at the beginning.
Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.
For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution,
How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?
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 wonders and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.
Well, this is one of the exhortation passages that you find at various junctures throughout the epistle to the Hebrews.
The epistle is largely about the person of Jesus as the high priest of God's people,
and the functions that he has and had as high priest during his time on earth,
particularly leading to his death, but now his intercession as it continues in heaven for his people.
And these sometimes are by way of warning and sometimes by way of appeal,
as you find them in the various places throughout the epistles where they are located.
Now, the Bible sometimes uses an argument from what is deemed to be the lesser to that which is the greater
in order to present appeals to us as this passage itself does.
Because if you look at this passage, the first verses 2 to 4 here, you'll find the message declared by angels,
this is referring to Mount Sinai, when the law was delivered through Moses,
if the message delivered by angels proved to be reliable and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution,
and that's compared to the coming of Jesus Christ himself and the revelation that God brought in the coming of Jesus.
So, the facts that you find described in reference to Sinai are compared and contrasted with the facts that are applicable to the coming of Christ,
or to the coming of the Savior who was promised all through the Old Testament.
And what it's saying is that Sinai, great though it was, remarkable though it was, amazing in many ways though it was,
is still the lesser thing, if you like, compared to the revelation, what happened in the coming of Jesus,
in his entry into the world, in his death, his ministry, his resurrection, and so on.
That is the greater.
That is surpassing what happened in the days of the Old Testament and here at Sinai in particular.
And so, the appeal that you have in these verses, an appeal or warning you might say as well,
how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?
Now, it doesn't mean that what God revealed in the Old Testament wasn't really salvation,
and that Sinai, Mount Sinai, the giving of the law, had nothing to do with salvation at all.
That wouldn't be right for us to conclude,
but it does mean that what happened in Christ surpasses that.
It's a greater revelation.
It's a more complete revelation.
It's a revelation of grace particularly, though grace is not absent from the Sinai incident or the Old Testament.
Grace is much more and more fully revealed and emphasized in the New Testament
and in the coming of Christ himself particularly.
As John, remember, put it in his opening chapter of his gospel,
The law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ or in Jesus Christ.
And so, the appeal that you have here, the argument that you have here,
is really an argument from the lesser to the greater.
If neglect, if the disobedience of rejecting what happened at Sinai led to certain consequences,
how much more will it be the case?
If this greater revelation is neglected by us,
how much more will it be the case that we shall not escape the retribution that is due to us for that reason?
That's the way the argument goes.
And as we'll see, it's directed to us so that we would close in all the more closely
with what is in this revelation in Christ and in Christ himself,
that we would ensure that this is what we are clinging to,
what our trust is in,
that he is indeed the basis of all our hopes for time and for eternity.
So, we're going to look at two things from these verses,
not looking at every detail,
but first of all, God's declaration of salvation to us,
to human beings, but to us as well particularly.
And secondly, God's exhortation to what is called here,
much closer attention in the opening words of the text.
Therefore, we must pay much closer attention.
See, he's not saying we must pay close attention,
that's part of it,
but what he's saying is we must pay much closer attention.
Closer than what?
Closer than even what happened in Moses' time on Mount Sinai.
It doesn't mean they weren't required to pay attention closely,
but it means we,
because of the more complete and the more wonderful revelation God has given us in Christ,
therefore, we must pay much closer attention.
So, God's declaration of salvation is really, as we said,
a contrast between Sinai and Jesus.
Now, look at verse 2.
Since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable,
and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution.
He talks here about the message that God delivered on Mount Sinai,
but it's saying here it was delivered by angels.
How does he...
There's no mention of angels in the specific passages in Exodus that describe Mount Sinai,
but there are in other passages of the Bible that describe that as well.
For example, Deuteronomy 33 and verse 2 describes the Lord as appearing with thousands of his hosts,
of the angels.
At that particular time, Mount Sinai was associated with God descending,
accompanied by his retinue of angels.
Psalm 68 and verse 17, you'll find the same emphasis.
Acts 7 and Stephen's declaration there,
verse 53, Galatians 3 verse 19.
If you look up these passages, you'll see that they all give us information about the revelation of God
on Mount Sinai or through what happened on Mount Sinai,
and angels are associated in these passages with that revelation.
And that itself is a remarkable thing.
Here is what the writer here is doing.
He's talking, first of all, of this message declared by angels,
and it proved to be reliable.
Of course, it proved to be reliable.
It was God's revelation of himself and of his will for Israel, of his law to Israel.
How could it be otherwise than reliable?
But what he's doing, you see, is comparing it,
and we'll move to that in a minute,
with what happened and what is the case in Jesus.
If that was reliable at Mount Sinai,
then what does it say about the coming of Christ, the Son of God himself?
That that is worthy of even closer attention on our part.
The greatness of Sinai is such that there are few incidents in the Old Testament, if any,
that are actually more important in the history of God's people in the Old Testament
than what happened at Mount Sinai.
All the writers go back to it.
You'll find it throughout all the prophets or most of the prophets in the Old Testament.
Going back to this definitive event where the law was given to Israel on Mount Sinai through Moses.
And yet, here is a greater revelation.
The revelation of Mount Sinai in which angels were involved.
You might think, surely nothing can actually surpass that.
But then you see, you go back to the beginning of Hebrews here.
What do we read?
That the coming of Jesus surpasses it.
Here is what God did.
He spoke to our fathers by the prophets long ago at many times in many ways.
But in these last days, He has spoken to us by His Son.
There is the greater revelation.
There is what surpasses the Old Testament and Mount Sinai even.
In the person of Jesus, you have God's definitive Word to us.
He has spoken to us by His Son.
Jesus is God's declaration to us in these last days.
The New Testament days.
The days between the coming of Jesus Himself and the end of the world.
Whenever you think about Jesus, what do you think about?
What is your main thought?
What comes into your mind when you read about Jesus in the Gospels or in the epistles?
What is especially emphasized in the Bible about Jesus Himself?
That He is God's pinnacle of revelation to us.
That's what.
Of course, there's a lot more than that.
It's more than revelation to us.
There is provision for our sin.
There is atonement.
There's all of that.
But let's confine it to what the passage is saying.
This is in the last days how God has spoken to us by His Son.
When you think of Jesus, when you read about Jesus, when you think of your own life in relation to Jesus,
are you hearing God speaking to you?
Are you hearing God saying,
This is how far I have gone in my concern to speak into your soul and into your need
and to provide for you against your sin and against your lostness.
I have sent my own Son, my eternal Son.
I have sent Him, the second person of the Trinity that God is.
I have sent Him, and He is my definitive Word to you.
He is my Word above all other words to you.
He is the Word made flesh.
He has spoken to us by His Son.
And He says that that was also attested.
He began, it says in chapter 2 here,
It was declared at first by the Lord,
and it was attested to us by those who heard.
In other words, there's a process.
The Lord spoke, and then the apostles received a message from God,
which was given to writing eventually.
And now we have the complete Bible.
God has put all that together to us.
That's your great advantage tonight,
that you have the Word of God,
that you have God's speech in writing.
This reliable Word,
as reliable as anything they heard on Mount Sinai,
as reliable as anything that actually came physically from the mouth of Jesus
while He was in this world.
Friends, tonight, what do we have in our Bibles?
What do we have in this book?
What am I preaching from in this pulpit tonight?
I have the very Word of God.
I have God's speaking to me.
I have God's revelation in Jesus Christ set out for me in written form.
I have as accurate a portrayal of God there as anywhere else.
That's our privilege.
That's what your Bible must mean to you.
It's such an advance on what happened at Sinai.
And that has added privilege to our position in Providence.
You know, if you are back in Sinai and seeing what happened on Mount Sinai
and the delivery of the law through Moses and the Mount of Sinai ablaze
and trembling with the presence of God,
you might think that surely cannot be surpassed as a revelation from God,
as a theophany, as the presence of God coming down into this world,
into that particular location.
And here is the writer to the Hebrews saying,
that's the lesser compared to the greater.
It's not insignificant, but it's not as significant as the coming of the Son,
as the incarnation of the Son of God,
as the Son of God taking flesh, taking human nature,
as the Son of God living a human life in this world,
coming to die the death of the cross,
coming to be raised from the dead and ascended to glory.
That's the greater revelation.
I remember in my home village of Tong when television first came to the island.
And we were fascinated as children.
It was then in my early teens.
Well, maybe even less than that, probably late primary school.
But there was, to begin with, just one television,
and certainly in that part of the village it was in the post office.
And the people who owned the post office had this television,
this small box on which there was, of course, a black and white image.
And we were told, this is an amazing thing.
You can actually see people from different parts,
and you can see them actually on the television they're speaking,
and you can actually hear live broadcasts on it.
And I was so excited going to see this thing for the first time.
And I was really disappointed.
Why?
Because the picture was really as if people were just throwing hailstones at a screen.
It was all just sort of smudgy,
and you could make out an image,
and you could hear the voice, and all the rest of it.
It was very difficult, really,
to make out any clear perception of who it was,
or what kind of person they were, something like that.
That was just a snowy picture.
And it was very often described in those days as very snowy.
What's your television picture like?
Oh, it's very snowy.
I can't make it out very easily.
You compare that to the televisions you get nowadays.
You have all of these fancy descriptions, 4K, OLED, QLED.
I have no idea what they mean,
but it describes the quality of the image,
the quality of what is beamed into your home.
And here, as the writer to the Hebrews said,
in a sense, you have a progression from what was itself an amazing revelation on Mount Sinai,
but to something much greater, even more so,
in the person of the Son of God coming into the world.
And that's how God is speaking to us tonight,
through His Son.
You could not get a clearer picture of God
than you have in Jesus Christ.
That's what it says, isn't it,
the beginning of this very epistle.
He is His Son,
has spoken to us,
through whom He created the world.
He is the radiance of the glory of God
and the exact imprint of His nature.
Ask the question,
what is God like?
And you have to go to Jesus,
and there's your answer.
Somebody asks you,
can you tell me what God is like?
You have never seen God.
Can you tell me what He's like?
How do you know what He's like?
How do you know you're actually telling me something reliable
when you describe God to me?
Well, you go to Jesus,
and you say,
well, this is what Jesus is like.
This is what the Bible describes,
the Word of God,
describing Jesus
as the exact imprint
of God.
God.
And that is God's message,
surpassing the message of Sinai.
And that's how the argument now progresses,
as we'll see,
to God's exhortation
to a much closer attention.
Now, we've described, I hope,
how He means
we must pay much closer attention.
Because the revelation
that's come in Jesus
surpasses,
is above that of Sinai,
it follows that
the attention we give
to the greater
has to be much closer.
Because it's more definitive,
it's more accurate,
it's more full,
and therefore,
we must pay the more closer,
the much closer attention
to that.
Because sometimes,
we often, in fact,
get used to things,
don't we?
And our attention,
our attention really,
in many ways,
decreases the more used
we get to something.
Whether it's a voice
or somebody speaking to us
or something we become familiar with
and our use of it.
I mean, I remember back to
1967, was it?
When the first heart
and lung transplants
were being performed
by a surgeon in South Africa,
especially in South Africa.
And that then made news,
of course,
all over the world.
Where this man
had actually performed
and gone through
a long operation
where he had given
a new heart
heart and lungs
to this patient.
And that made
worldwide headlines.
And even from that time
onwards,
for a while,
every such operation
as it happened
caught the attention
of the world.
And this was an amazing thing.
And of course,
it was an amazing thing.
But you don't hear it
mentioned nowadays.
It's almost routine.
I don't know
if the medical people here
will actually correct me
on that.
But in a sense,
it's more routine
than it was then
when the first
heart-lung operations
were performed.
We've become used to it.
It's something
that we've become
so familiar with.
We don't necessarily
pay the same attention
to it as we once did
when it was new.
The argument
that the writer has here
is that we must not
actually let that happen
with regard to the gospel,
with regard to the revelation
we have of Jesus
in the gospel.
We must never become
so familiar with it
and so familiar
with hearing it
that we actually
don't pay the close
attention to it,
the more close attention
to it that he's saying
to us here.
Therefore,
we must pay
much closer attention
to what we have heard,
to the gospel itself,
to the message of Christ
as the Savior of sinners.
You could actually
put it this way,
I think.
You pay.
The idea here
is that you pay attention
in a way that's
commensurate with
the worth of a thing,
the value of a thing.
So,
the meaning really here
of paying closer attention
carries with it
the idea of
paying close attention
to somebody
because of its value,
because it is so valuable.
If you go back
to the gospel of Matthew,
one of the images,
the parables there
in Matthew,
the kingdom of God,
you remembered,
I'm sure,
very well,
Matthew chapter 13
and verse 44,
a couple of verses
on from there.
The kingdom
is described
in the following terms.
Again,
the kingdom of heaven
is like treasure
hidden in a field
which a man found
and covered up.
Then,
in his joy,
he goes and sells
all that he has
and buys that field.
Again,
the kingdom of heaven
is like a merchant
in search of fine pearls,
who,
on finding one pearl
of great value,
went and sold
all that he had
and bought it.
In both cases,
the treasure
that was discovered,
that was come across,
the treasure in the field,
the pearl of great price.
In both cases,
it was recognized
to be
the best of the best,
the most valuable
you could get.
And so,
the pearl merchant
sold all that he had.
He didn't need
any other pearls.
He didn't need
to go looking
for any other pearls.
He had found
the most valuable one.
That's what the kingdom
of God is like
because it's about Jesus.
It's about the Savior.
It's about what God
has revealed
in the person
of His Son,
that He has spoken
to us by His Son.
Well, it raises
the question tonight
for me,
and it raises
the question for you.
How valuable
is Jesus to you?
What worth
do you place
upon Him?
As you realize
this is God's
definitive word
to you in Christ,
that God is speaking
to you out of
who Christ is
and what Christ
has done,
what worth
do you place
upon Him?
Is He the most
valuable thing
you know?
Is He the most
valuable person
in your own experience?
Because that's
how we must pay
much closer attention
because of the value
of it.
Lest,
He says,
we should let it,
lest we should
drift away from it.
Now, I think
some grammarians
will tell us
that a better
translation would be
something more like
the AV, actually,
in this instance.
Lest,
we could say that
it literally means
lest we let them
leak out
or leak away
from us.
Lest we let them
drift,
or here it's
let we drift
away from it.
It's really the idea
of this drifting
away from us.
This message
of the gospel,
these details
about Jesus,
the speech of God
in Jesus Christ
Himself.
We must pay
much closer attention
to what we have heard
lest we allow it
to leak away from us,
allow it to drift
away from us,
or,
you,
AV,
lest we should
let it slip.
Because, you see,
if you let this
drift away from you,
and sadly,
many people
who are not
unfamiliar
with the gospel,
nevertheless,
let these things
drift away from them.
The things of salvation,
the things that are
in God's revelation
in Jesus Christ,
the provision
that He's made
in Christ,
they let them
drift away from them.
They leak out
of their lives.
And, of course,
what happens
with that is that
they themselves
drift away with them.
You let the gospel
drift out of your life,
inevitably,
you're going to
drift away from God
in doing that.
the two things
fit together.
I've got a garden
wheelbarrow at home
at the Mans.
It's a bit amusing,
but it has
a very leaky tire.
And every time
I go to use it,
usually for mowing
the grass
and carrying the grass
to where it's placed
in the compost heap,
I have to pump up
this tire every time
I go and use
the wheelbarrow.
And I say to myself,
every time I come
to do that,
I really need
to get this
mended,
this repaired,
so I don't have
to keep doing this
all the time.
But then the next time
I go to it,
it's flat again.
I've got to pump it up again
before I can use it.
And so it goes on
and it goes on.
And one of these days,
okay,
I'll have to just
get around to mending it.
But, you know,
this is really
what the writer
here is saying,
that just like
that tire,
I allow
the air in it
to just drift out
all too quickly.
So he's saying,
how shall we escape
if we let these things
drift out of our lives?
If we let these things
to do with God's salvation,
if we let Jesus
drift out of our life?
Therefore,
we must pay
the closer attention
in case we allow
this to happen.
now then,
is the Lord's day
for me,
is the Lord's day
for you,
just a pumping up day?
Is it just a day
when you,
as it were,
pump up your soul
with certain truths
that you find
in the Bible,
but then all too easily
just let them escape
and leak away
for the rest of the week?
Well, you see,
if it is,
you're in trouble.
Because the more
we let these things
of salvation,
of this revelation
that you have
in Jesus Christ,
leak out of our souls,
drift away from us,
the more likely it is
that we will somehow
drift away with them
and drift away
along with them.
Don't allow that
to happen.
Don't let the Lord's day
just be
a pumping up moment
for you
and then let
the tire of your soul
go flat
over the rest
of the week.
Get it repaired.
Get it renewed.
Seek God
to give you
a new heart.
A renewed soul.
A soul that doesn't need
pumping up
every so often,
although it needs
the truth of God
still to be channeled
into it
to keep it
in good condition.
And you see,
that's such an important
issue
because he goes on
to say,
how shall we escape
if we neglect
such great
salvation?
This is the neglect.
letting these things
drift away from us
and ourselves
drifting
inevitably away
with them.
Because
I can be
in a pulpit
and still let
the Word of God
drift away
from myself
personally.
I need to do
more than just
stand in a pulpit
and be able
to exegete
or declare
what the Word of God
means
in any particular
passage of it.
I have a responsibility
to my own soul
and I cannot rely
on the fact
that I'm a preacher
of the Gospel
to actually have
security
for eternity.
I need to actually
have
my own soul
in the condition
that God
requires of me
and so do you.
That's the neglect
that the passage
is talking about.
Neglecting,
letting this
drift away
and ourselves
drifting away
with it.
Because the
consequences
are not
neutral,
they're not
insignificant,
they're not
harmless.
how shall
we escape
if we neglect
such a great
salvation?
And it's great
not just in
comparison with
the revelation
at Sinai
compared to
Jesus and the
Gospel.
It's great
in its very
nature.
It's great
salvation.
It's salvation
that is so great
there's no way
you can adequately
describe it.
How great is it
for the Son of God
to come into the
world,
to give Himself
to die on the
cross and rise
from the dead?
How great is
that?
Why has He
come?
What is it
all about?
Salvation.
It's great
salvation.
And it's
all the more
serious if we
neglect that
salvation,
that revelation,
compared to
anything else
that's gone
before it.
How shall we
escape?
But then the
question,
escape from
what?
How shall we
escape?
He doesn't say,
how shall we
escape from
such and such?
Well, the
passage actually
answers it because
let's go back to
the comparison
that He's making
between Sinai
and the coming
of Jesus Christ
in the Gospel.
He's saying here,
the message
was declared
by angels
proved to be
reliable,
and every
transgression
or disobedience
received at
just retribution.
That's what we
need to
actually keep
in mind.
How shall we
escape at
just retribution?
How shall we
escape the
judgment of
God?
How can we
escape God
treating seriously
our neglect
of the Gospel
if we continue
to neglect it?
And of course,
the answer to
the question is,
we shall not.
We shall not.
The answer to
the question
is obvious.
It's one of
those questions
that really
answers itself.
How shall we
escape if we
neglect such
great salvation?
In other words,
he's saying,
if they did not
escape back then
when they
neglected or
despised or
were disobedient
to this word
that came to
them from God
in those times,
how shall we
escape if we
neglect the
great salvation
that's come to
us in Jesus
Christ?
Think of
the way John
himself put it
in his
Gospel.
We mentioned
at the beginning
of his Gospel
but also in his
dealing with
Nicodemus.
If you remember
in chapter 3
there of
John's Gospel,
a famous passage,
for God so
loved the world,
God did not
send a son
into the world
to condemn
the world
but in order
that the world
might be saved
through him.
Whoever believes
in him is not
condemned,
but whoever
does not
believe is
condemned already
because he has
not believed
in the name
of the only
Son of God.
And this is
the judgment,
this is the
condemnation.
The light
has come
into the world
and people
loved the
darkness
rather than
the light
because their
deeds were
evil.
For everyone
who does
wicked things
hates the
light
and does
not come
to the
light
lest his
deeds
should be
exposed.
But whoever
does what
is true
comes to
the light
so that
it may be
clearly seen
that his
deeds
have been
carried out
in God.
Are you
afraid to
bring your
deeds into
the presence
of God?
Into the
light of
God's
scrutiny?
Well, I
am in
myself.
So what
do I do
if I
realize that
God scrutinizes
my heart
every moment
of every
day and
I have to
bring my
actions and
thoughts before
God and
say, Lord,
I know that
you know all
of these
things.
Where is
my concern
going to
be removed?
When I
turn to
Jesus and
realize that
he has
paid the
price,
of all
my
defects
and all
my sins
and all
my
shortcomings,
that I
present him
to God
and say,
Lord,
this is
who I
trust in.
This is
where I
want you
to see
me and
to measure
me and
to judge
me,
not in
myself,
not in
my works,
because I'm
afraid to
come before
you in
myself.
Without
Jesus,
I'll be
exposed to
your
condemnation.
But if I
come with
him,
if I
come and
I have
possession of
him,
if he is
my savior,
if I put
my faith in
him,
if I put
my trust
in him,
if I've
accepted him
for who
he is,
if I've
said to
God about
this greater
revelation,
Lord,
this I
willingly
accept,
then I'm
not going to
be condemned
in time
or in
eternity,
and if I
don't come
with Jesus
in my
possession,
I will
be.
That's the
argument that
God is
presenting to
you and
to me
tonight.
So what
do we
say in
response to
this great
question?
Well, as
we said,
the answer
is there
is no
escaping if
we just
simply come
without
Christ,
without
acceptance
of his
provision
for us.
But two
things.
What is
the purpose
of this
great
question?
We know
the answer
to the
question is
we shall
not escape
if this
is so.
But what
is the
purpose of
this question
for you
and for
me
tonight?
Well,
two things
and I
close with
this.
First of
all,
that we
will
esteem
the grace
of God
in the
gospel.
That you
and I
will esteem
the grace
of God.
What is
the grace
of God?
It's
God's
undeserved
favor to
us as
sinners.
It's
God not
marking
out iniquity
against us
but providing
Jesus as
a Savior.
It's
God providing
righteousness
in Him
that I
can never
produce
myself.
It's
God saying
there is
therefore
now no
condemnation
to those
who are
in Christ
Jesus
who walk
not according
to the
flesh but
according
to the
Spirit.
That's
what's
commended.
That's
what you
need to
esteem.
The grace
of God
in the
gospel
which far
surpasses
the law
itself
at
Sinai.
And
secondly
not just
to esteem
the grace
of God
in the
gospel
but rather
if we
really do
that
seriously
we will
accept
the salvation
of God
in this
gospel.
We will
accept
Jesus
Himself
because
that's
the way
the argument
is loaded
in our
favor.
That
instead
of ending
up condemned
by disobedience
to what this
word is
saying to
us
through
accepting
of Christ
through
acceptance
of Christ
you and
I will
come
to be
received
by God
as we
receive
His
salvation
in
Jesus
Christ
the
Lord.
Jesus
is
everything.
Everything
we need
everything
that's been
provided
for our
need
it's
in
Him.
And
that's
really
essentially
the bottom
line
the
argument
of the
passage
more than
anything
else.
How can
I escape
the
condemnation
of God
if I
neglect
to receive
Christ as
my Savior?
The answer
is
you will
not.
But on
the other
hand
the question
is loaded
in our
favor
accept
Him
and there
is no
condemnation
now
or
ever
more.
So there
is the
value
of Christ
for us
and we
must never
become so
familiar
with it
that we
lose sight
of its
significance
or fail
to hear
the sound
of God's
voice saying
this is
my Son
whom I
love
hear
Him.
Let's
pray.
eternal
God
we give
thanks
tonight
for
the way
in which
you
sent
your
only
beloved
into
this
world.
We
thank
you
for
the
purpose
for
which
he
came
that
he
came
not
to
condemn
the
world
but
that
the
world
through
him
might
be
saved.
Lord
we
are
the
world
in
our
natural
state
and
it
is
for
our
likes
that
you
came
into
this
world.
You
came
to
redeem
us
from
sin
from
our
lostness
from
hell
from
all
that
we
deserve
for
our
iniquity.
Lord
help us
tonight
not only
to be
thankful
but
thankful
in a
way
that
cleaves
to
you
and
a
way
that
continues
to
draw
out
hope
from
you
and
help
us
every
day
that
goes
by
Lord
to
realize
the
greatness
of
what
you
have
done
in
this
great
salvation.
Be
with
us
now
then we
pray
and
forgive
our
sin
for
Jesus
sake.
Amen.
We're
going to
now
conclude
our
service
by
singing
in
Psalm
85
that's
on
page
113
verses
8
to
13
and
the
tune
is
Nettleton
I
looked
at
the
presenter
when
he
gave
me
the
tunes
earlier
and
when
he
said
Nettleton
I
had
to
look
at
him
and
well
what
is
that
Nettleton
is
the
tune
come
thou
found
of
every
blessing
that's
how
we
know
the
tune
more
familiarly
but
the
presenter
has
given
us
the
proper
name
which
is
Nettleton
let's
sing
verses
8
to
13
I
will
hear
what
God
the
Lord
says
to
his
saints
he
offers
peace
but
his
people
must
not
wander
and
return
to
foolishness
so
these
verses
8
to
13
of
Psalm
85
ями
two
ğini
Son, at once again, His goy
May be seen with Him around
Love and truth are fed together
Righteousness and peace and race
Righteousness we start from heaven, from the earth's name's faithfulness.
What is good the Lord will give us, and our land is truth will be.
Righteousness will go before him, and his royal make me fair.
And now may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you now and evermore. Amen.
Maori T