An Appeal to Pay Attention to God

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.

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.

O thou my soul, bless God the Lord.

O thou my soul, bless God the Lord.

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.

O Lord, bless God the Lord.

O Lord, bless God the Lord.

O Lord, 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.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

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.

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,

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.

Hebrews 2 · chapter mention

And tonight we're going to look at the first four verses as we read them earlier.

Hebrews chapter 2 at the beginning.

Hebrews 2 · chapter mention

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.

Galatians 3:19

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

Matthew 13 · chapter mention

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?

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