Sermon

Drift Prevention

Christ the King Church Sermons

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  1. Would you open up your Bibles to the book of Hebrews?

  2. We're making our way through the book of Hebrews.

  3. We'll be in the book of Hebrews for a few months here.

  4. Hebrews chapter 2, verses 1 through 4.

    Hebrews 2:1–4

  5. It's going to start on page 1187 of your pew Bible.

  6. So let me read these four verses.

  7. This is God speaking to us.

  8. Therefore, we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.

  9. For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable,

  10. and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution,

  11. how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?

  12. It was declared at first by the Lord,

  13. and it was attested to us by those who heard,

  14. while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles

  15. and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to His will.

  16. May God bless the hearing of His word.

  17. Imagine you are sitting across from your doctor in his examination room,

  18. and He says to you,

  19. we've got back the results of your blood tests,

  20. and they confirm what I've been telling you for the last three years.

  21. Your lifestyle is compromising your health,

  22. and your life is in danger.

  23. And then He goes on.

  24. If you don't heed my words,

  25. if you don't stake your life on what I'm telling you,

  26. you will have a triple bypass in three years,

  27. and you will be in the ground in seven.

  28. He goes on to say,

  29. you're adrift.

  30. You're neglecting yourself.

  31. And if you don't stop,

  32. it's not going to go well for you.

  33. What would you do?

  34. Would you heed

  35. your doctor's

  36. prescriptive words?

  37. Will you stake your life on what

  38. He is saying?

  39. Will you pay much closer

  40. attention to His words?

  41. The book of Hebrews

  42. is one long exhortation,

  43. and it's an exhortation

  44. again and again

  45. not to drift from Christ,

  46. but to hold fast to Christ

  47. all the way to the end.

  48. And what's interspersed

  49. throughout the book of Hebrews

  50. in a beautiful way

  51. are five warning passages.

  52. And this morning,

  53. we're looking at the first warning passage

  54. in chapter 2, 1 through 4.

  55. And these warning passages

  56. in the book of Hebrews

  57. are warnings against apostasy.

  58. Apostasy is when

  59. someone who has professed

  60. to be a Christian

  61. seemingly changes their mind

  62. and rejects Christ

  63. and the salvation He has accomplished.

  64. So, apostasy is having to do

  65. with those who have

  66. claimed to be Christians

  67. turning from Christ

  68. and rejecting Him.

  69. It's not talking about

  70. a season of doubt.

  71. It's not a season of disobedience

  72. and you're coming back to the Lord.

  73. It's about someone

  74. who has rejected Christ.

  75. Someone who's professed

  76. to be a Christian.

  77. The author of Hebrews

  78. is seeing some kind of

  79. spiritual illness in the church,

  80. the original recipients

  81. of this letter.

  82. And do you know

  83. what he's concerned about?

  84. He's concerned

  85. that he is seeing

  86. early onset apostasy

  87. in the church.

  88. And so, he addresses it.

  89. And in Hebrews 2, 1 through 4,

  90. he diagnoses a problem.

  91. And then he gives a prognosis

  92. of what will happen

  93. if this goes unchecked.

  94. And then he finally,

  95. he gives us a prescription

  96. of what to do.

  97. Of how not to drift.

  98. How not to neglect

  99. this great salvation

  100. of Jesus Christ.

  101. Are you going to listen

  102. to the great healer

  103. of your soul this morning?

  104. Are you going to listen

  105. to the very words of God

  106. that he is addressing to you?

  107. Don't drift from the sun.

  108. Stake your life

  109. on this great salvation

  110. in the sun.

  111. Don't drift from him.

  112. Stake your life on him.

  113. So let's look

  114. at the diagnosis first.

  115. Diagnosis is this idea

  116. of this is what the problem is.

  117. And the diagnosis begins

  118. in chapter 2, verse 1.

  119. Therefore, we must pay

  120. much closer attention

  121. to what we have heard

  122. lest we drift away from it.

  123. That's getting at this sense

  124. of the problem.

  125. Notice, verse 1 starts

  126. with a therefore.

  127. And like any good kind of

  128. student of the Bible,

  129. we ask when we see a therefore,

  130. what's the therefore therefore?

  131. And it's connecting

  132. to the argument

  133. that the writer of Hebrews

  134. has just made

  135. that Jesus is greater,

  136. that the Son is greater

  137. than the prophets.

  138. He's the full and final

  139. revelation of God.

  140. He's greater than the angels

  141. because he is God.

  142. Therefore, we must pay

  143. much closer attention

  144. to what we've heard

  145. about Jesus,

  146. this great salvation,

  147. lest we drift away

  148. from Jesus,

  149. this great salvation.

  150. You know,

  151. when we read those words,

  152. lest we drift away,

  153. we're talking about something

  154. becoming unmoored,

  155. unbound,

  156. disconnected.

  157. And maybe in your mind

  158. when you hear the words

  159. drift away,

  160. they don't strike you

  161. as that concerning.

  162. Maybe you go,

  163. maybe you're like me,

  164. you hear drift away

  165. and you start imagining

  166. floating in a lazy river

  167. up in the dells.

  168. It's kind of drifting.

  169. What you're going to see

  170. in the book of Hebrews

  171. is his use of drift away

  172. is far more serious

  173. than that.

  174. In fact,

  175. if you look down

  176. at verse 3,

  177. he uses a word

  178. in the place of drift away.

  179. How shall we escape

  180. if we neglect

  181. such a great salvation?

  182. This drifting away

  183. from what we've heard

  184. is a kind of

  185. spiritual neglect.

  186. And I hope you're getting

  187. kind of this sense of

  188. this is a serious

  189. spiritual condition.

  190. As we make our way

  191. through the book of Hebrews

  192. and as we start looking,

  193. we'll come across

  194. these other warning passages

  195. and the language shifts.

  196. The language shifts

  197. from drifting away

  198. and neglect

  199. and it moves into

  200. much more weighty language.

  201. It starts to show you

  202. the pastoral concern

  203. this writer has

  204. for this church.

  205. He's concerned

  206. that what he is seeing

  207. and hearing about

  208. is early onset apostasy.

  209. In chapter 3,

  210. verse 12,

  211. he moves from drift,

  212. negligence language

  213. to falling away

  214. from the living God.

  215. in chapter 6,

  216. verses 4 through 6,

  217. he says,

  218. it's impossible

  219. to restore

  220. those who have

  221. fallen away

  222. from Christ.

  223. In chapter 10,

  224. verses 26 through 29,

  225. he talks about

  226. this drift,

  227. this negligence,

  228. this falling away

  229. as trampling

  230. the Son of God

  231. underfoot.

  232. He's speaking of those

  233. who've professed

  234. to be Christians.

  235. in chapter 12,

  236. verse 25,

  237. it's a rejection

  238. of him

  239. who warns

  240. from heaven

  241. who's been exalted

  242. on high

  243. at the right hand,

  244. seated at the right hand

  245. of God.

  246. This drift away language

  247. that we see

  248. in chapter 2,

  249. verse 1 right here,

  250. it may not sound serious

  251. when in fact

  252. it's very serious.

  253. It could be

  254. early onset apostasy.

  255. It could be

  256. the metastasizing

  257. of unbelief.

  258. Maybe you're starting

  259. to ask this question,

  260. well,

  261. how do I know

  262. if I'm drifting away?

  263. How do I know

  264. if I'm neglecting

  265. this great salvation

  266. found in Jesus Christ?

  267. Well,

  268. do you know

  269. how you go to,

  270. theoretically,

  271. you go to your doctor

  272. once a year

  273. for an annual checkup?

  274. Imagine you're sitting

  275. on the examination table.

  276. He pulls out

  277. that little tool

  278. with that little windshield

  279. on it

  280. and it has a little nose

  281. on the end

  282. with a little light on it.

  283. Do you know

  284. what I'm talking about?

  285. He puts it

  286. into your ear

  287. and he's looking

  288. into your ear.

  289. Do you know why?

  290. He's checking

  291. your hearing.

  292. It's a diagnostic.

  293. We can ask

  294. a similar question

  295. diagnostic,

  296. brothers and sisters.

  297. It's not just

  298. are you hearing

  299. God speak

  300. through His Word?

  301. Are you

  302. heeding

  303. His Word?

  304. Are you

  305. obeying

  306. and believing

  307. what He's saying

  308. in His Word?

  309. So it's an ear check.

  310. There's another

  311. kind of check.

  312. Do you remember

  313. you're sitting there

  314. and your doctor

  315. pulls out that

  316. little rubber mallet

  317. and He kind of taps

  318. just below your kneecap?

  319. He's checking

  320. your reflexes?

  321. When you encounter

  322. sin,

  323. what's your reflex?

  324. When you're tempted

  325. to grieve God,

  326. what's your reaction?

  327. Is it like,

  328. ooh,

  329. give me some of that?

  330. Or are you like,

  331. no, no.

  332. this isn't pleasing

  333. in His sight?

  334. What's your knee-jerk reaction

  335. to when tempted

  336. by sin?

  337. There's another

  338. kind of check.

  339. It's the breathing check.

  340. It's when your doctor

  341. pulls out the stethoscope

  342. and he puts it

  343. on your back

  344. and he says,

  345. okay,

  346. take a deep breath,

  347. breathe in,

  348. breathe out.

  349. I was on staff

  350. with Campus Crusade

  351. for Christ

  352. and the founder

  353. of Campus Crusade

  354. is a guy named

  355. Bill Bright

  356. and he taught

  357. all the staff

  358. this idea

  359. of spiritual breathing.

  360. It's where you

  361. inhale God's Word

  362. and you exhale

  363. sin by way

  364. of confession.

  365. When was the last time

  366. as a diagnostic check

  367. on how you are doing,

  368. when was the last time

  369. you confessed sin

  370. on your own

  371. between you

  372. and God

  373. where you said,

  374. Lord,

  375. thank you for making me

  376. aware of that

  377. grievous thing in me.

  378. I confess it to you

  379. as wrong.

  380. You're exhaling toxic air

  381. by way of confession.

  382. Ear check,

  383. knee check,

  384. lung check

  385. and then he takes

  386. that stethoscope

  387. and puts it on your chest

  388. and he's listening.

  389. He's listening for your pulse.

  390. Let me ask you,

  391. Christian,

  392. what is your heart beating for?

  393. Is your heart beating

  394. for God's Son?

  395. If a stethoscope

  396. was put on your heart,

  397. would we hear,

  398. God's Son,

  399. God's Son,

  400. God's Son,

  401. your heart pulses

  402. for the glory

  403. of Jesus?

  404. Or is it

  405. myself,

  406. myself,

  407. myself?

  408. These are just diagnostics

  409. to check how we're doing.

  410. We're sitting on the examination,

  411. we're in the examination room

  412. of God

  413. and he's using his word

  414. to get at stuff in us

  415. to see if there's any hint

  416. of us drifting away,

  417. of neglecting him.

  418. It could be early onset apostasy.

  419. So we take the time now

  420. to ask these hard questions.

  421. Do you know

  422. what these hard

  423. kind of questions

  424. are getting at?

  425. What's at the very heart

  426. of these kinds of

  427. drift and negligence?

  428. It's in 312.

  429. Take care, brothers,

  430. lest there be in any of you

  431. an evil,

  432. unbelieving heart

  433. leading you to fall away

  434. from the living God.

  435. These are diagnostics

  436. to check your heart

  437. and the health

  438. of your faith

  439. in Christ.

  440. And expose any kind

  441. of unbelief.

  442. The diagnosis

  443. that this writer

  444. of Hebrews

  445. is showing us

  446. is a kind of unbelief.

  447. It's a drift.

  448. It's a negligence.

  449. And he moves from diagnosis

  450. to prognosis.

  451. A prognosis

  452. is a prediction.

  453. It's a prediction

  454. of what a disease,

  455. of what an injury,

  456. of what a virus

  457. will develop into

  458. if it goes unchecked.

  459. checked.

  460. And the prognosis

  461. that we're given

  462. is in verses

  463. 2 through 4

  464. of chapter 2.

  465. It's a prognosis

  466. of unbelief.

  467. What happens

  468. when an unbelieving

  469. heart is unrepentant?

  470. Unrepentant.

  471. And what we see here

  472. is a prognosis

  473. that is not good.

  474. What we have

  475. in 2, 1 through 4

  476. is essentially

  477. a warning.

  478. The writer

  479. of Hebrews

  480. is elegant.

  481. He's sophisticated.

  482. And he argues

  483. with complicated arguments.

  484. And he's going to warn us

  485. this morning

  486. with a kind of an argument

  487. that moves from lesser

  488. to greater.

  489. He's going to go

  490. something like this.

  491. Hey,

  492. if those people

  493. living in the

  494. old covenant

  495. under the law

  496. of Moses,

  497. if when they

  498. rejected

  499. God's word

  500. and they

  501. received

  502. a just

  503. retribution,

  504. how much

  505. more

  506. will

  507. we

  508. who profess

  509. Christ

  510. in the new covenant

  511. not escape

  512. a judgment

  513. if we reject

  514. Christ?

  515. That's going to be

  516. the argument here.

  517. He's moving

  518. from lesser

  519. to greater

  520. and it's a warning.

  521. So let me show you

  522. three elements

  523. in the comparison,

  524. okay?

  525. There's the message.

  526. In chapter

  527. 2,

  528. verse 2,

  529. we read,

  530. for since the message

  531. declared by angels

  532. proved to be reliable.

  533. That's the lesser

  534. of the argument.

  535. It's talking about

  536. a message

  537. that was declared

  538. by angels.

  539. What's being referred

  540. to here

  541. is the law

  542. of Moses.

  543. The angels

  544. served as

  545. an intermediary

  546. in bringing forth

  547. the law of Moses.

  548. You can look up

  549. Galatians 3.19.

  550. And so this message,

  551. this law of Moses,

  552. you can sum it up

  553. in the Ten Commandments.

  554. You won't have

  555. any other gods

  556. before you.

  557. Observe the Sabbath,

  558. honor your parents,

  559. don't bear false witness,

  560. don't covet.

  561. The thing about

  562. this message is

  563. it doesn't save.

  564. What the law of Moses

  565. does and does well

  566. is it puts forth

  567. the standard

  568. of God's holiness

  569. and it exposes

  570. our sinfulness.

  571. It shows us

  572. that we fall short.

  573. That's the message.

  574. The lesser message.

  575. The greater message

  576. is in verse 3.

  577. How shall we escape

  578. if we neglect

  579. such a great salvation?

  580. It was declared

  581. at first by the Lord.

  582. It's what we have heard.

  583. It's the message

  584. of the gospel

  585. of Jesus Christ.

  586. Christ.

  587. It's what he's been saying

  588. all up to this point

  589. that the Son

  590. is greater than the prophets.

  591. In verse 2,

  592. he's the full and final

  593. revelation of God.

  594. He's greater than the angels.

  595. He is God.

  596. He has brought about salvation.

  597. Angels serve him.

  598. He's declared this message.

  599. It's the gospel.

  600. And what we see

  601. going on here

  602. is the gospel

  603. is greater

  604. than the Mosaic law

  605. because the Mosaic law

  606. can't save

  607. whereas the gospel

  608. one believed does save.

  609. The other comparison

  610. is between messengers.

  611. So we have a comparison

  612. between Mosaic law

  613. and gospel

  614. and now we have

  615. a comparison

  616. between the lesser

  617. angels declared

  618. and the new covenant

  619. messenger,

  620. the Lord.

  621. for since the message

  622. declared by angels

  623. proved to be reliable,

  624. these angels

  625. were intermediaries

  626. of the Mosaic law

  627. and it was,

  628. it proved reliable.

  629. It was binding.

  630. It was the truth

  631. of God's word

  632. and that's the lesser

  633. of the messengers,

  634. these angels.

  635. The greater of the messengers

  636. is in verse 3.

  637. How shall we escape

  638. if we neglect

  639. such a great salvation?

  640. It was declared

  641. at first

  642. by the Lord.

  643. And if you look up

  644. at verse 10,

  645. it's the last reference

  646. to the Lord.

  647. You, Lord,

  648. laid the foundation

  649. of the earth

  650. in the beginning.

  651. Do you know

  652. who that's referencing?

  653. The Son, Jesus.

  654. What's being said here

  655. is that

  656. the message

  657. of the gospel,

  658. the messenger,

  659. the first messenger,

  660. the first declarer

  661. of this great salvation

  662. was Jesus himself,

  663. the Son.

  664. The messenger

  665. is the message.

  666. Chapter 1, verse 2,

  667. but in these last days

  668. he has spoken to us

  669. by his Son.

  670. He is the message.

  671. And not only just

  672. Jesus,

  673. I mean,

  674. we see it in

  675. Mark chapter 1,

    Mark 1:14

  676. verses 14 and 15.

  677. Jesus says this.

  678. Now, after John was arrested,

  679. Jesus came into Galilee.

  680. This is the first thing

  681. he says

  682. in the gospel of Mark.

  683. Jesus came into Galilee

  684. proclaiming the gospel

  685. of God

  686. and saying,

  687. the time is fulfilled

  688. and the kingdom of God

  689. is at hand.

  690. Repent and believe

  691. the gospel.

  692. Who was the first

  693. declarer of the gospel?

  694. In the new covenant,

  695. it's Jesus.

  696. But it's not just Jesus.

  697. Look who else

  698. attests

  699. to this salvation.

  700. It was declared

  701. at first

  702. by the Lord

  703. and it was attested

  704. to us

  705. by those who heard.

  706. So,

  707. there's another group

  708. of people

  709. who heard

  710. the Lord Jesus

  711. kind of proclaim

  712. this gospel

  713. and they were ear witnesses

  714. and eyewitnesses

  715. were talking about

  716. the apostles.

  717. And they attested

  718. to this message.

  719. They proclaimed it.

  720. Did you know,

  721. aside from Judas,

  722. 10 of the 11 apostles

  723. died martyrs' death

  724. proclaiming

  725. this great salvation

  726. about Jesus?

  727. That Jesus,

  728. the Son,

  729. was fully God,

  730. fully man.

  731. That he died

  732. on the cross

  733. for our sins.

  734. He was raised

  735. on the third day.

  736. He ascended on high

  737. to the right hand of God

  738. where he's reigning on high

  739. and then he will come back

  740. and return

  741. and judge all things.

  742. They died.

  743. It gets at this

  744. attesting to the truthfulness

  745. of the message.

  746. But there's more.

  747. Four.

  748. While God also

  749. bore witness

  750. by signs and wonders

  751. and various miracles

  752. all throughout the gospels,

  753. all throughout the book of Acts,

  754. you see signs

  755. and wonders

  756. and miracles

  757. being done.

  758. All pointing to

  759. the truthfulness

  760. of this great salvation.

  761. in Christ.

  762. It's God

  763. bearing witness

  764. to the gospel.

  765. And we also have

  766. and by gifts

  767. of the Holy Spirit

  768. distributed

  769. according to his will.

  770. The Holy Spirit

  771. in Pentecost,

  772. he came down

  773. and poured out

  774. gifts

  775. upon all of those

  776. who believed in Jesus.

  777. It was the beginning

  778. of the new covenant age

  779. where God's people

  780. themselves

  781. become the priesthood

  782. of all believers.

  783. believers.

  784. It's a new era

  785. bearing witness

  786. to the truthfulness

  787. of this gospel salvation.

  788. Here's what I'm trying

  789. to get at.

  790. the messenger

  791. of the old covenant,

  792. these angels

  793. attesting

  794. to the Mosaic law,

  795. that was good,

  796. it's true,

  797. but it's

  798. this message

  799. of salvation

  800. that was proclaimed

  801. first by Jesus

  802. and then attested

  803. to by the apostles

  804. and was born witness

  805. by God

  806. and the Holy Spirit,

  807. that's better!

  808. That's better!

  809. It's a lesser

  810. to greater argument.

  811. And this is where

  812. it gets to the crux

  813. of the matter.

  814. This is now

  815. where the warning

  816. comes in.

  817. The new covenant

  818. brings a greater

  819. retribution.

  820. This gospel message,

  821. when rejected,

  822. it has a greater

  823. punishment.

  824. It has a greater punishment.

  825. In chapter 2,

  826. verse 2,

  827. we read,

  828. and every transgression

  829. or disobedience

  830. received a just

  831. retribution.

  832. This Mosaic law

  833. that was brought in

  834. by angels,

  835. anyone who transgressed it,

  836. stepped over the line

  837. of God's word,

  838. anyone who disobeyed it,

  839. were unwilling

  840. to listen to God's word.

  841. It brought about

  842. a just punishment.

  843. Just think

  844. of that generation

  845. of Israelites

  846. who wandered

  847. for 40 years

  848. in the wilderness

  849. and were not allowed

  850. into the promised land

  851. because of their unbelief.

  852. A just retribution.

  853. And then we move

  854. into the new covenant.

  855. Verse 3,

  856. if they didn't escape,

  857. how shall we escape

  858. if we neglect

  859. this great salvation?

  860. salvation?

  861. How shall we escape

  862. if we drift

  863. and neglect

  864. this great salvation

  865. in the sun?

  866. If you reject

  867. the great salvation

  868. in the sun,

  869. you will face

  870. the great retribution

  871. of the sun.

  872. That's how serious

  873. this is.

  874. God is not indifferent

  875. to those who have professed

  876. to be followers

  877. of Jesus

  878. and then trample

  879. him underfoot.

  880. It's a warning

  881. of God's impending wrath.

  882. It's a serious business

  883. in the book of Hebrews.

  884. If there are signs

  885. that could be

  886. early onset apostasy,

  887. you must take them seriously.

  888. Now you may be

  889. sitting in your pew

  890. wondering,

  891. hold on Pastor Mike,

  892. I thought that once

  893. you're saved,

  894. you're always saved.

  895. This doesn't sound

  896. like that.

  897. Well, let me just

  898. kind of tweak that

  899. for you.

  900. What the New Testament

  901. actually teaches

  902. is what's called

  903. the perseverance

  904. of the saints.

  905. A saving faith,

  906. a genuine saving faith,

  907. is a persevering faith.

  908. It's what Jesus

  909. talked about

  910. in Matthew 24,

  911. those who endure

  912. to the end

  913. will be saved.

  914. The proof

  915. of the genuineness

  916. of one's faith

  917. is ultimately

  918. demonstrated

  919. in being faithful

  920. to Jesus

  921. all the way

  922. to the end

  923. of your life

  924. or His return.

  925. So you may be

  926. asking this question,

  927. you know what,

  928. I've been hearing

  929. about ex-evangelicals,

  930. it seems like

  931. every three to six months

  932. there's another pastor

  933. who's walked away

  934. from the Christian faith.

  935. What about them?

  936. What do you think

  937. about them,

  938. Pastor Mike?

  939. I've come to the conclusion

  940. that they were likely

  941. not Christians

  942. to begin with.

  943. Because the work

  944. of God's Spirit

  945. in regenerating

  946. someone's heart

  947. in the justifying

  948. grace of God

  949. is irrevocable.

  950. Genuine faith

  951. perseveres

  952. all the way

  953. to the end.

  954. And that's what you're

  955. going to hear

  956. in the book of Hebrews

  957. over and over again.

  958. It's called up

  959. to something.

  960. Now let me just

  961. make one comment here.

  962. If you find yourself

  963. in a situation,

  964. maybe you've grown up

  965. in the church

  966. and you're asking

  967. the question,

  968. do I believe

  969. all this stuff?

  970. Maybe you're reflecting

  971. on some things

  972. and you're like,

  973. have you heard

  974. the word

  975. deconstructing

  976. the faith phrase?

  977. This is a very

  978. helpful book

  979. if you're in that

  980. situation.

  981. It's called

  982. Before You Lose Your Faith.

  983. We've got four other copies

  984. at the Connect Desk

  985. out there.

  986. I read this two years ago.

  987. This would be very helpful

  988. for anyone in the room

  989. who is like,

  990. is this true?

  991. Is this Christianity

  992. thing true?

  993. This is a great book

  994. to read.

  995. Come find me

  996. after the service

  997. if that's you.

  998. Here's what's happening

  999. in 2, 1 through 4.

  1000. It's a lesser

  1001. to greater argument

  1002. warning us

  1003. not to drift.

  1004. Who likes

  1005. greater than,

  1006. less than,

  1007. or equal to?

  1008. I love it

  1009. in elementary school.

  1010. I loved it!

  1011. So you tell me,

  1012. who's greater?

  1013. The message

  1014. of the gospel

  1015. or the message

  1016. of Moses?

  1017. The gospel!

  1018. Because the gospel

  1019. saves.

  1020. Greater than,

  1021. less than,

  1022. or equal to.

  1023. The messenger

  1024. of the Lord Jesus Christ

  1025. or angels?

  1026. The Lord Jesus Christ.

  1027. What is the

  1028. greater retribution?

  1029. Rejection of the son

  1030. or rejection of Moses?

  1031. It's rejection

  1032. of the son.

  1033. And so this lesser

  1034. to greater argument,

  1035. well,

  1036. it's a prognosis

  1037. of what will happen

  1038. if you've professed

  1039. Christ

  1040. and then you

  1041. go full-fledged

  1042. apostasy.

  1043. Serious business.

  1044. the prognosis.

  1045. Anybody in the room

  1046. looking for a little

  1047. hope at this point?

  1048. maybe you're sitting

  1049. in your pew

  1050. like,

  1051. good doctor,

  1052. would you prescribe

  1053. something, please,

  1054. by which,

  1055. by which I can

  1056. assure

  1057. myself

  1058. that I will not

  1059. fall away.

  1060. doctor,

  1061. Lord Jesus,

  1062. would you please

  1063. prescribe something

  1064. to me

  1065. so that I won't

  1066. drift,

  1067. that I won't

  1068. trample you

  1069. underfoot,

  1070. that I won't

  1071. reject you,

  1072. that I won't

  1073. fall away from you,

  1074. would you please

  1075. give me something?

  1076. And he does.

  1077. It's in verse 1.

  1078. Therefore,

  1079. we must

  1080. pay much

  1081. closer attention

  1082. to what we

  1083. have heard.

  1084. If

  1085. the diagnosis

  1086. is drift,

  1087. it's neglect,

  1088. and with

  1089. the possibility

  1090. of this

  1091. early onset

  1092. apostasy,

  1093. if that's what

  1094. the diagnosis

  1095. is,

  1096. if it's drifting

  1097. from Christ,

  1098. do you know

  1099. what the

  1100. prescription is?

  1101. pay much

  1102. closer attention

  1103. to Christ.

  1104. Draw near

  1105. to him.

  1106. Your great

  1107. salvation.

  1108. It's drift

  1109. prevention.

  1110. He is our

  1111. drift prevention.

  1112. It's the

  1113. opposite of

  1114. neglect.

  1115. It's at the

  1116. heart of

  1117. holding fast

  1118. to Jesus

  1119. all the way

  1120. to the end.

  1121. It's fixing

  1122. your eyes

  1123. on him,

  1124. paying much

  1125. closer attention

  1126. to him.

  1127. Let me

  1128. just point

  1129. out three

  1130. things.

  1131. What we

  1132. have heard.

  1133. We must

  1134. pay much

  1135. closer attention

  1136. to what we

  1137. have heard.

  1138. The what we

  1139. have heard

  1140. is the gospel

  1141. of Jesus

  1142. Christ,

  1143. this great

  1144. salvation.

  1145. He is the

  1146. message,

  1147. the Son,

  1148. the radiance

  1149. of God's glory,

  1150. the exact

  1151. imprint of

  1152. God's nature.

  1153. He humbled

  1154. himself,

  1155. taking on

  1156. flesh.

  1157. He offered

  1158. himself on

  1159. the cross,

  1160. a sacrifice

  1161. to pay

  1162. for our

  1163. sins once

  1164. and for

  1165. all,

  1166. purifying us

  1167. from sins.

  1168. And then he

  1169. sat down at

  1170. the right hand

  1171. of God.

  1172. This is the

  1173. gospel.

  1174. This is the

  1175. good news.

  1176. It's like a

  1177. priceless diamond.

  1178. I just happen

  1179. to have a

  1180. priceless diamond

  1181. with me.

  1182. I brought it

  1183. here under

  1184. lock and

  1185. key.

  1186. It's worth

  1187. trillions.

  1188. See that?

  1189. Don't rush

  1190. the pulpit.

  1191. Do you

  1192. know what

  1193. makes a

  1194. diamond

  1195. valuable?

  1196. It's rare.

  1197. It's unique.

  1198. It's useful.

  1199. It's the

  1200. hardest

  1201. substance

  1202. on earth

  1203. naturally.

  1204. That's why

  1205. you have

  1206. diamond-tipped

  1207. cutting blades.

  1208. And it's

  1209. beautiful.

  1210. It

  1211. refracts

  1212. light and

  1213. glorious

  1214. splendor.

  1215. You know,

  1216. the gospel of

  1217. Jesus Christ

  1218. is the

  1219. greatest

  1220. diamond of

  1221. all.

  1222. It's

  1223. rare.

  1224. Who else

  1225. do you know

  1226. that is totally

  1227. God and totally

  1228. man and one

  1229. person?

  1230. That's rare.

  1231. It's useful.

  1232. Not for

  1233. cutting hard

  1234. substances.

  1235. What the

  1236. gospel does,

  1237. it delivers us

  1238. from our sin.

  1239. It rescues

  1240. us.

  1241. It's the

  1242. message of

  1243. salvation.

  1244. There's

  1245. nothing else.

  1246. There's no

  1247. other name

  1248. under heaven

  1249. given among

  1250. men by

  1251. which we

  1252. can be

  1253. saved.

  1254. And it's

  1255. beautiful.

  1256. The gospel

  1257. is beautiful.

  1258. It's God's

  1259. grace on

  1260. display.

  1261. Him loving

  1262. sinners in

  1263. their sin.

  1264. What a

  1265. beautiful,

  1266. beautiful thing.

  1267. what this

  1268. gospel is,

  1269. it calls for

  1270. paying careful

  1271. attention to

  1272. it.

  1273. We don't

  1274. want to

  1275. devalue it.

  1276. We don't

  1277. want to

  1278. neglect it,

  1279. drift from

  1280. it.

  1281. We're to

  1282. pay much

  1283. closer

  1284. attention to

  1285. it.

  1286. It's the

  1287. opposite of

  1288. neglect.

  1289. It's the

  1290. opposite of

  1291. drifting away.

  1292. Have you

  1293. ever seen

  1294. a jeweler

  1295. examining

  1296. diamonds?

  1297. Pulls out

  1298. that black

  1299. monocle

  1300. magnifier

  1301. and he's

  1302. examining

  1303. a diamond.

  1304. He's looking

  1305. at the

  1306. clarity of

  1307. it.

  1308. He's looking

  1309. at the

  1310. cut on

  1311. it.

  1312. He's looking

  1313. at the

  1314. carat

  1315. size.

  1316. He's looking

  1317. at the

  1318. color.

  1319. And when

  1320. they all

  1321. match up,

  1322. he's like,

  1323. wow!

  1324. Now,

  1325. that's a

  1326. diamond.

  1327. It's a

  1328. beauty.

  1329. It's

  1330. incredible

  1331. worth.

  1332. What we're

  1333. being called

  1334. to do

  1335. here,

  1336. and paying

  1337. close

  1338. attention to

  1339. the gospel

  1340. message,

  1341. this great

  1342. salvation,

  1343. is to make

  1344. our hearts

  1345. happy in

  1346. Jesus.

  1347. It's to

  1348. treasure him.

  1349. It's to

  1350. treasure Christ

  1351. and what he

  1352. has done.

  1353. To delight in

  1354. him,

  1355. to gaze

  1356. frequently

  1357. in an

  1358. unrushed

  1359. fashion

  1360. upon Christ

  1361. and his

  1362. finished work.

  1363. That's the

  1364. glory of

  1365. this message.

  1366. You know

  1367. what?

  1368. We live

  1369. in a

  1370. over-hurried,

  1371. over-extended

  1372. rush

  1373. culture.

  1374. And what

  1375. we're being

  1376. called upon

  1377. to is to

  1378. gaze upon

  1379. the greatness

  1380. of our

  1381. salvation in

  1382. Christ

  1383. frequently

  1384. in an

  1385. unrushed

  1386. fashion.

  1387. This is the

  1388. prescription.

  1389. This is what

  1390. wards off

  1391. drift and

  1392. neglect.

  1393. You may be

  1394. asking,

  1395. how do I

  1396. do that?

  1397. How do I

  1398. pay much

  1399. more closer

  1400. attention to

  1401. this message

  1402. of salvation?

  1403. Well,

  1404. you don't

  1405. look inside

  1406. yourself.

  1407. You don't

  1408. look for it

  1409. in an

  1410. experience.

  1411. You gaze

  1412. upon the

  1413. glory of

  1414. the Son

  1415. in the

  1416. pages of

  1417. Scripture.

  1418. That's

  1419. where you

  1420. will pay

  1421. close attention

  1422. to Jesus.

  1423. In this

  1424. book,

  1425. if you

  1426. haven't started

  1427. reading through

  1428. the book of

  1429. Hebrews,

  1430. I would

  1431. encourage you

  1432. to for

  1433. one reason,

  1434. the glory

  1435. of the

  1436. Son.

  1437. Again

  1438. and again

  1439. and again

  1440. we are

  1441. given these

  1442. glimpses of

  1443. the glory

  1444. of the

  1445. Son.

  1446. It is

  1447. a,

  1448. it makes

  1449. your heart

  1450. happy in

  1451. Jesus.

  1452. It will

  1453. help you

  1454. treasure

  1455. Him.

  1456. This

  1457. morning I

  1458. was in

  1459. the book

  1460. of Revelation.

  1461. I had

  1462. my socks

  1463. blown off

  1464. because of

  1465. the glory

  1466. of Jesus

  1467. in chapter

  1468. one.

  1469. The

  1470. Gospels,

  1471. these are

  1472. glimpse after

  1473. glimpse of

  1474. the Son

  1475. in action

  1476. where you

  1477. can gaze

  1478. upon His

  1479. glory and

  1480. be amazed.

  1481. Treasure

  1482. Him.

  1483. Pay close

  1484. attention to

  1485. Him.

  1486. What is

  1487. He doing?

  1488. What is

  1489. He saying?

  1490. How is

  1491. He interacting

  1492. with people?

  1493. That's

  1494. your King.

  1495. It's

  1496. finding a

  1497. time.

  1498. It's

  1499. finding a

  1500. place.

  1501. It's

  1502. having a

  1503. plan and

  1504. it's

  1505. having a

  1506. goal.

  1507. And the

  1508. goal,

  1509. when you

  1510. look to

  1511. gaze upon

  1512. Jesus,

  1513. is to

  1514. glory in

  1515. Jesus,

  1516. is to

  1517. delight in

  1518. Him.

  1519. We must

  1520. pay careful

  1521. attention to

  1522. this

  1523. gospel message

  1524. with which

  1525. we've heard

  1526. again and

  1527. again.

  1528. There's

  1529. one word

  1530. in verse

  1531. one I

  1532. just want

  1533. you to

  1534. see.

  1535. It's the

  1536. word must.

  1537. therefore,

  1538. we must

  1539. pay much

  1540. closer

  1541. attention.

  1542. It's not

  1543. a maybe.

  1544. It's not

  1545. a suggestion.

  1546. It's a

  1547. must.

  1548. Do you

  1549. not want

  1550. to drift?

  1551. Do you

  1552. not want

  1553. to neglect

  1554. this great

  1555. salvation in

  1556. the sun?

  1557. You must

  1558. pay much

  1559. closer attention

  1560. to what we've

  1561. heard about

  1562. Him.

  1563. It's God's

  1564. prescription to

  1565. ward off

  1566. early onset

  1567. apostasy.

  1568. Do you

  1569. know how

  1570. to keep

  1571. from drifting

  1572. from Christ

  1573. and neglecting

  1574. Him?

  1575. Big

  1576. daily

  1577. doses

  1578. of Jesus.

  1579. Big

  1580. daily

  1581. doses

  1582. of Jesus.

  1583. Don't

  1584. drift

  1585. from Him.

  1586. Stake

  1587. your

  1588. life

  1589. upon Him.

  1590. Pay

  1591. careful

  1592. attention

  1593. to Him.

  1594. Here you

  1595. are

  1596. in God's

  1597. examination

  1598. room.

  1599. The

  1600. diagnosis

  1601. we've seen

  1602. this morning

  1603. is one of

  1604. unbelief.

  1605. Drift,

  1606. negligence

  1607. of the

  1608. sun,

  1609. moves into

  1610. falling away,

  1611. trampling

  1612. Him underfoot,

  1613. rejecting Him

  1614. wholesale.

  1615. We don't

  1616. want that.

  1617. The

  1618. prognosis

  1619. is very

  1620. sober.

  1621. When

  1622. this kind

  1623. of drift

  1624. and negligence

  1625. goes unchecked,

  1626. unheeded,

  1627. you don't

  1628. listen to

  1629. the doctor

  1630. of your

  1631. soul,

  1632. there's no

  1633. escape from

  1634. the wrath

  1635. to come.

  1636. God

  1637. will

  1638. come.

  1639. And for

  1640. those who've

  1641. professed

  1642. faith in

  1643. Christ,

  1644. who persist

  1645. in their

  1646. rejection of

  1647. Christ,

  1648. they were

  1649. likely never

  1650. Christians to

  1651. begin with.

  1652. But the

  1653. prescription,

  1654. whether you

  1655. are a

  1656. non-Christian

  1657. in the

  1658. room,

  1659. you need

  1660. to treasure

  1661. Jesus.

  1662. And if

  1663. you're a

  1664. Christian in

  1665. the room,

  1666. you need

  1667. to treasure

  1668. Jesus.

  1669. it's to

  1670. pay much

  1671. closer

  1672. attention to

  1673. this great

  1674. salvation in

  1675. the Son that

  1676. he, I mean,

  1677. we celebrated at

  1678. the table this

  1679. morning.

  1680. He gave

  1681. himself for

  1682. us.

  1683. He died

  1684. for you.

  1685. Brothers

  1686. and sisters,

  1687. where are

  1688. you at?

  1689. will you

  1690. heed God's

  1691. word?

  1692. Will you

  1693. stop

  1694. drifting

  1695. from the

  1696. Son and

  1697. start staking

  1698. your life

  1699. on him?

  1700. It's what

  1701. we call

  1702. around here

  1703. treasuring

  1704. Jesus above

  1705. all else.

  1706. All the

  1707. way,

  1708. all the

  1709. way,

  1710. all the

  1711. way to

  1712. the

  1713. end.

  1714. Will you

  1715. pray with

  1716. me?

  1717. Father

  1718. God,

  1719. would you

  1720. pour out

  1721. your

  1722. spirit

  1723. upon

  1724. us

  1725. that we

  1726. would see

  1727. the glory

  1728. of the

  1729. Son

  1730. throughout

  1731. the pages

  1732. of Scripture,

  1733. that you

  1734. would wow

  1735. us,

  1736. that we

  1737. would

  1738. treasure

  1739. the gospel

  1740. diamond,

  1741. and that

  1742. we

  1743. would

  1744. press

  1745. on out

  1746. of joy

  1747. in Jesus,

  1748. even if

  1749. that means

  1750. suffering,

  1751. even if

  1752. that means

  1753. hardship.

  1754. God,

  1755. unite us

  1756. around the

  1757. Son.

  1758. In your name

  1759. we pray.

  1760. Amen.

  1761. Amen.

  1762. Amen.

  1763. Amen.

  1764. I