Pay Attention

“we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard”. . . the message we have heard refers to the truths the author shared with us about Jesus, and the gospel message that these Hebrew Christians have heard. . .

The author begins by giving a warning and admonition through an “if. . . then” statement.

Just as the key point says, we must pay close attention to the message of the gospel. . . for if we don’t, we will drift away from it.

To understand this warning, we need to understand the meaning of two phrases: “Drift away” and “Pay Attention.”

Drift Away

This phrase communicates to disbelieve gradually or slowly overtime.

“Drifting away” provides the image of a ship that has been loosed of its anchor and is at the mercy of the current of the sea.

The Hebrews were tempted to drift away due to the tides of suffering. . .

rejection from family (Heb. 13:12-13).

Public shame (Heb. 10:32-33).

Loss of property and freedom (Heb. 10:34; 13:3).

Death (Heb. 12:3-4).

I want you guys to see the danger of drifting. . . for the reason why it is so dangerous is because it is subtle. . .

The drifting did not happen all at once but slowly. . .

C. S. Lewis wisely remarked about the subtleness of drifting when he said:

“And as a matter of fact, if you examined a hundred people who had lost their faith in Christianity, I wonder how many of them would turn out to have been reasoned out of it by honest argument? Do not most people simply drift away?”

Tides that can cause us to drift. . .

Tide of Years

Over time, we forget what we believe and what is important. We are often hardened by the difficulties of life.

Parable of the soils. . . Matthew 13.

The seed sown on rocky soil shot up immediately with joy. . . but soon withered away.

The seed sown among the thorns began to steadily grow. . . but over time, the difficulties and worries of the world choke out the plant and it bears no fruit.

Time is a great corroder of rubbish. . . Time will reveal if our faith is genuine. . . for true faith perseveres and stands the test of time.

Tide of Familiarity

Raise your hand if you’ve been to Paris. . .

Arm de Tromp

When we see and experience something over and over again, we are tempted to see it as less important and magnificent as it truly is. . . leads to becoming apathetic.

The same can be said of how we view the gospel after hearing it over and over again.

Tide of Busyness

When we load up our plate with numerous things each day, week, month, and year and do not make time to spend with God. . . we can slowly drift away from the truth.

“A snowflake is a tiny thing, but when the air is full of them, they can bury us. Just so, the thousand cares of each day can keep us from the wonderful excellencies of Christ, causing us to begin a deadly drift.” -R. Kent Hughes

Pay Attention

“Pay attention” communicates giving undivided attention to something very important.

The phrase urges us to “hold fast” to our faith (Heb. 3:6, 14; 10:23).

In calling the Hebrew Christians to “pay attention” the author urges his hearers to be firm and secure at their dock (of faith in Christ) so that it will be impossible for the water to cause them to drift away.

If our faith is firm in Jesus, it will not matter how strong the waves of the sea of this world are (lies, attacks, trials) because the anchor of our faith in Jesus will keep us safe at the dock.

How can we “pay attention” to the message of the gospel so we do not drift away?

Read, memorize, meditate, and remind yourself of the person and work of Jesus Christ.

We must bind God’s word on our hearts and take it wherever we go and teach it to others (Deut. 6:4-9).

Create stones/altars of remembrance in your life (Joshua 4).

Reasoning (v. 2-3a)

After giving us a warning to not drift away, the author gives us the reason for his warning in verses 2-3. . . for if we neglect this great salvation. . . we will not escape judgment.

Hebrews 2:2–3 (ESV)

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?

To explain his reasoning, the author uses an argument from the lesser to the greater.

In logic, this is known as an “a fortiori” argument (Latin for: from the stronger argument).

Pull out students from the crowd. . . one shorter than me but taller than the other student.

Now, Micah is taller than me. . . and I am taller than Eli. So. . . if I (who is shorter than Micah) am taller than Eli, how much more is Micah (who is taller than me) taller than Eli?

So, in the same way. . . If the law given by angels, which was lesser in importance than the gospel due to its incompleteness, proved to be true and those who disobeyed it received a just punishment (Deut. 27:26) . . . how much more will we not escape retribution if we neglect the greater message of salvation that we have in Jesus?

The word “neglect” connects back to “drifting away” in verse 1 and communicates apathy or not caring about something.

For the Hebrews, this would mean that they disregard and do not care about the great salvation that has been declared to them in Jesus. They demonstrate their apathy by leaving the teachings of Jesus for the teachings and practices of Judaism.

An example of “neglect” is seen when those invited to the wedding feast in Matthew 22:5, did not care they were invited and went off to continue their work.

Have you become apathetic to the message of the gospel?

The author makes clear that those who “neglect” this great salvation will have no way of escape from the judgment of God.

Al Mohler says, “The danger of spiritual drift is not only that we might miss out on a spiritually flourishing life; the true danger of spiritual drift is that we abandon the gospel itself and find ourselves under the judgment of God.”

To prevent this neglect from occuring, as verse 1 said, we must pay attention to the gospel and see how truly great our salvation is in Christ.

Confirmation (v. 3b-4)

Another way we can keep ourselves from neglecting this great salvation is by seeing how it has been confirmed to be true throughout the ages by our triune God.

This is what the author accomplishes in second half of verse three and four. . .

Hebrews 2:3–4 (ESV)

It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.

Essentially, what the author is doing in these verses is making clear that we have no excuse for neglecting the message of our great salvation. . . because. . .

It was first declared by Jesus.

Second. . . It was verified and written down by the apostles. . . who were eyewitnesses

And Third. . . the apostle’s witness has been further confirmed by God the Father through signs, wonders, various miracles, and gifts that were brought about by the Holy Spirit.

The Triune God, along with his people, have testified throughout the ages of the greatness of this salvation. . . therefore, we MUST pay attention to it. . . we must not neglect it. . . we must not doubt it. . . for if we do, we will not escape the judgment of God.

Application

We must hold fast to Christ, the anchor of our faith.

We must place our anchor firmly in the waters of the Word of God.

We must constantly remind ourselves of the greatness of our salvation.

How do we do this??? Three ways. . .

Personal Study

Daily time with God in his word.

Public Worship

Weekly gathered worship on Wednesdays and Sundays.

Prioritizing Biblical Fellowship

D-Groups!!

If we do not hold fast to Christ through these means. . . we will drift away from the gospel and eventually leave it. . . resulting in the shipwrecking of our faith and the judgment of God.

What are some of the tides that are moving you to drift away from the gospel?

We have already mentioned busyness and familiarity. . . but what about other allurements?

Popularity. . . Success. . . Pleasure. . . Wealth. . . Sports. . . Relationships

Maybe tonight you have lost your anchor and the current is already beginning to take you out into the sea. . . the warning for you tonight is to STOP! Grab a hold of your anchor once more by grace through faith in Christ and hold fast to Jesus.

For others here tonight, you are not drifting away from gospel. . . and your anchor is secure in the waters of the Word of God. . . but you know friends and family members who are beginning to drift away.

The call for you tonight is wake them up! Help them to see how they are drifting and encourage them to attach their boat back to the anchor of Christ so they will not shipwreck their faith.

For some here tonight, you are not drifting away from the gospel. . . because you have never believed in the gospel. . .

You cannot put your anchor at bay because you have never trusted in Christ for your salvation.

Tonight, the call for you is to repent of your sins and trust Christ so that you can experience the riches and glorious inheritance of this great salvation.

Brief Explanation of the Gospel

Pray

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