Listen Up!

Hebrews  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  21:14
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As the eternal Son of God and the exalted Messianic King, Jesus speaks with supreme authority. To fail to listen to Christ's voice is to place yourself in great danger. So Listen Up!

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Our text this morning is taken from Hebrews 2:1-4:
Hebrews 2:1–4 ESV
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 by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.
As I begin my message this morning I want you to consider four scenarios or situations:
A old man faithfully turning the T.V. on at the same time each night to “listen” to the news.
A young women waiting for the phone to ring so she can hear her lover’s voice on the other end.
A long line of people waiting for an opportunity to purchase a ticket to a concert so they can “listen” to their favorite band.
A family “listening” intently to a doctor as he gives his report after operating on a loved one.
What do each of these scenarios have in common? They have in common the priority we place on listening when we believe what is being said is important. Conversely, we fail to listen carefully when we think something is not as important as other things. The author of Hebrews is concerned that the congregation is not listening to Jesus. We know this because Hebrews 2, begins with the word “Therefore.” By using this word the author is telling his readers they need to consider very carefully what the implications are if Jesus’ voice is superior to all other voices. He is saying Listen Up Because of...

The Greatness of the Speaker

Jesus’ voice is superior to all other voices because He is the the eternal Son of God, through whom God created and now sustains the universe. Jesus also the Davidic “Son of God,” the Messiah, who sits at God the Father’s right hand, far above all other authority. Jesus is the King of kings and Lord of lords! (1 Tim 6:16, Rev 17:14, Rev 19:16) Our call to worship this day was taken from Revelation 19, there we read:
Revelation 19:16 ESV
On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.
By telling us that Jesus is the King of kings and Lord of lords, Scripture is teaching us that Jesus is the authority above all other authorities. I am afraid that we treat Jesus like a president or a prime minister, rather than a king. Part of the problem is that kings and queens today have little or no authority. For example, the royal family of Great Britain are just figureheads or mascots, in much the same way Uncle Sam is symbol or mascot of the United States.
You see this confusion in the way we do evangelism. We hock Jesus with bumper stickers and billboards the way we sell any other product and we “invite” people to accept Jesus like we invite people to vote for our favorite candidate. No wonder people today think that Jesus is just one among many religious choices. Some people choose Buddhism, some people choose Islam, some people choose Christianity. No big deal, it is just a personal choice.
But it is a big deal! To not choose Jesus is to chose the path of high treason. To say Jesus is King of kings or to say that God the Father has placed everything under His feet is to say that nothing in all of creation is outside of Jesus’ authority. Jesus does not invite people to follow him, Jesus commands them! Jesus first recorded sermon is found in Mark 1:14-15. Listen to what He says:
Mark 1:14–15 ESV
Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
The words “repent” and “believe” are commands! This is why the apostle Paul, never gave a gospel invitation, but a gospel call. Listen to him preach to the Athenians:
Acts 17:30–31 ESV
The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”
Notice why Paul says “all people everywhere” should repent—because King Jesus is the one who will judge the world! This judgement brings us to the second reason we should diligently listen to Jesus:

The Greatness of the Danger

Our text gives us two dangers for not paying close attention to the message of Jesus: The danger of drifting away and the danger of just retribution.
Why are so many who profess to be Christians (even evangelical Christians) not just accepting, but actively promoting such unbiblical morality and theology? It is because they are ignorant of the voice of Christ found in Scripture. In Wednesday’s edition of Breakpoint, Eric Mataxas wrote an editorial entitled, “Where is Your Bible?” He says this:
Tragically, many Christians—or at least those who identify as Christians—have given up the Bible, ... A recent survey says that 60 percent of the members of the Church of England “never” read the Bible—that’s right, never...biblical illiteracy is running rampant on this side of the Pond, too. Fewer than one in two adults can name the four Gospels. Many Christians cannot name more than two or three of Jesus’s disciples... America is “a nation of biblical illiterates.”
The world system of evil is not a swimming pool, but a mighty river. If you are not fighting upstream against the currents of secularism, you will be drifting downstream into the wrath of Christ’s judgement!
One of the things we will be learning from the book of Hebrews is that the things of the Old Covenant are but shadows of the greater reality of the New Covenant. Things are moving from lesser to greater! You will hear little debate that the divine judgements recorded in the Old Testament are great. So great in fact that many dislike the way God is portrayed in the Old Testament. But lets take a moment to compare the judgements of the Old Testament to the judgements of Christ recorded in the New Testament.
In Ex 32:28 we are told 3000 died by the sword at Mt. Sinai. In Rev 6:8, a fourth of the the population of earth will perish by the sword and by other means. That is 1.9 billion people based on 2017 population figures!
In Lev 10:2, fire from the Lord consumed Nadab and Abihu. In Rev 8:7, fire from heaven will burn up a third of the earth!
In Num 16:49, we are told 14,700 died by the plague. In Rev 9:18, a third of mankind is killed by plague. Again, by today’s figures that would be 2.5 billion people!
Why will Christ’s judgement be so harsh? It is because of the greatness of the salvation offered in the Gospel and the greatness of the witness attesting to the truthfulness of the Gospel. When Christ comes again, the Great Commission will have been fulfilled and those who do not believe will be without excuse. This brings us to the third reason the author of Hebrews gives us to listen up!

The Greatness of the Witnesses

In Hebrews 2:3-4, the author of Hebrews lists three witnesses that attest to the truth of the gospel. The first, is the Lord himself. In light of the greatness of Christ this is enough, however God is gracious and He desires that we have no excuse not to believe.
The second witness God has given us are the Apostles: “those who heard”. These men were the first eye witnesses to Jesus and His resurrection. They were especially appointed by Christ to teach others what He had taught them. When a minister says, “Paul or Peter or John says ____,” he is really saying Jesus says. Just like the prophetic voices of the Old Covenant spoke the Word of God, so the apostolic voice speaks the Word of Christ. The truthfulness of their message is attested to by the third witness: “signs and wonders and various miracles and by the gifts of the Holy Spirit.” (Heb 2:4)
Contrary to what Charismatics and Pentecostals teach, the primary purpose of the signs and wonders are to attest to the truthfulness of the Gospel, especially where the Gospel has never been heard before. When the Gospel is firmly established in a location, the need for signs and wonders fade. But this does not mean the need for the Holy Spirit and His testimony fades. Rather than working externally, the Holy Spirit works internally within believers. The believers themselves become the “signs and wonders” as they are transformed after the image of Christ! Just like Jesus, we become lights to this dark world.
Matthew 5:14–16 ESV
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
This is why, as we will be learning in Heb 10:24-25, it is so dangerous to neglect the fellowship of the saints. When we do so we cut ourselves off from the power and witness of the Holy Spirit.

Conclusion: Listen Up!

In conclusion, listen up! Christ’s voice is far more authoritative than the voice of angels and if God did not spare those who disobeyed the angels’ voice, He will certainly not spare those who don’t listen to Christ’s voice! The teachings of Christ and His Apostles is recorded for you in your Bibles. The Holy Spirit has used the light of countless Christians to testify to the power and truthfulness of the Gospel. You who hear or read this sermon are truly without excuse. Christ the King is commanding you to repent and believe the Gospel! Will you bend the knee and kiss the Son or will by rebel against the Lord and His Anointed?
Let us pray.
Father, forgive us for not listening to the voice of your Son Jesus Christ more diligently. Open our eyes to see the greatness of Jesus so that we will not neglect so great a salvation. Amen.
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