Hebrews
Chapter Two
Message Five
Intro.
Heb 2:1-3
1 Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.
2 For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward;
3 How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; KJV
The words used in this text call to mind an issue that a person might face on a river when he would be trying to land at a specific point, especially if he was traveling downstream. The current of the river tends to carry him past his landing sight. In order to land at the precise point that he has chosen the boatman would be required to fight the current of the river, overcome it's pull on him to carry him downstream and apply the needed effort in order to land properly.
This is an allegory of what the believer faces. His chosen landing spot is called 'being totally right with God in every way.' The river we would call 'life.' As we live our lives, seeking every day to arrive at the correct landing spot, the force of the river of life attempts to sweep us past it. We are required, if we would land at the spot of being right with God, to exert enough spiritual energy and effort to keep us from being swept past where we have chosen to land. If we are not diligent, of we do not 'give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard,' we will 'slip' past the landing spot and arrive somewhere that we do not want to be.
Another allegory that has presented itself to my mind is that of a leaky container. Consider, for example, if I gave you a job. I presented you with a bucket and told you that your job was to keep the bucket full of water at all times. But as you filled the bucket, you noticed that it had a hole in the bottom. You called me and showed me the problem, but my response was, 'this is the only bucket that we have, you must keep it full!' You would have some choices to make: (1) you could quit and say that my request is unreasonable; (2) you could decide that the bucket didn't really need to be kept full and just make sure that you kept some water in it; (3) you could make the decision to exert the required effort to do the job that I asked. You might look around for something that would slow the leaking process. Or you might figure out how to beat the leak by bringing water faster than the leak lost it.
You live in a leaky bucket. In fact, you are a leaky bucket. The assigned task for you as a believer is to 'be filled with the Holy Spirit.' But even in those times when you arrive at fellowship and communion with God, you find that you have leaks. The cares of life, the demands of you job, and even your own heart, leak away that precious fellowship with the Lord. Like my allegory, you have some choices. You can: (1) decide that the task is unnecessary and the command of God unreasonable; (2) decide that you really don't have to be filled with the Spirit and settle for some half-way measures in life; (3) you can decide to apply enough effort to overcome the 'leaks' and labor to maintain that place of close fellowship with God, that place of being 'filled with the Spirit.'
Option three is that which the writer is getting at. We must 'give the more earnest heed' to the things we have heard because it is not only likely but absolutely certain that if we do not, we will 'slip past,' 'let slip,' some really important things in our lives.
God has give us all good cause to apply the effort for being completely given over in our minds and hearts to the gospel.
I. He has spoken to us by prophets and angels.
We have already spent much time on this subject. We must recognize that the fact of God speaking is full and just cause for us to make this communication of God the most important thing in our lives, the thing which we must: (1) understand, and (2) obey. There is no way to make too much of this.
II. He has spoken to us in the Person of His Son.
The exalted place of Jesus Christ both before and after His time on earth, coupled with the fact that He actually came to us and spoke, makes the substance of His communication of preeminent importance.
He existed before all things. By Him all things were created. He Himself is called God by God Himself. The angels worship Him. He is the Judge to Whom all men will one day answer.
He condescended to us. He lived among us as one of us, suffering all things that we suffer. He gave Himself to die the death of the cross for us. He was buried, rose again the third day, and has ascended to heaven where He now reigns from the throne of God.
There is no way to think anything other than that what He has said to us is of the greatest importance. Giving 'earnest heed' to those things is our greatest and most profound duty. If we come to the end of our lives and have not done this, nothing else will matter that we have done. If we come to the end of our lives and have done this, nothing of what we have lost or left undone will matter either.
III. Giving earnest heed.
First we must deal with the words. The word 'ought' is a word of necessity. It rather means that 'we must' than 'we should.' We have developed a subtle 'dodge' for our responsibilities in modern Christianity. We know that there are many things that we 'should' do. We should pray more. We should read our bibles more. We should be more diligent in church attendance. We should watch our language, witness, study, meditate, and serve others more.
But in many circles, the recognition that we 'should' do these things is taken as the actual doing of them. If we can but acknowledge that we 'should' we give ourselves credit for being spiritual, even if we never do them. It is as if the intent is the thing itself. But this does not work in any other area of life. For example:
'I know that I should go to work every day'
'I know that I should be honest'
'I know that I should be faithful to my wife'
If we do not do these things, does the saying of 'I know I should' make any real difference? The truth is that we must do these things. In the same way, we must give earnest heed to what we have heard.
Concerning 'more earnest.' This is a word which is translated elsewhere in the NT as 'more exceeding,' and 'more abundantly.' It is a word which calls to the mind 'superabounding.' It here describes an effort to pay attention and obey the things we have heard which goes beyond all other efforts and commitments.
The issue of 'giving earnest heed' is composed of several elements.
A. The seriousness of the matter.
Can we imagine the consequences of letting 'slip' the things which we have heard? The writer brings this up in verses 2 and 3. We spoke of it last week. How shall we escape the judgment of God?
The writer deliberately brings before our minds the fact that some who profess faith in Jesus Christ will ultimately fall under the judgment of God and that the only way for a believer to avoid the judgment of God is to give serious, continual, and abounding effort to really hear what God has said.
One of the writers said this, "The degree of attention to be paid to things heard is to be measured by the dignity of Him from whom they came. ..."The Son of God being thus exalted, we owe to the message of His mercy in the New Testament more and more of earnest heed, lest by any means we come to lose those good things which it announces and offers to us." (Delitzsch)
Consider how awful it will be for those who arrive at the Great Judgment to find out that their faith was false and their hope was bogus. Yet this distinct reality exists.
Matt 7:22-23
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. KJV
B. The real possibility that we might let them 'slip' away.
This does not come really home to us until each of us says to himself, 'I might let salvation and the gospel slip by and miss it.' Then we must really think about that as a possibility. "Might I really miss heaven?" "Might I really be found to have counterfeit faith at the end."
Nothing should frighten a believer more than this possibility. He knows the truth. He has heard the words of God. He has, to some degree, made them an important part of his life. He also knows something about the wrath of God. He has read and heard the awful descriptions of hell. The thought of an eternity without God should literally terrify him.
We ask ourselves, "has this ever happened?" "Has anyone ever been a believer and then 'slipped away' from those things that he has heard?"
We might give many examples but I will choose just three: Balaam, Judas, and Demas. Each of these were recognized for a while as believers. Each of them had fruits in their lives which others accepted as being testimonies of true faith. And each of them slipped away from their commitments to those truths.
Balaam was a prophet in the OT during the days when Israel was wandering in the wilderness under the leadership of Moses. The king of the Moabites did not want Israel to pass by their land. He was afraid of them, so he sent for the prophet Balaam to pronounce a curse on Israel for him. He offered to pay Balaam a large sum of money. Balaam had several conversations with God over the matter and God refused to allow him to curse Israel. But he ended up figuring out a way by which the king of Moab could get Israel in trouble with God.
Now a believer might say, "I would never do such a thing, taking money to oppose the people of God." And, you might not. But you never had a conversation with God either. You never had God speak directly to you. Here is one who talked with God who 'let slip' the things that he knew to be true. He is held up in the NT as a false believer, one whose faith was false.
Consider Judas. He knew that Jesus was the Son of God. He preached it and lived it for 3 1/2 years. He healed the sick and cast out demons. The other disciples never suspected that he was a fake. Yet he sold Jesus out for 30 pieces of silver and betrayed Him to those who put Him to death.
Now one might say, "I would never betray Jesus." "I would never sell Him or His people out." But you never cast out a demon either. You never healed a sick person. You never walked and talked with Jesus. But here is one who did and still 'let slip' the precious truths that he heard from the Savior. He was considered by all to be a true believer, but he was not.
Consider Demas. He was one who traveled and labored with Paul. He was considered one of Paul's 'inner circle' of supporters and helpers.
Col 4:14
14 Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas, greet you. KJV
Philem 23-24
23 There salute thee Epaphras, my fellowprisoner in Christ Jesus;
24 Marcus, Aristarchus, Demas, Lucas, my fellowlabourers. KJV
But he ultimately forsook Paul.
2 Tim 4:10
10 For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia. KJV
Again, one might say, I would never desert the gospel. I don't love the world more than I love Christ. I remind you that here is one who even fooled Paul but who 'let slip' the things that he had heard.
Consider that it is a real possibility for you and for me. Consider that what we call faith may be a counterfeit. Realize that this could be your future unless you give 'earnest heed' to the things that you have heard. This is what our writer is saying.
C. The fact that it is our responsibility not to let this happen.
One of the cardinal doctrines of our faith is 'the perseverance and preservation of the saints.' This is the doctrine that is called by some 'once saved always saved.' The way some read this doctrine is that once a person has confessed Christ, God will always keep him from being lost no matter what. But we have already seen that many profess faith who do not really possess it.
It is the duty and responsibility of every believer to hold fast to what he has heard. This is one of the tests that prove his faith is real. He who does not hold fast to what he has heard from the very mouth of God Himself cannot hope to be saved in the end. His faith is not real. It is counterfeit, false, fake, and useless. It is a faith that does not save, says James, the half-brother of Jesus.
Our writer of Hebrews solemnly admonishes us to hold fast lest these things slip away. The 'holding fast' is our responsibility.
D. And consider the fact that God has provided us with the means to not let these things 'slip' away.
God, according to Peter 'has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness.' The believer has resources beyond his imagination for the help of God. And God is completely willing to give assistance to those who cry out to Him.
Luke 11:11-13
11 If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?
12 Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?
13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? KJV
There is no temptation which can take us from which the Father cannot and will not deliver us. There is no trial through which He will not walk with us. There is no failure from which He will not forgive us and raise us up. There is no enemy that can defeat our faith, so long as we hold fast to what we have heard and cry out to the Lord for help.
But if we walk away. If we are careless, lukewarm, and half-hearted. If we treat the word of God as a common thing, or a thing we could do without, we have no reason to think that He will respond to that kind of faith with anything but disgust.
Rev 3:15-16
15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. KJV
The writer is calling to a diligent faith, one that holds on with determination to the things we have heard, one that gives 'earnest heed.'
Now I don't know where you are with this. I don't know your heart and I refuse to try to judge your faith. But I suspect that you struggle, as I do, with being faithful to God.
Ask God to show you the real issue of your struggle. Is it pride? Is it selfishness? Is it a love of the world? Is it love of your family? Is it some secret sin, some hidden ungodliness?
Consider what is to become of you if this thing wins. Think of the Great Judgment and how it will be to be rejected rather than welcomed. Think of all the damage you will do if your faith collapses under the temptations and cares of life.
Pour out your heart to God. Return to the place where you started with Him. Confess all of the things that have come between you and Him. Implore Him to grant you repentance and deliverance from everything that keeps you from giving earnest heed to the things you have heard.
He knows how to give good things to His children who ask.