March 6, 2022 PAY CLOSE ATTENTION
Hebrews 2:1-3 “For this reason we must pay closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard, God also bearing witness and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will.”
When the writer of Hebrews says “For this reason” he is referring to what was said in the first chapter of Hebrews where we are reminded of the great works and miracles of God and how God has spoken to us through His Son. The Son of God came to earth to make purification of sins, and then sat down at the right hand of God-that is an amazing truth! Hebrews 1:1-3. In the last verse of chapter one, we are told regarding angles “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?” (There are angles working on behalf of believers!) One message rings out loud and clear in Hebrews; we must never forget what the Creator God has done and we must pay close attention to what we have heard-what He has revealed in His word. He has made Himself know through His mighty deeds; long ago God spoke to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways; in these last days He has spoken to us through His Son, and God has appointed His Son heir of all things. Our salvation came as result of the Son of God being crucified on a cross! Salvation is not cheap. You could rightly say that the apex of all times, the single greatest event of all times, was Jesus coming to earth in the form of man and giving His life as the perfect sacrifice for our sins. We must come face to face with the fact that God said “every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense.” Am I saying that we must fear God? Yes. But it is a holy fear that we are to have; it is being overwhelmed with the power of God and that we are accountable to Him. Simply said, our response to God should be one of humility and obedience-because He alone is God. Our God is mighty and powerful, but He is also a God who loves us and forgives us and has compassion on us. As said above, if we transgress and are disobedient to what God has said, we will receive a just recompense. (I know that sounds hard, and perhaps it challenges our view of God.) Think about it-if a believer sins, even though God will forgive him, the sin has consequences; for certain, sin breaks our fellowship with God, and it may have devastating consequences. The point of this truth is that we need to pay closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. The serious and stern warning for us is that we must not neglect our so great a salvation-if we do how shall we escape? (That’s what God said.) To prevent drifting from what we have heard, we must have a steady diet of the word of God, be committed to obeying what God has said, and find our place in the body of Christ where we share life with one another as followers of Christ. We are not to be stagnant-we are to be growing in the faith and in the knowledge of God. Let us be careful not drift from what God has plainly spoken; let us embrace the word of God and adjust our lives to live according to all that God has spoken. We have a great salvation-may we not neglect it.
2 Timothy 2:15 “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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